Good Morning, Stumpers!

OKC with a massive Game 5 win yesterday! Awesome series so far! Today you’ll see a lot of people talking about Gage Wood’s no-hitter for Arkansas yesterday. For good reason because it was epic! Naturally we’ll be talking about the GLUE behind home plate, his catcher Ryder Helfrick! When they zig, we zag! Helluva right?? RYDER!

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The Rundown

⚾️ The Mask Behind a No-Hitter

🏀 OKC is One Game Away!

🌭 Oh, baby, Chestnut is back!

On This Day

⛳️ Palmer and Nicklaus Go the Distance

The names Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are synonymous with the game of golf, so much so that they almost feel not real. But they were, oh, so real. They would battle it out on the course during their time, and this one might have been their most legendary back and forth.

On this day in 1962, Arnold and Jack had to go to 18-playoff holes to decide the winner of the US Open. That year, it just so happened to be held at the same place this years tournament was, Oakmont Country Club. Jack defeated Arnold to claim his first major title of his career. The first of eighteen. EPIC!

Today’s Trivia

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: D. Jerry West! He holds the career record for most points in the NBA Finals. LBJ is second and leads all active players.

Glue Guy of the Day

⚾️ The Mask Behind a No-Hitter

Glue Guy of the Day: Ryder Helfrick, Catcher, Arkansas

When a pitcher throws a no-hitter in the College World Series, it’s a HUGE deal. Arkansas’ Gage Wood pulled off just the third no-hitter in the history of the Men’s College World Series yesterday in the teams win over Murray State to advance to the next round. Not only did Wood go nine hitless innings, but he did it with an exclamation point. Wood racked up 19 strikeouts, not allowing a single base runner until the eighth inning when he hit a batter.

While Wood stole the show, there’s a guy who may be just as noteworthy. Let’s talk about our guy Ryder Helfrick. Ryder caught all 119 pitches of Wood’s immaculate performance. He orchestrated all 19 strikeouts. He called every pitch. And he brought confidence into the mind, heart, and soul, of his pitcher.

A catcher, unlike the star pitchers of today, don’t get quite the same attention as their counterparts. Together, the two work through the game, communicating pitches, information about hitters preferences, and protect the pitcher throughout the game with timely mound visits. Helfrick did all of those things for Wood. The two, together, put on one of the most historic moments of the College World History. It’s the first no-hitter in the tournament since 1960. Wow.

Helfrick is a sophomore from California, he took on the starting role his freshman year for the Razorbacks. Congrats to both Gage Wood and Ryder Helfrick, along with the Razorback squad, they are now apart of history.

The unsung hero of yesterday no-hitter: RYDER HELFRICK.

Yesterday’s Moments

🔥 Four Letters…J DUB! WOW! OKC Up 3-2!

The Stump Short Story: I’ll tell you what, for being one of the “least anticipated finals ever” from the casual sports fan before this series started, this has been an unbelievable series so far! This is what happens when one team is the far better team on paper, but the other has an unbreakable spirit. This one has been back and forth and yesterday it was the Jalen Williams show in OKC! J DUB had 40 POINTS last night with 25 of them coming in the second half! He was an animal, and a big reason why the Thunder are now one game away from an NBA Championship! Thunder def. Pacers, 120-109!

Why it Matters: This thing looked over at halftime, but shockingly to NOBODY, the Pacers came all the way back and made it a 2 point game with 8 minutes to go in the fourth. The Thunder after that went on one of their stadium deafening runs behind great defense from SGA, Ca-GLUE-So, and the entire gang really!

Read More: Game 5 Reaction as OKC and Jalen Williams Get The Win (The Athletic)

🌭 Chestnut. Is. Back.

The Stump Short Story: The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest wasn’t the same last year without Joey Chestnut, but feat not, the 16-time champ is back! After a dispute over his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods kept him out of last years event, Chestnut took to twitter to announce his return. The event will take place at Coney Island on the Fourth of July, as tradition.

Why it Matters: Joey Chestnut & Hot Dogs. The two go together. One is not the same without the other. This year, the world will be right once again as Chestnut takes the stage to perform miracles in eating. I watch the event just for him, to see a man power through 70 some-odd hot doggos in 10 minutes. It’s the only way to start the fourth of July. The way God intended it. Let us eat!

Read More: Joey Chestnut Returning to Nathan’s hot dog eating contest (ESPN)

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🔗 Quick Links

🏀 J DUB talking about the atmosphere when that place starts ROCKING!

🤫 Oilers not publicly naming their goalie for tonight’s Game 6

⚾️ Nearly two years later, this guy made it on the mound!  

Today’s Top Three

🏒 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6: WIN OR GO HOME FOR EDMONTON! The Florida Panthers are one win away from a back-to-back run, can the Oilers extend it to 7? 8:00 PM ET on TNT!

🏀 WNBA Double Header on NBA TV: Sun @ Fever (7:00 PM), Storm @ Sparks (10:00 PM)

⚾️ Elimination Round at the College World Series: Oregon State vs Louisville (2:00 PM on ESPN)

Of! The! Day’s!

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