A lot happened yesterday, so let’s just get right to it (and happy weekend)…
Jake Arrieta threw another no-hitter
I have a post with much, much more on Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter and how INSANE his run has been since the second half of last season, so I’m going to keep it to the basics here.
So, Arrieta threw a no-hitter on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Reds, making it his second no-hitter since last August.
A sampling of the mind-blowing facts I included in my post regarding Arrieta’s absurd run:
Jake Arrieta’s last 16 starts:
15-0, 0.53 ERA
2 no-hitter’s*these stats are stupid* pic.twitter.com/GhD7E9YqQI
— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) April 22, 2016
Oh, and a fan ran onto the field and joined in on the celebration:
Cubs fan in Jake Arrieta’s celebration huddle, the longer version pic.twitter.com/5ToaVDgK6Z — CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 22, 2016
Rockets beat the Steph-less Warriors on James Harden jumper
Steph Curry (ankle) sat out Game 3 between the Rockets and Warriors on Thursday night in Houston, and the Rockets took advantage (but barely) with a 97-96 win. James Harden hit the game-winning jumper in a wild final sequence:
Rockets cap wild end-to-end sequence w/ James Harden game-winning jumper to take Game 3 vs. Warriors pic.twitter.com/3jBxNC9wfZ
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 22, 2016
Also in this game, Dwight Howard threw a basketball at Andrew Bogut, but after Bogut held his elbow.
So, the Warriors are up 2-1 now, and it will be interesting to see if Steph goes Game 4. The Warriors are going to be fine in this series regardless.
So, yeah, Conor McGregor isn’t retiring
We were all skeptical about Conor McGregor’s “retirement”, and on Thursday he clarified that he just wants to fight and not focus on promotional stuff.
The gist of it: McGregor is not retiring. And he’s really, really not interested in endlessly promoting his next fight. That’s someone else’s job. He’s got training to do.
I am just trying to do my job and fight here. I get paid to fight … https://t.co/xW1P3G2710 — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 21, 2016
Read much more about the story here.
Prince: 1958-2016
Yesterday was a sad, sad day. Ian Casselberry put it well regarding how special Prince was:
Ask 10 different people what their favorite Prince song is, and you might get 10 different answers. Yet every one of those answers would be correct. Where do you begin to sum up this man’s career? “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Purple Rain,” “I Would Die 4U,” “Kiss,” “Raspberry Beret”… there are so many great songs that touched us and brought so much joy and celebration, that will live on, that set a bar that very, very few can ever hope to reach.
The sports world had plenty of reaction to the pop legend’s death, and the Minnesota Twins’ tribute will really get you:
Fitting that it’s raining in Minneapolis today. pic.twitter.com/s5KFurDhHi — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 21, 2016
Quick Hits
– Patrick Kane scored a brilliant goal to keep the Blackhawks alive in their series against the Blues (it’s now 3-2 St. Louis). This move is filthy:
About that game… I wrote at Awful Announcing about Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley being cut off by NBC Sports as he was ranting (and right) about how ridiculous these 8;42 PM CT puck drops have been, for two teams in the central time zones.
– The Wizards hired former Thunder head coach Scott Brooks to a reported five-year, $35 million deal. Could Brooks get Kevin Durant to join him in DC?
– Brad Gagnon examines 10 potential landing spots for free-agent cornerback Josh Norman. Reports are that the 49ers and Redskins are the favorites for Norman’s services.
– Sam Bradford is not happy about the Eagles trading up for the No. 2 pick (where they will take a quarterback).
– Matt Zemek with a great look at the great situation Tom Thibodeau has found himself in.
– Clayton Kershaw is straight-up trolling now. He threw a 46-mph eephus pitch on Thursday vs the Braves.
– Adrian Beltre literally dances around a loose baseball.
– MLB commish Rob Manfred says that expansion is a long-term goal, but to not expect it soon.
– Friday’s sports viewing picks.
– Game of Thrones renewed for another season. And here’s you reminder that GAME OF THRONES RETURNS SUNDAY.
And HBO released a last batch of GoT images heading into the premiere.
– The crew from Animal Planet’s River Monsters (literally watching it as I write this, by the way; Jeremy Wade is the man) rescued a real-life castaway on a deserted island. This is crazy.
– Pumpkin Spice Cheerios are coming, and our Joe Lucia is not happy about it.
One last breath of gratuitous procrastination
The struggle is real.