If Only I | Yanks & Mets Weekend | Team USA | John Deere Classic | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader, I’ll be honest the lyrics to this aren’t all that deep. It’s a catchy summer EDM tune and those are fun too! Instead of diving deep into the complexities of “If only I had one more day, I’d love you 25/8”, which is catchy and creative, I decided to use this song as the thematic music concept in a marketable way (for practice, c’mon we know @TwoFriends won’t repost this to their 257k followers on IG).
Hey @2Friends,
I’m busy this week If Only I could but maybe some of @YouTheReaders can make it…
…on to the sports…
Yanks & Mets Weekend
Former Yankee Starter, Jameson Taillon, has driven Chicago Cubbies fans to drink Jameson when he starts. I like Taillon, good player and was a solid Yankee, but he has been lousy with the Cubs sporting a 6.93 ERA. Jamo has recently been working through his mechanics and pitch grips to improve. We’ll see if the Yankees bats decide to show up. On the bright side, Carlos Rodon will be making his debut start for the New York Yankees. Rodon has been chomping at the bit to don the pinstripes in the Bronx and the man who signed a 6-year $162 million contract this offseason should provide the Yanks some much-needed starting pitching.
If you don’t see Drew Smyly all smiles on Saturday, it may be because the Southpaw is coming off two bad losses where he has combined to pitch 7.1 innings and allow 10 earned runs. Gerrit Cole this week surprised Sarah Langs family by inviting her parents to throw out the first pitch on July 4th. If you don’t know Sarah Langs story, she is an MLB researcher battling ALS (Lou Gerhig’s disease). She loves baseball and is a remarkably strong person with the best attitude.
With the Cubs teetering on the brink of being out of playoff contention, another poor few weeks could mean that Kyle Henricks could be traded out of Chicago. Hendricks missed some time at the beginning of the season recovering from a right shoulder but has been money on the mound. I’ve always been a fan of Henricks because he is a real pitcher’s pitcher. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but he knows how to out-think the batters and hit his spots with precision. Domingo German wasn’t able to be perfect in his last start against the O’s Monday but on a purely positive note, his wife did throw him a very nice looking perfect game celebration with his family.
Kate Upton’s husband may have found his groove. He has thrown two straight scoreless outings and has gone at least 5 innings in each of his last 4 starts. The Mets are on a 5-game winning streak and only 6.5 games back from the 3rd place wild card spot. These matchups against another handsomely paid pitcher, Yu Darvish, are exactly why Uncle Stevie Cohen brought Kate Upton’s husband to the Big Apple. Yu Darvish against the Mets has a 5-1 record with a 3.05 ERA.
David Peterson in his last two starts has brought his ERA down to 6.61, hey I mean it was at 8.08 which got him demoted. Peterson will face off against another fellow lefty in Blake Snell. The former Rays ace is expected to be traded at the deadline.
The Mets and Padres have not yet announced who will be starting on Sunday…
Team USA
I’ve been saving the USA Women’s National Team previews for Saturdays but tomorrow I got something else for @YouTheReader. Last week we covered their goalies and some of their defenders (Saturday Sports 7/1 '23). The Saturday prior was about their forwards (Saturday Sports 6/24 '23) while I was on my Vigilante Sh!t. Today we have 4 more defenders and a couple of midfielders.
Crystal Dunn, Defender, #19
Club: Portland Thorns FC
Crystal Dunn is a New York local, her hometown is Rockville Centre, Out East. In ‘15, Crystal Dunn became the youngest MVP in the league’s history doing so at the age of 23. Dunn captained the USA on March 8, ‘20, against Spain in Harrison NJ during the SheBelieves Cup - it was also her 100th match with the US. In the ‘19 World Cup, Dunn played every minute of all 6 of her starts in France at outside back. Her favorite athletes are LeBron James and Serena Williams.
Emily Fox, Defender, #23
Club: North Carolina Courage
Emily Fox is from Ashburn, Virginia. She was the #1 Overall Pick by the Racing Louisville FC in the ‘21 NWSL Draft before being traded to North Carolina in ‘23. The outside back is known for her speed and one-on-one ability. Fox has been getting a ton of playing time in the lead-up to this World Cup and she even scored her international goal against Ireland earlier this year. The former Tar Heel loves the beach, traveling, movies, and reading science fiction novels. Japan is her next destination spot and she wants to go there for the culture plus food.
Kelley O’Hara, Defender, #5
Club: NY/NJ Gotham FC
Kelley O’Hara’s hometown is Fayetteville, Georgia. O’Hara went to Stanford, where she won the Hermann Trophy as college soccer’s top player. The defender is one of just 12 players in USWNT history to be named to 4 Women’s World Cup Teams and she has been an important piece in the backline of the USA’s last 7 world championship rosters. Kelley has played in the NWSL for 11 years and is one of the few players left playing professionally who also played in the WPS (Women’s Professional League). O’Hara was the first-ever free agent signing in the NWSL this past offseason and she decided to return to New Jersey to play for Gotham. Her father was a fighter pilot in the Navy and her brother currently serves.
Emily Sonnett, Defender, #14
Club: Ol Reign
Emily Sonnett is from Marietta, Georgia. Sonnett is a versatile defender who can play all the positions in the back line. Once she makes her next appearance, it will be her 75th cap, which will make her 1 of 51 players to do so in USWNT. Sonnett currently plays in Seattle but has previously made stops in Sweden and Australia. In ‘21, Sonnett played a huge role in the Washington Spirit’s first championship. Emily Sonnett is a bit of a foodie who loves trying new restaurants as well as rating cups of joe on Yelp.
Andi Sullivan, Midfielder, #17
Club: Washington Spirit
Andi Sullivan is from Lorton, Virginia. She played for Stanford where in her final season as a Cardinal she captained them to an NCAA Championship while winning the Hermann Trophy in ‘17. The following season in ‘18, Sullivan was the 1st overall pick by the Washington Spirits who have since named her captain once again. Sullivan set international career highs in ‘22 with games played (15), starts (15), and minutes (1,126). Her nickname is “Sunny” and it came from her wearing bright yellow sneakers at her first youth national team camp as a kid.
Savannah Demelo, Midfielder, #9
Club: Louisville FC
Savannah DeMelo’s hometown is Bellflower, California. She played college soccer right down the road at USC. DeMelo received her first call-up with the Senior National Team in late August of ‘22 but is still awaiting her first in-game appearance. She has a ton of international experience with the US Women’s Youth National Team. DeMelo missed her entire ‘19 college season due to an Achilles injury but has recovered fully from the harsh injury. The midfielder is a bit of a surprise World Cup call-up and is thankful for the opportunity. “Being able to train with these professionals day in and day out is just huge for my confidence and is helping me become a better player. I’m super grateful that I get to train with them.” (Source: Just Women’s Sports)
Held annually in July, the John Deere Classic debuted on the PGA Tour in 1971. The event is the premier golf tournament of the Quad Cities which is a region of cities on the Iowa and Illinois border. The Quad Cities are actually where the real-life John Deere started his Deere & Company in 1868. John Deere in real life played a huge role civilly in the Quad Cities, in fact, he was the 2nd Mayor of Moline, Illinois (one of the Quad Cities).
Jonas Blixt
Jonas Blixt is Swedish like the Fish and is a big fan of zoos. After tying a career-low round of 62, Blixt said he was going to go to the zoo with Henrik Norlander & his family. My guess is they went to Niabi Zoo, which is only about a 15-minute drive from TPC Deere Run. Do you think they went back to their rooms and showered or went from playing 18 to animal-watching in one swoop? @YouTheReader what? I think that’s a fair question.
Grayson Murray
Grayson Murray dropped in an eagle from 41 yards away. Oh yeah, the GIFs you see now like this may have to be a thing for the foreseeable future. Elon seems pissed off about how resourceful Twitter is and now blocks Twitter videos from being GIF-able. Rather than complain about it I’ll just start taking videos from my phone of what Twitter has a video. Does it look a bit less quality - sure - but hey for the time being Week to Week Notes’ biz cards get some more ad play.
Greyson Sigg
Greyson Sigg was on an absolute heater from holes 9 to finish yesterday. He ripped through 6 birdies as the Augusta native and Georgia Bulldog alum will look to keep the buzz going into the weekend.
Adam Schenk
Adam Schenk went up & down out of a fairway bunker from 145 yards out. The Purdue University alum has never won a PGA Tour event in 175 tries but has made 102 cuts, has finished in 2nd place twice, 3rd place once, top 5 five times, and top 10 thirteen times. That’s earned him $8.7 million. Not a bad gig for a kid who grew up on a sod and grain farm selling bluegrass to local golf courses.
Séamus Power
Séamus Power was nearly blemish free all day as he shot 6 under through his first 8 holes followed up with everything par until his 18th hole. The County Waterford legend now resides in Vegas. He won his 2nd PGA Tour event last fall at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. G’wan lad!