The injury bug has hit the Los Angeles Dodgers hard the last two nights.A night after Kiké Hernández had to be pulled from the game due to a left oblique injury, Teoscar Hernández was subbed out after suffering a left hamstring strain during the May 27 game against the Colorado Rockies.The injury occurred during the bottom of the second inning, when Teoscar Hernández was sprinting to first base on a ground out to Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Hernández immediately grabbed his left hamstring after reaching the base.Hyeseong Kim replaced Hernández in left field to start the top of the third inning.Teoscar Hernandez is grabbing his hamstring after running to first base, marking the second injury in as many days after Kike Hernandez suffered his. Teo slammed his helmet, and Dave Roberts was left shaking his head after the play. pic.twitter.com/EVGjKF9U0A— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) May 28, 2026Teoscar Hernández had been on a hot streak of late. He entered Wednesday night's game riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he hit two home runs. An 11-year veteran in his third season with the Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández is a two-time All-Star — including winning the 2024 Home Run Derby.This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teoscar Hernández injury update: Dodger suffers left hamstring strain

Jannik Sinner is aiming to go one better than last year's runner-up finish at the French Open (Dimitar DILKOFF)Men's world number one Jannik Sinner continues his bid for a first French Open title on Thursday as his women's counterpart Aryna Sabalenka also seeks to move into the last 32 at Roland Garros.Arriving in Paris on the back of winning all three of the clay-court Masters titles to become just the second player after Novak Djokovic to complete the set of nine 1000-level tournaments, Sinner currently stands head and shoulders above his closest competitors.Few would bet against him now wrapping up his career Grand Slam at the French Open this year as he attempts to go one better than his epic five-set final loss in 2025 to Carlos Alcaraz -- especially with the injured Spaniard out of action.After a typically efficient first-round win in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday, Sinner will aim to seal his last-32 berth when he opens Thursday's play on centre court against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.Sinner's only previous meeting with the 56th-ranked Argentinian was a straight-sets win in the round of 128 at Wimbledon three years ago."I'm happy to play night. I'm happy to play day, whenever they put me," Sinner said as talk of the scorching conditions in Paris continues to dominate the opening week."I think I handled the heat very well in Indian Wells, was very hot this year, so I didn't have issues there. We prepared in a good way. Of course here, different heat, but the humidity is not as tough as maybe in Australia or US."If Sinner looms large over the men's draw, Sabalenka has seen her dominance of the women's tour falter somewhat this clay-court season.After storming to the 'Sunshine double' at Indian Wells and Miami in March, the Belarusian has so far endured a disappointing swing on the red dirt in Europe.A quarter-final loss to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid was swiftly followed by a third-round exit to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open as Sabalenka suddenly looked fallible heading into her latest tilt at winning a maiden Roland Garros title.If the wet and cold conditions in Italy were not favourable to her style of play, Sabalenka has had no such complaints in Paris."I'd say that it was a bit warm," the 28-year-old joked after her commanding straight-sets opening win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday."Especially compared to the first days when I first got here, it was... freezing. "Now it's boiling hot and balls are flying, everything is much faster. But physically I feel strong, so I feel like it can benefit me."Scheduled third on centre court and with temperatures again set to surpass 30C, Sabalenka will be confident that her power-hitting baseline game will be too hot to handle for French world number 67 Elsa Jacquemot as she seeks to book her spot in the third round.- Gauff, Osaka eye last 32 -Defending champion Coco Gauff will take on Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif on Court Suzanne Lenglen as the American fourth seed also bids to progress beyond the second round.The only time she has fallen at Roland Garros before the last-eight stage was on her debut in 2020, when, aged 16, Gauff lost in the second round to Martina Trevisan. Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan will meet Croatian Donna Vekic on Court Simonne Mathieu, before Canadian starlet Victoria Mboko plays Czech Katerina Siniakova.US teen sensation Iva Jovic will test her mettle against compatriot and former world number eight Emma Navarro.Felix Auger-Aliassime will hope to avoid another "roller-coaster" match like the one he endured in the first round when the fourth seed from Canada meets Argentina's Roman Andres Burruchaga.American fifth seed Ben Shelton and French 17-year-old Moise Kouame will also be in action as they bookend the day's play on Roland Garros' second showpiece court.nf/jc

Napoli's Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku (CARLO HERMANN)Egypt's Mohamed Salah and Belgium stalwarts Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois head into Group G at the 2026 World Cup knowing this summer's tournament will likely be their last chance for glory on football's biggest stage. Their respective countries have been drawn together into the same pool, alongside New Zealand and Iran, whose participation at the World Cup had been thrown into question following co-host country United States and Israel's war with the Middle East nation.The arrival on the international scene in the early 2010s of a Belgian golden generation, featuring Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, De Bruyne, Lukaku and Courtois, seemed to herald a new dawn for the country as they sought to win a first major trophy.But despite rising to become FIFA's number one-ranked team, the best result that glittering cast of stars managed to return was a third-placed finish at the 2018 World Cup.Of that generation remain only Napoli duo De Bruyne and Lukaku, now aged 34 and 33 respectively, and Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois, 34, who returned to the fold last year after a falling-out with previous coach Domenico Tedesco that caused him to miss Belgium's round-of-16 exit at Euro 2024.The trio will suspect that the upcoming World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico will be their last chance of turning all that initial hope and expectation into some long-awaited silverware.And the current batch of Belgian hopefuls is not without talent, as the likes of Amadou Onana, Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku and Youri Tielemans more than have what it takes to be a stellar supporting cast to their star team-mates.- Hamstrung? -Egypt's best-ever goalscorer Salah, who will turn 34 during the World Cup, will doubtless have more modest ambitions heading into the tournament as part of an Egyptian team that have failed to win a trophy since being crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions for a third straight time in 2010.Despite being widely considered the finest footballer ever to come out of the North African country, Liverpool legend Salah has never tasted success with Egypt.His sole previous World Cup appearance, in 2018, was hampered by a shoulder injury he suffered in that year's Champions League final and he goes into this edition struggling for fitness after suffering a hamstring injury in late April, which curtailed his Anfield farewell.Iran are set to appear at their fourth straight World Cup, but much of the build-up to their latest attempt to reach the knockout stages for the first time has been overshadowed by questions about whether they would be allowed to enter the States.After a call was made by US special envoy Paolo Zampolli to have his native Italy replace Iran at the World Cup, American Secretary of State Marco Rubio interceded to to deny that Washington had asked the Iranian team not to come to the tournament.New Zealand will make their third appearance at a World Cup finals this summer thanks to a 3-0 victory over New Caledonia in the final of OFC qualifying.nf/lp

SHELBY - Drew Spoerr likes pitching against Monroeville."I know what they have top to bottom," Crestview's senior ace said.Just as he did six weeks earlier, Spoerr pitched a complete game against the Eagles. Only this time it was in a Division VI district semifinal and his No. 3 Cougars ended No. 2 Monroeville's season with a 7-1 win.DIVISION VI: Zizzo sparks walk-off for Colonel Crawford over Wynford in districts"The fastball was working today," Spoerr said. "I was able to throw it and, thankfully, they were swinging and missing. I knew they were a good hitting team, so I had to locate it well, I couldn't leave it down the middle or they'd punish me for that. Throwing the fastball where I wanted it and being able to mix in the off-speed when I could."He was efficient on the bump throwing just 87 pitches (62 strikes) allowing just three hits and one run while striking out eight and walking two. In their regular season meeting he threw a one-hitter shutout and struck out 12 — yes, 20 strikeouts, one run, four hits across two complete games."I can't say enough about Drew Spoerr," Crestview coach Don Keener said. "The way he pitched today was outstanding."The score line is a bit misleading as to just how close the game was. A scoreless opening three innings where neither team sent more than four batters up at a time was finally ended as both teams put up a run in the fourth, Grady Cline drove in Brayden Parrigan for the Cougars and Reid Wasserman stole home for the Eagles.Crestview looked as if it would retake the lead in the fifth with Kaden Stutz seemingly beating out the throw to home, but the umpire deemed otherwise. The Cougars would get their second run in the next inning as Kayn Patton reached base on an error and advanced to second on the same play. He moved to third on a groundout by Cline and Monroeville's Alex Dowell fired the ball to third trying to catch Patton off the base but the throw was wide and allowed him to safely reach home.DIVISION III: Galownia's gutsy gem powers Lexington over Wapakoneta in district semifinal"That's the good thing about these guys, they realize we gotta go out and take care of what we need to take care of and we responded," Keener said. "They didn't let it bother them, which is what you have to do, and they fought."It was all the spark the Cougars needed carrying that momentum into the seventh with the bottom of the order coming up. Troy Weaver led off with a single, Stutz drew a walk, and Brennan Dille singled to drive in Weaver for what would be a five-run inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead — Spoerr sat down the Eagles in order on just six pitches to end it."That just speaks to the leadership on this team, not just the seniors," Spoerr said of his team's resiliency after the controversial call to end the fifth. "We were able to put that behind us, go play defense, and just play the game we know how to play."Thankfully it didn't matter."Most teams wouldn't be thrilled situationally to see the bottom of the order coming up with the hopes of adding insurance runs — quite the opposite for Keener."He has been doing well for us all year," he said of Weaver. "He hits the ball hard, puts it in play, and that's all we can ask for. He's going to find a hole once in a while and it was a great start for us. He has good speed, so once he gets on ... we started stringing things together, it's kind of contagious sometimes."Keener, Parrigan, and Landon Fulk had two hits apiece, Patton scored twice, Cline had two RBIs for the Cougars who will have a chance to win their first district championship since 1988."It means everything," Spoerr said. "I've known since the beginning of the year that we had the talent to get here, it was just a matter of winning the game to get here. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to play on Friday."The only thing standing in their way now is a Seneca East team that upset top-seed Carey, they'll meet at 5 p.m. on Friday at Marathon Diamonds in Findlay.DIVISION III: Ashland battles to the very end in district semifinal loss to Defiance"I know they're very good," Keener said. "We were supposed to play them earlier this year but we didn't get a chance to, it was one of those games we had to move because of rain outs and all that good stuff. I'm gonna have to do some digging a little bit. We played them last year and I think they have a pretty similar squad to what they had ... they have some really good hitters in their lineup."We'll just go out there and give them all we have."zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_HoldenThis article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Crestview baseball tops Monroeville in district semifinal

New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley (right) will draw on the experience of veteran defender Tommy Smith (left) at the World Cup (Leonardo Fernandez)Veteran New Zealand defender Tommy Smith admits there's only one reason he toiled away all last season in an English football backwater -- a ticket to his second World Cup.Smith's club Braintree Town were relegated to the sixth tier of English football at the end of the season, but the 36-year-old centre-back still earned a shock call-up to New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley's World Cup squad.His defensive teammates have been plying their trade in Australia's A-League, Major League Soccer or England's second-tier Championship. But Smith's most recent match, a 5-1 defeat at Tamworth, took place in front of just over 1,000 fans. It is a far cry from the expected 70,000 expected to watch New Zealand's first World Cup assignment against Iran on June 15 in Los Angeles. "The only reason I'm playing football is to remain part of the All Whites, to be brutally honest," Smith told the Unused Subs podcast before Bazeley announced his squad."If I'd been told by Darren: 'Look, you're no longer going to be selected,' that would be me, I'd retire from football and move on to the next chapter."So that's how much it means to me and how much I'm putting into it."Smith previously spent 12 years at Ipswich Town, making 267 appearances in the English Championship.In 2018 he left for Major League Soccer, playing two seasons for Colorado Rapids before returning to England with Sunderland in League One and Colchester United in League Two.Most recently for Macarthur and Auckland FC in the A-League, before returning to England and Braintree Town, whose stadium holds just 4,222.Bazeley said he selected Smith for the World Cup not necessarily for his potential on-field contributions.- 'I'm a realist' -"Part of the selection criteria is, do you add value off the pitch? Do you add to the culture, to the leadership?" Bazeley said."Tommy's a bit of a cultural architect. He's been doing that role for a number of years. He also takes a lot of weight off of the other leaders."Smith acknowledged his role in the squad."I'm a realist," Smith said. "The centre-backs that are ahead of me in the pecking order are playing at a fantastic level. "My minutes are probably going to be limited, and that's fine."My job now is to make everybody in that squad be in the best shape, mentally and physically, for the games that we have."Smith was 20 when he went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa along with an 18-year-old Chris Wood.Smith started all three games alongside Premier League centre-backs Ryan Nelsen and Winston Reid as New Zealand went unbeaten against Paraguay, Slovakia and Italy."To be able to talk to us about those experiences and just pass on the knowledge of the game that we've accumulated over the years, I see real value in my part to play," Smith said.Striker Wood, who will captain New Zealand at the World Cup, agreed with Smith."He's going to bring a lot of experience," said the Nottingham Forest star -- the only other survivor from the 2010 squad."He's got a lot more experience than I do in that sense because he started and played all of those games. So he can help out the team a lot more than I can"After facing Iran in Los Angeles, New Zealand will move to Canada for their last two Group G matches against Belgium and Egypt in Vancouver."I can share my experiences as well, but I think he'll be vital in that sense of understanding the occasion that we all have to play in." said Wood. "And then the process of dealing with the occasion, everything around it."bes/oho/dh

Offseason trade acquisition has quickly become the Pirates' MVP originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the offseason knowing they needed to add a few sluggers to help out the pitching staff. And that's exactly what they did. They signed Ryan O'Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and acquired Brandon Lowe in a three-team trade with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays. And while Ozuna is struggling this year, O'Hearn and Lowe have helped the Pirates find success.Through 44 games so far, O'Hearn is hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. Unfortunately, he landed on the 10-day IL after pulling himself out of a May 16th game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a right quad muscle strain. He is looking to return sometime in the middle of June. MORE: Pirates trade deadline prediction would be incredibly exciting for fansOffseason trade acquisition has quickly become the Pirates' MVPFor Lowe, he has been on an absolute tear this year. Across 49 games, he's hitting .270/.356/.550 with 13 home runs and 33 runs batted in. He has been a handful for opposing pitchers and quite successful batting in the two-hole. He's a big reason why Pittsburgh is still in the thick of things in the toughest division in MLB right now. And Lowe is who Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer tags as the team's MVP. "The Bucs are the most improved offensive team in MLB, and a lot of that braces back to having acquired Lowe over the winter. Oneil Cruz has one more RBI, but Lowe otherwise leads the team in home runs, OBP, slugging and OPS."On the other hand, Rymer places the least valuable player tag on Ozuna, who is struggling with the bat in his hands, hitting .185 with just five home runs. If he can figure it out, the Pirates may be able to make a climb in the NL Central. More MLB news:Munetaka Murakami is not the only White Sox player shining this seasonExtreme strikeout rates are killing this Angels slugger's seasonIt's pretty obvious who the Giants' LVP is at this point of the seasonEzequiel Tovar is committing a baseball 'misdemeanor' at Coors Field

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost both Enrique Hernández and Teoscar Hernández due to injuries on Wednesday. The Dodgers placed Enrique on the injured list on Wednesday due to a "significant tear” in his oblique. While a timeline for his return is not yet known, Enrique is expected to be out for several weeks if not months."It's certainly warranting an IL stint," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, "but I don't really know as far as the time to return."Enrique only made his season debut on Monday after recovering from offseason elbow surgery. He injured his oblique while taking batting practice before his debut on Monday, though he ended up playing in that game and on Tuesday night. But, in the Dodgers’ 15-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, Enrique left the game early after hitting both a home run and a double. He was clearly shaken up in the dugout. “I feel pretty defeated right now,” he said after the game. Then on Wednesday night, Teoscar pulled up awkwardly in the second inning while trying to run out a ground ball at first base. He jogged off the field on his own, but was seen reaching for the back of his left leg both on the field and once he reached the dugout. Teoscar was visibly upset in the dugout, too, and slammed his helmet a few times before walking off. The Dodgers ruled him out quickly with a hamstring injury, and he was replaced by Hyeseong Kim in left field. Further specifics are not yet known. Teoscar entered Wednesday night’s contest with a .278 batting average and seven home runs this season, his third with the Dodgers.The Dodgers entered Wednesday with a 35-20 record. They’ve won 11 of their last 13 and hold a narrow lead in the NL West standings. The Dodgers will open a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies next on Friday.While the team is in a solid position as the second full month of the regular season wraps up, losing two significant pieces to injuries in back-to-back nights is undoubtedly frustrating.

T.L. Hanna will need a rally to win its first high school baseball state championship. The Yellow Jackets lost 7-3 at home on May 27 against Chapin in the start of their SCHSL Class 5A Division 2 best-of-three series. They will try to stay alive in a 6:30 p.m. game May 28 at Chapin (22-9) and force a deciding game May 30 at a neutral site to be determined. Two batters into the bottom of the first inning, T.L. Hanna (18-17) had two hits and a 1-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets, however, had only one more hit the rest of the game. Cesar Ochoa’s second RBI single came in the seventh. SLUGGING SABRES: How Southside Christian baseball set home run record in winning Upper StateThey led 2-0 after three innings, but Chapin scored two in the fourth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh. Drew Greer was 3-for-3 and drove in five runs. The Yellow Jackets went 6-9 in Region 5A to finish fifth but then won seven straight games in the postseason. They beat No. 1 seed Indian Land in the Upper State finals to reach the state championship for the third time, their first since 1988. Southside Christian can clinch fifth straight titleSouthside Christian can win its fifth consecutive state championship 6 p.m. May 28 at home in Sabre Park against Oceanside Collegiate in the 3A finals. The Sabres (23-8-1) won the opening game in the best-of-three series 7-2 on May 26 at Oceanside (24-10). Jacob Wiggs started on the mound for Southside Christian and went 2⅔ innings with no runs, one hit and two strikeouts. He was 2-for-3 batting with a stolen base and two runs scored. Staff ace Carson Boleman, a Wake Forest commit and top major league prospect, pitched 4⅓ innings of relief. He allowed two unearned runs on one hit and three walks with eight strikeouts. THUNDER STRUCK: How Dorman baseball struck after two-hour lightning delay to win Upper StateDorman ready to start 5A Division 1 series at home After changes because of weather and field conditions, Dorman and James Island are scheduled for their best-of-three series in three days for the 5A Division 1 championship. Dorman (29-2) will play host at 7 p.m. May 28; defending champion James Island (29-3) will be at home at 7 p.m. on May 29, and a third game would be May 30 at a neutral site. The Cavaliers are looking for a fifth championship, the first since 2018. They also won in 1953, 1964 and 1971.Todd Shanesy covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at todd.shanesy@shj.com. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Here's where Upstate baseball teams stand in SCHSL state championships

Brock Purdy has spent the better part of three seasons proving he belongs among the NFL's elite quarterbacks. Turns out, the officials may have already made up their minds.According to data shared by Warren Sharp, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback ranks top five among quarterbacks in roughing the passer calls drawn over the past two seasons — a distinction typically reserved for the guys whose names you already know are going to get that flag.He is tied for fifth among 48 quarterbacks listed with Jacoby Brissett at 0.4% (three total penalties called). Only the Deshaun Watson (1.1%, three total), Justin Fields (0.9%, four total), Shedeur Sanders (0.8%, two total) and Dak Prescott (0.4%, 4 total) have more roughing the passer calls and/or a higher penalty rate per drop-back. Notably, some of the names you'd expect to be higher (Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen) are relatively: Allen and Mahomes both rank outside the top 20 at 0.2% (two total).Purdy has been one of the better all-around quarterbacks over that stretch, regardless of the calls he may or may not get per drop-back. The 49ers quarterback completed 67.3% of his passing attempts for 6,031 yards, 40 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 24 games with a 13-11 record.This is a weird distinction overall, considering some don't believe Purdy to be worthy of getting these roughing the passer calls. But on a per drop-back basis, the 49ers quarterback seems to get the attention enough from the referees to warrant the calls.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Is Brock Purdy getting the star QB treatment from refs?

Football season is almost here — and now we can mark more games on the calendar. Illinois announced its kickoff times for its first three games of the 2026 season on Wednesday. The season will start at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3 against UAB. The game will start at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The Illini will look to top Duke for the second year in a row in Week 2 on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on FS1. The non-conference schedule will close Saturday, Sept. 19 against SIU. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Peacock. Illinois announced some kickoff times earlier this month.

TRACK AND FIELDDivision 2Fox Valley Lutheran RegionalGIRLSFREEDOM 169, FOX VALLEY LUTHERAN 149, OCONTO FALLS 87.5, SEYMOUR 72, NEW LONDON 70, WITTENBERG-BIRNAMWOOD 53, SHAWANO COMMUNITY 39, CLINTONVILLE 23, MENOMINEE INDIAN 6.5Eleanor Groenjes of Freedom took first in the 3,200 in 12:47.52. Ashley Hietpas was first in the 100 hurdles in 15.11 seconds. Gabriella Hambel was first in the pole vault at a height of 9-6. Mara Janssen won the long jump for the Irish with a leap of 16-7.5.Freedom also took first in the 400 relay in 50.27 seconds with Hietpas, Marisa Greiner, Janssen and Hambel, first in the 800 relay in 1:45.81 with Hietpas, Greiner, Janssen and Hambel, and first in the 1,600 relay in 4:05.45 with Greiner, Janssen, Ella Wagner and Hambel.Mya Burleton of Fox Valley Lutheran won the 100-meter dash in 12.69 seconds. Teammate Claire Fischer won the 400 in 1:00.26 and won the 800 in 2:25.03.VOTE NOW: Vote for Cellcom Press-Gazette high school athlete of the weekMaya Vande Kolk of Seymour won the 200 in 25.97 seconds. Teammate Kennedi VanDen Heuvel was first in the high jump at a height of 5-2.Bailey Hendricks of Shawano won the 1,600 in 5:51.11. The Hawks also won the 3,200 relay in 10:19.94 with Mikelah Powers, Jillian Guenther, Hendricks and Tela Hopfensperger.New London’s Ayden Smith won the shot put with a toss of 44-0.5 and was first in the discus with a throw of 128-10. Teammate Eden Besaw was first in the triple jump with a leap of 32-7.25.Harper Krull of Wittenberg-Birnamwood won the 300 hurdles with a time of 47.90 seconds.BOYSFOX VALLEY LUTHERAN 200, FREEDOM 152, NEW LONDON 106, SEYMOUR 65, OCONTO FALLS 65, SHAWANO COMMUNITY 56, MENOMINEE INDIAN 24, WITTENBERG-BIRNAMWOOD 15, CLINTONVILLE 8Kaleb Williams of Fox Valley Lutheran was first in the 100-meter dash in 11.01 seconds, first in the 200 in 22.41 seconds and first in the 400 in 49.74 seconds.Zachary Muenster of FVL was first in the 800 in 1:57.35. Grant Wolfrath of FVL was first in the 300 hurdles in 39.70 seconds. Jacoby Dobberstein won the triple jump with a leap of 42-6.25.FVL also won the 400 relay in 43.40 seconds with the team of Tyler Dequaine, Blessings Kapande, Cameron Williams and Jackson Mayer and won the 800 relay in 1:29.25 with Dequaine, Kapande, Mayer and Jacoby Dobberstein.New London’s Braden Clarke won the 3,200 in 10:56.99. Clarke also ran on the winning 3,200 relay team with Kaden Bethke, Cory Brooker and Charles Sloma that won in 8:27.42.Freedom’s Nolan Phillips won the 110 hurdles in 14.58 seconds and won the high jump with a leap of 6-0. Kaiden Wagner won the shot put for Freedom with a toss of 51-3.5 and won the discus with a throw of 147-10. Laine Everson won the pole vault for the Irish at a height of 13-3.Freedom won the 1,600 relay in 3:25.50 with Nixon Heinke, Jayden Rueckl, Sawyer Rueckl and Phillips.Brady Bursa of Oconto Falls won the long jump with a leap of 22-3.5.Seymour’s Logan Boehnlein was first in the 1,600 in 4:42.51.SOFTBALLDivision 1 regional semifinalsDe Pere 6, Wisconsin Rapids 5DE PERE - The Redbirds scored two runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth inning to rally for the victory over the Red Raiders.Seventh-seeded De Pere will play at No. 2 Stevens Point on May 28 in the regional final.Division 2 regional semifinalsNotre Dame 8, Shawano 2GREEN BAY - The fourth-seeded Tritons advanced to the regional final with the victory over the fifth-seeded Hawks.Notre Dame scored four runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth inning in the victory.Addyson Simpson had a double and two RBIs for Notre Dame. Aubrey Wycoff also drove in two runs.Wycoff pitched a complete game for the win in the circle. She allowed four hits, two runs, walked one and struck out five.Notre Dame will play at Fox Valley Lutheran on May 28 in the regional final.BASEBALLGreen Bay Preble 3, Denmark 2GREEN BAY - The Hornets scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out the nonconference win over the Vikings.Andrew Lindsley had two hits for Preble. Bennett Bishop and Harrison Selk both had an RBI.Denmark got two hits each from Caden Peterson and Braedon Heezen. Caden Kersten had an RBI.Jackson Zegers pitched a complete game for the win. He allowed six hits, two runs and struck out five.David Dittmer pitched 6⅓ innings and took the loss for Denmark. He allowed seven hits, three runs, walked three and struck out one.GIRLS SOCCERBay Port 7, Notre Dame 0SUAMICO - The Pirates completed an undefeated Fox River Classic Conference season with the victory over the Tritons.The Pirates finished 8-0-1 in the FRCC for their third consecutive conference title.GIRLS LACROSSEWIAA regional quarterfinalsKimberly 15, Pulaski 2KIMBERLY - The Papermakers, who were the No. 15 seed, advance with the victory over the Red Raiders, who were seeded No. 18.Kimberly will play at No. 2 seed Verona/Mount Horeb on May 28 in a regional semifinal.BOYS GOLFDivision 1Notre Dame RegionalBAY PORT 304, DE PERE 315, PULASKI 325, WEST DE PERE 346, NOTRE DAME ACADEMY 348, GREEN BAY PREBLE 354, ASHWAUBENON 379, GREEN BAY SOUTHWEST/WEST 402, GREEN BAY EAST 405Top four teams advance to sectionalsAt Thornberry Creek at OneidaTop individuals: Grant Lawton DP 72, Connor Ness BP 72, Everett Johnsen BP 74, Cam Bjorge DP 76, Jacob Jarvey BP 76, Ethan Berger PUL 79, Brady Hayward PUL 80, Grant Parrett WDP 81, Zach Sineway BP 82, Bradin Schultz PUL 83, Casey Madlem PUL 83, Mason Busakowski WDP 83, Palmer Anderson DP 83, Jonah Garot DP 84, Ben Klarner PUL 85.Individual sectional qualifiers: Emmet Weber NDA 86, Jack O’Brien NDA 86, Adam Sweeney GBP 87, Luke Prigge GBP 87.BOYS TENNISDivision 1West De Pere SubsectionalWEST DE PERE 24, APPLETON NORTH 18, KIMBERLY 14, APPLETON WEST 10, DE PERE 10, HORTONVILLE 0, KAUKAUNA 0, FOX VALLEY LUTHERAN 0Sectional qualifiersSinglesNo. 1 - Colin Meixl, Kimberly; Truman Vogel, Appleton West; Liam Hankel, West De Pere; Gavin Feng, Appleton North. No. 2 - Cale Vogel, Appleton West; Rafe Zifferblatt, West De Pere. No. 3 - Alex Schmeisser, West De Pere; Brady Meixl, Appleton West. No. 4 - Ozzy Kraft, West De Pere; Noah Kuender, Kimberly.DoublesNo. 1 - Giovanni Zifferblatt/Brayden Hagenow, West De Pere; Sam Hahnke/Spencer Munson, Appleton North; Hunter Holschuh/Jackson Lawson, Kimberly; Tudor Cristescu/Alex Kaufman, De Pere. No. 2 - Eric Graf/Jack Mendolla, Appleton North; Arya Kadam/Vihan Alluru, West De Pere. No. 3 - Stephen Weed/Drew Franzene, Appleton North; Landen Madison/Yash Yeturu, West De Pere.This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay area high school sports results for Wednesday, May 27

The Tennessee Lady Vols are in the Women's College World Series. They will start their pursuit of a title on May 28 against defending Texas in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A major reason for the Lady Vols' success is pitcher Karlyn Pickens. She is 15-7 with a 1.53 ERA. In 132.1 innings, Pickens has struck out 180 batters. The 6-foot-1 righthander from Weaverville, North Carolina, has a career 69-32 mark with 53 complete games, 784 strikeouts in 614.1 innings. She was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Blaze in the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.Pickens was named the 2025 Softball America National Pitcher of the Year and is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year (2024, 2025). She is also a two-time consensus First Team All-American, earning recognition from NFCA, D1Softball and Softball America in back-to-back seasons.Pickens has played a key role in Tennessee's team success, helping lead the Lady Vols to two prior Women's College World Series appearances (2023, 2025), including trips to the national semifinals in both seasons.Karlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensKarlyn PickensThis article originally appeared on The List Wire: Tennessee Lady Vols softball star Karlyn Pickens

New Report: Patriots, Eagles 'Not Close' On A.J. Brown Trade, Could Drag On originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.On Tuesday, I wrote an article about how surreal it felt to say that A.J. Brown could be a New England Patriot as soon as next week. On Wednesday, Ian Rapoport went on NFL Today and told viewers that that could not be further from the truth.In a shocking new development, Rapoport reported that the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles are 'not particularly close' on a deal for the Super Bowl champion, and even predicted that the trade could be a long, drawn-out process. "I just don't know if it's going to be 'snap your fingers and it's done' because the two sides are where they have been. Which is the Eagles wanting a first-round pick in 2027 and the Patriots not being willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now," Rapoport said. "That means they’re not particularly close, and that means there’s a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future."As someone who already has Brown fatigue, I'm not sure how much longer this could drag out. There have been rumors of this being a "done deal" since March. Nothing has changed; at every step of the way, it has always been Brown to the Patriots.It almost feels like, if the deal isn't done now, when will it be? Of course, as the season grows nearer, the temperature will be turned up in the Eagles camp to offload this massive contract. But the Patriots cannot afford to let Philadelphia shop the All-Pro receiver around the league. With the way that New England has drafted wide receivers in my lifetime, I say trade the pick. When Drake Maye gets his hands on a receiver like Brown, the Patriots won't be picking in the top-25 anytime soon. More NFL: NFL Analyst Severely Disrespects Drake Maye In 2026 Quarterback Rankings

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has made headlines all week. Be it regarding the future of the College Football Playoffs, the future of the SEC as a whole, and the conference’s standing in College Football, he has been vocal. Sankey and the SEC are adamant that a 16-team CFP is the right direction for the sport, not a 24-team format, which the Big Ten is lobbying for.Spring Meetings are underway this week for the SEC. Commissioner Greg Sankey has put forward the case for a 16-team playoff. Through all the chatter, Sankey made it clear that, despite three consecutive National Championships won by three different Big Ten teams, the SEC remains the best conference in all of College Football.MORE: College Football’s NIL era may be headed for financial disasterGreg Sankey highlights the SEC’s depthSankey’s exact comments were: “If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football league by far.” Sankey further expanded on his opinion by saying, “But I think from a big picture, the breadth, the depth of this league, this league stands alone. In fact, we saw the metrics out of the college football playoff presentation where there’s no doubt we’re the strongest league.” MORE: SEC makes massive change for future college football schedulingThere’s a difference between the best and the deepest conferenceSankey has a point: the SEC is the deepest when it comes to the talent pool and the week-to-week grind of its schedule, especially this upcoming year, as the new schedule format debuts, with every team facing nine conference opponents.There are legitimately six teams that have a real shot at winning the SEC in 2026. Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, and Texas A&M all have the talent to make a conference title run. A seventh team can be mentioned if the Alabama QB situation works out the way Bama fans think it will, with either Keelon Russell or Austin Mack starting.Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey walks on the field prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn ImagesThe Big Ten can’t say it has seven teams that can legitimately win the conference. That doesn’t matter though, cause theres a difference between the best conference and the deepest, and there just isn’t any better argument than the fact that the Big Ten has had three consecutive National Champions, and they’ve all been different schools.The argument would be different if Ohio State were on some sort of dynasty run, demolishing the rest of the Big Ten and SEC opponents on their way to two or three straight championships. The fact that it’s been three different schools doing this means the Big Ten has better top-end talent than the SEC over the last three years, and that matters more than overall depth.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Courtney Williams had 25 points and seven assists, Natasha Howard added 22 points and eight rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 96-81 on Wednesday night.Minnesota's lead was 44-40 early in the third quarter before they team scored the next 13 points. The Lynx outscored the Dream 28-19 in the frame to make it 70-56 after three. Rookie Olivia Miles completed a three-point play early in the fourth for a 77-60 lead. Then Williams made a wide-open 3-pointer with 3:04 left to extend it to 88-75.All five starters for Minnesota scored in double figures. Miles finished with 16 points, Nia Coffey scored 14, and Kayla McBride had 12 for the Lynx. Minnesota had a season-high 26 assists on 40 made field goals and shot 60% from the field.Allisha Gray scored 21 points and made five 3-pointers for Atlanta, which dropped its first road game of the season. Naz Hillmon added 15 points, and Angel Reese had 10 points and eight rebounds. Rhyne Howard also scored 10.Eleven of Atlanta's 29 made field goals came from beyond the arc.Minnesota evened the season series with Atlanta 1-1 after dropping the season opener 91-90. The Lynx led by 19 points in the loss before the Dream took their first lead with 11.3 seconds left.Up nextAtlanta stays on the road to play Portland on Friday.Minnesota plays at Chicago on Friday.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 26: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images Yordan Alvarez has been absolutely on fire in this series, and he continued his torrid stretch at the plate with 2 more home runs to back SP Mike Burrows (W, 3-6) in the Houston Astros (25-32) 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers (25-30) tonight in Arlington. Burrows tossed 7 innings of 2-run ball, allowing only 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. It is the kind of length the Astros have sorely lacked in the rotation on a consistent basis this year, but have gotten from Burrows in 2 of his last 4 starts. He has gone at least 6 innings in 4 of his last 5 starts. Alvarez hit his first HR of the night in the 4th off Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, victimizing the star pitcher for the second time this year, which tied the game at 2. He also took Tyler Alexander (L, 1-1) deep in the 8th give the Astros a 3-2 lead. Alvarez finished the night 3-for-4 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a walk. His 20 HRs are 2nd in MLB and tops in the AL. He has now hit 5 HR in this series. Enyel De Los Santos got the final 5 outs for his 4th save of the season. He did not allow a run, hit or walk, and struck out 3 in a dominant performance. Taylor Trammell hit cleanup tonight and finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run. He’s currently batting .371 with a .922 OPS. Those numbers are far higher than anything he has ever shown previously at the MLB level, but he did make swing adjustments before the season and hit well both in spring training and earlier in the season before he was injured. It remains to be seen if this can be a breakout season for Trammell, but the early returns for him are very strong this season. Houston will look to win the series tomorrow night behind RHP Spencer Arrighetti (6-1, 1.32), who will be opposed by Rangers SP Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.55). Houston is currently 4-2 vs. the Rangers this season in the Silver Boot Series. They are 3 GB the Seattle Mariners for 1st place in the AL West.

Months after Pakistan declared “open war” on Afghanistan, neither side appears ready to back down, despite China’s efforts to mediate.

A key measure of inflation in China, they hit a 16-year low, driven by anemic consumer spending and an oversupply of hogs.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has pitched six hitless innings against the Colorado Rockies.The right-hander walked four and struck out seven on Wednesday night. He left the game after throwing 99 pitches, 56 for strikes.Ohtani hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. He allowed an earned run in the fourth on Willi Castro's groundout to second, raising his ERA to 0.82.Reliever Will Klein followed Ohtani to the mound.The Dodgers led 3-1 after six.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — Defensemen Kayd Ruedig and Jaxon Pisani scored in a 25-second span in the first period and the Everett Silvertips beat the host Kelowna Rockets 4-0 on Wednesday night in the Memorial Cup to advance to face Chicoutimi in the semifinal.WHL champion Everett (2-1) and QMJHL winner Chicoutimi (1-2) will play Friday night for a spot against OHL champion Kitchener (3-0) in the final Sunday night. Kelowna was 0-3 in round-robin play.Everett beat Chicoutimi 5-3 on Saturday night in the opener for both teams, then fell 6-2 to Kitchener on Monday night.Anders Miller made 28 saves for Everett. Ruedig added an assist, Matias Vanhanen had a goal and an assist, and Carter Bear also scored.Everett is trying to become the fourth U.S. franchise to win the event, following the Portland Winterhawks in 1983 and 1998, Spokane Chiefs in 1991 and 2008 and Saginaw Spirit in 2024. The Silvertips beat Kelowna in five games in the second round of the WHL playoffs en route to their first league title.Ruedig opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first with a shot from right boards that went in off a defender. Pisani, the son of former Edmonton Oilers forward Fernando Pisani, followed at 7:47 with a quick shot from the left point.Vanhanen made it 3-0 at 1:03 of the second, chasing goalie Josh Banini with a wrister from the left side. Harrison Boettiger stopped 21 of 22 shots in relief — allowing only Bear's third-period goal — after Banini gave up the first three goals on 11 shots.Chicoutimi will be without defenseman Jordan Tourigny for the rest of the tournament after the Canadian Hockey League suspended him Wednesday for a match penalty Tuesday night against Kitchener. The Northeastern University-bound Tourigny was ejected for stomping on Christian Humphreys' skate.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

A hearty Chicago salami. | Matt Marton / Imagn Images The Twins played shitty!The Windy City has wrecked our hope.Twins played shitty!It’s such a pity; can’t beat the Po-ope!Maybe it startedWith Buxton launching clear;Nothing in any partWould give any cheer.Swinging like a poop haul,One hit into eight,While those ChicagoansRun across the plate!Well, Goose can have a CommentRiffing on Green Bay to go,But we rememberThis team was shitty:The Twins played shitty and now we mope:The Twins played shitty!The Windy City has wrecked our hope.Twins played shitty!It’s such a pity; can’t beat the Po-ope!Still the teams are playing,Prielipp leaves the game,Bullpen has not been stayingWhite Sox homer flame.Meidroth a salami,Going back to backWith Murakami’s twentieth:Gave it quite the crack.Nagurski gets a CommentCriticizing play to go,But we rememberThis team was shitty:The Twins played shitty and now we mope:The Twins played shitty!The Windy City has wrecked our hope.Twins played shitty!It’s such a pity; can’t beat the Po-ope!It’s just a rotten WednesdayIn a rotten set.It wasn’t even so-so,But games aren’t over yet!Maybe it’s funnyGetting fully crushed;Maybe we’ll laugh it off,The memory flushed.Forget it: they beat usAnd made us look like fools;Still, they’ve got a game again,Same old set of rules.No, I’m not doing the voiceover radio guy. It’s almost midnight.Don’t we remember? (member, member)No, I’m not doing the second half of the voicover either.zkonedog gets a CommentBringing in Oswald-i-bro,But we rememberThis team was shitty:The Twins played shitty and now we mope:The Twins played shitty!The Windy City has wrecked our hope.Twins played shitty!It’s such a pity; can’t beat the Po-ope!(aaaaand a whole bunch of repeated chorus lines. man, I wish the literal video version were still on the internet somewhere, that was funny)

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images; Underdog SportsThe lawyers for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander issued a cease-and-desist letter to Underdog Sports over a promotion from the fantasy sports company that mocked the reigning two-time NBA MVP’s effort to draw fouls, Jason Jones of The Athletic reported on Wednesday night.Underdog Sports created a game called “Unethical Hoops” based on the popular battery-operated game Operation. In the game, a buzzer would go off for a foul whenever Gilgeous-Alexander was touched. Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks starred in a video for Underdog that showed off the game.Unethical Hoops, coming soon… pic.twitter.com/ANdHV4JTjr— Underdog (@Underdog) May 21, 2026Additionally, Underdog held a contest giving away 100 copies of the game during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The video and contest went viral.Head to https://t.co/dSu9Ntz8H4 to sign up for the giveaway!— Underdog (@Underdog) May 21, 2026After the video and contest went viral, Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to Underdog, as The Athletic explained:“In a letter dated May 22 and obtained by The Athletic, Eric Fishman of law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP, representing Gilgeous-Alexander, asked Underdog to ‘permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website), apps, social media accounts, digital marketing and advertisements, promotional emails, push notifications, affiliate or influencer placements, and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.'”“The letter also asks that all board games be destroyed and that Underdog not use Gilgeous-Alexander’s name, image or likeness without his permission,” according to The Athletic.The NBA world has accused Gilgeous-Alexander of foul-baiting and flopping frequently over the last two seasons, and it’s been a huge narrative during the current playoffs as SGA and the Thunder try to repeat as NBA champions.“Underdog did not immediately comment on the letter,” The Athletic added.The post Underdog Sports receives cease-and-desist letter from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawyers appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Celtics Insider Believes Boston Has 'Real Interest' In Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The NBA offseason hasn't even officially started yet, but trade rumors are already swirling around the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.There have been conflicting reports in recent days and weeks, but some believe the Celtics could be looking to move Jaylen Brown this summer. Meanwhile, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be available on the trade market, which would likely pique Boston's interest.While it's unclear whether the Celtics would actually give up the assets to acquire Antetokounmpo, including potentially Brown, CLNS reporter Noa Dalzell believes Boston's interest is legitimate.“If I had to pick is Giannis going to be a Celtic or not next year, I would pick not, but I don’t think it would be a shocking move…I think there’s real interest.”@NoaDalzell gives her current stance on whether the Celtics will trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. pic.twitter.com/AtWqI4fEUA— The Garden Report on CLNS (@TheGardenReport) May 28, 2026"If I had to pick is Giannis going to be a Celtic or not next year, I would pick not, but I don’t think it would be a shocking move…I think there’s real interest," Dalzell said on Wednesday's episode of "The Garden Report."That seems like a realistic assessment. An Antetokounmpo trade to Boston probably won't happen, but it could. At the very least, the Celtics will probably consider it, even if they don't end up pulling the trigger.Time will tell what Antetokounmpo's trade market looks like and which other teams pursue him, but it won't be surprising if Boston's in the mix.More NBA: Brian Windhorst Hasn't Heard Any Buzz About Celtics Pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo

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NEW YORK – The baseball calendar just slipped past the traditional Memorial Day mile marker for measuring how your team stacks up.Do you know where your Cincinnati Reds are?They’re getting squeezed in the middle of a vise-like National League Central, that’s where.Fully one-third of the way through the season, every team in the NL Central has a winning record – the first time in three years any division could claim that distinction through at least this late in the season (shout out to MLB’s crack research bureau for that 2023 AL East nugget).More than that, there hasn’t been a team in the NL Central with a losing record since the Cubs dropped to one game under .500 on April 13. Nobody else in the division has had a losing record since March.“It’s crazy,” first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. “But it’s fun.”More: MLB players propose incentives for small-market teams who spend money and winFun won’t begin to describe it if it continues into the second half, much less the September playoff drive.Not for the Reds, who finished Memorial Day weekend in fourth place and just outside the playoff-position bubble.“It’s the best division in baseball. And it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while," Reds general manager Brad Meador said. "So you better be ready to be in the fight.”Lowe said it reminds him of his days with the Tampa Bay Rays early in his career when the American League East seemed to have at least four contenders annually – except this time it’s five.“As of right now everyone in our division is a contender to win the Central or to get a wild-card spot,” he said, “just based on how they’re all playing.”Is it possible this Central potency is sustainable for the six-month season?“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be," Meador said, echoing sentiment from the clubhouse.“Across all the teams, all have pretty good pitching," veteran Reds pitcher Brady Singer said, "and I think the lineups are really good as well. And a lot of us are very well balanced with power and the ability to steal bases.“It’s really, really competitive.”Singer spent the past two seasons pitching in two different divisions that produced three playoff teams each – the American League Central in 2024 before being traded to the Reds last year.Even that doesn’t quite compare to this.“Top to bottom is a little bit different,” Singer said. “This division is tough.”And that’s the part that will make “fun” a bona fide “f” word for somebody – probably two somebodys – in the division if it holds up.And for anyone who thinks it can’t happen, history says you’re wrong.Until division play began in 1969, it was mathematically impossible for all the teams in a given standings to finish with a winning record. Since then, it’s happened twice. Well, kind of.In 2005, the National League East had four winning teams and a .500 last-place team (Nationals). Because there was only one wild card per league at the time, and because the Astros won that berth from the Central, only one team from that juggernaut NL East made the playoffs.Even more remarkable, the 1991 American League West had six of seven teams finish with winning records and a seventh team finish .500 (Angels). There were no wild-card playoff berths in 1991. So only the eventual-champion Twins made it out of that division to the postseason.“You’ve just got to keep going,” Lowe said. “It’s good that the division as a whole is playing well because it doesn’t feel like there’s any series where you can come off the gas. You’ve just got to keep going.”If anyone knows how tough this division is, it’s the Reds, who have lost five of six to the Pirates and all four meetings against the Cubs so far, including three consecutive walkoff losses at Wrigley Field in early May.They’re 2-10 overall against NL Central rivals before playing a game against division-leading Milwaukee – and, after taking the first two games against the Mets in New York this week, 27-15 (.643) against everyone else.“The challenges are definitely if you scoreboard watch,” Lowe said. “Say you take two of three and the other team also takes two of three or they sweep, you feel like you’re not really gaining ground. So it’s the cycle that all comes back to you of you can only take care of what’s in your clubhouse.“It should be good for this group when the rest of the division is playing well for us to realize we can only play our games and only win one game at a time.”That’s one of the reasons Reds manager Terry Francona refuses to engage in these kinds of bigger-picture looks at landscapes and trends.“It’s pretty impressive what our division’s done so far,” Francona said. “But it doesn’t really mean anything more than that right now. It’s just something maybe fun to talk about for you (media wags). Other than that, we’ve got a game today.”If this Fab Five holds up in all it’s Fab-ness deep into the season, Lowe figures the Reds playoff experience last season will play a factor in who survived to play in October. Sixteen members of last year’s Reds made the postseason for the first time in their careers, and most of them are back.“That’s a great sign, because you get a taste of what it’s all about,” Lowe said. “You play to win the wild-card series, then the division series, and then the CS and obviously to win the whole thing when it counts.“But you’ve got to get a taste of it first to understand how good it can be when it all goes well.”And you’ve got to withstand the rigors of your division in a given year, even with the schedule more balanced these last three-plus seasons, with teams now playing division opponents 13 times each instead of 19.For what it’s worth, that juggernaut AL East in 2023 – the first year of the more balanced schedule – had winning records all-five deep into September.This one? With the $250 million Cubs dropping like a rock since rocking the Reds and the low-budget Pirates boasting the elite talents of Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin and a nearly-back Jared Jones?Who knows, says Lowe.“It’s the end of May,” he said. “Anything can happen in the next 100 games.”Based on what the Reds have seen of the rest of the division, Francona doesn’t sound like he has a strong opinion on the NL Central's all-winner sustainability, either.“If it’s not, I hope it’s not us (who falls off),” said Francona, who also doesn’t buy that Memorial Day, Independence Day or Labor Day is any more important a mile marker on the baseball calendar than Christmas.“The biggest marker is the last day of the year,” he said.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will NL Central's Fab Five make history and what's it mean for Reds?

NEW YORK – The baseball calendar just slipped past the traditional Memorial Day mile marker for measuring how your team stacks up.Do you know where your Cincinnati Reds are?They’re getting squeezed in the middle of a vise-like National League Central, that’s where.Fully one-third of the way through the season, every team in the NL Central has a winning record – the first time in three years any division could claim that distinction through at least this late in the season (shout out to MLB’s crack research bureau for that 2023 AL East nugget).More than that, there hasn’t been a team in the NL Central with a losing record since the Cubs dropped to one game under .500 on April 13. Nobody else in the division has had a losing record since March.“It’s crazy,” first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. “But it’s fun.”More: MLB players propose incentives for small-market teams who spend money and winFun won’t begin to describe it if it continues into the second half, much less the September playoff drive.Not for the Reds, who finished Memorial Day weekend in fourth place and just outside the playoff-position bubble.“It’s the best division in baseball. And it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while," Reds general manager Brad Meador said. "So you better be ready to be in the fight.”Lowe said it reminds him of his days with the Tampa Bay Rays early in his career when the American League East seemed to have at least four contenders annually – except this time it’s five.“As of right now everyone in our division is a contender to win the Central or to get a wild-card spot,” he said, “just based on how they’re all playing.”Is it possible this Central potency is sustainable for the six-month season?“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be," Meador said, echoing sentiment from the clubhouse.“Across all the teams, all have pretty good pitching," veteran Reds pitcher Brady Singer said, "and I think the lineups are really good as well. And a lot of us are very well balanced with power and the ability to steal bases.“It’s really, really competitive.”Singer spent the past two seasons pitching in two different divisions that produced three playoff teams each – the American League Central in 2024 before being traded to the Reds last year.Even that doesn’t quite compare to this.“Top to bottom is a little bit different,” Singer said. “This division is tough.”And that’s the part that will make “fun” a bona fide “f” word for somebody – probably two somebodys – in the division if it holds up.And for anyone who thinks it can’t happen, history says you’re wrong.Until division play began in 1969, it was mathematically impossible for all the teams in a given standings to finish with a winning record. Since then, it’s happened twice. Well, kind of.In 2005, the National League East had four winning teams and a .500 last-place team (Nationals). Because there was only one wild card per league at the time, and because the Astros won that berth from the Central, only one team from that juggernaut NL East made the playoffs.Even more remarkable, the 1991 American League West had six of seven teams finish with winning records and a seventh team finish .500 (Angels). There were no wild-card playoff berths in 1991. So only the eventual-champion Twins made it out of that division to the postseason.“You’ve just got to keep going,” Lowe said. “It’s good that the division as a whole is playing well because it doesn’t feel like there’s any series where you can come off the gas. You’ve just got to keep going.”If anyone knows how tough this division is, it’s the Reds, who have lost five of six to the Pirates and all four meetings against the Cubs so far, including three consecutive walkoff losses at Wrigley Field in early May.They’re 2-10 overall against NL Central rivals before playing a game against division-leading Milwaukee – and, after taking the first two games against the Mets in New York this week, 27-15 (.643) against everyone else.“The challenges are definitely if you scoreboard watch,” Lowe said. “Say you take two of three and the other team also takes two of three or they sweep, you feel like you’re not really gaining ground. So it’s the cycle that all comes back to you of you can only take care of what’s in your clubhouse.“It should be good for this group when the rest of the division is playing well for us to realize we can only play our games and only win one game at a time.”That’s one of the reasons Reds manager Terry Francona refuses to engage in these kinds of bigger-picture looks at landscapes and trends.“It’s pretty impressive what our division’s done so far,” Francona said. “But it doesn’t really mean anything more than that right now. It’s just something maybe fun to talk about for you (media wags). Other than that, we’ve got a game today.”If this Fab Five holds up in all it’s Fab-ness deep into the season, Lowe figures the Reds playoff experience last season will play a factor in who survived to play in October. Sixteen members of last year’s Reds made the postseason for the first time in their careers, and most of them are back.“That’s a great sign, because you get a taste of what it’s all about,” Lowe said. “You play to win the wild-card series, then the division series, and then the CS and obviously to win the whole thing when it counts.“But you’ve got to get a taste of it first to understand how good it can be when it all goes well.”And you’ve got to withstand the rigors of your division in a given year, even with the schedule more balanced these last three-plus seasons, with teams now playing division opponents 13 times each instead of 19.For what it’s worth, that juggernaut AL East in 2023 – the first year of the more balanced schedule – had winning records all-five deep into September.This one? With the $250 million Cubs dropping like a rock since rocking the Reds and the low-budget Pirates boasting the elite talents of Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin and a nearly-back Jared Jones?Who knows, says Lowe.“It’s the end of May,” he said. “Anything can happen in the next 100 games.”Based on what the Reds have seen of the rest of the division, Francona doesn’t sound like he has a strong opinion on the NL Central's all-winner sustainability, either.“If it’s not, I hope it’s not us (who falls off),” said Francona, who also doesn’t buy that Memorial Day, Independence Day or Labor Day is any more important a mile marker on the baseball calendar than Christmas.“The biggest marker is the last day of the year,” he said.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will NL Central's Fab Five make history and what's it mean for Reds?

From “soft” to...suddenly scintillating?That’s where the market for the sale of the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks has gone in mere weeks.“The market I’ve been told has been robust,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Wednesday on ESPN. “And the way it is trending, I would not be surprised at all if there’s a special meeting among NFL owners this coming August.”That presumably would be to approve the bid and the sale from the Paul G. Allen Trust to the new ownership group.“Could have a new Seahawks owner before the season,” Rapoport told ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.The 2026 NFL season begins Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. It’s a rematch of Super Bowl 60 in February.Spokespersons for the Seahawks and the Paul G. Allen Trust have declined all month to comment on the team’s sale, saying there was “no news to share.”As for the price...“If all goes perfectly well, could — could — eclipse $10 billion,” Rapoport said.That would be the richest sale of franchise in North American sports history. In October 2025, the National Basketball Association approved the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers by the Buss family for $10 billion to a group led by Guggenheim Partners chief executive Mark Walter.The news of the Seahawks’ suddenly hot sale prospects comes less than three weeks after ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported the market for the Seahawks’ sale was “soft.”“Things have really picked up since then,” Rapoport said. Rapoport did not mention any potential Seahawks buyers in his comments Wednesday.Known potential buyersAll it apparently took to heat up this Seahawks sale was multiple, competing bids.Three names of potential buyers emerged in the first week of May.Sportico said Aditya Mittal and Wyc Grousbeck, co-owners of the NBA’s Boston Celtics, were preparing a bid to buy the Seahawks. Sportico said Mittal, a steel magnate in India who lives in London, and Grousbeck were the only signatures on a letter of interest they submitted to Allen & Company. That’s the investment group the Paul G. Allen Trust has hired to handle the finances of the team’s sale.Sportico also reported later that day, May 7, that billionaire Vinod Khosla was preparing a bid buy the Seahawks. Khosla is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a large venture-capital investor in the Silicon Valley. Forbes estimates his worth to be about $14.5 billion. He recently purchased a minority stake in the Seahawks’ rival San Francisco 49ers.Khosla also submitted a letter of intent to buy the Super Bowl champions as part of the process, sources told Sportico.

In an interview with Time magazine, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he has sworn off politics after the 2024 election, claiming his organization's event at the White House next month is patriotic, not political."You can make anything political if you want to," White told the magazine when asked about UFC Freedom 250. "I love this country like anybody on the left loves this country. I love this country like anybody on the right loves this country. This is basically me spending a ­s------- of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world."UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. According to Time, President Donald Trump "planted the seeds" for the White House event after talking to White at a UFC fight in Madison Square Garden after his reelection in 2024.The Time profile also details the relationship between White and Trump, as well as White's ties to the Make America Healthy Again and manosphere movements. The president has previously called White "very important" to the 2024 campaign, in which the UFC executive arranged appearances for Trump on podcasts popular with young men, including Joe Rogan."He introduced me to people I never heard of, young kids," Trump said, Time reported. "They’re nice kids, and they do have a big audience, and everything helps."White endorsed Trump in 2020 and spoke on his behalf at a rally in Colorado. In 2024, he introduced Trump at the Republican National Convention before Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination. White claimed the UFC will lose about $30 million on the event. But Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of UFC's parent company TKO, told Time that the event is "the greatest earned ­marketing tool of all time."What is UFC Freedom 250?UFC Freedom 250 will take place on June 14 on the White House South Lawn. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people.The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. The event has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.The event has drawn criticism from lawmakers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff."Trump is building a golden ballroom and for his birthday party — arranging a UFC fight on the White House grounds — while you're fighting to pay this month's bills," Schiff said on X on May 26. "Could he be more out of touch?"Unwelcome combatants: UFC's White House event expected to attract uninvited guestsUFC Freedom 250 invitees named in Dana White's profile on TimeThe profile on Time included a list of celebrities that White said he invited to UFC Freedom 250. They include:Adam Sandler Guy Ritchie Tom Brady Jared Leto Jason Statham Dwayne "The Rock" JohnsonMario LopezUSA TODAY reached out to representatives for the named invitees for comment.What is UFC Freedom 250?UFC Freedom 250 takes place June 14 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC. Fans will be able to watch the event on big screens at The Ellipse, which will accommodate up to 85,000 people. The event itself will be invite-only, with 1,200 of the expected 4,300 attendees being active military members. It has been pitched as an early celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, though the event also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.Its card features two title fights — lightweight champion Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, and Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title. The rest of the card includes Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy, Kyle Daukaus vs. Bo Nickal, and Steve Garcia vs. Diego Lopes.White said in the profile that he wanted to book a title fight between Zhang Weili and Mackenzie Dern, but that "we couldn’t get it done."This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dana White claims UFC Freedom 250 at the White House is patriotic

AEW Dynamite, AEW Collision May 6All Elite WrestlingAfter a Double or Nothing pay-per-view that some called one of the best in company history, AEW Dynamite returned on Wednesday, May 27, to follow up on what happened in Queens, New York.The ensuing events can be just as important as how a pay-per-view closes. It’s how interest and momentum are sustained, and AEW had that task ahead of it in Philadelphia.Kevin Knight had questions to answer after his attack on Darby Allin to close Double or Nothing. Would he explain his actions? And whether or not he did, who would step up to come to Allin’s aid?MJF also entered Dynamite as the new three-time AEW World Champion. Who would step up as his next challenger?That, and more, including additional Owen Hart Foundation Tournament matches, went down on Dynamite. Let’s look at what happened:AEW Dynamite Results For May 27Will Ospreay spoke about how thrilled he was to win before meeting up with Kenny Omega backstage in the medical room. Omega said Ospreay can’t trust the Death Riders and that he would do anything to help him become champion. Ospreay questioned why Omega can’t be around every week, and Omega said he has his own way of going about things physically, emotionally and mentally. He said neither of them is who they used to be. Omega then warned Ospreay to be careful as Jon Moxley approached them and said they all have their own skeletons.As fans chanted expletives at him, Kevin Knight demanded respect while he was speaking. He said he told Darby Allin not to let everyone down, but Allin did anyway, comparing it to the Sixers losing to the Knicks. Knight said he was the last one to humble MJF and that he should have been in the Double or Nothing main event. Knight said he’s here to take over AEW.Mike Bailey came out and said the reason he and Knight work so well together is because they both want to be the best. He said Knight attacking Allin was a mistake, but it could be fixed with an apology. As Bailey extended his hand, Knight avoided it and attacked him.Backstage, Ricochet said he wasn’t concerned about Chris Jericho ahead of their rematch. He said Jericho wouldn’t have anyone to defend him since everyone was banned from ringside.Chris Jericho def. Ricochet by pinfall. After the match, Tommaso Ciampa attacked Jericho.Backstage, Andrade El Idolo questioned whether MJF is better than him.Rush def. Orange Cassidy, Lio Rush and Brian Cage by pinfall.Backstage, Kevin Knight approached MJF, who said he wanted to thank Knight for what he did to Darby Allin at Double or Nothing. MJF said he thinks the Jet has a bright future. Knight said he didn’t do it for MJF, but because Allin blew his chance. Knight then said he wants his own shot at the world title.Kyle Fletcher approached Knight and said his TNT Championship looked nice. Don Callis said if Knight wants to get serious about being Jet Two Belts, he and Fletcher are around.A video package aired highlighting Mark Briscoe’s return.Backstage, Jamie Hayter said she will take Thekla’s title next time. Alex Windsor said her heart goes out to Willow Nightingale and that she has been preparing to be the best forever. She said her path will end where it started, while Will Ospreay is also chasing his dream.MJF said Darby Allin is hanging his head in shame after losing to a headlock takeover. He said only eight men have been three-time world champions by 30 years old, and everyone will be talking about him until the end of time. MJF said he’s the best wrestler in the world and no one is close to him. He said everyone needs to bow down to him before Mark Briscoe interrupted.Briscoe said MJF doesn’t fit in Philadelphia, comparing him to a penguin wandering through a desert. He said some of the toughest people are from Philadelphia, and MJF sticks out because he’s not tough. Briscoe said it wasn’t long ago that he pinned MJF, so he wants a shot at the AEW World Championship. MJF said no because AEW is a business, not a sport, and giving Briscoe a title match would be bad for business.Rush interrupted and said it’s funny that MJF is a chickens**t. He said he wants a match for the title. MJF said he agreed that Rush had earned a title shot. He then fooled Rush into thinking he would get a title match, only to make it a non-title match for next week.On his bus, Jack Perry said the stakes have never been higher. He said this might be the beginning of his world championship tour. Perry then ran the Rocky steps in Philadelphia as part of a training montage.Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Match: Brody King def. Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall.Christian Cage said FTR are the toughest and best tag team he and Adam Copeland have faced, but they’re not the tippy-top guys. Copeland said they refused to say “I quit” and got their careers back. He said they would hit a five-second pose, and despite Cage not wanting to, Copeland took out a bag of disposable cameras, handed them to the audience and asked for pictures. David Finlay and Clark Connors then brutally attacked them. Connors said their next pose will be as AEW Tag Team Champions.Backstage, Prince Nana said everyone saw what Swerve Strickland did to Bandido at Double or Nothing. He said Strickland is taking the Owen and the All In main event. Strickland said he gets sentimental when he sees Brody King succeed. He said millions of people watched what he did to Bandido, and they can’t take their eyes off it.Anna Jay and Tay Melo def. Ava Everett and Allie Katch by pinfall.Backstage, Mike Bailey said that despite offering his hand, Kevin Knight attacked him in return. Bailey said they should go one-on-one.Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Match: Mark Davis def. Jack Perry by pinfall.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Feb 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) shoots over Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images At the midnight deadline to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft, Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou decided to withdraw and commit to St. John’s, per multiple media reports.Yessoufou was testing the draft waters while also putting his name in the transfer portal, though it came with a do-not-contact tag. On3’s Joe Tipton reported that UCLA was gaining early buzz for the California native if he opted for a return to school, but Rick Pitino swooped in to steal the top-10 transfer and potential 2027 lottery pick.The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Yessoufou was originally a 5-star recruit in the class of 2025 and someone Kentucky was strongly in the mix for at one point. This past season, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 29.3% from 3-point range.While all eyes in the Big Blue Nation have been on Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Yessoufou was quietly one of the best players in the portal. However, he’d been viewed as a near-lock to remain in the draft, so there hadn’t been much attention paid to him in recent weeks. Most mock drafts have had Yessoufou going in the first round.Now, Pitino has the Johhnies in position to have a top-10 team entering the 2026-27 season.Meanwhile, Momcilovic did withdraw from the draft, but he has yet to make his decision. But this Yessoufou news does likely mean St. John’s is out for Momcilovic, so this is still very relevant to Kentucky Basketball.Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou — a potential first-round pick — has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John's Red Storm men's basketball program to play for Rick Pitino, his agency THE TEAM tells ESPN.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026

SEATTLE (AP) — Shakira Austin had 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, Michaela Onyenwere made her season debut and finished with 14 points, and the Washington Mystics beat the Seattle Storm 78-64 on Wednesday night. The Mystics (3-3) had lost back-to-back games and three of their last four. Kiki Iriafen added 13 points and nine rebounds for Washington. Alicia Flórez Getino, signed May 7 to a developmental contract, made her WNBA debut and finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with one turnover in 23 minutes. Onyenwere, who missed the first seven games due to left knee injury management, hit two 3s and scored eight points in a 12-2 opening run and the Mystics never trailed. Lexie Brown hit a 3-pointer with 7:48 left in the first half that trimmed the Storm's deficit to seven points but they went scoreless until Zia Cooke made a driving layup with 1:08 remaining before Washington took a 48-29 lead into halftime. Jade Melbourne made back-to-back layup to spark an 8-0 run to open the third quarter that made it an 11-point game but Sonia Citron scored seven points in a 13-4 spurt that pushed the lead to 20 points with 4:03 left in the period. Melbourne led the Storm (3-5) with 15 points. Mackenzie Holmes added eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Seattle shot 35% (22 of 63) from the field, 5 of 23 (22%) from 3-point range. Dominique Malonga (concussion protocol) missed her fifth consecutive game for the Storm. Seattle beat the Mystics 97-85 at home Sunday. Up next Mystics: Host Los Angeles on Friday. Storm: Visit Toronto on Saturday. ___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

It's hard to believe, but the majority of NFL training camps open in less than two months. All 32 NFL teams began Offseason Training Activities earlier this month, or, in some cases, this week. The Washington Commanders were among the teams to kick off OTAs this week, with the first practice on Wednesday. Everyone was happy in Ashburn on Wednesday. Head coach Dan Quinn spoke ahead of Day 1, expressing excitement for "spring ball.""I'm pumped to get rolling with the guys on the field," Quinn said on Wednesday. "Spring ball is an important part of our ramp-up for training camp, as you can imagine, with two new systems. Looking for excellent communication, all three phases and working really hard on the specific skills that go into these plays. And that's the movements, that's the skill, that's what you have to go through, you know, over these next few weeks on the play design."So, what happened on Wednesday?Here are some takeaways from Day 1 of Commanders' OTAs. Jayden Daniels comfortable under centerYou can't take too much of non-contact drills. But it's good to see Daniels off and running in offensive coordinator David Blough's new offense. Here's what Zach Selby of commanders.com said about Daniels playing under center. Daniels looked efficient throwing the ball and moved with fluidity during individual drills. There were several changes for Daniels to adjust to entering his third season, including a new offense that requires him to play more under center.The real test comes when training camp opens, but for now, this is what we have, and it is encouraging. It's not like Daniels has never played under center before. However, in his final two seasons at LSU and his first two NFL seasons, he primarily played out of the shotgun or pistol formations. There are many things to consider when playing under center. For one, it's the snap exchange between the quarterback and center. Remember, Nick Allegretti is expected to be Washington's center in 2026. There appeared to be no hiccups. The remaining part of the OTAs is an excellent opportunity for Daniels to not only gain more experience under center but also continue building confidence with Allegretti in a new position. Things are off to a good start. Washington believes Daniels will be even more dangerous in an offense that's less predictable and uses more play action, which will benefit the young quarterback. Will Brandon Coleman be the LG?It appears to be a battle at left guard between Brandon Coleman and Chris Paul. Remember, Coleman began last season as the starter at left guard, but was replaced by Paul in Week 3. Paul played well, holding onto the job, while Coleman returned to offensive tackle, spelling Laremy Tunsil late in the season. He played in that role and as an extra blocker in jumbo packages. With the tackle spots locked down between Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr., Coleman has a chance to get back into the starting lineup at left guard, which is where he worked on Wednesday. Paul re-signed with Washington in the offseason, but he'll have to beat out Coleman to earn the job. Expect this battle to go into training camp and the preseason. Treylon Burks worked with the starting receiversWe stress again: it's Day 1 of OTAs, this may mean nothing, but Burks worked with the starters on Wednesday. Many believe Washington will add another veteran starter, such as Stefon Diggs or Brandon Aiyuk. But neither are there yet. We wrote earlier this week about the opportunity that exists for Burks. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Burks is a former first-round pick, entering his fifth NFL season. He's only 26. Is it true that Burks may never live up to being a first-round pick? Sure, but there's no pressure in Washington. He was a street free agent, re-signed to a one-year deal. It's a fresh start for a talented player in a new offense, where he's clearly liked. So, while it may mean nothing about the role the Commanders envision for him, it could also mean they like him enough to give him reps with the starters to see how he responds. Chig Okonkwo could be the team's No. 2 receiverWe must stress that no contact is allowed, but new tight end Chig Okonkwo just looks different. While everyone is concerned about which receiver the Commanders could add, what if he's already on the roster? Okonkwo is dangerous after the catch; he's fast, but he also runs with power. This offense, under Blough, will be more TE-friendly. The Commanders gave Okonkwo a solid three-year deal, so they're expecting big things. Rookie WR Antonio Williams will be heavily involved in the offense, with Terry McLaurin as the No. 1. However, don't rule out Okonkwo as being Jayden Daniels' second-favorite target. Remember how much Daniels loved Zach Ertz? Okonkwo is a different type of player than Ertz, but he should thrive in this offense. Laremy Tunsil in town is good news for everyoneThere was no concern about Tunsil showing up in July, out of shape and not ready to play. That's not who he is. He's always worked extremely hard away for the team, often skipping voluntary work. That's what he did last year, in his first season for the Commanders. However, Tunsil, who took on a leadership role for Washington's offensive line last season, was present on Wednesday. That's a big deal for many reasons. Tunsil already has his contract. He could've skipped OTAs and showed up next month. Instead, he showed up for the young offensive linemen, like Josh Conerly Jr., who look up to him. He showed up for his young quarterback, Jayden Daniels. And, perhaps, most importantly, he showed up for David Blough. OTAs are critical for new coordinators or head coaches. Blough is installing a different offense, so having his superstar offensive tackle present was huge. In fact, the Commanders had 100% attendance. A few players did not practice, but they were recovering from injuries or offseason surgeries. A great start to the offseason program for head coach Dan Quinn. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 5 takeaways from Day 1 of OTAs

College softball on TV today: Full schedule, times, channels, scores for Thursday WCWS games originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Get ready fans — the 2026 Women's College World Series is about to kick off in Oklahoma City.For the first time since 2015, Oklahoma will not be a part of the WCWS field. The Sooners lost to Mississippi State in the super regional round, ending a nine-year OKC streak that consisted of six national titles for the program.Instead, reigning national champs Texas will headline the field as they look to capture back-to-back titles. Overall No. 1 seed Alabama will make its first appearance since 2021, and No. 4 Nebraska is heading to OKC for the first time since 2013. Which program will prove to be the most dominant?Here's everything you need to know about Thursday's game schedule, including TV channel and streaming options for the Women's College World Series games today.College softball on TV today: Schedule, times, channelsThursday, May 28GameTime (ET)WatchGame 1: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State12 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboGame 2: Texas vs. Tennessee2:30 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboGame 3: Alabama vs. UCLA7 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboGame 4: Nebraska vs. Arkansas9:30 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboWhere to watch Women's College World Series 2026TV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ABCLive streams:fubo, ESPN appWomen's College World Series games will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. See the upcoming game schedule below.Fans can stream every game via the ESPN app or fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)Women's College World Series schedule 2026Friday, May 29GameTime (ET)WatchGame 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser7 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboGame 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser9:30 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboSaturday, May 30GameTime (ET)WatchGame 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner3 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fuboGame 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner7 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboSunday, May 31GameTime (ET)WatchGame 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser3 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fuboGame 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser7 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboMonday, June 1GameTime (ET)WatchGame 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner12 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboGame 12: Game 11 rematch*2:30 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboGame 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner7 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fuboGame 14: Game 13 rematch*9:30 p.m.ESPN2, ESPN app, fubo* If necessaryWomen's College World Series finals schedule 2026DateGameTime (ET)TVWednesday, June 3Game 18 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboThursday, June 4Game 28 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fuboFriday, June 5Game 3*8 p.m.ESPN, ESPN app, fubo* If necessary

PORTLAND, Ore (AP) — Carla Leite scored 20 points and the expansion Portland Fire won their third straight game with a 71-61 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night. Bridget Carleton added 13 points for the Fire, who were coming off road victories over the Toronto Tempo and the New York Liberty.Aneesah Moorow had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Sun, who have just one win to open the season. The game was the last of a five-game trip that started with an 83-82 loss to the Fire in Portland.The Sun led 55-50 with 8:04 left in the game but Portland's Teja Oblak answered with a pair of baskets to get to 55-54 and the Fire pulled back in front on Frieda Buhner's layup. Buhner added a layup to make it 58-55 with 4:25 left and Portland led the rest of the way. The Sun were 0 for 13 from the perimeter in the first half. Morrow hit Connecticut's first 3-pointer with 8:23 left in the third quarter, closing the gap to 39-32. The Sun pulled within 43-42 on Olivia Nelson-Ododa's basket then took the lead on Morrow's layup and the game was tied at 50 going into the final quarter. Brittney Griner, who led the Sun with 16 points in the previous meeting with the Fire, was not available because of right rib injury. Griner remains a point away from 6,000 career points.Suns center Aaliyah Edwards went down with 5:02 left in the opening quarter after it appeared that Sarah Ashlee Barker knocked her in the face. Barker was handed a flagrant foul but Edwards missed both free throws. Shortly thereafter Edwards left the game with what the team said was a nose injury. Up nextThe Sun will play the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday at Peoples Bank Arena in Hartford, the team's first game in the city since 2003. The Fire host the Atlanta Dream on Friday night. ___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic has officially withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft, according to Jeff Borzello, entering the transfer portal ahead of his senior season. Last year's collegiate leader in 3-point percentage (48.7%), Momcilovic is now widely regarded as the top transfer available.Last season with the Cyclones, Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, one assist and 0.8 steals in 37 games. Although he certainly received NBA consideration, having worked out with the Minnesota Timberwolves, many mock drafts still had Momcilovic falling out of the first round.With potential NIL deals rumored to be around $5 million, Momcilovic opted to return to school and improve his draft stock ahead of the 2027 NBA Draft. According to On3, the four frontrunners for his services are Arizona, St. John's, Louisville and Kentucky.This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Milan Momcilovic decides on future after attending NBA Draft combine

Player says goodbye to club before heading to Chelsea now this summerThe summer transfer window is now right around the corner, and we are expecting a very busy one for Chelsea.Xabi Alonso is coming in as the new manager, and there will be a number of players that he will need to make some decisions on, one of which is defender Axel Disasi.EXCLUSIVE! Chelsea hold talks with Premier League club regarding FIVE transfer deals this summer!If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.He has been on loan at West Ham all season, but was unfortunately part of their relegated team who have now dropped into the championship.And yesterday, Disasi posted his goodbye and thank you message to Hammers fans as he now heads back to Chelsea with his loan move over.It’s highly unlikely that Alonso will even think about keeping Disasi in his team and a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge now looks like it will happen this summer.Disasi says goodbyeAs you can see above, it was quite a long and heartfelt message from Disasi after what has been a very tough season for everyone involved at that club.Disasi has actually had a pretty good season for them, but I see no future at Chelsea and only a move away now.In other news today…Allegedly, Chelsea don’t want to sell Enzo Fernandez, and have set a high asking price for him. Although I don’t believe it…. I’m sure he’ll go for much less than £120m.Levi Colwill had a great return to action following injury, and reports on his rehab show just how that was possible. People at Chelsea were surprised.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CHELSEA NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON THE APP STORECheck out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani homered and combined with two other pitchers for seven hitless innings before the Rockies broke up the no-hitter bid in the eighth in a 4-1 win over Colorado on Wednesday night.Ohtani's 19 1/3-inning scoreless streak ended in the fourth when the right-hander allowed an earned run on Willi Castro’s groundout to second, raising his ERA to 0.82. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory.He has yet to give up more than two runs in any of his nine starts this season. Ohtani has given up one or no earned runs in eight of his nine starts.Tanner Scott took over to start the eighth and allowed a two-out single to right by Tyler Freeman after Ohtani and Will Klein combined for seven hitless innings.Klein started the seventh and retired the side, helped by an inning-ending double play. Kyle Hurt pitched the ninth to earn his first major league save.Ohtani struck out seven and walked four. The right-hander left the game after throwing 99 pitches, 56 for strikes.Ohtani’s 28th career leadoff home run and fourth this season came exactly a week after he went deep on the first pitch of the game before throwing five innings of three-hit ball against the Padres in San Diego on May 20.His 424-foot shot to dead center came on a 1-1 pitch from countryman Tomoyuki Sugano (4-4). Two batters later, Freddie Freeman went deep, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.Alex Call's two-out RBI single extended the Dodgers' lead to 3-1 in the fourth.Andy Pages hit a solo shot to left in the eighth.Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández exited with a left hamstring strain in the second after running out a groundout to shortstop.Up nextAfter an off day, Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-7, 7.21 ERA) starts Friday at home against Giants RHP Logan Webb (2-4, 5.06). After an off day, Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67) starts Friday against Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (6-2, 3.07).___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The San Francisco 49ers had a solid 2025 season, returning to the playoffs despite injuries and finishing 12-5. While they failed to retake the NFC West and ultimately lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round, the 49ers enter 2026 with some renewed hope, a revamped roster and some returning starsFormer NFL defensive back Logan Ryan is optimistic the 49ers can have a better 2026 season than they did a year ago. He predicted the 49ers would finish the year with a 13-4 record, which could be good enough to take the division.Ryan sees the losses coming in specific spots. He handed Week 1 to the Los Angeles Rams, who face the Niners in Australia to open the season. Week 4 against the Denver Broncos is another stumble in Logan's projection. Logan also gave Seattle the edge in their Week 12 home matchup, citing the Seahawks' status as defending Super Bowl champions and the divisional stakes that come with every NFC West clash. And in Week 16, Ryan picked Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at frigid Arrowhead to hand San Francisco their fourth loss of the season.Everything else? Ryan painted Ws across the board.He did acknowledge one wildcard: health. But operating under the assumption that quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of the stars remain uninjured, Ryan was firm in his overall outlook.49ers fans would be ecstatic with this outcome, especially given the long travel distances for the year. This result would include a fantastic 4-2 division record with splits against the Rams and Seahawks, as well as huge conference wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL predictions: Logan Ryan's bold 49ers' 2026 record take

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani blasts friend Tomoyuki Sugano, flirts with Rockies no-hitter, matches Don Drysdale originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The two old friends faced off as MLB starting pitchers for the first time Wednesday night.Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani versus Colorado Rockies' Tomoyuki Sugano. The duo settled in as the main Dodger Stadium attractions.The entertainers did not disappoint, starting with a bang. Getting the best of his buddy, again, Ohtani connected on a lead-off homer, his second straight when also serving as the starting pitcher. Sugano surely will hear about the three-pitch at-bat, like he did the other times they faced each other. Sugano does not possess any bragging rights, surrendering four hits during their first five matchups. Wednesday's homer was Ohtani's third in their personal history. Visibly frustrated with his control, Ohtani (5-2) finished his pitching performance with six no-hit innings. The last Dodgers player to produce six-plus no-hit innings and slam a homer in the same game was Don Drysdale on June 25, 1959. Sugano (4-4) yielded three earned runs in 4.2 innings, suffering a 4-1 defeat in the series sweep.Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani outduels Rockies' Tomoyuki SuganoWednesday's encounter was a rare MLB matchup between pitchers born in Japan."Personally, I don't know what this means, but I'm sure there's a lot of fans in Japan who are excited," Sugano said, as reported by Reuters.The international pitching showcase was nearly canceled when Ohtani was hit by a pitch on the back of his right hand on Tuesday. He remained in the game and stayed on track to make the pitching start. Including Wednesday's outing, Ohtani yielded one earned run in his past nine starts, lowering his earned-run average to 0.82.He didn't appear content after five no-hit innings. In 86 pitches, he had thrown just 47 strikes. His four walks were a high during his Dodgers stint, and he also hit a batter.A legend in Japan, Sugano, 35, entered Wednesday with a 10.29 ERA in his first two starts against the Dodgers.Rockies' Tyler Freeman snapped the no-hit bid with a two-out, eighth-inning single off Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott, disappointing a host of fans watching the game from Japan.More MLB news: Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte creates mammoth Giants trouble, extends hit streak to 10 gamesUp-and-down Cubs chasing unwanted history, drop 10th straight to PiratesWill Angels continue to regret trading Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez?Cardinals rookie Bryan Torres enjoys historic, emotional MLB debut

Elections this year hold out the promise that the state can change policies in a way to recover some international good will.

Eleven days after Sunderland were relegated via the play offs on away goals, the recriminations were in full swing. Caretaker manager Bob Stokoe was helping chairman Bob Murray identify full-time targets – recently sacked Ipswich manager Bobby Ferguson was said to be the frontrunner, while other candidates named in The Journal included Scunthorpe boss Mick Buxton, Sheffield Wednesday assistant and former Sunderland coach Peter Eustace, Middlesbrough’s Bruce Rioch and Colin Todd, and Bobby Saxton, who was coaching at Preston. The attention of the club captain, Gary Bennett, however, was still firmly on the previous full-time incumbent of the Roker dugout, and in an interview with Match magazine, Benno let rip. Bad management is largely to blame for our downfall. Lawrie couldn’t cope with a club of this stature.The stories about the huge amounts of money he and some of the older players he brought in were earning caused so much unrest in the dressing room.Initially I didn’t see eye-to-eye with him. That changed somewhat when he made me captain. But there were a number of other players he couldn’t get on with at all.Benno believed that McMenemy had tried to repeat what he’d done at Southampton, but it didn’t suit a second division club. Without naming names, he alluded to McMenemy’s signings being unable – or maybe unwilling – to meet the demands of second tier football. At Southampton he surrounded himself with good, older professionals and it worked for him. Here it didn’t. The players he brought in had spent their careers in the First Division and weren’t suited to the type of football a division lower.Their ball skills, positional sense and passing ability didn’t count for as much as their ability to run for 90 minutes and tackle hard.They couldn’t cope with players closing them down and in the Third Division we will need more basic players who are prepared to run all day to get us back up.The skipper felt McMenemy’s treatment of some of the better players he’d inherited led to what followed – and stated he’d likely leave Roker in the summer. He upset a lot of players by playing them out of position. No one really wanted to leave the club, but the likes of Barry Venison, Nick Pickering and Shaun Elliott took it as a hint he didn’t want to keep them.Being relegated was the worst moment in my life and as captain. I feel it’s something of a black mark on my record.Personally I’ve had three good years up here, but if any good offers came up I would have to consider moving.Of course, Benno ended up staying at Roker Park for a number of years to come, leading the team back up to Division Two at the first attempt, under the management of Denis Smith, who Murray tempted from York City. On the managerial merry-go-round was Bobby Saxton, who replaced Smith at York, and thankfully sold Marco Gabbiadini to the club, despite Smith having a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ not to sign any York players for the first 12 months. “That deal was sorted out between me and Bobby,” said Smith later. Bobby Ferguson meanwhile had just left Ipswich after losing in the play offs at the other end of the table – he’d overseen relegation the previous year but had been given the opportunity to get the club back up, which he almost accomplished. He moved to Al-Arabi in Kuwait, working as a coach under Dave Mackay before returning to England – and he would turn up as part of Malcolm Crosby’s coaching team in 1992, instigating Terry Butcher’s arrival as a player, and then as manager too. Mick Buxton, another name on the list, would also be part of Butcher’s coaching team, although it was always felt he was a ‘Murray man’, given his West Yorkshire connections. Buxton, of course, would ultimately take over from Butcher, and Bobby Saxton also ended up coaching at Sunderland too – indicating the list The Journal reported back in 1987 likely had some substance behind it.

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - MAY 24: Sunderland fans celebrate following the Premier League match between Sunderland and Chelsea at Stadium of Light on May 24, 2026 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) | Getty Images There are some weekends in life that you know immediately will stay with you forever — and this was one of them.My son and I drove down from Edinburgh to Sunderland on Saturday morning carrying the strange mixture of excitement and caution that only Sunderland supporters truly understand. Hope always travels with you, but so does experience.We’ve all seen too much over the years to assume anything would come easily; yet as we headed south and the familiar signs began appearing, something felt different. The closer we got to Sunderland, the more the anticipation grew.Football cities have their own atmosphere on big weekends, but Sunderland carries it differently. There’s pride here but also hunger, because success has never been handed to this club. Every achievement feels earned the hard way.As we entered the city, seeing scarves draped from car windows and red and white shirts already gathering outside pubs, it felt like the whole place was holding its breath.We started in the Canny Lad, then the Dun Cow, both busy with supporters talking permutations, old Sunderland stories and cautious dreams of Europe. Pints disappeared quickly and every conversation seemed to begin with “Imagine if…”.That evening, we walked across the Keel Crossing, still new enough to feel symbolic somehow — modern Sunderland stretching confidently across the Wear while carrying all the weight of its history beside it.Ahead of us stood the Stadium of Light and emblazoned across its side, “Welcome to Sunderland.” Simple words, but at that moment they felt strangely emotional. Because Sunderland has always been more than a football club: it’s memory, belonging, family and endurance.Sunday began with a hangover-beating breakfast at Wendy’s Place, then we wandered through the city centre and I found myself quietly amazed at how much Sunderland has changed over the years. The old image many outsiders still hold no longer fits the reality: new buildings, new energy, students, cafés, riverside developments…the city seemed alive in a way I hadn’t seen for years.And everywhere, more and more red and white. You could feel the importance of the day growing hour by hour, and the Fans’ Museum captured it perfectly.Walking through those rooms felt like walking through my own life.Every Sunderland supporter carries a private museum in their head and suddenly here it all was in front of me: the 1973 FA Cup memories, photographs of heroes from different eras, programmes, scarves, ticket stubs, promotion celebrations and heartbreaks preserved behind glass — as well as the infamous red beach ball that still somehow lives rent-free in every supporter’s memory, and Tommy Watson’s boots. So much history. So much survival.And then came the match.The atmosphere outside the ground was extraordinary long before kick off. Red pyrotechnics exploded into the afternoon air as the team bus arrived through crowds of supporters. Smoke drifted through the streets. Phones were held aloft and for a few moments, it felt less like a football match and more like a city summoning something together.Inside, we stood with beers in 76 Yards watching the stadium slowly fill until every seat became red and white. There are bigger stadiums in England, but very few can generate noise like Sunderland when something truly matters and by kick off, the place was shaking.When the first goal came, Luke O’Nien and Trai Hume — two players who had carried this club through darker days — combined perfectly and the release was deafening. Not just celebration, but recognition. Two stalwarts of the rebuild helping carry Sunderland into a future few would’ve believed possible four years earlier in League One.The second goal arrived through relentless pressure, Brian Brobbey forcing the mistake and the stadium erupting again into disbelief and joy — but of course, because this is Sunderland, nothing could ever be entirely comfortable.The final stages were agony. Every clearance was cheered like a goal. Every opposition attack seemed to last a lifetime. Around us, people stopped sitting entirely. Some could barely watch, and then finally, the whistle.Europa League football confirmed for the first time since 1973, that magical year when all of this began for me as a thirteen-year-old boy in Hebburn, and Sunderland were back on the European stage.The scenes afterwards were unforgettable. Players collapsing onto the pitch. Supporters singing long after the match had ended. Pride everywhere you looked.What matters most, though, is not league positions or local bragging rights (“Mind the gap”, though!), but the sense that Sunderland has rediscovered itself. The club feels united from top to bottom: intelligent recruitment, courageous football, young players improving and supporters dreaming again, instead of merely enduring.What a team.What a management group.What a football club.And perhaps most importantly, what support.As we stood there taking it all in, I thought about every year in between — all the disappointments, all the shattered hopes, all the reasons people could’ve walked away but never did.“It’s only the beginning,” said Granit Xhaka.For once, unbelievably, it truly feels like he might be right.

Liverpool's Scottish defender #26 Andrew Robertson claps the fans after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brentford at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images The chances seemed rather low that Juventus swooping in at the last minute and trying to make departing Liverpool fullback Andy Robertson re-think his expected choice of going to Tottenham Hotspur after Spurs narrowly avoided relegation to the English Championship on the final day of the 2025-26 season.That’s because they were.According to Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, Robertson has indeed reached a verbal agreement on a contract with Spurs and will be playing at the Tottenham Stadium come next season. Robertson has been a target of Spurs since January, according to Romano, and they have been the odds-on favorite to be his next club regardless of other rumors that have popped up over the last few weeks. That includes the recent report about Juve’s last-ditch attempt to bring Robertson to Turin earlier this week, something that seemed rather unlikely considering Spurs are now safe and won’t be relegated.Last weekend, Robertson celebrated his final appearance with Liverpool at Anfield in the Reds’ season finale.So everybody who thought something along the lines of “Yeah, this ain’t going to happen” … congratulations! Because this was a very last-ditch effort to try and hijack a deal that was pretty much in place no matter what Juventus actually tried to do.Would some depth at left back been nice in the form of a free transfer? Sure, but maybe not in the form of a 32-year-old free agent who has shown over the past couple of years that he is very much on the decline. Robertson spent most of the 2025-26 season as a part-time starter at best even though Liverpool were going through a host of defensive issues from the opening week of their Premier League title defense until last weekend’s finale.That probably tells you all you need to know.He’s probably still a solid squad player and will bring some things to Spurs that they have lacked the last couple of seasons as they have toiled around the relegation zone. But expecting him to suddenly drop everything and move to Italy after all signs pointed to him going to Tottenham for weeks now was a little too far fetched.So it’s onto the next target at left back for Juventus. Who knows where it will take us.

Granit Xhaka of Sunderland celebrates at full time during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, United Kingdom, on May 24, 2026. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Sunderland fans of a certain vintage may remember two particularly no-nonsense yet inspirational quotes from Kevin Ball following the Lads’ 1998/1999 Division One title-winning campaign.The first was delivered on the pitch at Gigg Lane following the emphatic 2-5 victory over Bury that sealed our promotion back to the Premier League, with Ball declaring to ITV Tyne Tees’ Jeff Brown that “Sunderland would become a force now”.Weeks later, after the end-of-season bus parade had made its way down to the seafront, the midfielder stood on the balcony at the Seaburn Centre, hoisted the trophy aloft and simply said “This is for every one man jack of you”.The reason I mention this is because as we continue to reflect on the astonishing fact that as of right now, we’re fans of a newly-qualified Europa League football club, I thought there were remarkable parallels between the sentiment behind Ball’s words over twenty five years ago and those expressed by our current captain, Granit Xhaka, during Sunday’s glorious post-match celebrations.As I stood in the North West Corner after the whistle blew, with the players celebrating wildly and the reality of European qualification began to dawn on everyone, it felt like being part of a scene that we’ve all watched at other clubs but seldom experienced at Sunderland. Nobody leaving in case they missed something special. A gaggle around the tunnel as the players’ re-arrival was awaited, and nothing to be heard but raucous cheering and singing as the party got going.Shortly afterwards, following Régis Le Bris’ brief yet noticeably animated speech to the red and white faithful (which only added to the appeal of the man, in my view), it was the turn of our figurehead, our general, and our captain to speak — and boy, did he grab the attention.Simply put, Xhaka’s interview in the centre circle was quite possibly the most inspiring I’ve ever heard from a Sunderland captain.He’d ran himself to a standstill in a winning cause against Chelsea, yet looked as fresh as a daisy and spoke with the clarity of a man about to kick off the season instead of ending it; indeed, when he declared that “This is just the beginning”, it stirred the emotions as effectively as any of the victories or goals we’d witnessed during 2025/2026.After we secured our top flight status with a scratchy draw at Wolves, I wrote an article thanking Xhaka for what he’d done, at the time hoping yet not truly believing that European qualification was still a realistic prospect.Skippering the Lads’ to mid-table security at the first time of asking would’ve been impressive enough, but leading them into the Europa League via our league position for the first time ever? That’s something different entirely and I just want to pay another tribute to him.What you get with Xhaka — in every facet of his approach to football — is the very embodiment of leadership.Deeds first, words second. Make that challenge, chase that seemingly lost cause and ask questions later. OK, in keeping with the ways of modern footballers, he’s active on social media and he clearly understands the scale of his influence, but that’s fine, because it’s not performative and it’s not superficial.Instead, he backs it up every time he takes to the pitch and the working relationship he’s forged with Le Bris, with captain and coach united behind a common goal, is mightily impressive.From Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen and then to Wearside, Xhaka may be closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but the fact he’s enjoying such a stellar run of form on the banks of the Wear has been absolutely vital for the club’s fortunes on our return to the top flight.Captaining Sunderland AFC isn’t the easiest role to fulfil, yet Xhaka has carried himself with the aura and presence of someone for whom the armband could’ve been custom fitted.Not once has he looked overawed, uncomfortable or as though he’s not relished the challenge of leading this club to new heights — something that was accomplished during 2025/2026, without a doubt.Given how dismally our previous Premier League campaign had ended and the scars that past failings had left, Sunderland essentially needed to learn how to compete and ultimately how to win at this level once again, and that comes down to mentality.Boasting such an impressive strike rate from our summer signings — most of whom have contributed significantly — has undoubtedly helped with that, but how do you gauge a team’s resilience under pressure, its ability to salvage results from tricky positions, and its capacity to last the course during a gruelling campaign?With a serial winner and world class midfielder at the heart of the operation, it gives you a supreme chance of eking out more than you even thought possible — and I don’t think it’s incorrect to state that Xhaka has inspired his teammates as much as he’s inspired the supporters.You can search high and low but no matter how hard you try, you won’t find a Sunderland fan with a bad word to say about him. And for a player that’s been here for less than a year, that illustrates the scale of the impact he’s made.His legacy at our club has been cemented.He’ll be a key player during next season’s European campaign and he’ll remain a hero in these parts long after his playing days are over, but for the final proof of just how influential Xhaka has been, look no further than the fact that he was recently ranked number one on The Athletic’s list of all Premier League signings for 2025/2026 — above players who cost three times as much, top flight title winners and a multitude of electrifying attackers.“Not even a genius like Rayan Cherki has transformed a dressing room like Xhaka, as well as bringing a new culture to the club,” read the accompanying summary.That, for me, truly sums it up.One player can’t change the trajectory of a club but he can play a major role in doing so, and this Swiss talisman has done that and then some. In the eyes of the modern generation of Sunderland fans that’ve been swept along on a wave of excitement ever since he first pulled on the red and white stripes, he’s surely as revered and respected as someone like Raich Carter would’ve been a century ago.Can there be any higher praise? I think not.

There were a strange few minutes after full time on Sunday where time seemed to stand still. From up in the Premier Concourse, it was easy to look down at a sea of red and white as a single sentence kept on playing over and over in my head: “Sunderland are in the Europa League”.Days later, it still hasn’t sunk in. To be perfectly honest, it might not sink in until the group stage draw is made at the end of August. Until then, we’ll be riding the crest of a wave that we all deserve to have a place on. I never thought I’d be spending a Sunday afternoon sitting in the sun with a pint in my hand and looking up at the other teams who have qualified for the Europa League. Juventus, AC Milan, and Benfica could be visiting the Stadium Of Light in less than six months. Just read that back to yourself — I’ve done it a million times. Sunday was one of the best days this club has ever experienced. The stadium was baked in sunshine and it was absolutely bouncing from start to finish. We defeated the world club champions for the second time this season, and we didn’t give them an inch. With the first part of every permutation being a Sunderland win, we needed to start on the front foot, and that’a exactly what we did. Chelsea looked half-arsed for large parts, with only Cole Palmer trying to take the game by the scruff of its neck, and if more of his teammates adopted this mentality, they might’ve given us more of a scare. European football looked like a fading dream after the 0-5 defeat to Nottingham Forest, which turned out to be our final loss of the season. Remaining unbeaten in our final four matches and ending the season with back-to-back wins was a blow to the theory that Régis Le Bris’ teams run out of steam when a season draws an end. Our resurgence through the divisions has happened at a lightning pace. Four years ago, I watched Alex Neil’s Sunderland draw 1-1 away at AFC Wimbledon — now we’ve finished seventh in the Premier League and are looking forward to playing European football.The things the club has done in such a short space of time are nothing short of remarkable. We were told by fans of other clubs that we’d be down by Christmas, that we can’t sign a whole squad and expect to stay up, and that at various points in the season, we’d run out of steam. Remember our collapse during AFCON? Nope, me neither.This summer, we’ll have weeks of being told that we’ll go down next season because we’re in Europe, although that’s happened to just one team in the Premier League era. My favourite tweet was from a Newcastle United reporter who said he hopes that the Wear/Tyne derby is after one of our European away trips. In twelve months, we’ve gone from being told by that lot they’ll batter us to hoping they play us off the back of European trips that they won’t have next year. It’s absolutely hilarious. Sunderland AFC is a football club that we all love to love at the moment. Our return to the Premier League couldn’t have gone much better and throughout the campaign, we’ve stood up to the established teams and are now in Europe, whereas other sides who have won a trophy on the continent in the last two years have not. The great adventure continues for the red and white wizards, and with a summer where we can strengthen and kick on even more ahead, the ceiling of what we can achieve continues to rise. I love this club, and there’s never been a better time to be involved with Sunderland.

Personal attacks and a packed campaign rally set the tone for what is likely to be a rancorous contest for U.S. Senate between James Talarico and Ken Paxton in Texas.

McLaren is currently flying high in Formula 1, but they are still technically a customer team. However, that dynamic could eventually change. Following recent discussions about the future of F1’s engine regulations, McLaren CEO Zak Brown just dropped a massive hint that the Woking-based squad could eventually build its own power units.While the bold idea sounds incredible on paper, it has completely split the Formula 1 fanbase. Some supporters are predicting total motorsport domination, while others are quick to point out the team’s glaring logistical hurdles.McLaren’s “Financially Viable” DreamThe conversation started when FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently suggested that shifting back to a simpler, lighter V8 engine formula around 2030 could tempt independent teams like McLaren to stop buying customer engines and finally build their own.When asked about the FIA boss’s comments during a recent media session at the Indy 500, Brown did not shut the idea down.“I think if you got an engine formula that was financially viable then, yeah, we would consider it and the technology,” Brown admitted. He firmly noted that McLaren “couldn’t be happier with Mercedes” right now, but confirmed that if an independent engine project “first financially makes sense, then we’ll have a look at it”.Ambition vs. RealityBrown’s willingness to entertain the idea immediately sparked a fierce debate on X. Many fans fully believe McLaren has the pedigree to pull it off. One user, @realanedi, argued that the team’s massive cross-series success in IndyCar, WEC, and F1 means they “will outgrow the customer team position”. They added their hope that McLaren’s recent endurance experience in WEC could directly impact a future F1 engine program.Another fan, @AramisToken, read deep into the politics of the quote. “Knowing Zak, this means: We don’t trust Merc, as we believe they may somehow not be giving us all the info we need to know,” they theorized, suggesting the team might already be looking for ways to acquire manufacturing rights.May 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (1) during qualifying for the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesHowever, other fans were incredibly skeptical of the idea. User @carmothy quickly pointed out a major gap in McLaren’s manufacturing history, noting, “I didn’t think they even made their road car engines!”Another user, @justin_1455, sarcastically suggested the team should prioritize other trackside areas first, replying, “Or maybe just try being good at race strategy?” Ultimately, @RodrionlineX summed up the reality of the situation, noting that while it would be interesting, an in-house engine will entirely “depend on how much money comes into Woking”.Why This Matters for McLarenCurrently, McLaren is contracted to use Mercedes power units until the end of the 2030 season. Being a customer team has massive financial benefits, but it also creates major vulnerabilities.As we just saw with the FIA suddenly banning the clever Mercedes 130°C thermal expansion trick between the Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix, customer teams are completely at the mercy of their supplier’s engineering risks. If Mercedes builds a flawed engine or gets hit with a technical directive, McLaren suffers the consequences without having any control over the fix.Becoming a full works manufacturer is insanely expensive. But if the sport actually brings back cheaper, less complex V8 engines in the next decade, it might finally give the papaya garage a valid reason to cut the cord and take full control of their own destiny.

Aaron Rai is the first Englishman in more than a century to win the US PGA Championship [Getty Images]In May, Aaron Rai achieved something no Englishman had achieved in more than a century - winning the US PGA Championship.While the 31-year-old made history in America and has lived in Jacksonville, Florida, for three years, Rai said the place that shaped his game was his home city of Wolverhampton.Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Rai said his earliest golfing memory was playing in his first junior tournament at the 3 Hammers Golf Complex in Wolverhampton, where he remembers telling his dad "wow, this is what you call hard" when faced with a large tree on one of the holes.Rai's coach still refers to 3 Hammers as Rai's happy place, with the golfer saying he has many memories of playing at the course.However, it is the array of courses in and around the city that Rai credits with his skill."Golf was a really big part of my life since the age of five or six, so a lot of my childhood memories revolve around the game," he told the BBC."Wolverhampton was and is such a great place to golf - so many different styles of courses - so the variety of golf within pretty close proximity definitely helped shape my game."Rai also credits his high school, Wolverhampton Grammar School, as being very flexible when it came to him practicing."Golf was always something I wanted to make a career out of one day," he said.However, the golfer laughed when listening to a clip of himself at the age of five, telling BBC Midlands Today he wanted to be a Formula 1 driver."I used to love Michael Schumacher," he said. "I probably felt that way until I was 10, I knew by that time it wasn't realistic."Rai credits Wolverhampton Grammar School with being flexible with his golf practice [Wolverhampton Grammar School]The city is also where Rai developed his distinctive style of wearing two gloves instead of one, which originated in him trying to keep his hands warm through the English winters."When I went back to wearing one leather glove and the grip on my other hand wasn't very good, I ended up wearing two gloves and it became a habit, since I was about eight years old," he said.While Rai has not returned to Wolverhampton as many times as he would have liked to since moving to the US, he hopes to return in the summer for the Scottish and British Opens.And though his childhood football team is Manchester United, he still follows his home team of Wolves."They'll come back strong next year," he said."They've been really consistent for a long period of time, I know it's changed this season but they've built a really strong foundation."Rai's wife, Gaurika Bishnoi Rai, is also a professional golfer [Getty Images]Speaking about his history-making win, Rai told the BBC that it did not really hit him until he went and hugged his wife afterwards."We probably hugged each other for maybe 30 seconds and by the end of that I started to feel quite emotional," he said."It's incredible to have won an event that an English player hasn't won in so long - and hopefully I can have half the career that some of those other English players have had."Rai's wife, Gaurika Bishnoi Rai, is also a professional golfer, with the pair practicing a lot on their home course."It can get quite a bit competitive," he laughed.When asked what advice he would give to children, Rai said: "I think its important to try and surround yourself with good and positive messages."My advice personally is to enjoy what it is you do and try and fall in love with it. Enjoy all of the little things."Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story The powerful advice that helped Rai win the US PGA'A humble young lad who has achieved his dream'I'm so proud of him, says Aaron Rai's childhood coach

Tony Evans has been involved with Purnell Cricket Club for more than 65 years [BBC]A village cricket club, originally formed for the staff at a print works, is celebrating a century of its own. Purnell Cricket Club, based in Paulton near Bath, played its first match in 1926, growing into a popular pastime for its employees, and later became open to others in and around the village. At its peak, the club hosted Somerset games and had full-time groundsmen. Despite the factory closing in 2005, the team kept going, and continues to play in the county league. The Purnell and Sons Ltd Printing Works was founded by Charles Purnell in 1839 as a small family business. It went on to become, at one point, the biggest in Europe, and at its peak it employed 2,000 local people.By the 1960s both the print works and its cricket club were booming. Tony Evans, who worked for the company back then, became a player and a coach, and is now the president of the cricket club. "We had everything at this club, everything you wanted. There was no problem with money," he said. "There were two full-time groundsmen, we had Somerset games played down here nearly every year with Viv Richards and Ian [Botham]. We all chased the ball around for Richards, smacking it everywhere!"Chairman Harvey Burgess says the club was at risk of folding a few years ago [BBC]The print hit harder times in the coming decades. The decline was overseen by media mogul Robert Maxwell, who apparently landed his helicopter on the Purnell cricket pitch when he bought the company in the 1980s.Suffering from what it described as a combination of under investment in new technology and increasingly stiff foreign competition, the print works finally closed in 2005, with the loss of 400 jobs. The cricket club - which kept its name - kept going, just."We didn't think we were going to make 100," said chairman Harvey Burgess."We had a big meeting where the club seriously could have folded, but we fought back and the next season we got promotion into the division that we play in today."He added: "We're on the up now, which is good."Current players want to keep a link with the Purnell name, says Nathan Redwood [BBC]Keeping this village cricket team alive in 2026 is a far cry from a century ago. The club now relies on people volunteering their time to keep going. Nathan Redwood is not only a player and a coach, but also groundsman and social media manager. "For most of us it's a lot of hard work," he said."It's lots of effort having the ground available and ready - it's not just me, it's also my brother who's the first team captain. He's down here cutting grass, I've got other players that come in and and help out to get games played."The club is celebrating its centenary with a series of events throughout the cricket season. Redwood added: "We keep the name [Purnell] going. I never worked at the factory, it's just where I played my youth cricket and the fact that we have that identity is more important to me than than anything else."Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Stories like this Pictures show county cricket match 100 years agoCricket club celebrates 200 years by raising £200kJust not cricket! Club bowler's actions stop batsman making maiden ton Related internet links Purnell Cricket Club

Man Utd to now go ‘all in’ for ‘best midfielder in the country’ after conceding defeat in Elliot Anderson chaseThere is a growing acceptance at Manchester United that their priority midfield target, Elliot Anderson, is Manchester City-bound.Indeed, the departure of Pep Guardiola has not altered City’s stance when it comes to the Nottingham Forest starlet, with soon-to-be-manager Enzo Maresca also keen on having Anderson in his ranks.United to move for Sandro Tonali after Anderson setbackAs a result, INEOS are having to turn their attention to their other shortlisted candidates, one being Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali. According to CalcioMercato, the Red Devils are prepared to go ‘all in’ for him.It’s expected that he’ll be on the move this summer due to his desire to continue playing in the Champions League, and Newcastle’s 12th-placed finish on Sunday confirmed that wouldn’t be something they could offer in 2026/2027.A return to his native Italy, where he previously represented Brescia and his boyhood club AC Milan, is said to be ruled out for Tonali, as any potential suitors would be unable to match his wages or meet his price tag.Is a deal for Tonali financially feasible?United, on the other hand, are capable of doing both, but that doesn’t mean they will.The salary cap introduced by INEOS upon their arrival in M16 in February 2024 means no new players will immediately be put on exorbitant wages.They’ve done so to prevent situations like Jadon Sancho’s, where he was instantly granted £250,000-a-week, oversaw two dismal campaigns for the club and spent the rest of his five-year deal out on loan.With Casemiro, while he was viewed as a successful and beneficial signing in the end, it did raise eyebrows when he joined at 30 years old and began pocketing a whopping £350,000 each week.In the meantime, it remains to be seen how much the Magpies will demand to facilitate the exit of one of their most valuable assets, as well as how much they’ll add on to that if United are his chosen destination.Tonali’s Premier League record courtesy of their official website25-year-old Tonali was previously hailed by Football Italia as being ‘the best midfielder in the country’ when representing his nation last year.More Stories / Latest NewsMan Utd to now go ‘all in’ for ‘best midfielder in the country’ after conceding defeat in Elliot Anderson chase May 28 2026, 6:15The Carrick revolution: Man Utd keen to offload three Ten Hag signings May 27 2026, 17:56“From what I’m hearing…” – Romano reveals how Gordon-Barcelona deal will affect Rashford May 27 2026, 16:22