NFL teams and players have joined in with other Americans on social media to celebrate the Fourth of July; the USA’s Independence Day.
Here is a collection of some Independence Day posts on social media from around the league:
NFL teams and players have joined in with other Americans on social media to celebrate the Fourth of July; the USA’s Independence Day.
Here is a collection of some Independence Day posts on social media from around the league:
Kemba Walker, the all-time leading scorer in Charlotte Hornets history and four-time All-Star in his 12 NBA seasons, announced that he will be retiring from basketball on Tuesday.
Walker, who played for AS Monaco in the Euroleague last campaign, spent eight seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2011 -19), two seasons with the Boston Celtics (2019-21), and one season with the New York Knicks (2012-22) and Dallas Mavericks (2022-23) in his NBA career.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Walker will join new coach Charles Lee’s staff as a player enhancement coach.
In his social media post, Walker wrote: “Basketball has done more for me than I could’ve ever imagined, and I am super thankful for the amazing journey I’ve had. With that, I’m here to share that I am officially retiring from the game of basketball.
“This has been a dream. When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I achieved in my career.”
The 6-foot guard was a three-time NBA All-Star for the Hornets, and then in his first season with the Celtics in 2019-20. But Walker missed valuable time recently due to knee issues. He also missed 37 matches with New York in 2021-22 and only nine matches with the Mavericks last season.
Walker will retire as the Hornets’ top scorer and ranks in their top three in matches played, assists and steals. He also holds the team record for 3-pointers made and attempted, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted.
Kemba averaged 19.3 points for his 12-year NBA career, which came after a remarkable college career at UConn where he led the school to a 2011 national title. He was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four that year.
Walker played for most of the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season, the last of five consecutive seasons where he averaged at least 20 points per game.
Yordan Alvarez gave his Houston Astros manager a thumbs up, picked up his bat and got back to swinging.
Things became scary in the first inning of the Astros’ 9-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night, when Alvarez twisted his left ankle after grounding a ball to short for the final out of the frame. Houston could not afford their sharpest hitter being absent.
But after a quick meeting with manager Joe Espada at Rogers Centre, Alvarez announced that he was good to go. That was scary too, for the Blue Jays.
“I’m holding my breath and I’m like, ‘Oh, jeez,’” said Espada.
“And then all of a sudden he goes and has a stellar performance.”
It has been all Yordan all the time in Toronto. The Astros’ slugger hit his third home run in as many games as part of a three-extra-base-hit, three RBI night that put the Astros in place for a series victory in Thursday’s finale.
Alvarez carried the team with a “tight’’ ankle. Something he achieved in a day’s work.
“It’s hard to believe everything he does on a daily basis,” Altuve said of Alvarez ahead of Wednesday’s win. “Just yesterday, he hit a 3-0 homer on a [low] changeup — not a lot of guys are able to do that. I’m happy for him. He’s very humble, he wants to win and help the team … so I’m happy for him.”
The hitter has gone 6-for-11 with three homers and eight RBIs over the first three matches of the series. He facilitated last month’s breakout into July and helped the Astros (44-2) to gain ground in the AL standings.
“We had a tough start to the season, but everyone knows what a great team we have here,” Alvarez said in Spanish. “And the time has come to show it.”
The Astros are also playing without Kyler Tucker. Tucker is absent due to a shin injury. Someone needed to step up for the team.
By making few adjustments and renewed commitment to his goals, Alvarez has answered the call.
Therefore, it is only natural for Espada to get nervous after watching that awkward swing from Alvarez.
“Right now, we’re grinding, and we’re trying to finish strong this first half,” said Espada. “Any time you see someone limping off the field … you start kind of holding your breath, but these guys are resilient, man.
They’re just going to keep grinding.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are making a movie in 2024 with Hallmark, and Patrick Mahomes will not be headlining.
Kansas City and Hallmark are collaborating with the NFL and Skydance Sports to produce a holiday movie.
Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley Jr.
will star in the Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. The film is slated to premier on the Hallmark Channel this winter during the 15th annual Countdown to Christmas programming event.
“We are honoured to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said in a statement. “As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fan bases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season.”
Production will start in July and film in Kansas City, Missouri, locations, including GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (the Chiefs’ home stadium).
“With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organisations,” Hallmark chief brand officer Darren Abbott said in a statement. “By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way.
“
While the Chiefs are on their quest to three-peat, Kansas City fans may see the Lombardi Trophy or may two later this winter.
Bronny James says the chance to play professionally alongside his father LeBron James had no role in his choice to join the NBA draft.
Now that he has been chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny says he can still deal with all the extra attention and expectations as the James family makes basketball history.
“I’m … trying to get my name out for myself,” Bronny said Tuesday. “I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad. That’s always there to take part of, but it wasn’t a main focus of mine.
”
The Lakers formally introduced Bronny James and their first-round pick, Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht, in a news conference at their training complex. They chose home with the 55th overall pick last week, creating the potential for an NBA first.
No father and son have ever played in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.
Bronny repeated that he did not join the NBA because his 39-year-old father is still an active player.
He acknowledged that he did not share his father’s oft-stated dream of playing in the league together.
He also knew that he could not control where he was drafted, despite that he read on social media recently about the Lakers’ being a nepotistic effort to keep LeBron James with them for the rest of his career.
Bronny James said he is ready for the challenges ahead of him because of “stuff that “stuff that (LeBron) has been telling me my whole life.
Just having that work ethic, and coming in and getting your work in, and listening to your coaches and being coachable, stuff like that he’s driven into my head my whole life.”
He smartly answered questions about everything that he will face after jumping straight to the NBA from one short season of college basketball. He played inconsistently last winter at USC after recovering from a terrifying cardiac event in July 2023.
“The time that I had off, I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more,” Bronny said. “I just feel like I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at SC.
So I’m excited for what it’s going to be.”
Rather than spending another year in college, Bronny said he expects to improve his game in the Lakers’ player development system new coach JJ Redick is setting up. Redick, emphasised the necessity of developing talent from within the organisation after general manager Rob Pelinka hired him last month.
“Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick said. “Bronny has earned this through hard work. For us, prioritising player development, we view Bronny as Case Study 1, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game. As we build out our player development program holistically, he’s going to have the opportunity to be an excellent NBA player.”
Two NL Central rivals will finish their three-game series on the Fourth of July when the St. Louis Cardinals face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Watch Pirates VS Cardinals.
Find the MLB best bets today, predictions, picks, and odds for Pirates VS Cardinals on MatchPlug. We are a Sure Prediction Site to get accurate previews on MLB matches.
Odds by 1XBet.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of the NL Central standings, four matches behind the Cardinals for second but half game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in fourth. Theirs is not a bad team in the division, as they only have a two game lead over the fifth place Chicago Cubs. The margins are tight in the bottom of the division, and losing three of their last four did not help.
Martin Perez will get his 13th start of the season. The left-hander has a 1-4 record, and the Pirates lost in four of his last five starts. Perez’s ERA is 5.28 to go with 50 strikeouts to 21 walks, with 10 home runs permitted on the year. In his last start, Perez conceded six earned runs in only four innings in a defeat to the Braves.
The Milwaukee Brewers led the NL Central for most of the season, but the rest of the division have traded places in the standings. The St. Louis Cardinals reached the second place, and have an easy lead on the spot as they are four matches ahead of their current opponents who are third. St. Louis are still behind the Brewers by six matches for the division lead. In the first match of this series, Nolan Gorman hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to win for the team.
Andre Pallante will get his seventh start of the season in this match, although he was a reliever in nine other games. He is a 25-year old right-hander, and the Cardinals have won in all of their last two starts. Pallante has an ERA of 4.50 to go with 31 strikeouts against 18 walks, and has permitted three home runs on the year. In his last start, he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings against the Reds in a win.
The St. Louis Cardinals have the lead in the season series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and will take another victory here.
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline.
Being the fourth of July, fans can expect this four-game series between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets to end in fireworks. You don’t want to miss Nationals VS Mets.
MatchPlug has the MLB best bets today which you can rely on for Nationals VS Mets. We are one of the Best sports betting sites to get previews for MLB matches.
Odds by 1XBet.
The New York Mets scored 11 runs in extra innings for the first two matches of this series. New York’s offense is sixth in scoring (4.93 runs per match), so the outburst will not be shocking. They are ninth in batting average, sixth in OBP, and eight in slugging percentage. The Mets are third in stolen-base percentage, fourth in home runs, eight in strikeout percentage, and 13th in walk percentage.
Jose Quintana will pitch for New York, he has not done well on the road this term. Quintana has a 5.63 ERA in road matches. However, he had a good June, marked by the Mets winning four of his five starts. Overall, Quintana has 4.57 ERA, 4.90 FIP, and 1.367 WHIP. New York Relievers are 10th in FIP and 11th in WAR.
The Washington Nationals were dangerously close to finally defeating the Mets this campaign. Instead, they are 0-5 with each loss happening at home. Washington’s bullpen which is 10th in WAR, hss not responded to the Mets in the 10th inning. Fortunately, Jake Irving will take the mound for the Mets today. His sophomore campaign is made up of a 3.03 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 1.061 WHIP. Irvin had a 2.31 ERA in six June starts, which gave the Nationals a 5-1 record.
Washington needs more work offensively. The team averaged 4.12 runs per match, 20th in the majors. The Nationals were aggressive on the bases, which led to third-most steals. This lineup has the league’s 10th-lowest strikeout rate. But, Washington is 29th in homers. They are 21st in batting average, 24th in OBP, and 27th in slugging percentage.
It is hard to defeat Jake Irvin, who had a super June (2.31 ERA). He also has a 2.53 ERA in nine daytime starts this campaign. Irvin can have a great start against the Mets and give the bullpen a shorter leash. The major issue for Washington in this series has been staying in the lead for nine innings. Scoring more would help, and they’re facing Jose Quintana. Quintana has a 5.59 ERA against the NL East and a 5.63 ERA on the road. The Nationals will score early and defeat the Mets.
Final Prediction: Washington Nationals Moneyline.
Tom Brady had a dedicated approach to football during his career in the NFL that was well documented.
During an interview with “The Pivot’’ podcast, the seven-time Super Bowl winner shared some regret about his fierce method.
“What I would have changed was, ‘OK, there’s part of me that still loves …’ You see these young players. I see, like, Patrick [Mahomes] out there at quarterback, laughing, having fun,” Brady told former NFL players and current podcast co-hosts Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder in May.
“I’m like, ‘I used to be like that!’ What the hell happened to me? I just got too serious.”
Brady appeared to have a serious and debatedly robotic approach that the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick had during the franchise’s unprecedented era of success.
Whenever Brady got emotional, he would get in his teammates’ faces to yell at them on the sideline or smash a table.
But he got less uptight when he left the Patriots to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Brady announced that he would retire from the NFL “for good’’ after the 2022 season. The NFL icon is now gearing up to join the broadcasting booth.
He, and NFL on FOX play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt, will call the Dallas Cowboys Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns on September 8th. The game will mark his debut as FOX Sports’ lead NFL analyst. Brady also stepped into the broadcast booth during last month’s UFL Championship match.
As Brady prepares for the next step in his career, he also reflected on the things he could have done differently.
“You just learn from it, and go, ‘OK, now the next phase of life, enjoy it a little more,’” Brady said.
He also talked about the challenges he faced during the early years of his career.
“So much [of], I think, the early part of my career was trying to fulfil people’s new expectations of me and me still being the 14-year-old boy that wanted to fit in. I was like, ‘I just want to go to the field and play,’” Brady said. “Now, there were all these other things to choose from.
“Next thing you know, you’re overwhelmed because you didn’t sleep, you didn’t eat right, you were partying. I’m like, ‘I don’t really like the way I’m feeling.’”
Brady had an eventful few months leading up to his highly awaited transition to broadcasting. New England held a star-packed Hall of Fame induction ceremony for him at Gillette Stadium in June.
The Dallas Cowboys pursue their first Super Bowl title since 1995 and like any other team that sees itself as a championship contender, they had to make some tough choices about what to do as some of their key players’ contracts come to an end. This decision somehow involves Micah Parsons.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is possibly the most pressing case, as the league’s leader in touchdown passes in 2023 is entering the last year of his deal in 2023. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hopes to reset the market for his spot, but Dallas have not clarified his future too with free agency looming. Parsons is another key player who will need a new contract with the Cowboys, but he may be disheartened to learn that he will need to be a bit patient.
Cowboys safety Malik Hooker recently sat with ex Dallas receiver Keyshawn Johnson on FOX Sports’ “All Facts No Break.” He told Johnson that if he were Jerry Jones, he would rather extend Lamb and Prescott’s contracts, before coming to two-time All-Pro Parson’s deal.
“I feel like CeeDee should be paid first for the simple fact of what he does for us, how valuable he is for us, the leader he is for us as a team,” Hooker said in comments that could upset Prescott as well as Parsons.
Lamb, who delivered 12 touchdowns last year, could become a free agent after the 2024 campaign if Dallas does not give him a contract. Parsons has a little time to wait after the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. His contract expires after 2025, and Hooker’s comment may just be a reflection of this reality.
However, Parsons could use Hooker’s comments as motivation in 2024. The edge rusher finished second or third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in all of his three NFL seasons, and if he wins that award in year four, his contractual status will become hard to ignore.
The Lake County Captains are a small team on the outskirts of Cleveland, founded in 2003 as an affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians of the MLB, which has counted among its ranks illustrious Major League players like Francisco Lindor (now playing for the New York Mets); Chris Archer (ex Tampa Bay) and Jose Ramirez (currently with the Cleveland Guardians).
For the present season, the Captains wanted their appeal to go beyond their county, and now they have reached an agreement with a local toilet company to give their fans the unique experience of watching their favourite sport from a privileged area of the field and in a privileged seat.
The Classic Park in East Lake, Ohio, has had some of the most comfortable seats in the American sports circuit for the last few days, and in the world. For a price of 16 or 25 dollars, fans can relax and watch an awesome strike or homerun from the “Toilet Row’’. In a baseball stadium with a capacity of over 7,200 spectators. The locals have put this row at the edge of the field and it has every amenity.
The Captains present this proposal under the slogan: “Why sit on the toilet looking at your mobile phone when you can sit and watch the whole baseball game?’’
Furthemore, the team presents the proposal in this attractive way: “In an attempt to combine comfort with a touch of fun, the County Captains, in partnership, present this unique seating experience; an innovative first […] that will offer fans the opportunity to enjoy the game from the comfort of the high-end luxury toilets in the home dugout”.
And as the general manager of the North American team said: “Everyone deserves a VIP experience and thanks to this agreement you can enjoy the game as if you were at home”.
