Morning sports update: Tom Brady raced David Andrews in beer chugging during the Patriots Super Bowl ring ceremony
"He beat you."
Following a controversial Game 5, the Bruins find themselves with their backs against the wall in Stanley Cup Final.
Aided by several notable non-calls, the St. Louis Blues came away win a 2-1 win Thursday night in Boston, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Now, they’ll have a chance to clinch the cup Sunday night (at 8 p.m.) on their home ice in St. Louis. Or the Bruins could force a Game 7 back in Boston.
Watch the highlights of Game 5 here.
In happier (albeit lower-stakes) news for Boston sports fans, the Red Sox finished off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals Thursday afternoon. Watch those highlights here.
Take notes, Aaron Rodgers
Thursday night was a big night in Boston sports for several reasons, some more celebratory than others.
Members of last season’s Patriots team received their official Super Bowl LIII rings during an elegant ceremony at team owner Robert Kraft’s house. The celebration included a classic appearance by Rob Gronkowski, live performances by T.I. and Migos, and a lot of jewelry. But perhaps most importantly, it featured Tom Brady demonstrating that not all star NFL quarterbacks are bad at chugging beer.
The Patriots quarterback raced center David Andrews in a beer-drinking contest, as captured in an Instagram story posted Andrews’s wife. And despite giving his offensive lineman a brief head start, Brady coolly came back from behind to finish off his glass first.
“He beat you,” Mackenzie Andrews accurately observes.
Tom Brady vs David Andrews beer chug (via @mackdemp26) pic.twitter.com/NRR830Diq9
— TooAthletic Takes (@TooAthletic) June 7, 2019
Andrew might have know better than to challenge the 41-year-old quarterback. Despite his notoriously strict health regimen, Brady has show in the past that he’s a surprisingly adept beer chugger. Teammates have also said that it’s his hidden talent. Recalling a team-wide chugging race roughly a decade ago, Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer told ESPN in 2017 that Brady surprised everyone with the skill:
“We don’t usually get to experience him like this, but we finally coax him into doing it. He does it, and let me tell you, you couldn’t have poured out the beer faster into a glass. It was unbelievable. And he slams the mug on the table and puts both fists in the air. He walks away with a look on his face that said, ‘You really thought you were going to beat me on this?’ The place went nuts.”
However, if the raucous videos posted by his wife and teammates are any indication, Andrews — who rapped and danced with T.I. on stage — may have won the night Thursday. Though in fairness, you could say everyone at the party were winners.
That moment when… pic.twitter.com/ADZEOphpCo
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 7, 2019
Trivia: With his sixth ring, Tom Brady now has won the most Super Bowl championships of any player in NFL history. With whom was he previously tied?
Hint: This defensive player was a member of the NFL’s two most successful dynasties of the 1980s and 1990s.
More from Boston.com:
- The Patriots just unveiled the 2019 Super Bowl rings
- 3 takeaways from the Bruins’ frustrating Game 5 loss to the Blues
- Tyler Bozak’s apparent slew foot of Noel Acciari in Game 5 ‘was a missed call on the biggest stage of hockey’
- What the Blues had to say about their controversial Game 5 win in the Stanley Cup Final
- Jordan Binnington steals show from Zdeno Chara as Blues take 3-2 lead in Stanley Cup
- Craig Berube’s Blues living dangerously, on verge of winning Cup
This was not how Cam Neely planned on celebrating his 54th birthday
Cam Neely was not a fan of that call. pic.twitter.com/mHzE7IyxbA
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) June 7, 2019
Tuukka Rask on Zdeno Chara’s performance
The Bruins goaltender didn’t have much too say about the uncalled trip of teammate Noel Acciari that led to the ultimately decisive goal in Game 5. But he did have a few complimentary words for the team’s captain, Zdeno Chara, who played Thursday less than 72 hours after reportedly breaking his jaw.
“It shows a lot of character,” Rask said. “It takes a lot for him not to play and, yeah, he’s got some big balls.”
Tuukka Rask on missed call: ‘It doesn’t help to complain about it afterwards’ pic.twitter.com/BVLX18wKOB
— NESN (@NESN) June 7, 2019
Tom Brady also had a few kind words for Chara. Bill Belichick did not.
Asked about his fellow quadragenarian, the Patriots quarterback (who narrated Chara’s Stanley Cup Final hype video) only had kind things to say about the Bruins captain.
“We’ve been in the same area so following him and following the Bruins, it’s been an exciting time to be around here,” Brady told reporters Thursday afternoon at Patriots minicamp.”
“[Chara]’s been a great kind of role model for people, very tough, very disciplined, very dedicated guy,” he went on. “One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in my life and just happy to see that team be in the position they’re in. It sucks for him to have a broken jaw, but knowing him, he’ll be out there if he can.”
Brady guessed correctly; Chara took the ice to thunderous applause from the TD Garden crowd Thursday night.
Belichick, in characteristic fashion, seemed more focued on minicamp than the local hockey team:
Q: What do you think about Zdeno Chara potentially playing tonight through a broken jaw?
BB: I have no idea.
Q: Shows some of the toughness of hockey players?
BB: It’s the Stanley Cup so – just trying to see if we can get a couple of first downs out here.
American teen’s run at French Open ends
Amanda Anisimova, a 17-year-old American tennis player, pulled off a shocking upset over defending French Open champion Simona Halep in the quarterfinals earlier this week to become the major’s youngest semifinalist in more than a decade. However, despite wining the first set, the New Jersey native fell to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty in the semis Friday.
Mookie Betts will try anything
Betts may have hit a game-tying home run Thursday, but the 2018 AL MVP has been unsatisfied with his performance at the plate so far this year. Batting just .271 with a .462 slugging percentage — compared to .346 and .640, respectively, last season — the Red Sox right fielder hasn’t come close to matching last year’s major-league-leading stats. And according to The Boston Globe‘s Pete Abraham, he’s been trying anything, including shots of ginger, lemon and cayenne, to get things going.
Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward seems to be enjoying the offseason
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) June 7, 2019
On this day:
Not even Larry Legend had an answer for Shaquille O’Neal in his prime.
Exactly 19 years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers overpowered the Bird-coached Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a series nicknamed Hoosiers vs. Hollywood. O’Neal finished the game, a 104-87 Lakers win, with a nearly unbelievable statline: 43 points on 21-for-31 shooting, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
“When we got close, Shaq just took over the game,” Bird told reporters after the game.
“He’s so strong,” the former Celtics player-turned-Pacers coach added. “I thought out double teams were a little soft.
Of course, the fact that Reggie Miller shot 1-for-16 in the game didn’t help.
But more problematic was O’Neal, who the Pacers never figured out how to stop. The Lakers won the series — the first of three straight NBA championships — with their massive Hall of Fame center averaging 38 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.
Daily highlight: While the lead up to the Blues’ second goal Thursday was controversial, even Bruins fan can’t deny that Ryan O’Reilly’s opening score came off a beautiful feed from Zach Stanford.
Trivia answer: Charles Haley (San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys)
