Day 788

• In what's going to be a moment unto itself, Dick Vitale will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and Courage at this year's ESPYs.  It's deserved 100 times over, but why am I getting an ominous vibe?    
• Another fan incident in the NBA Playoffs:  The Dallas Mavericks have had to toss out (and presumably ban) a fan for getting into it with Chris Paul's family.  Paul had to actually confront that fan during yesterday's Game 4.
  
• Adreian Payne, a former college basketball standout, died in a shooting this morning in Orlando.  He was fired from the NBA after a report of a sexual assault his freshman year at Michigan State -- he had played four largely-disposable years in the league after being a first-round draft pick of the Hawks.
• The NFL is going to try a Week 2 Monday Night Football doubleheader, with a twist.  Both games will be going on with some overlap.  Tennessee at Buffalo starts 7:15 PM Eastern, Minnesota at Philadelphia at 8:30.
• The NFL's next venture into making a 12-month news cycle, the schedule release, is this Thursday.
• If you want to know why even blog-readers believe Tom Brady lives rent-free in my head (and the influence he has over the NFL), his return forced a fairly complete remake of the Tampa Bay schedule for the 2022 season.  Howard Katz, the NFL's head of broadcasting, said he was actually concerned about the NFC package when Brady retired -- an indication that the conference was not viewed as that strong.  He's right.  The East is largely a joke, the North might be rebounding as Green Bay fades due to the Rodgers sabotage (but has a LONG way to go), and the South outside Tampa is a complete zero.   
• Another known game already is that Brady and the Bucs are going to Munich for an international game in November against Seattle.
• Brady was the #1 player in merchandising last year.
• Warriors coach Steve Kerr has tested positive for the coronavirus pre-Game 4.
• And another for the "OH GEE, WHAT A FREAKING SHOCK!" Department:  A lawsuit was filed alleging a group of athletes and others squandered the state of Mississippi for $20,000,000 in TANF (Food Stamps) funds.  Among the defendants:  Brett Favre and the entire DiBiase wrestling family:  Ted and Ted's sons Ted Jr. and Brett.  Former state Human Services Dept. head John Davis has been criminally charged in the scheme, in which Ted (Sr.) got $1,700,000 for church outreach as a preacher.  SO THAT'S HOW HE BECAME THE MILLION-DOLLAR MAN!  No wonder McMahon would've used the character on himself -- at least (allegedly at this point) as much a shyster!    
• ESPN has already given up on the Cincinnati Reds and is telling Reds fans to look forward to Bengals training camp.
• And Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexandr Zverev to finish winning the Spanish Open, his fourth win of the season and rockets his ranking all the way to #6 in the world!  This in addition to winning last year's ATP U-21 championship year-end event.