New England Patriots

Morning sports update: Tom Brady is going back to the Kentucky Derby with several past and present Patriots

It's a who's who of New England quarterbacks from the last two decades.

Tom Brady Rob Gronkowski Kentucky Derby
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski attend the 141st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in 2015. Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Churchill Downs

By Hayden Bird

3 minutes to read

The Celtics made a statement of intent in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Bucks on Sunday, winning in Milwaukee 112-90.

The Red Sox weren’t as capable, falling at home 5-2 at home to the Rays. Chris Sale surrendered four runs (two earned) over seven innings. Despite his improvement, he fell to 0-5 in the season so far.

Both the Celtics and Bruins resume their playoff schedules on Tuesday, with the Red Sox set to face the Athletics at home tonight at 7:10 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby will feature many Patriots quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, and other Patriots players (past and present) have made a habit out of going to watch the Kentucky Derby over the years. Though Brady missed it in 2018, it appears the tradition is back on.

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Brady, Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Jimmy Garoppolo are all listed to attend the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala:

Along with other NFL stars like Aaron Rodgers and Von Miller, a few NFL coaches (some with Patriots ties) will also be in attendance. Kliff Kingsbury (who was drafted by the Patriots in 2003) and Mike Vrabel (who helped New England win three Super Bowls) are all scheduled to be there.

And since Jacoby Brisett will join Garoppolo and Brady, the “wolf pack” is back together, at least for a day.

Trivia: Roger Clemens set (and then tied) the MLB record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game with 20 in 1986 and 1996. The Red Sox have actually achieved this on a third occasion, though it was done by multiple pitchers.

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On May 25, 2017, five Red Sox pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts in a 6-2 win over the Rangers. Which pitcher started that game? (Check the bottom of the article for the answer).

Hint: He was a 1st round pick in the star-studded 2010 MLB draft, but not by the Red Sox. He arrived in Boston in a trade, and left via free agency.

More from Boston.com:

Remembering John Havlicek

: Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan covered John Havlicek for years, and his opinion of the late Celtic never changed.

There is a new phenomenon in the NBA called “load management.” Perfectly healthy players are withheld from games for a “rest.” So check this out: The Celtics defeated the Lakers for the title, winning in six in 1968 and seven in 1969. In those 13 games, totaling 629 minutes (Game 5 in ’68 went to OT), care to guess how many of those minutes John Havlicek played? Hmm? How about 627. No typo. He sat less than two minutes out of those 13 playoff games. This is why I don’t want him damned by the faint praise of being a great “sixth man.”

Projecting the Patriots’ 53-man roster

: With the NFL draft completed, the Patriots’ 2019 roster is starting to take shape. Here’s a very early prediction of how the team might look in September. [NESN]

Jaylen Brown’s teacher was very wrong:

Yet the quote served as motivation for the third-year Celtic:

Bill Russell approves:

A promising sign:

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa had trouble pronouncing Ipswich (in England). But it begs the question of how he would pronounce the New England variations?

On this day: In 1986, Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners to set a new MLB record.

Daily highlight: Al Horford’s double block of Giannis Antetokounmpo was a microcosm of the Celtics’ dominance in Game 1:

Trivia answer: Drew Pomeranz