Ball Girl #056: What ages you more than sunbeds?

Want the scoop on sports but don’t feel like translating ‘bro’ language? You’ve come to the right place.

Or it just attracts Benjamin buttons….IDK but these star golfers are looking a little too wise for their age. 

Can I have your number?

• ~54,000: Number of tennis balls used in the two-week Wimbledon tournament. When they’re not used, tennis balls are refrigerated to keep them in pristine condition!

TL;DR

🏀 And just when we thought the Nets roster was coming together, Kevin Durant drops an absolute BOMB on the NBA by requesting a trade. His top choices are Phoenix and Arizona— someone clearly just hates NY winters.

🏁 TGIRW (my new acronym for 'thank god it's race week'). Up next on the docket is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone- this race could be a thriller given how long and fast the course is.

🎾 8 American men make it to the final 32 of 2022 Wimbledon. The usual suspects (Djokovic, Nadal for the men, Swiatek, Gauff for the women) are making their way toward the finals.

⛳️R1 of the John Deere Classic (PGA) and LIV Golf Invitational Portland are underway.

MLB

Garcia “pitches in"

• The Houston Astros narrowly beat the NY Yankees last night to continue a stellar streak against New York (Yankees & Mets). They have their pitchers to thank: namely, one Luis Garcia, who only allowed one solo home run (read: no one got on base) in 5 1/3 innings. To non-baseball fans, let me translate: he cleaned UP.

Philly’s winning streak

• The Philadelphia Phillies destroyed the Atlanta Braves last night. They needed to win this one to avoid a series sweep, and boy did they show up big. The Phillies’ offense went off in the second inning when Matt Vierling hit a double to get two runs in, and then Nick Castellanos hit a homer to get the Phillies 3 more runs. The momentum didn’t stop there; the end score was 14-2. Oof. Sorry Atlanta.

These days, robots are everywhere, even in sports.

• Robert Manfred (MLB commissioner and total nerdatron) announced that he wants robot umps making calls in the MLB by 2024 — i.e., a computer that watches a pitch and makes an automated call. Anyone else feeling like ‘I, Robot’ isn’t too far in our future?

Golf

All Hail John Deere

• There is no name more American than this one. The 2022 John Deere Classic kicked off yesterday, and after the first round, the leaderboard featured a bunch of newbies. We’re talking people nobody has ever heard of — just take a look at the leaderboard below. J.T. Poston sits in first, becoming the first player on record to open consecutive Tour events with 62 or better (for context, defending champ Lucas Glover shot 74 in R1). Poston came out strong, shooting 9-under to take a two-stroke lead. A win for Poston would mark his second Tour win (following his first at the 2019 Wyndham Championship).

LIV Golf Invitational Portland kicked off yesterday, and the drama is spicier than the ghost pepper challenge

• Why the beef you ask? Critics of the LIV tournament point to how it is funded by Saudi Money and drop a plethora of human rights violations there. Meanwhile the golfers that have joined the LIV tour are adamant that golf is their career and as such, they need a salary; in what world would an employee not go work for the company that is offering them 4x comp?

• But what’s going on in the tournament, you ask? Take a look and see (after R1)…

Tennis

Wimbledon 2022 - Heading into Round 3 today!

• Highlight of the day: 8 American men have officially made it to the final 32. These guys include Isner, Tiafoe, Johnson, Paul, Sock, Fritz, Nakashima, and Brooksby. History in the making here, especially given that each one has strong potential to come out of this tournament with the W (unless Djokovic works his magic, of course).

• Men’s Highlights:

  • Novak Djokovic defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-0 on Wednesday.

  • After FIVE sets, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina end up in a tiebreak with Jiri Vesely on Wednesday. Vesely secured match point at 9-7, at which point Fokina commits a point penalty by hitting a ball into the stands out of frustration, resulting in a W for Vesely. Brutal way to leave Wimbledon. 

• Rafael Nadal defeated Ričardas Berankis in the second round 3-1.

• Women’s Highlights:

  • Iga Świątek took down Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 2-1 in the second round.

  • Coco Gauff defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu 2-0.

F1

Off to the UK our drivers go! So in the lingo of our Love Island UK fans, who will get pied and who will crack on?

• The Favorites: In Race #9 of the season, we are starting to notice a pattern of Red Bull and Ferrari taking Podium, and the predictions for Sunday’s race are no different. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is the overall favorite followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull).

• Why we might see a shakeup: The Silverstone Course is one of the longest and quickest in all of F1 right now. That means drivers will have ample opportunity to pass each other, mess up, and redeem themselves. Secondly, a lot of teams, such as Mercedes, are coming out with upgrades this week. Don’t forget...F1 is really just a science project!

• Off the track: Silverstone is hoping to lock in a long term contract with F1 to host this Grand Prix for years to come (and hundreds of thousands of dollars to come). To help their case, they are going to try and provide spectators with a festival-like experience. No idea how you do that in rural England, but hey, look at Burning Man?

Here’s everything you can expect from the course this weekend: 

Must Watches This Week

Sunday, July 3:

• 10:00am ET, British Grand Prix

Time Out for the Tea

Carson Pickett making history

• Carson Pickett became the first U.S. Women’s National Team member with a limb difference. (Pictured below) Pickett bonded with one-year-old Joseph Tidd, who also has a partially formed left arm, proving to the young soccer-lover that anything is possible.

Athletes recharging

• Shaun White and Nina Dobrev are sipping cocktails in the Maldives, the Brady Family is lounging around in Italy, and we’re….well, working 9-5s.

Naomi Osaka x Lebron James

• Name a more elite duo, I dare you. These two are teaming up to start a media company named Hana Kuma. While the phrase means “flower bear” in Japanese, Osaka and James are facing flack due to its rather vulgar meaning in Swahili .

Jenner moves on from Booker…or at least she’d like fans to think so

• The internet is exploding over Kendall Jenner’s near-nude, posted on her Instagram. Given her recent breakup with Phoenix Suns man Devin Booker, she appears unbothered…