Axios Sports: Heart and soul

Plus: Volcano trivia. | Thursday, July 15, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Thrillist   Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Jul 15, 2021 👋 Good morning! The fellas have been hitting golf balls in England since 3am ET. Live now on Peacock. 🇨🇦 Canadian homecoming: MLS clubs CF Montreal and Toronto FC will finally be able to host games in Canada this weekend. Blue Jays could be next. Today's word count: 2,257 words (9 mins). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🏀 Milwaukee's heart and soul Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images   The Bucks came from behind in Game 4 to beat the Suns, 109-103, in an instant classic that tied the NBA Finals at two games apiece. Bucks: Khris Middleton led the way with 40 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything (26-14-8-3-2), and Pat Connaughton was huge off the bench (11 points, +21 plus-minus). Suns: Devin Booker had his third 40-point game of the postseason, but Chris Paul (10 points and five turnovers) and Deandre Ayton (limited to six points) struggled. Wild stat: Antetokounmpo and Middleton are the third pair of teammates over the last 50 years to each have a 40-point game in an NBA Finals, joining LeBron James/Kyrie Irving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Magic Johnson. LeBron, Kyrie, Kareem and Magic were all No. 1 picks and generational prospects; dominating the NBA Finals was their destiny. But Giannis and Khris? Such a feat was unthinkable a decade ago, when one of them was a little-known prospect in Greece and the other was a three-star recruit out of Charleston, South Carolina. The big picture: "Khris is the heart of this team, and Giannis is the soul," said Bucks guard Jrue Holiday. Together, they form perhaps the most unlikely superstar tandem in sports. Heart: Middleton was a second-round pick out of Texas A&M and spent most of his rookie season in the G League, later becoming the first G League player to be named an NBA All-Star. Soul: Antetokounmpo grew up poor, selling handbags and sunglasses on the streets of Athens to support his family. Here's the first basketball footage most people saw of him. Nobody predicted this.     Bonus: 📸 Block of the night Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images "The Greek Freak" made one of the best blocks in NBA Finals history, denying a lob dunk attempt by Deandre Ayton late in the fourth quarter. Watch.     2. ⚾️ Minor league baseball's sleeping giants Data: MILB, MLB; Logos: SportsLogos.Net; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios 43 minor league teams lost their MLB affiliation in 2020's restructuring, leaving dozens of ballparks awaiting new fates, Jeff writes. The state of play: Some teams went independent or joined the new MLB Draft League. But in cities where minor league baseball disappeared, the challenge is now deciding what to do with those sleeping giants — and how to pay for it. Some clubs have welcomed college teams as tenants, some have turned to the exploding youth sports industry, and other stadiums are destined to become multipurpose/concert venues. Of note: Renovating ballparks is expensive (~$5 million), and demolishing them isn't cheap, either (up to $1 million). Between the lines: A stadium isn't just a stadium. Or at least, it doesn't have to be. Using ballparks to anchor larger real estate development plans has become a more standard practice, even in minor league towns. But that can be risky. Just ask Staten Island, which opened a new outlet mall next to its minor league park in May 2019, one year before the pandemic wiped out the season and two years before its team got swept away in the restructuring. What to watch: The bipartisan Minor League Baseball Relief Act was introduced in Congress on June 24. If passed, it would provide up to $550 million in funds to minor league clubs. Explore the map.     A message from Thrillist The UpBeat: Meet Thrillist's new weekly good vibes newsletter     The new newsletter features good news you can use like: Food deals and exciting news from your favorite restaurant chains. Feel-good stories from around the internet. Helpful how-to guides on how to catch the next major stargazing events. Subscribe now for your weekly dose of good vibes.     3. ⛳️ Preview: 149th Open Championship No. 8 (par 4) looking back to the tee from the green. Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images The Open, the only men's golf major to shut down last year amid the pandemic, returns today at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Favorites: Jon Rahm (+800) had the best opening odds, per Caesars, followed by Rory McIlroy (+1400), Brooks Koepka (+1500), Jordan Spieth (+1600) and Xander Schauffele (+1800). Wild stat: Lee Westwood (+3500) is playing in his 88th major, the most ever without a win. No. 18 (par 4). Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images Storylines: Two straight for Rahm? The red-hot Spaniard hopes to become the first player since Spieth in 2015 to win consecutive majors. Strange but true: Rahm was born with clubfoot (turned 90 degrees inward), which led to the development of his unique, short backswing. All eyes on Bryson: DeChambeau's feud with Koepka is still very much alive, his game isn't particularly well-suited to links golf and he's debuting a new caddie. Packed gallery, strict protocols: 32,000 fans (80% capacity) will be permitted daily, the most since golf returned last June. Golfers must remain in four-person bubbles (caddie plus two staff) and go nowhere but their hotel and the course. Pray for a "good draw": Lengthy daylight hours means everyone tees off from the first hole, creating a wide range of tee times. Depending on the traditionally-fickle weather throughout the day, The Open really could be about "the luck of the draw." No. 5 (par 4), No. 6 (par 3) and No. 7 (par 5) along the coastline. Photo: David Cannon The course: Royal St. George's, playing 7,189 yards with a par of 70, hosts The Open for the first time since 2011, and 15th overall — fourth most behind St. Andrews (29), Prestwick (24) and Muirfield (16). Beware the bumps: St. George's fairways are peppered with mounds that ricochet balls into undesirable lies and leave players with blind iron shots. Be resourceful: Those mounds, plus several deep pot bunkers and thick fescue, put an emphasis on resourcefulness. Look for players to use irons more frequently (tee shots) and creatively (bump-and-runs). Get to know ... Paul Larsen, the head greenkeeper and this week's breakout star. He speaks lovingly about his course's grass composition to anyone who'll listen, offering helpful tidbits like "there's no place for rye on a links course." Thanks for the tip, Paul! Go deeper: Look: Tee times (ESPN) 🎥 Watch: Aerial tour (Twitter)     4. ✍️ Why Marc Stein started a Substack Twitter: @TheSteinLine   Marc Stein, one of the NBA's top reporters and noted Axios Sports subscriber (oh hi Marc), has left the New York Times to start a subscription-based Substack newsletter, which launched this week. Stein has covered the NBA since 1994 and joined the Times in 2017 after 15 years at ESPN. He wrote a weekly newsletter for the Times, something he'll now do for himself. Stein is part of the Substack Pro program, which pays select writers an upfront salary for the first year to provide a sense of security. During that span, Substack takes a larger cut of subscription revenue. The state of play: Stein is among the biggest names in sports media to go the Substack route, and "several prominent sportswriters" will soon be joining him, according to the company. Here's more from Marc: What prompted the move to Substack? Working for the New York Times was a literal dream come true, and I will surely need some time to mourn the surrender of the privilege of going to my local supermarket to pick up the world's foremost newspaper and seeing my byline. But the possibilities Substack provides are absolutely intoxicating. I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to chart my own course ... and move more nimbly. Just heard something riveting at 2am? Now I can assemble a story on the spot and have it waiting in your inbox (for our American audience) when you wake up. There are no limits. What's your experience with newsletters? I really had no newsletter experience when the Times asked me to start one a few months after I arrived. I have since become a voracious reader and student, trying to learn as much as I can about the genre. I am a huge fan of your newsletter and its distinctive format, as you already know, but I have also quickly come to realize that it's best to try to be myself. ... It's a format that allows you to write in such a personal and connected way. The bottom line: Apparently newsletters are very hot right now. Maybe I should start one?     5. 🏀 WNBA tops USA on bizarre betting night Arike Ogunbowale. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images   Team WNBA beat Team USA, 93-85, in the 17th WNBA All-Star Game Wednesday night in Las Vegas. MVP: Arike Ogunbowale poured in 26 points for Team WNBA, while tweeting from the sideline between buckets. 3-point contest: Allie Quigley won for the third time, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners in NBA/WNBA history. Her wife and teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, was hyped. What they're saying: "At the end of the day, we're here for a bigger goal than to win an All-Star Game," said Team USA's Diana Taurasi. "We'll get better as time goes." Wild story ... The over/under total on the game moved a historic 53 points Wednesday (248.5 to 195.5) thanks to a Las Vegas oddsmaker's mistake. Via ESPN's David Purdum: On Wednesday, around 7 a.m. PT, Matt Metcalf, sportsbook director for Circa Sports, saw an opportunity to post the first total on the WNBA All-Star Game ... He had a morning meeting at 9 a.m. and still needed to get showered and dressed for work. Rushing, Metcalf said he looked at the total points scored in the previous All-Star Games and landed on 248.5 as the opening number for this year's game. Metcalf said he didn't take into account that WNBA All-Stars were facing the U.S. women's national team, which is ... expected to take the game more seriously than traditional high-scoring All-Star Games. The 248.5 opening number was up for a couple of hours at Circa before the first bet came in, and it was on the over from a respected account that pushed the total up to 252.5. Metcalf said he believed the bet on the over was designed to "dummy up" the market, a tactic used by professional bettors to mislead bookmakers about which way they're going to bet. At that point, sportsbooks in the U.S. and internationally began posting over/under totals similar or identical to Circa's number. With more sportsbooks having the total on the board, bettors started to bet the under, and the line began to plummet.     6. 🎮 NBA 2K22 unveils cover athletes Courtesy: 2K Sports   Luka Dončić will be featured on the cover of NBA 2K22, the latest installment in the best-selling video game franchise. Candace Parker fronts the "WNBA 25th Anniversary Edition" of the game, making her NBA 2K's first female cover athlete. Three legends — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant — front the "NBA 75th Anniversary Edition." Past NBA 2K cover athletes: 2021: Damian Lillard (current gen), Zion Williamson (next gen) 2020: Anthony Davis 2019: Giannis Antetokounmpo 2018: Kyrie Irving 2017: Paul George 2016: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis 2015: Kevin Durant 2014: LeBron James 2013: Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose 2012: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird 2011: Michael Jordan 2010: Kobe Bryant 2009: Kevin Garnett 2008: Chris Paul 2006-07: Shaquille O'Neal 2005: Ben Wallace 2000-04: Allen Iverson 🎥 Watch: Behind the scenes with Dončić (YouTube)     7. ⚡️ Lightning round Source: Giphy ⚽️ Messi's new deal: Lionel Messi and Barcelona have reached an agreement on a new five-year deal. The G.O.A.T. has reportedly accepted a significant pay cut to prolong his stay. 🇺🇸 FBI mishandled Nassar case: A new Justice Department report criticizes the FBI's handling of the Larry Nassar investigation, saying it failed to respond to sex abuse allegations against the former USA Gymnastics doctor with the the "utmost seriousness." 🏈 Highest-paid assistant: Clemson DC Brent Venables' new contract extension will pay him $2.5 million annually, which is more than 58 D-I head football coaches made last season. 📺 Media news: NBC is attempting to sign ESPN's Maria Taylor ahead of the Tokyo Games, the NY Post's Andrew Marchand reports. Taylor's current contract with ESPN expires on July 20. 🏀 Insane hops: NBA prospect Jericho Sims jumped so high while dunking he hit his face on the rim. Crazy.     8. 📆 July 15, 1961: Arnie wins The Open Photo: R&A Championships via Getty Images   60 years ago today, Arnold Palmer won The Open Championship at England's Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Why it matters: An American golfer of Palmer's stature playing in The Open at that time was a big deal — and his win helped cement the event as a transatlantic destination. The backdrop: Prior to 1960, Americans rarely competed in The Open. The purse was small, the voyage was long and it conflicted with the PGA Championship. They even used different sized balls across the pond. From 1934 to 1960, just two Americans won The Open (Sam Snead '46; Ben Hogan '53). Palmer finished second in 1960 and enjoyed the event so much he vowed to return the following year. Signature shot: On the 15th hole at Royal Birkdale, Palmer slashed a six-iron 150 yards to the green out of the thick rough. A commemorative plaque still resides at that spot. The big picture: Palmer repeated as champion in 1962, and Americans went on to win 14 of 21 Open Championships between 1963 and 1983. 🎥 Watch: Black and white footage (YouTube)     9. 🌋 Volcano trivia The village of Morne Rouge at the foot of Mount Pelée in Martinique. Photo: Philippe Giraud/Corbis via Getty Images   The USMNT plays Martinique this evening (9:30pm ET, FS1), an island with roughly the same population as Bakersfield, California (~380,000). Wild fact: The 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée in Martinique was the third-deadliest volcanic eruption in recorded human history. Question: The two deadliest eruptions occurred during the 1800s in the same country. Which country was it? Answer at the bottom.     10. ⚾️ Free idea: MLB skills challenges Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios   The MLB All-Star festivities were wonderful, but here's an idea to make the annual event even better: skills competitions, Jeff writes. The NBA, NFL and NHL all have skills challenges of their own, and the KBO (Korean baseball) has an epic bunting competition. What could MLB add alongside the Home Run Derby? Some ideas: 100-meter dash: Give me Billy Hamilton, Tim Locastro, Trea Turner and Byron Buxton. Or, if we really want to have fun, a Beat the Freeze-style race between Hamilton and Daniel Vogelbach. Target practice: Hitting, throwing or both — like the NFL's precision passing challenge. Bring back Ichiro for the throwing competition. "Relay race": Sets of outfielders, infielders and catchers race to see who's quickest at relaying a ball from the corner of the outfield. Catch from altitude: Gronk set a world record by catching a football dropped 600 feet from a helicopter. Make it happen! ✍️ Got any ideas of your own? Submit them here. We'll share our favorites tomorrow.     A message from Thrillist The UpBeat: Meet Thrillist's new weekly good vibes newsletter     The new newsletter features good news you can use like: Food deals and exciting news from your favorite restaurant chains. Feel-good stories from around the internet. Helpful how-to guides on how to catch the next major stargazing events. Subscribe now for your weekly dose of good vibes.   Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Not all heroes wear capes" Baker Trivia answer: Indonesia (Mount Tambora in 1815 and Krakatoa in 1883) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to refer friends (axios.com/referral) and follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Like this email style and format? Learn more about Axios HQ. It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: