There’s a new kid in town, and we don’t mean the Vegas Golden Knights. We’re talking about the city’s newest addition — The Las Vegas Aces. With the Aces’ inaugural season in Sin City underway, let’s a look into the future to see what this season can possibly hold.
Though currently sitting in last place of the Western Conference with a 5-10 record, the Aces have played much improved basketball as of late. With multiple players still playing overseas, it’s easy to see why the beginning of the WNBA season has been so rocky for the team. Thankfully, we have seen all of our ladies come back the last two weeks, which is a breath of fresh air. They still need some time to gel.
Still, the mojo seems to be working. Since opening the season with one win in eight games, the Aces have won four of their last seven games.
The league’s undeniable Rookie of the Year, center A’ja Wilson, has been an absolute monster, making the transition from college to the pros look completely seamless. When you look at this team, you can see a clear standout in Wilson, who is averaging 20.1 points and 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She is definitely looking to get herself an All-Star game nod and has been the darling of the WNBA this season thus far.
Guard Kayla McBride is having a great season as well, the 5-foot-11 Notre Dame product is averaging 17.2 points per game this season. Wilson and McBride are the Aces first and second options for scoring, however this team needs more than two consistent options.
Could we see the likes of Nia Coffey, Dearica Hamby, or Kelsey Plum become the official third option for the Aces? Will we have another star come through for this team or are we just set for a subpar season like so many other inaugural teams? We all know the Aces have a fresh start in Sin City after leaving San Antonio last year with a miserable 8-26 last place record.
They’re already just three wins away from matching last season’s win total under head coach Bill Laimbeer with 19 games to go in the regular season.
The Aces are starting to hit their stride, just three games back of a playoff spot.
All in all, if the Aces want to bring a crowd and compete they need to win and finish strong. Las Vegas has seen how infectious a winning team can be when they’re good and the Aces have an opportunity to do that as well. However, the Aces need to figure out the third scoring option, which could very well end up being former first round pick, Dearica Hamby.
The WNBA season is not very long (34 games) and Laimbeer needs to continue to tweak the lineup to find a matchup that works best to make this team successful. In reality, we can expect the Las Vegas Aces to doo better than mirror their 2017 season as the Stars and maybe end up with a few more wins. A playoff berth and beyond would mark a definitely jump from last season to now. Nonetheless, Sin City is “all-in.” Las Vegas Aces fans will just have to wait and see where it goes.
UFC 226: Derrick Lewis Vs. Francis Ngannou Will Be Heavyweight Bedlam.
Heavyweights Ngannou and Lewis square off at UFC 226
Who doesn’t love a heavyweight fight? There’s nothing quite like knowing you absolutelyhave topay attention because this thing could be over in a split-second. As heavyweights Ngannou and Lewis square off at UFC 226 in Las Vegas, expect this fight to be no different.
This fight will be action packed from bell to bell, bell to knockout, or bell to submission. And if history is any indicator, either of the latter two scenarios seem to be the most likely outcome.
Francis Ngannou
A recent UFC Staff Report referred to Ngannou’s power as “infamous” and why not? His knockout of Alistair Overeem has been accompanied by many different adjectives including; scary, frightening, brutal, and even terrifying by Sporting News.
Photo: Sporting News
At 6’4″ and 250 pounds, Ngannou “The Predator”, is a monster of a human. Fighting out of Las Vegas by way of Batie, Cameroon the 31 year-old steps into the octagon with a record of 11-2 and an 83-inch reach.
Ngannou lost his last fight to the heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic who also fights Daniel Cormier the same night for the belt at UFC 226. Prior to his loss to Miocic, The Predator knocked out Bojan Mihajlovic and submitted Anthony Hamilton in 2016, then knocked out Andrei Arlovski followed by the aforementioned Overeem in 2017.
And just like a bonus on your favorite penny slot at The Red Rock, enjoy this video featuring some of Ngannou’s top knockouts just for visiting!
Derrick Lewis
“The Black Beast” fights out of Houston, Texas by way of New Orleans. The 33 year-old stands in at 6’3″ tall and weighs 260lbs. Lewis holds a 19-5 record to go with a 79-inch reach, and make no mistake, he’s a striker.
Much like Ngannou, Lewis is 4-1 in his last five fights. His loss came at the hands of Mark Hunt (Literally, a fourth round knockout) in June of 2017. Lewis beat Roy nelson by decision in 2016, then followed with a fourth round knockout of Shamil Abdurakhimov. During 2017 Lewis knocked out Travis Browne before the loss to Hunt. Rounding out his last five, Lewis knocked out Marcin Tybura in the third round back in February at Cerrone vs. Medeiros.
“The Black Beast” has a pretty impressive highlight reel of his own. Winning eight of his last ten, he has knocked out 13 in his career, and has six first round finishes. Below you’ll see some of his most fierce knockouts featured.
The Match-up
These two are looking to land big shots early, often, and always. Ngannou will be taller, and enjoy a four-inch reach advantage. This promises to be another one of those fights that could end in an instant. We’ve seen both of these guys hit an opponent so hard they’ve been out on the way down. Not to mention, Lewis has a nasty ground and pound game. This is a big boy fight, there are no two ways about it.
The Curtis Blaydes Effect
His TKO win over Alistair Overeem at UFC 225 in Chicago was gruesome.
He’s climbing the UFC heavyweight contenders list with a vengeance. Blaydes has firmly cemented himself as the number two contender, right behind Ngannou. A win by Lewis in this fight would shake up the heavyweight division more than a little bit. But tied to that, A Miocic loss at UFC 226 changes the landscape dramatically as well.
After “Razor” Blaydes’ definitive victory over Alistair he’s calling his shot in an interview with The MMA Hour that the only fight other than the winner of Miocic vs. Cormier he would accept, was a bout with Francis Ngannou.
UFC 226 should shed a lot of light on the future of the heavyweight division. Not to mention the main card’s co-main event features a featherweight title fight between champion Max Holloway and top ranked contender Brian Ortega. Be sure to catch all the UFC 226 action on Pay-Per-View.
If you mention UNLV Basketball, most Las Vegans speak proudly of the 1990 National Champions, its 45-game winning streak from 1990 through 1991, or the heartbreak of being upset by Duke in 1991. However, there is more to the program than just its championship team, so let’s go back to where it all began. Here are your Top Five Runnin’ Rebels of the 1970s.
Take a step back to the 70s. Richard Nixon was in the White House, the Vietnam War was in its final years, and basketball players wore way-too-short shorts and big hairdos. The 1970s were also the decade in which UNLV basketball entered the national conversation.
UNLV’s first season as a Division-I program was 1969-70. Three years later, UNLV hired Jerry Tarkanian from Long Beach State. In 1974, UNLV had its first 20 win season, and, a year later, they earned their first NCAA tourney bid and NCAA tourney victory. The following year, they added the Runnin’ to their name. The “Run & Gun” revolutionized college basketball, culminating in UNLV’s first Final Four appearance in 1977, losing to UNC in a nail biter, 84-83.
They broke records in most points scored in a season (3,426), most points scored per game (110.5), most consecutive 100-point games (22) and most point scored in a single game (164). In honor of the decade that started the “Rebellion” in college basketball, we are going to name the top five UNLV players of the first “Golden Era” of UNLV hoops.
Gondo was part of Tarkanian’s first recruiting class at UNLV in 1973. He ranks 16th in career points (1,311) and ninth in rebounds (831). Gondo was a three-year starter for the Rebels and played a pivotal role in helping the Rebels reach the Sweet Sixteen three times in a row, including their first Final Four appearance in 1977.
Gondo was the 26th pick in the 1977 NBA draft for the Knicks where he played for two years and the Nuggets for four more. One word that describes Gondo’s impact in both the NBA and at UNLV is HEART. He did not put up overly impressive stats, but it was his heart that made him the player he was. Every coach that he ever played for praised him for his efforts of diving for loose balls, fighting for rebounds, and taking charges.
In fact, Coach Tarkanian once said “If they kept a stat on charges per game, Gondo would have led the nation.” Gondo’s No. 25 UNLV jersey was retired in 1997 and he was a radio color commentator for Rebel basketball for 17 years. He died on April 19, 2009, at the age of 53, following complications of heart transplant surgery.
No. 4 Robert Smith (1974-77) — Point Guard
Robert Smith had a major impact during his three years as a Rebel. In his first year, he helped guide UNLV to their first Conference Title and NCAA Tournament appearance. His second year he led the Rebels as they broke all the NCAA scoring records. That same season, UNLV reached its second Sweet 16. In his final year, he help guide the Rebels to their first Final Four. During his career, he averaged 10 points and 4.8 assists per game.
In 1977, he led the nation in free throw shooting at 93 percent. He was known for his tenacious defense, leadership on the court, and money shots from the free throw line. He played seven years in the NBA and was fourth in NBA assists with the Denver Nuggets in 1978-79. Following his NBA career, Robert played seven years in France.
After his professional playing days concluded, Robert coached at College of Southern Nevada and currently coaches locally in the AAU. Robert Smith was an extremely intelligent player and point guard on the court for the Rebels during their early tournament runs and this is why he comes in at No. 4.
No. 3 Ricky Sobers (1973-75) — Guard
Sobers was also a member of Coach Tarkanian’s first recruiting class. He averaged nearly 16 points, five assists and four rebounds per game. His career highs with the team were 18 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. Ricky was the MVP of the WCAC, led UNLV to their first NCAA appearance, and made UNLV’s first Sweet 16 run in the tournament.
The Bronx-born point guard was the first Rebel to be a first round NBA draft pick, taken 16th by the Phoenix Suns. Sobers played 10 years in the NBA and had a career average of 13 points, 4.3 assist a game. In 1978, he averaged 17.3 points and was third in the NBA in assists at 5.6 per game for the Indiana Pacers. His leadership with the Rebels and his success in the pros lands him as the No. 3 player for the Runnin’ Rebels in the 1970s.
No. 2 Eddie Owens (1973-77) — Forward
Owens was arguably the best player in the Rebels’ recruiting class of 1973 as he was a High School All-American from Houston, Texas. He was an elite scorer averaging 19 points and five rebounds per game. Eddie was the leading scorer on the most prolific scoring teams in NCAA history. Over the course of his time at UNLV, Owens set a school record of 2,219 career points, a record still held to this day. What makes the mark more incredibly remarkable is he did it without the luxury of a three-point line.
In a Las Vegas Sun article, Owens joked, “That they owe me another 500 points” because he played without the three-point line. Owens was later drafted to the Buffalo Kings in the second round. He only played one year in the NBA. Eddie is second on our list because he was the leading scorer and arguably the best player on UNLV’s record breaking team in 1976 and the first Final Four team in 1977. On November 16, 2016, Eddie Owens’s jersey was retired and hung from the rafters at the Thomas & Mack.
No. 1 Reggie Theus (1975-78) — Guard
Jerry Tarkanian once bragged that Theus was the first recruit in which he beat out UCLA’s legendary coach, John Wooden. His career averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. In his final season with the Rebels, he averaged just under 19 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
His presence was an integral part of those early teams that brought the Rebels to national prominence by using the “Run and Gun” offense, back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, and the first Final Four appearance. Reggie was a special player for the Rebels because he had a hint of Magic Johnson with his great playmaking abilities.
Theus was the first player in UNLV history to be drafted in the Top 10, going ninth to the Chicago Bulls in the 1978 draft. In the 1978-79 season, he was runner-up for Rookie of the Year while averaging 16 points and five assists per game. He played 12 years in the NBA and was a two time All Star. His career highs were 23.8 points and 9.6 assists per game while he finished in the Top 100 in points per game for his career.
After retiring from the NBA, Reggie coached New Mexico State in the NCAA tournament, Cal State Northridge, and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Reggie’s contribution to the Rebels best teams of the decade, combined with his success in the NBA, places him on the top of the list of greatest Rebels of the 1970s.
Honorable mentions: Sam Smith, Bobby Florence, Tony Smith, and Jackie Robinson.
There might not be a more complicated situation as a basketball fan than watching players from your favorite team participate in international basketball games.
On one hand, I feel guilty for not wanting players as fun and talented as Lauri Markkanen to represent their country. There’s literally nothing wrong with wanting to represent your country on the court, especially in Markkanen’s case, as he’s only the third player ever from Finland to play in the NBA.
It’s just so hard to stop myself from thinking about the worst case scenario, which we all saw happen to Paul George four years ago. (borderline NSFW)
It’s only a couple of games in a FIBA qualifier, it’s not like he’s out playing in an Olympic type tournament every offseason. Not to mention guys like Manu Ginobli and Pau Gasol have played overseas regularly in their offseasons, and they remain productive NBA players today despite being a combined 77 years old. Nothing about what Markkanen is doing should make me upset and nervous.
Regardless of logic, I am both of those things. I am nervous that one of these days he’s going to hurt himself playing for Finland, and that will make me upset as a Bulls fan that cares deeply about him being healthy for the NBA season.
So, props to Lauri Markkanen for ignoring dopes like myself and representing his home country by doing something he loves. Just please remain in one piece!
The Chicago Bears employ one of the most unique coaching stories in the NFL. Sean Desai is one of the few coaches in the NFL of Indian descent. According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, his family came to the U.S. in the 1960s. After playing high school football himself, Desai soon realized he had a future in coaching. His teammates, including former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky even told him so back then.
Desai soon began to climb the ladder, but not with any idea of sacrificing his education. Amidst his dream of being a coach, he eventually secured a doctorate as well. Teams became so impressed with his intelligence that he earned the lasting nickname, “Doc.” He couldn’t have had any idea how wild his journey to the NFL would become.
Perhaps the most insane came during his time in college. Being fired is nothing traumatic to coaches in football, or any other sport. It just happens. One must get used to it and learn how to move on. For Desai though, he had a rather unique experience in this regard as a former colleague revealed.
Sean Desai was fired twice by the same coach in college
“When Golden left Temple for Miami, he could only take a few coaches with him at first. Steve Addazio arrived at Temple and fired Desai, among other coaches, the next day — standard operating procedure in the coaching world.
Desai went to Miami with Golden and then the next season, the special teams coordinator job opened at Boston College, where Siravo was the defensive backs coach.
“They kept interviewing people and the head coach was lukewarm on everyone,” Siravo said. “I said, ‘You’ve gotta meet [Desai]. I worked with him at Temple. The guy’s brilliant. He’s going to kill the interview. Frank Spaziani brought him in, hired him immediately and called him the professor. That’s who he was to the players.”
Remember the story of Desai being fired twice by the same coach? Well, the Boston College head coach was fired following the season, and the new head coach was … Addazio, coming over from Temple. Once again, he had to fire Desai.”
It seems Desai may have learned some valuable lessons from that experience. Typical of a teacher. Eventually, he found his way to the NFL, latching on with the Chicago Bears as a quality control coach under Marc Trestman in 2013. Two years later when Trestman was fired, Desai made a strong impression with new head coach John Fox who chose to retain him in 2015. Three years after that, Fox himself was fired.
Again it looked like Desai was done. Then he spoke with Matt Nagy who also chose to keep him on. The young coach now enters his sixth season with Chicago, the longest-tenured on the team. That is a great trivia question for 2018 people won’t believe.
It didn’t take long for new Chicago Bears first round pick Roquan Smith to send the message that football might be his destiny. Appearing on the new team miniseries “Meet The Rookies,” Smith talked about how he first got into football at the age of six. Coaches asked his mother to let him try it and she gave permission
She had no idea back then what she was unleashing. The moment Smith stepped on the field, it seemed like all the other kids weren’t even on the same planet as him. In fact, his domination grew to such an extent that several parents and kids began to complain that there was no way a six-year-old could be doing those things.
They even went to extremes in order to prove their accusations correct as Smith’s mother explained.
“I can recall the time at a game when there was something special about him., and that was at six. He was doing so good it created chaos. People, parents, kids from everywhere were saying that it was my older son that I had out there playing in the game. But it was actually Roquan and they could not believe for his age and his size that that was him. They had to stop the game and go get his birth certificate to prove his age.”
Roquan Smith was the real deal as he would later prove
If Smith was so good that he could fool actual grown adults into thinking he was years older than he was, it was only a matter of time before he began to make his mark on the game. When he arrived at Georgia, the time arrived. He became the best linebacker in the country, showcasing a level of speed, athleticism, and awareness that is rare for defensive players.
He took his team to a national championship in 2017, won the Dick Butkus award and fittingly was drafted by the Bears #8 overall last April. Doubters continue to warn that his smaller frame will put a cap on the impact he can have in the NFL. Perhaps this story will remind them that it doesn’t matter if you’re older or bigger than him. He will do anything and everything in his power to make you look foolish.
The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers rivalry has been surrounded by a lot of weirdness over the years. Games and moments that defied logic at times. These were often attributed to simple luck. From the Bears’ perspective, it might seem like most of it was bad. Green Bay does seem to get the fortunate bounces right when they need them.
No game epitomized that more than the opening day matchup in 1980 at Lambeau Field. The setup was typical. Chicago was coming off a playoff season and had high expectations for that year. A win against their arch rival would set the tone for another successful run, perhaps one that might reach towards a Super Bowl.
The game was a bitterly contested slugfest. Both teams managed just six points each in four quarters of play, going into overtime. It was there that Chicago, according to NFL.com columnist Ralph Warner, became victims of the fifth-strangest touchdown play in league history.
“Kickers get a lot of the blame and not nearly enough praise. It’s hard enough to kick football through the uprights in various weather conditions, but then you add the fact that several behemoths are trying to stop you from doing your job — the difficulty increases immensely. One of those behemoths blocked Chester Marcol’s FG attempt, but instead of giving up on the play, the Packers K scooped up the ball and ran it 25-yards for a game-winning TD. Fun fact: Marcol scored all of Green Bay’s points in the Packers’ 12-6 OT victory.”
The Chicago Bears never recovered from that loss but did get their revenge
That loss seemed to sap the Bears of their mojo right from the start. Their season became a roller coaster, winning one week and losing the next. They finished 7-9 and out of the playoffs, starting the ball rolling towards head coach Neill Armstrong being fired. Despite that, the Bears didn’t forget the loss.
Not only did they get their revenge on the Packers later in the year, they made a statement that what happened was a fluke. It was the infamous game when the Bears stomped them 61-7, the largest margin of victory ever in the history of the rivalry. If nothing else, that made 1980 perhaps the wackiest year ever in the Bears-Packers saga, which is saying a lot.
The Chicago White Sox could be scary good by the 2020 season. (Photo courtesy of Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press)
For Chicago White Sox fans this season looks pretty bleak. The White Sox are off to the worst start in franchise history with a record of 26-51.
Though with this season lost, the future looks very bright. I’m going to show you why.
On this off day for the Sox, it’s good to be reminded what the future could potentially look like. So, here you go Sox fans! Enjoy this video and remain hopeful!
As the summer heats up, so does the NHL offseason. The NHL Draft has come and gone, and the rumors are running rampant now. We are less than a week away from the start of NHL Free Agency. Free Agency officially begins on July 1st and the biggest name on the market is John Tavares. It is no secret that the Blackhawks want Tavares and so does their city.
Local Businesses Make Offers to John Tavares
As a ploy to lure John Tavares to Chicago, local businesses in the Chicagoland area have reached out to Tavares on Twitter. The first to make a lifetime offer in return for Tavares’ services was the famous Irish pub, Declan’s.
Hey @91Tavares free food and drinks for life at Declan’s if you sign with the Blackhawks.
Now, I am not sure about you, but if someone is offering me free food and alcohol, I am dropping everything to cash in on that offer. I am not being biased when I say this, but Chicago has some of the best food in the entire country. It is a proven fact.
To go along with the food and alcohol, John Tavares would also be a part of one of the most storied franchises in all of sports history in the Blackhawks. Not to mention that he would also rack up some serious dough (pun intended) by signing with Chicago. There are countless national and local endorsement deals for an athlete in Chicago since we have one of the biggest sports markets out there.
The Cubs have made numerous trades that helped shape their World Series winning team. However while this trade has gone under the radar, it has been just as beneficial as the more high profile deals. (Photo courtesy of MLB.com)
After blowing two leads in Cincinnati over the weekend, the Cubs’ bullpen is finally looking vulnerable for the first time this season. Brandon Morrow and Carl Edwards Jr. are on the shelf with no set return, while Mike Montgomery will likely remain in the rotation for the remainder of the season. That’s three of the team’s five best relievers no longer available on a daily basis, and it’s killing the depth.
While Pedro Strop, Justin Wilson and Steve Cishek form a respectable back-end trio, none of them can afford to falter because if they do, Maddon is forced to either replace them with a AAA caliber guy or let them pitch through their struggle. If the Cubs had more arms available, Maddon wouldn’t have let Strop continue to pitch yesterday as he allowed seven out of the nine batters he faced reach, blowing a four-run lead in the process. Add on Wilson’s command issues and Cishek’s early season over usage, and it’s not hard to see yesterday’s disaster repeating itself in the short future.
Tyler Chatwood won’t help much in a reliever role. Brian Duensing has regressed significantly in 2018. Left-hander Randy Rosario has been impressive, but forcing him into a regular set-up role seems premature given that he’s thrown just 19 career innings with a 4.69 career FIP. Iowa’s closer Dillon Maples has filthy stuff, but he’s walked 24 batters in 25.1 innings, he’s not ready yet.
So if the Cubs are worried about Morrow and/or Edwards missing more time than they’re leading on, why not make a trade? They’re likely to make a trade for a reliever by the July 31st deadline anyway, as they have each of the last three seasons. Why wait a month when the bullpen desperately needs another arm right now?
We’ve already seen multiple postseason contenders trade for relievers this season, as Seattle and Washington have added Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera, respectfully.
We know the Cubs have been in talks with the Orioles for months, and while most people have been fixated over the idea of Manny Machado, it’s far more likely that the Cubs have been gauging Baltimore’s interest in trading any or all of the Brad Bach, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day trio.
Adding one of those three or someone like Jake Diekman from the Rangers would immediately bolster a bullpen that needs bolstering, so why wait?
