Shumpert’s fiancee, singer Teyana Taylor, didn’t know she was in labor, she said. One thing led to another and soon Shumpert, known for his quick reflexes on the court, was welcoming his newborn daughter into the world and using a pair of headphones to steady the umbilical cord until paramedics could arrive.
Simply an incredible story.
Equally so, but for very different reasons, was LeBron James’ journey into the front row to save a ball from going out of bounds in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s nationally televised 104-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Making an all-out bid for the ball in a close game, James plowed into the courtside-seated wife of pro golfer Jason Day. Ellie Day was taken from the premises on a stretcher wearing a neck brace but the prognosis seemed good.
Critics were quick to accuse Ellie of not paying attention to the action, but what was she to do with the 6-foot-8, 260-pound James barreling directly at her? She braced for impact, but it still wasn’t pretty.
There was, however, good news for Browns fans on the injury front. Nobody ran over Johnny Manziel, who was also seated courtside at Quicken Loans Arena.
Does anybody care what ‘Old Leatherpants’ thinks?
Former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden pulled no punches in assailing the Todd Frazier trade. Now an ESPN baseball analyst, Bowden thought the Reds got fleeced and wasn't shy in saying so.
Shortly after the popular Frazier was dealt to the Chicago White Sox for three prospects, Bowden wrote on Twitter, “Executives and scouts from both the Braves and Dodgers have told me they view Peraza as a utility player at best. Low return for #Reds here.”
Jose Peraza, a speedy 21-year-old infielder now with his third organization, is the centerpiece of the deal from the Reds' standpoint. He probably will be asked to start at second base as soon as Brandon Phillips waives his no-trade clause and heads to the Washington Nationals, which apparently could happen any moment.
Bowden spent a decade with the Reds starting in 1992 but fans never trusted him after he fired Tony Perez of Big Red Machine fame as manager 44 games into the 1993 season and traded Paul O'Neill to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly.
So Bowden’s opinion, while shared by many, clearly shouldn’t be the last word on the trade, as this passage from redreporter.com noted: “Former Reds GM and leatherpants wearer Jim Bowden … thinks the Reds got fleeced. So, everything should turn out just fine.”
Bowden apparently wore leather pants at least once while drawing paychecks from the Reds. Announcer Marty Brennaman never lets anyone forget it, constantly referring to him as “Old Leatherpants” on the radio.
Solid — and necessary — win for Wright State
Wright State scored a badly needed men's basketball victory Thursday night at the Nutter Center against Charleston Southern and senior guard Joe Thomasson, with help from his family, had the most to do with it.
As Tom Archdeacon writes, the Raiders are 3-0 with Thomasson's 6-month-old daughter Aundrea in attendance.
If this keeps up, they might have to take her on the road.
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