Month: May 2021

Jesus Luzardo of the Oakland Athletics was a surprise addition to the injury list on Sunday when Oakland placed him on the injury list with a fractured hand. He had recently pitched on Saturday but was pulled after giving up six runs in the third inning. Initially, it appeared to just be a pitcher having a bad day, but now it seems possible he was playing through an injury, but how did that injury occur? According to the A’s, it was from many people’s favorite hobby: video games.

According to A’s manager Bob Melvin, the injury occurred while Luzardo was playing a game and he “accidentally” bumped his finger into the desk. The injury only got worse from there and they were forced to place him on the injury list.

While we have no reason to believe that Melvin is lying to us about how Luzardo’s injury occurred, it’s hard to see how someone would “accidentally” hit their finger into a desk while playing a game. Whether he’s using a controller, or a mouse and keyboard, your fingers aren’t usually in danger of fracturing from gaming. Not unless someone were to take their hand, ball it into a fist, and slam their hand down in rage. That would be a far more likely cause of a pinky finger injury and something that most people who have played a game have probably done before.

Luzardo’s injury is not only bizarre, but it’s very fitting of the sport of baseball. For whatever reason, baseball players historically get injured in bizarre ways like when José Quintana cut open his thumb doing dishes, or that time a barbell fell on top of Hunter Strickland while he was bench pressing. Luzardo isn’t even the first time a player was injured through video games, as back in 2006, Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya was injured because he played too much Guitar Hero.

We’ll just add Luzardo to the list of bizarre baseball injuries. He is not the first and he will certainly not be the last.

The passing of DMX is something that’s still a painful thought for many. It was just last weekend that the late rapper’s family and friends came together for a pair of memorial services to honor his life, one of which took place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Despite being a week removed from these services, people are still finding ways to honor the hip-hop legend like Lil Wayne did during his performance at Miami’s Trillerfest on Saturday.

During his set, Wayne recalled a time during his career where he toured as much as “six months out the year.” He specifically used the moment to reflect on meeting DMX during the Cash Money Ruff Ryders tour which took place back in 2000.

“When we saw DMX, we all fell in love,” he said. “But when I got on tour with him, now you in the hotel lobby, you in the backstage, you run across the n**** and he actually say something to you. And when you see this n**** talk like how he rap and you see this n**** is what he is and you see this n**** got a zillion dogs with him, then a zillion dogs with him, it’s impossible not to be obsessed, infatuated, motherfucking impressed, whatever.”

His comments come after DMX previously confirmed that Wayne would appear on his upcoming album. The late rapper shared the news during an interview on the Drink Champs podcast where he revealed the project also includes features from Griselda Records, Usher, Pop Smoke and U2’s Bono.

You can watch Lil Wayne speak about DMX above.

The year started with Morgan Wallen dominating the album charts, and it took weeks for other acts to take the top spot. Albums from Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift soon took over. Now it’s time for Moneybagg Yo to join august company: The rapper’s fourth album, A Gangsta’s Pain, went No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, making it the first chart-topper of his career.

The album, which boasts a total of 22 songs, tallied a total of 110,000 album units for its first week on the albums chart dated May 8 — a number comprised of 106,000 streaming equivalent album units and 4,000 pure album sales. A Gangsta’s Pain makes for Moneybagg’s fifth album overall and his fourth to enter the top-10 of the Billboard 200. The Memphis native can credit tracks like “Time Today” and “Hard For The Next,” featuring Future, for helping boost the album’s chart position.

Further down the latest Billboard 200, last week’s chart-topping release, Young Thug and YSL Records’ Slime Language 2, clocks in at No. 2. A trio of additional former No. 1s from this year also held on to Top 10 positions, namely Bieber’s Justice, Rod Wave’s Soulfly, and Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which can be found at No. 5, 6, and 9 respectively.

Check out our review of Moneybagg’s A Gangsta’s Pain here.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Elon Musk is hosting SNL next weekend and the only people who seem happy about it are Elon Musk and maybe his wife Grimes. When the news broke last Saturday, it was met with instant and widespread revulsion. Even the show’s cast seemed ready to revolt against the controversial billionaire. When Musk tweeted out that he’s ready to find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is,” Bowen Yang took to Instagram, writing “what the f*ck does this even mean?”

The backlash hasn’t seemed to faze Musk, who was likely too busy admitting that his big mission to Mars will almost certainly result in a wave of deaths. While none of the performers have threatened to boycott the show, Lorne Michaels is reportedly not requiring anyone perform with him. Musk seems really excited — so excited that, a week before the big show, he floated out some ideas for “skits,” as he called them. But people weren’t amused, and not only because none of them were funny.

Some sketch ideas included: “Woke James Bond,” “Baby Shark & Shark Tank merge to form Baby Shark Tank,” and “Irony Man – defeats villains using the power of irony.” That feeling you’re feeling? It’s your sides, splitting.

Alas, some people on social media had some better, much more cutting sketch ideas:

Some simply called him out on his s*it.

Others offered some helpful suggestions.

Or just mocked him.

Even another SNL cast member called him out.

And others took aim not at Musk but at SNL’s writing staff.

Did any of this make Musk cry or doubt his sketch comedy bona fides? It’s unclear. But he soon moved onto other subjects, like architecture.

On Sunday, Manchester United’s home game against Liverpool was postponed after protestors at Old Trafford stormed the stadium and ran onto the pitch as the latest escalation of fans calling for the United States ownership of Avram Glazer and the Glazer family — which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — to sell the team following the Super League debacle.

United fans aren’t alone in calling for American owners to sell the team, as Arsenal fans have been calling for Stan Kroenke to sell the team after their failed effort at breaking away to the Super League as well. While not every team that made an effort to break away had American ownership, much of the ire from fans has been directed towards the likes of Kroenke and the Glazers as many have noted that it felt very much like owners who have stake in the NFL, NBA, and MLB were pushing for guaranteed money and remove the risk of falling out of top competitions and losing that revenue — as is the case in American sports’ top leagues.

Somehow caught in the middle of all of this is Jay Glazer, Fox Sports’ NFL insider, who is most definitely not a member of the Manchester United owning Glazer family but has been dealing with thousands of angry tweets in recent weeks from people thinking he owns the team. On Sunday, after the protests sparked more calls for the Glazers to get fired and his mentions filled again with soccer fans yelling at him, the NFL reporter offered a funny response in begging people to stop tweeting at him about Manchester United.

He later decided to have some fun and confuse anyone who still didn’t get it by saying he had decided to sell the team after much consideration.

There are others with more unfortunate names on Twitter who get wrongly yelled at more often and about much more serious things than Jay Glazer does, but this one’s pretty funny. I like to imagine Jay just scrolling through his mentions a couple weeks ago wondering why so many people from England were telling him to “sell the team” and telling him to “f*ck off.” In any case, please stop yelling at Jay about soccer stuff and direct your ire at the correct Glazers in the future.

Only real Simpsons heads know the name John Swartzwelder, which doesn’t seem fair: He’s the credited writer of 59 of its most beloved episodes. But that’s partially by design. He’s famously reclusive, without even a decent public picture to affix to his new interview in The New Yorker — an occasion so rare that it’s like Christmas for Simpsons nerds. And Swartzwelder delivered, with an interview that’s frequently as gut-busting as his best TV scripts.

Swartzwelder, who came on-board the show in its early days and left in 2003, discusses his entire career, from his stint on SNL during its infamous 1985-1986 season (the one with Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall) to his work on the comedy magazine Army Man, which also launched the career of Jack Handey. There’s also lots about The Simpsons. Swartzwelder is credited with many of the show’s Golden Age classics: “Dog of Death,” “Homer at the Bat,” “Krusty Gets Kancelled,” “Rosebud,” “Homer the Vigilante,” “Bart Gets an Elephant” — really we could list episodes for a good chunk of the day.

He’s also credited with arguably — well, inarguably, to be honest — the show’s darkest episode: “Homer’s Enemy,” from late in the eighth season. That’s the one where Hank Azaria plays Frank Grimes, the cosmically unlucky crap magnet who quickly comes to despise Homer Simpson, who he sees as being unfairly lucky: He has a big suburban home, a family, he’s been to space, he cooks steaks for dinner parties — all while being a lazy, beer-swilling dope. Throw in its notoriously grim capper and you have one of the most devastating portraits of American idiocy.

But Swartzwelder doesn’t see it that way. When New Yorker’s Mike Sacks says it’s not what co-creator James L. Brooks “might refer to as a ‘lot of heart,’” here’s his response:

Grimey was asking for it the whole episode. He didn’t approve of our Homer. He was asking for it, and he got it. Now what was this you were saying about heart?

The interview is filled with hilarious responses like that, even as he offers fascinating insights into how the show’s writing staff works (or at least used to work). For instance, here’s Swartzwelder talking about how some writers wrote Homer as though he’s more animal than man:

Yes, he is a big talking dog. One moment he’s the saddest man in the world, because he’s just lost his job, or dropped his sandwich, or accidentally killed his family. Then, the next moment, he’s the happiest man in the world, because he’s just found a penny—maybe under one of his dead family members. He’s not actually a dog, of course—he’s smarter than that—but if you write him as a dog you’ll never go wrong.

You can read the whole thing at The New Yorker — and then you can track down some copies of Swartzwelder’s many absurdist detective novels, which occasionally feature time travel as well as incredible titles like Dead Men Scare Me Stupid, Earth vs. Everybody, and The Spy with No Pants.

Dwayne Johnson has recently added politics to his CV. A recent cover story about him running for president, for example, saw him constantly getting asked if he will consider a White House run. But this weekend found people taking a break from current politics to celebrate a couple notable milestones — one involving birth, the other death.

Sunday marked Johnson’s 49th birthday, which he celebrated in part by doing his best Guy Fieri impression and raising money for restaurants that have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. And while fans relished the birthday of the guy who gave us Young Rock, there was a lot more going on with him online a well.

A lot of people online also paid tribute to one of the weirder internet artifacts out there: the tweet Johnson posted a decade ago about the secret raid US forces carried out that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

That tweet, which has hilariously low engagement given its significance, was posted before the press conference then-president Barack Obama gave announcing that the Al Qaeda terrorist had been killed in Pakistan. Looking back on a lot of ways that news was broken made for some interesting scrolling on social media on Saturday,

Whether Johnson will run for highest office remains to be seen. But at least we know one place where he’ll always be president.

It’s about that time of the year where rumors surrounding Eminem are running rampant on social media. Sometimes they prove to be true, like last year when his fans correctly predicted a deluxe reissue for his Music To Be Murdered By album was on the way. More times than not though, the speculation leaves supporters with high hopes and empty results. This time around, rumors regarding Eminem also involve Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar as it may appear the trio are working on new music together.

It all began when Grammy-winning producer and frequent Dr. Dre collaborator Fredwreck shared a picture of him, Dre, Eminem, and Kendrick on Twitter. He captioned the photo “Beats n Rhymes (microphone emoji)” and a couple of days later, rapper and good friend of Eminem, Kxng Crooked, shared a similar tweet and this was enough to begin the speculation about what music could be on the way.

Some believed the photos were about a Dr. Dre album that would feature Kendrick and Eminem on the same song. Others thought the upcoming release would be something led by Kendrick Lamar as it could be tied to a recent post from the rapper’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment, that declared “THE WAIT IS OVAH!!!!”

Just like past rumors, we’ll just have to see what it all amounts to. Until then, you can scroll down to see what fans think of the rumors.

The 2020-21 NBA regular season is entering its final two weeks and with it comes the all-important stretch run. The play-in tournament, for all the complaints from some like the Mavs, is working as intended as there are far more teams coming into the end of the season with something to play for.

In both conferences there is a tight race for the 8-seed (which gives you two chances to play your way in) and a tight race for the 6-seed (which locks you into the playoffs). At the top, the conference leaders in the East and West hold a tenuous half game lead on the 1-seed, and there is potential for drama down the stretch in the hunt for homecourt advantage. As such, we are going to take a look at the final two weeks of the schedule to identify the most important games remaining on the schedule for all of the races, from the 1-seed all the way down to 10, to help you plan for what games you might be looking to tune into during this stretch run.

First, here are the standings prior to Sunday’s action, via NBA.com.

Sunday, May 2

Nets at Bucks (3:30 p.m. ET): These two teams meet twice this week in Milwaukee, and the results here could very well determine how the top 3 seeds in the East shake out. Milwaukee is three games back of Brooklyn, but can obviously close that gap to one game with two wins. The Nets, meanwhile, are tied in the loss column with Philadelphia, who are entering a friendly closing stretch that starts with Spurs/Bulls/Rockets/Pelicans/Pistons, and a loss or two could very well be the difference in the 1-seed and the 2 or 3.

Blazers at Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET): Not every key game is an in-conference showdown. Both teams are desperately trying to avoid the play-in and a win here would be huge for either. Boston is tied with Miami in the 6/7 spot but holds the tiebreaker, while Portland is a game back of the sliding Lakers for the 6-seed out West and needs to log wins to have a shot.

Heat at Hornets (8:00 p.m. ET): As noted above, Miami is tied with the Celtics and needs to keep pace with Boston, but the Hornets are currently in the 8-seed, two games back in the loss column from both the Heat and Celtics. This game feels like an eliminator for Charlotte, as a loss would put them three back of Miami and likely end any dreams of sneaking into the 6-seed, while a win can keep those dreams alive a bit longer.

Monday, May 3

Warriors at Pelicans (7:30 p.m. ET): Speaking of eliminators, any hopes New Orleans has of sneaking into the play-in will be incumbent on their upcoming back-to-back with Golden State. The Pelicans are in 11th, three games back of the Spurs and Warriors, but a win here makes things very interesting as San Antonio has to play the Sixers and Jazz on a back-to-back). Golden State will know a win or two in New Orleans all but locks them into the play-in, and winning both could pull them into the 8-seed (they’re a half game back of Memphis), so there’s plenty of motivation on both sides.

Knicks at Grizzlies (9:00 p.m. ET): Those Grizzlies are going to be locked in a battle with the Knicks on Monday, as they look to avoid the win-or-go home scenario of the 9/10 matchup. The Knicks, meanwhile, hope to continue building a cushion in the 4-seed in the East, as they’re a game up on Atlanta in fifth and just 1.5 games ahead of Boston and Miami in 6/7. With a hellacious West coast trip on the schedule for New York, this is a game they need to get to start that cross-country trek.

Tuesday, May 4

Nets at Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET): Hey, here’s that second Brooklyn-Milwaukee matchup. If Brooklyn manages to sweep the Bucks in Milwaukee, that would end the Bucks’ chances at the 1-seed (or the two) and would let the Nets keep pace with the Sixers who, again, have a very soft start to the final two weeks of the season.

Warriors at Pelicans (8:00 p.m. ET): The Pelicans really couldn’t ask for much more than getting two games, at home, back-to-back against the team they need to chase down. Two wins and they’re one game back of Golden State (and quite likely, San Antonio as well). Anything else and the math really gets difficult for New Orleans.

Mavericks at Heat (8:00 p.m. ET): Two teams desperately trying to stay out of the play-in in their respective conferences will meet in a game as crucial as Blazers-Celtics for the same races.

Wednesday, May 5

Suns at Hawks (8:00 p.m. ET): Wednesday doesn’t have a particularly key matchup, but this could be fun and the Suns are looking to rack up wins to snatch the 1-seed in the West while Atlanta is holding on for dear life in the 5-seed in the East, just a half game up on Miami and Boston currently.

Spurs at Jazz (9:00 p.m. ET): San Antonio plays the Sixers, Jazz, and Jazz again in a four day stretch. That’s absolutely brutal for a team that needs just a couple wins to feel solid in the play-in. The Warriors could do them some favors by beating the Pelicans a couple times, but San Antonio would like to get at least one of these three games. Utah, meanwhile, is in a battle for the 1-seed, but with Donovan Mitchell out, they’re going to have an uphill climb.

Thursday, May 6

Wizards at Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET): This is a must-win if the Toronto Raptors of Tampa are going to have any shot at the play-in. They’re three back of Washington and a loss here would be curtains on their playoff dreams.

Lakers at Clippers (10:00 p.m. ET): It’s weird that this isn’t a headliner of this piece, but it’s still important. The Clippers have a soft close to the season and could very well rattle off a bunch of wins to climb into third out West, jumping Denver. The Lakers, obviously, need wins to avoid the play-in as they’re a game up on Portland for the 6 with a monster game looming with the Blazers the next night on a brutal back-to-back. This isn’t the showdown of two top seeds jockeying for position most would have anticipated from a late season Battle for L.A., but it’s still a crucial game for both.

Friday, May 7

Nuggets at Jazz (9:00 p.m. ET): Friday night is a big one out West. First, a divisional battle between Denver and Utah that, depending on how everything shakes out, could be for homecourt in a semifinal series between the two as the 2/3 seed. Denver is three back of Utah, so it’s a long shot, but a win here makes things much more interesting down the stretch.

Lakers at Blazers (10:00 p.m. ET): This might be the biggest game of the rest of the regular season in the West, in terms of importance on the play-in. Portland is a game back of the Lakers currently and the winner of this game on Friday will take the season series (2-1) and thus hold the tiebreaker. That is a huge leg up in the hunt for the 6-seed, and I expect a playoff atmosphere in Portland for this one.

Saturday, May 8

Wizards at Pacers (7:00 p.m. ET): This is the second of two Pacers-Wizards games, and with Indiana just 1.5 up on Washington for 10th and a game back of Charlotte for eighth, how they fare in these two could be the difference in needing two wins or one win to make the playoffs through the play-in. It’d take a lot for Washington to catch the 8, but a win or two against Indiana would all but lock them into the play-in with Toronto three games back.

Spurs at Blazers (10:00 p.m. ET): Nets-Nuggets is going to be really fun and is the game most people will be watching late Saturday night, but Spurs-Blazers is probably more important. Again, San Antonio has to find wins somewhere as they have a miserable closing schedule, and the Blazers will be coming off the biggest game of the season with the Lakers. Either way, it might be a tough bounceback spot for Portland on a back-to-back, even at home, and this one will be crucial for both squads.

Sunday, May 9

Heat at Celtics (1:00 p.m. ET): Much like Lakers-Blazers, Heat-Celtics could determine the 7-seed out East, but making it even more fascinating is that this is the first of two straight games between these two in Boston. The two teams are tied currently and Boston would lock up the tiebreaker with Miami with one win in these two games having won their earlier meeting. Miami will likely need both wins to take an advantage on the 6-seed, because of that tiebreaker, and these are going to be very fun games.

Monday, May 10

Pelicans at Grizzlies (8:00 p.m. ET): Monday is a pretty rough slate, so we’ll go to Memphis for a showdown between two teams that don’t have a lotta love for one another. The Grizzlies would relish the opportunity to be the ones to effectively eliminate the Pelicans from the play-in. Memphis needs wins to stay in the 8 while New Orleans needs a bunch of wins to make the 10, but again, the Spurs have the Bucks on this same night so it’s another chance for the Pelicans to draw closer with San Antonio.

Tuesday, May 11

Heat at Celtics (7:00 p.m. ET): The second of the two Miami-Boston showdowns for the 6 and 7 seed in the East. These are going to be massive games.

Mavericks at Grizzlies (8:00 p.m. ET): Dallas is currently in fifth thanks to their tiebreaker with the Lakers, and get this game after a back-to-back with the Cavs which is very helpful given they have the Heat and Nets prior to that. This could be a spot where Dallas can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win, while Memphis is coming in on a back-to-back looking to hold onto the 8.

Knicks at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET): After that Grizzlies game mentioned earlier, New York will have played the Nuggets, Suns, and Clippers before facing the Lakers. It’s possible they come into this game trying to stay out of the 6-seed, while the Lakers are trying to get into the 6 out West. Having a Knicks-Lakers game that means something in May is an incredible thing, and this one could be very important for each.

Wednesday, May 12

Blazers at Jazz (9:00 p.m. ET): Another night without too many massive showdowns, but Portland at Utah could be big for both. Utah may be fighting for the 1-seed still with Phoenix, while Portland needs every win they can get to hold onto the 6-seed.

Thursday, May 13

Clippers at Hornets (7:00 p.m. ET): This is a weird one. Charlotte has a tenuous hold on the 8 out East (a game up on Indiana) right now, but have a lot of winnable games — Detroit, Chicago, Orlando, New Orleans. The Clippers, meanwhile, are a half-game back of Denver and, likewise have a soft closing schedule, so picking up a win here would be big in pushing for the 3 seed.

76ers at Heat (7:30 p.m. ET): This is the first appearance of Philly on this list because they have a Charmin soft schedule coming home, but this Miami game could be important to both. There’s a good chance the Sixers come into this one in the 1-seed, but only by a game or so, while Miami, coming off the Boston mini-series, will either be trying to hold onto the 6-seed for dear life or making one last push to get out of the play-in.

Friday, May 14

Pelicans at Warriors (10:00 p.m. ET): If the first mini-series goes to Golden State, this game won’t stay on the list, but should the Pels make a late push this could suddenly be very important. It is wild that these two play three times in the final two weeks, but with New Orleans three back, that’s all they could ask for in this spot.

Saturday, May 15

Hornets at Knicks (TBD): My kingdom for a final weekend game between Charlotte and New York that has serious seeding implications. It’s possible both teams are pretty well locked into where they are at this point, but with the Knicks’ hellacious road trip and the Hornets possibly in a battle for 8 with the Pacers, this could be important. Avoiding the 6-seed is paramount for the Knicks, who might be favored in a 4-5 series, but would have a serious uphill battle to winning a series if they slide to 6 and had to face the Bucks in the first round.

Heat at Bucks (TBD): This might be a playoff preview, if Miami can move to the 6-seed over these last couple weeks. Given how that series went last year, however, Milwaukee will have plenty of reason to try and take the Heat out and push them to the play-in with this matchup, should Miami be in desperate need of a win in this spot.

Sunday, May 16

Nuggets at Blazers (TBD): Every Denver-Portland game is insane, and with seeding for Denver and Portland’s play-in fate potentially on the line, this might be the most fun game of the final day of the regular season.

Celtics at Knicks (TBD): The Knicks and Celtics could be playing to see who gets the 5 seed and who gets the 6 seed. They could be playing for homecourt in a first round 4/5 matchup, or they could be locked in where they are. Still, that a final day of the regular season Knicks-Celtics game is quite possibly meaningful again is pretty cool.

Suns at Spurs (TBD): Seriously, who did the Spurs hurt in the NBA scheduling office? Their final 10 games of the season goes Sixers/Jazz/Jazz/Kings/Blazers/Bucks/Nets/Knicks/Suns/Suns. It’s possible they have to win this game to make the play-in, pending how New Orleans closes, and their ability to do so could be dependent on if Phoenix has the 1-seed locked up or not. In any case, San Antonio making the play-in with this finishing schedule would be impressive.

We’re well into the new era that Billie Eilish is presenting with her new album. It comes with the singer ditching her trademark black and green hair for a more delicate blonde look. She’s also given us new music for it as she dropped “Your Power,” the first single from her next project, last week.

This forthcoming full-length effort, titled Happier Than Ever, is set to arrive on July 30 and while that’s still more than two months away, Eilish is already displaying her content outlook on life through a new profile with British Vogue for their June 2021 issue.

One of the many talking points during her conversation with the magazine was an emphasis on being happy in your skin and how much you of it you choose to show regardless of society’s opinion.

“Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore,” Eilish said. “If I am, then I’m proud. Me and all the girls are hoes, and f**k it, y’know? Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you.” This follows another point she makes during the sit-down in which she says, “Don’t make me not a role model because you’re turned on by me.”

The profile also featured a photoshoot that sees the singer rocking a “classic, old-timey pin-up” look that includes a corset, a piece of clothing Eilish felt would she would be criticized for wearing.

“If you’re about body positivity, why would you wear a corset? Why wouldn’t you show your actual body?” she predicted some would say to which she responded, “My thing is that I can do whatever I want.”

While the upcoming issue won’t hit newsstands until May 7, you can read her full profile with British Vogue here.