Happy Memorial Day! Let’s remember to be thankful for all those who protect our great country. Check out this wonderful story of Casey Carroll, an army veteran and current Duke lacrosse star. Oh, and Duke takes on Notre Dame in the rematch of last year’s lacrosse National Championship game today!

 

From athletes who have served, to league partnerships with the US Military, sports and our soldiers have always had a unique and wonderful relationship.  In honor of Memorial Day, here’s a look at some of the ways they have worked together to encourage excellence in our communities and across the country:

NFL and US Army Tackle Brain Injuries
NBA partner with US Military to Serve Armed Forces Members and Families
MLB Players Who Have Served
A Look at NHL’s Finest

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NBA

The Heat’s streak continues. The Miami Heat fought back from their Game 1 loss to beat the Indiana Pacers in Games 2 and 3 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. Saturday night’s game featured vintage Ray Allen, who went Shuttlesworth on the Pacers with a 4-4 4th quarter performance from 3-point land. The feisty Eastern Conference finals match-up continues with Game 4 on Monday night in Miami.

The Oklahoma City Thunder got forward Serge Ibaka back just in time for Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals. Ibaka injured his calf muscle during Game 6 of their series against the LA Clippers and sat out for both of the Thunders’ bad losses to the coasting San Antonio Spurs. On Sunday night in Oklahoma City, the Thunder turned this series around and won Game 3 convincingly. We’ll find out if the Spurs will surge past the Thunder or if the return of Serge will be enough to propel the Thunder forward on Tuesday for Game 4.

The 2014 NBA Draft is right around the corner and the first pick belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers. We know what you’re thinking — yes, the Cavs picked first last year, and yes, they won this week’s draft lottery again. As of right now, the Milwaukee Bucks will pick second followed by the Philadelphia 76ers — that is, unless teams negotiate to trade picks prior to or on draft night. Most expect Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker to be among the top three chosen.

NHL

The LA Kings are up 2-1 on the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals after a big 4-3 win on Saturday night in LA-LA land. Game 4 tips off of Monday night at 9pm.

In the Eastern Conference finals the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens in overtime to go up 3-1 in the series. Can the Rangers close out the series on Tuesday night for Game 5?

In all things not NHL playoffs, Team Russia defeated Team Finland 5-2 to win the ice hockey World Championships on Sunday afternoon. Team Sweden would go on to take the bronze.

MLB

Bend it like Beckett — Josh Beckett, that is. The LA Dodgers star pitched his first no hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon, and the Dodgers won 6-0. In addition to it being Beckett’s first career no-hitter, it was also the first no-hitter of the season in Major League Baseball.

Manny Ramirez is back. The former baseball all-star will serve as a player-coach for the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A team out of Des Moines, Iowa. Ramirez has not played in the major leagues since 2011 and seeks to use his baseball knowledge to mentor rising talent.

Yikes — that’s 10 losses in a row for the Boston Red Sox (their longest losing streak in 20 years). This time, defeat came in the arms of the Tampa Bay Rays who not only beat them 8-5 on Sunday, but got caught up in a brawl that led to a few ejections. Time will tell if the Red Sox can turn this losing streak around.

Other

And your new Indy 500 champion is… Ryan Hunter-Reay! The 98th Indy 500 was one of the closest races ever, as Hunter-Reay won the race by only 0.0600 seconds.

After a long week, Rory McIlroy finished up the weekend nicely by overcoming a 7-point deficit to win the BMW PGA Championship in England.

The second round of the French Open continues this week. Be on the look out for matches between all of the current tennis greats, including Serena, Rafa, Federer, Djokovic and more!

JUST FOR FUN

FIFA 2014 World Cup Team Bus Slogans
Hyundai hosted a contest for the best slogan to put on the side of each team’s bus

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

Animal House 
NASCAR’s Rescue Ranch
Driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, have a growing animal shelter and education center at their Charlotte home

“The best football team in America”
The Seahawks joined President Obama at the White House
It was a celebration for the players that brought Seattle its first Super Bowl victory

What’s love got to do with it?
The Landon Donovan issue
One of the Team USA’s all-time best soccer stars was left off the World Cup roster

Transfer Politics
Why Leticia Romero can’t leave KSU
Transfer requests rarely become headline news… so why is Kansas State restricting this basketball player’s transfer rights?

50 Signatures
The NFL Commissioner received an interesting piece of mail…
50 senators signed a letter sent to Goodell urging him to pressure Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder into changing the team’s name

SPECIAL OFFER FROM SQ AMBASSADOR ORGANIZATION 

A major reason why we at SQ love sports is because of its power to help social causes. Beyond Sport  is an organization that brings together sports power players and leaders in the social sector. Guess what?  As a SQ Ambassador Organization, Beyond Sport will be giving SQ subscribers a special offer to their upcoming event at Yankee Stadium. Watch your inboxes on Tuesday for the offer.  Share The SportsQuip with your friends so they can join in on this awesome event, too!