🏀⚽🎾 Get Ready For A Wild, Fun, Stacked Sports Weekend

This will be a weekend of sports for the ages – and one that won’t leave fans disappointed. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: Sit back, relax and clear your schedule, as this weekend of sports should be one for the ages ... we take a look back at Ken Griffey Jr.‘s incredible showing at the 1998 Home Run Derby ... and we are treated to a laugh-out-loud interview with a little league baseball player. We write a lot for those who love sports here because that should be the essential point of a daily sports column, but there is a group of people who we’ve been neglecting. Those who hate sports, who have no time for it at all, who believe athletic pursuits are a foolish waste of time? Well, they generally get little or no attention on these pages. Let’s change that – for one day and one column only. Sports haters, this one is for you. Well, kind of. It is a decision borne out of pity because this is a truly miserable, awful and soul-destroying weekend to be a hater of sports, quite simply because there is so darn much of it going on that it’s going to be pretty much unavoidable. Now, unfortunately for the stray sports-phobe who somehow wound up on this page, I’m not informed enough to discuss the latest hot items in the art world, too old to be down with what’s poppin’ (ouch) in modern music, and not even close to being cool enough to be on the pulse with pop culture’s most recent developments. What I can do, however, is try to tempt Mr. or Ms. Anti-Sports to dip their toe in the water by pointing out some of the nuances of the sports blockbuster that’s going to wash over us in the next few days. [STORY IMAGE 1] There is no better place to start than the NBA Finals, which has been so far dominated by a team led by that guy from the State Farm commercials. No, not Jake, the other guy. His name is Chris Paul, he plays for the Phoenix Suns, and, if things hold, they’re poised to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent sports history. Over the last five seasons, the Suns have lost 159 more games than they’ve won (that’s a lot) and generally been one of the most downtrodden teams across all sports. But not now, not after Paul provided his veteran smarts, as Devin Booker continues to ooze calm magnificence and while the Milwaukee Bucks try in apparent vain to find an answer. “Every time (Booker) hit a three you could tell it just melted them down,” Suns teammate Mikal Bridges said after Thursday night’s Game 2 win that established a 2-0 buffer, before the series switches to Milwaukee on Sunday. [STORY IMAGE 2] If the hype of hoops doesn’t float your boat, what about an international flavor, as soccer celebrates its most monumental weekend outside of the World Cup. On Saturday (8 p.m. ET on FS1), the Copa America final features a mouth-watering clash between storied foes Argentina and Brazil and a nostalgic twist that verges on the Shakespearean. Remarkably, there are large numbers of Brazilians who will be openly rooting against their own country in the final. That, in soccer – never happens. The reason we are seeing it this time is because this may be the last chance for Argentina’s Lionel Messi, one of soccer’s all-time greats, to finally add a major title for his country – the only thing missing from his glittering resume. The decision of so many Brazilians to cheer for what has been a historic rival has stunned Brazil star Neymar, who voiced his dismay. “I never attacked, nor would I ever attack Brazil, whether it is a sport, a beauty contest, the Oscars,” he said. [STORY IMAGE 3] Meanwhile, over in Europe, England is gearing up to try to win its first major prize since 1966, having qualified for the final of the rescheduled Euro 2020, the latter stages of which are being played on home soil. London’s Wembley Stadium will feature the English taking on Italy on Sunday, a humdinger of a matchup with immense national pride and cultural ramifications at stake. There will be celebrities aplenty on display, even members of the royal family, all gearing up for a spectacular party – while an experienced, highly-organized and in-form Italian squad conjures plans to send the host celebration crashing down. Across London town, the upscale prestige of Wimbledon comes to its conclusion, all manicured lawns and old school traditions, culminating in Ashleigh Barty trying to extend her dominance of the women’s game as she meets Karolina Pliskova in the final, while Novak Djokovic, once thought to the be the third best player of his generation, is looking to enhance his claim as the best of all time. Djokovic faces Matteo Berrettini in the final and, if he wins it, will stand alongside record-holders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam victories. As we move into next week, there will be an abundance of anticipation for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). It comes around every year but this one has a special feel to it. It will feature an appearance by a transcendent superstar, Shohei Ohtani, who will pitch and bat – two things he does ridiculously well – flouting both the sport’s historical norms and the realms of what it thought possible. He’ll also kick things off as the top seed in Monday’s Home Run Derby, which is a fine introduction to sports for people who don’t understand games but can get on board with seeing people hit objects really hard, and really, really far. [STORY IMAGE 4] And finally, it takes a lot to keep Conor McGregor quiet – OK, scratch that, let’s not be silly - you can never keep him quiet. Let’s just say it takes a lot to push him off the forefront of the sports bulletins, especially during a week when he’ll fight, on pay-per-view, in one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest cards of the year, UFC 264. Yet that’s what has largely happened this week, as the loud, brash and bombastic Irishman’s bout with Dustin Poirier has been overshadowed by a crazed gluttony of sporting treats that will make the next couple of days a wonderland of major event overload. They’re only treats if you like sports, and remember, this column, this time, is aimed towards those who don’t. But if these words weren’t enough to sway you, in which case it’s a miracle you’ve kept reading this long, why not step out of the comfort zone this weekend to sample some of the finest of what sports has to offer? Any fan will tell you there are no guarantees when it comes to sports, but as we are shaking things up a little, let’s turn that on its head and offer one anyway. You can set in stone that this will be a weekend of sports for the ages – and that you won’t be left disappointed. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Avi Creditor, Sports Illustrated: “Regardless of how they got there, a Brazil-Argentina final with this set of leading actors will be a sight to behold.” Ryan Wood, Green Bay Press Gazette: “This Bucks-Suns matchup is so much better for The Finals than LeBron, KD or Steph reruns or the 23rd installment of Lakers-Celtics. Give me the new blood. Great to see.” Alexi Lalas, FOX Sports: “Messi wants to beat you and humble you, Neymar still wants to beat you and embarrass you. Both have done exactly that in this Copa America. Now these two artists meet in the final. They are feeding off each other and it may help them create a masterpiece.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a Freak performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but his teammates were AWOL. [FOX Sports NBA Writer Melissa Rohlin has the story](. - Everyone knows about Shohei Ohtani’s feats, but several other players have produced unexpected starts, good and bad. [FOX Sports MLB Writer Pedro Moura has the story](. - Before the Home Run Derby returns to Denver, [FOX Sports MLB Writer Jake Mintz has the story behind Ken Griffey Jr.‘s incredible showing in 1998](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Happy Friday! In honor of the weekend ahead, we wanted to take an opportunity to share this laugh-out-loud video featuring a little league baseball player giving an interview. When the little leaguer is asked about his experience at the Cliff Godwin Baseball Camp, he responds he “just came here to hit dingers and have a good time.” Go ahead and give this video a watch. This kid has the look of a future star! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Friday Night SmackDown (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Cesaro faces off with Seth Rollins in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. Wimbledon Women’s Final (Saturday, ESPN, 9 a.m. ET) Ashleigh Barty takes on Karolina Pliskova in the Wimbledon Women’s final. Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers (Saturday, FS1, 4:05 p.m. ET) James Kaprielian takes the mound for the Oakland Athletics, who take on the Texas Rangers. New York Yankees at Houston Astros (Saturday, FOX, 7:15 p.m. ET) Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the New York Yankees, who go up against Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros. Copa America Soccer Final: Brazil vs. Argentina (Saturday, FS1, 8 p.m. ET) Brazil and Argentina meet in the 2021 Copa America final from Maracana Stadium. Phoenix Suns at Milwaukee Bucks (Sunday, ABC, 8 p.m. ET) Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns battle Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( 2021 Copa America Final: Brazil vs. Argentina Messi and Neymar both to score: +475 Lionel Messi leads Argentina into Maracana Stadium to take on Neymar and Brazil in the 2021 Copa America Soccer final. Messi has been on a tear throughout this tournament, totaling four goals and five assists in six games heading into the final. FOX Bet is offering a bet for both Messi and Neymar to score in the final at +475 odds. Go ahead and lock this bet in and then sit back, relax and enjoy the showdown between two of the greatest soccer players in the world. [WHAT THEY SAID] “My coach said I run like a girl. And I said if he ran a little faster, he could too.” — Mia Hamm [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900