Sports this 'n' that

 So they had 4 NFL quarterbacks, but no PGA touring players, taking part in The Match the other night. Old foes Tom Brady (Tampa Bay) and Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) bested young guns Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) & Josh Allen (Buffalo) in a made-for-TV event likely sponsored by State Farm, which employs Mahomes and Rodgers as endorsers. Allen, in fact, is the only one without a commercial endorsement presently (Brady had a 5 second cameo in one of those Subway ads).

As the late Gorilla Monsoon would often opine of a wrestling match that wasn't a technical masterpiece, it wasn't a feast for the eyeballs. We think.

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As the Philadelphia Phillies sit 12 games in arrears of the Mets headed into the weekend, the team decided to cut bait on Joe Girardi after two seasons and change.

Currently 22-29 after snapping a 5 game losing streak Wednesday vs. San Francisco, the Phillies needed changes. Perhaps the most glaring number staring management in the face was 3-9 vs. the Mets, including 0-2 on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Their best player, reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, has been limited to DH duty due to elbow issues, and sat out Wednesday due to a forearm problem. The outfield defense, without Harper, was exposed in the last series against the Mets as being ineffective.

Bench coach Rob Thomson takes over for the rest of the season.

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One week ago, the Tampa Bay Rays took a stand, alongside the Yankees, in the wake of the Robb Elementary massacre in Texas.

Florida Governor Ron DeStupid decided to deny the Rays funding for a new practice facility, all because the Rays are now supporting gun control. DeStupid would rather pander to his base of low information yokels than do the right thing. The Rays would be well served to offer DeStupid a special seat at a future home game. In the dunk tank.

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Tampa Bay's winter sports heroes, the NHL Lightning, are looking to even things with the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden, as the Blueshirts blitzed Tampa, 6-2, on Wednesday in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Lightning are looking for the 3-peat, while the Rangers would like to end a 28 year title drought. I wonder what DeStupid thinks of the Lightning if they lose......

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Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant shredded Fox's Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, and ESPN bloviator Stephen (Screamin') A. Smith over recent comments, including Smith excoriating Durant's teammate and part-time actor, Kyrie Irving. To paraphrase the late Don Rickles, just give Smith some beef jerky and make him go away. Sharpe has sounded like he's gotten elocution classes from Shaquille O'Neal's voice coach, and Bayless would be better off selling shoes after getting out of the journalism business.