New Vikings Uniforms Widely Praised by NFL Fans
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

New Vikings Uniforms Widely Praised by NFL Fans

The NFL news cycle slows to a crawl in June and July, making those months the perfect time for big team announcements that have little to do with how the roster will perform this upcoming season. On Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings did just that by unveiling their brand new all-white alternate uniforms— and fans loved them.

The organization dropped a release video featuring the team's stars like Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith showcasing the new kits. Appropriately, it was accompanied with the caption, "The coldest uniforms in the game."

Big name NFL media personalities further revealed still images of the alternates on X (formerly Twitter).

These sorts of uniform announcements can sometimes go sideways if football fans decide they do not like them. But the Vikes' new threads have largely been praised in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.

As noted above, Minnesota will debut these uniforms on Monday Night Football against the division rival Chicago Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on December 16. Fortunately the game is at U.S. Bank Stadium, so there won't be any potential snow issues. Imagine wearing these hours after a snowstorm swept through Chicago and Soldier Field. Visibility would be an issue.

But the Vikings and their dome don't need to worry about such things. It'll be exciting to see them in action.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, NFL
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Best NBA Betting Odds and Trends for Mavericks vs. Celtics NBA Finals Game 1
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Best NBA Betting Odds and Trends for Mavericks vs. Celtics NBA Finals Game 1

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is upon us, and there's plenty to get to know before placing your wagers.

If you're looking for my best bets or the breakdown of Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, you can find them here on SI Betting!

Before you place any bets on Game 1, here's a look at the latest odds and some trends to know for Thursday night's series opener.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Boston Celtics as Home Favorites

There are several key trends to know ahead of Game 1, starting with Boston's record as a home favorite. The C's are 26-21-2 against the spread as home favorites this season, winning those games by an average margin of 14.4 points per game.

Boston also has the best against the spread record in the first half of games this season (63-32-1).

Dallas Mavericks on the Road

The Mavericks are an NBA-best 34-16 against the spread on the road, but we can break that down even further.

As a road underdog, Dallas is 14-11 against the spread, which isn't as great, but it thrived as a road favorite, going 20-5 ATS. Unfortunately, the Mavs are road dogs in Game 1.

Game 1 Favorites Dominate Since 2005

Since 2005 Game 1 favorites are an insane 16-3 against the spread, and going back the past 30 years, they are 21-9 against the spread.

Boston is favored by 6.5 points in Game 1, and it has covered in two of the three opening games of its playoff series.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's betting record here You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, NBA, NBA Finals
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Red Sox Infielder Had Most Special Hit of MLB Season, and Fans Were So Happy For Him
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Red Sox Infielder Had Most Special Hit of MLB Season, and Fans Were So Happy For Him

Boston's Jamie Westbrook stepped in as a pinch-hitter in a 9-0 game on Wednesday against the Braves and had a moment he'll never forget when he slapped a single to left field on a 3-2 count

Normally a hit like that near the end of a blowout wouldn't mean all that much to anyone involved but for Westbrook it meant everything, as it was his first major league hit after spending 11 years in the minor leagues.

His family watching from the stands loved it and his teammates in the dugout also went nuts,.

This was great:

Fans were so happy for him:

Braves, MLB, Red Sox
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Lakers' Quest to Find a New Coach Is Becoming Quite a Thrill Ride
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Lakers’ Quest to Find a New Coach Is Becoming Quite a Thrill Ride

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to eventually pick a head coach to lead them into next season and when that happens, it won't really matter who breaks the news three minutes before the rest of the world has it. But being cynical isn't as fun as keeping score in the Adrian Wojnarowski-Shams Charania parlor game, which has an interesting new chapter based on some at-odds reporting on L.A.'s search.

Less than 48 hours ago, The Athletic's Charania shoveled some more fuel into the JJ Redick hot-stove by establishing the player-turned-podcaster-slash-broadcaster as the leader in the clubhouse.

The Los Angeles Lakers are zeroing in on JJ Redick as the front-runner to be the franchise’s next head coach, league and media industry sources told The Athletic.

No final decision has been made yet, and the Lakers still have steps remaining in their head-coaching search process, league sources said. But the indications are strong that Redick is their leading choice at this stage.

Redick, promoting the NBA Finals on ESPN/ABC and in the middle of a Golic sandwich, quickly added some intrigue by saying that Shams would "be addressed once the season is over."

Then, as most people were still sleeping on Thursday, ESPN's Wojnarowski reached back with an old-timey windup and fired off the bombshell news that the Lakers are targeting UConn's Dan Hurley and putting together a massive offer.

The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN. Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers' search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates, sources said.

So one can see the problem. Redick and Hurley can't both coach the Lakers unless one of them wants to leave a great gig to become an assistant.

At times like these it's important to parse the language and point out that we're all in this situation because step-by-step reporting of each and every twist and turn of the process has been turned into an opportunity for news. In the not-so-distant past a consumer would only hear about a team selecting a new coach when that coach had been selected. It was less entertaining but that world didn't require a dictionary and thesaurus to divine meaning from the verbs included in every stage.

And that's not a slight. Woj and Shams are at the top of the field. But there's a real chance neither Redick nor Hurley coaches the Lakers next year, despite all the "zeroing in" and "targeting." In the court of public opinion, fair or otherwise, Shams is the Redick guy now and Woj is the Hurley guy. No one is going to do the work of parsing all the semantics and journalism to give either an out if life happens and talks don't go well or offers aren't accepted or matched.

Until there's a final decision the winner in these types of situations tends to be the person with the most recent information, which would be Wojanarowski. There's certainly something to be said about waking up in the morning to a legitimately shocking chyron on the screen and considering an event horizon that would profoundly impact both pro and college basketball.

It's nice to be reminded every so often that the Woj-Shams sideshow can be a lot of fun once a person gets out of the weeds and learns to embrace the bombs.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Dan Hurley, JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers, Shams Charania
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Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky Teammates Harassed by Man at Team Hotel
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky Teammates Harassed by Man at Team Hotel

Chennedy Carter and the Chicago Sky were harassed by a man with a camera outside their team hotel in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

When the Sky arrived at their hotel ahead of their Thursday game against the Washington Mystics, a single man approached the team and specifically tried to speak with Carter, per Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile. 

“It was over as fast as it started,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “I’m very confident in our security always making our players feel safe. Today was a great example of how critical they are to our team.”

The Sky’s team security de-escalated the situation, and the police weren’t called. The man was ultimately escorted away by security.

Multiple Sky players posted on X about the incident.

“finding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK,” forward Angel Reese wrote. “this really is outta control and needs to STOP.”

“WOW!!! Thank GOD for security,” forward Isabelle Harrison wrote. “My teammate being harassed at our hotel is insane! Couldn’t even step off the bus!!!”

“Getting harassed at our hotel is where the line needs to be drawn,” forward Michaela Onyenwere wrote. “Some ‘fans’ have NO CHILLLLL.”

Forward Brianna Turner wrote, “I wasn’t present for the interaction from earlier, but what occurred isn’t acceptable. Didn’t realize that when we said ‘grow the game’ that would be interpreted as harassing players at hotels. You are free to have your own opinion but consider if this happened to someone u know.”

Four days prior, Chennedy Carter issued a hard off-ball foul on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark in the Sky’s 71-70 road loss that has since generated widespread controversy.

Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky, SKY
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Disney Lorcana Players Demand Bucky Be Banned
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Disney Lorcana Players Demand Bucky Be Banned

The Disney Lorcana competitive community is conflicted over whether Bucky — Squirrel Squeaker Tutor should be the first banned card in the TCG.

Bucky has you and your opponent both choose a card in your hand to discard every time a Floodborn card is played. With the Ward ability, Bucky can't be challenged which keeps Bucky's power in play even longer. As a TCG with bad draw power, continuously discarding resources from your hand is a huge problem.

Many Disney Lorcana players have called for Bucky to be banned since the card is making the game feel unfun and unbalanced. Decks that focus on discard as its main strategy are unfavorable to play against — it feels bad. Also, most of the answers to Bucky — cards that can easily remove him, ignore him, or protect hands — are in Steel decks. This has made all other deck types feel irrelevant in the current meta.

Bucky Disney Lorcana TCGBucky Disney Lorcana TCG

Ravensburger has announced a new season full of more challenges as Disney Lorcana continues to grow its competitive scene. With these events on the way, a lot of players are wondering if Bucky will be removed to make the game feel healthier and more balanced for these tournaments.

Bucky feels incredibly exhausting and oppressive to play against. It feels a bit like a trolly mill deck. During recent tournaments, seeing Bucky in the finals put many Lorcana players on the "ban Bucky" train. But will Bucky actually be banned?

Most likely not.

The biggest issue with Bucky is that he has Ward. His stats may seem weak and his ability isn't too upsetting, but adding Ward makes the card a real bummer. Your opponent has to immediately focus on countering Bucky due to this and some decks don't have many answers, including Ruby. A lot of decks are forced to include certain cards or switch strategies just to have a chance against decks with Bucky.

Still, some players feel that banning Bucky is too dramatic. When one player asked for a petition to be signed in an attempt to get Bucky banned, some Lorcana fans accused them of just not having enough answers to deal with the card. Some players feel that there are still answers for getting rid of Bucky from play.

So maybe Bucky should be limited?

Right now, Ravensburger has not responded to the growing concern over Bucky. It's possible that future expansions will include cards that are direct answers to the Bucky problem or they may limit the amount of use Bucky can get in a game. But it's tough to say what will happen in the near future regarding the troublesome card.

bucky, card ban, Competitive, Disney Lorcana, Ravensburger, Strategy, TCG
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2024 Fantasy Football Tight End Tiers: Sam LaPorta Laps Travis Kelce
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

2024 Fantasy Football Tight End Tiers: Sam LaPorta Laps Travis Kelce

More Fantasy Tiers: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers

The 2024 NFL season is fast approaching, so it’s time to look at fantasy positional “tiers.” Unlike my PPR player rankings, tiers group players of similar value. So, if you miss out on a particular player on a tier in your draft, you can see others on that same tier who are good alternatives to select.

I’ve covered quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, and you can read about all three by clicking the links above, so now it’s time to look at the tight ends. This is probably the least important position in fantasy football, so most managers will wait to fill it rather than take one of the top-end options. As a result, tiers will be uber valuable.

Tier 1 – The Elite

Sam LaPorta, Lions
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Mark Andrews, Ravens
Trey McBride, Cardinals

This is the first time in years that Kelce isn’t either in his own tier or the top player at tight end. That’s due to a “down” statistical year by his high standards, coupled with LaPorta’s breakout and the fact that Kelce is entering his age-35 season. Andrews should remain a top-five option, and I’ve also included McBride in this tier. He finished seventh in points last season, and that came despite seeing just 10 targets in his first five games. He’s a big breakout candidate.

Tier 2 – Mid TE1s

Dalton Kincaid, Bills
George Kittle, 49ers
Evan Engram, Jaguars
Kyle Pitts, Falcons

Kincaid, like McBride, showed flashes of potential last season and is in a great position to bust out in the stat sheets. Kittle’s points-per-game averages have dropped each of the last six years, but he’s still a surefire top-10 option. Engram, last season’s third-best tight end, could see some regression but remains a starter in fantasy leagues. Could this finally be the year we see Pitts reach his fantasy potential? With Kirk Cousins at the helm, he hasn’t had this good of a chance to be a fantasy asset since he joined the league.

Tier 3 – Low TE1s

David Njoku, Browns
Jake Ferguson, Cowboys
Brock Bowers, Raiders
Dallas Goedert, Eagles

Njoku had a career-best season, but his numbers were far better with Joe Flacco under center than Deshaun Watson. That could be a concern. Ferguson continued the trend of Cowboys tight ends making a fantasy impact, posting a top-10 finish. Bowers is one of the best tight-end prospects to come out of college since Pitts, so he’ll be a popular sleeper even as a rookie. Goedert’s stats have decreased lately, but he’s still a viable fantasy starter.

Tier 4 – High TE2s

Dalton Schultz, Texans
Pat Freiermuth, Steelers
Cole Kmet, Bears

This is where the tight-end position starts to fade in terms of reliable options. Schultz was the TE10 last season, but you must wonder how much Stefon Diggs will eat into his targets. Freiermuth was a fantasy dud last season, but I’m expecting him to rebound, at least at some level, with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Kmet, last season’s TE8, will struggle to regain that level after the Bears added Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and Gerald Everett.

Tier 5 – Mid TE2s

Hunter Henry, Patriots
Luke Musgrave, Packers
T.J. Hockenson, Vikings
Taysom Hill, Saints
Cade Otton, Buccaneers

This tier includes two sleepers in Musgrave and Otton, while Henry and Hill (it’s not a Goodfellas reference) will be matchup-based starters in most leagues. Hockenson is the most difficult player to project. He’s established himself as an elite player and would be in Tier 1 had he not suffered a late-season ACL tear. With no real timetable for when he’ll be back, Hockenson is tough to recommend as more than a risk-reward, No. 2 tight end.

Tier 6 – Low TE2s

Daniel Bellinger, Giants
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans
Ben Sinnott, Commanders
Juwan Johnson, Saints
Tyler Conklin, Jets

There are some deep sleepers in this tier, including Bellinger, Sinnott and Johnson. You could also throw Okonkwo into that category, though target share could be an issue with Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks and Tyler Boyd all in the Titans' offense. Sinnott will have to contend with Zach Ertz, but the rookie has great upside and is worth a late flier. Johnson, who showed flashes of potential late last year, could also outplay his draft position.

Tier 7 – High TE3s

Tyler Higbee, Rams
Mike Gesicki, Bengals
Hayden Hurst, Chargers
Zach Ertz, Commanders
Noah Fant, Seahawks

There are a number of players who have had past fantasy success in this tier, but there’s not a whole lot of upside. Higbee is coming off an injury, so his stock has taken a nosedive. Gesicki is in a crowded Bengals pass attack. Hurst hasn't been a fantasy-relevant player in several seasons. Ertz could be limited in Washington’s offense with Sinnott on the roster. Fant is a matchup-based option at best.

Tier 8 – Mid TE3s

Jonnu Smith, Dolphins
Isaiah Likely, Ravens
Tucker Kraft, Packers
Jelani Woods, Colts
Josh Oliver, Vikings

Fantasy managers in deeper leagues could be looking at this group as late-round flies, but in reality there’s not a ton of value. Smith is a strong pass catcher, but the Dolphins offense doesn’t feature the tight end. Likely’s value is limited with Mark Andrews ahead of him on the Baltimore depth chart. Green Bay is loaded with good, young weapons, which will hurt the value of Kraft, who I have behind his teammate Musgrave in the rankings. Woods could be a worthwhile, deep-league flier, while Oliver could have some appeal in Minnesota while T.J. Hockenson is recovering from a torn ACL.

Fantasy Drafts, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Tiers, Sam LaPorta, Tight Ends, Travis Kelce
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Lakers Targeting UConn's Dan Hurley as Their Next Coach, per Report
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Lakers Targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley as Their Next Coach, per Report

The Los Angeles Lakers' search for their next coach has taken a dramatic turn as they are now targeting UConn's Dan Hurley, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski shook up the basketball world early Thursday morning with his report that the Lakers are looking to give Hurley a massive longterm deal and that talks are going to heat up over the next few days.

Hurley has led UConn to back-to-back NCAA titles over the past two years.

Wojnarowski broke the news in a series of tweets:

We'll have more updates as they come.

Dan Hurley, Los Angeles Lakers, to, UConn
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LeBron James’ Old Tweet About Dan Hurley Resurfaces Amid Lakers’ Coaching News
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

LeBron James’ Old Tweet About Dan Hurley Resurfaces Amid Lakers’ Coaching News

The Los Angeles Lakers are going after UConn's Dan Hurley to be their next coach, per a report Thursday morning by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hurley is coming off back-to-back national titles with the Huskies, who would hate to see their coach jump to the NBA.

What would LeBron James think about this move happening? We don't kow yet, but a few months ago James tweeted about Hurley and it seems like he loves what the coach and his staff have done at UConn.

Here is James replying to a video of JJ Redick, who has also been on the Lakers' radar, and Hurley talking about UConn's offense:

It's going to be wild to see how this plays out.

Dan Hurley, Lakers, LeBron James, UConn
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6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

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