Good Morning, Stumpers!

Upon my daily scroll yesterday I came across a glue gal in the world of softball who has been hitting absolute NUKES! Can’t wait to discuss her and a whole lot more today. We’ve got Minnesota evening the series at 1, a Manny Pacquiao blip for you, and a remix as our song of the day! Let’s go!

Today’s Rundown

What’s in today’s edition?

• 🥎 The HITTER Nobody Wants to Face!

• 🏀 MIN Evens Series at 1!

• 🥊 Pacquiao. Is. Back.

• ✏️ GLUE GUY: One of the longest names in the NBA!

On This Day

On This Day…

🫖 England is King!

England is known for a few things: royalty, tea, and football, as far as I’m concerned. But never in the history of European football history has something this dominant ever happened until England pulled it off.

On this day in 2019, English football clubs create history by taking all 4 final sports in Europe’s 2 major competitions, the Champions League and the Europa Cup. Chelsea and Arsenal qualified in the Europa after a miracle in the Champions League left Tottenham and Liverpool as the last two standing. Football was coming home in Europe that year.

Today’s Trivia

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: A. Golf! At the Philly Cricket Club this weekend is the Truist Championship!

Before We Dive In…

👀 Yesterday’s Must See’s

• ⛪️ Confirmed: Pope Leo XIV is a WHITE SOX FAN

• 🏀 Another angle of this STUNNING play!

• 🤘 Metallica played Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech… ELECTRIC

• ⚾️ Auburn was absolutely ON FIRE!

🔍️ Stump Spotlight

NCAA Softballs Most Dangerous

🥎 The Hitter NOBODY Wants to Face

When this story came across my desk today (my Instagram feed), I knew I had no choice but to write it tonight. There’s a women by the name of Bri Ellis who plays softball for the University of Arkansas, and she might be the most dangerous hitter on the planet right now.

Bri Ellis is having one of the most historic seasons to ever happen in college softball, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon now that her Razorbacks are in the SEC Tournament and most likely in the NCAA Tournament. Ellis has 26 home runs and 72 RBIs thus far, both Arkansas single-season records.

There’s really only one thing that can stop her: other teams refusing to pitch to her. In their first round matchup against the University of Georgia, Ellis didn’t take the bat off of her shoulder for the first three at-bats. Georgia hit her with a pitch once, and also internationally walked her in her other two plate appearances. 3 times at the plate, 0 swings.

Maybe that’s the only way to stop her. I mean, on paper it sounds great. But then Georgia’s master plan blew up in their face. In the bottom half of the last inning, Ellis came up to the plate in a tie game. The bases were loaded, there was nowhere to put her. They had to buck up and pitch to her.

One swing. That’s all it took. One swing. The first time all day long Bri Ellis took the bat off of her shoulder she launched a walk-off grand slam to send her Razorbacks team into the next round of the SEC Tournament. Now that is how you send a message. Pitch to her, I dare you.

Ellis is a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year, but in my books, she’s already the best in the business. A straight up baller.

The Hot Stove

🏀 Minnesota Evens Series at 1!

I know this isn’t breaking news or anything, but the Steph Curryless Warriors are a very different team without their Batman on the floor.

If you look at the box score by quarter, the last three quarters were all very close, it was just the early barrage from Minnesota that gave them the early lead and they never turned back. The Timberwolves took their Game 1 loss on their home floor personally, and they showed out last night.

It was everybody from MIN last night! Antman (20), Julius Randle (24), NAW (20), McDaniels (16), Naz (11). They are a deep team and the way they shot in Game 1 was shocking. They came out firing in Game 2. As for Golden State, it is going to be tough. They are going to need to feed off of their home crowd for these next two games, and they will have to be vintage Jimmy Butler games if they want to have any chance! We’ll see how it goes!

⚽️ Beckham, Neville Officially Take Over Salford City

Two former British football internationals, David Beckham and Gary Neville, have officially taken over as the lead owners of British football club Salford City.

Beckham and Neville first bought into the club in 2014, along with their other former Manchester United teammates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Philip Neville. Now, the two stars will take over as the main owners along with a diverse ownership group. Declan Kelly, a US-based businessman, Mervyn Davies, chairman of the British Lawn Tennis Association, round out the main owners. The other former Man U players will no longer have stake in the club, but will be kept on in other roles. Beckham, who also co-own’s Inter Miami of the MLS, grew up in Salford, a subsection of Manchester in central England. Since their initial investment, the club has won four promotions in five years, finishing eight in League Two this season.

🥊 Pacquiao is BACK, BABY

When it comes to boxing superstars, there aren’t many on this planet that are more recognizable or accomplished than Manny Pacquiao. But the 46 year old says he has a little more in his tank.

Rumors have been swirling over the past year that Pacquiao may make a return for a title fight with Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19th in Las Vegas. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said to the media last week that the plan was for Pacquiao to return, but it wasn’t until yesterday that sources confirmed this to be true. Manny last fought in an exhibition in 2024, but his last sanctioned fight came in August of 2021 when he lost to Yodernis Ugas for the welterweight championship. He announced his retirement following that loss to focus primarily on a political career, but has kept a close eye on the sport. He is the first and only eight-division world champion and will be inducted into boxing’s Hall of Fame next month. To make matters more interesting, he’s also in a TIGHT Senate race in his home of the Philippines, where he formally served from 2016-2022. His official announcement won’t come until after the election on May 12th, but all signs and media hype points to his imminent return to the ring.

⬇️ Quick Links

• ✂️ Panthers cut veteran DE Jadeveon Clowney

• ⛳️ Day one at the Truist Championship

• ⚾️ Devers is not happy with Red Sox amid first base rumors

What To Watch

🏀 NBA Playoffs

• ESPN: Cavs @ Pacers (7:30 PM), Thunder @ Nuggets (10:00 PM)

⚾️ Major League Baseball

• Apple TV: Cardinals @ Nationals (6:45 PM)

• More to Watch: Rangers @ Tigers (6:40 PM), Cubs @ Mets (7:10 PM), Phillies @ Guardians (7:10 PM), Red Sox @ Royals (7:40 PM), Dodgers @ Diamondbacks (9:40 PM), Yankees @ Athletics (10:05 PM), full schedule

🏒 NHL Playoffs

• TNT: Maple Leafs @ Panthers (7:00 PM), Stars @ Jets (9:30 PM)

⚽️ Soccer

• NWSL: Racing Louisville vs Gotham (8:00 PM), Angel City vs Utah (10:30 PM)

• Serie A: AC Milan vs Bologna (2:45 PM)

⛳️ Day Two of the Truist Championship live from the Philadelphia Cricket Club in, you guessed it, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Here’s the leaderboard

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For

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