GUESTS:
RYAN BADER - Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix at Bellator 199,
WHAT:
Bader (24-5) will face Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal at Bellator 199 on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The winner will join Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen and Matt Mitrione in the semifinals of Bellator MMA's Heavyweight World Grand Prix.
This could be a huge year for Bader, who already holds Bellator's light heavyweight title. If all goes well, he could wrap up 2018 as a two-weight champ.
-DESRVE TITLE SHOT VS. CORMIER IN UFC
THE TOURNAMENT:
Oddsmakers immediately pegged Bader as one of the favorites to win this Bellator tournament, even though he's not a natural heavyweight.
In addition to a heavyweight title to target in the finals, the tournament's potential matchups offer Bader a lot of appeal along the way. Saturday is a chance to defeat Lawal (21-6), who dominated him in a college wrestling match more than a decade ago.
Bader says a fight against Emelianenko in the finals would be a "storybook ending" to the yearlong tournament.
After years of chasing an opportunity to simply fight for a belt, Bader is happy and motivated for the rest of this year. It's nice to know exactly where he stands.
"It's funny how those title shots can play out," Bader said. "I'm really looking forward to this tournament. The one cool thing for me is that I know who I'm fighting. I've never had that before. It's always been, 'Go out and win this fight and we'll see what happens.'
"I know what's next if I go out there and keep winning. That's the main difference and that's what gets me excited."
IS THIS JUST HYPE?:
Ryan Bader finds Muhammed Lawal’s claim that he’s looking for a way out of the sport to be comical. The Bellator light-heavyweight champ plans on proving how much he has left when the pair meet next Saturday at Bellator 199.
Earlier this week, Lawal (21-6 MMA, 10-4 BMMA) gave an interesting theory to MMAjunkie about where he sees Bader (24-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in his career. And it wasn’t very kind.
“I don’t think Bader wants to fight anymore,” Lawal said. “I don’t think he has a dog in him. I’ve got the dog in me. I love training, and I love fighting. I don’t think he likes to. I think he’s just doing it because it’s what’s in, and I heard he’s making some money and he’s got a nice family.
“I’m going to help make up his mind up. I’m going to whoop his ass, and he can go ahead with his family and live a good life.”
WHO WOULD BE NEXT:
If Bader comes out victorious at Bellator 199, he would advance to the tournament semifinal, where Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) is waiting. The semifinal in the other bracket features Fedor Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) vs. Chael Sonnen (30-15-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), and Bader said he’s looking to send a message to everyone still left in the tournament with his performance against Lawal.
“I want to make a statement right away,” Bader said. “I want to make a statement to my next opponent and whoever is going to win on the other side of the bracket, definitely.”
GIANTS PRE 330
TOPICS:
1. WARRIORS CAN CLOSE OUT AND NEED THE REST:
-WHAT'S UP W RONDO?
-ONLY PELICANS HOPE: DAVIS GOES OFF, WARRIORS PLAY LIKE THEY WANT TO RETURN TO BIG EASY
-BIGGEST THREAT TO WARRIORS IN FUTURE: 76ERS, CELTICS, ROCKETS, WHEREVER LEBRON LANDS
CURRY BEING CURRY -- SAYS HE FEELS BETTER:
In Game 2, when he returned from a knee injury that had sidelined him five-plus weeks, Curry rode a wave of adrenaline to 28 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. It was no major surprise to head coach Steve Kerr that, with the excitement of his return gone, Curry regressed in Game 3, scoring 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting in 29 minutes. His conditioning was better in Game 4 and after watching the two-time NBA MVP score nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, Kerr said that he “thought Steph turned a corner.” Now, with a chance to reach the conference finals for the fourth consecutive year, Curry hopes to take the next step and return to the offensive heroics that have made him Golden State’s franchise player.
DAVIS:
After Davis scored 33 points (on 15-for-27 shooting) and grabbed 18 rebounds in Game 3, Kerr started the “Hamptons 5” — Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green — for the first time. Green did an exceptional job on Davis, helping hold him to 26 points on 8-for-22 shooting. With their best player unable to settle into a rhythm, the Pelicans mustered only 92 points. Kerr has already said he plans to start the “Hamptons 5” again Tuesday. If Green can have similar success on Davis, New Orleans figures to have little shot at forcing a Game 6.
Pelicans at Warriors, Game 5 – Tuesday, 10:30 ET (Warriors lead series 3-1)- Warriors: 14 straight home playoff wins, 1 shy of tying the NBA record set by the Bulls from 1990-91Most Consecutive Home Playoff Wins - NBA HistoryYearsBulls 15 1990-91Warriors 14 2017-18Pistons 14 1989-90Celtics 14 1986-87Lakers 14 1949-51- Warriors: 10-1 all-time in series with a 3-1 lead- Warriors: Have won 9 straight home games in which Stephen Curry has played, including regular season and playoffs- Pelicans: Have lost 4 straight games when facing elimination- Pelicans: Only win when facing elimination on the road came in 2003 First Round against 76ers (lost series in 6 games)- Anthony Davis (NO): 20 points and 10 rebounds in 11 straight playoff games; a 12th straight would be the longest since Shaquille O'Neal (19 straight from 2002-04)- Warriors: Game 4 was first time ever starting Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Durant-Green; outscored Pelicans 52-26 in 18 minutes with this lineup on the court (+0 with all other lineups)- Teams with an opportunity to clinch a series at home are 7-0 this season, winning by an average of 14.1 PPG- Draymond Green (GS): Warriors have outscored their opponents by 14.0 points per 100 possessions with him on the court this postseason and have been outscored by 3.8 with him offWarriors Death Lineup On Court - Game 4Warriors PelicansPoints 52 26FG 18-36 9-313-pt FG 7-15 1-9Ast-TO 12-1 3-9>> Curry, Durant, Green, Iguodala, Thompson
-ANOTHER CAVS--WARRIORS
LeBron James scored 29 points and got plenty of help as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a sweep of the 1-seed Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Cavaliers starters (James included) combined to shoot 68.5% from the field, the second-best shooting percentage by starters in a playoff game over the last 20 seasons.
2. BAY AREA BASEBALL MONDAY: OUTSCORED 27-2
Astros 16, Athletics 2- George Springer (HOU): 6-6, HR (8), 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI; 1 of 2 Astros with a 6-hit game (Joe Morgan - July 8, 1965, vs Braves)- Springer: 4th AL player in the last 10 years to go 6-for-6 or better (Ian Kinsler, Alex Rios, C.J. Cron)- Dallas Keuchel (HOU): 8 IP, 5 H, ER; Astros SP lead MLB with 2.34 ERA and 0.95 WHIP this seasonPhillies 11, Giants 0- Phillies: Largest shutout win vs Giants since 1936- Odúbel Herrera (PHI): 2-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI (career high); 2nd career multi-HR game (both this season)- Herrera (PHI): Extended on-base streak to 36 games dating to last season; longest active streak in MLB and longest by a Phillies player since Jimmy Rollins had a 38-game streak in 2005-06
Giants have shown interest in Matt Harvey [report] - http://www.knbr.com/?p=749870
| The Athletic (@TheAthleticSF) | |
|
With their quarter-billion rotation investment looking shaky, Giants chase Matt Harvey’s faded gold: @extrabaggstheathletic.com/346296/2018/05…
| |
| Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) | |
|
#Mets confident they will trade Harvey, sources tell The Athletic. Four to five teams interested, including #SFGiants, as noted by @jcrasnick. NYM would pick up vast majority of Harvey’s remaining salary, which is in $4.5M range, to get something in return.
| |
GET USED TO IT --
Here's an excerpt from the #SFGiants
official release about Thursday's game, which is available to viewers on Facebook. No Facebook, no luck.
official release about Thursday's game, which is available to viewers on Facebook. No Facebook, no luck.
FARM:
OF Chris Shaw: Shaw homered three times this week to give him eight on the year. He also had a four-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday. He’s still struggling to cut down on his strikeouts (nine in 26 at-bats this week), but Shaw is batting .310 over his last 10 games and he has a .545 SLG for the year.
RHP Tyler Beede: Las Vegas isn’t an easy place to pitch, and Beede got hit around in his start there on Monday. He allowed five runs on 10 hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings. In a more neutral pitching environment, Beede bounced back on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six.
OF Steven Duggar: Duggar had a quiet week, collecting four hits and three walks in 28 plate appearances. With the Giants’ bats hot at the moment, Duggar’s promotion doesn’t appear quite as imminent. (.267 2 HR 9 RBI .750 OPS, 35 K'S IN 105 ABS )
PENCE: 6-27 .222, ALL 6 SINGLES, 7 K'S, .522 OPS , 2 RBIS
3. LEBRON CLOSES OUT RAPTORS
-SHOULD CASEY LOSE HIS JOB AFTER 59 WINS?
4. REUBEN FOSTER UPDATE:
SAN JOSE – San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster on Tuesday put the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office on the clock to begin to prove its case.
Foster, through his attorney, Josh Bentley, entered a plea of not guilty to felony charges stemming from a Feb. 12 incident in Los Gatos. Foster is charged with domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon.
A preliminary hearing is set for Thursday, May 17 at 9 a.m.
The alleged victim, Elissa Ennis, recanted the accusations she originally provided to police. On April 24, she released a statement through her attorney that said the charges against Foster were “based on lies.” She said the injuries she sustained, including a ruptured ear drum, were the result of a fight with another woman. The DA’s office has videotape of the alleged fight involving the two women.
“It’s fair to assume the videotape is the centerpiece of this case, and the prosecution wants to carefully review it and make sure it’s authentic,” said Steve Clark, legal analyst, a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.
Now, the DA’s office must proceed quickly and get ready for the preliminary hearing. Neither Bentley nor the DA’s office was available for comment following Tuesday’s hearing.
“What you saw today was Reuben Foster saying, ‘I’m ready for court and I want my day in court.’ And they will now have to move forward with the preliminary hearing on May 17th or the DA may have to dismiss the case,” Clark said.
“This is a gamble worth taking for Reuben Foster because he’s up against a time situation with the 49ers. There’s a lot of pressure to get this case resolved, and I think they are ready for their preliminary hearing.”
Clark said he expects Ennis, Foster’s former girlfriend, to be in court on May 17.
“My sense of it is, the accuser will be here in court, that there is a possibility she will testify,” he said. “That will be a very dynamic proceeding because if she says she lied initially, under oath, that is something that will be prosecutable. She’s putting herself in harm’s way.
MORE 49ERS:
- New details emerge in Reuben Foster domestic violence case [report] - http://www.knbr.com/?p=749854
- Vegas sportsbook gives 49ers seventh-best odds to win Super Bowl LIII - http://www.knbr.com/?p=749886
NFL DRAFT GRADES 14:
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Round 1 (5 overall). Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
2 (36). Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
3 (81). Gabe Jackson, G, Mississippi State
4 (107). Justin Ellis, DT, Louisiana Tech
4 (116). Keith McGill, CB, Utah
7 (219). Travis Carrie, DB, Ohio
7 (235). Shelby Harris, DE, Illinois State
7 (247). Jonathan Dowling, DB, Western Kentucky
2 (36). Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
3 (81). Gabe Jackson, G, Mississippi State
4 (107). Justin Ellis, DT, Louisiana Tech
4 (116). Keith McGill, CB, Utah
7 (219). Travis Carrie, DB, Ohio
7 (235). Shelby Harris, DE, Illinois State
7 (247). Jonathan Dowling, DB, Western Kentucky
49ERS GET C+
AN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Round 1 (30 overall). Jimmie Ward, SS, Northern Illinois
2 (57). Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
3 (70). Marcus Martin, C, USC
3 (77). Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin
3 (100). Brandon Thomas, G, Clemson
4 (106). Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina
4 (129). Dontae Johnson, CB, North Carolina State
5 (150). Aaron Lynch, DE, South Florida
5 (170). Keith Reaser, DB, Florida Atlantic
6 (180). Kenneth Acker, DB, Southern Methodist
7 (243). Kaleb Ramsey, DT, Boston College
7 (245). Trey Millard, FB, Oklahoma
2 (57). Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
3 (70). Marcus Martin, C, USC
3 (77). Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin
3 (100). Brandon Thomas, G, Clemson
4 (106). Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina
4 (129). Dontae Johnson, CB, North Carolina State
5 (150). Aaron Lynch, DE, South Florida
5 (170). Keith Reaser, DB, Florida Atlantic
6 (180). Kenneth Acker, DB, Southern Methodist
7 (243). Kaleb Ramsey, DT, Boston College
7 (245). Trey Millard, FB, Oklahoma
5. ROCKETS - JAZZ:
S THIS PAUL’S TIME?Jazz at Rockets, Game 5 – Tuesday, 8 ET (Rockets lead series 3-1)- One night after NHL star Alex Ovechkin got further into the playoffs than he had, the Rockets’ Chris Paul will seek to do the same.- Paul has played in 85 playoff games. FROM ELIAS: That’s the most of any NBA player without a Conference Finals appearanMost Playoff Games Without Conf Finals App – NBA HistoryChris Paul 85Jamal Crawford 74Kirk Hinrich 71>>Elias Sports Bureau
6. AN ACTUAL RED SOX-YANKEES SERIES TO TALK ABOUT
RED SOX-YANKEES: SOMETHING HAS TO GIVERed Sox (Pomeranz) at Yankees (Severino), 7:05 ETThe second series of the season between the Red Sox (25-9, .735) and the Yankees (24-10, .706) begins Tuesday. FROM ELIAS: This game will be the first time in series history they’ll meet this late in the season and each with winning percentages of .700 or higher.- FROM ELIAS: This game will be the first time two teams will play, each entering with a .700 or better win pct, this late in a season since 2002, when the Red Sox (.711) and Mariners (.707) met May 18.- FROM ELIAS: The Red Sox (first) and Yankees (second) have the two best records in baseball entering their Tuesday matchup. The last time these teams met with the best records was June 2, 2002 (Red Sox first, Yankees second).- The Red Sox won that game 7-1, behind HR from Rickey Henderson, Doug Mirabelli and Nomar Garciaparra.- Yankees: Have won 9 straight home games; haven’t won 10 straight at home since July 5-23, 2008- Yankees: 15-1 in last 16 games (best record in MLB since April 21); haven’t gone 16-1 or better in 17-game span in a season since June 3-18, 1953- Red Sox: 6-2 in last 8 games, season-high 16 games over .500- The Red Sox and Yankees have not lost on the same day all season. The Red Sox are 9-0 when the Yankees lose (did not play on the day of one of the Yankees’ losses), and the Yankees are 9-0 when the Red Sox lose.- The Yankees’ current hot streak started right after the Red Sox’s hot start ended.Hot Streaks - This SeasonBOS Thru 4/20 NYY Since 4/21W-L 17-2 15-1Runs PG 6.5 6.1ERA 2.69 2.06Run diff +70 +61
OTHER:
NHL:
The Washington Capitals earned a spot in the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 overtime victory over the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington ended a 6-game losing streak in games it had a chance to clinch a spot in the conference finals.4. The Nashville Predators kept their postseason alive with a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 6 of their second-round NHL series. Thursday’s Game 7 will be the first in Jets franchise history and the first for the Predators since the 2015-16 postseason.
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