Congrats, Ian Bedell!

Mizzou pitcher Ian Bedell was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 122nd pick of the Major League Baseball draft. Bedell, a lifelong Cardinals fan, is 99.9 percent sure he is going to sign with the Cardinals. I know Beiser ball would hate to lose him, but being drafted by your hometown team is pretty damn cool. Additionally (and I did not know this), Bedell graduated from high school early so he could get a jump start on enrolling at Mizzou, so he was one of the younger college pitchers available in the draft.

Longtime Cardinals columnist, Derrick Goold, covered the Cards’ last few picks, both pitchers. The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard ($$) wrote about how St. Louis draft pick Ian Bedell is a throwback pitcher in a velocity-crazed era.

Bedell was not the only Mizzou player taken in the draft. Would-be incoming freshman, OF Isaiah Greene, was selected by the New York Mets with the 69th overall pick.

On to the Links. Happy Friday and Congrats, Ian and Isaiah!!

Yesterday at Rock M

• BK wrote about Mizzou’s interest in a very specific type of QB.
• Resident basketball savants, Sam & Matt, reunited for the new awesome episode of Dive Cuts, which featured special (awesome) guest, Souichi Terada, from the KC Star.

More Links:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Hochman asked us to imagine if sports fans cared as much about political voting as they do Heisman and MVP voting.
• PowerMizzou/Rivals ($$): Matt Hamilton shared a Film Room for recent commit, Zxaequan Reeves.
• PowerMizzou (free): Mitchell wrote about Martez Manuel, the sophomore who organized Mizzou’s march, and both Gabe and Mitchell were back with some hot taeks in their Blowing Smoke, Presented by Weston Tobacco series.
• KC Star: Souichi wrote about Martez Manual, the man with a plan (for protesting peacefully and vote registration, and how Zac Woodfin, Missouri’s new strength coach, is getting the Tigers ready for kickoff.
• Maneater: Eli Hoff wrote that the Missouri athletes won’t stick to sports, and that’s a good thing.
• Columbia Tribune: Erin Blum wrote about how Martez Manuel stepped up as Mizzou’s recent protest leader and united the community and about how UM system athletic leaders have assured a safe return.
• Associated Press (via Columbia Tribune): Ralph Russ wrote about the NCAA is finalizing a plan to an extended college football preseason.
• The Athletic ($$): Peter Baugh compiled a Missouri Mailbag about a reasonable win total for Eli Drinkwitz in Year 1.
• In a new Women’s Hoops MIZ-ZOOM, Aussie Shannon Dufficy introduced us to another fellow Aussie, Sara-Rose Smith!

• Congrats to Mizzou’s Preseason All-SEC picks!

• Both Cuonzo Martin AND Eli Drinkwitz were guests on KMOX Radio host Tom Ackerman’s Garage Happy Hour!

Interesting/Non-Mizzou News

These are a few of the best sports stories & tidbits I found regarding some goings-on in sports and the world— Enjoy!

• As a reminder, the McGwire-Sosa 30-for-30 is premiering on 6/14 at 8pm. Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about the special, if not tainted, time.
• Sam Mellinger of the KC Star wrote about how the NFL is quickly changing, and Chiefs players Pat Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu are making Kansas City a big example. Well worth checking out.
• My former city, Charlotte, did an incredible Black Lives Matter mural. Check it out!

• In some much needed cuteness, Twitter god, Rex Chapman shared this absolutely adorable video. Enjoy!

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