Good morning! This is Max Krupnick, back with my final guest post for The Remix. If you’ve enjoyed my posts, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter where I send monthly roundups of my published work. 

NHL

It’s got to be tough to score two goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs and still not be the best hockey player with your first name and the first two letters of your last name. Such is the case for Connor McMichael, who helped his Washington Capitals take a 2-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens. 

Other scores: Dallas Stars 2, Colorado Avalanche 1 (OT); Los Angeles Kings 6, Edmonton Oilers 2

NBA

Jayson Tatum missed a playoff game for the first time in his career (due to a bone bruise in his right wrist), but the Celtics still prevailed in his absence, logging a 109-100 victory over the Magic to extend their series lead to 2-0. Kristaps Porziņģis had a scary moment when Goga Bitadze elbowed him in the third quarter, drawing a not insignificant amount of blood. A replay review to determine whether the foul was flagrant (it was) bought the Latvian enough time to run to the locker room, get his head bandaged, and shoot two free throws. Editor’s note: “I like watching him bleed on the court,” is not usually the quote you wake up to from a winning coach talking about his own player, but that’s Joe Mazzulla for you…

Donavan Mitchell had a 30-point night for the Cavaliers, who defeated the Heat 121-112, taking a 2-0 series lead. He shot an impressive 70% from the 3-point line. Duncan Robinson only spent 12 minutes on the floor, but his Heat were outscored by 17 during that time. Ouch! Editor’s note: The NBA is going crazy in these post-game interviews! According to Cavs guard Darius Garland, the Cleveland gameplan is, “Pick on Tyler Herro and take care of the ball.” Shots fired!

And finally, simply going to quote the opening paragraph from ESPN for our Warriors-Rockets game two recap, because they pretty much said it all here. Keep an eye on Jimmy Butler’s injury moving forward, too:

MLB

The Mets won the offseason, signing Juan Soto to a megadeal and resigning homegrown favorite Pete Alonso. Now, they’re winning the season. Riding a six-game win streak, New York was tied with the Phillies in the bottom of the tenth. Two outs, winning run on second: take it away, Starling Marte:

A month into the season, the Mets already have a five-game lead in the division. And they’re 12-1 at Citi Field. Nice!

And congratulations to Wake Forest Demon Deacon Nick Kurtz on his Major League debut! The top prospect of the Athletics recorded an RBI single in his first career plate appearance! With Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, and the enigma named Jacob Wilson, the A’s suddenly have a very intriguing lineup.

TENNIS

The Madrid Open began today, with both men and women competing in the round of 128 (top players receive a bye). Carlos Alcaraz, who won the tournament in 2022 and 2023 and is seeded second, seems unlikely to play—he injured his leg during his Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune on Sunday. While he’s resting, he can watch his Netflix docuseries “Carlos Alcaraz: My Way,” which debuted yesterday. 

Continuing the sibling theme from yesterday, Veronika Kudermetova—current world #51 who peaked at #9 in 2022—defeated her younger sister, Polina, in their first professional meeting. The pair shared a nice hug at the net after. I’m sure the family group chat is reaaaal quiet today.

NOTABLE NEWS

Steve “Mongo” McMichael, who played 15 NFL seasons, mostly with the Bears, died following a five-year battle with ALS. McMichael was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame last summer. When he found out he was a semifinalist, he asked his wife to rip up the “do not resuscitate” form he had previously signed. ALS—also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—has been in the headlines this week, as the ice bucket challenge is going viral again. This time, the social media trend is raising money for mental health, which has frustrated some ALS activists. Brooke Eby, who shares her life with ALS online, wrote “Please acknowledge why the ice bucket challenge first blew up: ALS. And we’re still waiting on a cure with a 2-5 year prognosis.”

Every Tuesday, if Penn State plays a home baseball game, it’s dollar dog night. This Tuesday, the team upset West Virginia University, snapping their 14-game win streak. The fans came in record numbers (6,106) and also set the hot dog record (12,112). My question: how much faith can we place in that hot dog number? 6,106 x 2 = 12,212. Did the Penn State Hot Dog Guy just say “Let’s multiply the attendance by two and change one number?” Please report back if you learn more. 

Jalen Brunson of the Knicks took home the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year. He’s the third recipient of the award: Steph Curry won last year and De'Aaron Fox the year before. Is clutch real? This award seems to say yes. 

NFL DRAFT PREVIEW

Wait, it’s April? How did the NFL make its way to the top of the Remix? It’s been 74 days since the Super Bowl and there are 133 until the first regular season game? Ah, a well-timed draft! (Take that, baseball...)

Here are four things to look out for in this year’s draft:

1. Who will go first?

Cam Ward is the consensus first pick this year. To win $10 on a bet that Ward gets drafted by the Titans 1-1, you’d have to wager $2,000. Feels like there are better things to do with your money.  

NBC News dubbed Ward “the most unlikely No. 1 NFL draft pick ever.” He almost quit football as a high school softball when he learned he wasn’t going to be a starter. He was a zero-star recruit out of college. His only scholarship offer came from the Incarnate Word Cardinals of the Southland Conference. But as Ward went from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami, he continued to improve. I think he’ll be the first 1-1 pick to transfer twice: very NIL-era of him. 

2. Who will draft Shedeur Sanders?

With the first overall pick all but confirmed, attention will turn to the second-ranked quarterback available: Shedeur Sanders. Sanders’s last name carries weight: his father, Deion, played 14 seasons in the NFL and 9 in MLB, winning two Super Bowls and one pennant. Deion’s influence on Sheduer isn’t just genetic—he’s spent the last four years coaching his son, first at Jackson State and then at the University of Colorado. 

Few doubt Shedeur’s talent. But Sadners’s draft slot will be one of the most interesting storylines of Thursday night. His pre-draft interviews have been going... not so well. One longtime NFL assistant coach said his interview with Sanders was “the worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life. He's so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates... But the biggest thing is, he's not that good." 

Many mock drafts have Sanders going ninth to the Saints. Others put him at 21 with the Steelers. Some think he’ll fall out of the first round, perhaps to the Browns at 33. Though Sanders would lose out on money and clout by falling, if he can stay in the first round, he may end up on a better team. Perhaps a worthwhile tradeoff for his career in the long run.

3. Who will trade picks?

One fun aspect of the NFL Draft is that teams can swap picks on draft day. This draft is perceived to be thin, but I’m not sure what that means for day-of trades. Will teams be more likely to trade down, confident their player will fall? Or will teams be reluctant to trade up, not wanting to forfeit future picks? I can’t say I have much insight on this—it feels like mock draft writers add trades to their lists just to increase the drama...

4. Will a team gamble on the tush push?

NFL owners don’t seem to love the tush push, but they couldn’t get their act together and ban the play at this offseason’s league meeting. If you can’t stop it off the field, you have to stop it on the field.

Enter: Desmond Watson. The University of Florida tackle, dubbed the “Tush Push Terminator.” Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 464 pounds, he would be by far the heaviest player drafted into the NFL. Florida coach Billy Napier calls Watson “a unicorn,” because he moves very well considering his heft. 

I like the suggestion of one Athletic commentator: “The Eagles have the potential to do the funniest thing here.” In the meantime, check out this fan cam Florida made for him.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE:

• Knicks (1) @ Pistons (1), 7:00 P.M.

• Thunder (2) @ Grizzlies (2), 9:30 P.M.

• Nuggets (1) @ Clippers (1), 10:00 P.M.

NHL PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE:

• Panthers (1) @ Lightning (1), 6:30 P.M.

• Maple Leafs (2) @ Senators (0), 7:00 P.M.

• Golden Knights (1) @ Wild (1), 9:00 P.M.

• Jets (2) @ Blues (0), 11:00 P.M. 

TENNIS:

• Learner Tien, the American 19-year-old who knocked off Daniil Medvedev at January’s Australian Open, faces off against his fellow American Marcos Giron at 8:30 A.M.

• The women’s round of 64 begins tomorrow. You can catch second seed Iga Świątek at 8:10 A.M., fifth seed Madison Keys at 11:00 A.M., and fourth seed Coco Gauff at 1:00 P.M.

MLB:

• In the afternoon slot, Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners will face off against the new Boston Red Sock Garrett Crochet. That’s at 1:35 P.M.

• In the evening, Drew Rasmussen and his 0.87 ERA will battle Corbin Burnes, who is off to a bit of a slow start. Will Rasmussen see the sixth inning for the first time? Will Burnes notch his first win as a Diamondback? Arizona takes on Tampa Bay at 9:40 P.M.

NFL DRAFT: Not a game, but round one of the draft begins at 8 P.M. You can watch on NFL Network, NFL+, ABC, ESPN, or ESPN Deportes. A wide array of possibilities!

Thanks for hanging with me! Looking forward to our next guest writers.