The investigation is said to center on whether Ms. Carroll committed perjury in civil lawsuits against Donald J. Trump, whom she accused of sexual assault.

Despite all our good intentions, the legal system — that thing we were charged to protect — kept getting worse.

MANHATTAN — Silver Lake remained calm in the face of adversity in the Class 3A State semifinals. Thanks to their poise, No. 8 Silver Lake (17-11) took down No. 4 Russell/Victoria 2-1 in eight innings. This will be Silver Lake's first state championship appearance since 2013. “The biggest job that we have as coaches is to remain calm in situations so guys see that,” Silver Lake head coach Tyler Seele said. “We’ve been in dog fights all year long. In the past month, these situations have become positives.”Dayne Johnson was the main man for the Eagles. The Broncos couldn’t touch him all game. Russell had only two base runners for the entire game. Johnson pitched all eight innings, allowing one hit, one run, and one walk. He struck out six batters in the game. “I don't throw the hardest, I don’t have the nastiest stuff, so I have to place it in the zone,” Johnson said. “It was a really good game."Johnson’s precision on the mound was the difference. Russell’s batters were left looking on multiple occasions as Johnson painted all of the corners. “Dayne is a warrior,” Seele said. “He had great command of both pitches. He threw his fastball and hit the outside corner early. He stayed down in the zone and pitched to contact, letting his defense work.”Silver Lake scored its first run in the top of the fourth inning. Miles Kibbee nailed a double to center field, which scored Drew Womack. Russell would respond in the bottom of the sixth inning. After securing a walk, Russell played small ball moving their runner over. A sacrifice fly to left field helped tie the game. It was a frustrating portion of the game for Silver Lake. They went 2-for-14 with runners on base in the game. The Eagles were unable to capitalize on their chances. Once extra innings hit, Silver Lake's dugout was calm. It looked like the middle of the game, not a matchup to determine a state championship appearance. The team’s demeanor kept them comfortable and freshman Kipton Kruger delivered. Kruger laced a hit down the right field line that hit the corner. Kruger sprinted around second and was easily safe for the triple. “I was thinking of just hitting a nice, hard ball and I saw it go down the line and started booking it,” Kruger said. “I saw Coach Seele waving me and just kept booking it.”Kibbee was the next batter. He faced six pitches before he drilled the ball to center field. The flyout allowed Kruger to score the game-winning run. “Has he had better swings this year, yes,” Seele said. "But that was the best at-bat that he has put together this year.”Silver Lake is simply on a heater. They have won five straight games, outscoring opponents 20-8 during this playoff run. They are looking for their first state championship since 2011, when Seele helped the Eagles win it as a player.“I don’t even know what it would mean right now,” Seele said. “I want it really bad for the guys.”The state championship will be played at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 29 at Kansas State. When asked whether he could have ever believed that Silver Lake would be playing for a state title, Johnson spoke honestly. “If you would've told me about a month ago, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Johnson smiled. “We are hitting good at the right time and coming together as a team.”Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.comThis article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Silver Lake baseball advances to Class 3A State Championship

The Detroit Lions fanbase has officially found its newest accidental comedy moment of the offseason.And somehow, it involves Jared Goff being completely unrecognizable to an NFL player.During a recent appearance on the St. Brown Podcast, Jeremiyah Love participated in a game where he had to identify NFL players from photos.Things went off the rails pretty quickly.Jeremiyah Love Had Absolutely No Idea Who Jared Goff WasWhen Love was shown a picture of Goff, there was immediate confusion.Not mild confusion either.Full blown “who is this human being?” confusion.At one point, Love reportedly asked:“He’s a QB? Was he good…? He’s on your team right now?!”That line instantly sent Lions fans into hysterics online.To make matters even funnier, the entire exchange happened while sitting with Amon-Ra St. Brown, who probably did not expect his own quarterback to become a trivia disaster.Lions Fans Immediately Came to Goff’s DefenseNaturally, Detroit fans flooded social media almost immediately.After all, this is the same quarterback who just threw for more than 4,500 yards and 34 touchdowns while helping keep Detroit among the NFC’s top contenders.Goff has gone from former castoff to franchise centerpiece during his time in Detroit, and Lions fans are fiercely protective of him these days.Which honestly made the clip even funnier.Because while fans were pretending to be offended, most were also laughing at how absurd the entire interaction became.Jared Goff Continues to Be Weirdly UnderratedThe funniest part about the moment may actually be how perfectly it sums up Goff’s NFL reputation nationally.Despite consistently putting up massive numbers, leading playoff teams, and helping transform the Lions into contenders, Goff still somehow feels overlooked in broader NFL conversations.He is rarely treated like a superstar even though his production says otherwise.Apparently, in some cases, he is not even recognizable.That probably says less about Goff and more about how anonymous quarterbacks can become outside their own markets unless they constantly dominate headlines.Still, Lions fans are absolutely going to hold onto this clip for a while.The Lions Quarterback Room Is Doing Just FineFor what it is worth, Detroit probably is not too worried about Love’s scouting report on Goff.The Lions enter 2026 feeling extremely confident about their quarterback situation with Goff firmly entrenched as the starter and veteran Teddy Bridgewater once again serving as the experienced backup.So no, Lions fans do not need to panic because one rookie briefly forgot who their quarterback was.But they absolutely should continue enjoying the internet roasting that followed.Because honestly, the clip is hilarious.

As a famously quotable line of dialogue from the film "Casablanca" says, "We'll always Paris."Except the Cowboys never really did.Parris Campbell, the wide receiver who was once a second-round draft pick of the Colts and then won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, is retiring from the NFL having never caught a pass in 14 months with the Cowboys.The club officially announced Wednesday they'd be moving the 28-year-old Campbell to the Reserve/Retired List.Campbell had signed a one-year deal with Dallas in March 2025 and spent the majority of last season on the practice squad. He made one game appearance, playing a total of eight snaps (two on offense, six on special teams) in the Cowboys' 30-27 loss to Carolina.He was never targeted with a pass while wearing the star but was credited with one assisted tackle on special teams.The @dallascowboys moved WR Parris Campbell to the Reserve/Retired list.— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) May 27, 2026Campbell was a 1,000-yard receiver coming out of Ohio State in 2019 but saw his first four years in the league marred by multiple injuries while with Indianapolis. He then spent the 2023 season with the Giants, turning in only modest numbers. He parlayed that into a new opportunity in Philadelphia in 2024, though the change of scenery didn't result in an increase in production; he caught six balls during the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX-winning season but did not log any stats in the postseason.Campbell leaves the NFL with 123 catches across 50 game appearances in seven years, amassing 1,117 career yards and six touchdowns.He walks away from the game with $10.67 million in career earnings.The Cowboys now reportedly have three open roster spots just before the start of OTAs.Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys WR Parris Campbell to retire after 7 seasons, 4 NFL teams

SHELBY - There was no way Joe Zizzo was slowing down."I am rounding (second), I look up and I do see that (coach Jordan Oliver) has his hands up, but I was full go," the Colonel Crawford senior said. "I felt like I was pretty quick on the jump, so I thought I could get there and it worked out."In the bottom of the eighth inning against rival Wynford in a Division VI district semifinal, it was Zizzo who led off the inning drawing a four-pitch walk and eventually came home on a Grady Riddle blasts to left field for a walk-off winner giving the top-seed Eagles a 6-5 victory over the four-seeded Royals.DIVISION III: Galownia's gutsy gem powers Lexington over Wapakoneta in district semifinal"It was all my teammates, all I had to do was get on with a walk," Zizzo said. "All the credit to Brayden (Holt) hitting me all the way to third, and then Grady getting that line drive to left field. They're studs, they've been hitting well all season, we knew we wanted those guys up for sure."As if that wasn't thrilling enough, the Eagles trailed by three runs in the bottom of the seventh with one out. And they very easily could've had two outs when Holt roped one to Wynford's Brayden Campbell at shortstop and he made an error allowing Holt to reach first safely; prior to that Campbell had been phenomenal defensively all afternoon.Parker Weithman ripped a single up the middle and Riggle followed by driving in Weithman and Holt on a line drive to centerfield to pull the Eagles within a run. Van Wintersteller singled to centerfield after to get the winning run on base. Nate McCartney stepped up with two outs and looked like he would be the third and final out but the ball was flipped to second trying to get Wintersteller out and an aggressive slide saw him reach safely and Riggle saw the opportunity to pass by third and head home."It was surreal," Zizzo said. "Going in bottom of the seventh, it was do or die. We had a first at bat out, but we just kept it going with the top of our lineup. There's a lot to say about them and not enough time to say it ... they've been dogs all season so it's good to see those guys hitting well, they made it easier for us."DIVISION III: Ashland battles to the very end in district semifinal loss to DefianceTwice the Eagles seemed like they'd be down and out in the bottom of the seventh, and twice they rallied."It was an emotional game and we tried to emphasize to the kids that the score doesn't matter until the bottom of the seventh inning, turned out it was the bottom of the eighth in this case," Oliver said. "We have multi-sport athletes and they're used to competing in football, track and field, basketball, golf ... some of that showed today, they continued to compete."We hadn't really had many come-from-behind wins, it just happened that today got to be the day."After somewhat passive play in the first five innings, it was Colonel Crawford putting pressure on the Wynford defense late that ultimately powered the Eagles back to the district championship."Catcher Braylon Wells and their pitchers do a great job side stepping, so we didn't try to steal bases as much as I would have liked," Oliver said. "But towards the end our guys were aggressive on the bases. We had two good jumps with two outs, and Van Wintersteller being an experienced senior got that key jump to get a safe play at second base in the bottom of the seventh allowing us to tie the game."For the Royals, it's a result that will sting for a long time. Having added an insurance run in the sixth inning drawing a bases loaded walk, coach Tom Smith felt good about his team's chances to close out."A couple errors, that has been our nemesis all year," Smith said. "We have games where we play clean and we win, then we have our errors and we lose. That seventh inning we had at least two errors and that was the difference in the game."The seniors were distraught after that, they've been the heart and soul of the team," Smith said. "Drew (Pope) and Brayden have been our one-two punch pitching, Collin (Hulsmeyer) has been the team captain all year, and Jackson Rayborn played great in right field for us. Just a good group of seniors, it's hard to lose those guys."Pope started on the mound for the Royals and went 6⅓ innings allowing six hits, four runs, two earned with three strikeouts and two walks. Campbell came on in relief throwing one inning allowing four hits, two runs, one earned and striking out one with two walks taking the loss. Sophomore Clay Rogers had two hits, freshman Jaxon Tate three RBIs.Tyce Lisle got the nod for the Eagles throwing four innings allowing six hits, four runs with two strikeouts and a walk before Parker Weithman logged 1⅔ innings with one hit, one unearned run, two strikeouts, and two walks. Bryant Berry stepped in for ⅔ of an inning getting the final out in the sixth inning and one to start the seventh, then Wintersteller pitched the final 1⅔ innings earning the win allowing no hits and striking out one. Riggle had three hits and three RBIs, Wintersteller added three hits, Holt had two hits and two runs, Weithman and McCartney drew two walks apiece."They want to have a chance to go back to regionals," Oliver said. "At times it looked good, other times we weren't sure if we could get back to this point. But all week we've said — whatever it takes to give you seniors one more chance to play for a district title."We'll get our shot and we know St. Henry is going to be one heck of a challenge."It will be a clash of top seeds on Friday at Shelby High School with a district title on the line, first pitch at 5 p.m.zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_HoldenThis article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Colonel Crawford baseball tops rival Wynford in district semifinal

⁠⁠⁠⁠RSVP IN NEW YORK⁠⁠⁠⁠AUDIO:View LinkVIDEO:On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Don Amancio discuss:Is Enrique Riquelme starting to win over socios?Did Florentino Perez expect Riquelme to oppose him?Riquelme’s policiesThe gap in mentality between this team and previous generationsWill / can Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde co-exist in the future at Real Madrid?Jose Mourinho’s eye for under-the-radar talentWhy asking Mbappe to play on the right wing doesn’t make senseThe striker dilemma if Vinicius and Mbappe remain in the starting XI togetherThree immediate changes Real Madrid must makeWhat to do with Nico Paz?And much more.Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively over on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Real Madrid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.Hosts this week:Kiyan Sobhani (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@KiyanSo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Don Amancio (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DonShelby__⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Brian Windhorst Hasn't Heard Any Buzz About Celtics Pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.There has been some buzz in recent weeks about the Celtics potentially making a move for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst hasn't heard any official links between Boston and the star forward.“I know some people are linking him to Boston, but I have not heard that Giannis, Boston, and Milwaukee are serious about it. That’s out there, but I haven’t heard it," Windhorst said Wednesday on ESPN Cleveland.Brian Windhorst says he HAS NOT heard anything about Giannis and the Celtics:“I know some people are linking him to Boston, I have not heard of Giannis, Boston and Milwaukee serious about it. That’s out there, but I haven’t heard it”(Via @ESPNCleveland) pic.twitter.com/YCZRlxygFr— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) May 27, 2026There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the Celtics and a potential trade for Antetokounmpo, largely due to speculation that Boston might be looking to move on from Jaylen Brown. Many believe he could be the key player to facilitate a trade that would bring Antetokounmpo to the Celtics.Just because Windhorst mentioned he hasn't heard anything about a potential deal between the Celtics and Bucks doesn’t mean one isn’t out there. Since Windhorst is regarded as one of the top insiders in the NBA, his comments often carry weight, and people usually pay attention to what he says.There's still probably about a month before the Bucks move on to trading Antetokounmpo. If they plan to trade him, it should happen before the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23. This timeline would still give the Celtics plenty of time to jump into the mix for him if they aren’t already in the running.More NBA: NBA Writer Names What Celtics Should Do With Their First Pick In 2026 Draft

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 21: Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) jukes a dfender and breaks free for a touchdown during the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 21, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Miami Dolphins just made electric running back De’Von Achane the third highest paid ball carrier in the National Football League this offseason — signing the 24-year old to a four-year, $64 million extension roughly two weeks ago. While Achane has been easing himself back into practice at Miami’s OTAs this week following a shoulder procedure earlier this year, the young star is excited to carry the load for the Dolphins this upcoming season. Speaking with the South Florida media today, Achane had this to say about expectations following the team’s financial commitment to him. “It comes with the territory. I think I’m ready for the job. And like I said, I’m going to be here if my team needs me in any way. I knew when the contract got done, I was going to have to take on a bigger role.”Asked what he needs to improve upon to help Miami in 2026 and beyond, Achane had this to say:“There’s always something I can do better. Just because I had a good season last year — you can always improve. Now, I’m just trying to get better than last year.”In 2025, Achane carried the ball 238 times for 1,350 yards and 8 touchdowns. His 5.7 yards per carry led the NFL. Also a dynamic threat through the air, he caught 67 passes for 488 receiving yards and 4 scores. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl. For Achane’s entire media availability from Wednesday, watch the video below.

Which AFC West team poses biggest threat to Broncos repeating as division champs? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Denver Broncos won the AFC West division in 2025, ending the nine-year run as division champions of the Kansas City Chiefs. Breaking that streak was difficult; doing it again may be even more challenging. The Broncos will play a first-place schedule this coming season and they go from being one of the hunters to the hunted. With Super Bowl aspirations all over the Mile High City, the Broncos will have some tough battles ahead. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports took a look at the eight division winners from last season and ranked them in terms of their chances to repeat as division winners. He has the Broncos at No. 5 on that list, with better chances than the Chicago Bears (NFC North), New England Patriots (AFC East), Carolina Panthers (NFC South) and Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North). According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Broncos are not even the favorite to win the AFC West. Instead, the oddsmakers feel the Chiefs will regain the throne. Here was Sullivan's analysis on the Broncos' chances to repeat:"The Broncos were not only the AFC West champions, but also claimed the No. 1 seed in the conference. What prevents them from being the betting favorite to repeat as division champions, however, is the same issue that helped derail their possible Super Bowl run in 2025. Bo Nix fractured his right ankle in the final moments of Denver's divisional round win last postseason. Nix has since undergone a second follow-up surgery on the ankle just before the 2026 NFL Draft. While Sean Payton has expressed optimism that Nix will be ready to go by the time training camp rolls around, there is some natural concern about how Nix will respond.That said, Denver upgraded its offense, striking a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to land wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. With that in mind, Nix will have an improved arsenal of pass catchers once he returns to the field to attempt to repeat in the AFC West. However, Nix's injury isn't the only hurdle. The Kansas City Chiefs could find themselves back in the conversation depending on how their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, recovers from his own season-ending injury (ACL tear). Given Kansas City's pedigree, they can't be counted out and are viewed by the sportsbooks as the betting favorite to reclaim the division crown. The Los Angeles Chargers are another threat to Denver, especially if they get their offensive line, specifically tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, back healthy."Can the Broncos hold off the Chiefs, Chargers to repeat as AFC West champions?Sullivan outlines some of the reasons why there are many critics who are predicting that the Broncos will take a big step back this coming season. Nix's ankle remains a big question mark, but the teams being built in Kansas City and Los Angeles are much bigger concerns. The Chiefs are going to be hungry to make a statement after a humbling 2025 season, which had a blowout loss in the Super Bowl right before it started. Mahomes, Andy Reid and the rest of that bunch will be on a mission. HOT READ:Broncos one of four teams linked to trade for 86-TD running backJim Harbaugh's Chargers are also not to be taken lightly. The Chargers beat the Broncos in Week 3 last season and when they might in the season finale, there wasn't much to play for. Both of these teams provide massive hurdles for the Broncos to clear before a Super Bowl can be discussed. More Broncos ContentBroncos' most underappreciated player is named and couldn't be more accurateDenver Broncos Undrafted Rookie Spotlight: Tyler Miller adds to one of team's biggest strengthsBroncos fans will love why rookie Kage Casey chose his jersey numberHave Broncos done enough to replace their biggest offseason loss?

Rams linked to former top-5 pick in massive trade idea originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Los Angeles Rams enter the season with high hopes in 2026. After falling short last season, the Rams are poised to make a deep playoff run and finish the season on top. The Rams have arguably the most loaded roster in the league, and they are projected to get even better. According to ESPN's Seth Walder, he predicted the Rams making a move for New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux to bolster their pass rush. Here's how Walder views the predicted trade going down: Rams get:Kayvon Thibodeaux2028 sixth-round pickGiants get:2028 third-round pick “This is a rich-get-richer scenario for the Rams, who already have Jared Verse and Byron Young at edge. Both Verse and Young were among the top-35 players in sacks last season (12 and 7.5, respectively),” Walder wrote. “Thibodeaux, who fits with the pair in the sense that he also is a strong run defender, can rotate in with that group. And if he lives up to the upside of his draft status, then Los Angeles would become even more dangerous.”The Giants drafted Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Although he was a top-five pick, it's safe to say he has not lived up to expectations so far in his first four seasons of his career. Kayvon Thibodeaux could be strong fit for Rams pass rushWhile Thibodeaux has shown solid attributes, the consistency and dominance many expected from him have not fully materialized. Still, he's not a bust; the 25-year-old has had a double-digit sack season and has to be a proven pass-rusher at times. If the Rams were to make a move for Thibodeaux, he would not arrive in Los Angeles to be a "savior." Instead, he could operate from within and be of tremendous help. One minor flaw the Rams possess when it comes to the pass rush is the depth, or lack thereof. With Thibodeaux possibly on the team, that would immediately solve that issue. A trade for the former Oregon Duck is far from a guarantee for Los Angeles; however, the fit with the Rams is undeniable. More NFL news: Do Ravens have Super Bowl 'ingredients' under Jesse Minter?Saints trade idea sends Giants 2027 draft pick for 11.5 sack edge rusherBrowns' Myles Garrett trade rumor has NFL insider not ruling anything outRavens-Bills Keon Coleman trade idea helps both teams reach their ceiling

Analyst has grave concerns for Steelers' AFC North chances in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Pittsburgh Steelers are a little tough to get a proper read on ahead of the 2026 season, as Aaron Rodgers comes back for one last go-around.Mike McCarthy is calling the shots, and Rico Dowdle and Michael Pittman Jr. are the shiny new weapons for No. 8.But there are some who aren't sold on Pittsburgh as a division contender in 2026 (me included), as there are so many unknown factors, starting with Rodgers.The floor is clear, but so too is the ceiling for the Steelers, and CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan has grave concerns for the outlook of the 2026 season in the Steel City.“The Steelers finally heard from Aaron Rodgers, and they will, in fact, have him back for the 2026 season,” Sullivan wrote. “That's the good news. The bad news is that the Steelers have a 42-year-old quarterback under center for them in 2026. Not only that, but the Steelers are likely to face a much tougher AFC North than the one they went 4-2 against last season.“With two Super Bowl heavyweights foaming at the mouth to rebound this season, the Steelers could be in for a muted "Last Dance" for Rodgers.”MORE:Are Chargers poised to break 17-year drought in 2026?Will Rodgers' career end with a whimper?Well, some thought that would be the case last year, and Pittsburgh won the division.But I have a hard time believing the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals will both be as bad as they were last year, along with the Steelers being good enough for long enough to compete with them.Of course, I could be wrong, but how will Rodgers look at the ripe age of 42? Will McCarthy be able to get the most out of him? Will the offense be able to move the ball more efficiently? Can the defense improve on last year's effort?Those are all questions that will be answered in due time, and until they are, I have a tough time thinking the Steelers will repeat as AFC North champs.More NFL news:Is Lamar Jackson on board with Ravens' offseason changes?Can Bills challenge for Super Bowl in 2026? Analyst gives definitive answerAnalyst still clinging to 2026 Chiefs hopeLamar Jackson makes definitive statement on long-term future with RavensLamar Jackson reveals superb 2-word thought on Ravens HC Jesse Minter

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 4: Keeanu Benton #95 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, United States. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images With an almost entirely new coaching staff in 2026, the Steelers defense should look different this season. At the team’s OTA on Wednesday, several assistant coaches spoke to the media, including new defensive line coach Domata Peko, who hinted at some position changes for Pittsburgh’s Keeanu Benton and Yahya Black. Under the team’s former defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, Benton primarily played nose tackle while Black often operated as a 4i (lining up on the offensive tackle’s inside shoulder). Fans and analysts often argued the two players were miscast, with Benton fitting the best as a 3-tech, and Black playing nose. Peko said similar changes could be coming. When asked about Benton, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel, Peko emphasized versatility. “I’m excited for (Benton),” he said. “He’s a player that’s been climbing each year and getting better and better. They played him at a lot of nose last year, but I feel like he can play any position on that defensive front. So, excited to work with him. He’s been coming in on these optional days and been grinding with us.”Benton will be entering the last year of his rookie contract in 2026. The 6’4, 309-pound defender recorded a career-high 5.5 sacks last season. “(Benton will) definitely be playing some nose,” Peko clarified, but it might not be exclusive. “Like I said, he can play any position on the D-line. We’re gonna mix and match and see what’s best for him.” Pretty nice sim pressure that leads to a sack on the opening drive. Isolates Rivers in pass pro and Keeanu Benton gets the best of him pic.twitter.com/KGgbpVw5RZ— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) October 17, 2025Peko was asked what made Benton a strong candidate for 3-tech, 4i, or 5-tech. “I feel like he’s super stout and strong at the point of attack. But what really separates him is his quickness, man,” he said. “(Benton) has really good lateral quickness, and then as far as going from B to A or A gap to B gap, he’s really good with his movements — so that’s kind of the things that separate him from our other guys, is his ability to use his quickness and get on the edge of somebody pretty quickly, and win.” However, in Yahya Black’s case, Peko went out of his way to talk about a potential switch to nose tackle. Black, a 2025 fifth-rounder, played in 17 games last year, starting three. “Black can be one of the best noses in the game if he just keeps on doing what he’s been doing, and us working his butt off,” Peko said. “Really good on his technique and his details. I just want to sharpen him up and get him really going, and try to bring out the best in him.” Yahya Black (#94) is a hoss pic.twitter.com/rEaeYPbKDu— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 10, 2025Versatility was a common theme of Peko’s presser. The coach said it was an important element of free agent signing Sebastian Joseph-Day’s game as well. “He’s super consistent,” Peko said of Joseph-Day. “He’s definitely a tool we’re going to be using this year because he plays it all. He plays D-end, he plays D-tackle, and he plays nose. And he’s been playing some good ball.”Still early in the offseason, the Steelers defense continues to take shape. But under new coordinator Patrick Graham, expect the product to look different in Week 1. “A lot of the guys are buying into the new system,” Peko said. “Because anytime you get a new DC, it comes with a new system, new terminology, and all the guys seem to love the change.”

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: A general view of Tiger Stadium during a game between the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies on October 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images} Following the announcement of LSU’s week two contest versus Louisiana Tech being scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CST kickoff, the Tigers’ first year under the helm of head coach Lane Kiffin will begin with three straight night games. Although we are still about 100 days from the team’s season opener, it will soon once again be “Saturday night in Death Valley…”In week one, Baton Rouge will be the focal point across all of college football as a battle of big cats hits the field in Tiger Stadium. The LSU Tigers will host the visiting Clemson Tigers on Saturday, September 5th, at 6:30 p.m. CST. After LSU traveled to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and defeated the Tigers on the road to open the 2025 season, revenge will be on the minds of many visitors this Labor Day weekend. Lane Kiffin will become the first LSU head coach to open their tenure at home in Baton Rouge since Nick Saban in 2000, and did I mention ESPN’s College Gameday show will be live on campus ahead of the matchup? Yeah, Louisiana will be rocking.After all of the festivities to begin a new college football season, LSU will stay home to face an in-state opponent, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Another Louisiana Saturday night means another 6:30 p.m. CST kickoff is on the slate for week two. LA Tech has made its own headlines this offseason with its departure from Conference USA and rejoining the Sun Belt Conference, renewing old rivalries in the process. LSU is one of the two Power Four opponents that the Bulldogs will see this year.After a cushiony start to the 2026 campaign with back-to-back home games, all hell will break loose for Kiffin and the Tigers in week three when they travel to Oxford, MS, for an SEC duel with the Ole Miss Rebels, the head coach’s former school. Fans and televisions across the nation will be tuned in to this one, as Vaught-Hemingway is expected to be one of the most exciting, hostile, and electric environments of the year. It is almost certain that this one will become a back-and-forth affair scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, September 19.The Southeastern Conference has announced that all television slots will be announced for the remaining games on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:00 p.m. CST as part of the SEC Network’s broadcast of SEC Now: Inside the 2026 Football Schedule.

EAGAN, MINNESOTA - MAY 27: Kyler Murray #1 and J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings look on during an OTA workout at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on May 27, 2026 in Eagan, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Minnesota Vikings began phase two of their OTA schedule on Tuesday and of all the Vikings’ players that have something like a roster-lock status, nobody has more to prove than J.J. McCarthy. A few reasons:First, unlike last year at this time, McCarthy has a competitor in Kyler Murray who will be named the starter sooner rather than later absent some significant improvement from McCarthy. Some may ask if it isn’t Murray who has something to prove, and he does, but not as much as McCarthy. Murray has an 88-start baseline that shows he can operate an offensive better than McCarthy has shown so far.Secondly, the reason the Vikings brought in Murray, beyond McCarthy’s durability concerns, is that McCarthy showed he had difficulty with tasks that an NFL starting quarterback should have down by now. Fundamental footwork technique/mechanics. Being able to make all the throws accurately, including layered throws with touch. And being able to process and deliver the ball on time. For many who thought McCarthy would do better early on as a starter, myself included, what was frustrating and very concerning is that footwork/mechanical issues became more of a problem than they were from his college tape. Similarly, his processing and ability to deliver the ball on time has gotten worse, not better. Clearly the speed and complexity of the NFL game has been a difficult challenge for McCarthy. At the same time, he hasn’t made any progress since college in being able to layer balls with touch. Indeed, his overall accuracy has regressed since college as well.It’s also clear from some of Kevin O’Connell’s comments last season that some or all of McCarthy’s issues are more pronounced in games than they are in practice. All that makes it more incumbent on McCarthy to show mastery of these things in OTAs to earn first-team reps in training camp. For a first-round pick entering his third year and competing for a starting job, these things need to be automatic. Working on them is something that can be done with the second or third team as a backup.Hopefully all the time McCarthy spent working on fundamentals with his longtime quarterback coach this offseason will yield positive results. But those positive results need to be on display early and often in OTAs if McCarthy is to compete for the starting job. Otherwise competition for the starting job may be over before it begins. The Future is Now for McCarthyShowing out at OTAs is essential if McCarthy is going to compete against Kyler Murray for the starting job. Only by doing so can he earn enough training camp reps with the first team to really make it a competition. And if that doesn’t happen, it may prove to have been McCarthy’s last opportunity to be a starter for the Vikings and may complicate his ability to compete for a starting job with another team too.If Kyler Murray wins the starting job and has a good season, it’s unlikely the Vikings will let him go like they did Sam Darnold. They’ve already expressed interest in a longer term deal with Murray, and have been preparing for the salary cap hit for a Kyler Murray extension, which would likely be in the second-tier among starting quarterback salaries, depending on just how well he plays.That would leave McCarthy with no path to be a starter with the Vikings, but also would raise more questions for other teams looking to add starter-level competition to their QB room. Teams may be more wary of McCarthy as a viable starter if he couldn’t make it under Kevin O’Connell and Josh McCown and with all the weapons the Vikings have on offense.McCarthy a Bit Salty, Motivated In his first press conference since Kyler Murray was signed, McCarthy seemed more salty than his normal demeanor since he was drafted. That’s an understandable difference since last year at this time, when he was the unchallenged QB1. McCarthy talked about “organizational decisions” regarding signing Kyler Murray and focusing on what he can control, continuing to work hard at getting better, and an impersonal assessment of what it’s like working/competing with Murray, but with a notable edge that wasn’t there before. There was more than a whiff of betrayal in McCarthy’s comments about “organizational decisions” but also a competitive energy as he talked about what he is doing to get ready and his own motivation and confidence. Overall, I suspect the Vikings’ coaching staff and front office staff were elated with McCarthy’s attitude and motivation to prove them wrong. The new edge to McCarthy would only seem to confirm, however, that Kevin O’Connell and company were right in thinking that competition would only help McCarthy’s development. We’ll see.McCarthy Needs to at Least Show Noticeable ImprovementIt’s possible that McCarthy shows improvement but not enough to win the starting job. This is the most likely scenario in my view. But showing noticeable improvement at every opportunity- OTAs, training camp, preseason, and any game time he gets whether due to injury or mop-up duty- is a must if McCarthy wants to continue to be viewed as a potential starter. That could make for a tricky decision for the Vikings down the road or it could give him a shot at starting for another team in a year or two. But if he continues to struggle with fundamentals, McCarthy may also struggle to find another opportunity to be a starter.For now, McCarthy is splitting first-team reps with Kyler Murray in OTAs. I haven’t seen the exact split, but both are getting some first-team reps.The competition begins..@jjmccarthy09 ➡️ Jordan Addison pic.twitter.com/i9Q8KUm0IM— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 27, 2026.@K1 ➡️ Jordan Addison pic.twitter.com/k5vdDGsaFO— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 27, 2026

The New York Jets are signing former Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo to their roster, according to NFL reporter Connor Hughes. Koo spent the majority of his career in Atlanta but was released early in the 2025 season after a crucial missed kick against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The life of an NFL kicker is a week-to-week experience, and Koo perfectly embodies this. He was a consistent and clutch performer for the majority of his six-plus years in Atlanta. However, Koo struggled over his final two seasons as he dealt with a leg injury.The New York Giants signed Koo in the middle of the 2025 NFL season. The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Giants, making four out of six field-goal attempts and 11 out of 12 extra points. Koo was waived by New York in December and later tried out for the New Orleans Saints at their rookie minicamp. Now, Koo gets to have another chance in New York, this time with the Jets.BREAKING: The #Jets are signing K Younghoe Koo, sources tell @SNYtv. Koo spent seven years with the #Falcons where he was a Pro Bowler in 2020. Last year kicked for both Atlanta and the #Giants. He was 6 of 9 on FGs, 13 of 14 on PATs pic.twitter.com/FKysMXHz74— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) May 27, 2026Koo converted 178 of 205 field-goal attempts and 166 of 173 extra-point attempts over 89 starts with the Falcons from 2019-2025. Hopefully, the former Pro Bowl kicker can find his footing again with the Jets.Coincidentally, the Falcons signed former Jets kicker Nick Folk to replace Zane Gonzalez over the offseason. This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo signs with New York Jets

The Brooklyn Nets have developed their teams through a number of strategies over the decades, and their front office has put together considerable success through the NBA draft. Many of the franchise's best players have joined the Nets either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades made on that day.Moreover, it is not only the star players who have been acquired by the Nets through the draft. Several prominent alumni have been selected by the team each offseason during this annual event, with certain colleges being more prominently represented than others. An analysis of the players from different schools reveals that both prestigious programs and smaller institutions have contributed top talent to the Nets' roster over the years.So without further ado, let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Nets out of Kentucky. Mike Phillips - forwardDraft year and position: third round (first pick, 45th overall), 1978 NBA DraftSeasons at Kentucky: fourSeasons played with Nets: did not make the teamJames Blackmon - guardDraft year and position: fifth round (second pick, 94th overall), 1987 NBA DraftSeasons at Kentucky: fourSeasons played with Nets: did not make the teamHamidou Diallo - wingDraft year and position: second round (15th pick, 45th overall), 2018 NBA DraftSeasons at Kentucky: Seasons played with Nets: did not make the teamAll stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Every Kentucky player drafted by the Nets

President Trump held out hope for a peace agreement, but said high oil prices would not force his hand.

After taking a brief pause to start June, PFL will begin a heavy summer schedule late next month with PFL San Diego, which marks the first of four events over a 34-day stretch.The promotion will touch down in San Diego for the first time in its history with the June 27 card at Pechanga Arena, which airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.Former Bellator champion A.J. McKee (24-2) will look to keep making his case for a featherweight championship fight when he takes on undefeated surging contender Salamat Isbulaev (10-0).Another ex-Bellator titleholder competes in the co-headliner with Liz Carmouche (25-8) set to clash against Viviane Araujo (14-7), who looks to stay unbeaten with PFL after parting ways with the UFC.PFL officials finalized the entire 10-fight lineup on Wednesday, and you can see it below.Main card (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET)A.J. McKee vs. Salamat IsbulaevViviane Araujo vs. Liz CarmoucheAlfie Davis vs. Alexander ShabliyAbraham Bably vs. Rob WilkinsonPreliminary card (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Joshua WeemsJena Bishop vs. Ariane da SilvaSarvarjon Khamidov vs. Justin WetzellGamid Khizriev vs. Lorenzo ParenteShannon Clark vs. Ilara JoanneDaniel Bzdigian vs. Cobey FehrThis article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL San Diego card finalized with A.J. McKee headliner

Hey Testudo Times community! This is your open space to discuss all things Maryland football. Keep things respectful as always.Be sure to keep up with all of our football coverage here.All open threads will be restarted periodically as needed. Please direct any questions/comments/concerns to managing editor Nolan Rogalski and the rest of the staff at testudotimes@gmail.com. Enjoy!

Getting into Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals will cost most people a small fortune. Courtside seats are listed as high as $595,000. A seat in the upper deck is running thousands.At least 500 kids are getting in free.The Knicks and MSG Sports announced Wednesday they will donate at least 500 tickets to underprivileged youth in New York City for their home Finals games through the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit that serves children facing illness, homelessness, extreme poverty and other obstacles across the tri-state area.The foundation will receive 205 tickets per home game for Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and 10. If the series extends to a Game 6 on June 16, the total will reach 750 tickets. They will be distributed to underserved New York families affiliated with the foundation.The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, chasing their first championship since 1973. Tickets for the home games have reached Super Bowl-level prices on the secondary market. It makes getting inside the Garden out of reach for most average New Yorkers, let alone those who are dealing with extreme poverty and homelessness.For kids who could never afford the ticket prices to get through the doors at MSG normally, the Knicks just gave them a chance to see history.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks donate hundreds of NBA Finals tickets to kids

The Detroit Tigers can't stay healthy.The Tigers earned a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, May 27, in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park, marking their third shutout win of the 2026 season (and their first since April 10).The bad news: The Tigers lost right-hander Casey Mize to right groin tightness and reliever Kenley Jansen to another injury.Mize exited after four scoreless innings (allowing two hits and one walk with six strikeouts) in his third start since returning from the injured list with the same problem.BAD NEWS: Casey Mize exits Tigers game with groin injury after four inningsThe Tigers have a 22-34 record, with 17 losses in their past 21 games (including two wins in their past three games). They're in last place in the American League Central and 10 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians.On the moundEntering 2026, the Tigers took these five starters into Opening Day as their five-man rotation: Mize, left-hander Tarik Skubal, left-hander Framber Valdez, right-hander Jack Flaherty and right-hander Justin Verlander.Mize served as the fifth starter.INJURY REPORT: Who returns first to Tigers? Kerry Carpenter or Gleyber TorresThe 2018 No. 1 overall pick has performed like the best starter – with injuries to Skubal and Verlander, inconsistency from Valdez and terrible performance from Flaherty – but a right adductor strain forced him to miss a pair of starts.In Wednesday's game, Mize suffered what appeared to be the same injury in his third start since returning from the injured list.He showed discomfort after striking out Jorge Soler for the second out in the fourth inning, and after completing the inning, he left the game with assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades.With Mize's injury, the Tigers turned to right-handed reliever Drew Anderson.He fired three scoreless innings.Anderson – who signed a one-year, $7 million contract with a $10 million club option – has completed 14 consecutive scoreless innings with four walks and 16 strikeouts in his past five games, all relief appearances. He has been the biggest success story during the Tigers' struggles.Meanwhile, Mize owns a 2.27 ERA in nine starts, which features a 1.08 ERA in three starts since coming back from the first injury – but he's injured again.At the plateThe Tigers didn't hit the jackpot.But they chipped away at right-hander José Soriano to put themselves in a position to win.Soriano is the best starter in the Angels' rotation.The 27-year-old entered Wednesday's game with a 2.44 ERA in 11 starts, including a 0.24 ERA across 37⅔ innings in his first six starts. His ERA increased to 2.65 after facing the Tigers in his 12th start of the season.Soriano allowed three runs on seven hits and four walk with four strikeouts across five innings, throwing 105 pitches. He needed 35 pitches to complete his final inning.Here's how the Tigers scored: A 1-0 lead on Dillon Dingler's RBI single in the first inning, a 2-0 lead on Spencer Torkelson's solo home run in the second inning and a 3-0 lead on Riley Greene's RBI single in the fifth inning.In the fifth, Torkelson stranded the bases loaded when he struck out swinging.It was an opportunity to bury the Angels.The Tigers, though, tacked on another run for a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning against left-handed reliever Brent Suter. A single from Kevin McGonigle and a double from Dingler put two runners in scoring position with one out, then the Tigers scored on a passed ball by catcher Logan O'Hoppe.Torkelson finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and one home run, while three other players had multi-hit games: Colt Keith (2-for-3), McGonigle (2-for-3) and Dingler (2-for-3).It was Torkelson's eighth homer in 54 games.His batting average jumped from .198 to .210 with his three-hit performance.Tork 💣 pic.twitter.com/8e6mIWIXR0— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 27, 2026Up nextThe Tigers and Angels meet again Thursday (1:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) in the series finale. It's a matchup of pitchers with bad results in different sample sizes.Right-hander Jack Flaherty starts for the Tigers with a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts, while right-hander Grayson Rodriguez starts for the Angels with a 10.61 ERA in two starts.The Angels acquired Rodriguez – the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 draft – from the Baltimore Orioles in November 2025, but the former top prospect missed the first seven weeks of the 2026 season with a right shoulder injury.Rodriguez registered a 3.86 ERA over 20 starts in 2025.Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers win vs Los Angeles Angels but lose Casey Mize to injury

The Detroit Tigers can't stay healthy.The Tigers earned a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, May 27, in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park, marking their third shutout win of the 2026 season (and their first since April 10).The bad news: The Tigers lost right-hander Casey Mize to right groin tightness and reliever Kenley Jansen to another injury.Mize exited after four scoreless innings (allowing two hits and one walk with six strikeouts) in his third start since returning from the injured list with the same problem.BAD NEWS: Casey Mize exits Tigers game with groin injury after four inningsThe Tigers have a 22-34 record, with 17 losses in their past 21 games (including two wins in their past three games). They're in last place in the American League Central and 10 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians.On the moundEntering 2026, the Tigers took these five starters into Opening Day as their five-man rotation: Mize, left-hander Tarik Skubal, left-hander Framber Valdez, right-hander Jack Flaherty and right-hander Justin Verlander.Mize served as the fifth starter.INJURY REPORT: Who returns first to Tigers? Kerry Carpenter or Gleyber TorresThe 2018 No. 1 overall pick has performed like the best starter – with injuries to Skubal and Verlander, inconsistency from Valdez and terrible performance from Flaherty – but a right adductor strain forced him to miss a pair of starts.In Wednesday's game, Mize suffered what appeared to be the same injury in his third start since returning from the injured list.He showed discomfort after striking out Jorge Soler for the second out in the fourth inning, and after completing the inning, he left the game with assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades.With Mize's injury, the Tigers turned to right-handed reliever Drew Anderson.He fired three scoreless innings.Anderson – who signed a one-year, $7 million contract with a $10 million club option – has completed 14 consecutive scoreless innings with four walks and 16 strikeouts in his past five games, all relief appearances. He has been the biggest success story during the Tigers' struggles.Meanwhile, Mize owns a 2.27 ERA in nine starts, which features a 1.08 ERA in three starts since coming back from the first injury – but he's injured again.At the plateThe Tigers didn't hit the jackpot.But they chipped away at right-hander José Soriano to put themselves in a position to win.Soriano is the best starter in the Angels' rotation.The 27-year-old entered Wednesday's game with a 2.44 ERA in 11 starts, including a 0.24 ERA across 37⅔ innings in his first six starts. His ERA increased to 2.65 after facing the Tigers in his 12th start of the season.Soriano allowed three runs on seven hits and four walk with four strikeouts across five innings, throwing 105 pitches. He needed 35 pitches to complete his final inning.Here's how the Tigers scored: A 1-0 lead on Dillon Dingler's RBI single in the first inning, a 2-0 lead on Spencer Torkelson's solo home run in the second inning and a 3-0 lead on Riley Greene's RBI single in the fifth inning.In the fifth, Torkelson stranded the bases loaded when he struck out swinging.It was an opportunity to bury the Angels.The Tigers, though, tacked on another run for a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning against left-handed reliever Brent Suter. A single from Kevin McGonigle and a double from Dingler put two runners in scoring position with one out, then the Tigers scored on a passed ball by catcher Logan O'Hoppe.Torkelson finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and one home run, while three other players had multi-hit games: Colt Keith (2-for-3), McGonigle (2-for-3) and Dingler (2-for-3).It was Torkelson's eighth homer in 54 games.His batting average jumped from .198 to .210 with his three-hit performance.Tork 💣 pic.twitter.com/8e6mIWIXR0— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 27, 2026Up nextThe Tigers and Angels meet again Thursday (1:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) in the series finale. It's a matchup of pitchers with bad results in different sample sizes.Right-hander Jack Flaherty starts for the Tigers with a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts, while right-hander Grayson Rodriguez starts for the Angels with a 10.61 ERA in two starts.The Angels acquired Rodriguez – the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 draft – from the Baltimore Orioles in November 2025, but the former top prospect missed the first seven weeks of the 2026 season with a right shoulder injury.Rodriguez registered a 3.86 ERA over 20 starts in 2025.Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers win vs Los Angeles Angels but lose Casey Mize to injury

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, looks on. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2026-05-28T01:02:50Z The Trump administration on Wednesday placed additional sanctions on Iran as part of a sprawling economic pressure campaign during the war, this time targeting the country’s newly created agency that is trying to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The move, first reported by The Associated Press, is the latest U.S. effort to use economic leverage on top of military action to push Iran’s leadership into an agreement to end the war and open the waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas normally passes. President Donald Trump has said a deal is imminent, but talks are ongoing.It comes as rising energy prices and other costs stemming from Iran’s effective closure of the strait have heaped political pressure on Trump and other Republicans ahead of the midterm congressional elections.“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. The sanctions target Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority and any person or entity cooperating with the agency, announced earlier this month, that approves transit in the strait and charges tolls that could reach as high as $2 million per vessel. Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has defended this oversight effort, saying the only safe route for transit through the critical waterway is through the corridor it has designated and saying any ships that deviate from that path face a series of attacks and risks. Read More Iran’s chokehold on the strait has caused worldwide energy shocks and followed the U.S. and Israel launching the war on Feb. 28. Prices have spiked for oil, gas and related products, and experts say it would take several weeks or even months for shipping and prices to recover once the waterway reopens.In turn, the U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports for over a month, and Trump said it “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.” The latest economic penalties come as Washington and Tehran have been engaged in some of the most intense diplomacy and negotiations in years, aimed at bringing an end to the war and a pathway for a longer-term solution to issues between the longtime adversaries. Trump said Wednesday that Iran is “negotiating on fumes” and said the sides are closing in on a deal even after the U.S. military said it carried out strikes on missile launch sites and boats placing mines in “self-defense.” Later Wednesday, U.S. forces carried out new defensive strikes on an Iran military facility after downing Iranian attack drones, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.“They want very much to make a deal,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. “So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be — either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”The Republican president also has reiterated his warning that fighting would resume if no deal is reached but has pulled back from those threats several times now in the last few months. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers foreign policy and the United Nations as a correspondent for The Associated Press, based in New York. twitter mailto

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez waves as she waits for Colombian President Gustavo Petro at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)2026-05-28T00:25:57Z MIAMI (AP) — The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime target of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation.It’s unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodríguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.”But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year show she consistently surfaced on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, though she has never been criminally charged in the U.S. like several other senior Venezuelan officials. The directive to pause scrutiny into Rodríguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration’s efforts to stabilize Venezuela after the capture of her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, among other reasons, the official said. It was not clear whether the White House, which deferred comment to the Justice Department, was involved in the decision. “Everybody has been told to stand down,” one of the former officials said. The former officials, who had been briefed on the development, as well as the current official all spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.Rodríguez, a U.S. attorney representing her and the Venezuelan Communications Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. Read More The move eases pressure on RodriguezRemoving the threat of potential indictment, even temporarily, eases pressure on Rodríguez as the Trump administration seeks to work with the acting leader to stabilize Venezuela after Maduro’s ouster and open the country to U.S. investment.President Donald Trump praised Rodríguez as a “terrific person” shortly after the U.S. military took Maduro and his wife to New York to face federal narcotics charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.In recent months, the U.S. has lifted sanctions against Rodríguez and recognized her as Venezuela’s sole head of state, allowing her to re-establish ties with western banks and more freely work with U.S. investors seeking to tap into the world’s largest petroleum reserves. As ties between the two governments have deepened, some have held out the Venezuelan playbook — characterized by oil blockades, indictments of top leaders, and threats of military intervention — as a model to drive regime change from within as the U.S. pressures other longtime adversaries in Iran and Cuba. Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the head of the National Assembly, were hit with U.S. sanctions during Trump’s first term for their role in undermining Venezuelan democracy and cementing Maduro’s authoritarian rule. Rodríguez “is doing a great job,” Trump wrote on social media in early March. “The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!”In recent months, Rodríguez has hosted ceremonies with a steady stream of American oilmen, some of them partaking in high-profile delegations led by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Election talk deferred amid Trump’s praiseMissing in all the mutual backslapping is any talk of elections, even as Rodríguez last month blew through a 90-day limit set by Venezuela’s high court to fill Maduro’s position on a temporary basis. “I don’t know,” she responded in English when a visiting U.S. journalist earlier this month shouted out a question about her time frame for holding elections. “Some time.”Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has demanded the administration explain its favorable treatment of Rodríguez, calling her a “central figure in Nicolás Maduro’s repressive regime.”“Sanctions have been lifted on Ms. Rodríguez without any indication that she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order,” Sheehan, joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent last week. Rick de la Torre, a former CIA chief of station in Caracas, said that the decision to shield Rodríguez fits well with the Trump administration’s foreign policy goals in Venezuela.“She’s a lifelong Marxist and was a senior leader of one of the world’s most corrupt regimes but the U.S. is providing her with breathing space and carrots to lay the foundation for democracy and U.S. investment,” said de la Torre, the CEO of Tower Strategy, which advises companies on Venezuela. “There’s a shelf life to her utility, however. At some point she will face justice.,” he added. Rodríguez has been on DEA’s radar since 2018The DEA had amassed a detailed intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, and has received allegations about her ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling, the AP reported earlier this year. One confidential informant told DEA in early 2021 that Rodríguez was using hotels in the Caribbean resort of Isla Margarita “as a front to launder money,” the records show. Her name has surfaced in nearly a dozen DEA investigations — several of which remained ongoing as recently as this year — involving field offices from Paraguay and Ecuador to Phoenix and New York. She had even been linked to Maduro’s alleged bag man, Alex Saab, whom U.S. authorities first arrested in 2020 on money-laundering charges, the records show. Rodríguez deported Saab this month as part of a purge of insider businessmen who are accused of having enriched themselves through corrupt dealings with Maduro.It’s unclear in which Miami investigations Rodríguez’s name surfaced. Two of the former officials said Rodríguez has also come up in meetings with investigators in Tampa tasked last year by former Attorney General Pam Bondi with looking into financial crimes in Venezuela. At the time, Rodríguez was serving as Maduro’s vice president. Justice Department policy requires the attorney general to personally approve the charging of any foreign head of state, who are normally immune from prosecution under international and U.S. law.Halting high-profile criminal probes of foreign leadersThe pausing of the investigations into Rodríguez comes as the Trump administration has similarly tapped the brakes on ongoing federal investigations into another prominent Latin American leftist, Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The DEA had also designated Petro a “priority target” over alleged ties to drug traffickers that had been probed for months by federal prosecutors. The New York Times reported in March that U.S. officials recently assured the Colombian government Petro does not face charges in those cases. Duncan Levin, a former prosecutor who worked for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, said it would be “deeply troubling” for law enforcement to be “told to stand down from a legitimate investigation for political or transactional reasons.”“The White House cannot use criminal enforcement as a diplomatic light switch,” Levin told AP. “DOJ decisions are supposed to be based on law, evidence, policy and public safety — not on whether a foreign official is useful to the administration at a given moment.”___ Durkin Richer reported from Washington and Mustian from New York. AP Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report.___This story is part of an investigation that includes the FRONTLINE documentary “Crisis in Venezuela,” which aired Feb. 10, 2026, on PBS. Watch the documentary at pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App and on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel. JOSHUA GOODMAN Goodman is a Miami-based investigative reporter who writes about the intersection of crime, corruption, drug trafficking and politics in Latin America. He previously spent two decades reporting from South America. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter JIM MUSTIAN Mustian is an Associated Press investigative reporter for breaking news. twitter mailto

By Rory Carroll May 27 (Reuters) - NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league will use AI to automate a ‌category of calls such as out-of-bounds decisions to speed ‌up games and reduce disputes over possession. Silver compared the system to Hawk-Eye technology ​used in tennis, where electronic line-calling quickly determines whether a ball has landed in or out. "We're going to move to a system like that where that whole category of calls will be ‌automatic," Silver said on ⁠ESPN's the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. "It's going to be Laker ball, Knick ball, whatever it ⁠is. Those calls will be done by an AI, automated system with cameras lined around the court." The technology would make such ​decisions instantaneous ​and allow referees to focus ​on calls for contact and ‌fouls. "It will take all those so-called objective calls out of the hands of the referees," he said. "You won't have to deal with challenges on those calls." Silver did not provide an exact timeline for the introduction of the system but said it ‌would be "fairly quickly". The NBA has increasingly ​leaned on replay review and centralized ​decision-making to improve officiating ​accuracy, though reviews can slow the pace of ‌games. Silver said referees would remain essential ​for interpreting physical ​contact, where judgment is required to determine whether a player has been impeded. "There's often contact on every play, but ​that doesn't mean ‌there's a foul on every play," Silver said. "That's something ​that can't just be done on camera." (Reporting by Rory ​Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

GAYLORD ― Before Gaylord soccer's matchup with Peotskey on Thursday, May 21, senior captain Emma Horsell-Sehl shared a quote with her teammates. It was just something she found on Pinterest, but it was uniquely fitting for the Blue Devils in that moment."Pressure is a privilege," Horsell-Sehl read to her teammates, and it's something they've embraced since that moment.Gaylord (15-2-1, 10-1 Big North) left Click Rd. in Petoskey that day with a 4-0 win over the Northmen, clinching a share of the program's first Big North Conference title since 2002. Now, following Wednesday's 8-0 victory over Alpena, they face yet another pressure situation this weekend, hoping to become the first team in GHS history to secure both a league and district title in the same season.To get there? It'll take a third win over their rivals from Petoskey. Another pressure situation, another privilege for Gaylord to be in it."Our next game is such a privilege, and it's honestly a gift that we are able to play it," said Horsell-Sehl.Alepna (2-16-3, 1-10 BNC) held its own through the first 20 minutes, making Gaylord work hard to get opportunities at the net and clouding up the lanes to the goal. Once the Blue Devils broke through, however, it felt like a seal had been broken, and the goals started coming quickly.Sophomore Josie Bensinger scored the Blue Devils first goal, quickly followed by another goal from fellow sophomore Khloe VanOosten and a third from junior Ella Cherwinski before the half. Alfter halftime, Gaylord stayed aggresive ― sophomore Raygen Drzewiecki, two goals from senior Callie English and back-to-back goals from VanOosten and Cherwinski."Alpena came here with a great game plan to hold as deep as they can and hold on, and for 20 to 30 minutes there, it really did work what they were doing," said coach Chris Adams. "But the girls were patient, we had high quality and as soon as we got a couple of goals, we continued to push hard to get more."The win was Gaylord's fifth 8-0 victory of the season and third win over Alpena, now sporting an 83-14 goal differential in their 18 matches this season. It was also the ninth home victory, now 9-0-1 in matches at Gaylord Community Field. Come Saturday, they'll have a chance to finish the year with an undefeated home record and add some more hardware to their trophy case.However, it'll take a third win over Petoskey to do so, a team they've had plenty of history with in this round.Gaylord won its first district in 18 years by defeating Petoskey in penalty kicks in 2024, while the Northmen got revenge with a 1-0 victory in last season's district title game.This year, Gaylord is embracing every part of that pressure matchup."We know Petoskey is a strong team. However, we are also a strong team. We've gotten this far, and we want to continue even further," said Horsell-Sehl.Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersenThis article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord girls soccer beats Alpena, faces rematch with Petoskey

BALTIMORE (AP) — Blaze Alexander hit his first home run of the season and drove in six runs, Gunnar Henderson had his 12th and 13th homers and the Baltimore Orioles routed the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.Trey Gibson (1-0) allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings for his first victory the majors. The Orioles backed him with 16 hits.Leody Taveras and Tyler O'Neill added RBIs to help the Orioles improve to 5-1 during a 10-game homestand. Adley Rutschman had three hits.Rays left-hander Steven Matz (4-2) completed only three innings, allowing five of his season-high six runs during the first.Tampa Bay had 10 hits but went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position to lose its fourth straight. Ryan Vilade had the AL-leading Rays' RBIs on a sixth-inning fielder's choice and eighth-inning, bases-loaded walk.Henderson's two-run shot began Baltimore's five-run first and Alexander's two-run single completed it. Henderson's solo drive in the sixth off Jonathan Heasley completed this third career multi-homer game and Baltimore's third this season. Alexander added a two-run drive off Heasley in the seventh.Gibson allowed six hits and walked four but induced three double plays. In the third, he struck out Yandy Díaz, then got Richie Palacios to ground out to leave the bases loaded.Orioles reliever Yennier Cano departed in the eighth inning with right hamstring discomfort after working into a 3-0 count against Vilade.Up nextRays RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51 ERA) was set to open a three-game home set Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. Orioles RHP Righty Chris Bassitt (4-3, 5.51) was scheduled to start at home Thursday in the first of four against Toronto.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 01: Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) | Getty Images A couple of weeks ago, Lane Kiffin did an interview with Vanity Fair and made comments regarding the challenges he faced recruiting players while at Ole Miss. However, those ccomments did not go over well and sparked significant backlash online.Since then, the SEC and Ole Miss have reportedly been in contact regarding a potential reprimand for Coach Kiffin over those comments.Kiffin has since apologized and attempted to clarify his remarks, explaining that he was not expressing those views himself, but rather repeating statements that had been relayed to him by parents of potential recruits.The SEC could reprimand him, fine him, or potentially do both. A reprimand is a formal statement of censure issued against a coach by the conference.This would not be the first time Kiffin has faced disciplinary action from the SEC. During his lone season at Tennessee, Kiffin was reprimanded by the conference for comments he made regarding officiating. At the time, Mike Slive was serving as SEC commissioner.So, if any action is actually taken against Coach Kiffin, it would not be the first time he’s from heard conference officials.

The expectation throughout the offseason has been that the New England Patriots will agree on a trade for Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown on or after June 1. But it's important to understand that there has never been a guarantee. Brown isn't a Patriot until the deal is signed and sealed. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport continues to believe that New England is the most likely destination for Brown, but he also pointed out the fact that the two sides have yet to agree to a deal. The Eagles are currently seeking a 2027 first-round draft pick for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, according to Rapoport. However, the Patriots have been unwilling to give up that high of compensation as of right now. "I just don't know that it's going to be like snap your fingers and then a deal is done because the two sides are where they have been, which is the Eagles wanting a first-round pick in 2027," Rapoport said on The Insiders. "The Patriots, the most likely destination—we'll see if someone else arises. The Patriots are the most likely destination, not being willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now. That means they're not particularly close, and yeah, there's a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future."From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts knows he's probably worked with AJ Brown for the last time. But when it'll happen is a different story. pic.twitter.com/qQWhPZkp8G— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 27, 2026The 2027 NFL Draft is believed to be one of the best classes in recent memory. So it would make sense why the Patriots would be hesitant to give up a top pick. They'd love to sign Brown to their roster, but they've made enough moves to eliminate any form of desperation to get him. The team signed Romeo Doubs in free agency to add to a receiving corps of Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism III. Stefon Diggs is also still on the free agent market if the Patriots wanted to explore a reunion with their leading receiver from 2025. The current situation simply comes down to a staring contest between the Patriots and Eagles.Who blinks first? Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots, Eagles hit roadblock in latest A.J. Brown trade update

The two Republican critics of President Trump – Thomas Massie, who lost his House primary last week, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress – met up in the tropics.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws in the outfield prior to the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images Shohei Ohtani faces Tomoyuki Sugano as the Dodgers look to sweep the Colorado Rockies. Tonight's #Dodgers lineup vs. Rockies: pic.twitter.com/T9MJbwSRM2— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 28, 2026WEDNESDAY GAME INFO Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies Stadium: Dodger Stadium Time: 7:10 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish) Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Megha Ganne closed out her Stanford career with a short par putt to win the clinching match Wednesday afternoon as the Cardinal beat Southern California for its third NCAA Women's Golf Championship in the last five years.This was Stanford at its absolute best — earning the No. 1 seed for the sixth straight year by finishing 13 shots better than the next team, USC, and then crushing every opponent in its way until it secured its fourth overall women's golf championship.Ganne had a relatively easy time in the anchor match against Bailey Shoemaker, who did not make a birdie in 15 holes at La Costa Resort. Ganne wound up winning, 4 and 3.Meja Ortengren, who played her worst golf of the week Monday with an individual title on the line, rallied over the last two days with superb play and defeated Jasmine Koo, 6 and 5, in the shortest match of the final three rounds.Paula Martin Sampredo moments later closed out Catherine Park of USC, 3 and 2, and then it was a matter of time for Stanford to get the final point.About the only thing Stanford didn't do was its motivational goal of capturing all five matches in all three rounds. Stanford was credited with a 5-0 victory over Pepperdine in the quarterfinals and 5-0 victory over spunky Eastern Michigan in the semifinal.Stanford won the championship match 4-1. Once a team clinched victory with three points, all matches on the course end with the scores they are on. Kylie Chong of USC was 1 up over Andrea Revuelta on the 18th hole. In other match, Stanford senior Kelly Xu was 1 up over Elise Lee through 16 holes.Stanford did not trail at the turn in any of the five matches. Ganne was 4 up over Shoemaker through five holes, and Ortengren was 5 up at the turn over Koo, who had four bogeys on the front nine and falling behind.“Unfortunately we got off to a slow start. Against a team like this, you can't give them that many holes," USC coach Justin Silverstein said. “It's part of the game. There's no shame in losing to Stanford, a team as good as I've seen.”Stanford, which defeated UCLA for the NCAA title in 2024, was upset in the championship match a year ago against Northwestern. This squad showed determination to not let that happen again.“Winning a national championship has been the only goal for us since last year,” Ortengren said. “Every single day since that day last year has been working toward this moment.”The Cardinal's four NCAA titles in women's golf trail only Arizona State with eight and Duke with seven. Stanford has won all four since 2015 with Anne Walker as the head coach, pulling together elite players from all over.Walker walked the entire way with Sampedro, the leadoff match.“Paula never opened the door,” Walker said. “And from what I hear, that's what they all did.”___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

BORDEN — As Sens. Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz unveiled legislation aimed at tackling various hot-button topics in collegiate athletics, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti remained reluctant to weigh in on the issues, even as he acknowledged the cost to build a competitive roster is spiraling out of control.“The market is pretty expensive,” Cignetti said, before speaking at an event at the athletic department’s annual booster event at Huber’s Orchard & Winery. “It's scary. I think players should get paid. But something's going to have to be done in the next 12 to 24 months, or universities might not be able to handle this. College football won't exist the way we're going right now.”The “Protect College Sports Act of 2026” contains provisions to address that, including a hard salary cap and additional enforcement mechanisms. It would also seek to put rules in place, such as a one-time transfer rule and restrictions on former professional athletes playing in college, along with an antitrust exemption to avoid having the rules contested in court.The Big Ten recently held its annual spring meetings, where university presidents, athletic directors and coaches gathered to discuss many of those same topics. Cignetti declined to offer any insight into what rules or changes, if any, he advocated for. “We all have our opinions, and, you know, what's the point?” Cignetti said.. “I just hope we get things fixed.”That’s been Cignetti’s stance since arriving in Bloomington. He’s been publicly supportive of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti’s approach and the conference’s focus on expanding the CFP to 24 teams. He reiterated that sentiment on Wednesday in Borden.“You know, again, you know, I know what our people support, and I support what our people support,” Cignetti said. “For me to comment on this or that, you know, I got no control over this process."Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti warns 'college football won't exist' as constructed

BORDEN — As Sens. Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz unveiled legislation aimed at tackling various hot-button topics in collegiate athletics, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti remained reluctant to weigh in on the issues, even as he acknowledged the cost to build a competitive roster is spiraling out of control.“The market is pretty expensive,” Cignetti said, before speaking at an event at the athletic department’s annual booster event at Huber’s Orchard & Winery. “It's scary. I think players should get paid. But something's going to have to be done in the next 12 to 24 months, or universities might not be able to handle this. College football won't exist the way we're going right now.”The “Protect College Sports Act of 2026” contains provisions to address that, including a hard salary cap and additional enforcement mechanisms. It would also seek to put rules in place, such as a one-time transfer rule and restrictions on former professional athletes playing in college, along with an antitrust exemption to avoid having the rules contested in court.The Big Ten recently held its annual spring meetings, where university presidents, athletic directors and coaches gathered to discuss many of those same topics. Cignetti declined to offer any insight into what rules or changes, if any, he advocated for. “We all have our opinions, and, you know, what's the point?” Cignetti said.. “I just hope we get things fixed.”That’s been Cignetti’s stance since arriving in Bloomington. He’s been publicly supportive of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti’s approach and the conference’s focus on expanding the CFP to 24 teams. He reiterated that sentiment on Wednesday in Borden.“You know, again, you know, I know what our people support, and I support what our people support,” Cignetti said. “For me to comment on this or that, you know, I got no control over this process."Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti warns 'college football won't exist' as constructed

Red Sox Ride Monster Inning, Rout Braves In Biggest Home Win Of Season originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Red Soxhaven't had many home wins this season, but Wednesday's 8-0 rout of the Atlanta Braves was easily their biggest.Wednesday's blowout was just the Red Sox's ninth win in 27 games at Fenway Park this season. However, their eight runs matched a season high at home. It was also Boston's biggest margin of victory at home this year, and it came against the team with the best record in baseball.The Red Sox snapped their four-game losing streak with their most runs in a game since May 5. Six of them scored in the fourth inning as Boston batted around, knocking Braves starter Bryce Elder out of the game.Red Sox absolutely explode in the fourth inning sending 10 batters to the plate scoring six runs topped off by two 2-run singles from Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela to make it 6-0 over the Braves from Fenway.Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/RF4663LI0Q— WEEI Red Sox Network (@SoxBooth) May 28, 2026Impressively, the Red Sox didn't have an extra-base hit in the frame. All of their runs scored on singles or errors except for their last one, when the red-hot Jarren Duran smashed a solo homer as an exclamation point on his four-hit evening.It was a true team effort and a complete win for Boston. Every starter notched at least one hit, collecting 15 in all.Meanwhile, the Red Sox's pitching staff returned to form after a couple of rough outings. Connelly Early was terrific with seven scoreless innings and seven strikeouts in Boston's first shutout win since May 8.The Red Sox will go for their first series win at home since early April on Thursday against former Boston ace Chris Sale. The Red Sox will counter with their own star lefty in Payton Tolle, setting up a potential pitcher's duel at Fenway.More MLB: New York Radio Host Slaps 'Unwatchable' Red Sox With Overly Harsh Label

The Chicago Cubs’ losing skid is finally over. The Cubs, after dropping 10 straight and 14 of their last 16, rolled to a dominant 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Wednesday night. It marked the team’s first win since May 15, and ended the team’s longest losing streak since 2022. And, despite the brutal stretch of baseball, the Cubs still hold a 30-26 record and are in second in the NL Central standings. The Milwaukee Brewers still lead that division, which doesn’t have a team below .500. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead early, the Cubs dropped six runs in the seventh inning alone to blow the game wide open. Ian Happ got things started with a three-run homer to right, which put the Cubs back in the lead again, and then Michael Conforto followed with a two-run shot of his own. Michael Busch hit an RBI single to wrap the inning and put the Cubs up by six, which was more than enough to give them the win. Happ also had a two-run single in the first inning. He’s now reached base in 40 straight games in Pittsburgh. The Cubs had a pair of 10-game win streaks earlier in the season. They started the campaign out 27-12 before completely falling apart. Their offense largely shut down, and nothing was working. Had the Cubs lost on Wednesday, they would have matched the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers for the longest losing streak after recording multiple 10-game win streaks earlier in the season. The Dodgers, who had that losing streak in September of that campaign, ended up making it all the way to the World Series.“I've never seen a start of the season where you're 55 games in and you've got two 10-game winners and then a nine-game losing streak,” Happ said before Tuesday’s game, via Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman. “That's a lot of crazy stuff to happen in two months.”The Cubs will wrap up their four-game series with the Pirates on Thursday night before traveling to St. Louis to open a series with the Cardinals on Friday. While they still have a long way to go, it’s only May after all, and the NL Central race is still ridiculously tight, the Cubs have found a way to win again. That’s a start to getting back on track.

In the nearly three years since he first entered a licensing agreement to lease his eponymous daily show to ESPN, Pat McAfee’s status as a golden child has been well documented.But in case anyone needed a reminder, it came Wednesday night.With the Knicks’ four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals leaving a void on ESPN’s schedule—and for its advertisers—the network found itself in need of a high-profile replacement. Rather than reaching into its portfolio of sports rights, the network turned to McAfee, who delivered an impromptu two-hour “Primetime State of Sports” special featuring nearly every major league commissioner, as well as an impressive guest list of analysts and athletes.Adam Silver (NBA), Rob Manfred (MLB), Gary Bettman (NHL), Cathy Engelbert (WNBA), Don Garber (MLS), and Dana White (UFC) each agreed to interviews, as did NBA star Tyrese Haliburton, reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, and a bevy of ESPN analysts, including Jeff Passan, Monica McNutt, and P.K. Subban. Even Roger Goodell’s absence was filled by a joint interview featuring NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the first appearance of the former rivals-turned-colleagues under the ESPN banner.“This is a monumental moment in the history of sports journalism,” McAfee said as he introduced the duo.LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THIS IS A MONUMENTAL MOMENT..JOINING US NOW @AdamSchefter & @RapSheet#PrimetimeSportspic.twitter.com/YBnvOoaA0v— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 28, 2026To be sure, nobody is going to confuse a Pat McAfee special for Outside The Lines. Throughout the show, commissioners were largely fed the same softball questions on what’s working in their leagues, plus given the chance to address any current negatives (what’s “keeping you up at night”) without much pushback. In making his intros, McAfee repeatedly praised each league as being “up and to the right”—a reference to recent ratings success, which set the tone for each ensuing conversation.But at this point, McAfee’s friendly, jocular interview style is a feature, not a bug. (Even as commissioners spoke, the show’s ticker declared, “Warning: This progrum is a collection of stooges talking about happenings in the sports world, it is meant to be comedic informative.”) And even if the special didn’t net much new news, the former All-Pro punter’s ability to book six big league chiefs in such a short time was plenty impressive. By his own admission, McAfee had roughly 48 hours to throw together the impromptu program. He could have just as easily been on paternity leave, less than one week after the birth of his son.While the ratings will surely pale in comparison to what would have been Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals (featuring the Knicks, no less), ESPN proudly promoted the special with more fervor than just about any non-game program in recent memory, filling social media with advertisements and clips before, during, and after its airing.Wednesday night, don't miss a powerhouse lineup on a special edition of The @PatMcAfeeShowCommissioners from 6 major leagues will join the progrum for a 'Primetime State of Sports' conversationPlus, surprise guests along the way 7p ET | ESPN, YouTube & ESPN App pic.twitter.com/NPi5U9zCFb— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 27, 2026McAfee has plenty of vocaldetractors. But there’s no questioning his ability to book the biggest names and make even a show predominantly filled with pre-recorded interviews feel like an event.The post Pat McAfee’s ESPN Value on Full Display in Commissioner Parade appeared first on Front Office Sports.

East Lansing — The single most important question of Michigan State’s offseason has been answered: Jeremy Fears Jr. is coming back for his junior season.Fears, 21, withdrew from the NBA Draft process before Wednesday night’s NCAA deadline. The Spartans’ record-setting point guard is coming back for another run as the Spartans eye a trip to the Final Four at Ford Field.A strong NBA Combine and workouts with two NBA teams made it a tense two weeks as Fears pondered a pro future, though his coach Tom Izzo maintained throughout the process he expected Fears back at Breslin Center. Just Wednesday morning, at the Mackinac Policy Conference, Izzo hinted at that fact when asked about his team.“We’ve got most of our guards back,” Izzo said. “I think we’ll have all of them back.”In the end, there were no surprises — a reprieve during a chaotic day for Michigan State as an institution, which is now looking for a university president after Kevin Guskiewicz left for Clemson. Fears will be back for his fourth year in East Lansing, and his third full season as the Spartans starting point guard.Fears should be among NCAA’s top players in 2026-27Fears comes back to Michigan State as one of the top-rated players in the country, at the very least at his position. In 2025-26, Fears led Michigan State with 15.2 points per game and led the nation with 9.4 assists per game. On a consistent basis, Fears’ crafty playmaking and cerebral understanding of his teammates’ tendencies made him an All-American honoree and one of the country’s top point guards as one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award (he is the only one who has withdrawn from the NBA Draft so far). Analytics site KenPom ranked Fears the seventh-most impactful player in Division I according to its kPOY metric, which crowns the site’s most valuable player. The six players ahead of him — Duke’s Cam Boozer, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa — all remain in the NBA Draft process.Even as Fears showed clear limitations as a 3-point shooter (35-of-109) or when on-court antics — groin kicks to opponents at Minnesota and Michigan earned national headlines — distracted from his excellence, Fears still turned himself into a flat-out differencemaker for the Spartans this season. Building on his shot and defense will be clear keys going forward. His coach would probably add discipline in there, too.“On the defensive end, I wanted to take that up a notch, and then also shooting,” Fears told Big Ten Network. “I think I made a 3 a game this year which was huge coming from the previous year. So next year whether it’s NBA or (college) just be more consistent.”There were many nights last season that Fears’ play willed the Spartans forward. He assisted on 53.1% of Michigan State’s baskets for the entire season. That’s the most of anyone since at least the 2009-10 season, and it doesn’t take into account Fears took 157 shots (17.8% of MSU’s volume) himself.All that, in just his second season as a starter. But it also comes in the context of personal tragedy. After being shot in the leg during a Christmas break return to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, in 2023, Fears missed the remainder of his true freshman season and was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA. Fears came back after a grueling summer of rehab and started all but one game for the Spartans in 2024-25, playing a major role in a 30-7 season that yielded a Big Ten championship and Elite Eight run.Last season, though, felt like the version of Fears he was supposed to become in the long run. His systematic destruction of opponents’ defenses. Perfect lobs and pinpoint passes. When he called his own number, weaving through transition and finishing floaters and lay-ups with ease, he provided Michigan State’s heartbeat. His guiding hand culminated in a 27-8 Sweet 16 run last season that also caught the eyes of pro scouts. It was all but necessary that he explore those options, though his decision to return creates plenty of intrigue for his third collegiate act.Legacy on the line for Fears, IzzoFears’ remarkable sophomore season reset the record books for Michigan State. Fears passed Cassius Winston for the single-season MSU assists record with 328, and he broke Magic Johnson’s assists record in an NCAA Tournament game for Michigan State with 16 against Louisville in the second round. Fears came within three helpers of Mateen Cleaves’ 20-assist record against Michigan when he dished 17 against Maryland on Jan. 24. Legendary company, with more records in reach. Fears’ 564 career assists are just 326 away from Winston’s record of 890, which also served as the Big Ten record before Purdue’s Braden Smith broke it and the NCAA marker this past season.Fears himself is cognizant of a greater history. When his own records are brought up, he defers credit to his predecessors who won in March.“They’ve been in Final Fours, championships, everything that you can imagine,” Fears told The Detroit News after he broke Johnson’s assists record against Louisville in the second round. “So I’m still working. I’m still trying to get better and help the team. … At the end of the day, I’m just happy to keep playing.”With his decision to stick around, Fears can add to his own legacy.It also gives Izzo a chance to add to his. With Fears at the helm, Izzo keeps breaking coaching records, too. He set the Big Ten’s career wins record in Fears’ first season as a starter in 2024-25, though first-round pick Jase Richardson had a lot to do with that, too. Izzo’s 764 career wins currently rank 20th in NCAA Division I history, and seventh most among active coaches. The ones that mean the most to Izzo, though, will be those that could get him back to the Final Four, where Michigan State hasn’t been since Cassius Winston led the way in 2019. With Fears leading the way, and a crop of talent on this next squad including big man transfer Anton Bonke, transition nightmare Coen Carr and a top-five recruiting class including shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, this next squad could have the talent to get there.Anton Bonke withdraws from NBA Draft processIf Fears was the Spartan that fans had their eyes on for NBA Draft decision day, then the decision of its newest member, Anton Bonke, shouldn't be overlooked either. Though he transferred in from Charlotte earlier this offseason, Bonke too explored the NBA Draft process and withdrew Wednesday, The Detroit News confirmed with agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management.Bonke, 7-foot-2 and 270 pounds, broke out last season at Charlotte averaging 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 13-for-38 on 3-pointers. His withdrawal had less intrigue than Fears', but it does ensure Michigan State's frontcourt will have its prize of the offseason. What Bonke brings to this frontcourt is experience, in addition to readily available talent. Whereas rising redshirt sophomore Jesse McCulloch had a rough adjustment in his first full season on the court, and incoming freshman Ethan Taylor (a five-star named to USA Basketball's U18 team alongside Jervis) may take some time to develop into a consistent difference-maker, Bonke has two collegiate seasons under his belt and has a frame that can withstand the battles of the Big Ten. That's an area that will be important for MSU, which lost Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper to graduation.cearegood@detroitnews.com@ConnorEaregoodThis article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Jeremy Fears Jr. to return to Michigan State, withdraw from NBA Draft

Notre Dame football sources share mixed messages on Brian Kelly’s future after LSU firing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Brian Kelly’s infamous firing from the LSU Tigers football program last October led to an ugly fallout that had the 64-year-old coming off to the sports world like a negative coaching asset. Kelly was 34-14 at LSU, though, and was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s all-time winningest head coach at 113-40 during his career in South Bend.Those close to the Notre Dame football program have great respect for Kelly. Some believe that he most certainly has a future in College Football as a head coach. Others aren’t so sure if Kelly has a place in the modern game.Ahead of the 2026 American Century Championship, I got to speak to three members of NBC’s annual celebrity golf tournament’s field: Fighting Irish football on-field reporter Kathryn Tappen, former Notre Dame QB Joe Theisman, and ex-Blue and Metallic Gold bulldozing running back, “The Bus,” Jerome Bettis. The tournament takes place from July 8-12 at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada, and airs on NBC and Peacock.While Tappen didn’t explicitly discuss Kelly’s future, she lauded Kelly for upholding the Fighting Irish’s standards while on campus. It’s clear that Kelly will always be a soft spot for many in South Bend, even if fans by and large look back unlovingly at his tenure.Bettis and Theismann both have respect for what Kelly accomplished, but they had different opinions on whether he was still a possibility for Power 4 conference schools during any future hiring cycles.“I think he definitely has a future in coaching.”Bettis is optimistic Kelly will be back sooner rather than later. While discussing Kelly’s future, Bettis pointed at his successful past, at Notre Dame and elsewhere.“I think he definitely has a future in coaching. He's been a great coach his entire career. I mean, yeah, he didn't win a championship for LSU, but they were competitive every year. He produced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with Jayden Daniels. He's done some really good things, and he's the winningest coach in Notre Dame’s history,” Bettis told me.“He won championships in Division II (at Grand Valley State). He took Cincinnati to prominence. His track record is impeccable. So 100% he'll be coaching in the future.”Bettis’ knowledge of Kelly’s career shows how respected Kelly is to former players who preceded his time in Northern Indiana. Still, not everyone is sold on the idea that Kelly will be back in the coaching realm as Bettis.“I don't know what universities are looking for.”Theismann sounded pessimistic about Kelly finding a program that will pay him, considering the game has changed drastically with the introduction of NIL and rev-share payments to players.“It's hard. It's really hard to tell what they're looking for. I don't know what universities are looking for…Brian had a heck of a record at the University of Notre Dame. He built it over time. At LSU, there wasn't a time frame that seemed to work out. I think it revolves around the athletes you have; the quarterback that you have makes a world of difference,” Theismann said.There’s no obvious future for Kelly in College Football, though at least some have hope that he’ll one day return to the sport in a meaningful role. If nothing else is set in stone, there’s at least a lot of appreciation for what Kelly meant to the program for 12 seasons.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole recorded 10 strikeouts in a May 27 win over the Kansas City Royals. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)Ed Zurga via Getty ImagesNew York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has pitched 12 2/3 innings since making his long-awaited return to the bigs. The right-handed hurler still hasn’t allowed a run.He spun 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball on Wednesday night, allowing just four hits and striking out 10 batters without issuing a walk in a 7-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.The 35-year-old Cole tossed 79 pitches, seven more than he fired in his six-inning season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays this past Friday.To no fault of his own, the Yankees fell to the Rays that day, on which he made his first major-league appearance since the 2024 World Series. But on Wednesday, New York emerged victorious, with Cole picking up his first win of the 2026 campaign. His ERA remains perfect through two starts.The Yankees (34-22) completed the sweep in Kansas City, where the Royals (22-34) continued to slide. After beginning the season 19-21, they’ve gone 3-13 since.This story is being updated.

CHICAGO (AP) — Nyara Sabally scored a career-high 29 points, Marina Mabrey had 24 points and seven assists, and the Toronto Tempo beat the Chicago Sky 111-104 on Wednesday night.Toronto had its lead trimmed to 98-96 with 3:33 left in the fourth quarter before going on an 8-2 run to regain control. Mabrey sank a step-back jumper to make it 101-96 and Sabally added a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead with 1:43 remaining. Sabally was 11 of 14 from the floor, while Mabrey made 9 of her 13 shots to help Toronto shoot 56%. Sabally, Mabrey and Maria Conde each made three of the Tempo's 12 3-pointers. Brittney Sykes added 20 points, and rookie Kiki Rice had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Toronto (4-4). Conde finished with 12 points off the bench. Rookie Sydney Taylor scored a season-high 27 points for Chicago (3-4). Skylar Diggins had 23 points and nine assists, and Natasha Cloud added 18 points and nine helpers. Sabally scored 14 points in the first half, Sykes added 13 and Mabrey had 10 to help Toronto build a 55-48 lead by halftime. The Tempo shot 58% from the field and outrebounded the Sky 21-10 in the first half. Then Toronto began the third on an 11-4 run to make it 66-52. Up nextToronto hosts Seattle on Saturday. Chicago concludes a four-game homestand on Friday against Minnesota. ___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

This time last year, the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback room consisted of J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell, and Max Brosmer. There was no reason to believe anyone but McCarthy would be the team's starter heading into the season.Now, the Vikings enter OTAs with Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, McCarthy, and Brosmer. We've been told there is a quarterback competition, but whether this is a legitimate battle doesn't matter as much as this: the floor of the room has been elevated.ESPN's Kevin Seifert acknowledged the offseason moves' impact on the quarterback room and says that it's the single biggest differentiator from last year.The upshot is that the Vikings' season is not tied to McCarthy's development. Either McCarthy will make a huge leap and beat out Murray in camp, or -- more likely -- the Vikings will have a proven veteran in Murray who could reach new heights in this offense. Re-signing Wentz for extra insurance demonstrates how serious the Vikings were about elevating their depth.It isn't just that the room is better. Seifert notes Murray's dynamic skill set, giving Kevin O'Connell a unique quarterback unlike any other he has coached since joining the Vikings in 2022.It's hard not to think about the possibilities of Murray in this offense. He'll provide an accurate and strong arm to the Vikings' downfield passing concepts, once he gets accustomed to an offense that likely will have him working under center more often than he did with the Cardinals. Murray will also offer a new element of escapability that coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't had in Minnesota, with the brief exception of Joshua Dobbs in 2023. Under O'Connell, the Vikings have been double-digit winners in the regular season when they have had solid, veteran quarterbacking. They were 13-4 with Kirk Cousins in 2022 and 14-3 with Sam Darnold in 2024. Murray more than fits the profile.Sometimes, seasons never get off on the right foot, and teams never recover. That felt like how the 2025 Vikings were, never finding their identity as McCarty struggled in his first year as a starter. Because of the poor passing game, Minnesota started the season 4-8 and missed the playoffs despite having the league's third-ranked defense.Better health along the offensive line could go a long way as well. But whether it's Murray or, unlikely but possible, McCarthy, starting he Vikings are expecting to bounce back in 2026 because of their commitment to improving the quarterback room this offseason.This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Minnesota Vikings QB situation is on an uptick heading into OTAs

MUNICH, GERMANY - 2026/04/15: Arda Guler of Real Madrid seen during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid at Allianz Arena. FInal Score; Bayern Munich 4:3 Real Madrid. (Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Arda Güler continues to grow into his role at Real Madrid, and in an interview with TRT Spor, the Turkish midfielder offered a look into his development, his relationship with teammates, and the mentality that drove him forward under former coach Xabi Alonso.“Kylian and I have a special chemistry”The two have already shown promising combinations in recent matches, and Güler admitted that their understanding of the game naturally complements each other.“Kylian and I have a similar way of understanding football. We have a special chemistry on the pitch. Besides being an incredible player, he’s also a great person off the field.”Xabi Alonso’s faith in himGüler also revealed an important detail about his conversations with Xabi Alonso before the coach officially arrived at Real Madrid.According to the Turkish international, Alonso made it clear early on that he envisioned him playing centrally rather than out wide — a role Güler says has always felt most natural to him.“During [Jorge] Jesus’s time at Fenerbahçe, I played on the right wing. I continued there with Ancelotti as well, because there were many players in the center. Xabi Alonso, before arriving, spoke to me and told me he was thinking of me for the center. I was very happy because that’s the position I’ve felt most comfortable in since I was a child. It was exactly the role I wanted, and it didn’t take me long to adapt.”Güler also revealed that Alonso personally contacted him after his standout performance against Bayern Munich.“After the match against Bayern, Xabi Alonso sent me a message. He wrote that he was very proud of me. I was very happy when I saw the message.”Learning from Luka ModrićFew young midfielders could ask for a better mentor than Luka Modrić, and Güler clearly understands the privilege of sharing a dressing room with the Croatian legend.“Modric is an incredible player. I feel very fortunate to have played with him, to have talked about football with him, and to have been able to learn from him. He’s one of the most complete midfielders of our generation.”A mentality built on obsessionDespite scoring twice against Bayern Munich, the young midfielder admitted he spent days replaying a single lost duel in his head.“There are things I get obsessed with. When someone takes the ball from me on the field, I fix my attention on it. In the match against Bayern where I scored two goals, I missed a tackle. I watched it for two or three days and got angry with myself. I kept telling myself I should have won that tackle.”Understanding Real Madrid’s winning cultureGüler also reflected on how his upbringing at Fenerbahçe helped prepare him for the pressure and expectations of playing at Real Madrid.“Fenerbahçe was a club that wanted to win everything. We also tried to win every match with the national team. Real Madrid’s structure is similar, so I’m used to this situation.”

🎁The surprises keep coming: thrilling Libertadores nightTonight, Groups C, E, and H in the CONMEBOL Libertadores were decided, and here we bring you the star, the surprise, and the disappointment of the night.Platense did its homework and takes the starWithout a doubt, the big star of the night is El Calamar, who traveled to Brazil needing a win — and got it.Thanks to a brace from Zapiola, they beat Corinthians in São Paulo and reached the round of 16 as group runners-up.Independiente Rivadavia is the BIG surprise of the nightThe team from Mendoza pulled off the biggest surprise not just of the night, but of the entire group stage.In the final minutes, they beat Bolívar and qualified as group winners with 16 points out of 18 possible, making them the best group leader in the Libertadores. A tremendous campaign from Alfredo Berti’s team, which keeps dreaming.Central disappointed on its visit to EcuadorÁngel “Fideo” Di María’s team traveled to Ecuador to face Independiente del Valle, and a draw would have been enough to finish first.However, thanks to a goal from Junior Sornoza, the home side won and Los Canallas will have to settle for second place.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto homered again, Carson Benge provided two clutch singles and the New York Mets pieced together a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday night.Eric Wagaman also went deep in his first start for the last-place Mets (23-33), who prevented a three-game sweep and avoided falling a season-worst 12 games under .500. New York mustered only six runs during the skid and had scored two or fewer in each of its previous six games.Nathaniel Lowe and Sal Stewart each had an RBI single for the Reds (29-26), who stranded 17 runners against six Mets pitchers and finished 3 for 15 with men in scoring position. Rookie right-hander Jonah Tong (1-0) earned his third major league win after permitting just an unearned run over 3 2/3 innings in relief of opener Huascar Brazobán. Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver each worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Devin Williams walked the bases loaded in the ninth before striking out Dane Myers and Blake Dunn for his eighth save.Cincinnati had won three in a row and five of six.Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (4-3) allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in six innings, dropping to 0-3 in five career outings against the Mets. He was 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his previous five starts overall. Soto connected on a first-inning curveball for his 12th homer this season, second in two nights and sixth in his past seven games.Wagaman, playing his second game for the Mets, added another solo shot in the second for his first hit with the team. Benge had two-out RBI singles in the fifth and seventh — both after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Mets first baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton, going 1 for 2 with a leadoff single and a run as the DH against Portland. Up nextReds: Following an off day, RHP Chris Paddack (0-6, 6.86 ERA) starts Friday night at home against RHP Grant Holmes (3-2, 3.78) and the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.Mets: RHP Freddy Peralta (3-4, 3.52 ERA) pitches Friday night at home versus Marlins RHP Max Meyer (5-0, 2.52), who shut down the Mets on one hit over seven scoreless innings last Saturday in Miami.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Yankees' Gerrit Cole was quick to point out Wednesday night that his second straight dominant start in his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery was just that: his second start. “Small sample size,” the former Cy Young winner said.What a sample, though.After allowing two hits over six scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in his first major league start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers, the 35-year-old Cole did even better against struggling Kansas City. He allowed four hits while striking out 10 without a single walk, sending the Yankees to a 7-0 victory — their 14th straight win over the Royals.“I feel like maybe the first game was the appetizer,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “and that was the main course right there. That was surgical. You saw everything, like, good fastball, both breaking balls going, mixed in the cutter a little bit, made some really good change-ups along the way. There was good defensive plays behind him early and then he kind of cruised.”Cole (1-0) needed only 79 pitches to get through 6 2/3 innings, and he probably could have gone deeper into the game against Kansas City. But at this point in what the Yankees hope is a long season, there was no reason to push Cole's once-ailing right elbow.The closest the Royals came to scoring off him came in the third, when Michael Massey hit a one-out double. Cole bounced back to strike out Isaac Collins, bringing Maikel Garcia to the plate. He ripped a single to right field, Aaron Judge fielded a tough hop cleanly, and then made a perfect throw to catch Massey at the plate for the final out of the inning.Cole also stranded Garcia at second base after a two-out double in the sixth. Salvador Perez singled off him in the seventh.And that was it. All the runners Kansas City managed against him.“I think it just reminds you of who he is, and how great a consistent pitcher he is,” Boone said. “And to see him go through the process the last several months to get back to this, and go out there and execute like he is here to start, it's fun to watch.”Cole was brutally efficient, especially with his 96 mph fastball. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced, and only a couple of batters even managed to drive the count to three balls against him the entire night.“I expect to execute pitches. I don’t necessarily expect to not give up any runs, especially on 75 percent strikes. You’re putting a lot of pressure on guys,” Cole said. “So you have to play good defense, which is what we did tonight."There was pressure on Cole to execute, too, because the Yankees never really gave him a cushion. They managed a pair of runs on a single by Paul Goldschmidt, a triple by Ben Rice and Judge's sacrifice fly, but the rest of their offense came after Cole departed.It wasn't nearly as prolific as the Yankees' memorable 15-1 win Tuesday night in which they belted six homers and had 24 hits — and, in a first for one of the game’s historic franchises, every player in the New York starting lineup had at least two hits.But with Cole back on the mound, they only needed a fraction of that offense Wednesday night.“It's two games. Small sample size,” Cole said. “We still have stuff to improve, and just have to keep the same mindset that we have right now, and that's to take it one outing at a time.”___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Travis Hunter will play both ways for the Jaguars again this season. Critics say it's a mistake, citing Hunter's uneven rookie season that ended prematurely with a knee injury.Hunter is familiar with the doubters. "It didn’t bother me," Hunter said Wednesday, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. "They've been doing that my whole career."Hunter played 324 offensive snaps and 162 defensive snaps in seven appearances last season before tearing the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee during an Oct. 30 practice. He underwent surgery on Nov. 11.Hunter finished with 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown on offense to go with 15 tackles on defense.The Jaguars will play Hunter more on defense, but he will still play offense.First, though, he has to get healthy. He still isn't cleared to fully participate in football activities, which isn't expected until some point in training camp.Hunter, though, isn't wearing a knee brace, according to DiRocco."I've got to get back on the [practice] field first," Hunter said. "I'm excited to just be able to get back on the field and work with the guys."

The NFL offseason is in full swing. Every team can dream of having a big campaign and going on the postseason and winning the Super Bowl ... for now.Reality will set in when training camp starts and certain franchises will see that they face a monumental task to play .500 football, let alone keep playing after the 17-game regular season ends. There are some teams that feel like locks to gain the playoffs and try to win the Super Bowl. Then, there are others where it isn't exactly a stretch to say they will be going home after the 18th week of the regular season.What teams won't be making the playoffs?New York JetsThis should come as no surprise, especially with the Jets banking on Geno Smith at quarterback. Could he be the first starter to be in charge of an offense for different teams that wind up with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in back-to-back seasons?Miami DolphinsIt would take much more than a Miami Miracle for the Dolphins to compete with the Patriots and Bills. And there will not be three playoff teams coming out of the AFC East.Cleveland BrownsNext.Pittsburgh SteelersThe Aaron Rodgers retirement tour will last 17 games, 18 weeks and not more than that.Tennessee TitansAll Titans fans can hope for is that Cam Ward improves off his rookie season. However, expecting a massive jump is unrealistic. Winning six games or so would be an accomplishment. Robert Saleh-Brian Daboll exacta is worrisome.Indianapolis ColtsWere the Colts under Daniel Jones the real Indy team or the one that fell apart when their quarterback was injured. Will go along with somewhere in the middle but they aren't going to top the Jaguars and Texans.Las Vegas RaidersFernando Mendoza needs to survive his rookie season. The Raiders need to protect the No. 1 overall pick and hope to somewhat improve. They aren't about to gain the playoffs after last season's debacle.New York GiantsJaxson Dart is the media darling and finds his way into headlines everywhere. He's not going to take this team to the playoffs the way it is structured. John Harbaugh has a big task remodeling a crumbled Big Blue franchise.Dallas CowboysTime for everyone in Cowboys Nation to start yelping. Sorry, this is the same team, next year and it isn't going to improve enough to threaten for a playoff spot.Minnesota VikingsThe Vikings will continue to pay the price for letting Sam Darnold go after drafting JJ McCarthy. Kyler Murray doesn't exactly bring a playoff resume with him.New Orleans SaintsThe Saints should get better but being better than average is not good enough to play in the postseason.Atlanta FalconsThe Falcons have gone from Kirk Cousins to Tua Tagovailoa in the QB room with Michael Penix Jr. Will they learn?Arizona CardinalsGet serious.This article originally appeared on The List Wire: NFL teams that won't make the playoffs this season

It was over before it really ever got started.Former Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell has retired from the NFL at the young age of 28. The Dallas Cowboys announced that the speedster had been placed on the reserve/retired list after he informed the team that he was hanging it up.Campbell was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2019 NFL draft as a second-round pick but was besieged by injuries. He severely sprained his knee early on in his rookie campaign, shelving him for the remainder of the season, and he only played in 15 games with the Colts in his first three seasons. He had a pretty good year in 2022 in Indianapolis, catching 63 passes for 623 yards and a score, but that would be the pinnacle of his career in the NFL.After that season, Campbell bounced around between the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and ultimately the Cowboys and played sparingly, and played in just one game in Dallas last season because of another knee injury.🚨 BREAKING: The #Cowboys have placed veteran WR Parris Campbell on the reserve/retired list, officially ending his NFL career.Dallas signed Campbell last year and brought him back earlier this offseason, hoping to see him at 2026 OTAs, but injuries unfortunately kept him from… pic.twitter.com/HLiR8Bmfxi— Dallas Cowboys Plug 🔌 (@Cowboyz_Plug) May 27, 2026It's too bad Campbell couldn't stay on the field with his health, because when he was, he was one of the fastest guys in the League. We wish the Akron native nothing but the best in the next chapter of his life.Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Former Ohio State speedster wide receiver retires from the NFL