Latest news with #ForTheWin
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Hey, Smash Mouth. Why can't we be friends?
Hey, Smash Mouth. Why can't we be friends? Well, folks. I don't really know where to start this, so I guess I'll begin by ripping the Band-Aid off: Today is my last day here at For The Win. With that, this will be the final Morning Win I write for you all. It still doesn't quite feel real yet. I can't believe it. I've been here for five and a half years now. I've been writing this newsletter for just two of those years, and it's unbelievable how attached I've grown to it. It's so special to me. I believe it's a conduit, really. Not just for me to spout takes into the ether of the internet, but it's a place for me to share my colleagues' work and sharply shape the voice of this website alongside them. I hope you all believe I've done a good job of that in the time that I've been here with you. I think I have. I certainly have no regrets. Er, well. Um. I have one. Okay. Maybe this isn't exactly a regret. I'm not sorry that this happened, but I do wish it didn't. What I'm referring to is Smash Mouth deciding that I'm public enemy No. 1. Yes, I'm referring to the band, early aughts band Smash Mouth. No, I'm not joking. Last NBA season, when Draymond Green inexcusably choked out Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, I wrote about it in the Morning Win. I said that allowing Draymond Green to be Draymond Green had become the Warriors' biggest problem. I stand by that. Green was on a nasty streak of just completely losing his mind on the court and it all seemed to stem from that Jordan Poole punch. Not only did it break up what had been a championship-winning core with the Warriors, but it also resulted in multiple ejections and suspensions for Green. I wasn't wrong! But Smash Mouth — a big Bay Area sports entity, apparently! — decided that what I wrote was nothing more than a hit piece. That I'd just targeted Green for the sake of a click. Here's what the band's account said on X (formerly Twitter): He protected his player, that's what's up with Draymond! Take it case by case and in this case Dray was in the right. And nice hit piece on him dude, you obviously don't know how the Ws work and why they work. They say good journalism will sometimes make people mad. The truth sucks sometimes, gang. Criticism can be harsh. It is what it is. Again, I don't regret it. I need to be super clear about this. This is not an apology whatsoever. With that said, if I could use my last gasp here in the Morning Win to do something personal, I'd like to extend an olive branch to Smash Mouth. I don't want you guys to hate me. Like every other '90s kid out there, I grew up yelling "HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR. GET YOUR GAME ON. GO. PLAAAAAY," from the top of my lungs. I love Digimon: The Movie. I love Shrek! Those movies shaped me in ways I can't describe. I think I watched Shrek at least once a day from 2005 to 2007. It was my baby brother's favorite movie for a long time. I can sing I'm a Believer word for word. I also think about Wendigomon swaying in the wind to All-Star fairly often. Why? I don't know. Truthfully, this movie isn't great. But I don't care. I love it. I can't watch these things the same way knowing that Smash Mouth has beef with me. Especially not over Draymond Green, of all people! It's just not worth it. So, Smash Mouth, can we please consider this squashed? As a wise man once said, the years start comin' and they don't stop comin'. Life is too short for beef. As you once sang: Why can't we be friends? The Pacers are unbelievable The Team of Destiny vibes from the Indiana Pacers are just undeniable at this point. You couldn't go into Game 6 feeling great about Indiana's chances to extend the series. The Thunder had just dominated Indiana at home and Tyrese Haliburton's calf seemed to be a major problem. So, naturally, with all odds against them, the Pacers play their best game of the series in Game 6. TJ McConnell becomes the great white hope, in Tyrese Haliburton's words. The Thunder throw the ball everywhere on the court except in the basket. And, now, here we are with a Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday. Honestly, it's unreal that we're here. Now, we should probably expect a classic heading into Sunday. Whew, man. Game 7. Let's get it. Shutting down Caitlin Clark If Natalie Nakase isn't the best coach in the WNBA right now, she's certainly up there with the best. The Golden State Valkyries legitimately look like one of the best teams in the league, and they're doing it without a star player on the roster. Golden State got yet another win against the Fever on Thursday, holding the team overall to 77 points and locking up Caitlin Clark. The Fever star only scored 11 points on 3-14 shooting from the field. That's one of her worst games in a long time. How'd they do it? Charles Curtis says Nakase let us in on the secret. It's physicality. Take note, WNBA. This is the playbook. Photo Friday: Can't stop the Tush Push, baby Since this is my last Morning Win, I figured I'd pick by favorite photo ever. This is so hilarious, yo. Big shoutouts to whoever made this sign. Fly Eagles, Fly. Quick hits: WNBA to Philly? ... Shedeur, please chill ... and more — Dawn Staley and Kylie Kelce have hatched a plan to bring the WNBA to Philadelphia. I love it. Caroline Darney has more. — Sheduer Sanders doesn't seem all too worried about his speeding tickets. Charles Curtis has details. — T.J. McConnell's dad was so proud of his son for his performance in Game 6. This was awesome. Robert Zeglinski has more. — Pascal Siakam's vibe pre-game should've let us all know the Pacers were winning this thing. Bryan Kalbrosky has more. — Drake absolutely cursed the Thunder. Smh. — Please read Prince Grimes on the Kendrick Lamar and SZA show. He captured it perfectly. What a story. Well, folks. This is it. It has been an absolute pleasure working on this newsletter and writing to this audience for years. I can't thank you all enough for indulging me. Thanks to everyone who opened this thing. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply or sent kind words. Thanks to everyone who sent in thoughtful critiques, too. You all made me better and you made For The Win better. And I know you'll continue to do that when I'm gone. I'll be right there with you as a fan. Prince Grimes will be here with you on Monday. That's a wrap. Love you guys. Peace. -Sykes ✌️ This was For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Q&A: Asa Newell pitches his 'contagious' energy as NBA draft prospect
Q&A: Asa Newell pitches his 'contagious' energy as NBA draft prospect Georgia Bulldogs freshman forward Asa Newell had a strong one-and-done campaign while in college. Now, he's ready to show what he can do as a pro. Newell helped Team USA win a gold medal during the FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup in 2022. He was a consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school and one of the most highly-touted players aside from Anthony Edwards ever to commit to Georgia. Alongside other standouts like Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen, he helped lead his high school basketball team at Montverde Academy to an undefeated season and won the Chipotle Nationals championship. Last season, Newell earned SEC All-Freshman honors after averaging 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He is currently projected at No. 21 overall in our latest consensus mock draft. Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. You can watch Episode 2 of Prospect Park below: How have you spent the pre-draft process and where are you improving the most? Newell: I've just been in the gym every single day taking care of my body. What it means to be a pro: You have to take every single day seriously, not take a day for granted. That's something I've been learning in this process. I think the main factor is my 3-point shot making ability. It's a lot of reps. I've changed my shooting motion a little bit. Instead of having a little bit of waste of movement, bringing the ball down on the catch and bringing it back up and catching the ball and going straight up with it has been something that I've found very consistent. Also, my ball handling has improved as well. What is your confidence in your jump shot and how will it help you in the NBA? Newell: I've always been extremely confident in my jump shot from high school to college and now into the NBA. It's going to have a huge impact. You have to have a 3-point shot to survive in the NBA. The NBA has become extremely positionless. It's a lot of catch and shoot 3's and attacking mismatches and driving closeouts. So a 3-point shot is something everybody needs. How are you able to impact winning the most while you are on the court? Newell: I'm a match waiting for some gasoline and causing a whole fire. I play with a lot of energy. That is very contagious. When you have someone who plays really hard with motor and doesn't really take plays off, you see all the top teams doing that. Oklahoma City is doing that. They play with camaraderie and a brotherhood. They take advantage on defense. So I'm just coming with that mindset into the league. I don't know what it's going to look like until I get there, and that's the beauty of the game. That's the beauty of life and something I'm super excited for. How are you able to get to the basket and score at such an efficient rate? Newell: I think it's just my mindset, being able to have smaller guys or bigger guys. In a basketball game, there are a bunch of mini games. When you have someone bigger on you, I can use my speed and quickness and my touch. If there is someone smaller on me, I can take my time and punish a smaller defender. It's really just a mindset and a lot of reps that I've been doing in the gym and countless hours that's just being paid off and being shown on the court. What should NBA teams know about you and what you bring to a locker room? Newell: Character and morale go a long way, especially in an NBA locker room. I like having a team of guys, a brotherhood, that you can bring into an NBA locker room. It's important to give resilience and work ethic and you're a pro on and off the court. When you get in the NBA, you're going to have a lot of free time. What you're doing in that free time is going to determine the type of player that you're going to be. I like to lead by example, so coming to Georgia, I wanted to find my voice a little bit. Silas Demary was our leader. He is a strong presence. He's been in college and experience the coaching staff that Mike White had at Georgia. Silas was always holding me accountable in practice. Overall, at Georgia, it was just being a guy who can hold people accountable and raise the intensity in every single practice. How did soccer help you and would you advise multi-sport athleticism? Newell: It started across the gym with my dad with that footwork in soccer. I played soccer growing up and swimming. I've done a lot of coordinated sports and have the ability to move my feet and it's how I was raised and grew up from different sports. But 100 percent. Definitely do soccer because it definitely helps with your footwork. Just staying in the gym and doing a lot of drills. When I used to live in Destin, Florida my dad would take me on the sand on the beach. I had the right coordination. It's the highest factor you need to have agility. In sixth grade, I decided to cut everything off and focus on basketball when I moved to Destin when I fell out of love with the game for soccer and swimming. I just love watching basketball so I decided to take it seriously, and now here we are. Where does your high school squad rank among the best, and what did you learn there? Newell: I'm always going to bet on myself, and Montverde is somewhere that I think is the best high school team. The special thing about is we always made sacrifices to go to Montverde. We could have went anywhere and averaged 25 points at a public high school. But we wanted to do something. Guys like Curtis Givens and Rob Wright and Liam McNeeley and Derek Queen and Cooper Flagg: We just have a special bond and brotherhood that nobody will be able to break. To have a coach like Coach [Kevin] Boyle pushing us through the hard days and carrying us throughout thick and thin is something that I'll never take for granted. Iron sharpens iron. So playing against the top guys in the country definitely made me better. I got to watch people work and their work ethic and how they handle adversity and bounce ideas off one another. That is something we always used to do. What did you learn from representing Team USA on the FIBA circuit? Newell: It started from the tryouts. You have to take care of yourself. You have to sleep in the dorms and sleep in a new bed and have a meal plan. You're being evaluated from day one. So you have to have the same mindset. It reminds me of when I started doing my NBA workouts. You have to go in and kill or be killed. You're not there to make friends. So go in there and have the utmost confidence. That's what these teams are looking for. What was your favorite memory of playing basketball over the past few years? Newell: I think it was March Madness for Georgia. Being able to help lead a team back to March Madness and being able to share a court with my brother is something that is just super special and there are a couple pictures I will hang up on the wall and remember forever. Being able to play with my brother is something I love doing. It started at Choctawhatchee High School and now at the collegiate level, I'll never forget it.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Bear' actor in Springsteen trailer carries spirit, not look, of Bruce
Jeremy Allen White -- better known to fans as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in The Bear -- is transforming into The Boss for Deliver Me From Nowhere, a Bruce Springsteen biopic that's set to be released in October of 2025. Well, transforming might not be the right word. There's no prosthetics, not much in the way of hair change ... he kind of looks like Bruce, but it's more about capturing the spirit of Springsteen in the trailer that dropped on Wednesday morning. MORE JEREMY ALLEN WHITE: See for yourself and tell me if you agree -- he's not full on Bruce in his look, but that's OK! Almost sounds like he's basing it off that sorta raspy, pensive "Cowboy Bruce" twang he speaks with nowadays. This looks wonderful, though I do think his Bruce (speaking) voice is a missing a bit of the Jersey accent. Almost sounds like he's basing it off that sorta raspy, pensive "Cowboy Bruce" twang he speaks with nowadays. — Mike Davis 🌊 (@byMikeDavis) June 18, 2025 He looks more like William Fichtner than Bruce. He looks more like William Fichtner than Bruce. — Josh Millman (@JMillz666) June 18, 2025 That would be October 24, 2025. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Springsteen movie trailer has Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matthew Tkachuk reveals gruesome injury he played through
It's an annual tradition in hockey: a playoff run ends, and a player reveals they were playing through a horrifying injury at the end of the year. Everyone talks "hockey culture" and "grit" and the cycle begins anew. That's the case with Matthew Tkachuk. The Florida Panthers forward who once revealed his broken sternum (!) in 2023 after a playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights had a serious injury that he played through in winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup. Advertisement How bad was it? As he told Darren Pang after the win -- and I'll stop here and say, WARNING: if you're grossed out by injuries, you may want to stop here -- he "tore the adductor [muscle] off the bone and had some hernia thing, all on the same side." GAH! Matthew Tkachuk celebrated the Stanley Cup as you'd expect he would Horrifying injury or not, it's time to enjoy a second straight Cup. Just wild. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Matthew Tkachuk injury after Panthers' Stanley Cup win is gruesome
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
V.J. Edgecombe goes No. 3 to Sixers in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft
V.J. Edgecombe goes No. 3 to Sixers in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft Most experts believe the 2025 NBA Draft will begin at No. 3 overall when the Philadelphia 76ers are on the clock. So what exactly will they do? The Dallas Mavericks reportedly plan to select Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall and we can expect Dylan Harper to go No. 2 overall whether or not the Spurs decide to trade the pick. While there was briefly some talk that the Philadelphia 76ers could potentially shop the No. 3 pick to try and land Kevin Durant, there are other suitors for Durant that make plenty more sense. So the speculation about who Philly may take is beginning to heat up. Here is more from Jonathan Givony (via ESPN): Edgecombe takes over this spot from Ace Bailey in ESPN's mock draft after a positive visit to Philadelphia, where sources say he made a strong impression in a private workout as well as in meetings with the front office and ownership. He appears to be "the leader in the clubhouse" currently, with Bailey losing momentum after refusing to visit, initially unsatisfied with his search for a proven pathway to development. That means Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey could potentially fall a bit on draft night. Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win. The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
