Good Morning, Stumpers!

We’ve got a mixed bag of a Stump for you today! Yeah we’ll sprinkle in some Postseason Coverage, but on top of that we’ve got NFL Trade Talks, the Celtics 6th Man, and a talk about nerves! Yeah, we’re all over the place today. But hey, that’s what we’re here for…to go all over the place! Let’s dig in!

Today’s Rundown

What’s in today’s edition?

• 🫀 Talking About Nerves

• 🏀 Triple Playoff Action

• 🏆️ Celtics Payton Pritchard wins 6th Man OTY!

• 🔥 Trade Talks HEAT UP Before NFL Draft

On This Day

On This Day…

💥 Hammerin’ Hank Goes Deep for 1st Time

In the history of Major League Baseball, there’s not many legends who could hit the long ball better than a guy nicknamed Hammerin’. Not only is he iconic, but he may just be the best long ball hitter to ever walk the earth.

Before there were 755 career home runs, there was 1. On this day in 1954, Hank Aaron hit the first home run of his career. Hank was a member of the Milwaukee Braves at the time and the homer came off of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Vic Rashi. Aaron and the Braves won the game 7-5 in 14 innings.

Today’s Trivia

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: A. 8! The 1975-76 Washington Capitals lost 67 games and were only able to win the 8 in that year. I’ll tell you what, that’s a ROUGH year.

Before We Dive In…

👀 Yesterday’s Must See’s

• 🏀 ANTMAN! WITH THE FLUSH!

• ⚾️ Freddie Freeman! NAILS! CLUTCH! All of the above!

• 🏀 New Name: Andrew “Dagger” Nembhard! Guy’s clutch!

🔍️ Stump Spotlight

Nerves Are For Everyone

⛳️ A Look Back at a 21-Foot Winning Putt

Just 72 hours ago, Justin Thomas won the RBC Heritage tournament, ending a 3-year victory drought. It was a cool moment for JT and just the sport of golf, just one week after Rory McIlroy completed his ‘Masters Masterpiece’! There’s one detail that just came out yesterday that we have to go over!

I scrolled upon an X last night that I thought was worth sharing. Does that work by the way? Calling it an X? I think the answer to that is no. It’s a tweet, always was, always will be, nobody should try coming up with new, quirky names for it…I digress. Yesterday I stumbled upon Twixto that was awesome.

Joe Pompliano said that Justin Thomas was wearing a WHOOP while playing. If you’re not familiar with a Whoop, it’s the newest variation of the Fitbit, but it’s got everything. Tracks your steps, your activity, your heart rate, the whole nine.

I’m not sure if it was Whoop, or JT himself who released this info, but it came out that on his final putt, his tournament winning putt, his heart rate was 126 beats per minute during that.

WOW!

Just to backtrack and set the scene. It was the first playoff hole against Andrew Novak, and JT stepped up to a 21-foot birdie putt that would give him his first tournament win in 3 years, and his first as a dad.

What’s all this to say? It’s all to say that even the pros, the guys who seem untouchable, the guys who make millions to play a game, they are human, they feel just like we feel. Think about the last time you were nervous. Whether it was a meeting, a game, a conversation, anything. You remember that feeling in your stomach, the nerves you had? It happens, it’s natural.

It’s cool to see that even at the highest level these guys are just as nervous as we are!

Nerves are good! Just a few deep breaths, maybe a quick little mantra, and then go up and sink your putt!

Here’s to all of us sinking our own personal putt’s today!

The Hot Stove

🏆️ Celtic’s Pritchard Named 6th Man of Year

By the looks of Payton Pritchard, you may think he’s just another average joe. He stands at 6’1”, which is undersized for NBA standards. But when you have limitless range and incredibly crafty at the rim, you can make up for a things or two. The Celtics guard was a star at the University of Oregon but struggled to find consistent minutes in his first few years with Boston, including a year where he only appeared in 48 games despite being healthy the whole year. Well, he’s no longer looking for more minutes. Pritchard averaged 28 minutes a game to go along with 14.3 points and 40.7% from three in 80 games, a sign of just how important of a piece he was for Boston on a game-to-game basis. He finished with 82 out of the 100 available first place selections and was the only play to appear on every ballot. The Sixth Man Award is named after John Havlicek, a Celtics legend who made the role famous during his Hall of Fame career in Boston. If the Celtics repeat this year as champions, there’s no doubt that Pritchard will be a BIG part of it.

🎙️ Longtime ESPN Commentator Passes at 80

In terms of classic play-by-play commentators, it doesn’t get much better than Mike Patrick. Patrick, who spent 36 years as a play-by-play announcer for ESPN, was the networks voice for Sunday Night Football for 18 years. He passed away peacefully in his Fairfax, Virginia home. He was the announcer for the first-ever ESPN regular season NFL game and did exceptional work in college sports for many years. His first on-air assignment for ESPN came in 1982, he would work all the way into the early 70s, as his last event was the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 30, 2017. He was the voice of the ACC on ESPN and called numerous classics between North Carolina and Duke, as well as the voice of the Women’s Final Four on the network from 1996 to 2009. He teamed up with another legendary commentator, Dick Vitale, to bring elite excitement and energy to numerous games throughout sports history. He began his broadcasting career in 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Above all, Patrick was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Thank you for your service and we owe you a debt of gratitude for you contributions to sport.

🔥 Trade Talks Intensify for NFL Draft

I am a big proponent of wake me up on draft day, but it’s hard to ignore all the smoke right now. I don’t love the months leading up to the draft, because it’s soooo much talk and speculation, it bothers me. But with the draft tomorrow, the kitchen is getting full of cooks who are trying to position themselves in the best place. Sources came out of Cleveland and the New York Giants camp, who own the second and third pick in the draft respectively, that the two teams are fielding numerous calls for the opportunity for a team to move into their spot. It was also made clear that both of these teams are asking for MAJOR hauls in return for their draft pick. The Titans, who own the first pick, have not really fielded many calls as of late. And of course, it wouldn’t be a smoke screen party if we don’t talk Jerry Jones. Jones, the longtime Cowboys owner and GM, is apparently working on “substantive trades” to make his Dallas squad better. Who knows, it’s the season of speculation, allusions, and big talk but not a lot of action. I felt like I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t keep you updated on it, though.

🏀 Playoff Triple-Header

We’ve already got a juiced Stump for you, so just the results, followed by a GLUE GUY for you today…

Pacers def. Bucks, 123-115 (IND Lead series 2-0) - GLUE GUY: Andrew Nembhard - I haven’t heard one word about this guy all year, and now it’s postseason time and he’s cooking! AGAIN!

Thunder def. Grizzlies, 118-99 (OKC Lead series 2-0) - GLUE GUY: Alex Caruso! This team is full of GG’s, but when you have a game-high 3 steals…that sets you apart! GLUE!

Lakers def. T’Wolves, 94-85 - EVEN SERIES at 1 a piece - GLUE GUY: Gabe Vincent. He won’t pop up in the box score, but his minutes in the first half were VITAL! He popped 2 quick threeballs, and had intensity on the defensive side of the ball. This is when LA really built on their lead!

⬇️ Quick Links

• 🤲 Cincy freshman football player tragically passes away

• 🤯 Jay Feely to run for US House in Arizona

• 😅 Cousins shows up at Falcons voluntary workouts

• 🥺 Ohio State’s AD pleads for calendar change to CFP

What To Watch

🏀 NBA Playoffs - Round One

• NBAtv: Heat @ Cavs (7:30 PM)

• TNT: Magic @ Celtics (7:00 PM), Warriors @ Rockets (9:30 PM)

⚾️ Major League Baseball

• MLB Network: Phillies @ Mets (1:10 PM), Dodgers @ Cubs (7:00 PM)

• More To Watch: Cardinals @ Braves (12:15 PM), Yankees @ Guardians (1:10 PM), Mariners @ Red Sox (6:45 PM), Rays @ DBacks (9:40 PM), Brewers @ Giants (9:45 PM), full schedule

🏒 NHL Playoffs

• ESPN: Canadiens @ Capitals (7:00 PM), Stars @ Avs (9:30 PM), Oilers @ Kings (10:00 PM)

⚽️ Soccer

• EPL: Arsenal @ Crystal Palace (3:00 PM)

• LALIGA: Getafe vs Real Madrid (3:30 PM)

• Coppa Italia: Inter Milan vs AC Milan (3:00 PM)

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For

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