Morning sports update: Jayson Tatum believes he’s the best in a packed rookie class
Mookie Betts went 4 for 4 with a sixth-inning grand slam as the Red Sox clobbered the Yankees 14-1 for their ninth straight win. Jaylen Brown had 27 points for the Celtics in Washington as they fell to the Wizards 113-101.
Jayson Tatum believes he’s the best in a packed rookie class
The race for Rookie of the Year in the NBA appears to be a tightly contested two-way competition between Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, but Jayson Tatum isn’t counting himself out.
“Talent level, I feel like if I’m not the best, I’m one or two,” Tatum told the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “I think it’s just opportunity, the situation that you’re in, and who’s on your team. I think I’ve done all right.”
In Simmons and Mitchell, Tatum’s up against two other young stars equally confident in their own abilities. Simmons said he’d “100 percent” pick himself to win the award, while Mitchell made the case for his candidacy by showing up to Utah’s game Tuesday in a sweatshirt that read “Rookie: An athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team.” Simmons was drafted in 2016 but sat out last season with a foot injury.
Donovan Mitchell’s hoodie though lmao 👀 pic.twitter.com/VFbeugz77i
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 10, 2018
Tatum believes he’s the best of the group.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m not saying that there aren’t other talented rookies out there, but I’m always going to pick myself… It’s where I’m from,” he said. “I’m from St. Louis and you gotta have that growing up where I did. You gotta have confidence in yourself first, before anybody else will. I’ve always had that.” (Boston Globe)
How a Patriots player’s act of kindness lifted a Lyft driver
On the day after Super Bowl LII, Patriots defensive end Derek Rivers called for a Lyft, but didn’t get in the car when it arrived. Instead, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Rivers introduced the driver, Mary Vilorio, to another man and told her he’d be paying for his hour-long ride to Fall River.
“He was just very caring about it, and the two of them were talking about the Bible,” Vilorio told Reiss. “I didn’t think anything of it, and then when I got in the car, the man started talking about how he was homeless, was struggling with alcohol, and that the person who had just helped him played for the Patriots. I said, ‘Really?’ Then I Googled the name ‘Derek Rivers’ and it was the same person. I was like, ‘OMG!’”
Rivers was the Patriots top pick in the 2017 draft, No. 83 out of Youngstown State, and spent last season on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in training camp. He added a $35 tip to the $66 Lyft ride and declined to comment for Reiss’s story because he didn’t do it for publicity. (ESPN)
5 things to know about the Red Sox right now: Boston sits atop the AL East after the best start in franchise history. Here’s what you need to know about the Sox, including Alex Cora’s honesty after a managerial mistake, Xander Bogaerts’ rehab timetable, and Brock Holt’s Whitney Houston good luck charm. (Boston.com)
Celtics minority owner to pay fine after jumping into fountain: James Pallotta agreed to pay a fine and apologized to the mayor of Rome after somersaulting backwards into a fountain in the Piazza del Popolo. Pallotta was celebrating after Roma, the Italian soccer club he serves as president for, overturned a 3-0 first-led deficit to upset Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals. (Boston.com)
Daily highlight:
https://twitter.com/espn/status/983884118311268352
