It’s been a busy week in the Wide World of Sports this week. As such, I couldn’t decide on just one thing to share and decided to hit the highlight reel for a week’s worth of ICYMI from my personal replay booth. Be sure to drop me a note in the comments if I missed something you think I shouldn’t have or if you know about something, especially in our area, that I don’t need to miss!
This Week’s Replay Booth
- The Boston Celtics whooped up on the Dallas Mavericks (106-88) to close out the 2023-2024 NBA Basketball Season and clench the NBA Championship – making this their 18th title. The Celtics have dominated the series…and most of the season so this win wasn’t really a surprise. However, the talking heads are discussing what the Celtics will look like moving forward and if they are the next Dynasty of the NBA. Only time will tell. I, personally, have a love of the Celtics that goes way back to the Kevin Garnett days so I’m absolutely here for it.
- The Baseball World lost an icon this week with the passing of the great Willie Mays. Rightfully known as one of the greatest to ever play the game, Mays is arguably he greatest center fielder ever, the greatest Giant ever, the greatest combination of power, speed and defense in the history of baseball. Mays passed on June 18, 2024 at the age of 93.
- The 2024 U.S. Open was literally decided by inches on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau taking home his second title at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina basically out putting Rory McIlroy to claim the win. I don’t usually care to watch golf on TV unless I want to take a nap, though I do enjoy playing, but this match up went down to the wire and was exciting. My favorite par though was DeChambeau’s nod to the late Payne Stewart, who died in a plane crash in October 1999, and his 1 stroke victory over Phil Mickelson in that same tournament on the same course earlier that year. As he walked of the 18th hole DeChambeau was quoted as saying “That’s Payne right there, baby!” – fitting as DeChambeau has been very vocal about Payne’s influence on his decision to become a golfer.
- Arkansas Razorback Baseball Senior Pitcher Hagen Smith was named 2024 College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the year…Obviously. I’m certain this is not the last we will hear from Hagen so stay tuned!
- It seems like the WNBA is in the news on the regular right now, and I’m not complaining about that! But despite the rookie drama that draws us in one of the new kids on the block hit a major milestone this week. In the Chicago Sky’s 83-72 victory over the Dallas Wings center Angel Reese recorded her 7th consecutive double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds becoming the first rookie in league history to record 7 consecutive double-doubles. With the way Reese is playing right now I would bet that she has several more to add to that record before the season is over.
- One more shout out to the WNBA as the Las Vegas Aces (home of the ever newsworthy Caitlin Clark) also made history this week by becoming the first team to ever sell out every home game in a single season. For a sport that was struggling to get butts in seats to now creating sold out arenas I would definitely say “you’ve come a long way, baby!”.
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On Deck for This Week
If you are looking to spend a little time in front of the TV this week taking in all the sports things you can pretty much expect the standard roster of events for this time of year. You can definitely get your fill of Major League Baseball on any channel and on any night this week; along with a smattering of Professional Soccer. Towards the end of the week you can catch a couple of WNBA games as their season has a ways to go. If NASCAR is your thing there are several races on Saturday…you won’t get a lot more than that from me as that’s not really my thing, but I didn’t want to leave you out. And finally, you can finish up your week (or get in a nap) by watching the finals of the PGA Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands at Cromwell, Connecticut. Happy Sporting!
I hope your week is as amazing as this kids walk up…
Until next week…that’s how the ball bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.