| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Apr 25, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! Is your uncle reading Axios Sports yet? Sign him up! 🎄 Merry Christmas: The NFL will play three games on Christmas for the first time this year, with the holiday falling on a Sunday. Today's word count: 1,542 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚽️ Kings of Germany |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | Bayern Munich clinched their 10th consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Why it matters: Bayern's 10th straight German championship is a record among Europe's top five leagues, surpassing the nine straight Serie A titles Juventus won from 2012-20. State of play: This level of dominance is new to the Bundesliga — before Bayern's run, no team had won more than three straight titles — and "even its own fans are starting to worry that its success is getting a little boring," writes NYT's Rory Smith. - Aside from 2019, when Dortmund closed the gap to two points, no team has finished within 10 points of Bayern since 2012. They're currently 12 points ahead of Dortmund with three matches left.
- Bayern's supremacy has created a vicious cycle: Domestic success means Champions League appearances, which means huge payouts that are then used to re-sign players and recruit new talent.
The debate: The Bundesliga's governing body has long argued that Bayern's dominance is good, serving as a global advertisement for German soccer. But not everyone is buying that. - Even Bayern fans have suggested a change to the financial system, with more Champions League money flowing down to other clubs.
- Another option would be a luxury tax, similar to the one American sports leagues use to curb spending and increase parity.
One extreme solution: Abolishing the 50+1 rule that requires German clubs to be controlled by their fans, Smith notes. That would allow for the sort of outside investment that has reshaped the Premier League, but culturally, German soccer is against such a change. Elsewhere in Europe: |     | | | | | | 2. ⚾️ Miggy 3000 | | Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images Miguel Cabrera joined the 3,000-hit club on Saturday, becoming the seventh member with 500 HR, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Eddie Murray. The big picture: Soak this moment in. It's going to be a while until we see another player join the 3,000-hit club. - There are only five active players with 2,000 hits — including Cabrera and Pujols — the lowest total since 1954. Robinson Canó (2,631 hits) is 39. Yadier Molina (2,116) is retiring this fall. Joey Votto (2,035) is 38.
- According to projections, the likeliest 3,000-hit candidates are 32-year-old José Altuve (1,783), 32-year-old Freddie Freeman (1,723) and 23-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. (303), per The Athletic (subscription).
- Since Robin Yount and George Brett reached 3,000 hits in 1992, we've gone no more than four seasons before seeing another entrant. The post-Cabrera drought will likely double, if not triple, that.
The last word: Cabrera's career has been nothing short of legendary, and he'll enter Cooperstown as one of the best — and most powerful — hitters to ever walk the planet. "I've never seen anyone hit the ball harder. ... His ground balls would crash through the infield. His line drives careened into gaps. Even now, every so often, he turns on a ball and hits it so hard the eye can barely follow and it sounds like the Fourth of July." — Joe Posnanski, " The Baseball 100" | | | | | | | | 3. 🎾 Déjà vu: Alcaraz mirrors Nadal |  | | | Carlos Alcaraz (L) on April 24, 2022 and Rafael Nadal on April 24, 2005. Photo: Photos: Cesar Rangel/AFP, David Ramos/Getty Images | | | | Carlos Alcaraz won the Barcelona Open on Sunday, capturing the fourth title of his young — and incredibly promising — career. Why it matters: The 18-year-old enters the top 10 today at the same age, on the same date and after winning the same tournament as fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal did in 2005. The big picture: The Alcaraz buzz has been building for years, with whispers out of Spain that "Nadal 2.0" had arrived. - In February, he became the youngest player to break into the top 20 since 1993 — younger even than Nadal.
- Elo rankings, which account for quality of competition, already have him at No. 3 in the world.
The bottom line: The post-Big Three era was supposed to belong to Daniil Medvedev and other stars in their early to mid-20s. But Carlos is coming, and he's coming fast. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Get their attention | | |  | | | | Professionals are busy — so we ensure our partners get their messages across quickly and effectively. How it's done: Smart Brevity Studio creates concise articles and visuals that get up to 5X more engagement than they do on other platforms. Find out more. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images | | | | 💔 RIP, Guy: The Canadiens honored Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur on Saturday after he died Friday. What he meant to Quebec, as one native put it: "I remember playing street hockey with my cousin. I was Guy Lafleur. And he was Guy Lafleur." ⚾️ Baseball gone wild: The Cubs beat the Pirates, 21-0 (third-largest shutout since 1900) and then lost the series ... The Rays lost a no-hitter in extras (15th time that's ever happened) before walking off the Red Sox. 🏀 See ya, Durham: Five Duke players declared early for the NBA draft over the past week: Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, Trevor Keels, Wendell Moore Jr. and A.J. Griffin. 🏁 Red Bull 1-2: Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and teammate Sergio Pérez finished second, giving Red Bull its first 1-2 finish since 2016. 🔒 Must-see video: This Target Center security guard won the weekend. That's how you read the play, shoot the gap and stop the run! | | | | | | | | 5. 🎓 Brave new NIL world |  | | | Screenshot: @JohnHRuiz (Twitter) | | | | Top college hoops transfer Nijel Pack is leaving Kansas State for Miami, where he'll be getting more than just a new team. Driving the news: Pack announced his commitment on Saturday, and the terms of his first NIL deal were made public shortly thereafter: $800,000 over two years, plus a car. - The deal is with LifeWallet, a healthcare company with ties to John Ruiz, a Miami businessman investing big money into Canes athletes.
- Ruiz has signed millions of dollars in NIL deals, but this is the biggest one yet — and may have helped Miami land a First-Team All-Big 12 player.
Why it matters: This is the first major signing to coincide with the public release of NIL terms — a coordinated move that almost flaunts the link between the two. - Could Pack have always had his eyes set on the Canes? Sure. Or maybe his visit to campus simply blew him away.
- Another theory: Free agency has come to college sports. Pack entered the transfer portal, and Miami (aka. Ruiz) offered the best deal.
The bottom line: We're nearly a year into the NIL era, and it's abundantly clear that college sports will never be the same. Add in the transfer portal and big-money boosters, and it's an entirely new world. | | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 Photos across America | | Jose Alvarado, your favorite player's new favorite player. Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images NEW ORLEANS — The Pelicans started the season 1-12. They're now tied 2-2 with the NBA's best team and will enter Game 5 with some serious momentum after Sunday's impressive 118-103 win. Oklahoma Heisman winners Jason White (L), Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images NORMAN, Okla. — A record crowd of 75,360 attended Oklahoma's spring game on Saturday, welcoming new coach Brent Venables and witnessing the unveiling of a Baker Mayfield statue in OU's Heisman Park. - Meanwhile, out West: Former Sooners Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams also drew a record crowd (33,247) for USC's spring game.
Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images TALLADEGA, Ala. — Ross Chastain stole the win at Talladega when leader Erik Jones moved out of his way to defensively block reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, clearing a lane. - What he said: "Holy cow! We didn't do anything! We just stayed down there!" Chastain screamed over his radio.
| | | | | | | | 7. 🌍 Photos around the world | | Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images BARCELONA — Barça broke the women's soccer attendance record for the second time in a month, as 91,648 fans watched them beat Wolfsburg 5-1 on Friday in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images LONDON — Tyson Fury knocked out Dillian Whyte in the sixth round in front of 94,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, improving to 32-0-1 and cementing his legendary status. Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images BELGRADE, Serbia — Russia's Andrey Rublev defeated Serbia's Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0, on Sunday to win the Serbia Open, denying Djokovic a trophy celebration in front of his home fans. - The big picture: Rublev equaled Rafael Nadal's mark of three tour-level titles in 2022, while top-ranked Djokovic still has zero.
| | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Brooms out in Brooklyn? |  | | | Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images | | | | The Nets face elimination at home tonight against the surging Celtics (7pm ET, TNT) and are in need of a miracle — or four. The big picture: This is the only first-round series that could end in a sweep, which would have been unfathomable a week ago when the Nets were considered title contenders. Will they avoid that fate? More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | Scottie Barnes receiving the Rookie of the Year trophy from Raptors president Masai Ujiri. Photo: Cole Burston/Getty Images | | | | Scottie Barnes is the third Raptor to win NBA Rookie of the Year. - Question: Name the other two.
- Hint: Both in the 1990s.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Top plays: Weekend edition |  | | | Nestor Cortes dives head first into first base to get the out. Photo: Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images | | | - ⚾️ Hustle wins games
- ⚾️ Avoids the tag
- ⚽️ Gorgeous finish
- ⚾️ Gio Urshela!
- 🏈 Unreal catch
- ⚾️ Game-winning web gem
- 🥎 Puts her body on the line!
- 🏀 Not on Herb!
- 🏈 OBJ impression
- 🏒 Beautiful goal
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Get their attention | | | | | | | | Professionals are busy — so we ensure our partners get their messages across quickly and effectively. How it's done: Smart Brevity Studio creates concise articles and visuals that get up to 5X more engagement than they do on other platforms. Find out more. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Pelicans fever" Baker Trivia answer: Damon Stoudamire (1995-96) and Vince Carter (1998-99) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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