We might only have baseball to watch after tonight...

Happy Friday

We’ve got two big things to talk about, and then we’re moving on to rapid-fire Friday, where we will catch you up on all things sports and get you heading into the weekend.

We can’t believe so much has gone down in just two days.

Let’s dig in.

Stanley Cup Game 6

📍 Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta

🕗️ Gametime is 8 pm ET

📺️ You can watch on ABC

🏒The atmosphere at Rogers Place for game 4 was absolutely electric, even with the Oilers being down 0-3 to the Florida Panthers. Now the Oilers have gotten this series close at just 3-2 after taking a huge game 5 win on the road. Both teams flew the ~2,500 miles back to Canada for game 6 and it’s looking like we could see a game 7. Edmonton hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1990, and the entire city is fully embracing the team. You can’t go anywhere without seeing Oilers flags, fans, and jerseys. HOCKEYTOWN BABY!

The Oilers started the year out worse than any team would want, but now they’ve made it this far. Let’s see if they can get this done for their fans tonight.

💰️Looking to gamble tonight? Here’s what you need to know.

Oilers vs. Panthers money line: Edmonton -120, Florida +101.

Over/under: 5.5 goals.

Puck line: Edmonton -1.5 (+212)

Lakers Sign JJ Redick

Jonathan Redick has been named the Los Angeles Lakers head coach. Well, that's what is going around the rumor mill, at least. The rumor came from Woj, and if that means it’s more likely to be true than it is to be a rumor, it's more likely to be true. There are no financial details yet, but it’s believed that it’s a four-year deal for Redick.

GM Rob Pelinka became sold on Redick because of his ability to connect with players and he has immense basketball IQ. Anyone can see this if you just watch him on the game broadcasts, on ESPN, or listens to any podcast that he’s ever been on.

It’s been a wild turn for the Lakers after everyone thought Redick was the leader for the job. Then the Lakers took a shot at Dan Hurley. They ended up back on Redick, so let’s see if he can lead this Lakers squad to its full potential.

Fun fact: JJ Redick is just six months older than LeBron James.

Rapid Fire Friday

🏈 The state of Kansas has approved a stadium bill to authorize state bonds to help finance new stadiums and practice facilities for both the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals. It’s a play to lure both teams from Missouri, where they are having trouble getting approvals for a new baseball stadium, Arrowhead upgrades, and a new stadium district. It’s amazing how much politicians want to bring teams to their states or cities, even though it’s been proven time after time that taxpayers' funds do not get a return on the investment and are not worth the cost of building the stadiums. You do you, though, Kansas.

🏈The New England Patriots are signing running back Rhamondre Stevenson to a four-year, $36-million extension that includes $17 million guaranteed

🏀 The Indiana Pacers are re-signing forward Pascal Siakam to a four-year, $189.5-million maximum contract

🏀 The Detroit Pistons are parting ways with head coach Monty Williams after a 14-win season in his first year in charge. Williams had five years and over $65 million remaining on the six-year deal he signed in June 2023. Remember, the Pistons just fired their GM Troy Weaver in May and hired former Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon.

🏀 The Chicago Bulls are reportedly trading Alex Caruso to the OKC Thunder for Josh Giddey.

🏀 Malik Monk will remain a King in Sacramento, signing a 4-year, $78 million deal.

💍 This is a cool story. Five-time Olympic medalist Lilly King competed in the US Olympic Swimming Trials last night, finishing in second place in the 200-meter breaststroke. She qualified for her second event for the Paris Olympics, and when she wasn’t even able to catch her breath and was getting out of the pool, her boyfriend proposed. They’ll have some good engagement pics in front of the Eiffel Tower now!

⚽️ The Argentina National Soccer Team was throwing some shade at the US after they played a 2024 Copa America game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Argentina defeated Canada 2-0, but they made various complaints about the field after the game. It was apparently bumpy and needed to be improved. The new grass was just installed over the Atlanta Falcons turf field two days ago.

⚽️ The UEFA Championship has been underway. We have no idea what’s going on, but we can point you in the right direction. Here’s the schedule for the weekend, and here’s a guide to the UEFA Championship.

⚽️ The Americas have their version of the UEFA Championship going down with the Copa America Cup. A few matches are scheduled this weekend, including a USA appearance on Sunday. Here’s a guide for this tournament, too!

That’s all for a Friday. Get out of the office and enjoy a happy hour or two.

We’ll see you on Monday!

-The DB