Greetings sports fans, it's Chris Bengel here once again to bring you all the sports news that you can handle. I certainly hope you're not too sick of me, because I'll be back this afternoon to bring you our gambling newsletter.

The Home Run Derby is always one of the most entertaining nights in sports. Yes, you can say it's cheesy, but it's always had a special place in my heart. When the MLB All-Star Game comes to Philadelphia in 2026, you better believe I'll be in attendance for the Home Run Derby and the game itself. It's a bucket list item for sure.

Enough about my dreams, let's get to the news -- and it's baseball heavy today!

📰 What you need to know

1. Pete Alonso wins second straight Home Run Derby ⚾

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso has quickly blossomed into one of the most dangerous power hitters that Major League Baseball has to offer. Over his first 2.5 seasons in the majors, Alonso has blasted 86 home runs, including a record 53 as a rookie in 2019. Alonso already had one Home Run Derby title to his credit entering last night, as he won the event in 2019 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. 

On Monday, history ended up re-peteing itself as Alonso won his second consecutive Home Run Derby title. Alonso defeated Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini in the finals, 23-22. The highlight of the night was Alonso launching 35 home runs in the first round, which was the highest single-round total of the evening. 

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Alonso is in some special company now, as Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Cespedes (2013-14) are the only two players to win the Home Run Derby in back-to-back competitions. The Home Run Derby was canceled in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heading into the event, fans were eager to see what Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani could do in his first Home Run Derby. However, Ohtani was defeated 31-28 by Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto in the opening round. Another big surprise on the night was the fact that Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo fell to Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story in the first round.

Below are the results from Monday's Home Run Derby:

First round

  • No. 6 Trey Mancini, Orioles (24 homers) defeats No. 3 Matt Olson, Athletics (23 homers)
  • No. 7 Trevor Story, Rockies (20 homers) defeats No. 2 Joey Gallo, Rangers (19 homers)
  • No. 5 Pete Alonso, Mets (35 homers) defeats No. 4 Salvador Perez, Royals (28 homers)
  • No. 8 Juan Soto, Nationals (31 homers) defeats No. 1 Shohei Ohtani, Angels (28 homers) in swing-off

Second round

  • Trey Mancini (13 homers) defeats Trevor Story (12 homers)
  • Pete Alonso (16 homers) defeats Juan Soto (15 homers)

Final

  • Pete Alonso (23 homers) defeats Trey Mancini (22 homers)

2. Shohei Ohtani will be starting pitcher, bat leadoff for American League in All-Star Game ⚾


The MLB All-Star Game is set for tonight at Coors Field and, while he had a disappointing Home Run Derby, Ohtani will be in the spotlight yet again. He will be the starting pitcher for the American League while also batting in the leadoff spot.

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Ohtani won the fan vote as the designated hitter for the American League, but was also voted in as a pitcher. In doing so, the Angels star became the first player in MLB history to qualify as both a hitter and pitcher. The league granted Ohtani the ability to start in both capacities and it's something that American League manager Kevin Cash pleaded for -- and his rationale was simple.

Cash: "For this game, we're going to be allowed to use Shohei as two players. This is what the fans want to see."

The manager definitely isn't wrong. Fans have been watching Ohtani's every move throughout the first half of the 2021 season. Every time Ohtani steps into the batter's box, it's a chance to see something special. Ohtani currently has 33 home runs, which is a five-home run advantage over Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Here are the starting lineups for both sides in Tuesday's game:

  • National League: 1. Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS) 2. Max Muncey (DH) 3. Nolan Arenado (3B) 4. Freddie Freeman (1B) 5. Nick Castellanos (RF) 6. Jesse Winker (LF) 7. J.T. Realmuto (C) 8. Bryan Reynolds (CF) 9. Adam Frazier (2B) SP: Max Scherzer
  • American League: 1. Shohei Ohtani (DH/SP) 2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr (1B) 3. Xander Boegarts (SS) 4. Aaron Judge (RF) 5. Rafael Devers (3B) 6. Marcus Semien (2B) 7. Salvador Perez (C) 8. Teoscar Hernandez (LF) 9. Cedric Mullins (CF)

3. Team USA men's basketball shockingly loses another exhibition 🏀

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The Tokyo Olympics start one week from Friday and, while they are a heavy favorite to medal, the USA men's basketball team is sure having a rocky lead up to the Games. On Monday night, Team USA fell to Australia, 91-83, in Las Vegas. That follows USA's loss to Nigeria in their first Olympic exhibition that happened over the weekend.

Both losses for Team USA are a very big deal.

  • The United States men's basketball team has lost just four exhibition games since 1992
  • Half of those losses happened in a span of 48 hours
  • The U.S. is now 54-4 in exhibition games since 1992

As for what happened in the game on Monday night, Damian Lillard led the way for the U.S. with 22 points and four rebounds while Kevin Durant, who was 6 of 13 from the field but was cold most of the game, chipped in with 17 points while also adding four boards.

The Australians do have more NBA talent than the Nigerian squad that Team USA fell to. Patty Mills was huge for Australia, particularly late, scoring 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the U.S. just couldn't get enough stops to back up their own hot shooting from 3 down the stretch.

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Team USA will play one final tune-up on Tuesday against Argentina at 6 p.m. ET before heading to Tokyo for the start of the Olympic Games. The last time the U.S. men's team failed to win gold came in 2004 when it finished third with the bronze.

4. A look at some of the NFL's most overrated teams 🏈

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The 2021 NFL season always seems to creep up on us as sports fans. Players will be reporting to their respective training camps in about two weeks and there will actually be meaningful preseason games to look forward to this summer.

With the NFL season fast approaching, it's that time where fans and analysts alike begin to predict how teams are going to finish and what teams could fail to live up to expectations. Every team starts with a clean slate and doesn't have many injuries to speak of before training camp begins. That's when the real work begins and we start to learn just how good certain teams will be.

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CBS Sports NFL scribe Tyler Sullivan dove into what teams may be a tad "overrated" when it comes to how they're being viewed by many. Here's two team he highlighted:

  • Denver Broncos: "Yes, the Broncos have some interesting offensive skill position players and a defense that could easily be a top 10 unit this year, but their ceiling is capped with what they currently have at the quarterback position. Right now, Denver is gearing up for a training camp battle between 2020 starter Drew Lock and veteran Teddy Bridgewater. No matter who comes out on top and wins the starter job, it doesn't really change my opinion on whether this team can be a viable threat in the AFC."
  • Los Angeles Rams: "They upgraded at quarterback after making the blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford that sent Jared Goff back to Detroit. This change creates a much higher ceiling for Los Angeles, albeit possibly shortening its championship window. While I do love that trade and overall like what the team did this offseason, I do have some pause about how highly they're being talked about. I think Tom Brady's immediate success in his first year with the Buccaneers has clouded fans' minds about how difficult it can be to switch teams and instantly contend."

Personally, I feel very much the same about the Denver Broncos when it comes to the team's quarterback situation. Denver went just 5-11 in 2020 and the quarterback room hasn't improved a ton since last season ended. Lock and Bridgewater haven't exactly shown that they can light the world on fire up to this point in their careers.

As for the Rams, acquiring Stafford to be the franchise's signal caller is a big deal. Stafford did so much with not so much talent in Detroit and now he has a stable of weapons in Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Cam Akers. However, like Tyler says, it's unclear if the chemistry will be there right away and it could take a while for Stafford to gel with his new team.

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📝 Odds & Ends

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📺 What to watch tonight

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⚾ MLB All-Star Game, 7:30 p.m. I TV: FOX

🥇 Best thing I saw on the internet

Once the Stanley Cup Final wrapped up, the social media world was buzzing about the hijinks of Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov. On Monday, the Lightning took to Tampa's Riverwalk to celebrate their second consecutive Stanley Cup with a parade. During the parade, Kucherov was interviewed regarding the parade and what the Lightning were able to accomplish.

"All the people right here, unreal," Kucherov said. "Love them all. Let's party hard, our time baby, back to back!"

Let's just say that Kucherov might be my new favorite player. The guy appeared to be having a ton of fun as he should be. What the Lightning were able to accomplish the past two seasons is nothing short of impressive.

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