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Acuña Jr. Slams Back, Pacers Flip the Script, & Monaco Mayhem

👋 Hey FirstFans!

This weekend served up some serious sports drama — a baseball star’s epic return, NBA playoff twists, NFL power plays, and an F1 showdown that shook Monaco. From clutch moments to unexpected shakeups, we’ve got all the highlights lined up.

Let’s dive into the action!

Today’s WOW moments from sports world!

⚾ ACUÑA JR. HOMERS BACK WITH A BANG
🏀 PLAYOFF COMEBACKS & GOAT AGENTS GET HEATED
🏈 COLTS’ FUTURE & RODGERS’ CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS
🏎️ MONACO GP WINNERS, LOSERS, AND SURPRISES

⚾️ Acuña’s Thunderous Return, Skenes Rumors Silenced, and Skubal’s Maddux Masterclass

Ronald Acuña Jr. is back and apparently allergic to wasting time. After missing over 150 games with an ACL tear, the Braves superstar stepped in on Friday and smashed a leadoff homer on the very first pitch he saw. That’s how you announce a comeback. Then, because one wasn’t enough, Acuña went deep again on Saturday, making it back-to-back bombs and reminding pitchers everywhere that he's still him.

In Pittsburgh, rumors were swirling about Paul Skenes possibly being on the trade block. The Pirates wasted no time shutting that down, saying they won’t even entertain the idea. And honestly, fair enough. Skenes tossed his first career complete game on Sunday, struck out nine, and still took a 1-0 loss because his offense decided to hit the snooze button. Poor guy’s out here doing everything but driving the team bus.

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Now let’s talk Tarik Skubal. The Tigers ace went full beast mode against the Guardians, throwing a complete game shutout with 13 strikeouts. Not only was it his first time pitching in the ninth inning, but he also set a Maddux record — the most Ks in a sub-100 pitch shutout since… well, ever. And for the mic drop? A 103 mph fastball to end it. Casual.

Between epic comebacks, trade rumors getting stomped out, and Cy Young winners flexing, MLB gave fans a little bit of everything this weekend. Baseball in May might be a marathon, but weekends like this make it feel like a sprint.

🏀 Haliburton’s Surge, Edwards’ Heroics, and Rich Paul vs. David Falk

Over the weekend, the NBA playoffs continued to enthrall basketball fans. Tyrese Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers continued to throttle the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter to take a 2-0 series lead. Now they would return home confident that they could win.

That confidence saw them take a 20-point lead before halftime of Game 3. But in the fourth quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns exploded for 20 points of his own and led the Knicks to win their 3rd 20-point comeback game of the season.

In the West, it was a different story as it was the home team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were returning on the wrong end of a 2-0 deficit. They needed a response, and Anthony Edwards and his teammates received the memo.

They did not allow a single Oklahoma City Thunder player to surpass 14 points. All after Kendrick Perkins claimed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the greatest Thunder player ever. The Wolves’ defense, along with Anthony Edwards’ 30 points in 30 minutes, saw them win by 42 points.

LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, came back to counter Michael Jordan’s agent, David Falk’s, super team claims. But Falk received another chance to talk about His Airness’ impact both on and off the court. That is where he claims James is nowhere near the GOAT.

🥊 FS QUICK HITS

🏈 Colts Mourn Irsay, Tush Push Stays, and Flag Football Controversy Brews

The weekend started with the football world mourning the loss of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who passed away peacefully in his sleep. Now the Colts will be governed by his three daughters until an official structure is decided.

It is unknown if either of them was at the NFL owners meeting when they voted to continue allowing the Tush Push. They also voted to allow their players to compete for spots on the Team USA Flag Football team for the 2028 Olympics.

That decision started off another can of worms, after current Team USA quarterback Darrell Doucette termed NFL players disrespectful. He believes they are wrong to believe they have an automatic spot on a team that has been winning.

To ease matters, Commissioner Roger Goodell clarified that USA Football will decide on the roster and not the NFL. The likes of Travis Hunter might want to give it a shot to play on both sides. But for now, he is busy celebrating his wedding to longtime girlfriend Leanna Lenee.

The newest bride on the NFL block could not contain her excitement after receiving a $200,000 Brabus-fettled Mercedes G63 from her husband as her wedding gift. She is also looking to gift their blessing soon after pictures revealed that she is pregnant.

🏆 Monaco GP Winners & Losers

🏅 WINNERS

🚀 Lando Norris
Finally breaking out of Piastri’s shadow! Pole on Saturday, race win on Sunday — and now just 3 points behind in the championship race. Talk about making a statement!

🔥 Charles Leclerc
Ferrari’s rare bright spot this weekend, splitting the McLarens in qualifying and finishing P2. Monaco magic from Leclerc!

🤝 Racing Bulls Teamwork
Isack Hadjar crushed qualifying and finished P6, while Liam Lawson bagged his first points of the season. Smart strategy = big rewards.

🎯 Esteban Ocon
Top-10 qualifying turned into a strong P7 finish thanks to sharp execution and teamwork. Qualifying in Monaco really is half the battle.

💥 LOSERS

😩 Fernando Alonso
Bad luck continues — power unit failure ended his race in P6. Still looking for points this season, and frustration is mounting. Lance Stroll’s weekend was no better, starting 19th and going nowhere.

🐂 Red Bull Struggles
Verstappen managed P4, but the team’s floor issues on Monaco’s bumpy streets held them back. Yuki Tsunoda missed Q3 and left empty-handed.

⚡ Mercedes Meltdown
Kimi Antonelli crashed in Q1, George Russell faced electrical problems in Q2, and both got stuck in traffic. Late pit calls didn’t help — a weekend to forget.

🏎️ Alpine Woes
Gasly qualified 18th despite close times; rookie Colapinto finished last in qualifying and never recovered. Monaco exposed every flaw in their package, leaving them far from points.

Thank you folks for reading our newsletter! Will see you in the next edition with more exciting highlights from the sports world curated for you! 🙏