Category: Sports

There are plenty of rivalries in college football, but there are certain ones that just mean more. One of those great in-state rivalries that garners national attention every year is the one between Michigan and Michigan State. Though Michigan considered Ohio State their biggest rival, there’s no doubt that MSU considers Michigan to be their number one target. Over the years, the two have had some memorable matchups, with these five being the best games in the programs’ rivalry.

5. Clockgate (2001)

One of the most controversial games in the history between Michigan and Michigan State happened in 2001 when the heavily-favored Wolverines traveled to East Lansing to take on the 3-2 Spartans. The game ended up being closer than people thought, with the score being tied at 17 entering the final quarter.

MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker spiked the ball with one second on the clock to give the Spartans one more chance, despite Michigan players and fans believing that the time had run out. On the final play of the game, Smoker connected with T.J. Duckett to win the game 26-24 in a game that’s still talked about to this day.

4. KW3’s Comeback (2021)

Nobody expected much out of Michigan State in the 2021 season after they finished a paltry 2-5 during the COVID-19-affected 2020 campaign. The Spartans stormed out of the gates, however, and started the season 7-0, including wins over Miami and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Michigan had high hopes and a #6 ranking after starting their season 7-0 as well.

The 2021 matchup started off strong for the Wolverines, who jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and went into the locker room with a 23-14 advantage. After the third, the score was 30-22 in favor of the Wolverines, but Kenneth Walker III and Michigan State roared back in a big way, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 5:08 left, winning 37-33.

3. Number One Goes Down (1990)

During the 1990 season, the Wolverines and Spartans were the top two teams in the Big Ten Conference, and they both came to play on October 13 of that year. Michigan State had lost close games to Notre Dame and Iowa heading into the matchup while also tying with Syracuse in the season opener.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines had just one loss, which was also against the top-ranked Fighting Irish. After three quarters in their 1990 matchup, Michigan and Michigan State were tied at 14-14, but both teams scored two touchdowns each in the fourth quarter. Michigan scored with just six seconds left on the clock, and instead of attempting the extra point to force a tie game, they went for the two-point conversion. They failed, however, in a controversial fashion, giving the Spartans a 28-27 win.

2. Triple OT Thriller (2004)

Very rarely does the Michigan-Michigan State annual game go into overtime, but there were back-to-back years in which it happened. The first of which was the only multi-overtime game of the series, with the Wolverines and Spartans needing three overtimes to decide a winner in 2004. Michigan entered the game at #12 in the rankings while Michigan State was struggling at 4-3.

Michigan State took a commanding 17-point lead with 8:43 remaining in the game, but the Wolverines stormed back, scoring 17 unanswered points in less than six minutes. This forced three overtimes, with the Wolverines scoring a touchdown and getting the two-point conversion, keeping the Spartans out of the end zone for a 45-37 win.

1. Trouble With the Snap (2015)

The worst word that a Michigan football fan can hear is “Whoa,” because they immediately think of the following words “he has trouble with the snap.” This is, of course, in reference to the 2015 Michigan-Michigan State showdown at the Big House in front of a sold-out crowd. The Wolverines came into the game with a 5-0 record and were #12 in the polls while Michigan State was also 5-0 and ranked in the top five of the coaches poll.

Michigan entered the fourth quarter with a 20-14 lead and were hanging on to a 23-21 lead with just a couple of seconds left on the clock. All Michigan had to do was cleanly punt the ball away and the time would run out on the Spartans’ perfect season. Instead, punter Blake O’Neill couldn’t hand on to the snap and Jalen Watts-Jackson of Michigan State picked it up and took it into the end zone “on the last play of the game! Unbelievable!” 

The Detroit Lions haven’t had a whole lot of success in the NFL Draft, which is why the team has gone for so long without a championship. However, there have still been some great steals and smart picks that the team has made over the years. Here are the five best Detroit Lions draft picks of all time.

5. Lem Barney (34th Overall, 1967)

The Detroit Lions held the seventh overall selection in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft and used it to take running back Mel Farr from UCLA. Farr ended up being a solid selection for the franchise, but it wasn’t until the second round that they really found a star. With the 34th overall selection, the Lions drafted little-known cornerback Lem Barney from Jackson State, who went on to become one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Barney played for 11 NFL seasons, all with the Lions, and made the Pro Bowl seven times while also garnering All-Pro honors twice. The All-1960s team member finished with 56 career interceptions and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

4. Calvin Johnson (2nd Overall, 2007)

Coming into the 2007 NFL Draft, almost everyone knew that the Oakland Raiders were going to take quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the number one pick, which turned out to be a huge bust. The big question was what the Lions would do with the second overall pick, with many thinking that they’d skip the receiver position after getting burned so many times by busts. However, the Lions did roll the dice on another receiver in the form of Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson.

The man known as “Megatron” may have retired when he was only 30 years old, but he enjoyed one of the finest careers for a wide receiver in NFL history. He set a record for single-season yardage in 2012 with 1,964 yards and finished his career with 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns. The three-time All-Pro was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

3. Alex Karras (10th Overall, 1958)

The first nine picks of the 1958 NFL Draft were dominated by three teams, with the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers all having two selections. After San Francisco took Jim Pace and Charlie Krueger with back-to-back picks, the Lions selected defensive tackle Alex Karras from Iowa. Karras, who was also known for his role on the sitcom “Webster”, would be the first eventual Hall of Famer drafted in 1958.

The man known as the Mad Duck played all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Lions and was named an All-Pro three times, as well as a Pro Bowler on four occasions. Despite missing a season due to a gambling suspension, Karras was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 100 career sacks.

2. Barry Sanders (3rd Overall, 1989)

The 1989 NFL Draft saw the Dallas Cowboys land their franchise quarterback when they selected Troy Aikman out of UCLA with the first overall pick. After the Packers took eventual bust Tony Mandarich with the second overall selection, the Lions were on the board. Despite running back not being a huge position of need, the Lions saw a once-in-a-lifetime player with Barry Sanders out of Oklahoma State and made him the third overall choice.

Sanders not only proved to be one of the best players in that year’s draft but also proved to be one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Sanders was a 10-time All-Pro, winning a slew of other awards that include a pair of AP Offensive Player of the Year honors. All in all, he rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns while adding nearly 3,000 receiving yards.

1. Joe Schmidt (86th Overall, 1953)

For the top pick, we have to go further back than any other draft selection on the list. During the 1953 NFL Draft, there were some solid players taken early on, and the Lions picked up a pair of eventual Pro Bowl players. However, with the final pick in the seventh round, they drafted a Hall of Fame talent in the form of Pittsburgh linebacker Joe Schmidt.

Schmidt played all 13 of his NFL seasons with Detroit and was a dominant force on defense. He was named to the All-Pro team on nine occasions and finished in the top five of MVP voting twice. Schmidt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 1973 class and helped the Lions to win two NFL Championships, including the franchise’s most recent title in 1957.

The Detroit Tigers have one of the longest histories in all of Major League Baseball, with the franchise joining the American League of Baseball in 1901. Since then, the team has called the Motor City their home and since 2000 has played downtown at Comerica Park.

Throughout the years, the Tigers have had a long list of amazing talent, with strong representation in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Out of the many men that have worn the old English ‘D,’ though, which ones are the best of all time? Here are our picks for the top five Tigers in franchise history.

5. Alan Trammell

Alan Trammell isn’t just one of the greatest Detroit Tigers of all time, but he’s also one of the most beloved. A fan favorite during his time, Trammell is routinely coming back to Comerica Park to take in the sights and sounds with the franchise that made him a star. Trammell was a second-round draft selection by the Tigers in 1976, and he made his debut the following season.

Trammell played in 20 MLB seasons, all of which came in Detroit, between 1977 and 1996. During that time, Trammell posted a career batting average of .285 while hitting 185 home runs and knocking in over 1,000 runs. Trammell was named to six All-Star Teams while also winning four Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, helping the Tigers win the 1984 World Series.

4. Lou Whitaker

You can’t talk about Alan Trammell without mentioning Lou Whitaker, with the two being teammates throughout almost their entire careers and best of friends. Whitaker was taken by the Tigers in the 1975 MLB Draft and made his debut in the same season as Trammell. The two were teammates all the way through the 1995 season, with Trammell playing just one more year than Sweet Lou.

Whitaker finished his 19-year-long career in Detroit with a .276 batting average, 244 home runs, and 1,084 runs batted in. Like Trammell, Whitaker also won his fair share of awards, including three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Whitaker was named the 1978 Rookie of the Year and was selected to five All-Star Teams.

3. Charlie Gehringer

Charlie Gehringer was a Michigan man through and through, growing up in Fowlerville, Michigan, and attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Gehringer was signed by the Detroit Tigers after college and made his MLB debut in 1924. Though it would take a couple of years until he became a full-time player, Gehringer stuck around Detroit through his entire 19-year career.

Gehringer played all the way up to 1942, finishing his career with a .320 batting average and 184 home runs. He also knocked in 1,427 runs and won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1937. The Hall of Famer won the 1935 World Series with the Tigers and was named to six All-Star Teams during his illustrious career.

2. Al Kaline

Every franchise has that certain player that’s nicknamed “Mr. ___”, and for the Detroit Tigers, that someone is Al Kaline. Kaline was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, but came to Detroit at 18 years old to start his professional career with the Tigers in 1953. The end result would be a 22-year career that was entirely spent in the Motor City, all the way through the 1974 season.

During that time, Kaline was named to the All-Star Team a whopping 18 times and was given the Gold Glove Award in 10 different seasons. Kaline achieved the milestone of going over 3,000 career hits with the Tigers and came up just one home run short of 400. In 1980, Kaline was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1. Ty Cobb

Though his personal life was highly controversial, there’s no doubt that Ty Cobb was one of the best hitters in baseball history. In 1905, Cobb made his professional debut with the Tigers, and The Georgia Peach would spend 22 of his 24 MLB seasons in Detroit. Cobb had a record-setting .366 career batting average and knocked out 117 home runs.

At the time of his retirement, nobody in Major League history had more hits than Cobb, either. Of his 4,189 career hits, 3,900 of those came with Detroit. The one-time MVP had a total of 151.5 wins above replacement (WAR), which is still good enough for sixth all-time ahead of the likes of Hank Aaron, Roger Clemens and Stan Musial.

There are few thrills in life that are quite as exciting as winning a big sports bet that not many other people saw coming. No matter the sport, it’s always fun to win, but especially when you win big. In a handful of cases, some bets that have been as low as $50 have turned into seven figures and cracking the code of the sports betting world. Here are five of those times when bettors defied the odds and won more than anyone else.

Anonymous ($1.13 Million)

Parlays can be a cheap way to have a lot of fun, and those of us who live in places where sports betting is legal to have often thrown a couple of dollars at one. Have you ever felt like you could turn $50 into more than $1.1 million, though?

That’s what one bettor did in November 2021 through the BetMGM app, and it wasn’t just a two or three-game parlay, either. He placed his $50 on a 15-game parlay across several different sports. The parlay got off to a good start when the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL won, and the 15th game had the Baltimore Ravens winning straight-up. They did just that, earning the anonymous bettor over $1.1 million.

James Adducci ($1.2 Million)

Imagine winning over $1.2 million on your very first sports bet. That’s what happened to Wisconsin native Jim Adducci during the 2019 Masters when he placed an $85,000 bet on Tiger Woods to win his first major in several years.

Woods, who was actually a massive longshot at the time due to injury and near-retirement, ended up shocking the world by winning the green jacket. He also made Adducci a wealthy man, which was good because he had to sell his Amazon stock to get out of debt and make the wager.

Dave Oancea ($2.5 Million)

Saline, Michigan is a long, long way from Las Vegas, but Dave Oancea has become so ingrained with Sin City that he’s now known as Vegas Dave. Oancea has made a career off of betting on sporting events in Las Vegas, and in 2015, he became a household name across the nation thanks to the World Series run of the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals came into the season as a pretty big longshot to win it all at 30-to-1. The man who grew up rooting for the Chicago Cubs quickly changed his allegiance for just one year, as he placed over $83,000 on the Royals to win it all. When they got to the World Series, Vegas Dave started showing up to games with a Royals jersey on, and the team didn’t disappoint as they earned him $2.5 million in the largest futures win in American history.

Billy Walters ($3.5 Million)

In the world of gambling, there are few names that are quite as well-known as Billy Walters. Walters was born and raised in Kentucky but has spent much of his adult life making bets in Las Vegas. Because of his success, it’s estimated that Walters has accumulated a net worth of over $100 million, with almost all of it coming from betting.

There have been a handful of instances in which Walters has won seven figures from a singular sports bet, including more than $2 million for a 2007 football game between USC and Michigan. However, his biggest win came during Super Bowl XLIV when he put all of his confidence in the New Orleans Saints to win their first championship. The bet paid off as the Saints defeated the Colts, earning Walters a cool $3.5 million.

Mattress Mack ($75 Million)

In the Houston, Texas area, everyone knows the name Jim McIngvale, though they simply refer to him as Mattress Mack. McIngvale owns the Gallery Furniture chain of stores in the metro area, and has become a local legend over the years. Not only is he known for his stores, but he’s also known for putting huge money on sports betting to hedge his funds from the massive sales that he does every year.

In 2022, Mattress Mack put up the largest bet ever on a mobile phone, placing $4.5 million on the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. The team would end up losing, but McIngvale has had a much, much bigger win. In the same year, McIngvale placed a large wager prior to the 2022 MLB season for the local Houston Astros to win the World Series. The team ran through the playoffs rather easily, and Mattress Mack took home an ultimate payout of $75 million, the highest payout in sports betting history.

The idea of sports betting is exciting for a lot of people. Not only is there the opportunity to possibly strike it rich when your favorite team wins, but the thrill of knowing that your money is on the line for up to four hours (and maybe even an entire season) can make games much more interesting. There’s that type of gratification that you get from sports betting that instant win tickets or slot machines just can’t give.

If you live in an area that has recently legalized sports betting or are new to the idea of it in an area that has already had it, you don’t want to blindly throw money into it and expect to win. There are a lot of mistakes that new sports bettors make, and these five are the biggest betting mistakes that are all too common.

Betting on Favorite Teams

In almost every instance, someone that’s a rookie to sports betting will place a wager on their favorite team. It’s certainly enticing to want to put some big bucks on your favorite team to win, but you know more about that team than you do any other team. Let’s say for instance that you’re a fan of Duke basketball, and they’re playing a random opponent like Kansas State.

Most Duke fans won’t know much about Kansas State if anything at all. If you don’t know both teams, then it’s probably a good idea to not place a wager. It’s fun to bet on your favorite teams to win, but experts say that you’re better off placing a bet on your team to lose. Consider this hedging your emotions, as you’ll still be happy that your team won, and you’ll receive money if they lose, making it more of a win-win.

Getting Parlay-Happy

Sports betting agencies make more money off of rookies betting on parlays than they know what to do with. There are some people that walk in with $5, $10, or $20, and place a parlay bet on every single NFL game that’s happening that week. The reason for this is that if you hit all of those games, then that $5 can turn into tens of thousands by the time Sunday is over.

However, most parlays are sucker bets, plain and simple. The reason that the payouts are so amazing is that the odds are astronomically high. You may see an article about someone that won $1 million from a $5 bet because they hit a massive parlay, but just know that you have a better chance of winning the slot jackpot.

Not Considering Win-Loss Percentage

A lot of people that are new to sports betting don’t realize that you can lose a lot of your bets and still make money. People get discouraged when they lose a few times, but even the best betters in the world lose countless amounts of their wagers. In fact, the math shows that if you place the same bets with the same payouts every time, you only need to win 52.4 percent of your bets to be profitable.

If you can get anything higher than that number, then you start to rake in some big money. 55 percent is considered to be a solid line for sports betting, with some of the top bettors hitting around two-thirds. If that happens, you might be teetering into the territory of making a career out of sports betting.

Betting Too Many Lines

We just alluded to how you need to continue to make bets and simply get above 52.4 percent to make money, but you still need to pace yourself. There are a lot of rookie bettors that end up making more than a dozen bets in one sitting, and that can deplete your bank roll quickly.

If you don’t know what you’re doing just yet, betting too many lines in one day can be devastating if it ends up being a bad day. Take it easy at first and only bet one or two lines per day. Once you start to get the hang of things, you can start to increase your amount of wagers until you’re a pro.

Not Following Trends

Rookies bet with their hearts way more than they bet with their brains. There are a lot of statistics available at your disposal no matter what level of bettor you are, and it’s important to use those stats.

Take a look at the trends, where the money is going, and how teams are doing against the spread. These are just the basics, with more advanced analytics showing you exactly where your money should be going.

When it comes to any big football match around the world, pretty much everyone in the world has their opinion on who will win, even if that person hasn’t watched a single match. That’s why sometimes it’s best to leave it up to those that have no biases one way or another: the animals. Over the years, there have been some notable animals to predict football results, with these five taking the world by storm.

Paul the Octopus

After hatching on January 26, 2008, at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, Paul the Octopus quickly drew attention. Those that worked at the Centre said that he seemed more intelligent than the average octopus and would often become fascinated with visitors that walked by. He’d swim up to the tank glass and make eye contact with passersby.

Due to his intelligence, his carers would have him predict matches for UEFA Euro 2008. The first match prediction that Paul made was Germany over Poland in the group stage, with Paul proving to be right. He then went on to predict six Germany matches, getting four correct. Paul really rose to fame, though, when he predicted the victor of all seven German matches during the 2010 World Cup, and then went on to correctly predict Spain to defeat the Netherlands in the finals. Paul predicted other matches, as well, hitting on 85.7 percent of his guesses.

Rabiot the Octopus

Following the success of Paul, Japan got in on the octopus fun when a giant one named Rabiot was caught in Obira, Hokkaido. Rabiot got off to a hot start when he predicted Japan would win against Colombia in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup. The fisher that caught him let Rabiot continue predicting the Japanese matches, predicting that the country with draw with Senegal and lose to Poland.

It turned out that Rabiot was right on all three occasions, but unlike Japan, Rabiot didn’t make it past the group stage. Wanting to cash in on his catch, Kimio Abe decided that it was time to cut up Rabiot and sell him as food. While it was a pretty grim ending, the life of an octopus is not a long one.

Achilles the Cat

The 2018 World Cup was filled with animals coming up with their own predictions, but Achilles the Cat was deemed the “official” animal oracle of the event due to his proximity to the games. The white, deaf, Russian cat was asked to select each Russian match, and the first one turned out to be correct as the team defeated Saudi Arabia easily.

It wasn’t the first time that the cat had predicted matches, either. During the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Achilles was right in three out of his four attempts. Achilles continued to make guesses after the world cup as well, especially as he nailed all four of his predictions for Russia in the 2018 World Cup, and even made choices for Euro 2020.

Nelly the Elephant

A lot of animal prognosticators are tempted by food, and in the case of aquatic creatures, tend to randomly drift toward a winner. However, Nelly the Elephant was actually playing football while making predictions. At Serengeti Park in Germany, Nelly is offered up with two soccer nets in front of her with a flag at the top of each net. She then kicks a ball into the net of the team she feels will win.

It may seem odd, but Nelly was actually able to correctly predict 30 out of the first 33 matches from 2006 to 2012. People around the world would start making wagers based on Nelly’s picks after her hot streak, showing that she’s the smartest pachyderm in football.

Predictaroo the Kangaroo

If there were an animal that would be built for the quickness and agility of soccer while also having size and power, it’s the kangaroo. That’s why Predictaroo became such a phenomenon and developed a large following at the Australia Zoo. The roo has predicted a wide range of sports, including major football events.

Though the accuracy has been a little lower than those on the rest of the list, Predictaroo also has one of the biggest fanbases. Its real name is actually Flopsy, but most of us simply know her by the prognosticating moniker that caught the world’s attention during the 2014 World Cup.

There are few things quite as frustrating as seeing your club put together a good season, only to have them lose a star player due to injury, derail the entire season, and end the chances of collecting any trophies. For some clubs, the injury bug seems to be much more infectious than it does for others.

Superstitious supporters will tend to believe that their club has been cursed, but there is far more to it than anything supernatural. There can be several reasons one club suffers more injuries than others, and we’ll break down some of the most common reasons.

The Pitch Type

The English Premier League is known for having some of the best-looking grass in the world, as there’s a high standard for pitches across the league. While most clubs have their pitches down to a science, there are some that are lacking in the pitch department. Some clubs haven’t invested in pitch types that are safer for players, and a bad pitch can result in a slew of ankle or knee injuries.

The clubs at the top of the fixture each year invest a lot into making sure that their pitches are perfect to protect their highly-paid players. Those that are lower in the fixture, though, may not be able to afford the upgrades. Jason Booth is the director of the Grounds Management Association, and he said that “We’ve had some clubs (that) have had to cut their cloth.” Even American football has the same problem, with some pitch types resulting in an increase of ACL injuries.

Conditioning

The more fatigued somebody is, the more prone they are to injury. One major study concluded that “fatigued muscles are able to absorb less energy before reaching the degree of stretch that causes injuries.” Because of this, it’s important that all of the players are in great condition, and the staff is responsible for making sure that they’re at that level.

Of course, with the football schedule the way it is, not every player is going to have time to work on their conditioning outside of matches. There are very few breaks throughout the year, and managers have to keep their stars accountable. Also, when a player is showing signs of serious fatigue, a good manager will pull them from a match before injury occurs.

Experience

There are certain ebbs and flows to a match at the Premier League level, and you can certainly tell the difference when watching an EPL match compared to lower levels. Some of the players aren’t accustomed to the speed and strategy of an EPL match, and that can lead to injuries. Accidents happen when a player is in the wrong spot or can take risks that cause them to crash into other players at a high speed.

This is why supporters of all sports are nervous to see their star players go against those that are inexperienced. Many of the top players are pulled from matches early or withheld altogether as their talents aren’t needed to beat the more inexperienced clubs, so the injury risk isn’t worth them playing.

Reported Injuries

There was a time when players would power through injuries because they didn’t want to lose their spot on a squad. However, players weren’t given millions every year. These days, players are a much larger investment for a club, and they want to know when their stars feel even the slightest bit of pain so that they can keep them out of the lineup.

Athletes are also receiving top care from health professionals, whereas in years past, they would simply take a few painkillers and get back on the pitch. Teams at the highest level have far more reported injuries due to the perceived minor ones being taken seriously. 

Summary

While these are the main reasons some clubs have more injuries than others, sometimes it comes down to just plain dumb luck. Even the most conditioned and experienced players can find themselves with a torn ACL or a concussion from just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Injuries happen all the time, and they’ll continue to happen to your favorite club, unfortunately. 

College basketball is one of those sports where if you’re good, you’re probably going to be good for a long time. There is a list of bluebloods in the sport that are seemingly in contention for the NCAA title year after year, and even new entries into the upper echelon like Gonzaga that went from being a one-time cinderella team to a top-level basketball team.

With that in mind, which programs have the most storied success throughout college basketball history? We have five in mind that rise above the rest as the most storied programs. Before we get into the list, some of the honorable mentions that just missed the cut include Indiana, Louisville, Villanova, UConn, and Syracuse.

5. Kansas

There are college basketball fans that are in their 50s right now that haven’t seen a decade without Kansas making it to the Final Four. The Jayhawks are one of the most illustrious programs in college basketball and have consistently won their conference no matter what it is. They’ve called the Big 12 their home for many years, routinely taking home the regular season championship.

All in all, the Kansas Jayhawks rank third in terms of most NCAA Tournament appearances and won their first two national titles in the pre-tournament days. Since the tournament’s inception, Kansas has won four titles, with the first coming in 1952. They added championships in 1988, 2008, and 2022, moving them up to sixth all-time.

4. Duke

Many forget that prior to Mike Krzyzewski becoming the coach of the Duke Blue Devils that the team was in that “good, but not great” category. Once Coach K took over, though, Duke became a powerhouse program that hasn’t looked back. Duke had reached the Final Four several times before Coach K, but they became regulars starting in the late 1980s.

The Blue Devils have won the NCAA Tournament five times, all of which have come since 1991, the year after Duke finished as the country’s runner-up for the fourth time. Duke is fifth all-time in terms of NCAA Tournament appearances and has won their conference more than two dozen times during the regular season. In a conference as prestigious as the ACC, that’s quite the accomplishment. Duke has also routinely put players into the NBA, with more than two dozen on pro rosters during the 2022-23 NBA season alone.

3. North Carolina

We go from one North Carolina school to its biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC is the home for legendary players like James Worthy, Vince Carter, and, of course, Michael Jordan. The Tar Heels were coached by Dean Smith for more than 35 years, and after some hiccups, had the great Roy Williams at the helm for nearly two decades.

Throughout UNC history, the program has made more NCAA Tournament appearances than any other team besides one that we’ll get to in just a moment. The school has made 12 appearances in the NCAA Championship, winning six titles in the process, which is good enough for third all-time.

2. Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the original bluebloods of college basketball, winning multiple championships even prior to World War II. When the NCAA Tournament got its start, Kentucky was right there in contention and made it to the Final Four three times during the 1940s. The team hasn’t slowed down since then, reaching the end of the bracket at least once in every decade except for the 2000s.

It seemed like the luster of Kentucky was starting to wear off during that time, but the team hired coach John Calipari and has remained one of the most relevant programs in basketball. No team has more NCAA Tournament appearances than Kentucky, and only one team has more than the eight championships that the Wildcats have won.

1. UCLA

While the UCLA Bruins might not carry the same luster that they once did, the history of the program is impossible for anyone to catch up with at this point. Under the tutelage of the great John Wooden, UCLA basketball became a powerhouse, winning 11 championships during his more than quarter-century with the program.

UCLA was also able to win another title in their post-Wooden era, doing so in 1995 under Jim Harrick. UCLA’s 11 titles are more than any other school by a long shot, and they’ve made the Final Four in all but one decade (2010s) since the 1960s. They rank fourth in NCAA Tournament appearances, but it’s the title wins that set them apart.

There was once a time in baseball when the distance of a home run was essentially measured by eye, with estimates of how far a ball flew out of the park. Since 2015, though, Major League Baseball has officially used a tool called Statcast that measures a lot of different data with extreme accuracy, including home run distance. The game’s measurables have been on full display in the Statcast era, with launch angle, exit velocity, and more all included with every swing.

Because of Statcast, we no longer have to guess how long a home run was, and gone are the days of anecdotes of 600-foot home runs. With that said, there have still been some absolute bombs hit during the Statcast era of Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at the five longest home runs since the measuring tool was introduced.

5. Five Tied (495 Feet)

Strangely enough, there have been five batters to reach 495 feet with their home runs, with two of them appearing later in the list. Aaron Judge hit the first 495-footer of the Statcast era, hitting a missile off of Logan Verrett of the Baltimore Orioles in June 2017.

The second man to reach 495 feet was Joey Gallo while he was a member of the Texas Rangers, doing so in July 2018 on a bottom-of-the-ninth shot that tied the game and forced extra innings against Cleveland. Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves joined the party in September 2020 against the Red Sox, with Miguel Sano following up the next year (also against the Red Sox). Finally, Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies hit a 495-footer against the St. Louis Cardinals in August 2022.

4. Three Tied (496 Feet)

There have been three instances during the Statcast era in which a batter has launched a home run of exactly 496 feet. The first came with American League home run record-holder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in one of the final games of 2017 against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the 33rd home run of the year for Judge, which he would obviously build upon a few years later.

The next 496-footer came off the bat of Miguel Sano with the Minnesota Twins. He did so against the Chicago White Sox late in the 2019 season and it was his 30th home run of the season. Finally, there was Jesus Sanchez of the Miami Marlins, who took advantage of the thin air at Coors Field to mash a 496-foot home run during a 7-1 loss.

3. Christian Yelich (499 Feet)

Another slugger to take advantage of the Coors Field air, Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers helped keep his team in the thick of the playoff race in September 2022 by launching a 499-foot home run. The game would end up being 10-7 in favor of the Rockies, and Yelich got the party started with his massive home run.

The home run came off of Rockies pitcher Chad Kuhl, and for Yelich it was his 12th home run of the 2022 season. While it ended up being a ‘down’ season for the former MVP, it was still the longest home run of Yelich’s career by a wide margin.

2. Two Tied (504 Feet)

In 2016, Giancarlo Stanton, who was then a member of the Miami Marlins, set the then-Statcast record with a 504-foot home run off of the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning of a game on August 6, 2016, to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. Again, it was a product of Coors Field allowing the ball to continue to carry into the stands, and had an exit velocity of 115.8 miles per hour.

Six years later, C.J. Cron added to the lore of Coors Field by pulling a 504-footer of his own down the left field line against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The crowd was nearly empty as both teams were out of the playoff hunt, but the home run made a lot of highlight reels.

1. Nomar Mazara (505 Feet)

Finally, we reach the only man on the list to hit 505 feet with a home run, and that’s Nomar Mazara of the Texas Rangers. On June 2019, he faced Reynaldo Lopez and the Chicago White Sox at home and didn’t waste any time doing so.

The home run came in the bottom of the first of a 0-0 game, with Mazara breaking the tie on his two-run shot. Mazara’s home run was his 10th of the year at that point and had an exit velocity of 109.7 miles per hour.

There are certain sports where being tall isn’t the biggest advantage. Unlike football or basketball, sports like baseball tend to be advantageous for those that are around the average height. However, there have still been plenty of players that made their way into the MLB while towering over most of their teammates and fans.

Some players round up and say that they’re seven feet tall, but when using official heights, there hasn’t been any seven-footer in baseball history. There are a few that were awfully close, however. Here are the tallest players to make the MLB and how they fared on the field.

6’10”:  Andy Sisco

Andy Sisco was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2001 and made his debut four years later with the Kansas City Royals. Sisco appeared in 151 Major League games with both the Royals and Chicago White Sox but never got back into the league after 2007. In that season, he had an 8.36 earned run average in 19 games.

6’10”:  Aaron Slegers

Born in Long Beach, California, the 6’10” Aaron Slegers made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins as a relief pitcher and bounced around the league quite a bit over the next few years. Used as a call-up guy with multiple teams, Slegers has appeared in over 45 Major League games with an ERA of over five.

6’10”:  Andrew Brackman

While most of the players on the list saw significant playing time in the MLB, the same can not be said for Andrew Brackman. Brackman was a first-round selection in 2007 by the New York Yankees, but spent much of his career in the minors. Brackman finally made his debut in 2011, but played in just three Major League games (all with the Yankees), pitching a total of 2.1 innings.

6’10”:  Randy Johnson

Without a doubt, the best player on the list is Randy Johnson, who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Johnson was a near-unanimous selection thanks to his dominant career. Known as “The Big Unit,” Johnson was a 10-time All-Star and had the best earned run average in the league on four different occasions. He finished his career after the 2009 season, and over 22 years with six different teams, had 303 wins with 4,875 strikeouts. Johnson also won the 2001 World Series MVP to cement his legacy.

6’10”:  Eric Hillman

Eastern Illinois University hasn’t produced a lot of big leaguers, but it did so in 1987 when Eric Hillman was drafted by the New York Mets. Hillman waited in the Minor Leagues for several years to get his opportunity but finally made his Mets debut in 1992. Hillman didn’t last on the big league roster very frequently, though, as he played in just 49 games with the last coming in 1994. Hillman finished with a record of 4-14 and a 4.85 earned run average.

6’10”:  Chris Young

Not to be confused with the centerfielder, this Chris Young was a solid pitcher throughout his Major League career. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he made his Major League debut in 2004 as a member of the Texas Rangers. Young would play in the MLB for 13 seasons and spent time with five teams. During that time, he made one All Star Game appearance (2007) and won the 2015 World Series as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

6’11”:  Jon Rauch

The first of the two 6’11” men to make their way into Major League Baseball is Jon Rauch, who made his debut in 2002 at 23 years old. Rauch ended up having a longer career than some might remember, as he lasted for 11 seasons and played for seven different franchises. Rauch finished his career with a record of 43-40 and actually had a solid earned run average of 3.90.

6’11”:  Sean Hjelle

Sean Hjelle made history in 2022 when he was called up to the San Francisco Giants roster to appear in eight games during the season. The call-up made him the first man since Rauch to join the 6’11” club. Hjelle made his way through the minors after getting to all levels of it, meaning that it was a long time coming.