Magic Number 7️⃣
Smallball-ers, last night, 7️⃣ kept popping up on the field, the court, and even in the stands…Let’s dive into the magic and the mayhem!
⚾ Rockies Slip, Kasim Scores
Yesterday we checked in on the ice-cold Colorado Rockies. We’re sad to report the Rockies dropped another tough one last night, losing 8–7️⃣ to the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. That brings the Rockies' record to 4 wins and 21 losses, still the worst in Major League Baseball. Ouch.
🔦 Bright spot: Outfielder Jordan Beck had a strong night, going 2-for-3 with 2 home runs. He’s provided a spark lately with 5 home runs in the Rockies’ last 3 games. He’s an exciting young player who just turned 24 last Saturday!
Speaking of birthdays…while the Rockies stumbled, there was a 7️⃣ being celebrated in the stands: smallball-er Kasim turns 7️⃣ years old today!
🎂🎉 Happy birthday, Kasim! We hope you had a better night than the Rockies.
🏈 NFL Draft: Day 2 Winners and Waiters
Rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft wrapped up last night. (Remember, the Draft is where NFL teams select college players to join their rosters). Let’s check in on which colleges have the most players drafted so far:
🅾️ Ohio State: 7 players
🐘 Alabama: 6 players
🐶 Georgia: 6 players
🐂 Texas: 6 players
One of the 6 Texas players drafted was safety Andrew Mukuba, who the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles selected in the 2nd round. ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. loved the pick:
“I love Mukuba's game. He's 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, but he plays so much bigger and hits like a linebacker.”
Meanwhile, the Colorado Buffaloes are stuck at just 1 player drafted (remember: Travis Hunter was the 2nd pick in the Draft by the Jaguars). Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who we spotlighted yesterday, is still waiting for his NFL home. Here’s Mel Kiper Jr. again:
“Bottom line, I think he's going to be a great NFL quarterback. And I'm surprised none of the QB-needy teams (or honestly, at this point, even some of the teams that don't need a passer) agree with me enough to use a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on him.”
The final day of the draft is today as teams make their picks in rounds 4 through 7️⃣. Let’s see if Sanders finally gets his NFL shot!
🏀 Timberwolves Feast on a Rough Night for Luka
Another big 7️⃣ popped up in the NBA last night too! The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić had a rough night, committing 7️⃣ turnovers as the Timberwolves beat the Lakers 116–104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best of 7️⃣ series.
Battling a stomach bug (yikes!), Luka scored only 17 points compared to his average of 34 points in the first 2 games. LeBron James led the Lakers with 38 points: the most ever scored in a playoff game by a player at least 40 years old.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards (nickname: Ant) delivered 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Fun fact: Anthony Edwards was just 4 years old when LeBron James played his very first playoff game in 2006! Now they’re battling each other in the playoffs. How cool is that?
Remember, yesterday we said Lakers-Wolves was a true coin toss (50% chance for each). In the other 2 games, we expected the Celtics to beat the Magic (~67% chance) and the Bucks to beat the Pacers (~55%). What actually happened?
Who’s Ready for More Drama?
We’ve got 4 NBA playoff games today:
⚔️ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 🔥Miami Heat (Cavaliers lead 2–0); experts say 73% chance Cavaliers win
⚡ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 🐻 Memphis Grizzlies (Thunder lead 3–0); experts say 73% chance Thunder win
🏔️ Denver Nuggets @ ⛵️ LA Clippers (Clippers lead 2–1); experts say: 60% chance Clippers win
🚀 Houston Rockets @ 🌉 Golden State Warriors (Series tied 1–1); experts say 58% chance Warriors win
Thanks for reading, Smallballers! See you tomorrow.
Kasim loves his shoutout! Thanks Coach!