Sager joined the ESPN/ABC broadcast team, working the sidelines along with Doris Burke while rocking another one of his iconic suits. In 2014, Sager was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. For the past couple years, he’s gone through multiple treatments including chemotherapy, stem cell transplants and bone marrow transplants.
After a few returns, covering marquee games and events for Turner Sports, Sager revealed in an interview with HBO that his leukemia was no longer in remission. Recognizing his juggling of work, travel and treatment, ESPN will present Sager with the Jimmy V Perseverance award in July. It’s even cooler that they and Turner could team up to give him his first NBA Finals assignment
On the court, LeBron James was the star. He recorded 41 points for the second straight game and has willed the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit to Game 7 on Sunday. Cleveland could be the first team to win a Finals after being down that much, and it would be even more impressive to do so against the 73-win Golden State Warriors. Off the court though, literally, it was Sager getting standing ovations from the Cleveland crowd.
Before the game, Sager spent time FaceTiming with University of Pittsburgh running back and Hodgkins lymphoma survivor James Connor. A mentor of Connor’s was shooting the game for WJET and connected the two on the phone.
Someone said they know someone w/ cancer and Sager is his inspiration. Sager talked to him via FaceTime right away pic.twitter.com/Wv8esp0TFG
After the game, James shared a really special moment with Sager.
“First of all, let me ask you a question: How in the hell did you go 30-plus years without getting a Finals game? That don’t make no sense. But I’m happy to see you, man. Much love and respect, and I’m happy we were able to win this in front of these fans. We really appreciate you.”
Leave it to Richard Jefferson to add some more humor to it. Game 7 tips off at 7 PM Sunday on ABC.
It’s not easy being a Bulls fan these days. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The veterans on the roster didn’t want to play in their new head coach’s system. Their star, Jimmy Butler, didn’t make it any easier. It was a hot mess.
Some of the few bright spots from the 2015-16 campaign included Etwaun Moore breaking out (like most backup Bulls guards do behind Derrick Rose) and Doug McDermott dunks. The BRIGHTEST of spots though, as it has been for a long time, was team mascot Benny The Bull. The #BestInTheBiz has had a good year appearing in ESPN ads, bringing joy to children everywhere on off days, and giving you a reason to visit the United Center while the team struggled to themselves.
Saturday night, Benny went FULL BENNY during a stoppage in play between the Bulls and Cavaliers. It was a dance medley of epic proportions that also included help from one of the game’s officials. While the Bulls won’t be in action this postseason, at least you can replay great entertainment like this…over and over again.
“Graphic Commando Unit” Vanilla Lab created a series of “mashup” designs with NBA logos and classic cartoons. The design firm is based in Barcelona and get a lot of their inspiration from “magazines, posters, album covers and skateboard decks.”
Seeing that we all love our sports and nostalgia, this seemed perfect to share. If they or anyone could combine MLB logos and Hanna-Barbera characters, I would be eternally grateful.
It’s an exciting day for the NBA and basketball fans alike. The trade deadline was 2:00 PM CDT and moves were made up until the last second, as expected. This is where Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo’s The Vertical thrives, mercilessly dropping #WojBombs and news like crazy.
Here we kept track of all the moves made as they were reported.
Justin Holiday to Chicago
Bulls getting Justin Holiday in that Hinrich trade as well, per source. It's a 3-team deal with the Jazz.
A week ago, the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars were selected by fan voting and announced on TNT. The NBA on TNT crew will do the same tonight at 6 PM CT, but a few reporters are spoiling the news a little early.
Delaware Online engagement editor Carron J. Phillips reported 6 hours before the announcement show that reserves joining the East (Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade) and West (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry) will be…
BREAKING! #NBA#AllStarGameReserves A. Drummond, P. Milsap, C. Bosh, J. Butler, I. Thomas, D. Derozan & J. Wall For the #East
and Dwyane Wade, but of course the NBA social media team didn’t make anything cool for him…
Kobe Bryant was the leading vote getter. The reserves will be named on January 28th, as voted on by coaches. I expect Jimmy Butler, Andre Drummond and Draymond Green to be included, who were all snubbed from being starters (Thanks a lot, FANS.)
Who else belongs in the NBA All-Star Game? Who doesn’t belong? Let me know on Facebook or Twitter!
Tuesday night, a new NBA season tips off with 3 games featuring the league’s biggest stars. TNT will feature a doubleheader with the Cavaliers and. Bulls in Chicago (7 PM CT), then the Pelicans visiting Golden State for the Warriors’ banner raising ceremony (9:30 PM CT). Also facing off will be the Pistons and the social media savvy Atlanta Hawks. Sure it will all be going on before the World Series, but that’s what sports bars are for with multiple monitor setups.
A new season means new storylines and intrigue that only the NBA can produce. The defending champion Warriors are very much the same team, built to score plenty and defend as well as anyone. The Spurs Big-3 (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker) have one last ride (at least) in them with rising superstar Kawhi Leonard and newly added LaMarcus Aldridge. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving still rule the Eastern conference, but the Bulls are playing the Star Wars “rebel” role with a healthier Derrick Rose and new head coach Fred Hoiberg. Don’t forget Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have a new coach too…
There’s plenty of drama I could go on about and plan to cover for each team, but for now we’ll just make some predictions for who will be making the playoffs and who will be taking home hardware by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards
Atlanta Hawks
Toronto Raptors
Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Eastern Conference Finals
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 2. Chicago Bulls
Western Conference
San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies
Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Minnesota Timberwolves
Western Conference Finals
1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 3. Memphis Grizzlies
NBA Finals
Spurs vs. Bulls (Spurs in 6)
Most Valuable Player
Anthony Davis (NO)
Defensive Player of the Year
Tony Allen (MEM)
Rookie of the Year
Jahlil Okafor (PHI)
Coach of the Year
Billy Donovan (OKC)
Sixth Man of the Year
Taj Gibson (CHI)
Most Improved Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert (UTA)
ALL-NBA First Team
Stephen Curry (GS)
James Harden (HOU)
LeBron James (CLE)
Anthony Davis (NO)
Marc Gasol (MEM)
All-NBA Second Team
Russell Westbrook (OKC)
Kevin Durant (OKC)
Kawhi Leonard (SA)
Blake Griffin (LAC)
Pau Gasol (CHI)
How do your predictions look? Let me know on Facebook and Twitter.
In a recent interview with Chicago Magazine, Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler spoke to staff writer Bryan Smith about his new $95 million contract, celebrity friends, Nerf guns, and his difficult past. Smith describes just how tough it is for Butler to discuss it.
“…he loathes reliving the past—so much so that he has removed the rearview mirror on his car (yes, really) as a symbolic reminder to never look back. His coach at Marquette University, Buzz Williams, says Butler was so sensitive about his upbringing that he swore Williams to secrecy while playing for him.”
Of course sports media, the internet, and even I had a field day with that detail about the rearview mirror.
he also took out the clock in his car because he plays ALL THE MINUTES https://t.co/i96RI9G4hq
He cut his brakes because he CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP….but seriously, Jimmy, put the rearview mirror back. Otherwise, get someone else to drive you while you’re in Chicago. I don’t need to get in anymore silly accidents downtown and neither does anyone else. There’s also A LOT OF MONEY INVESTED IN YOU. So safety matters. – End mini rant.
Kidding/judging aside, I get the symbolism. Butler had an unbelievably tough upbringing. His father wasn’t around and mother kicked him out of the house as a 13 year-old before he was taken in by a high school teammate’s family. Butler doesn’t want his past to define who he is now. Since being drafted at the end of the first round of the 2011 draft, 30th overall, Butler worked his way to where he is today.
Butler’s points per game have increased every season. During his rookie campaign, Butler averaged 2.6 points over 42 games coming off the bench. In 2014-15, Butler started 65 games and averaged 20 points per. Then after being named to his first All-Star game, his second All-NBA Defensive Team, and leading the league in minutes per game (38.7), Butler led the Bulls in playoff scoring but was ousted by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the conference semis.
The last meaningful game the Bulls played, fans saw a team that had given up on their coach, Tom Thibodeau, in an elimination game against the best basketball player in the league. Even after keeping pace with the Cavs in a high scoring first (33-31 Cavs), Butler and his teammates stopped looking for easy baskets and settled for lazy jump shots. After leading all scorers in the first quarter with 10 points, Derrick Rose looked disinterested and so were fans by the 3rd quarter. The result of Game 6 left the worst taste in your mouth if you were at all invested with a Bulls team that was surrounded by drama between the coach and the front office, Butler’s contract situation, and Rose’s health.
While the Bulls’ roster is virtually the same as it was a year ago, there’s a new head coach and a new philosophy in 2015-16. Fred Hoiberg is the anti-Thibodeau and he brings a strong emphasis on scoring. If you haven’t already, get the defensive oriented try-hard Bulls teams of the past 6 years out of your system and get used to multiple 100+ free Big Mac games at the United Center. Hoiberg is also a “players coach” and Butler further expressed his appreciation for that in a revealing Q&A with NBA.com’s David Aldridge at the start of October…
“I think Fred is a bigger person, where he’s going to come in, he’s going to check on you. Over the summer, he came and visited everybody. I think every coach is different. Thibs wasn’t like that. Thibs was a guy that, he was going to be in that office studying ways to win a championship…Fred is trying to teach me that you’ve got to be a people person, too. Because you’ve got to balance both. You really do.”
As I noted earlier, Butler did get paid and he was paid very well. After betting on himself during the season last year and proving he’s worth more than the original extension the Bulls offered him, the restricted free agent and the team that drafted him agreed on a 5-year $95 million deal with a gradual rise in salary per year. It seems Butler understands that the new paper means more responsibility for him…
“I hired my trainer full-time. I have my own weight, strength and nutritional guys, full-time. I’m investing money into my body and into my craft, which is a wise investment…help my team win, I’ve got to be healthy. To help my team win, I’ve got to be able to score the ball. To help my team win, I’ve got to be able to guard. This whole summer was all about that — playing all 82 games, and the playoffs.”
There also seems to be a general agreement throughout the organization that the team isn’t built around Rose anymore, and Butler wants to take the mantle as the leader on the floor. If you were paying attention to the Rose-less Bulls for the past few seasons, the leaders were certainly Joakim Noah and Luol Deng on both ends of the floor. That’s where Aldridge’s interview with Butler gets interesting…
“I have to be a leader. I think I can lead vocally, and obviously with my actions on the court. I can’t tell anybody to do something if I’m not doing it. I can’t ask one of these rookies to dive on the floor if I’m not diving on the floor, take a charge if I’m not taking a charge. Leadership is one of the only things that this team has really been lacking. We’ve had a little here and there, but I think you’ve got to have that guy to come in and get it done in the leadership role.”
Dude…Noah’s still on your team. You know that right? I’ll be the first to admit Noah’s presence on the offensive end of the floor last season was more of a hindrance than helpful, but you can’t deny how he put the team on his back and carried them into the playoffs in 2013-14. Noah finished 4th in MVP voting that season, with all the chest pumping glory you could ask for. You also have Pau Gasol on your roster with two NBA Finals rings on his hand.
I appreciate a lot of what Butler has had to say since committing to the Bulls for the next five seasons. I like that he’s talking like a superstar, now that he’s being paid like one. I hope Butler improved on his long-range shooting and ball handling though, so the other four guys on the floor can play off him in space. If he wants to take the reigns as the “face of the franchise” and leader, Butler also has to continue playing like the two-way player that his teammates, fans, and piers around the league have come to respect. Most importantly, win basketball games and win them in the playoffs. At the end of the day, the players who go to championships are the ones you trust the most.
I want the season to start already so Butler, Rose and everyone else in a Bulls uniform can simply let their game speak for them. The Bulls open the season next week at the United Center, Tuesday Oct. 27th, against the Cavaliers. It’s only the start to another long season, but one that couldn’t come soon enough.
For those who are new to watching playoff baseball, you may notice something that doesn’t match either the Cubbie blue or Cardinal red color scheme behind home plate. Sitting behind the gentleman in the pink hat at Wrigley Field, was a bright orange Marlins jersey and a matching visor. He’s…
Marlins Man!
Many first noticed Marlins Man among the Kansas City Royals blue a year ago, making his presence known in national HD TV while glowing in bright orange. Social media greeted the sight as you’d expect…with the anger and burning ire of a thousand suns. I didn’t get it at first either, but then Marlins Man grew on me and my level of admiration grew with every snarky Tweet and comment directed his way.
Laurence Leavy, a law firm owner that specializes in labor law, used to own season tickets to multiple South Florida teams, including the Marlins (duh), Dolphins, Heat, and Miami Hurricanes. He told the Sun-Sentinel last week that he would spend $200,000 to $300,000 on season tickets for his clients and that it really helped his practice, especially in the 90’s. Unfortunately the teams around Miami, outside of the Miami Heat, all forgot how to win and Levy couldn’t even give tickets away.
Then Leavy was diagnosed with liver cancer. It turned out to be a large blood mass in his liver and kidney stones, but the health scare made him reexamine his life. Rather than go to the local sporting events for work, he decided he would go to bigger ones across the the country…for fun. Instead of taking clients to these games, Marlins Man wanted to take sports fans who would truly appreciate the experience with him.
Leavy will invite friends and total strangers on Facebook to go to games and events with him for free. It could be the Stanley Cup, a Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park, the Kentucky Derby, or Game 3 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. The only thing Leavy asks of his guests and fellow sports fans that they “pay it forward” by performing an act of kindness for someone else in need. Once they prove they have done so, Marlins Man then sends them a t-shirt with his face on it and in bold print “Pay It Forward”.
“Think of an idea to change the world – and put it into action.”
I used to think Marlins Man was simply doing what every sports fan dreamt of. He was attending the biggest games in the world, witnessing the coolest moments from the best seats, because he could. Shaquille O’Neal interviewed him during the NBA playoffs recently asking “Why do you do it?” Marlins Man answered exactly how I would have, “Why not?”. He also gets noticed, obviously. If his favorite teams weren’t going to be represented in the playoffs, he might as well do it for them.
Learning that Marlins Man is using his celebrity for more than himself makes the whole thing incredibly cooler to me. It makes me want to share that part of his story to those who probably don’t know it. When journalists ask him about the people he helped, Leavy will reference hundreds of emails and voicemails on his phone from people he took to games, telling their stories of good deeds they performed as a result of his.
It’s not an ongoing vacation, as one would assume (*raises hand*). Leavy works billable hours from the hotel rooms he stays in and if you notice he’s on his phone during games, he’s running his law firm of 37 employees from the front row.
A year ago, the Kansas City Royals asked Marlins Man to wear something blue and not his signature orange uniform. Leavy respectfully declined and showed up to ballpark wearing one of the 8 bright jerseys he keeps packed. You go, Marlins Man. I look forward to catching him at the next one…
In the year the world DIDN’T end (looking at you John Cusack)…
After 244 years of publication, Encyclopedia Britannica discontinued its print edition.
Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without machine assistance by diving out of a helium balloon from outer-space.
Key & Peele made their Comedy Central debut.
Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 49.
And here’s what happened in Movies, Music and Sports…
Movies
Comedy
Ted, 21 Jump Street, The Dictator, Pitch Perfect, Wanderlust, American Reunion, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, This Is 40, Project X, Think Like A Man, Dark Shadows, Rock of Ages, The Lorax, Wreck-It Ralph, The Campaign, Casa de Mi Padre, Safety Not Guaranteed, For a Good Time Call…, The Guilt Trip, The Three Stooges, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, Magic Mike, The Five-Year Engagement, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Hit and Run AND…
Moonrise Kingdom
Action/Thriller
Skyfall, The Avengers, Savages, Safe House, The Hunger Games, Taken 2, The Bourne Legacy, Man on a Ledge, Looper, Safe, Stolen, Jack Reacher, Resident Evil: Retribution, Premium Rush, End of Watch, Sinister, Contraband, Erased, Battleship, Seven Psychopaths, Dredd, Total Recall, Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-Man, Chronicle AND…
The Dark Knight Rises
Drama
Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, The Master, Cloud Atlas, The Vow, Flight, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Mud, Disconnect, Red Tails, Promised Land, Amour, Trouble with the Curve, Hitchcock, The Place Beyond the Pines
Argo
The 85th Academy Awards
Best Actor
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln – Winner
(This was his 3rd win out of 5 nominations dating back to My Left Foot in 1990)
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained – Winner
(Waltz has won both times he was nominated. Both for Tarantino roles)
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook – Winner
(JLaw was nominated 3 times in 4 years, beginning in 2011 for Winter’s Bone)
Best Supporting Actress
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables – Winner
(Hathaway was nominated once more in 2009 for her lead role Rachel Getting Married)
Best Picture
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Argo – Winner
(Argo won 2 more Oscars out of 7 nominations, for Best Writing and Editing)
Music
Rock Albums
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Hip Hop Albums
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Pop Albums
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Billboard Year-End Top 25 Songs
“Somebody That I used to Know” – Gotye featuring Kimbra
“Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepson
“We Are Young” – fun. featuring Janelle Monae
“Payphone” – Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
“Lights” – Ellie Goulding
“Glad You Came” – The Wanted
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” – Kelly Clarkson
“We Found Love” – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
“Starships” – Nicki Minaj
“What Makes You Beautiful” – One Direction
“Wild Ones” – Flo Rida featuring Sia
“Set Fire to the Rain” – Adele
“Sexy and I Know It” – LMFAO
“Some Nights” – fun.
“Wide Awake” – Katy Perry
“Good Feeling” – Flo Rida
“Whistle” – Flo Rida
“One More Night” – Maroon 5
“Drive By” – Train
“The Motto” – Drake featuring Lil Wayne
“Where Have You Been” – Rihanna
“Everybody Talks” – Neon Trees
“Take Care” – Drake featuring Rihanna
“Titanium” – David Guetta
“I Won’t Give Up” – Jason Mraz
Sports
Baseball
League Leaders
Offensive
Average: Buster Posey (SF) – .336
Hits: Derek Jeter (NYY) – 216
Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera (DET) – 44
RBI: Miguel Cabrera (DET) – 139
OPS: Miguel Cabrera (DET) – .999
Stolen Bases: Mike Trout (LAA) – 49
Pitching
Wins: Gio Gonzalez (WSH) – 21
ERA: Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – 2.53
Strikeouts: Justin Verlander (DET) – 239
Complete Games: Justin Verlander (DET) – 6
Shutouts: Felix Hernandez (SEA) – 5
Saves: Jim Johnson (BAL) – 51
MVP
AL – Miguel Cabrera (DET)
NL – Buster Posey (SF)
CY Young
AL – David Price (TB)
NL – R.A. Dickey (NYM)
Rookie of the Year
AL – Mike Trout (LAA)
NL – Bryce Harper (WSH)
World Series
San Francisco Giants sweep the Detroit Tigers 4-0
Basketball
NCAA
Final Four
(1) Kentucky (2) Ohio State (2) Kansas and (4) Louisville
National Championship
(1) Kentucky over (2) Kansas 67-59
NBA
League Leaders
Points Per Game: Kevin Durant (OKC) – 28.0
Rebounds Per Game: Dwight Howard (ORL) – 14.5
Assists Per Game: Rajon Rondo (BOS) -11.7
All-NBA Team
Kobe Bryant (LAL)
Kevin Durant (OKC)
Dwight Howard (ORL)
LeBron James (MIA)
Chris Paul (LAC)
MVP – LeBron James (MIA)
Rookie of the Year – Kyrie Irving (CLE)
NBA Finals
Miami Heat over the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-1)
Football
NCAA
Heisman Trophy – Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)
BCS National Championship
(2) Alabama over (1) Notre Dame 42-14
NFL
League Leaders
Passing Yards: Drew Brees (NO) – 5,177
Passing Touchdowns: Drew Brees (NO) – 43
Passer Rating: Aaron Rodgers (GB) – 108.0
Rushing Yards: Adrian Peterson (MIN) – 2,097
Rushing Touchdowns: Arian Foster (HOU) – 15
Receiving Yards: Calvin Johnson (DET) – 1,964
Receiving Touchdowns: James Jones (GB) – 14
Receptions: Calvin Johnson (DET) – 122
AP MVP – Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Super Bowl XLVII
Baltimore Ravens over the San Francisco 49ers (The Harbowl) 34-31
Hockey
League Leaders
Goals: Steven Stamkos (TB) – 60
Assists: Henrik Sedin (VAN) – 67
Points: Evgeni Malkin (PIT) – 109
Hart Memorial Trophy: Evgeni Malkin (PIT)
Stanley Cup
Los Angeles Kings over the New Jersey Devils (4-2)
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