Motherhood lifts Aces guard Gray to top of world
Since her son's arrival, Chelsea Gray has had as many awe-stricken moments as a mom as her fans do after one of her no-look passes, writes The Sporting Tribune's W.G. Ramirez
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1. Motherhood lifts Aces guard Gray to top of world
Since her son's arrival, Chelsea Gray has had as many awe-stricken moments as a mom as her fans do after one of her no-look passes, writes The Sporting Tribune's W.G. Ramirez
Aces point guard Chelsea Gray couldn’t have been any prouder, walking through the MGM Grand Garden following the Pac-12 Women’s Championship two months ago.
At the game with her wife, Tipesa, as they had done plenty of times during the offseason attending sporting events around town, the three-time WNBA champion couldn’t help but wear her trademark smile. This time, the couple wasn’t alone.
Less than two weeks earlier, Tipesa had given birth to their son, Lennox.
“It’s been awesome,” Gray told The Sporting Tribune during the Aces Media Day on May 3. “He’s great. You know, it’s crazy what kids do.
“Whatever kind of day you’re having or whatever happened in practice, you come home and see him and he doesn’t talk about the game. He’s not somebody that understands that you’ve made mistakes out there. It’s just a different perspective.”
2. One-on-one with Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson
The Sporting Tribune's Rey Moralde sat down with Los Angeles Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson for an excusive interview with her.
The Sparks had two picks in the Top 4 of last month’s WNBA Draft. L.A. took Cameron Brink with the second pick overall and then followed up by choosing Rickea Jackson from Tennessee with the fourth pick.
If Jackson had jitters, she certainly didn’t show it. She scored seven points in her first pro game against Atlanta, which included an electrifying steal and a lay-up to beat the halftime buzzer. She did even better in her second game (which was against Las Vegas) as she scored a smooth 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
We caught up with the highly-touted rookie at Sparks practice on Monday for a one-on-one conversation.
3. Poirier may retire if he wins at UFC 302
UFC fighter Dustin Poirier is contemplating retirement after 13 years in the Octagon, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Fredo Cervantes.
A perfect end to an illustrious career in the Octagon may be happening at UFC 302 for the Lightweight title.
Dustin Poirier (30-8-0) recently won against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March.
Poirier spoke with The Sporting Tribune as he prepares for his title match on June 1 at UFC 302 against Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1-0) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The Diamond earned a title match after causing an upset by defeating Saint Denis.
Saint Denis came into the match on a five-fight winning streak, all with finishes in the first two rounds. Poirier was seen as an opportunity for him to enter the top tier of challengers in the division under Islam Makhachev, but it turned out to be the 35-year-old’s night.
Poirier was considered an underdog at +188 according to FanDuel. It took two rounds for Poirier to defeat Saint Denis. He thought “It was crazy” that he was an underdog, but he understood why.
4. TST betting preview: Dig deep for value in NBA conference finals
The Sporting Tribune's Danny Burke discusses his betting strategies for the upcoming NBA conference finals, which begin Tuesday night.
A pair of Game 7 finishes, a series clinched via free throws and a gentleman’s sweep is the path that’s been taken to the Conference Finals for the remaining four teams.
The survivors include the Timberwolves and Mavericks in the West, and the Celtics and Pacers in the East.
Not only have this year’s playoffs been entertaining and exciting, but also very profitable if you’ve been following along with our breakdowns.
Throughout the first two rounds we’ve gone 6-3, and are up +11.32 units with our series prop bets.
5. Three third-inning home runs spark Dodgers to win over Diamondbacks
Freeman's slam and Yamamoto's dominance lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a victory against Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
The Dodgers needed one inning to break the game open for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, using three home runs in the third inning to beat the Diamondbacks, 6-4, on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yamamoto had one of his best starts as a major leaguer, throwing 6 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. This was the first time Yamamoto, who allowed two earned runs, hit the 100-pitch mark with the Dodgers. He had all of his pitches working, including his splitter low in the zone.
Kiké Hernandez opened the inning with a solo home run to center field (his third of the season). Then after loading the bases with nobody out, Freddie Freeman blasted a grand slam (his fifth) deep to the right-field bleachers.
Will Smith followed Freeman by jolting a hanging curveball into the left-field bleachers (also his fifth).
The Dodgers (33-17) went stagnant after that inning as the Diamondbacks didn’t allow another hit until the eighth, but Daniel Hudson closed the game out and secured the Dodgers’ fourth straight victory.
6. Angels take thriller over Astros behind home-run barrage
The Los Angeles Angels used a 7-run fifth inning to overcome Reid Detmer's rough start and steal a win over the Houston Astros, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Holdenn Graff.
Starter Reid Detmers was pulled after four tough innings, but the Angels blasted four huge home runs in the game to seal a wild 9-7 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Detmers continued his recent rough patch, allowing eight hits and two home runs. The 24-year-old has allowed at least four earned runs in six consecutive starts.
He was saved from a loss thanks to the Angels’ fifth-inning barrage. Down 6-1, they erupted against Astros starter Framber Valdez for seven runs and took the lead.
Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe each blasted three-run homers, putting the Angels in front 7-6. Jo Adell went back-to-back with O’Hoppe, delivering a solo home run.
Los Angeles (19-29) gathered six of their 13 hits in the fifth, sparking their second straight win and three of their last four. They are two games behind Houston for third in the AL West with two games left in the series.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Dodgers – $37
7:00 p.m. – Washington at Sparks – $37
7:00 p.m. – Mercury at Aces – $5
7:30 p.m. – Loudoun at LAFC – $36
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
5:00 p.m. – Angels at Astros – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
7:00 p.m. – Washington at Sparks – Spectrum SportsNet
7:00 p.m. – Mercury at Aces – WNBA League Pass
7:30 p.m. – Loudoun at LAFC – Apple TV
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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