This article was originally published in the latest edition of The Morning Mando. Once again, we have a Stanley Cup Finals matchup that practically no one saw coming. The Penguins being here isn’t much of a surprise. After a slow start to the season, the Penguins turned things around after interim coach Mike Sullivan took over and they have thrived since. Even though the Tampa Bay Lightning gave them all…
Pressure on Thunder as Series Heads Back to Oklahoma City
This article was originally published in the latest edition of The Morning Mando. Facing elimination, the Golden State Warriors regained their swagger in a 120-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. In my estimation, it was Golden State’s most complete performance of the series, which should serve them in good stead as the series heads back to Oklahoma City Saturday night. There was a lot to like about the Warriors…
The Morning Mando- May 27th
You’re reading The Morning Mando, a column released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings about four of the most intriguing stories in sports. In today’s edition, I’ll break down what went right for the Warriors in their win over Oklahoma City last night and discuss why the pressure is firmly on the Thunder heading into Game 6. I’ll also look ahead to the top storylines in this year’s Stanley Cup…
Does The MLS Ruin Players’ Chances of Playing For Their National Teams?
As Italian national coach Antonio Conte was finalizing his Euro 2016 roster, he chose to omit former Juventus and national team players Sebastian Giovinco and Andrea Pirlo. What’s similar between these two players? They both decided to leave Serie A and join the MLS. Conte made it very clear that both Giovinco and Pirlo’s decision to play in the U.S. did hurt their chances for making the national team. Pirlo has had a…
How to Bet Game 7 Between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay
Over the past five years or so that I have really followed playoff hockey, I have noticed a few things about Game 7’s that I want to share with you today given that the Penguins and Lightning will play in one tonight. I’m really excited about this because of all the betting knowledge I have (or wish I had, lol), I’m very confident with my Game 7 hockey bets because, for…
Surprise Studs & Duds of MLB Season (so far)
The article was originally published in the latest edition of The Morning Mando. We’re roughly a third of the way through the MLB season, which means I think there is a large enough sample size to evaluate who the most surprising and disappointing players have been. So without further ado, here are seven surprising studs followed by seven of the biggest duds. Surprise Studs Jackie Bradley Jr., OF Boston Red…
There Will Be a Game 7 in Pittsburgh; Will There Be One in St. Louis As Well?
This article was originally published in the latest edition of The Morning Mando. The Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Tampa Lightning last night to force a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh. This is the second straight year the Eastern Finals will go to a seventh game, and it could be the third straight year for the Western Finals depending on what happens tonight. The San Jose Sharks hold a 3-2 lead…
Oklahoma City is Poised to Pull Off One of Greatest Upsets in NBA History
With another victory over Golden State, the Thunder will pull off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. Sure, upsets aren’t the same in the NBA as they are in other sports like the NHL and college basketball, so I get how this might not feel like an unbelievable upset. And after all, how big of an underdog can a team with two of the best players in the…
MVP’s Aside, Stephen Curry is Not the Best Player in Basketball
This article was originally published in the latest edition of The Morning Mando. After another resounding win in Game 4, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially have the Golden State Warriors on the brink of elimination. I wanted to say that after their Game 3 win because I was confident the Thunder would take care of business again at home, but I held off because I didn’t want to jinx them….
The Morning Mando- May 25th
You’re reading The Morning Mando, a column released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings about four of the most intriguing stories in sports. In today’s edition, I’m doubling up on Western Conference Finals articles once again because there is too much to talk about. But in addition to questioning Stephen Curry’s title as the best player in the game and discussing how great an upset we are watching, I’ll also…