Receiving a phone call from an NFL team during the draft is one of the most significant moments in a football prospect’s career.
However, for Pittsburgh safety Erick Hallett, he might remember the moment for a less sentimental reason.
When the Jaguars tried to call Hallett to inform him that they had selected him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft Saturday, the team couldn’t reach the safety right away.
“One guy we couldn’t get on the phone,” Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said, via Jags Wire. “I believe it was … let me see if I can recall. I think it was Erick Hallett.”
Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson then relayed how the call “went straight to voicemail. Twice.”
Hallett has yet to comment on what actually happened during the moment that Baalke and Pederson initially tried to reach him. No matter what happened, it ended up working out for the safety, who was selected with the No. 208 pick.
The former Pitt safety totaled 170 total tackles, eight interceptions, 32 passes defended, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries during 49 games in his collegiate career.
Major League Baseball fans have long had issues with umpires who either make bad calls or make themselves too much of the game.
That happened again Saturday night after home plate umpire Adam Beck made a terrible call that led to the ejections of the hitter and the team’s manager.
It all started when Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames wasn’t granted a timeout before a pitch. Then the subsequent pitch sure looked like a ball high out of the zone but was called a strike by Beck.
Adames wasn’t happy with that and had some words for Beck, who then called Adames for a pitch-clock violation and gave him an automatic strike. That led to Brewers manager Craig Counsell getting tossed from the game.
Moments later, Adames, who struck out swinging in the at-bat, also was ejected after he had more words with Beck.
Check this out:
Both Craig Counsell and Willy Adames got ejected after Adames wasn’t granted time then received an automatic strike pic.twitter.com/WOKGNSzgKH
The pitch that set that whole thing off wasn’t a strike:
Willy Adames and Craig Counsell both ejected after this pitch called a strike by Adam Beck is called a strike. Brutal call against the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/EkitYuOP0O
Adames tries to call time and steps out, doesn’t get it, and Adam Beck just, calls this out of spite?? Then Adames starts yelling about it between pitches, gets an automatic strike so Counsell gets tossed, Adames strikes out and gets tossed, we are witnessing HOF umpiring today pic.twitter.com/kvLQrLXdyW
Umpires/officials in ANY sport should be there to keep play fair – NOT INTERJECT THEMSELVES AND THEIR AUTHORITY TO OVERRULE THE PLAYERS/GAME. What a joke these officials have made of the @MLB this year – like a cop on steroids pulling people over going 1MPH over the limit! https://t.co/C0AGcyIKbO
Terrible umpiring on display. Doesn’t grant time (ok might’ve been a bit late) then calls a clear ball a strike, then engages hitter to point of a clock violation. https://t.co/8LGMY1cyqP
The Bills are adding a new running back to their roster with the signing of former Broncos tailback Latavius Murray to a one-year deal on Monday.
Murray is coming off one of his best statistical seasons in several years, having rushed for 703 yards and five touchdowns with Denver last season. He began his career in 2014 playing for the Raiders for three consecutive seasons, followed by two seasons with the Vikings, then one full season with the Saints and Ravens.
Before Stephen Curry’s historic Game 7 performance Sunday, the Warriors star did something a little out of character. After his team’s Game 6 loss to the Kings at home, in which his team appeared lethargic and flat, Curry gave an emotional speech that galvanized his team.
Golden State forward Draymond Green explained on his podcast that he couldn’t sleep after Game 6 early Saturday morning, and he texted Curry and Klay Thompson around 3 a.m., leading to Curry responding at 6 a.m. because he apparently couldn’t sleep, either. Green is usually the Warriors’ vocal leader, but Curry told him he wanted to deliver a message to the team before Game 7.
“I don’t even talk a lot, but I’ve got something to say,” Curry told the team, per The Athletic.
“He delivered such a powerful message,” Green said. “He said, ‘If you getting on this bus, you making a commitment to this team. I don’t care how many minutes you play. I don’t care if you don’t play a single second. I don’t care if it’s points, rebounds, whatever it is. But if you getting on this bus, you are saying, I am going to do whatever it takes, as far as my preparation goes, to win this game.’”
According to The Athletic, Curry implored his teammates to put all of their feelings aside—which seemed to be directed at Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and other players who might’ve been unhappy with their playing time or role. What followed was the highest-scoring performance in Game 7 history. Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 points and punched his team’s ticket to the second round of the playoffs. After the win, his teammates mentioned the galvanizing speech.
“It gave me chills,” said Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, per The Athletic. “No. 30, he’s different, man.”
“He is that guy,” Warriors guard Gary Payton II said at his locker after the game. “So when he speaks, everybody better listen. Because 30 is usually quiet and lets his game speak for itself.”
The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t winning every single game anymore, because that’s not how baseball actually works — despite how they made it look for a while.
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. After three Game 7s yesterday, are you ready for one more tonight? The Rangers play the Devils in Newark at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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Bye bye, Boston
Remember when the Warriors became a meme because they had the best regular season in NBA history and then blew a 3–1 lead to the Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals? What the Bruins just did is even worse. Boston won more games this season than any team in NHL history and then blew a 3–1 lead—in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bruins lost Game 7 last night against the Panthers in overtime to end their historic season with a thud. Boston fell behind 2–0 early in the second period and scored three consecutive goals to take the lead early in the third before Brandon Montourscored with a minute left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Carter Verhaeghescored the winning goal 8:35 into overtime on a lethally accurate shot past goalie Jeremy Swayman’s short side.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Florida winger Matthew Tkachuktold reporters after the game. “The talent they have over there in Boston is unbelievable. That we were able to do what we did after what they did all year … the fact that we were able to beat them in the playoffs is crazy.”
The Bruins turned to Swayman in Game 7 after their top choice in net, Linus Ullmark, failed to replicate his high level of regular-season play that made him the favorite for the Vezina Trophy. Ullmark led the league in save percentage (.938) and goals against average (1.89) in the regular season, but his save percentage dropped to .896 in the series against Florida. He allowed six goals on 32 shots (.813 save percentage) in Boston’s Game 6 loss.
It was a brutal way for the Bruins’ historic season to end. They’d lost only three in a row once during the regular season (on a road trip that included, yes, a 4–3 overtime loss to the Panthers) and picked a terrible time to do it again. But it wasn’t exactly a shock. Since the NHL began awarding the Presidents’ Trophy to the team with the best regular-season record in 1986, just eight winners have won the Stanley Cup in the same season. Since the 2004–05 lockout, only three Presidents’ Trophy winners have reached the Stanley Cup Final and since the NHL adopted its current wild-card playoff format in ’14, just one Presidents’ Trophy winner has advanced past the second round of the playoffs (the Rangers in ’15).
There is so much pressure that comes along with being the best team in the NHL, even more so when you’re one of the best teams in the history of the sport. And on top of that, as I wrote before the playoffs started, some of the advanced statistics suggested the Bruins weren’t as elite as their record would indicate.
The loss is especially painful for the Bruins because it’s uncertain that they’ll get another chance this good to win a Stanley Cup. They were the fifth-oldest team in the NHL this season and the oldest team to make the playoffs. Captain Patrice Bergeronwas mum about his future after the game but is widely expected to retire. Brad Marchand, the likely new captain if Bergeron walks away, turns 35 later this month. David Krejčí, who was fifth on the team in points this season, is 36 and will be an unrestricted free agent. Trade deadline acquisition Tyler Bertuzzi will also be an unrestricted free agent, and Swayman will be a restricted free agent. Running it back will be a challenge.
And in that series, they’ll face a familiar foe: LeBron James, Mannix writes. This time, it’ll be in the second round as the Lakers toppled the Grizzlies on Friday night.
Jimmy Butler and the Heat kept up their hot shooting in a Game 1 win over the Knicks. But Butler’s rolled ankle put a damper on the victory, Chris Herring writes.
On this day in 1884, Fleet Walker became the first Black man to play in a major league baseball game, six decades before Jackie Robinson. Which American Association team did he play for?
Toledo
Louisville
Columbus
Indianapolis
Friday’s SIQ: Which Islanders player was on the receiving end of one of the worst cheap shots in NHL history by Capitals forward Dale Hunter on April 28, 1993?
Ray Ferraro
Travis Green
Derek King
Pierre Turgeon
Answer: Pierre Turgeon. In the third period of Game 6 of their Patrick Division first-round series, Hunter turned the puck over, and Turgeon capitalized by scoring a goal to give New York a commanding 5–1 lead with 8:31 left to play, effectively squashing any hopes Washington had of mounting a comeback and avoiding elimination. After the puck found the back of the net, as Turgeon wheeled away to celebrate, Hunter leveled him with a hit from behind. Turgeon was concussed and separated his shoulder as a result of the hit and was sidelined for two weeks, missing the first six games of the following series against the Penguins.
“Apparently, Hunter decided that if he was going to miss the rest of the playoffs, Turgeon should too. An eye for an eye, NHL-style,” Christine Brennan wrote in the Washington Post at the time.
Hunter was handed a 21-game suspension, an NHL record at the time, which he acknowledged was a reasonable deterrent against future violent behavior.
“The commissioner is giving stiff penalties and trying to stop anything,” Hunter told the Post after the punishment was handed down.
Calling all BBM fans: we’re inviting you to join us in NYC this Thursday, May 4th, for an exclusive Verge screening of BlackBerry, starring Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, and Matt Johnson. The screening will take place at the IFC Center at 6PM, located at 323 Sixth Avenue. Following the screening, Nilay Patel and Alex Cranz of The Vergecast will hold a Q&A with director Matt Johnson.
Attendance is free for Verge readers 18 and older, and we’re taking individual reservations on a first-come, first-served basis. (Sorry: because seating is limited, we’re not taking plus-ones.) If you’d like to join us for the movie, send an email to [email protected] with your first and last name. If we’ve got room, you’ll get a response confirming your…
