Circa Las Vegas was especially star-studded this weekend because Hall of Famer Greg Maddux was hosting his annual Baller Dream Foundation dinner/poker tournament. My new best friend is former MLB player Jonny Gomes, who was wearing his World Series rings from the Red Sox and the Royals. The College World Series was one of many topics we hit over hours of cocktails because I mentioned VSiN’s upcoming trip to Omaha. Jonny’s not particularly high on the quality of SEC baseball, particularly when it comes to getting to the next level. Here is a trivia question he asked me: How many SEC players are in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Answer below along with seven of the eight teams heading to Omaha.
But first . . .
All OK for OKC
There was no miraculous comeback for the Pacers this time.
The Thunder routed the Pacers 123-107 on Sunday night and covered the closing -11.5. The game went Over the Total of 228.
Tied at 1, the series moves to Indianapolis with the Thunder -5.5 at Circa for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Stanley Cup Game 3
If the Stanley Cup Final plays to form, we should get three overtimes tonight, right?
Tied at 1, the series resumes tonight (8 ET, TNT) in Sunrise with the Panthers -135 favorites vs. the Oilers (+121).
Jonathan Davis will have his Game 3 Best Bets later this morning on our NHL page.
>Steve Makinen’s estimated score.
>Pro picks from VSiN hosts and guests.
CWS field almost set
Only one spot remains in the Elite 8 for the College World Series, beginning Friday in Omaha.
LSU, Arizona, Oregon State, Arkansas, UCLA and Louisville won on Sunday to join Coastal Carolina in advancing.
Duke is a -260 favorite vs. Murray State (+195) tonight (7 ET, ESPN). >>Betting splits.
Trivia answer: 2 SEC players are in Cooperstown — Frank Thomas (Auburn) and Todd Helton (Tennessee). Coincidentally, that’s the same number of SEC teams remaining in the CWS after the conference had 13 in the 64-team field.
More trivial: Thanks to Jonny Gomes, my girlfriend now has photos of herself with championship rings from the MLB, NHL and NFL. Not sure it’s in my best interests to hang out with her at the Encore lobby bar during the NBA summer league to pick up that fourth photo.
Quick Hits
MLB: Greg Peterson has posted his plays for today. Josh Appelbaum and Steve Makinen will post later this morning.
French Open: A Numbers Game host Gill Alexander is back from vacation just in time to give an appreciation for Carlos Alcarez’s miraculous comeback victory over Jannik Sinner in the final.
Win some/Lose some: Congrats to Steve Makinen as Denny Hamlin, who was atop Steve’s race simulation, won the NASCAR race at Michigan. Wes Reynolds just missed on his 28-1 Sam Burns pick as Burns lost to Ryan Fox on the fourth playoff hole in the Canadian Open.
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