The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week.
WNBA
It's been a tumultuous season for the "W". While the on-the-court competition has been enjoyable - normal pro sports stuff - the WNBA has begun to carry a lot of baggage around its league. From the obvious Caitlan Clark saga (ahhhh yes, Caitlan Clark drama), to the Sophie Cunnigham stardom, to the villainization of Alyssa Thomas, and the constant complaining about the officiating by everyone, the league has felt...exhausting in some ways.
Mainly, because so much of what makes the WNBA is its purity in basketball and its physical nature. You know, the style we always ask of the NBA all the time...
In the WNBA, as of late, there is just always drama. Always...
Jay-Z Weekend
With Drake's last album, the hip-hop world was once again ignited in GOAT conversations. In this, Jay-Z, admittedly a GOAT of an era - mainly for a generation of now 40-year-olds like myself - just sold out Yankee Stadium for three epic nights.
For the record, as I type this on a late Sunday night, the third show has yet to begin due to safety concerns (fans without tickets rushing into the stadium).
Wild stuff. Nonetheless, "Jay-Z is not relevant anymore" is what they said. Crazy.
Nolan Wells
Just a sad story. First, my heart is with the parents of Nolan Wells, who have to endure this nightmare.
However, the initial facts, as well as the continuing development in this story, just don't make any sense. Suspicion is all over this. That's just my opinion. I just want justice and peace for the parents.
But, this has all of the powder keg details for yet another national story that will get politicized (if it hasn't already) and cause some ugly racial tensions to rise. In a state with a strong racial history, a story where race is very much on the surface, and the parents and others pushing to get more, this is just the beginning.
Again, I pray those parents can get closure and justice without the extra...
Cover Story
A person points towards a wildfire near Calonge. Barcelona set a new heat record this week with temperatures of 40.5C, Spanish meteorologists said, while in France a 22-year-old firefighter died after tackling a blaze in the Alps, the French interior ministry reported
Photograph: Bruna Casas/Reuters