Caitlin ClarK broke the WNBA single-season assist record - ( WNBA photo)

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a WNBA single-season record for rebounds (446) - ( WNBA photo)

Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner - (Lorie Shaull photo) Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill - ( NFL photo)   Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics Larry Bird in Game two of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden Date 30 May 1985 - Steve Lipofsky www.Basketballphoto.com ALL TIME NBA 1st TEAM - BREAKING IT DOWN

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyamai - (NBA Photo) VICTOR WEMBANYAMA = THE REAL DEAL

THE CRUCIFIXION of KYRIE IRVING was excessive THE CRUCIFIXION of KYRIE IRVING

Bill Walton played through pain and injuries. He was rewarded late in his career being a member of the 1986 NBA championship Boston Celtics team. It was his second NBA title - (Steve Lipofsky photo) BILL WALTON REMEMBERED

Bill Russell is seen here in the green uniform guarding Wilt Chamberlain. They had some of the NBA's most classic battles. Russell sadly passed away Sunday at the age of 88 - (US Library of Congress image) ALL TIME NBA 1st TEAM - BREAKING IT DOWN

SPORTS NOTES - CAITLAN CLARK & ANGEL REESE ROCK WNBA

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

Reminiscent of the BIRD & MAGIC PRO DEBUT - Brittany Griner - In The COLD 2 GOLD - Tyreek Hill on the run - Shohei Ohtani is beefing up his endorsement portfolio - NFL telecast's in Southeast Asia this season are teeth clenching - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Wednesday September 18, 2024

Reminiscent of BIRD & MAGIC PRO DEBUT

WNBA/NBA

The game the same but the hype is not. The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese is reminiscent of the Larry Bird, Magic Johnson rivalry when they were both in college and throughout their professional careers. Both were hugely hyped when they were in college. Both duos are portrayed as being enemies and having a dislike for each other. For Johnson and Bird that proved not to be the case, it was about the competition.

Clark and Reese also competed in the NCAA finals meeting twice. Reese is top dog in this category when her LSU team defeated Clark's Iowa squad in the final eight on their way to their 2023 title. Reese was selected MOP (most outstanding player) of the tournament.

Magic and Bird's final college game didn't live up to the hype as Johnson's Michigan State dominated the game throughout to become NCAA champs in 1979. They only met once during their collegiate careers.

The bitter college rivalry between Clark and Reese maturated into being the perfect ingredient for the women's professional game.

Clark was the overall number one choice in the 2024 WNBA draft with Reese 7th. Both duos entered the professional ranks when their leagues were not that popular. Both duos injected interest in their leagues when it was most needed. In both cases league attendance jumped. This season Clark's Indiana Fever sold out games with some scalpers tickets demanding thousands of dollars for some contests.

Bird and Johnson's professional accomplishments are well known. Both have become league MVP's and league champions. For Clark and Reese that is ahead of them.

Unfortunately, Resse recently suffered a hairline fracture in her wrist and is out for the remainder of the season. She set a WNBA single-season record for rebounds (446). She has set a league record for double-doubles with 10 straight.

Clark leads the league with 8.4 assists per game. She has led her team in assists 34 times this season, extending her WNBA record. With 321 assists Clark broke the WNBA single-season assist record. The rookie passed Alyssa Thomas' 316 assists from last season. She topped off her collegiate career being named twice the Naismith College Player of the Year (2023, 2024).

On September 1, Reese broke the WNBA single-season rebounding record. She finished the year averaging 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Reese has a listed height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m).

For her second straight season, Reese was named a first-team All-American by the USBWA and a WBCA Coaches' All-American.

Reese's Chicago Sky are out of the playoff picture. Clark's Fever qualify for the first time seven seasons, since 2017.

Both duos have had an impact on improving the popularity of their leagues. The future is bright for Clarke and Reese as well as the WNBA.

In The COLD 2 GOLD

Think about it, the Phoenix Mercury's Brittany Griner spent a year in a Russian jail. Within two years of her release, she is a member of the USA's GOLD MEDAL winning Olympic team. You have to give her credit for the mental strength she has to endure such an experience and then be at full strength in her current WNBA season.

NFL

TYREEK IN THE STREET

No…. he's not in the house but the soul brother man Tyreek Hill was caught speeding on the street. Caught on video Hill was pulled over by law enforcement. As we heard it, Hill's window was rolled up and the officers knocked on the window for him to roll it down. He did and he TOLD THEM not to knock on his window SO HARD. He then ROLLED UP HIS WINDOW.

The officers persisted and Hill then rolled down the window again. He got sassy with the officers. They then pulled him out of the vehicle and threw him to the ground. At that point the video wasn't on close to the action. The officers got physical with Hill.

Teammates stopped to see what was going on and were told to leave the scene. Hill was shortly released and got to the game where he caught passes for 130 yards and one touchdown.

He later watched the police video footage, which he described as "shell-shocking."

"I will say I could have been better. I could have let down my window in that instant. But the thing about me is, man, I don't want attention. I don't want [there] to be cameras out, phones on you in that moment -- but at the end of the day, I'm human. I've got to follow rules. I got to do what everyone else would do. Now does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not."

The situation was he in was he rolled up his window while the officer was talking to him. The situation was he failed to obey the officer's instructions. The situation was he was speeding and resisted to cooperate with law enforcement. The situation is…. The officers left enough dog in him to have a great game. The situation is… CASE CLOSED.

MLB

SHOHEI'S FACE IN THE PLACE

Shohei Ohtani is beefing up his endorsement portfolio. Following his agreement with Topp's gum he signed with Beat headphones as an official brand ambassador. With the appointment, Ohtani is set to appear in Beats marketing campaigns that spotlight the brand's dynamic product lineup.

"As a Beats ambassador, I am truly honored to work with such incredible athletes such as Lebron James and Lionel Messi," said Shohei Ohtani. "I am excited at the new opportunities this partnership will bring."

Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats) is a leading audio brand founded in 2006 by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Through its family of premium consumer headphones, earphones, and speakers, Beats was acquired by Apple Inc. in July 2014.

NFL TELECASTS in ASIA

To watch an NFL telecast in Southeast Asia this season is teeth clenching. For starters the announcers talk endlessly about nothing. They very seldom say the name of the players. This is an indication that they don't know the game. They talk so much they don't leave and space, they don't let the game breathe. They often converse with each other and have a chuckle.

The other distraction is they cheer plays. In America we know one NEVER CHEERS on for a team or plays. One can get kicked out of the press box for that or have their credential canceled. In this care whomever or whatever came up with the idea that announcers for the games in Asia should be given to the country telecasting should be fired. It's the worst decision since the NFL has been telecast in Southeast Asia. Know the game, know the players should be a requirement not entertainment bantering between the two announcers.

Asian announcers should take a season watching and learning the player's names before announcing games. They should do their preparation first. Be prepared, be PROFESSIONAL.

National Radio text has been published in five languages, Thai, French, Russian, Khmer (Cambodian language) and English, Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio.com & National Radio World.com sites

Also our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations in America.

© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.