The big news in the NFL this week was Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib announcing he was gay on social media. How have the league and Nassib’s fellow players reacted to his coming out?
Other topics for our WISE Sports Radio football segment: Tim Tebow isn’t welcomed into the NFL tight end club just yet, Eli Manning’s new role with the New York Giants, and what opting out of the 2021 season due to COVID-19 concerns will cost players.
Two of baseball’s biggest sensations are Los Angeles Angels slugger/pitcher Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. On WiSE Sports Radio, Pat Ryan, former NFL and college coach John Shoop, and I talked about what makes both players worth staying up late to watch.
And Major League Baseball’s biggest storyline right now is the initiative to check pitchers for sticky substances that greatly enhance their grip and ability to put spin on the ball for movement. Managers who previously looked the other way when pitchers were using sticky stuff are going to be blowing a whistle on the opposition.
It’s mini-camp season in the NFL and most players look good — such as Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold. But Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa threw five interceptions in a rainy practice. Is that reason for concern?
For our WISE Sports Radio football segment, Pat Ryan, Mike Gore, and I also discuss Le’Veon Bell’s animus towards Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, Sam Darnold, the NFL’s new COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players, and Jimmy Kimmel getting his name on a college football bowl game.
The New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves were expected to be two of Major League Baseball’s best teams. Yet approximately 65 games into the season, both are disappointing. On WISE Sports Radio, we discussed what’s going on and if each team can turn around with nearly 100 games left to be played.
Our other topics include another injury for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the key to the San Francisco Giants’ surprising success, and when we can expect MLB to start cracking down on pitchers using foreign substances.
I’m just guessing that Ned Beatty wouldn’t want his role as Otis, Lex Luthor’s bumbling sidekick, in Superman: The Movie to be the first thing mentioned when looking back at his career. (I’m imagining Alec Guinness rolling his eyes when he was immediately attached to Obi-Wan Kenobi by so many when he passed away.)
But maybe Beatty wouldn’t have minded either. Generations of fans remember him fondly in that film and it provided much needed comic relief among Christopher Reeve’s big blue boy scout and Gene Hackman’s megalomanical villain (who bullied poor Otis a bit too much). There are worse legacies for an actor to leave behind.
Ian Casselberry 