Anchor Drop, May 28, 2023: 90 Days to Kickoff

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

We are 90 days away from Vanderbilt football’s season opener against Hawaii. 90 for the Commodores is defensive lineman Nate Clifton. The 6’4”, 280-pound fifth-year senior from La Vergne has been a fixture on the Vanderbilt defensive line over the past two years, starting 22 games over that stretch. Last season he registered 22 tackles, four for loss, and blocked a field goal in the Kentucky game.

(Also, you have no idea how happy it makes me that I’ve gotten through the 90s in the countdown and only talked about defensive linemen. Personally, I hate it when college kickers wear 99 or something. That’s a defensive lineman number, not a kicker number.)

Vanderbilt baseball jumped all over Jac Caglianone yesterday, built a 10-1 lead in the third inning, and then beat Florida 11-6 to advance to today’s SEC Championship game. The Commodores will play Texas A&M at 2 PM CT on ESPN2. No, I have no idea who’s pitching for us today either. My guess is we’ll pitch about six or seven guys today.

Men’s golf shot 8-over par at the second round of the NCAA Championship, falling into sixth place — still well above the cut line to advance to Monday’s fourth round. There are seven shots separating Vanderbilt from 16th-place Texas Tech entering today. The Commodores tee off today at 8:32 AM CT. You can follow the live scoring here.

Sports on TV

All times Central.

• 10:35 AM: MLB: Dodgers at Rays (Peacock)
• 12:00 PM: PGA Tour: Charles Schwab Challenge, Final Round (Golf Channel)
• 12:30 PM: MLB: Cardinals at Guardians or Rangers at Orioles (MLB Network)
• 2:00 PM: PGA Tour: Charles Schwab Challenge, Final Round (CBS)
• 3:10 PM: MLB: Pirates at Mariners (ESPN+)
• 3:30 PM: MLB: Red Sox at Diamondbacks or Marlins at Angels (MLB Network)
• 6:00 PM: MLB: Phillies at Braves (ESPN)

Scoreboard

SEC Baseball: Texas A&M 5, Arkansas 4.

MLB: Yankees 3, Padres 2 ... Tigers 7, White Sox 3 ... Twins 9, Blue Jays 7 ... Rangers 5, Orioles 3 ... Astros 6, A’s 3 ... Dodgers 6, Rays 5 ... Phillies 2, Braves 1 ... Mariners 5, Pirates 0 ... Giants 3, Brewers 1 ... Nationals 4, Royals 2 ... Red Sox 2, Diamondbacks 1 ... Reds 8, Cubs 5 ... Cardinals 2, Guardians 1 ... Rockies 10, Mets 7 ... Marlins 8, Angels 5.

NBA: Celtics 104, Heat 103 (series tied, 3-3.)

NHL: Stars 4, Golden Knights 2 (Golden Knights lead, 3-2.)