Happy Monday to the Stump-ede! Is that going to stick? I don’t think so…is it? Maybe. All NBA playoff series are officially underway, we’ve got Game 2s today. Scottie got another 5-stroke win yesterday but because play was suspended, we’ve got golf on Monday!!! Hopefully, it’s nice wherever you are reading this from, I know it’s slowly becoming perfect over here! Let’s have a week!

LETS. GET. INTO. IT.

THE DAILY STUMPED🔮 

STUMP STORY OF THE DAY✍️ 

Persistence. Persistence. Persistence!⚾️ 

Cam Booser made his MLB debut Friday night with the Boston Red Sox in a 9th-inning relief appearance to close out their 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. In what seemed to be a routine performance to close out a lopsided Boston victory, was anything but routine.

From 2017-2021, Booser had temporarily removed himself from professional baseball. He returned home to Seattle, put away the glove, and became a carpenter. In his eyes, his career was over.

What led to his early retirement was what seemed like to be an insurmountable pile of injuries. A broken femur in high school, Tommy John surgery in college, a torn labrum in 2015, he was hit by a car riding a bike which led to a broken bone in his back, and a 50-game suspension for marijuana usage. A rollercoaster of tribulations wild enough to shake any athlete’s confidence.

Four years after his retirement, he found something: his arm. While coaching kids, he started throwing a little. His arm felt good, so he started testing it out. He hit 97mph on the gun. He signed with an independent team in Chicago and played well enough to agree to a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. Last year, he appeared in 48 games for the Red Sox with their triple-A affiliate in Worcester.

He started this year back in Worcester, and with some recent injuries and his success out of the gate, the Red Sox finally called his name to join the big league club in Boston.

He threw seven pitches in his debut, but according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, this isn’t the last we’ll see of him, “I was hoping that he would get into the game tonight (Friday night) to get that over with. Now, we can use him when we’re supposed to use him”. Hopefully, Booser can carve out a role with the Sox.

No matter the stats, whether he becomes a stud, a solid relief piece, or if he goes back down to the minors, I can promise you this guy won’t give up. An emotional Booser was seen in the dugout wiping away tears following his first appearance. As he should be, he earned this moment. It goes to show what never giving up on your dreams can do. Booser's story is magical, and leaves me wondering: How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Persistence, Persistence, Persistence.

🎙️SONG OF THE DAY

Violent Crimes - Kanye West

Such a unique song. Kanye is weird these days, but his songs still hit. The intro is phenomenal.

Link to enjoy: LINK

WHAT’D YOU MISS⁉️📰 

• ⛳️ Nelly Korda matches LPGA record with FIFTH straight win!

• 🏀 NBA Award Finalists have been revealed

  • MVP: Jokic, SGA, Luka

  • ROY: Wemby, Chet, Brandon Miller

  • 6th Man OTY: Malik Monk, Bobby Portis, NAZ REID

  • DPOY: Gobert, Bam, Wemby

• ⚽️ Behind Bellingham’s heroics, Real Madrid crush Barcelona’s title hopes with El Clasico win

• ⚽️ Man United survives the late second-half comeback bid from Coventry City with a PK win to advance to the English FA Cup Finals, will face Man City

• 🏀 Christian Wood set to return to the lineup for Game 3 against reigning champion Denver Nuggets!

• 🏈 Arch Manning turns many heads at Texas spring game