New York

Alex Rodriguez had things to do other than support his ex-teammate Derek Jeter on Sunday. 

Jeter was honored with a jersey retirement ceremony at Yankee Stadium, which was packed with fans of No. 2 and many of his former teammates.

But one was obviously missing. As TMZ reported, Rodriguez was dining downtown with his new girlfriend, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez. 

This was perhaps no surprise, given the animosity between the two legends over the last decade and even recently. 

A-Rod's presence at Jeter's event could have been a bit awkward. Almost as awkward as Rodriguez blatantly skipping it while in town.

Three series remain now as the second round of the 2017 NHL playoffs begin to wrap up, and we will finally see a Game 7 after the opening round failed to produce such a matchup. 

The Anaheim Ducks will look to rebound from a 7-1 drubbing from the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6, while the Washington Capitals could eliminate some postseason demons by overcoming a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is also potential for another Game 7, as the New York Rangers try to force the series back to Ottawa after several squandered opportunities to advance.

Let us take a look at the latest schedule in the quest to move one step closer to the Stanley Cup. Continue for a breakdown of the three remaining matchups.

Tuesday, May 9
Wednesday, May 10
Thursday, May 11
Matchup	Game	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers	6	7:30 p.m.	NBC Sports	NBC Sports Live
Matchup	Game	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals	7	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks	7	10 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live
Matchup	Game	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators	7*	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live

Ottawa vs. New York

The Rangers are the better hockey team in this series, as they possess a definitive edge in offensive and defensive depth despite missing a superstar like Ottawa's Erik Karlsson. 

Yet, despite all six defenseman averaging at least 19 minutes per night, New York has not been the more effective team down the stretch. The team is down 3-2 in this series, with all three losses coming after New York held a late lead, only to lose the contest in the third period or overtime. 

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has been inconsistent for stretches in this series, acknowledged that the team's play with Ottawa's goalie pulled has been inexcusable, per Andrew Gross of The Record. Twice the Senators preceded an overtime win with an empty-net tally, but Lundqvist stressed that the Rangers have to move on if they hope to move forward in this matchup.

"Look what they've done to us six-on-five,” Lundqvist said. "But that's the past. We focus on tomorrow. Personally, I know how I need to play my game to have success. I just need to do it tomorrow and do it well."

The other oddity here is that the Senators are 3-0 this series at home, but New York entered this matchup with the best road record in the NHL. Home ice has been kind to the Rangers in these playoffs though, as they are 4-1 with a 16-5 goal differential.

Also in New York's favor heading into Game 6 is Lundqvist's history in such situations, via NHL.com's Dan Rosen:

Henrik Lundqvist is 10-1 with a 1.05 GAA, .965 SV% and 2 shutouts in his last 11 games when facing elimination at MSG.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 8, 2017

New York responded emphatically at home when the series was 2-0 in favor of Ottawa. The team flexed its strength and rolled over the Senators, and that should happen again on Tuesday. Anything can happen in Game 7, but look for the Rangers to get clicking heading into that showdown.

Washington vs. Pittsburgh

Just when it appeared the Captials were set for another postseason bust after claiming the Presidents' Trophy, the team has new life.

In the first four games, it was Pittsburgh who received timely scoring and goaltending, but the tables have turned. Washington has six third-period goals in the last two games, while Pittsburgh was only able to score twice in the final few minutes of Game 6. The Penguins led in this area 6-3 over the first four games.

The other change is between the two goaltenders. Braden Holtby had posted a goals-against average below 2.00 and a save percentage of .935 or above in three of his four playoff runs before this postseason, but he has struggled thus far to a 2.49 GAA and a .908 save percentage.

This is hindering the Capitals, even though they have controlled play for most of this series. Holtby has an abysmal .878 save percentage in six games, while Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar with a .937 save percentage in the first four games before stumbling over the last two.

As NHL.com's Tom Gulitti noted on Monday, the Penguins' shaky defense is the main suspect for the situation they are in now, as Fleury can only do so much in net:

This isn't on Fleury. Maybe second goal was bad. But being hung out to dry repeatedly by his teammates for 6 games now. Adds up.

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 9, 2017

Per Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski, Washington players cited the impending proposition of once again failing to get past the second round of the postseason giving the team a new determined attitude. The effects have obviously been positive on the ice, as Kevin Shattenkirk noted the team's focus on playing looser:

I think obviously with the history in this locker room, what's happened in the past, it can cause you to grip your stick a little bit tighter, cause you to just not make the normal plays that we're capable of making. In my mind, we've seen that it hasn't worked when we play like that. We're a pretty loose group when we're playing well.

If it plays a complete game, Washington should advance based on its physical advantage through its four lines and three defense pairings. However, Pittsburgh could make this a game of runs, which greatly favors the road team.

Multiple times this series the Penguins have overwhelmed the Capitals with multiple goals in short time spans. They scored twice in a minute in Game 1, twice with the goalie pulled in Game 3 and twice in just over minute late in Game 6. The Capitals have the slight edge heading into Game 7, but look our for an experienced Pittsburgh to bring the heat in certain stretches to possibly steal this series.

Anaheim vs. Edmonton

Ryan Getzlaf, with 10 points in six games, has been the main star for Anaheim, but the Ducks have been helped greatly by a strong supporting cast featuring Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg and a swift skating defensive group.

On the other hand, Leon Draisaitl is pacing Edmonton's offense. He went off for a hat trick in Game 6, and he is on a tear in recent games thanks in large part to playing an Anaheim team he owned this season, per Oilers radio play-by-play man Jack Michaels and 630 CHED's Bob Stauffer:

Draisaitl 11-9-20 in 11 games vs Ducks this year, 2nd only to Malkin in playoff scoring. Letestu now T-1st w/4 PP goals & T-7th in scoring.

— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) May 8, 2017

Leon Draisaitl had 0 points in the Oilers first 4 playoff games.
He has 6-10-16/+10 in the last 8 playoff games...and counting

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 8, 2017

This could exacerbate a disturbing trend for Anaheim, as it went up 3-2 in a playoff series in each of the last four seasons only to lose in Games 6 and 7. Speedy forward Andrew Cogliano recognized this issue after Game 6 on Sunday, but he feels it has no effect on this series, per the Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott.

"You know what, don't care. I just don't care. I think we've played hard this series. I think we've done well. I think we've been in this series right from the beginning. They played well, too, and I think it's going to come down to one game in terms of who wants it more.

Tonight they outclassed us. They outplayed us. They out-wanted it, and until we do it there's going to be a lot of talking, so I think we more need to just go and play."

That is the right attitude to have, but Anaheim's goaltending will have to improve.

John Gibson was chased from the net in Game 6 after allowing three fairly easy five-hole goals in the first period. He has an awful .885 save percentage in this series while conceding 18 goals in six games. He has not been able to consistently slow down Edmonton's Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, but the goals against have not been all his fault.

There is no excuse for a veteran-laden team like Anaheim to lead all teams this postseason with over 15 penalty minutes per game. Yet, it does, and the Ducks rank last among remaining teams with a 68.3 penalty kill rate. In this series, the Oilers have seven extra-man goals on 25 attempts, which is a huge reason why a player like Mark Letestu has six points over that span.

Similar to Washington, Anaheim is the more complete team in this series, but mental lapses have allowed the upstart Oilers to remain in this series. The Ducks are taking far too many penalties, and slow starts are making things much more difficult than they should be.

The Oilers jumped out to a two-goal lead or more in the first period in two of the last three games, and the Ducks have allowed at least two unanswered goals in every game this series. The fact that it is still in this series shows how dominant Anaheim can be when it focuses and plays its game for long stretches. Edmonton just cannot match the Ducks' team speed across the entire lineup.

It is tough to fully trust Anaheim to close out this series due to its history and sometimes horrible play in this series. The Ducks are the better team, but this Game 7 looks to be a toss-up.

Statistics are courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted. 

Each home team will take the ice Tuesday night in two very different positions at this point of the 2017 NHL playoffs. 

The Nashville Predators look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, as they are controlling both ends of the ice thanks to an outstanding defense. On the other hand, the New York Rangers have yet to overcome inconsistent play throughout their lineup. Their season now hangs in the balance as a result.

Let us take a look at the television and live-stream schedule for these two matchups. Continue for a preview of the night's contests.

Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers	7 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live
St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live

Ottawa at New York

The Rangers looked to be the favorite heading into this series due to their tremendous depth and personnel advantage. Yet, it is the Ottawa Senators who escaped with two consecutive one-goal wins. 

The simple reason for this is that New York has yet to play a complete game. In Game 1, the Rangers defense and Henrik Lundqvist were solid, but the team could not convert offensively in a 2-1 loss. The following game, the Rangers scored five times and outshot Ottawa 48-34, but sloppy transition defense and a subpar goaltending outing did New York in.

Thanks to some fortunate bounces, the Senators are in control of the series. That can change if the Rangers take Game 3, as Lundqvist is optimistic can get done if they replicate the same offensive intensity from Game 2, per Andrew Gross of The Record:

I think a lot of the things we did in the last game are things we need to continue doing. Of course there are always a couple of things you can adjust but we have to continue doing what we did in the last game. We had more jump and played some good hockey.

We know how they play, there are no surprises. They try to shut it down in the middle but we still created a lot of good looks.

Ottawa plays a conservative style that emphasizes safe plays in the neutral zone and a tight defensive structure, as Lundqvist referenced. This helps make up for a deficiency in overall talent on the Senators roster to create close games where a strong moment or two from a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau or Erik Karlsson can be the difference. 

As a result, all eight of Ottawa's games this postseason have been decided by one goal. Craig Anderson has been instrumental in the success of the Senators' strategy. Other than Game 2, he had owned the Rangers of late, per Sportsnet:

#Sens Craig Anderson improves to 4-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, .984 SV% & 2 Shutouts in his last 4 starts vs the #NYRangers (reg + postseason).

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 28, 2017

Still, the Rangers were the first team to break down the Senators this postseason in Game 2. Ottawa allowed nine goals in six games against the Boston Bruins, but New York has the team speed and benefit of a full bench that Boston just could not match.

The Rangers are the better hockey team, and that will have to shine through at some point. At 35 years old, this may be Lundqvist's last legitimate shot to return to the Stanley Cup final. New York should be able to replicate some of its scoring from last game, so expect him to be excellent on Tuesday and get New York back into this series. 

St. Louis at Nashville

There is no team playing better hockey in the Western Conference this postseason than the Nashville Predators.

Nashville is getting elite play from Pekka Rinne, who easily leads the league with a 1.38 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage, along with arguably the NHL's best top-four defensive group. Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi and P.K. Subban have combined for 19 points through seven games, and Mattias Ekholm's strong defensive presence has him at plus-six.

As a group, no defensive group is as prolific this season, per Sportsnet:

#Preds have an NHL-high 202 points from their defencemen in 2016-17 (regular season and playoffs).

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 1, 2017

Unsurprisingly, St. Louis Blues head coach Mike Yeo is less than thrilled with his players. Nashville is outshooting the Blues 90-73 through three games, and the Predators played with intensity in Game 3 that overwhelmed St. Louis to the tune of an 18-4 shot advantage in the second period. 

"We scored one goal tonight," said Yeo in his postgame press conference, per Yahoo Sports' Jen Neale, "[The] fact of the matter is, for a large part of the game we weren’t even competitive." 

St. Louis was so poor that Rinne joked after the game that he was bored at times in Game 3, via NHL.com's Arpon Basu:

“It would be nice to get a few shots and stay warm." - Pekka Rinne on the second period. Hockey's version of first world problems.

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 30, 2017

The Blues have impact players in Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko, but other key contributors like Patrik Berglund, David Perron and Paul Stastny have yet to score in this series. St. Louis is also missing the helpful goals from depth checking players that Nashville received so far from guys like Vern Fiddler and Cody McLeod.

The issue for St. Louis is that it cannot defend Nashville's puck movement and connecting play from the back end. It is tough enough to contain the series' best line in Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, but with such skilled defenseman also joining the attack, the Predators are nearly unstoppable.

Nashville just looks like a runaway train right now, and St. Louis does not appear equipped to stop it. The Predators have also won seven straight home playoff games, and that number should increase to eight on Tuesday night. 

Statistics are courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted.

Someone check the foundation of Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, the famous arena will play host to a boxing match between two of the most thunderous punchers in boxing, when the undefeated Gennady Golovkin takes on Daniel Jacobs in a middleweight title bout that's sure to see some blows reverberate throughout the venue. 

Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) will be putting the IBF, WBC, IBO world titles on the line, plus his status as the WBA "super world" champion, when he steps into the squared circle this weekend. Jacobs, who came into the fight with the WBA world belt, has a chance to grab hold of superstar status if he can upset Triple G.

Golovkin has knocked out 23 straight opponents, becoming a fan favorite for his unassuming demeanor outside the ring and his near-mythical power inside it. Jacobs is no slouch himself, having stopped his last 15 opponents.

Here's the viewing info for the bout.

Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs Fight Info

When: Saturday, March 18, at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City

TV:HBO (pay-per-view) 

Live Stream: RingTV.com (pay-per-view)

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Gennady "Triple G" Golovkin		Daniel "Miracle Man" Jacobs
36-0	Record	32-1
33 KOs, 92 %	KOs	29 KOs, 88%
160	Rounds	109
34	Age	30
5'10.5"	Height	6'0"
70"	Reach	73"
Orthodox	Stance	Orthodox

Jacobs might have a hometown advantage of sorts fighting in New York City, but Golovkin's reputation precedes him at this point and his awesome power draws converts wherever he goes. Whether it's crushing Martin Murray in Monte Carlo or pulverizing Dominic Wade at his adopted home of Los Angeles, the Kazakh fighter's abilities translate without any issue. 

As of Thursday, Golovkin is a 1-8 favorite over Jacobs, per OddsShark. Jacobs will serve as Golovkin's toughest bout yet, as he is a true middleweight with his own fantastic power and skill. 

Then-undefeated Kell Brook managed to give Golovkin a good showing for a few rounds in their fight in September 2016, but his admirable attempt to move up from welterweight and take on the most fearsome puncher in the sport ended in the fifth round with a broken eye socket for a souvenir.

Jacobs stands to last longer than Brook provided he fights intelligently. Golovkin has been known to walk through punches at times on his way to devastating an opponent, but he might not be able to go on the warpath straightaway against Jacobs.

The 30-year-old Brooklynite is capable of some powerful pugilism, having taken out Sergio Mora inside of seven rounds on either side of a first-round TKO of Peter Quillin for his latest feats of strength and prowess. He also sports a longer reach than Golovkin, which could serve him well early on.

Jacobs is also well known for beating cancer on the way to becoming a top-shelf boxer, and he feels that fighting and beating Golovkin is his "destiny," per the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire, the fight that he is meant to win after already overcoming so much.

“This is the pinnacle of the story,” Jacobs said, per Pugmire. “I believe deep down in my heart that the Creator wouldn’t allow me to come this far and not allow me to be victorious."

Golovkin may not see this fight as destiny, but it is yet another obstacle to clear so that he can lock down the fight that he (and essentially the entire boxing world) wants: a bout with Canelo Alvarez.

"I've spoken with him [Alvarez] for two years, and I think maybe he's ready now for a fight this year, maybe in September. Hopefully," Golovkin said, per SkySports.com's Michael Cantillon.

Golovkin is, of course, focused on Jacobs, who has as good a chance as anyone of upsetting him, but he is clamoring for a historic fight against Alvarez. 

Boxing fans have been waiting for that fight for some time now, but Golovkin-Jacobs should do plenty fine in the interim. It promises to be a tough battle, though either fighter has the power to end it at any time. That underlying tension should make for an excellent spectacle no matter how long it lasts. 

https://twitter.com/ForePlayPod/status/841651815246630912

Winter Storm Stella hit the East Coast on Monday evening into Tuesday morning. Although New York City has yet to receive as much snow as originally expected, the conditions still led governor Andrew Cuomo to announce a state of emergency late Monday night.

Most New Yorkers obliged and avoided the howling winds and hail. Barstool Sports' Fore Play podcast hosts, however, saw a rare opportunity to play a round of golf in Times Square.

https://twitter.com/ForePlayPod/status/841651096649138177

They improvised a make-short course to practice their putting in the inclement weather:

https://twitter.com/ForePlayPod/status/841660943926988801

With the tourist hot spot nearly vacant, they got their clubs and swung away at a tennis ball. At least they had enough wherewithal to avoid using an actual golf ball around parked cars.

[Barstool Sports' Fore Play]

The sports world is generally in the doldrums in the period between the Super Bowl and the March Madness tournament, with only mid-to-late-season NBA basketball and overseas soccer doing much to carry omnivorous sports fans between major events.

Boxing has a chance to take a big stage and fill the sports vacuum on Saturday, with a must-see welterweight title matchup between Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, airing for free on CBS under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

Thurman holds the WBA world title, Garcia the WBC equivalent. Both men are undefeated, hard punchers and smart boxers. Thurman is Ring Magazine's second-ranked welterweight, with Garcia coming in at No. 7. 

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn has hosted several great fights over the past year or so, including a thrilling contest between Thurman and Shawn Porter. 

Everything is set up for this to be an entertaining spectacle. Here's the viewing info for the contest.

Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia Fight Info

When: Saturday, March 4, 9 p.m. ET

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

TV: CBS (US), BoxNation (UK)

Live Stream: BoxNation (UK)

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Keith "One Time" Thurman		Danny "Swift" Garcia
27-0	Record	33-0
22 KOs, 79%	KOs	19 KOs, 58%
124	Rounds	206
28	Age	28
5'7.5"	Height	5'8.5"
69"	Reach	68.5"
Orthodox	Stance	Orthodox
W, UD, vs. Shawn Porter in June 2016	Last Time Out	W, TKO, vs. Samuel Vargas in November 2016

According to OddsShark, Thurman is a 4-9 favorite over Garcia (as of March 1). Thurman has a reputation for incredible power, has been in the welterweight ranks longer than his opponent and has constantly challenged himself, whether it's fighting the cagey Leonard Bundu or the kinetic Porter. 

Garcia's last fight out was at welterweight against the underwhelming Samuel Vargas, making Thurman a huge leap in competition for him. Of course, Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ pointed out Garcia is still not to be underestimated: 

I feel, perhaps wrongly (?), that Garcia is being a little overlooked here. As if he's a clear underdog. As if he doesn't present some serious potential matchup issues for Thurman.

Garcia is one of the smartest top fighters out there. He knows his way around the ring, doesn't get himself in big trouble often, and his struggles have come against fellow crafty fighters like Mauricio Herrera and Lamont Peterson, guys who also don't often look to do more than is presented to them.

Garcia's an excellent counterpuncher, and his intelligence and movement keep him safe most of the time. While Christ also points out his competition at welterweight hasn't been the most prestigious, Garcia has beaten quality opposition throughout his career, including Lucas Matthysse and Amir Khan.

He's taken on the heavy hitters and the lightning-quick strikers and won. Thurman is no one-dimensional big swinger, but whatever style he brings to the fight, Garcia is confident he can handle him. 

"I'm just a great all-around fighter. I'm tough mentally and I'm going to control the fight. He's never been in a ring with a guy like me," Garcia told CBS Sports' Jason Keidel. 

Thurman has had plenty of time to recharge and prepare for this fight, roughly nine months out from his brutal, spectacular duel with Porter. Garcia is a little under four months removed from his bout with Vargas, but that was far less taxing than what Thurman endured with Porter.

Thurman's power could be a problem for Garcia, assuming he can catch Swift flush with one of his devastating hooks. One Time will have to wait for the right time to go at Garcia, lest he eat one of his opponent's patented counter shots. This fight could start out a bit cagier than some expect, as both fighters try to suss out each other's strategies. 

Eventually, though, the two will have to really tangle, and Thurman believes his power, comfort and experience at the weight level will see him through, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole:

Danny is a very talented and accomplished fighter, but most of his accomplishments have come at 140 pounds, not welterweight. We have all those weight classes we have in boxing for a reason. They are there for a legitimate reason. I'll be showing that on Saturday. Danny Garcia is not a legitimate welterweight and I'm going to show him what it's like for a 140-pounder to get in there with a legitimate, full-fledged welterweight.

Garcia will have to be at his best to score an upset in this fight. If he can frustrate Thurman for a few rounds, set up traps and land some trademark hooks while keeping himself away from Thurman's biggest punches, he will win this semi-unification belt. 

Per Iole, this matchup is "only the third match between unbeaten welterweight champions and just the second between champs with perfect marks." It's a big night for settling the hierarchy in the welterweight ranks, and it could be a massive night for boxing as a whole. 

The sport needs to get in-their-prime, exciting fighters out in front of the general public as much as possible if it is going to prosper.

Thurman-Garcia brings plenty of promise and will almost certainly deliver for the big boxing fans, and it could be a good enough scrap to bring along the casual ones and maybe even snag a few converts to the sweet science.

To the rest of the world, Jeremy Lin may be that Asian basketball player from Harvard who was really famous for two weeks or an average NBA point guard who has bounced around from team to team. But for Asian-Americans, Jeremy Lin is our Brad Pitt, our second-most famous person in the world. The first is easily Tiger Woods, which can be disconcerting because he is not primarily identified as Asian. Once you roll down the list of potential people—actors, politicians, athletes, everyone—there’s not really anyone else. Five years after Linsanity took over the country, when most everyone else moved on, Lin’s awe-inducing, fanboy-paralyzing fame still tantalizes a certain demographic.

Last week, I texted my mom I was writing a story on the fifth anniversary of Linsanity. She’s never been a sports fan (among the few athletes she can name off the top of her head are Tom Brady, LeBron James and David Ortiz), but the topic of Lin immediately sparked unusual enthusiasm. When I mentioned the chance, the small chance, that I could end up talking to the man himself, she could do nothing but bring out the cap locks.

“Wow that basketball player??? Mr. LIN????” she texted. “So u are gonna meet him??? Amazing.”

This would be like your friend, who doesn’t watch the Super Bowl and loves La La Land, reacting to meeting Matthew Dellavedova with the same excitement they would have for meeting Ryan Gosling. While it may seem ridiculous in a vacuum, Asian-Americans still feel the effects of Lin’s success, even half a decade later.

“In America, we don’t have too many opportunities to be proud of too many people,” said Brad Lee, 66, an Asian-American from Paramus, New Jersey. It was a quiet night at Barclays Center, and Lee, a Nets season ticket holder, had unsuccessfully been on the prowl for a Lin autograph all night. “To be a homegrown kid and watch him grow, blossom, in the NBA, it makes me feel proud. You can look in the movies. Who do we have, really? … He’s like a Chinese Rocky.”

Linsanity was about more than an Asian-American being good at basketball; it was about Asian-Americans being exceptional at more than getting good grades, about proving that our successes aren’t limited to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and the classroom. Jeremy Lin didn’t fit into the country’s existing box of Asian-American stereotypes. For the first time in my life, there was an Asian-American taking over American pop culture who wasn’t simply an amalgam of dated racial caricatures.

Prejudice against Asian-Americans stems back to the mid-1800s, when working-class Chinese immigrants came to the United States, extending to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and the Japanese internment camps following Pearl Harbor. The beginnings of our history set the tone for our secondary role in race discussions in this country.

When Linsanity took over the country, I was a high school junior confident that I wanted to pursue a career in journalism. I grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, a relatively diverse town. Being Asian-American in Brookline wasn’t unusual—around 18 percent of students in the public schools were of Asian descent—so the diversity often made me forget that we only made up 5.6 percent of the American population, which is not to say I was blind to the stereotypes.

For most of my childhood, the Asian-American pop culture touchstones were limited. I was often told that I looked like Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Daisuke Matsuzaka (who all look very different from each other). People have asked me if I did kung fu. People have asked me if “ching chong, ling long” was what I said to my family. People have asked me how I could see clearly because of my slanted eyes. Others told me I had a small penis without any evidence.

For 16 years, I rarely saw someone who looked like me represented in media, and in the rare instances that someone showed up in a movie, they were often portrayed as mute, bumbling and perpetually foreign. Then, Lin came along.

I first heard of Lin in the Boston Globe, reading about his exploits leading the Harvard basketball team in an upset over Boston College, never dreaming that he could take that success to the NBA. The first time I thought an Asian-American could make the NBA was the first time I saw Lin on the court with the Golden State Warriors, his first NBA team. I can’t say watching Lin play in the NBA fulfilled a dream, because I had never conceptualized, let alone imagined, that an Asian-American playing in the NBA was even possible.

“I remember a year prior, I was wondering when we would see the first Asian NBA player and literally I was like, ‘Maybe in a couple of decades,’” said Philip Wang, part of the popular filmmaking group Wong Fu Productions. “We had to get past this generation, this first immigrant generation. He had to come from a family that was born here, and then a year later Jeremy Lin happened. I think it was very surprising, even for Asians. We were like, ‘What?’ Even we weren’t ready to celebrate it yet.”

Lin’s mere arrival in the NBA represented a victory for the Asian-American community. As he bounced around from team to team, many, including myself, didn’t think he would get a fair shake. When Lin arrived in New York, I, like many supporters, didn’t think too much of it, hoping for the best, expecting nothing. But then Lin put up 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists against the New Jersey Nets in his first extended playing opportunity. Then, he followed that with 28 points in his first start against the Utah Jazz. Then 23 points against the Washington Wizards. Then, following a 38-point outing against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, Linsanity really started to go insane.

Suddenly, Lin was on every television and in every newspaper, becoming a national phenomenon because of his underdog story; because he didn’t get recruited out of high school or drafted out of college. Lin’s authentically American success story brought him newfound attention. What made this success different for Asian-Americans, however, was that for the first time our story was the one being told on every talk show, in every magazine and newspaper. For the first time, I saw someone who I could relate to on the cover of Sports Illustrated. For the first time, an Asian-American was the most famous person in the world, if temporarily.

It was all something Ursula Liang, a former reporter for ESPN The Magazine and director of the Chinese-American street volleyball documentary 9-Man, never imagined.

“I was a reporter for ESPN The Magazine before and after Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, so those were the first two [Chinese] people to appear in the NBA. Those moments were really huge for me because I had been in many story meetings and many locker rooms, [and] there was no representation at all,” Liang said. “To always sort of hope for coverage of the community, because I knew there were athletes out there that were starting to make a splash, I was up against a lot of odds because there were few athletes that deserved coverage and those athletes had to be fought for. They didn't necessarily get all the coverage they deserved.”

While there had been Asians in the NBA before, it was hard for me to relate to someone like Yao Ming, a 7'6" physical anomaly who immigrated from China. Like Michael Chang, Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan in past generations, Lin was someone I could relate to as a first-generation Asian-American. What made Lin different from those who came before him was simple: He played point guard, a role nobody expected an Asian-American to fill.

“I loved it because one of our fellow Asian-Americans showed what I already know. A lot of Chinese-Americans, Chinese period, can play basketball very well,” Lee said. “All of those guys have the same moves Jeremy Lin has. That’s the amazing thing. We’re short compared to him.”

Lin’s rise in the media represented the biggest opportunity in generations to expand the idea of what it meant to be Asian-American. He wasn’t just the nerdy kid who was good at math. He wasn’t the doctor, the engineer, the studious kid in the library. He was a point guard who could drop 38 points on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and drip with confidence, poise and flair in the process. Asian-Americans could point to someone in the mainstream and stand up for themselves when people dismissed the experiences of their people. Lin’s rise to fame represented one of the first opportunities for Asian-Americans to transcend beyond an existence as a simplistic, reductive punchline.

“This is going to sound silly, but I think every Asian was walking a little taller, their back was a little straighter,” said Dawei Qian, 31, of Astoria, Queens. “It was great for the Asian community to have someone representing us like that.”

Lin, it seemed, became the first Asian-American who was more than just a symbol. He was one of the first to be seen as full American. He was allowed to have his flaws, his crazy haircuts, his likes and dislikes. He was allowed to be imperfect. He became a lasting part of the pop culture lexicon. For the first time, America saw an example of an Asian-American whose success wasn’t limited to the confines of stereotypes.

“We've all taken it and run with it,” Liang said. “It's crazy. It's way bigger than him as a person. He's kind of taken on this mythic kind of status despite what happens on the court these days.”

Lin attained this mythic status by becoming the face of first-generation Asian-Americans born after the 1965 Immigration Act, which abolished the quota system and opened up the borders for Asian immigration for the first time in half a century. Lin’s parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan in the mid-70s, and Jeremy, born in 1988, became part of the largest influx of Asian-Americans since the Exclusion Act.

“That group of immigrants may have had shaky footing here, but the children of those immigrants, or those immigrants themselves, started to push and make change,” Liang said.

Until Linsanity, I’d never thought critically about my identity as an Asian-American in this country. It was through all of the madness that surrounded Lin that I finally understood what being Asian-American meant, what having pride for my heritage and my family’s traditions truly meant. I comprehended that Asian-Americans face an uphill battle to escape the periphery in cultural discussions in this country. Linsanity, at this point, isn’t even about Lin—who declined comment for this story through Brooklyn Nets public relations.

“Linsanity belongs more to the fans now, like Star Wars, how George Lucas after a while was like, ‘Hate me for every reason, love me for every reason,’” Wang, Lin’s friend, said. “[Lin] just wants to play good ball.”

Since Linsanity, the landscape for Asian-Americans has shifted. Fresh Off the Boat and Dr. Ken, sitcoms with predominantly Asian casts, have had multiseason runs. John Cho starred as a romantic lead in the show Selfie, an unusual opportunity for an Asian-American male, while inspiring a popular movie poster campaign, Starring John Cho, that targeted the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Master of None helped normalize the sight of South Asian and Eastern Asian families on television.

Still, there's plenty of work to be done. Four years after people lambasted Jason Whitlock for joking about Lin’s “couple inches of pain,” after a headline read “Chink in the Armor” and Chris Rock stood up on the Oscar stage and made jokes about Asian children as bankers, invoking racial stereotypes of child labor and math excellence, vestiges of the socially accepted nature of casual racism toward Asian-Americans remain.

But Wang has noticed in the last five years that the stereotypes directed toward Asian-Americans have started to pivot. "There’s a new one coming up where it’s like, ‘Asians know how to dance. Asians are good dancers. Asians have geeky swag,'" Wang said.

Small progress, but progress nonetheless.

“I don’t mind stereotypes, but I mind when you’re boxed into them,” Wang said. “It’s about becoming multifaceted. Even among the black community, there are stereotypes about them, but you know that their community has accomplished so much that even if there are people who fall into the stereotype, you know that there are people doing the exact opposite. So right now, yeah we have a lot of engineers. What will be great to see is if there are a lot more Asians in other avenues and occupations that can counter the truth that there are a lot of engineers so people can be aware of that.”

Five years after Linsanity, playing for the other team in New York, Lin’s impact is more than apparent. The Nets packed in a sellout crowd for Jeremy Lin bobblehead night, despite the fact the Brooklyn point guard was out with an injury. One of the loudest cheers of the night came when Lin appeared on the scoreboard talking about fan safety before the game even tipped off.

Jeff Yang, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, said he bought season tickets when Lin signed with the Nets. Lee and George Moy, a 62-year-old Chinese-American from Brooklyn, came to Wednesday’s Nets-Wizards matchup with two copies of the book Jeremy Lin: There’s No Expiration Date on Dreams hoping to get it signed by Lin. The mere mention of Lin’s name brings a smile to the faces of many Asian-American fans at Barclays Center.

“[Jeremy]’s my life goals,” said Willis Huynh, 16, of Brooklyn. “Harvard. Perfect SAT scores. Good basketball player.”

Whether Lin remained a superstar in the NBA is no longer the point. What he showed in his two-week stint as the most famous person in America, as someone rumored to be dating Kim Kardashian, was that America did not know how to handle discussions about Asian-Americans. After a major history of marginalization, Jeremy Lin provided an opportunity for all Asian-Americans to stand up and have their voices heard.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

UFC 208 is almost upon us, and the company's second return to New York is finally here—except this time, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be hosting the event, unlike Madison Square Garden back in November. 

The first pay-per-view of 2017 may not have the star power that UFC 205, 206 or 207 had, but this is a sneaky-good card for the diehard UFC fans. More so than the inaugural featherweight title up for grabs between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie, there are also a couple of really interesting fights, including Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson and Jacare Souza vs. Tim Boetsch. 

Bouts	Weight Class	Line	Prediction
Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie	Women's Featherweight	De Randamie -125	De Randamie
Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson	Middleweight	Brunson -155	Silva
Ronaldo Souza vs. Tim Boetsch	Middleweight	Souza -500	Souza
Glover Teixeira vs. Jared Cannonier	Light Heavyweight	Teixeira -185	Cannonier
Dustin Poirier vs. Jim Miller	Lightweight	Poirier -400	Poirier

Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie

This is a tough fight for Holm.

The UFC isn't doing Holm any favors by putting her in the Octagon against De Randamie, a world champion kickboxer and muay thai champion. Holm is in desperate need of a victory on Saturday not only to make history, but to keep her UFC career alive.

Holm isn't in any danger of getting released by the company or anything of that nature, but a third consecutive loss would make Holm a tough sell to its fans in a time when the new UFC owners and matchmakers are scrambling to put fight cards together to make money.

Who will be the FIRST 145lb champion?@HollyHolm vs @IronLadyMMA#UFC208 pic.twitter.com/i74oS3pdiS

— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2017

Holm, for as good as she is on her feet, cannot exchange with a striker like De Randamie, who can overpower Holm standing, in the clinch and on the ground if she has top control.

The best hope for Holm is that she can score a couple of takedowns to disrupt De Randamie's rhythm and make her think twice about being too aggressive and overcommitting. 

Unfortunately for her, De Randamie will pick her apart and get the finish early in this one and make history as the company's first-ever 145-pound female champion. Is Cris Cyborg next? We shall see. 

Prediction: De Randamie defeats Holm in the second round via TKO.

Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson

The Spider is back. 

In case your memory is a little foggy, there's a reason he's called the GOAT ⬇️ @SpiderAnderson #UFC208 pic.twitter.com/pdQGvLgFb8

— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2017

While Silva hasn't officially won a UFC fight since 2012 after getting knocked out by Chris Weidman, breaking his leg in the rematch against Weidman, a no-contest against Nick Diaz, a controversial loss to Michael Bisping and a loss to Daniel Cormier, it's still a little strange to see him as an underdog.

Especially to a fighter like Derek Brunson.

Don't get me wrong, Brunson is worthy of being a Top 10 fighter in this division, but being favored to beat Silva? That's a bit steep, if you ask me. Brunson is coming off a tough first-round knockout loss to Robert Whittaker. Before that, Brunson was riding high with a five-fight win streak, including an impressive knockout victory over Uriah Hall.

Don't sleep💤 on @DerekBrunson...#UFC208 pic.twitter.com/m1yPtdRf5j

— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2017

Brunson is more than capable of stopping any fight with his power and precision as a striker, but Silva is arguably the best male striker the UFC has ever seen. Before he can even think of laying his hands on the former world champion, Brunson has to show that he can withstand Silva's power and technique.

Prediction: Silva defeats Brunson in the third round via TKO.

Jacare Souza vs. Tim Boetsch 

When this fight was announced, a lot of pundits were scratching their heads. While this is a huge opportunity for Tim Boetsch to cement himself as a title contender and move up the pecking order for an eventual title shot, it's hard to see any real benefit for Souza. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

And that's not a good position to be in when you're a prizefighter.

UFC 208's Ronaldo Souza not overlooking 'tough' Boetsch, but brings his own tricks to get a finish https://t.co/HItWBE0tiv

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) February 8, 2017

For The Barbarian, this fight is, stylistically speaking, a bad matchup if Souza can find his way to the mat whether he's in top control or in full guard. The last thing Boetsch wants to do is play the ground game with Souza, who is one of the world's most elite grapplers and jiu-jitsu practitioners.

While the Brazilian has shown improvements in his striking over his last few fights, he's still not an elite-level boxer by any means, which is where Boetsch has a glimmer of hope of taking down his heavily favored opponent.

But leave it to Boetsch to show no fear inside the Octagon against one of the best middleweights in the world. He even predicted that Souza will go down in one round.

That's right, the underdog is calling his shot.

When half of your wins are by KO .. 👀 @TimBoetsch #UFC208 pic.twitter.com/ZtVg89zUSv

— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2017

Everyone loves an underdog story, and perhaps no other sport sees an underdog win as often as MMA does. However, this is not one of those occasions. Souza is too talented and too disciplined to look past Boetsch and not take this fight seriously.

"I'm risking it all for this fight." @JacareMMA knows the chances he's taking at #UFC208 against @TimBoetsch ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fXVTxG0bQY

— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2017

He will look for the quick finish whether it's on the feet or on the mat and look immediately for a title shot or a fight against another top contender, maybe a rematch with Luke Rockhold whenever he's healthy after pulling out against Souza late last year. 

Prediction: Souza defeats Boetsch in the first round via submission.

History is in the making Saturday night as the UFC makes its way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the very first time for UFC 208.

The main event, featuring former bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. former kickboxing/muay thai world champion Germaine de Randamie, is being overlooked as a money-grab fight for the company's new owners. After all, how many casual UFC fans had heard of De Randamie leading up to this fight?

This fight card is for the diehard fans, and that's how it should be.

Holm has the unique opportunity to become the first female two-division champion, despite losing two consecutive bouts. For De Randamie, this is her opportunity to show the UFC and its audience she's a star and become a headlining act for years to come.

VIDEO: Germaine de Randamie discusses what it would mean to become #ufc champion pic.twitter.com/GKfQmJwKp2

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 9, 2017

How Holm wins

In all honesty, the UFC isn't doing Holm any favors by putting her in a cage against a monster like De Randamie. By essentially feeding the 35-year-old to a much more skilled striker, the UFC is sacrificing one of its few female moneymakers in hopes that the fans will respond positively to De Randamie. It's a risk, but the UFC has to do what it can while its superstars are on hiatus.

Holm has, predominantly, been the superior boxer and kickboxer in every matchup she's had inside the Octagon, with the exception of Valentina Shevchenko.

The American cannot do what she does best in this fight against De Randamie for one simple reason: The Dutchwoman can out-strike Holm in every aspect of her game.

For Holm to have any chance at winning the 145-pound belt, this fight will have to go to the ground, which may seem hard to imagine—the last time one of her fights went to the ground, she was choked out by Miesha Tate.

Holm is not a world-class grappler by any means, but De Randamie is inferior on the mat. By taking the Dutch striker off her feet into a world of combat she is not comfortable in, Holm will have her best chance to get the finish or earn a decision.

How De Randamie wins

This may seem quite simple, but all De Randamie has to do is avoid getting taken down by Holm and not overcommit on any punches or kicks. By fighting within herself and to her capabilities, there's little doubt De Randamie shouldn't run Holm over.

The Dutchwoman isn't afraid of getting hit, which has been evident in her past UFC fights. This can be a good or a bad thing. It's good because she shows no fear inside of the Octagon, but it's also bad because she may leave herself vulnerable to counterstrikes and get finished, like she did against the current 135-pound champion, Amanda Nunes.

While Holm has excellent kicks and straight punches, De Randamie's muay thai is off the charts. Not only can she box, but she also knows when to deliver body blows with a vicious knee or body kick to stun her opponent. 

This isn't rocket science for De Randamie. All she has to do is stay on her feet and do what she does best.

Prediction

It's hard to imagine Holm will lose three fights in a row, but unfortunately, that is her new reality. She will not make history Saturday night, despite a good showing.

Holm will be wrongly labeled as a one-hit wonder in the UFC after knocking out Ronda Rousey, but the fight game isn't about being fair; it's about winning.

Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie face off at #UFC208 weigh-ins in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/m51emvVyUR

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 10, 2017

De Randamie will become the company's first-ever 145-pound champion and will likely take on Cris Cyborg if she is given an exemption from her suspension.

The Dutch contender will make history and finish Holm in the second round with vicious hooks and knees to the body that will make Holm reconsider her move up the featherweight division.

With the victory, the UFC will have a new star to promote in De Randamie, who has the personality and fighting ability to take her game to the next level. Who knows, maybe even a superfight/rematch with Nunes could be on the table within the next year?