Morning Jolt: Wednesday, September 28
Wednesday, September 28
Today's must-see content delivered straight to you.
Durant floats idea of charity game
Globetrotting Kevin Durant was asked recently if he'd thought about hosting a charity game in his NBA hometown. "I was thinking about doing that. But of course it's more than just saying you want to do it. Finding a place to play, because you know if we do it it's going to be packed. ... I want to try to do it and get not just our players from our team but guys all around the league to come play in it and make it a nice event. But it's a matter of where we're going to do it. I was thinking about the Cox Convention Center. I don't know if we can get that or not. Who knows? But I want to do it just for the fans of Oklahoma City who haven't seen us play. If the lockout goes throughout the month of October, that's when I'll try to set that up." (The Oklahoman)Comment
A fair amount of writing is on the bullpen wall in Denver. Rafael Betancourt has warmed to having his feet in the fire. When he first took over for the injured Huston Street, Betancourt was reluctant to even talk about closing out of respect for his teammate. That was before he went 7-for-8 in save opportunities with cold-blooded efficiency. ... Betancourt's performance has caused the Rockies to rethink their bullpen. General manager Dan O'Dowd said he's "open-minded" about the closer role. Executives from opposing teams expect the Rockies to shop Street, who is due $7 million in the final year of his contract. For his part, Street has remained mum about losing his job because of an injury. (The Denver Post)Comment
Rex Grossman's career reclamation project hit a snarl this past week, but he's still 2-1. So is Grossman capable of becoming elite? ... He's completing 59.6 percent of his passes and averaging 282 yards a game, on pace to exceed 4,000, and he has led a team to a Super Bowl. There is no reason -- absolutely none -- that Grossman can't kill off Bad Rex once and for all, and make game-winning plays consistently under pressure. He can start the transformation today by going on a diet. He needs to lose weight, as he admits -- and this is not a trivial point. If Grossman has an inherent limitation, it's his lack of mobility. He has no business compounding it with a knife and fork if he expects to lead the Redskins to the playoffs. (The Washington Post)Comment
Must-See Photo
Kaka and Christian Ronaldo celebrate after Kaka scored for Real Madrid in a Champions League match. (AP)
Must-See Video
The Steve Bartman moment still haunts the Cubs but whose fault was it?
Game To Watch
Yankees at Rays, 7 p.m. ET, YES Network, Sun Sports
SI Vault: More Nebraska
This Day in Sports
- 1920 -- Eight White Sox players are indicted on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series.
- 1951 -- The Rams' Norm Van Brocklin throws for an NFL record 554 yards in a win over the New York Yankees.
- 1996 -- Nebraska and Penn State become the fifth and sixth college football teams to win 700 games.
