By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor
Guy sports are so…..oh, we don’t know…..routine…..just a bunch of statistics….Not glamorous.
Who cares about MLB when we have the WNBA ?
(XMIZ)—Former Missouri Lady Tiger Sophie Cunningham is turning out to be quite the glamour figure among WNBA players and quite a quotable source for sports broadcasters.
Cunnigham, who was taken by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2018 draft after an all-star career at Mizzou, got a good look at Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark last Friday—-the Fever won the game 95-86 to go 10-14 in their last home game before the Olympic break against a team that has three Olympians on it—Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, and Kahleah Cooper. Phoenix is now 12-11.
Clark had 20 points including a crowd-standing jumper over Griner, 13 assists and a half-dozen rebounds.
Some observers of the WNBA suggest some veteran players are jealous of Clark, an observation Cunnigham thinks is wrong. She told WSLAM radio listeners, “You see a lot of people in the public eye on the men’s side kind of having Caitlin Clark’s back, too, which is kind of surprising just because they know how physical our game has always been. But when I tell you that the narrative that we’re all against Caitlin or the vets against the rookies that needs to be squashed because it’s not like that…I’ve had my jaw broken; I’ve broken a finger; I’ve broken my nose. Everyone has stories of how physical this league really is and I think that is the main jump that people don’t understand.”
“…I don’t think anyone’s being targeted. If anything, I think we need to give her a little bit of grace sometimes because she has a lot on her plate and a lot of eyes on her. But with that, I think this is gonna be really good for her. She’s gonna be great.”
Cunningham, who does some modeling, is getting attention for some of her pre-game attire choices—such as this glam-appearance before a game earlier this month against the Dallas Wings.
And earlier this year she showed up in a hockey jersey.
She has started all 31 games at guard for the Mercury this year and is averaging 11.3 points per game.
Okay, so much for the fashion runway (that seems to lead to the team locker room).
(BASEBALL)—-It’s the All-Star break and both of our major league teams are above .500, something that is a pleasant surprise given what the Royals were (not) doing a year ago and the discouraging start of the season by the Cardinals.
We normally think of the All-Star game as the halfway point of the season….but the schedule is well beyond that. The Cardinals have played 96 games and the Royals have played 97.
(ROYALS)—The Royals go to the break at 52-45, third in their division and two games behind the Red Sox on the Wild Card list.
They went for pitchers in the MLB draft, starting with a two-way player with their first draft pick: University of Florida pitcher/first baseman Jac Caglianone. CBS sports called him “the most fascinating player in the class, a freak show talent.” He hit 62 homers in the last two years and struck out only eight percent of the time. The rating suggests he’s most likely to be a reliever rather than a starter if he makes it to the bigs.
High school pitcher David Shields a 6-2 lefty with three pitches that he gets for strikes. Scouting director Brian Bridges says “The sky’s the limit for him.” He was Pennsylvania’s Baseball Player. He won’t be 18 until September.
They took Tennessee pitcher Drew Beam in the third round. Beam allowed only two runs in the two College World Series games he pitched as Tennessee won its first national championship. He has four pitches including an above average change up and a fastball in the 93-95 mph range.
Round 4’s pick was L. P. Langevin, a right-handed pitcher from Louisiana-Lafayette with a 92-95 mph fastball, a slider and a changeup. He was a reliever in college who racked up 106 K’s in 62 2/3 innings with 33 walks.
Another Tennessee pitcher was picked up in the fifth round, A. J. Causey, another right-hander. Side-armer who struck out 125 batters in 91 1/3 innings
More pitchers and a catcher came in succeeding rounds: Righty Tanner Jones, a righty from Texas A&M, likely a reliever; Dennis Colleran, another righty whose ERA is not impressive (7.97 with Northeastern but he allowed no runs in the last nine of his 15 appearances; Duke righthander Nick Conte, who’s been taken for his potential. Got in just six innings in seven games this year after missing the 2023 season with an injury but he was highly thought-of in high school and in the New England collegiate Baseball League allowed just one run in 11 1/3 innings.
North Carolina A&T catcher Canyon Brown was the ninth round choice. In his three seasons he hit .288 and in the last two years in the summer leagues he’s had a .766 OPS. He hit .310 ith a .906 OPS for his college team this year and threw out 27 attempted base stealers.
The Royals finally picked a southpaw when they took LSU pitcher Nate Ackenhausen in the tenth round. Mostly a reliever who played a big role in the Tigers’ national championship in 2023.
(CARDINALS)—The Cardinals only all-star selection has decided he’d rather have four days off than take part in the game. Reliever Ryan Helsley, who set a team record with 32 saves before the all-star break, says it will be better for him and for the team to give his arm a rest so he can continue to be effective down the stretch.
The Cardinals, nine games below break-even on Mother’s day (May 12), are now four above the line (50-46). They are in playoff contention—the second spot out of three—the Mets are a half-game back and the Diamondbacks a game and a half behind the Redbirds. They’ve gone 35-22 since then and appear to have a slightly favorable schedule the rest of the way.
But things are still unsettled with some veterans not producing as expected, a pitching staff that doesn’t breed confidence (except for Helsley) some guys still uncertain because of injuries, and a one-time wunderkind who doesn’t seem to be making big improvements at Memphis—here he was expected to make big improvements.
The Cardinals have provided hours of speculation about trades since before the season started and that speculation has become more tiresome by the week.
Jordan Walker continues to get at-bats at Memphis but hasn’t earned a trip back to the show. Manager Oliver Marmol says he needs to be more consistent “in doing what he wants to do with the baseball from an offensive standpoint and missing the way he wants to miss,” a statement crying for some definition.
The draft:
West Virginia middle infielder J. J. Wetherholt, who had been a projected number one pick until hamstring injuries cut his year in half became the Cardinals top choice. CBS Sports said he has an “excellent command of the strike zone. He hit .332 in his shortened season with eight homers. Assistant GM Randy Flores says he “plays up the middle, is athletic, has good hands, speed and makes good contact. Bats left-handed.
The ’Birds didn’t have a second-round pick. But in Monday’s picks for rounds 3-10, this is who they got:
RHP Brian Holiday, Oklahoma State. He was 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Led the Big 12 in Ks with 128 in 113 innings. Fastball tops out at 95 and has a “baffling” slider.
Arizona State catcher Ryan Campos was taken in the fourth round. A stubby 5-foot-8, 190 pounder was a three-year starter for Arizona State. Considerable stats as a hitter–.357 as a freshman, .388 as a sophomore. As a junior he ripped 22 homers, 25 doubles, drove in 56 runs. In his three years, he had 94 walks and only 66 strikeouts.
University of Oklahoma left-handed pitcher Braden Davis was a round five pick, a reliever for two years at Sam Houston State, a starter last year with Oklahoma where he went 9-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 92 innings with 117 Ks. Held opposing hitters to a .208 batting average. Probably a reliever.
Josh Kross was a switch-hitting catcher at the University of Cincinnati after a year at Eastern Michigan. Mid-America Conference player of the year as a .376 hitting freshman, All Big-12 in his one year at Cincinnati where he parlayed being hit by pitches a school-record 26 times into a .438 OBP. Also played some first base.
Vanderbilt righty Andrew Dutkanych IV was one of the top high school pitchers two years ago. Had Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Had a 3.18 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 15 walks in his collegiate career. MLB says the Cardinals might be “gambling on the upside” with this choice.
Notre Dame left-handed pitcher Jack Findlay also is an up-sider for the Cardinals. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 but before than he was 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA. Starter and reliever in college. 108 strikeouts and only 27 walks in his Notre Dame career.
The Cardinals took Texas Tech third baseman Cade McGee in the ninth round. He’s complimented more for his fielding than for his hitting. After his freshman year at Gonzaga, he played in the Cape Cod League, perhaps the top summer collegiate league. He hit .185 in eighteen games. But he is seen as a potential “average to above average” hitter.
Oklahoma outfielder Bryce Madron became the tenth and final pick on the second day. He hit .318 from the left side of the plate his year, an all-conference second team selection. Scouts say he controls the strike zone and “doesn’t try to do too much.” He drew 106 walks this year in college and struck out only 64 times.
Now we turn to the speed sports.
(RACING)—Penske racing had a weekend sweep in Iowa and in Pennsylvania, with drivers Scott McLaughlin and Will Power winning both ends of the INDYCAR doubleheader at Iowa Speedway and Ryan Blaney taking the flag at Pocono in NASCAR.
(INDYCAR)—Scott McLaughlin finally picked up an oval victory in Saturday’s race on the high banks of the .087 mile Iowa short track.
McLaughlin had said that he wouldn’t consider himself an IndyCar driver until he had won on an oval. He led 164 of the 250 laps to finish half a second ahead of Pato O’Ward. McLaughlin had battled pole-sitter Colton Herta until grabbing the lead coming out of the pits.
McLaughlin added to his success for the day by winning the pole position for Sunday’s race, setting a track record in qualifying.
Will Power won for the first time at the Iowa Speedway the next day. But for him, the wait has been much longer. Power had raced 18 times at the rack and had won seven poles but had never won and had been in the top three only five times.
Power had finished 18th in Saturday’s race started 22nd Sunday and didn’t grab the lead until lap 209 of the 250, thanks to a pit stop that was nine-tenths of a second faster than the last stop by Alex Palou, who finished four-tenths of a second back. McLaughlin was third.
Power had not won a race on an oval since Pocono five years ago. It’s his 43rd IndyCar victory, breaking him out of a tie with Michael Andretti for most wins in his career. He ranks fourth on the all-time list.
The weekend at Iowa was a dominant one for Penske Racing with Power and McLaughlin leading 309 of the 500 laps in the two races.
About the time Power was crossing the finish line, a multi-car crash that turned into a dangerous scenario was happening on the track behind him.
Sting Ray Robb Goes Airborne in Wild Last-Lap Incident at Iowa (indycar.com)
The IndyCar windscreen was credited with protecting Sting Ray Rob and Kyle Kirkwood from serious injuries. Rob was checked by IndyCar’s medical team and released from their care after a checkup.
The two races’ results leave Alex Palou in the points lead but his margin over Power has been cut to 35 points. Pato O’Ward holds third, 72 back.
(NASCAR)—-Ryan Blaney’s winning run at Pocono wrapped up the hat trick for Penske last weekend. Blaney picked up his second win of the season by holding off Denny Hamlin, who finished 1.3 seconds back.
Blaney had been consistently near the top for most of the race but didn’t lead for the first time until only 44 laps left. He held off the field through two more restarts. Alex Bowman, who one last week’s race, challenged until Halin passed him with seven laps left.
Only five races remain in NASCAR’s regular season before the 15-driver field is set for the 10-race playoff series.
(Photo credits: Cunningham—Instagram: McLaughlin and Power—Bob Priddy)