how to talk about sports this week like a pro

TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk is our weekly recap of how to talk about sports this week like a pro. If you’re just starting to learn about sports, or need a quick summary of what’s up in your favorite league, or just want to know why your spouse keeps obsessively checking the sports scores, read on. Here’s what you need to know to talk with a sports fan the week of March 24, 2019.

we begin with the old making way for the young. or not.

tennis

Roger Federer was going for his 101st Masters win in Indian Wells earlier this week when he lost to Dominic Thiem, an Austrian who won for the very 1st time. Thiem came back from being a set down to win. Just 100 more to go, dude.

But don’t cry for Roger, Argentina. Federer has an impressive portfolio of sponsorship and endorsement deals. He just added Barilla pasta to the mix. If we can look like that and still eat pasta, we are totally all in. Later for you, Keto diet.

basketball

Meanwhile, in the NBA, LeBron James (LBJ) and the LA Lakers are officially out of the playoff race, with a loss this week to the Brooklyn Nets.

It will be the first time in 14 years that LBJ won’t be in the playoffs. There are many humans alive today who have never seen an NBA playoff without King James. Here at Dandelion Chandelier, we’re just hoping that means we’ll get a couple of extra editions of The Shop now that LBJ will have some extra free time this spring. That would definitely take some of the sting out of this.

football

All is not lost, though, old folk. Take heart from this tale of Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots.

The father or three was preparing for a family ski trip. Before leaving, Brady freaked out his fans in Patriots Nation by posting a photo of him watching videos of Olympic medalists Lindsay Vonn skiing. He was doing it with the goal of perfecting his form (he’s known for being extremely diligent about watching tapes to improve his game).

Subsequently, he posted a video of himself and his posse bombing down the slopes. Apparently, nervous Pats fans are worried that he’ll break something.  We say the man has earned the right to use his leisure time any way he chooses. Lighten up, New England. How many Super Bowl rings do you guys really need? Jeez.

what you need to know to talk about sports this week 

For Those Who Do Not Avidly Follow Professional Sports and Want to Be Able to Talk to a Sports Fan, here are the happenings that you should know about for the week of March 24, 2019:

1. ncaa men’s basketball

must know:

March Madness ends its first week, and so far it’s not all that Mad. Not really even Cray-Cray. At least, not as of this posting. There have been some pretty high-scoring games. The Big Ten is 7 – 1 and the SEC and ACC are both 5 – 2. Last year’s champions, Villanova, lost last night and are on their way home. At least there have been no shoe blow-outs. 

nice to know:

There have been some ranking upsets, but nothing significant. If you want a bit of detail, on Friday #12 Murray State beat #5 Marquette. #13 UC Irvine beat #4 Kansas State. And #12 Liberty beat #5 Mississippi State. But then Murray State lost to Florida State on Saturday. There are more games today to see who goes into the Sweet Sixteen.

extra credit:

One name to know (in addition to Duke’s Zion Williamson, which is a name you have to know): Ja Morant. He’s the Murray State point guard phenom who scored a triple double in an upset win against Marquette. His draft status has him in the top 3 now, behind Williamson and his Duke teammate R.J. Barrett. Even though Murray State is out of the tournament, having lost to Florida State yesterday, Morant exits on a high note.

2. MLB and NBA

must know:

Major League Baseball’s traditional Opening Day, featuring all 30 Major League Clubs, will take place this Thursday, March 28. However, the season has actually already started. For the first time, the league scheduled a two-game series outside of the US to get things rolling.

The Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics participated in “The Opening Series” by playing two regular-season games against each other at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on March 20 and 21.

The Mariners opened their 43rd season with a 9–7 win over the Oakland on Wednesday night. On Thursday night in Tokyo, Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki played in the 2,653rd and final game of his MLB career — a 5-4 Seattle win in 12 innings.

nice to know:

In the NBA, there are fewer than 10 games to go until the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets are mounting a fierce challenge to the Golden State Warriors for first in the West. As of this posting, they’re a half game ahead of the Warriors. The Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets are  in a fight for 3rd and 4th place. Portland is only half a game behind Houston. James Harden (aka “The Beard”) continues to scorch the league. He put up 57 points for Houston in a loss versus the Memphis Grizzlies this week. Oklahoma City currenlty rounds out the top 5 in the West.

In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors are one and two in the standings. The Philadelphia 76’ers, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics round out the top 5.  The Brooklyn Nets are currently in 7th place and could earn a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers are at the bottom of the league.

extra credit:

Back to baseball: Mike Trout signed a whopper of a contract extension this week: a 12-year, $430 million contract to remain with the Angels. Meanwhile, the New York Mets and their star Jacob de Grom have failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension. Doubt the Mets are happy to have to deal with the new normal of multi-million dollar deals like the ones Trout, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado signed this spring. And Yankees fans are already asking whether it’s time to “lock up” slugger Aaron Judge with a long-term deal.

3. nfl

must know:

There were a few more major signings in the NFL this week. Justin Houston is leaving Kansas City for a two-year deal with the Colts. Longtime Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has signed a 2-year deal with the LA Rams. Ryan “FitzMagic” Fitzpatrick, the journeyman quarterback (and Harvard alum) has signed with his eighth team: the Miami Dolphins. There were rumors that Colin Kaepernick was hoping to land that job.

nice to know:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired two full-time female coaches. They’re the first team to have 2 full-time coaches who are women. Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar will join the team’s staff – the former as assistant defensive line coach, and the latter as assistant strength and conditioning coach. Kudos to Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, who has demonstrated a commitment to increasing the diversity of his coaching staff both for the Bucs and in his former role with the Arizona Cardinals.

extra credit:

The New York Giants are still sending mixed signals about their starting quarterback. They showed interest in Dwayne Haskins, currently at Ohio State. But many believe this is a feint, and that the team is actually working on a trade for last year’s rookie quarterback, Josh Rosen. He went to Arizona last year, and they may now be hoping that he’ll take over from Eli Manning.

Meanwhile, Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rogers went all Shawshank Redemption this week. He used the quote about “some birds aren’t meant to be caged so we know it is right for them to be free but it makes it a sadder place” on Instagram. Observers went wild because they view him as the main instigator in getting fellow players – and his coach – traded or let go if he’s displeased with them.

That’s what you need to know to talk with a sports fan this week. You’re good to go. See you next week!

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