Florida Gators win March Madness Championships
Chomp, Chomp. I feel like I can still hear chomping after Monday night’s electric March Madness final, where the Florida Gators took home a close win against the Houston Cougars. The thrilling 65-63 win for the Gators was certainly unexpected, as they trailed Houston by 12 points at the start of the second half.
Slowly but surely, the Gators came from behind after a 15-3 run in the second half to tie the game. Despite a scoreless first half from Florida’s star guard, Walter Clayton Jr., he came back with 11 points in the second. His big moment came with 3:14 left in the game, after the game-tying three-pointer to give his team the final boost they needed. After the victorious win, the SEC Network named Clayton the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four tournament.
Florida Gators’ Head Coach Todd Golden said after the game, “Our guys knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. Didn’t panic when it got tough.”
The calmness paid off, with the Gators’ defense putting a stop to the potential Houston game-winning shot.
Jurickson Profar tests positive for banned substance
MLB suspended Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves for 80 days after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, more specifically Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). He can return as soon as June 29 but is unable to compete in the postseason as per MLB policy.
Profar will miss half the season, just after the Braves shelled out $42 million for his contract. This puts the Braves in a tough position, with the news coming after the team lost the first seven games of the season. All of a sudden, Braves manager Brian Snitker has a whole new set of problems.
Snitker said, “We hate it for him, our club and our team. But Major League Baseball has their program and we honor that. It’s just going to afford an opportunity for somebody else for 80 days.”
Along with Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury that should keep him off the field until May, the Braves now have to replace two of their star players.
In a statement released by Profar, he denied knowingly cheating, saying, “I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.”
Alex Ovechkin becomes top goal scorer in NHL history
Alex Ovechkin did the unthinkable and broke the record many thought was unbreakable. Last Sunday, in a game against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretsky’s record, making him the top goal scorer in NHL history.
Despite losing the game 4-1, Ovechkin said after the game, “I’m really proud for myself. I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates that help me to reach that milestone and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable moment, and I’m happy.”
The 39-year-old captain for the Washington Capitals has now turned his focus to the playoffs, keeping the ultimate goal to win in mind. Many believe the forward has at least one more season in him before retirement, but Ovechkin has hinted at retiring once his contract ends.
bkeatin1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @hockeypatrol, Instagram
