Morning links: Spider-Man vs. Spida, man; Corbin Kaufusi a man among boys in New Orleans
SALT LAKE CITY — The popular meme that shows two guys in Spider-Man suits pointing at each other humorously played out recently between Tom Holland and Donovan Mitchell.
Holland is the actor who plays Spider-Man and, of course, Mitchell is the basketball player who goes by the nickname of Spida, man. Those two met at a photo shoot, teasing a promotional crossover for the upcoming "Spider-Man: Far From Home" movie, resulting in a couple of fun but mysterious photos.
Mitchell posted photos of Holland wearing a pair of the Utah Jazz star's new signature shoes, the Don Issue #1, on Instagram with the message, "@tomholland2013 said he wanted to switch career paths ????????????#donissue1#spidermanfarfromhome."
Mitchell also tweeted out their version of the meme, although he blacked out his image so fans wouldn't see what he's wearing.
Thanks to the power of technology, though, some fans figured out a way to adjust the brightness of the photo to get a sneak peek at Spida's outfit. In the spirit of not spoiling Mitchell's surprise, we won't post the photos here. (Hint: It'll give some even more reason to believe he's superheroic.)
If you're into spoilers, here are two links to the revealing photos (non-DON-issued spoiler #1 and non-DON-issued spoiler #2).
A big opportunity
Considering Corbin Kaufusi is 26 years and has an imposing 6-foot-9, 278-pound frame, a New Orleans writer pointed out that the BYU defensive giant was a man among boys in a sense at the Saints rookie camp this weekend.
The defensive end told the New Orleans Advocate that he knows his size isn't going to land him a roster spot as an undrafted free agent. He's got to show his skills match.
"You always hope to get drafted," said Kaufusi, who was overlooked by NFL teams in the recent draft. "But I'm just grateful that I'll have the opportunity to play, be able to show my talents and compete."
A self-described "late bloomer" who used to play basketball as well as football, Kaufusi believes the Saints are "the perfect fit" for him because of their 4-3 defensive alignment.
The Kaufusi family is already looking forward to a battle of the brothers. Older brother Bronson plays for the New York Jets, who face the Saints in the preseason. Their parents have already bought tickets for the Aug. 24 game.
"Back then, I was thinking I'm not quite as talented as Bronson and I was just trying to get as far as I could with football and get a free education," Kaufusi told the Advocate, speaking of following his brother's footsteps to BYU. "As I got better, I thought about playing in the NFL because it was a dream I had. But I just didn't know I would be able to realize it."
Other links
• Damian Lillard's mom enjoys her special Mother's Day gift
• Sione Takitaki's wife wouldn't give up on him
• The University of Utah football team has one of the most experienced offenses returning in the country:
And finally ...
The BYU softball team knew it had qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but that didn't dampen the excitement the Cougars felt when they saw where they'll play (Stillwater, Oklahoma) and who they'll face (Oklahoma State) during Sunday's selection show.