#sports-illustrated

#sports-illustrated

On Friday, we received the most definitive report so far that Sheldon Keefe is staying on as Maple Leafs head coach for the 2022-23 season.Per Darren Dreger, the two have been working together to interview replacements for the departed Spencer Carbery (now head coach of the Washington Capitals) and an extension is likely forthcoming at some point in the summer (which makes sense if he's staying - there is no sense in lame ducking him).

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's second-round playoff exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers.On the difference in the series:
For me, we lose the series in the first three games.In Game 4, I thought we played very well.I thought we played well enough to win the game today, but in the first three games, we were in simpler positions than we were in Games 4 and 5, but we didn't handle those situations well and didn't capitalize on our chances.

Joe Kapp, the rugged quarterback who spent eight seasons in the Canadian Football League before making it to the N.F.L. with the 1967 Minnesota Vikings, then took them to Super Bowl IV in January 1970, died on Monday in San Jose, Calif.He was 85.His son, J.J. Kapp, said that his father died at an assisted living facility from complications of dementia.

No matter the site you check, or where you get your trusted intel from, you'll find the same answer all across the board: the New York Knicks will beat the Miami Heat and get to the Eastern Conference Finals.That's what has been percolating through the last couple of days after both the Knicks and the Heat defeated their first-round foes in Cleveland and Milwaukee and set up their semifinals matchup.

Quarterback Tom Brady explains why he decided to invest in the Las Vegas Raiders immediately after retiring from the NFL.After making a return from his initial retirement, quarterback Tom Brady revealed at the end of this past season that he is done playing football "for good."With this, Brady will begin to prepare for his upcoming commentary gig with FOX, which will kick off in 2024.

The Steelers are reportedly interested in pursuing Commanders pass rusher Chase Young if Washington is willing to listen to trade calls.Chase Young was the AP's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie for the Washington Commanders.So the fact that Washington is now reportedly open to listening to trade calls for him is pretty shocking.

Did Russell Wilson turn down a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles?One NFL insider suggests so.Of course, Russell Wilson was eventually traded to the Denver Broncos, where he struggled mightily last season under one-and-done head coach Nathaniel Hackett.Sean Payton has since been brought in to rebuild the offensive system with Wilson behind center.

Rick Wolff's resume is about as long as a Major League roster, his disparate professions linked by an adoration of sports and a fascination with sports psychology.He was a professional baseball player, a college baseball coach, an author of books about sports psychology and an editor and publisher of books by athletes like Tiger Woods (as well as business figures).

Doyle Brunson, a champion poker player who, in a long, lucrative and colorful career with a deck of cards, won 10 World Series of Poker events, including two back-to-back titles, and influenced countless players with his definitive guide to Texas hold 'em and other games, has died at 89.His death was announced in a family statement posted on Twitter on Sunday night by his agent.

Brad Treliving has reportedly begun filling out his front office with the hiring of Coyotes legend Shane Doan as an Assistant General Manager.**Breaking News ** ???? ???? I'm told @MapleLeafs are naming Shane Doan as an Assistant to Treliving.@espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @TSNHockey @DKSportsbook #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/z7GhkrldKw

After practice on Tuesday, Paul Maurice discussed his team winning all three of its overtime games this playoff, the matchup game against Toronto's top players, and the unsung heroes on his roster during their current six-game playoff winning streak.Toronto's top players are taking a lot of heat right now, but there are two sides to every story.

The shocker of all shockers: The best regular season team of all time - particularly dominant in the third period all year -continued to forfeit playoff leads in the final frame of Game 7 en route to the biggest first-round upset in NHL history.Verhaeghe send the Bruins home!The biggest upset in the salary cap era is complete!

One of the biggest stars of the series for the Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly addressed the media after his team's first-round series victory over Tampa Bay.As the longest-serving Leaf, can you describe the emotions you're feeling?Where does relief rank in those emotions?Rielly: It is up there for sure.

The overtime hero of the series-clinching Game 6 for the Maple Leafs, captain John Tavares addressed the media after his team's first-round series victory over Tampa Bay.There was the famous picture of you in your PJs when you signed in Toronto.You know the history of the team.What does this mean not just as a player for the Leafs but as a local kid?

MLB is continuing to monitor air quality conditions for several games scheduled to take place in the Northeast U.S. amid ongoing wildfires in Canada.The league has not yet postponed or canceled any games scheduled to take place on Wednesday, even as local agencies in affected areas have advised people to limit their outdoor activities and the NWSL postponed a scheduled game in the New York area.

1957
White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce became the first member of the team (and the first Chicago athlete) to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, with the headline "Pride of Chicago."In 1957, the year the magazine cover came out, Piercewent 20-12 with a 3.26 ERA.It was his second straight 20-win season, and he led the league with 16 complete games, four shutouts, two saves, 257 innings and 192 strikeouts.

1912
Pitching most of his career in the dead-ball era, it's no shock that all-time hurling great Walter Johnson allowed just 97 home runs over his 802 career games and 5,914 1⁄3 innings.But you might be startled to know that in a 7-6 loss to the White Sox, Johnson surrendered two home runs - and they were the only homers he allowed all season!

Sam Craig, manager of the San Francisco Giants, in 1990.(Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images)Roger Craig, who won three World Series titles as a pitcher and then, as a coach and manager, championed the split-finger baseball, a nearly unhittable pitch that seemed to tumble off a cliff just before reaching batters, died June 4 at age 93.

Coming off a disappointing 2022 season, the New England Patriots are not among the favorites to win the AFC East let alone the Super Bowl this year.Quite the opposite: the general view is that they are closer to the bottom of their own division than the top.Just don't tell Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated, who recently published a list of 100 bold predictions for the NFL's upcoming season.

TEAM TALK LOCAL LINKS

Tom E. Curran hears from James White about how Bill O'Brien is the perfect man to help the offense get back to the details.Tanner James (AtoZSports) Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte may have more juice than advertised.Dakota Randall does a deep dive on Kayshon Boutte's college film.

Sports "I think Brady's a guy who if he's in, he's all-in."Tom Brady has never been one to call it quits on an endeavor, be it on the gridiron or now in his post-playing career.So when The New York Post's Andrew Marchand speculated on a podcast last week that Brady may not follow through on his reported 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports, it didn't take long for the former QB to respond.

Moments before the Dodgers got set to play the New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball, it was announced that they will be playing another American League foe on the national broadcast later this month.The Dodgers will be broadcasted on ESPN on June 25 when the Houston Astros come to Chavez Ravine.

On March 30, 1966, famed Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale ended their double holdout by signing new contracts for $130,000 and $105,000, respectively.Their holdout during Spring Training lasted 32 days.The two future Hall of Famers demanded a combined $1 million over three years.

With the withdrawal deadline of May 31 having come and gone, the field of players is set for the 2023 NBA Draft.The Lakers look set to hang onto their No. 17 draft pick at the very least and have a clearer idea of who they can target with their picks.In reality, there isn't much change with the No. 17 pick as few, if any, players in that range withdrew.

(Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)

Martha Stewart made history on Monday as the oldest swimsuit model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.The legendary TV host, 81, is one of four women to pose for the magazine's iconic swimsuit edition this year.Rounding out the 2023 cover stars are singer Kim Petras, model Brooks Nader and actor Megan Fox.

The football player on the vintage Sports Illustrated cover looks beat.He's framed from the chest up, the No. 11 on his rumpled purple Minnesota Vikings jersey barely visible.The sky behind him is blue, but the midday sun is blasting down on his face.The player is squinting, he has sweaty, shaggy hair with a couple of strands of gray, and his mouth is open and gasping.

All eyes are on Nikola Jokić this 2023 NBA season, and the spotlight is only getting brighter as he and his fellow Denver Nuggets continue to dominate the playoffs.They just ran through the Los Angeles Lakers and are about to head into the NBA finals - a first for the Nuggets - to take on the Miami Heat.

The Washington Wizards are clearly looking for a new General Manager/President of Basketball Operations ... clearly someone who can take the front office and make the right roster decisions for the future.They are the only NBA team with a vacancy, offering the right person a chance to run operations from the nation's capital and a team owner who is generally willing to give a long leash.

For all his athletic prowess, all the heft he brought to his social activism, Jim Brown's power sprang from his unyielding resistance to the narrow definitions imposed by American society on its Black citizens and, in his case, Black male athletes.The resounding power of no.That is what Jim Brown embodied.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's series victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.On his emotions when he realized the OT goal was over the line:
Jubilation.I don't know.You black out in those moments.You don't know what is going on.You are just really excited.It has been a long time coming for a lot of players in our room, a long time for myself, and even longer for Leafs Nation.

Jon Cooper addressed the media after his team's 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.On the team's will and determination to extend the series:
I said this at the beginning of the series.Don't bet against the guys.Not that group.I am not saying we have won the series.

New Candy product for Gen Z available exclusively to Cash App Card holders for 72 hours Brian "FaZe Rug" Wadis, one of the largest and most viewed content creators with more than 23M subscribers on his YouTube channel, announced today that as co-founder of 1UP Candy, the company will drop its first product launch and invites fans to compete in the "Sour Gummy Challenge."

(Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini/invision/ap)

Well, as annual swimsuit editions go, this is certainly a departure for Sports Illustrated.The latest cover model served time in federal prison.And she's 81.Martha Stewart seems to have reinvented herself yet again, and it can't be long before she's hawking a new line of perfect bathing suits, if she isn't already, in addition to the perfect cookware, pruning shears and window treatments.

It's useless to try to pigeonhole Martha Stewart.Decorously entertaining homemaker-slash-lifestyle guru, television personality, publisher, canny entrepreneur-turned-white-collar criminal, Snoop Dogg's unlikely BFF these are labels she spins, or drops when it suits her, as adroitly as a juggler.Resisting attempts to peg or malign her, Ms. Stewart has survived, even thrived, not as a Superwoman, as Joan Didion once put it, but as an Everywoman.

Don Denkinger was regarded as one of the finest major-league umpires of his time.Working in the American League from 1969 to 1998, he was assigned to four World Series and three All-Star Games.But when Denkinger died Friday in Waterloo, Iowa, at 86, he was remembered mostly for his famously botched call on baseball's greatest stage.

The walls have been stripped of the jerseys of the greats - Otto, Sistrunk, Plunkett, Blanda, Chester - and the historic sideline photo of Madden and Stabler.Also gone are the display cases filled with helmets, pennants, programs, "Reserved for Al Davis" and "Commitment to Excellence" signs, a "JST WIN BBY" license plate and other Oakland Raiders memorabilia.

Paul Maurice addressed the media after his team's 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.On Sergei Bobrovsky's standout performance:
I think you need your goaltender to win you a game every series.He did that tonight.I don't think it was easy at the start for him.

What a reaction.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/Dez6rm9ENO- Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 25, 2023


Founded in 2008, Maple Leafs Hotstove (MLHS) has grown to be the most visited independent team-focused hockey website online (Quantcast).Independently owned and operated, MLHS provides thorough and wide-ranging content, varying from news, opinion and analysis, to pre-game and long-form game reviews, and a weekly feature piece entitled "Leafs Notebook."

After an off day on Friday, Jon Cooper discussed his team's recent dip on home ice in the playoffs and another do-or-die game against the Maple Leafs in Game 6 on Saturday night.After the game last night, you mentioned how much fun this series is.How much do you enjoy playoff time in general?Cooper: This is everything to me.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's Game 4 win over the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.On the team's increased urgency:
From an effort standpoint, I think it was our best effort of the season all the way through from start to finish.There was no real letup.Obviously, it is a very close game, but our competitiveness defensively - and our urgency defensively - was the best it has been all year.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's Game 3 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.On his top players' inability to break through offensively:
Credit to Florida.They defended well.Obviously, Auston rips one off the crossbar just seconds into the game.It could've changed that narrative.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's Game 2 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.On the start of the second period in which the Leafs conceded twice in under a minute:
Disappointing.Baffling, frankly.We didn't make those mistakes one time in the last series.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers which dropped the Leafs' record to 44-20-10.On the team's performance:
I thought we played a good game.We didn't score enough to win.We made some mistakes at the end that cost us the extra point.On the team's inability to find enough offense, including on the power play:
Whether it is power plays or some of the chances we had at five-on-five, we had opportunities to bury them and build a substantial lead.

NHL NewsWe're number 4! We're number 4! The Sharks have received the fourth pick in the NHL draft.A look at how some of the pros think the draft will shake out.Photo by Junaid Ahmed / Unsplash Hey Sharks fans!The bouncing balls have spoken and the Sharks are slated to pick fourth in the 2023 NHL Draft.

After practice on Saturday, Sheldon Keefe discussed the challenge of going out on the road down 2-0 in the series, the penalty disparity in the series, and Mark Giordano's struggles in the playoffs.Practice Lines - May 6

Lines at Leafs practice
Bunting - Matthews - Marner Jarnkrok - Tavares - Nylander Kerfoot - O'Reilly - Acciari Aston-Reese - Kampf - Lafferty Simmonds
Rielly - Schenn McCabe - Brodie Giordano - Liljegren Gustafsson - Holl Timmins
SamsonovWoll Murray@TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/5sBgZwW12z

Rosie Perper is the Deputy Managing Editor for the Web3 news section, focusing on the metaverse, NFTs, DAOs and emerging technology like VR/AR.She has previously worked across breaking news, global finance, tech, culture and business.She holds a small amount of BTC and ETH and several NFTs.This week, major Web2 institutions launched new tools to help bring Web3 to the masses.

John Underwood, a stylish writer at Sports Illustrated for nearly a quarter century whose rollicking account of a fishing trip in Florida with the baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams led to their collaborations on two highly regarded books, died on April 12 at his home in Miami.He was 88.His wife, Donna Underwood, confirmed the death, but did not cite a specific cause.

Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors may have beat up on the Miami Heat thanks to a Scottie Barnes masterclass, but there was a tinge of bittersweetness in that victory.As with all wins against Miami in the last few years, it came at the expense of Kyle Lowry.Even though Lowry has been in Miami for the last two years, and Toronto has done a very nice job of peeling the Band-Aid off and transitioning to the post-Lowry era, quotes from stars like Siakam show that the specter of Lowry hasn't left this locker room.

Paul Perillo: Patriots Mailbag: Will free agency affect the Patriots draft strategy?| Link
Audio (1:59:15): Patriots Unfiltered: Could New England be in on Lamar Jackson?, NFL Owners Meetings and Free Agency Recap | Link
Video (2:30): Patriots Debrief: Day 2 of 2023 NFL Owners Meetings | Link
Video (1:58): Robert Kraft discusses 'Stand Up to Jewish Hate' blue square campaign to combat antisemitism | Link


LOCAL LINKS

Mark Daniels (MassLive): How Bill Belichick plans on replacing Devin McCourty in Patriots defense | Link
Ben Volin (Boston Globe): Is Bill Belichick coaching for his job in 2023?

Evan Lazar: Head Coach Bill Belichick's Message to Patriots Fans: 'Long Way to Go' Before the 2023 Season Starts | Link
Mike Dussault: Kraft expresses '23 optimism, aims for playoffs | Link
Video (2:12): Patriots Debrief: 2023 NFL Owners Meetings | Link
Video (28:22): Bill Belichick: "I think we've taken steps to improve the team" | Link
Video (15:20): Robert Kraft: "I'm very positive and hopeful about this upcoming year" | Link


LOCAL LINKS

Mark Daniels (MassLive): Bill Belichick doesn't have time to rest on his laurels with the Patriots | Link
Karen Guregian (Boston Herald): No ultimatums, but Patriots owner Robert Kraft got his points across | Link
Ben Volin (Boston Globe): Meek Mill tells Robert Kraft that Lamar Jackson wants to be a Patriot.

EX.CO - The Experience Company, the world's leading publisher-first video technology platform empowering publishers to own their video content and monetisation strategies, today (March 28th, 2023) announced the launch of AI-driven recommendations and premium video libraries for publishers.The technology leverages AI-based algorithms to find the most contextually relevant video for each article as well as the highest-yielding feed for a webpage.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators which improved the Leafs' record to 44-20-9.On the team's performance:
Really good.We'd like to score more with the chances that we had to extend the lead and make it a little more comfortable.You leave them within striking distance.

Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team's 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes which dropped the Leafs' record to 43-20-9.On the team's performance:
I thought, in a lot of ways, it might have been the best game of our season.On the team's ability to grow into the game after a tough start:
Tough start.