Sports ‘n Stuff 6/9/22

The next time you need a midnight snack, here’s a cheat sheet.  According to a nutritionist, these are some of the best midnight snacks you can eat . . .

1.  Sliced turkey.  The protein fills you up, and the tryptophan helps you sleep.

2.  Cheese-and-crackers.  Cheese has tryptophan too, plus it’s easy.  Ideally, you should choose a cracker that’s high in fiber to keep your blood sugar from spiking.

3.  Veggies and hummus.  It’s a low-calorie option that’s also quick and easy.

4.  Cherries and pistachios.  The fat and protein in pistachios will fill you up.  And studies have found cherries can help you sleep because they’re packed with melatonin.

5.  Bananas and peanut butter.  Peanut butter is another food with tryptophan.  And the banana has potassium to relax your muscles and help you sleep better.

6.  Cereal, but it has to be low-sugar.  And eat it with milk, not dry.  The calcium in milk helps your body produce more melatonin.

7.  Protein bars or snack bars.  Opt for ones with nuts.  And stay away from chocolate or coffee-flavored bars.  The caffeine in those might keep you up.

We all know that Joe DiMaggio has the longest hitting streak in Major League Baseball history at 56 games.  But did you know that tied for 16th on the list is his little brother Dom DiMaggio at 34 games.  Dom played 11 seasons for the Boston Red Sox, and was nicknamed “The Little Professor” because he had a small build and wore glasses.

Following the start of the inaugural LIV Golf event near London on Thursday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced that all golfers playing in the breakaway series have been notified that they are suspended and otherwise no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour tournament.

17 golfers listed, including past major winners Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, will not be permitted to play in PGA Tour tournaments as a non-member via a sponsor exemption or any other eligibility category, the memo reiterated.

Mickelson, who previously held a lifetime eligibility to the PGA Tour, said on Wednesday he didn’t plan on quitting the Tour as he had earned the right to participate as he has “a lifetime membership which he has earned, and worked hard for.”

The LIV Golf series is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The tour consists of eight events across the world, beginning in London.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF has pledged to award $250 million in total prize money. Each of the first seven events will have a total prize purse of $25 million, with $20 million split between individual players and the remaining $5 million shared between the top three teams at the end of each week.

A North Carolina man showed up to the state’s lottery headquarters to collect what he thought was a $600 prize — The player said he studied the ticket and determined he had won $600. He arrived at lottery headquarters to collect the prize and was shocked to learn he had scored the $585,949 jackpot.

Travelers in the Santa Barbara, Calif., area have reported unusual encounters in recent days with a zebra.

Marcos Chavez said he was on a bike ride Sunday in the mountains above Santa Barbara when he encountered a zebra blocking traffic on West Camino & Cielo. 

He better check his directions!

Yesterday we told you that the Cleveland Guardians have moved up to #14 in the ESPN MLB Power Rankings

Now at 26-26, they also said

Previous ranking: 18

The Guardians have gradually climbed to the top or near it in team defense leaderboards, depending on which metric you check. Cleveland led all of baseball in defensive runs saved through Tuesday, per Sports Info Solutions, largely because of an outfield that has graded as the best in MLB. The Guardians’ collective minus-14 DRS from the outfield was leading the majors, one run better than the Twins. But whereas Cleveland has tacked on another six runs saved from outfield positioning, Minnesota has been minus-7 in that regard. Myles Straw, Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez all rate among the top 30 outfielders in MLB.

Hockey tonight, the Rangers host the Lighting at 8pm on ESPN with the Eastern Conference Finals all tied at 2 games a piece.

The Boston Celtics handled the Warriors last night 116-100. The Celtics seeking their 18th NBA title have never lost a Finals when up 2-1. Game 4 is slated for tomorrow night at 9 in Boston.

The Guardians winners of 7 of their last 10 had a 2 hour rain delay last night but eventually beat the Rangers 4-0.

They look to keep it rolling as they face the A’s tonight with Konnor Pilkington on the Hill for the G-Men.

Cleveland is now 26-26 good for 2nd place in the AL Central and 4 games behind the Twins

Today is Thursday June 9, 2022

Today in sports and pop culture history

49 years ago – In 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

42 years ago – In 1980, Richard Pryor suffered 3rd degree burns over most of his body while “freebasing” the cocaine.  He had to endure two months of painful skin-grafting operations . . . all because COKE DON’T FREEBASE ITSELF!

28 years ago – In 1994, Lisa “The Left Eye” Lopes of the TLC set fire to the mansion of her then-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Andre Rison. Rison played for the Browns in ’95.

Celebrating Birthdays today

Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp is 59

Alex Keaton – Marty McFly, Michael J. Fox is 61

Dick Vitale is 83

Today is National Donald Duck Day because

88 years ago – In 1934, Donald Duck made his debut in Disney’s “The Wise Little Hen”.  He wasn’t wearing pants then, and he still isn’t wearing ’em now.