Joe Girardi Out as Phillies Manager
After starting the season 22-29, the Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi, who was in his third season with the team. Bench coach Rob Thomson (who, contrary to popular belief – mine – is not the front man for Matchbox 20) will be the team’s interim manager for the rest of the 2022 season.
The Phillies, and their $233 million payroll that includes Bryce Harper, have lost seven of their last nine games and are currently third in the National League East and 12 games behind the first-place New York Mets. Not ideal.
Overall, the Phillies were 132-141 under Girardi and have not made the playoffs since 2011.
Alex Mack
The San Francisco 49ers’ biggest offseason mystery has been solved, and I don’t mean the man under center. I mean the man who was the center, as Alex Mack has announced he’s retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons.
Mack, who was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns, was a three-time AP Second-Team All Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowlselection (including this past season) and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s.
Mack played with the Browns from 2009-2015, the Falcons from 2016-2020 and the 49ers in 2021. Congratulations to Alex on an incredible career. Now, Trey Lance and the 49ers need a center.
NBA Finals
You can root, root, root for the home team, but that’s not going to stop the away team from hitting a plethora of three-pointers in the fourth quarter to win Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Down by double digits to open the fourth quarter at Chase Center, the Boston Celtics hit their first seven 3-pointers and outscored the Golden State Warriors 40-16 in the final quarter to take the first game of the series, 120-108. Boston center Al Horford, who was making his first NBA Finals appearance, had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists, while making all his fourth-quarter shots.
Game 2 tips off on Sunday from Chase Center at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, and the game is on ABC.
Stanley Cup Playoffs
And then there were four.
Eastern Conference
The New York Rangers have a 1-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final, after Wednesday night’s, 6-2, win in Game 1. The puck drops on Game 2 Friday night at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT from Madison Square Garden and will be on ESPN/ESPN+.
Western Conference
And in the West, the Colorado Avalanche have a 2-0 series leave over the Edmonton Oilers. Game 3 moves to Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB on Saturday June 4 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT and will be on TNT.
Danielle Kang
29-year-old golfer Danielle Kang has played the first two rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open with a tumor on her spine, she said on Friday. Kang said she learned of the diagnosis a few weeks back but does not yet know if the tumor is benign or malignant.
Kang is the 12th-ranked golfer in the world and has been dealing with back pain for the last few months. She said doctors are trying to figure out if the tumor is causing the pain or contributing to it.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Kang for a full recovery.
