Morning sports update: David Ortiz and A-Rod made an ALDS bet that neither wants to lose
"Get his size, because he's the one wearing it!"
The Patriots beat the Colts 38-24 and the Bruins redeemed themselves against the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-0 shutout on Thursday night. It must be comeback season for Boston sports, as the Patriots now have a winning record for the first time since Week 1, and the Bruins are split 1-1.
The Red Sox have their chance to carry on Boston’s good luck Friday night in the opening game of the ALDS against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
Here are some more sports headlines for your Friday morning.
A-Rod and Big Papi made an ALDS bet that neither wants to lose
“We won 200 games, bruh!”
Though his math might be a little off, old rivalries die hard for David Ortiz and current colleague and former MBL foe Alex Rodriguez. They were on FOX Sports Thursday night as the NLDS got underway with the Braves-Dodgers game, but the conversation soon turned to the Red Sox-Yankees ALDS, which kicks off Friday night.
2018 ALDS: @Yankees vs. @RedSox@AROD and @davidortiz breakdown (and make a bet on) the upcoming series! pic.twitter.com/z6oIQOCsHI
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 4, 2018
Flashing his three World Series Champion rings, Ortiz made his case for why his money is on the Red Sox.
“I have some insider [information], and I know that my man [Chris] Sale is good to go for not one, but two games,” Ortiz explained.
The two former players to a bet that neither will want to lose: the loser of the bet must wear the full uniform of the opposing team on set and will also be sprayed with champagne.
Ortiz laughed it off, and insisted that he will not be the cast member covered in champagne come the end of next week.
“Get his size, because he’s the one wearing it!”
Tom Brady threw his 500th touchdown
Brady took his time finding a target for what became his 500th touchdown pass, but it was most definitely worth the wait.
FLASH!
TB12 goes DEEP to @Josh_GordonXII for the TD! #INDvsNE
📺: @nflnetwork + @NFLonFOX
📱+💻: https://t.co/DJUityQHC9 https://t.co/y6yoaRIWAU— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2018
Josh Gordon’s first touchdown as a Patriot capped a six-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter and made history for the quarterback who threw the 34-yard pass.
Though he’s only started two games for New England, Brady explained that his decision to throw to Gordon is a reflection of the trust he has in the wide receiver.
“It tells you the kind of confidence I have in everybody in a short period of time,” Brady said. “He’s earned it. Happy to see him make that play.”
Gordon was excited after making the catch and celebrated in a way that is all-too-familiar for New England– with a Gronk spike.
“To catch any pass from Tom is amazing, let alone some history-making catch or pass,” Gordon said. “For him, I told him, ‘Congratulations,’ and I know there’s many more for him to come. Hopefully, he’s got a lot more left in him — I’m pretty sure he does.”
That wasn’t all, though. Gordon was the 71st different player to catch a touchdown pass from Brady in his career, breaking the NFL record of 70 set by Vinny Testaverde.
Brady’s record-breaking double-whammy received congratulations from teammates and head coach Bill Belichick, but the ever-so-humble quarterback referred to both milestones as “team awards.”
And when asked if he ever imagined himself throwing 500 career touchdowns and breaking this records?
“No,” Brady said with a smile.
Jaroslav Halak earns his first shutout in his first career start for the B’s
Halak signed with the Bruins in July and, barring the disastrous season opener, he wasted no time in proving he deserves to be there.
The 33-year-old NHL veteran stopped all 32 of the shots he saw in Buffalo Thursday night, his first regular season start with the Black and Gold.
“It would be awesome if we only got the win, but it makes it more special that I had [a] shutout,” Halak said. “We all knew that [Wednesday] night was just a bad effort all around and we needed to be better, and I think tonight we came out and we played really well from the drop of the puck.”
Brad Marchand, who finished the night with four assists, echoed Halak’s sentiments about bouncing back from the 7-0 loss the to the Capitals.
“When you have a game [like Wednesday night], it can definitely make you a little nervous on how things are going to go,” Marchand said. “I think this just gave us the confidence [that] we know we can settle down and bounce back. [Wednesday] just wasn’t our best night.”
“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.”
Kyrie Irving confirmed that he plans on staying in Boston, squashing all hopes for other teams to sign the guard once his contract with the Celtics is up at the end of the season.
“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.” – @KyrieIrving https://t.co/0wDLzuv5WL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 4, 2018
Though spoken word is no equivalent to signing a contract, it was good enough for Boston fans. Irving addressed a crowd of fans at the TD Garden at the AMEX Tip-Off event on Thursday and was met with roaring applause at the revelation that he is not interested in leaving Boston.
Irving’s plans to stay in Boston would alter the pool of free-agents come 2019, but not everyone is ready to bank on his promise, especially when it comes to Irving’s relationship with fellow guard Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves and rumors of the two wanting to play together.
Can’t believe Ainge got Kyrie to say that so that he would have more leverage trading him this season. Wild.
— Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada) October 4, 2018
Skeptics aside, Irving has repeatedly hinted that he wants to stay with the Celtics and that he is committed to the franchise for the long run, most recently at the Forbes “Under 30 Summit” and on Celtics media day.
Daily Highlight
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1048038236780515328
