Axios Sports: The Shey Peddy story

Plus: Astros, Braves advance | Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Open in app View in browser     Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Oct 13, 2021 👋 Good morning! Today's shower thought: If a sloth clapped, it would always sound sarcastic. Today's word count: 1,588 words (6 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🏀 The Shey Peddy story Photo: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images   Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker headline the star-studded 2021 WNBA Finals, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better story than that of Mercury guard Shey Peddy, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Catch up quick: Peddy's journey began in 2012, when she was drafted by the Sky out of Temple. After getting cut early in training camp, she went abroad to play in Israel, where checks were late and she had to drive herself to away games. In 2013, Peddy was invited to Mystics training camp only to be cut in preseason again. After nearly quitting, she recommitted herself to basketball and blossomed into a EuroLeague star in Latvia. Then came 2019. Peddy was once again cut by the Mystics in training camp, but when the team needed a replacement player midseason, she came home and made her WNBA debut at age 30. She was cut again three weeks later, but was such an asset that the Mystics hired her as a coaching and video intern. A few months later, Peddy won an WNBA title as a member the "coaching staff." 2020 was more of the same ... until it wasn't. Peddy was a late addition to the Mystics' bubble roster and got waived midseason. But before she cleared waivers, the Mercury swept in and signed her. That move paid off in a huge way, as Peddy hit a buzzer-beating three — against the Mystics (!) — to help Phoenix advance in the playoffs. This season, Peddy has been a key contributor for the Mercury, appearing in every game and scoring double-digit points in four of her last five playoff games entering tonight. "The WNBA is nearly impossible to break into, and there are so many stories of players overcoming the odds and finding their place. But I don't think any player has a success story with as many improbable twists and turns as Peddy's. It's one to celebrate." — Lindsay Gibbs, Power Plays 📆 Tonight, Game 2: Sky (up 1-0) at Mercury, 9pm ET (ESPN)     2. ⚾️ MLB playoffs: Astros, Braves advance Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/MLB Photos via Getty Images Astros 10, White Sox 1 (HOU wins, 3-1): Houston unleashed its MLB-best offense to reach its fifth straight ALCS. The boos and accusations aren't going away — but neither are the Astros, Jeff writes. Wild stat: Dusty Baker has the 12th-most wins in MLB history, but he's the only manager in the top 12 without a World Series. Could this finally be the year for the septuagenarian? Dynasty mode: The Astros are the third team to reach five straight LCS since the round began in 1969, joining the Braves (eight straight 1991–99) and the A's (five straight 1971–75). Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Braves 5, Brewers 4 (ATL wins, 3-1): Milwaukee's bats finally woke up (relatively speaking), but it was too little too late, as Freddie Freeman's eighth-inning blast sent Atlanta to its second straight NLCS. Wild stat: Freeman was the 53rd lefty Josh Hader faced this year — and the first to homer. Entering Tuesday, lefties had gone 6-46 (.130) with six walks, 24 strikeouts and one extra-base hit against him. Food for thought: Imagine how good the Braves would be if they hadn't lost Ronald Acuña Jr., and Mike Soroka to injury. They're a living embodiment of rule No. 76 from "Wedding Crashers" — "No excuses, play like a champion." Photo: Harry How/Getty Images Dodgers 7, Giants 2 (tied 2-2): Walker Buehler gave the Dodgers 4.1 solid innings in his first career start on short rest, and the bullpen and offense took care of the rest to force a decisive Game 5 on Thursday. Wild stat: Brusdar Graterol threw two of the fastest pitches ever recorded by a Dodger on Tuesday, including a 103-mph sinker (!). What's next: Game 5 will be the fifth winner-take-all postseason matchup between 100-win teams in MLB history. The Dodgers were also involved in the last one (2017 WS Game 7 against the Astros).     3. 🏈 NFL in Germany: Host city finalists Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   The NFL has selected Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich as the three finalists to host an annual regular-season game in Germany, Jeff writes. What's next: The NFL will announce the winner at the Super Bowl, with plans to host the game as early as next season. Some stadium options: Düsseldorf: Merkur Spiel-Arena is home to Fortuna Düsseldorf of the Bundesliga's second division. It has a retractable roof, seats 54,600, and hosted an NFL Europe team (Rhein Fire). Frankfurt: Deutsche Bank Park is home to Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga's first division. It seats 48,500 and has also hosted an NFL Europe team (Frankfurt Galaxy). Munich: Allianz Arena, home to Bundesliga superpower Bayern Munich, is enormous, seating 70,000. The big picture: Germany will join London and Mexico on the NFL's global stage, but that's just the beginning. The league has already identified France, Spain and the Nordics as its next most logical hosts. The bottom line: A decade from now, early morning games across the pond could be as commonplace as Jaguars losses. (OK, maybe not that commonplace.)     A message from Axios Keep up with your home team with Axios Local     Get a daily digest of what's happening in your hometown with Axios Local newsletters. Local reporters will deliver the latest news and insights on sports, politics, and more. Subscribe for free.     4. ⚡️ Lightning round Photo: Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images ⚽️ Spiritual home: Columbus hosts the USMNT's World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica tonight (7pm ET, ESPN2). Can the team's spiritual home be the cure once again? 🏀 Nets bar Irving: The Nets have issued Kyrie Irving an ultimatum: Get the shot, or stay home. He won't practice or play until he's fully eligible under New York City's vaccine mandate. 🏈 Gruden fallout: Despite calls for more transparency from the NFLPA and others, the NFL does not plan to release more materials from its Washington Football Team investigation, WashPost reports. 🎓Good read: College sports' first eighth-year senior (Chris Low, ESPN) "Some of [Jared Folks'] youngest teammates at ETSU were in the fifth grade when he first started playing college football at Temple in 2014."     5. 🥍 Exclusive: PLL growth numbers The Chaos celebrate winning the 2021 PLL championship. Photo: John McCreary/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images   The Premier Lacrosse League completed its third season last month — a campaign that saw the PLL continue its upward climb after an abbreviated 2020 edition. By the numbers: The 2021 PLL Championship in Washington, D.C., was the highest-attended game in league history, topping the 2019 title game in Philadelphia by 30%, per the league. The NBC broadcast drew 333,000 total viewers, up 22% from the inaugural title game. Season stats: Ticketing: Revenue was up 56% from 2019. Viewership: Total viewership on NBCSN was up 29%, and total live minutes streamed was up 302%. Social media: 410 million impressions (+83%), 36.3 million video views (+85%) and 21.9 million engagements (+28%). Digital: The PLL website received 10.3 million pageviews, up 43%. The last word: "We're ecstatic about our year-over-year viewership growth," says PLL co-founder and CMO Paul Rabil, who retired from playing last month. "The future of pro lacrosse is shining bright."     6. 🏒 ESPN passes the mic to TNT Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   ESPN's NHL coverage debuted Tuesday, with the Penguins thrashing the Lightning and the Golden Knights holding off the Kraken. Now it's TNT's turn for a double-header. 7:30pm ET: Rangers at Capitals 10pm: Blackhawks at Avalanche The big picture: There will be 153 nationally-televised NHL games this year, with some teams featured in as many as 13 — and others featured in zero. 13 national TV games: Capitals, Lightning, Blues, Kraken, Penguins, Flyers, Rangers, Wild, Kings, Avalanche, Blackhawks, Bruins 12: Golden Knights, Islanders 11: Predators, Stars, Coyotes, Ducks 10: Red Wings, Sabres 9: Devils, Oilers 8: Sharks, Panthers, Hurricanes 6: Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets 4: Canucks, Canadiens 0: Flames, Senators, Jets Looking ahead: With the NBA tipping off next week, here's what Tuesday and Wednesday nights will look like for the foreseeable future: Tuesdays: NBA on TNT, NHL on ESPN Wednesdays: NBA on ESPN, NHL on TNT Go deeper: Can Turner do for the NHL what it did for the NBA? (The Athletic)     7. 📸 Pics du jour: First goal in Kraken history With 8:28 left in the second period Tuesday night, Ryan Donato scored the first goal in Seattle Kraken history. Photo: Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images Photo: Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images Photo: Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images Photo: Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images     8. 📆 Oct. 13, 1960: World Series walk-off Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images 61 years ago today, Pirates 2B Bill Mazeroski hit one of the most famous home runs of all time — a Game 7 walk-off to win the World Series. The big picture: Maz's moonshot was the first of 12 walk-off home runs to win an MLB postseason series, with the latest one coming last week. 1960 WS Game 7: Mazeroski, Pirates 1976 ALCS Game 5: Chris Chambliss, Yankees 1993 WS Game 6: Joe Carter, Blue Jays 1999 NLDS Game 4: Todd Pratt, Mets 2003 ALCS Game 7: Aaron Boone, Yankees 2004 ALDS Game 3: David Ortiz, Red Sox 2005 NLDS Game 4: Chris Burke, Astros 2006 ALCS Game 4: Magglio Ordóñez, Tigers 2014 NLCS Game 5: Travis Ishikawa, Giants 2016 AL Wild Card: Edwin Encarnación, Blue Jays 2019 ALCS Game 6: José Altuve, Astros 2021 NL Wild Card: Chris Taylor, Dodgers Of note: Bobby Thomson's walk-off to lift the New York Giants past the Brooklyn Dodgers (aka the "Shot Heard 'Round the World") came during a three-game playoff for the pennant, so not technically the postseason.     9. ⚾️ MLB trivia Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Image   José Altuve hit his 19th postseason HR on Tuesday, tying Albert Pujols and George Springer for fourth-most in MLB history. Question: Who ranks first with 29? Hint: 11 postseasons with three teams. Answer at the bottom.     10. 📚 New book: Inside the Pats dynasty Courtesy: Chip Namias, Athlete & Event Sports Public Relations   "It's Better To Be Feared," ESPN's Seth Wickersham's new book on the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Patriots dynasty, hit shelves on Tuesday. Excerpt: Wickersham writes that Brady left New England in part because he wanted to play for an organization that welcomed his input rather than ignored it. "Brady had been curious if there was another way of winning, and while nobody was arguing that Bruce Arians was a better coach than Bill Belichick, or even close, the seamlessness of Brady's proficiency and performance was making his former coach's methodologies look antiquated, even silly." "It was better to be feared — but was it necessary?" Buy the book.     A message from Axios Keep up with your home team with Axios Local     Get a daily digest of what's happening in your hometown with Axios Local newsletters. Local reporters will deliver the latest news and insights on sports, politics, and more. Subscribe for free.   Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Song of the day" Baker Trivia answer: Manny Ramírez 🙏 Thanks for reading. For more sports coverage, follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker 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? 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