Good Morning, Stumpers!

If you don’t know it by now, the foundation of the Stump is “when they zig, we zag!” The talk of the town is Aaron Rodgers on the Pat Mcafee Show yesterday. So naturally we want to give a shoutout to the guy’s publicist. Hope you enjoy this Wednesday edition of the Stump, there’s a lot of good stuff we packed into this thing today! Let’s stop, drop, and roll!

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The Rundown

✍️ A Shoutout to Aaron Rodgers’ Publicist…GLUE

🍀 The Celtics Have Made a Move

🏀 A Look Ahead to Tonight’s NBA Draft

🎤 Shane Gillis Set to Host ESPY’s

On This Day

⚾️ A Bonds Goes DEEP

You may be aware of Barry Bonds, the man who hit the most home runs in the history of Major League Baseball, but that’s not the guy I’m talking about today.

Bobby Bonds, father of Barry, played in his first Major League game on this day in 1968. To break into the league, Bonds hit a grand slam! Most known for his time with the Giants and a memorable 1975 year with the Yankees, Bonds was a three time all star. He later rejoined the Giants as a coach in 1993, the same season his son signed with the team.

Today’s Trivia

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Who the hell knows who’s winning next years NBA chip, just wanted your take!

Glue Guy of the Day

✍️ Rodgers Publicist

Glue Guy OTD: Aaron Rodgers Publicist, name unknown

I’m not sure who this human is or if they even exist, because my god, this must be one of the hardest jobs in the history of the United States of America (most likely an overreaction).

It feels like every single day we hear something new and insane coming from the mouth of new Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers. Yesterday, it was his statement on the Pat McAfee (shocking, I know) that this upcoming season is going to be it. While this may not come as a surprise, but damn man, just worry about the season ahead of you. I mean, his publicist must have to scramble every time this cat does an interview.

Last week it was his girlfriend, or should I say fiancé, who nobody has ever seen or heard of before, pushing the internet into thinking we have a Manti Te’o situation going on here. The weeks before it was all the drama on where he was going to play next year, despite all of us knowing that he was no doubt going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Weeks before that it was drama with the Jets slowly, but surely, unraveling for the world to see just how ugly it really was.

Ever since he left Green Bay it’s been something new with this guy, something weird every other week. I can only imagine the battle scars that this publicist has, from darkness retreats to psychedelics, this publicist must be even more excited than Rodgers for his retirement. It’s been a strange, rollercoaster end to this guys career. One that I’m sure will only add a few twists and turns before it’s all said and done.

The human who makes Rodgers look not QUITE as crazy, GLUE!

Yesterday’s Moments

🍀 Quietly, Boston is Redefining Themselves

The Stump Short Story: Where were you on Monday at 11:47 PM eastern time? I, for one, was FAST asleep. Maybe you missed the news, Jrue Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. A 17-year vet, Jrue was an imperative piece to the 2024 NBA Championship team in Boston. His elite defense and solid three-point making ability made him an almost perfect fit for the Celtics. I say almost because, obviously, he was traded for a better fit. In steps Anfernee Simons.

Why it Matters: Simons, who’s spent his whole career in Portland, will now step into a sort of new role in Boston. His role? Shoot the dang three ball. Something he’s done at quite a high volume, averaging just about NINE THREE attempts a game over the past three seasons. For those who missed last seasons coaching from Boston’s Joe Mazzulla, three point shooting was his focal point. Shoot threes, and a lot of them. So I guess Simons may be a better fit. This comes as the Celtics are looking to fill a void left by Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles in the playoffs and will miss extended time next season, if not the whole year. Look for more trades from Boston this offseason, it seems like nobody is off limits.

Read More: Celtics trading Jrue Holiday to Trail Blazers, sources say (ESPN)

🎤 Shane Gillis to Host ESPYS

The Stump Short Story: Color me excited. Comedian, actor, and write Shane Gillis was officially announced as the host of the 2026 ESPYS on July 16th on ESPN. The creator of Netflix’s “Tires” and host of the podcast “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast”, Gillis has rose to astronomical fame over the last year or so. Known for his quick witted comedy and pushing the envelope on stage, Gillis will surely bring a lively monologue to the award show.

Why it Matters: Gillis is a rabid sports fan, a known Notre Dame Fan, and has been on College Football Gameday in years past. But despite the comedy he’ll bring, he’ll surely bring more eyeballs than in years past. The ESPYS is a great event, not only celebrating the past year in sports, but also raising awareness and advocating for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano in 1993. The attention Gillis brings will hopefully shine some light on the V Foundation, as well.

Read More: Comedian Shane Gillis chosen to host ESPYS on July 16 (ESPN)

🏀 NBA Draft Tonight at Barclays

The Stump Short Story: The finals are over, the parade has happened, guess there’s no more basketball for a while. HOLD UP!!!! We’ve got the draft tonight! A chance for the other 29 fanbases to get some excitement. Word on the street is that we won’t be seeing a surprise at the top. The Dallas Mavs were absolutely gifted with the first pick, and Cooper Flagg will likely be heading to be the replacement prodigal son of the city! After him we’ll be seeing guys like Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecomb, Kon Kneuppel, and Ace Bailey. In that order if you want a little SGS Prediction! Keep your eyes open for the draft tonight!

Why it Matters: There’s nothing better than a fresh face to help give the team a little bit of juice. We’ve had some great number one picks recently. Wemby, Cade, Paolo! Cooper has had a lot of hype around him. Not Wemby hype put pretty dang close. Days like this are fun to look back on when these young superstars are making deep playoff runs. Good luck to you and your team tonight.

Read More: NBA Mock Draft (CBS Sports)

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🔗 Quick Links

⭐️ 5-star QB chooses BYU over Oregon in college football recruiting shocker

🏀 Knicks interviewing Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori

⛳️ This pick situation is nuts for the Brooklyn Nets

Today’s Top Three

⚾️ MLB Network Matinee featuring Paul Skenes: Pirates @ Brewers (2:10 PM) 

🏀 Late night WNBA from Vegas: Connecticut Sun @ Las Vegas Aces (10:00 PM on NBATV)

⚽️ 11-Game MLS Slate: Chicago @ Philly (8:30 PM), Vancouver @ San Diego (10:30 PM), full schedule

Of! The! Day’s!

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