SEC Network football analyst Cole Cubelic asked earlier in May about the greatest football player USC has ever produced. We continue our look at players who merit inclusion in that very expansive conversation. Anthony Munoz has to be part of it.What makes it difficult to crown Munoz as USC's greatest player ever is the fact that he was injured for a good portion of his Trojan career, including and especially the 1979 season in which he missed most of the team's games. Somewhat like Junior Seau, Munoz doesn't have a three- or four-year track record of college games as a Trojan. That chapter of his football career is therefore limited. Yet, in a discussion of greatest football players ever, the NFL side can magnify what the college side might not have fully revealed or displayed. Munoz would never win a debate on the best USC player strictly in terms of production as a Trojan, but if the NFL part of the equation is included, Munoz becomes a viable candidate. We cannot emphasize enough how tough Munoz was. First of all, he battled back from his injury to help Charles White and the rest of the Trojans beat No. 1 Ohio State in the 1980 Rose Bowl, but that was just one game. What really sets Munoz apart is that despite his very recent injury, the Cincinnati Bengals and football icon Paul Brown chose him with the No. 3 pick in the 1980 NFL Draft. There's absolutely zero chance Munoz would have been a top-five pick in modern football. NFL teams would have been scared to take an injured prospect that high. The Bengals trusted Munoz, and he instantly repaid them with the franchise's first AFC championship and Super Bowl appearance in the 1981 campaign. Munoz led the Bengals to a second Super Bowl later in the 1980s and became an elite annual All-Pro rock on the team's offensive line.The ability to overcome a significant injury is something Anthony Munoz has on his career resume which a lot of other iconic and stellar Trojans lack. This is the argument one would make if attempting to anoint Munoz as USC's greatest player ever. It doesn't mean Munoz should be No. 1, but it's the argument anyone in the room can advance. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football lineman Anthony Munoz became the ultimate warrior

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell short of their goals in an all-in season. James Harden was not the missing piece for this team, nor were the core three players Harden joined, including Evan Mobley. There is no doubt that change is coming in some capacity this offseason; the question is who will stay and who will go.With the continuation of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes this offseason, and given his willingness to stay in the East, the Cavaliers could join those talks. However, it would cost them their youngest and best asset, Evan Mobley.The USC Trojan has won an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He is 24 years old and has yet to scratch the surface of what he can be. He provides his team production on both ends of the court. There would be huge value for a player like that. Even though he was inconsistent in the playoffs, he still averaged 18.2 points per game this season, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.The Bucks will more than likely not get a player better than Mobley in any other trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Cavaliers will continue to exhaust all resources to win, and Mobley would highly benefit from being the center of an offense. In Milwaukee, if Mobley is the lead guy, he could finally reach his ceiling without anything holding him back. This postseason disappointment may sting right now at the moment, but it does open the door for maybe a better opportunity for Mobley in the end.This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Cavaliers might explore Giannis trade which would push out Evan Mobley

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 French Open.PARIS — At the 2025 French Open, the tournament discovered a new cure for back pain: 10,000 people chanting your name in song, before delivering a perfect rendition of the La Marseillaise. For it to work, it needs to be administered in the fifth set of a five-hour tennis match, on one specific court.Welcome to Court Suzanne-Lenglen at Roland Garros. If you’re a French tennis player, it is heaven. If you’re any other tennis player, like Jaume Munar of Spain, whose brain that chorus of 10,000 finally fileted to get a limping Arthur Fils and his ailing back over the finish line, it is hell, a maelstrom of anxiety. Every medicine has a side effect.“Ici Paris?” Fils asked the French faithful, when former player Marion Bartoli put a microphone to his lips at the center of the court in the afterglow of a resurrection, measured by a 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 scoreline.One year later, Fils had to miss the tournament due to injury, but the Lenglen faithful were not denied the opportunity to put another rival to La France through the wringer. It was Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay who felt their full force, as the fans propelled 17-year-old Moïse Kouame to another thrilling five-set win.“Of course, the public gave me a lot of energy to keep going physically and mentally. So, yeah, probably without them, it would maybe be another story,” Kouame said in a news conference after his 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(10-8) win.Like Munar before him, Vallejo did not take the barracking well.“It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared. I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him,” Vallejo said during an interview with clay.Scour the globe, and it’s impossible to find hometown fans quite like the French on a court like Suzanne-Lenglen. It may not have the wide-open majesty of Court Philippe-Chatrier, with that “La Victoire Appartient Au Plus Opiniâtre” quote emblazoned on the rim of the upper deck. But, as that axiom goes, if victory belongs to the most tenacious, at the French Open the vibes belong to Court Suzanne-Lenglen.Judging by the daily schedule, it’s clear that organizers recognize the surge a partisan crowd can provide their players, and the damage that it can do to an opponent. The tournament did not respond to a message seeking comment on whether or not this is a strategy.Fils was the project last year. He’s the rising star of French men’s tennis, a 21-year-old dynamo with movie-star charisma who is learning how to manage his body. Until last year, he had yet to win a match at the French Open. Twice he had played his first-round match on the third court, Court Simonne-Mathieu, a jewel box of an arena in the middle of a garden and lined by a greenhouse, and come away defeated. Fils owns up to the fact that his mind can drift during a match, occasionally losing his focus and his grit when matches begin to slip away.Simonne-Mathieu has elegance to burn. It’s just not a cauldron, as Fils has quickly learned. He opened on Lenglen on the first Monday in 2024, then got another gig the following Thursday afternoon at the place where the seats hug the court, where the fans know they can scramble an opponent’s brain like a chef scrambles an egg.Did they ever have to cook for Fils against Munar.After winning the first two sets in tiebreaks, Fils fell off a cliff, struggling with his balky back and cramps. In his news conference, he said that the back pain has been with him since childhood. Figuring out how to manage it is a work in progress.He received treatment off the court during a medical timeout, then tried to survive as slowly as possible until the painkillers kicked in. All the tension of the first two sets and all those chants of “Arrrrthur, Arrrthur…” vanished into air as he lost 12 of the next 14 games.But then he trotted out for the fifth set, won the first point with his trademark power, and Lenglen exploded. Then he won three more, and that was a game, and the cauldron was once again on the fire and Munar was the frog in a cold pot brought to heat.Fils struck back after Munar broke him to get a lead that this crowd wouldn’t let stick, then played an extraordinary game at 4-4 in which he missed two cut-and-paste routine overheads but hit a cavalcade of forehand winners to hold serve. All their efforts, Fils and the fans morphing into one, culminated with that Marseillaise that held up play as Munar served to stay in the match at 4-5.Imagine that moment of French defiance at Humphrey Bogart’s Rick’s American Cafe in “Casablanca,” but a thousand times louder. The chair umpire didn’t bother trying to quiet them. Then, the Lenglen crowd played its joker.A Munar double fault at 0-30 brought a burst of cheers. But instead of roaring on and drawing a “s’il vous plaît” from the umpire, the crowd started a hissing “shhhhhhh” that rolled and rolled and rolled. Munar pleaded with the chair umpire. Munar pleaded with Fils. Fils shrugged.Three points later, Fils put Munar’s desperate lunge for a drop shot that had rolled off a net cord into the open court. He and his throng of 10,000 had done their work. The celebration was on. Fils gave Munar a calm, appreciative handshake and then ripped off his shirt and tossed it into the crowd.“Unbelievable,” Fils said of the atmosphere, after three hours of cold and hot baths, massages, fluids and food. He called Lenglen “one of the best courts of the world, if it’s not the best one.”Had he been playing anywhere else, he doubted he would have been able to finish the match, let alone win it. But not everyone felt so indebted to the citizens of Suzanne-Lenglen, especially the Spaniard whose brain had gone to goo.“I don’t want to bite my tongue,” he said in his own, when asked about what had gone down.“I think it’s a lack of respect to sing and to interrupt and here it happens a lot. The fans are here for a show, but sometimes it turns into a circus or theater.”12 months later, Vallejo got his own experience. Kouame was down 5-3 in the fifth set of their match, and lost six straight points in the deciding tiebreak. But the support never erred, staying with him through the first two sets, in which Kouame flashed his way to a lead, and then the last three, in which his energy ebbed and Vallejo reeled him in — until he didn’t, right at the end.“I think that the French public is one of the best, if not the best,” Fils said last year. “And that’s just the way it is.”So it was again.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Sports Business, Culture, Tennis, Women's Tennis2026 The Athletic Media Company

Security personnel had to come on to the pitch to remove tennis balls thrown by protestors during Ireland's friendly against Qatar, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Paul Faith)Irish football fans disrupted Ireland's friendly with World Cup participants Qatar in Dublin late Thursday by throwing tennis balls on the pitch in protest against upcoming games against Israel.An AFP journalist in the stadium said a volley of dozens of tennis balls branded with Palestinian flags and the words 'Stop the Game' were thrown by Irish supporters around the 11th minute.It occurred soon after Ireland scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.Further volleys of balls landed on the pitch later in the first half, the AFP journalist said. Security guards, players and Ireland's Icelandic boss Heimir Hallgrimsson helped to clear the balls during two separate stoppages, that lasted for several minutes each. In a statement posted on Instagram, a group called "The League of Ireland fans for Palestine" said it was behind the protest. The stunt was aimed at pressuring the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to cancel its two upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Israel in September and October, the statement said. "We are serious about stopping the autumn matches. This campaign is only getting started."In a post Friday the group urged the FAI to "listen to both their players and their fans". "FAI leadership must refuse to play the autumn games against Israel," it said.The FAI has faced growing pressure to boycott the two matches, which include a home fixture in Dublin on October 4.Several pro-Palestinian Irish politicians and football figures have urged the federation to withdraw from the ties. The FAI passed a motion in November requesting UEFA immediately suspend Israel from international competition, but received no support from European football's governing body.Meanwhile there were fresh protests at the Dail -- the Irish parliament -- on Wednesday over the fixtures.In October, Hallgrimsson was among those calling for Israel to be banned from international football competition.Hallgrimsson said after Thursday's game that he respects the right of Irish fans to protest, even if the first half delays were frustrating."Everybody has the right to protest, and just thinking about the football side, it's not fun for us watching a game that needs to be stopped again and again," he told the post-match press conference."But yeah, we respect the protest," he said.pmu/jj/bsp

Katie Boulter and Francesca Jones were the only two Britons to reach the second round of the French Open singles [Getty Images]For the third Grand Slam in a row, there will be no British singles players in the second week.That is not a surprise at the French Open, where the nation's players have historically struggled on clay.But when the latest rankings are confirmed after Roland Garros, there will only be one British man in the top 100. On the women's side, there will be four.With Wimbledon around the corner, are the singles struggles becoming a concern for British fans?"Of course we want more British players in the top 100 and reaching the second weeks of Grand Slams - but we're in a blip at the moment," said former British number one Annabel Croft."Tennis moves and changes very quickly. It is a brutal sport and maintaining your level at the top is tough."I think the picture looks bleaker than it actually is and I'm sure the British players will bounce back."Boulter loss means no Brits in singles third roundThe day the French Open men's draw blew wide openWhat's gone wrong for British players this year?The lack of British depth at the top of the sport - particularly on the men's side - has been exposed by a raft of injuries.Five players were given direct access to the French Open main draw because of their ranking, with only Francesca Jones - who grew up playing on clay after moving to Barcelona as a teenager - and Katie Boulter reaching the second round.Jack Draper, who reached a career high of fourth last year, has barely played since Wimbledon 12 months ago.The 2024 US Open semi-finalist did not play in Paris because of a knee injury and will leave the top 100 after the French Open."It's unlucky with the timing of Jack's injury - a year ago we wouldn't have been having this conversation," Croft said."Carlos Alcaraz kept talking about how he was fearful of Jack's game. He had so much momentum, he was pushing the top players. "We need Jack to be fully fit again."Jacob Fearnley cracked the top 50 after a meteoric rise, but has fallen outside the top 140 after a rib injury.Cameron Norrie is the sole British representative in the men's top 100, but the world number 24 retired injured from his French Open first-round match.On the women's side, Sonay Kartal broke into the top 50 last year but has missed the entire clay-court swing with a back injury.Jones has endured a tough year after suffering a head injury in the gym, while former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been set back by a viral infection.Those defending the state of British tennis would say there were positive trends before injuries and illness took hold.For example, there were three British players in the WTA top 50 at the same time for the first time since 1986."Tennis players tend to play more matches than a lot of other sports," Michael Bourne, the LTA's performance director, said."You don't get to substitute in a game of tennis - once you are on, you are on. You don't get to control whether you are out there for three hours or five."Is Britain developing enough singles talent?It is hard to dispute the notion that Britain - one of the richest tennis nations in the world - is punching well below its weight.What constitutes success for British tennis, both now and in the future, has been debated for much of the past two decades.Is it more Grand Slam singles champions like Andy Murray and Raducanu? More players ranked inside the world's top 100? Or larger participation figures across the country?"The answer is we strive towards all of these," LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd told BBC Sport in 2024."Having Grand Slam champions is no mean feat but having players go deep in the biggest events brings visibility and inspiration for all our tennis fans and player base."The more players we have competing in the top 200 helps push our players to be the best they can."The LTA points to the 23 players ranked between 101 and 300 as a sign of depth.In April, there were 16 men in the top 250. A decade ago there were only three women and five men in the top 200.At Roland Garros, there were a record 11 men in qualifying and one in the women's event - although only Toby Samuel managed to reach the main draw.Men's doubles is one area of the sport where British tennis is undoubtedly envied.Five British players - Neal Skupski, Henry Patten, Julian Cash, Lloyd Glasspool and Joe Salisbury - are ranked inside the world's top 10 and all have won Grand Slam titles over the past six seasons.And what about the future? There remains excitement in British tennis circles about the potential of teenagers Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu.Nevertheless, it is singles which invariably attracts public attention and acts as a beacon for success.While the LTA would clearly acknowledge Grand Slam singles results are not as good as they would like, it is believed the governing body is not concerned there is fundamental issue with the nation's player development.Will picture look rosier after grass swing?The inquest into the lack of British singles success at the French Open is nothing new and is largely down to a lack of exposure to the clay.According to the Lawn Tennis Association, there are around 1,300 clay-courts in Great Britain. That is about 5% of the 23,000 total number of courts.In contrast, about 60% of courts in Spain - one of the leading nations on the surface - are clay."Do I think we should try and develop more juniors on clay? Yes. I think it helps the understanding and construction of the game more," Jones said.The grass courts are where British players tend do better, given it is the surface they have more access to from a younger age.Giving a host of wildcards to home players throughout the British grass swing is also a crucial development tool.For players like Oliver Tarvet, who met Alcaraz in the Wimbledon second round last year after receiving a qualifying wildcard, it can be a valuable springboard.As well as exposure at a higher level, the money earned can be used to finance what is an expensive career."I think you'll probably see some people you've never heard of before making deep runs in a lot of big tournaments," Fearnley added."All the guys that lose in Paris aree straight on the grass the next day. "I think the state of British tennis going into grass is probably pretty good."Live scores, results and order of playGet tennis news sent straight to your phone

Cup's least-known player jumps from 4k followers to 1.5M in 48hThe World Cup hasn’t even started yet, but a New Zealand player is already reaping the rewards of sudden success. Right-back Tim Payne, 32, plays for modest Wellington Phoenix in his home country and seemed destined to be just another “almost anonymous” player at the World Cup.Everything changed over the last 48 hours after Argentine influencer El Scarso went through all the World Cup call-ups with social media accounts. He identified Payne as the player with the fewest followers: 4.7 thousand.The influencer then launched a campaign to get Payne more followers, likes, and comments. It worked.By Friday morning, the New Zealander already had more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram.The buzz was so big that he recorded a thank-you video in halting Spanish. Tim Payne’s new fans are now hoping for a goal that helps New Zealand claim its first-ever World Cup win.The Oceania side is the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings among the 48 nations qualified for the World Cup. It is in Group G alongside Iran, Egypt, and Belgium.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Raul Dominguez Jr.: Former Spurs owner Peter Holt is in attendance for Game 6. I cannot recall the last time I saw him at a Spurs game.x.comThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Peter Holt is in attendance for Game 6. I cannot …

Underdog is refusing to bend after an attorney for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander demanded the company “destroy” copies of a promotional board game poking fun at the NBA MVP’s proclivity for drawing fouls. The sports prediction market and fantasy-sports company made 100 copies of Unethical Hoops, a promotional item based on the classic board game Operation. The game, which was announced via a social media post featuring Suns forward Dillon Brooks, can be won by Underdog users, with winners set to be announced Friday. (The classic Operation game, which first came out in 1965, is produced by Hasbro and retails for about $20.)Front Office SportsThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Underdog refuses to back down after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's legal team targets foul-drawing board game

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 27, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández (37) gingerly walks back to the dugout after injuring a hamstring running to first base in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) On Tuesday, Kiké Hernández was forced to exit early and was placed on the injured list just two days after making his season debut. On Wednesday, another Hernández got bit by the injury bug. Teoscar Hernández departed Wednesday’s game after suffering a left hamstring strain while trying to beat out a ground ball in the bottom of the second inning. Hernández was placed on the injured list on Thursday, with Ryan Ward being called back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill his spot, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times. He sustained a left hamstring strain and is headed to the injured list, manager Dave Roberts said after the game. Hernández, after undergoing preliminary testing Wednesday, was scheduled for imaging Thursday. The Dodgers planned to recall outfield/first base prospect Ryan Ward, a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly confirmed Thursday morning. While the Dodgers received bad news regarding both the Hernández’s injuries, reliever Evan Phillips is right on track in his recovery process. Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that Phillips is set to begin his rehab assignment after throwing another two live outings, putting him on pace to return in July. “It’s really good to see,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Evan’s a guy that’s very focused and determined, and he’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do to get back. And to potentially have him back is a big weapon that we’ve missed for quite some time, and I miss seeing him around. … I depended on him a lot when he was active, so to get him back is going to be a big boost to everyone.” Tommy Edman is now in the midst of his rehab assignment, as the Dodgers announced on Monday prior to their 5-1 win over Colorado. Edman went 1-3 in his Triple-A season debut on Tuesday.The injuries to both Kiké and Teoscar Hernández have allowed Hyeseong Kim to receive more playing time, as the speedster finished Wednesday’s game in left field, a position foreign to him at the big league level. For Kim, the goal is simply to focus on contributing on a nightly basis at the highest level rather than worry about decisions outside of his immediate control, notes Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register. “As a baseball player, it’s my job to produce, so I’m always focused on producing numbers, and just given the situation, I try not to think about it too much,” Kim said through an interpreter. “Just keep working hard and keep producing as best I can.”

Berardi: ‘So much fun’ under De Zerbi, I want to ‘play for Italy again’Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi says he wants to play for the national team again and is still willing to join a club in the Champions League, but admits: ‘Serie A is too tactical, we had so much fun under Roberto De Zerbi, now I see a lot of soldiers.’Sassuolo star Berardi, 31, has completed another Serie A campaign with the Neroverdi, contributing to a comfortable survival with eight goals and five assists in 26 matches.Berardi interview on Italy, Sassuolo and De ZerbiSassuolo had gained promotion from Serie B in 2024-25, returning to Serie A after just one season in the second division.The other two newly-promoted sides, Pisa and Cremonese, were relegated.“Serie A is always a difficult league, but too tactical,” Berardi told Gazzetta.“You try to make a good impression with the result rather than the playing style. Under De Zerbi, it felt like we were being controlled with a joystick, but we had so much fun. Now, on the pitch, I see a lot of soldiers.”Berardi has spent his entire career at Sassuolo, where he remains under contract until June 2029.Of all the players he’s played with at the Mapei Stadium, who was his best teammate?“The best one is still here, [Nemanja] Matic,” Berardi replied.“An exceptional footballer and a man with great values. He has given us a big help with his experience.”Berardi suffered an Achilles tendon injury in 2024, which forced him to the sidelines for six months.“I enjoy things even more now. I’m more mature, and I’ve left the dark thoughts behind me,” he said.“After the injury in 2024, I went through difficult moments. Mentally, I wanted to quit. But my heart and body didn’t. Fortunately, they won.”A Euro 2020 winner with the Italy national team, Berardi was often linked with some of Italy’s top clubs in the past, but a move never materialised.“I love playing, and I love Sassuolo. I’ve given a lot to this club, and it has given me a lot in return,” he said.SASSUOLO, ITALY – NOVEMBER 03: Domenico Berardi of US Sassuolo celebrates after scoring the 1-1 goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and Genoa CFC at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on November 03, 2025 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)“So, leaving was never really an issue. I said in the past that I’d like to play in the Champions League, and I still feel that way. But to make things happen, all three parties have to agree. And when it seemed there was a chance to move, only two sides were on board.”Berardi remains available for a summer move, but has a condition.“The doors are always open. In life, nothing is impossible. So I would listen [to offers],” he said.SASSUOLO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 20: Domenico Berardi of US Sassuolo celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and Hellas Verona FC at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on February 20, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)“The idea is always the same: I would only consider a move if I could enjoy myself and be part of a project where I wouldn’t be seen as a passenger. I’d want to play in the Champions League as a key figure, not in a supporting role.“I hope my body can hold up in the best way and play for Italy again. I hope to play for four or five more years at a top level, and then we’ll see,” he concluded.“One thing is certain. I don’t want to drift along or gradually fade away. When the time comes, I want to go out as a protagonist.”

Washington's Evan Jenkins is heading to Eugene.Jenkins, a junior from Camas, already holds the school record and won the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Championship in the 10,000m. But he had never finished better than 36th at the NCAA West Prelims, with only the top 12 advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene next month.He changed that on Wednesday, matching the leaders' pace through every move of a humid race in Fayetteville, Arkansas. With the race moved up due to impending thunderstorms, Jenkins stayed at the front of the pack all race and cruised to a fifth-place finish in 28:51.40 to punch Washington's third ticket to the Championships. Multi-event athletes Teko Cates (decathlon) and Sofia Cosculluela (heptathlon) had already qualified, as the multis are not contested at the Prelims.On the 🚌 to Eugene pic.twitter.com/yW3NEEnoys— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) May 29, 2026Jenkins is the first Husky to take part in the 10,000m final since Kieran Lumb in 2022.Elsewhere on the track on Wednesday, Reuben Reina, Martin Barco, and Tyler Bilyard all advanced through their heats of the 1500m to earn spots in Friday's races to determine the qualifiers for Eugene. Bilyard took the final qualifying spot in his heat with a time of 3:40.06, while Barco and Reina combined to take second and fifth in their heat in 3:41.82 and 3:42.94, respectively. Freshman Josiah Tostenson ended his season with a 12th-place finish in that heat in 3:48.89.Juniors Alex Rhodes (400m) and Jonathan Frazier (400m hurdles) also advanced through their heats to earn another run on Friday. Javelin thrower Carson Olmstead was in third place after three of four flights, but had to watch in agony as 10 throwers in the final flight surpassed his best mark. Olmstead finished 13th, one place away from qualifying for the Championships.The men's pole vault was postponed to Thursday, which also kicks off the women's side of the prelims.This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington's Evan Jenkins punches ticket to NCAA Outdoor Championships

Nature, Published online: 29 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01671-wHexagonal patterns on the surface of gold crystals are an unfavourable environment for reactions.

Nature, Published online: 29 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10717-yAuthor Correction: Hidden states and dynamics of fractional fillings in twisted MoTe2 bilayers

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Chairman Andrew Cavenagh says "Rangers occupies 150% of my thoughts" and he has harboured no doubts about his involvement at Ibrox despite a trophyless first year with the Scottish Premiership club.The Glasgow club announced a year ago on Saturday that a consortium of investors, led by American businessman Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, had purchased a majority stake in the club.Rangers appointed Russell Martin head coach in June, sacked him in October NS then sacked chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell the following month.Although new team boss Danny Rohl managed to resurrect Rangers' title challenge, they slipped to third behind city rivals Celtic and long-time leaders Heart of Midlothian after losing the first four of their final five games.Cavenagh repeated last week's admission to BBC Scotland that it had been an "incredibly disappointing" season that "has left a terrible taste in everyone's mouths".Asked whether missing out on a trophy despite spending up to £40m on players had at any time in the last year left him asking himself why he had bothered to get involved, Cavenagh replied: "No, is the answer."This club gets into you at the molecular level. And, once it's done, you're done. It's happened to me and a bunch of us."I don't ever want the use the words 'enjoy' or 'fun' because you can't have a season like we've had and use those words."But the challenge is something I relish and Paraag [Marathe, the fellow American who came in as part of the San Francisco 49ers Enterprise consortium last summer and who was vice-chairman for a spell] relishes with the rest of us."The disappointment this year is very real for us, but all it's done is provide motivation for us going forward."Cavenagh added that tasting disappointment would "spur us on to where we want to get to" and "make success sweeter".

Brian McDermott guided Reading to the Premier League in 2012 [Getty Images]Former Reading boss Brian McDermott says there will be some disappointment that his old club failed to make the play-offs but has hailed the "stability" at the Royals ahead of another promotion push next time around.Leam Richardson's side fell short in their bid to return to the Championship, with a 12th-place finish coming after a good run of form had catapulted them into the top six in April.Just two points from their last five games saw Reading miss out on a play-off spot for the second season running but McDermott, who guided the side to the Premier League with a Championship title win in 2012, says it is important to remember how far the club has come after a challenging few years."I would imagine that the team, manager and staff would be disappointed they didn't get in the play-offs and I understand that," he told BBC Radio Berkshire."Having said that, if you look at where the club was a couple of years ago, it was in real trouble."Long-serving Yiadom among five departures at Reading"At least there is some stability there, which is great to see and that's the most important thing and you can have another go next year."I don't believe any of that [clubs sometimes are not ready for promotion]. Just try and win the next game and try to get yourself into a strong position and get promoted and worry about the division you are going to be in during the summer."Reading's promotion hopes were seriously dented by conceding late on in key matches towards the end of the season, including stoppage-time goals in the defeat to Lincoln City and in their draw at Huddersfield.McDermott remembers his side suffering with similar issues during his time in charge and says players have to do the "ugly stuff" in order to see games out."We had a spell when I was manager where we were losing goals in the 87th and 88th minute and we spent a lot of time in training working on the last five, six, seven minutes of what a game would look like to see it out," he said."And we became a really strong team at seeing games out. If you remember that team, we'd keep the ball, we'd do what we had to do, put balls in corners. Do anything - block shots, block crosses and do all of the ugly stuff that no-one pats you on the back for to make sure you win a game 1-0."

Troy Melton is Detroit’s probable starter Friday against the White Sox, putting the Detroit Tigers right-hander on the mound for his first normal-rest turn since returning from the injured list. The probable pitchers listing has Melton set for the opener, and Detroit has him lined up for his second start of the season against Erick Fedde.Friday matters because the Detroit Tigers are no longer just checking whether Melton could get through a return outing. This start could give the Tigers a better indication of whether his post-IL stuff and workload can hold up across turns, and whether he can stay on a standard turn next week.Melton’s return came after an elbow issue in springMelton came back from right elbow inflammation that sidelined him in spring training. Detroit then activated him from the injured list on May 24, putting him back into the Detroit Tigers rotation mix.His final rehab checkpoint gave Detroit encouraging raw data. In a start for Single-A Lakeland, Melton threw five innings, allowed one run, walked none, struck out six, and his four-seam fastball averaged 96.5 mph and touched 98.1 mph.The first outing back was only part of the evaluationMelton’s season debut came in Detroit’s 4-1 win over Baltimore in the second game of a doubleheader on May 24. He allowed one run in that outing, and the win ended the club’s losing skid, as reflected in the game coverage from that return start.The Detroit Tigers also entered Friday with Melton listed at 1-0 and a 1.59 ERA. Those numbers matter less than the usage question now in front of him: whether the stuff he showed in rehab and in his first outing back looks the same after a regular between-start routine.Why this start matters more than the debutMelton’s rehab line and first start back showed he was healthy enough to return. Friday offers a more useful check on whether that version of Melton can repeat on schedule, after the usual recovery work and game prep that come with a normal turn.If he carries similar velocity and works through another full starter’s workload, the Detroit Tigers would have stronger evidence that he can stay in the rotation on that cadence. If he comes out early or the stuff backs up, the next question shifts to whether the Tigers keep him on a standard turn again in the next pass through the rotation.

May 29—The first-inning explosion from the Taylor offense was enough to seal the deal.And it earned the team from Indiana a shot at its first-ever national title.The top-seeded Trojans scored five runs in the bottom of the first, and that did enough to help them reign victorious, 7-4, over the 10th-seeded William Carey Crusaders (Miss.) in Game 17 of the Avista NAIA World Series on Thursday at Harris Field in Lewiston.It was a revenge game of sorts after the Trojans originally fell to the Crusaders 7-4 in the first round of the Series in a day full of upsets to start the tournament.Although Taylor coach Kyle Gould said the focus the team has is more on internal motivation."We spend very little time on any type of external motivation," Gould said. "We try to show up every day and be the best players we can be, the best team we can be, and we have a scouting report, and we have respect for everyone, but we operate under the belief that we decide who wins and loses by the way we play."Thursday's matchup was originally pushed forward from 6:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.Then, due to precautionary measures with the weather, the game got pushed to 7:30 p.m., but was delayed due to lightning for an 8:22 p.m. start time.AdvertisementThe game finished at 11:14 p.m., with three teams remaining in the World Series bracket headed into today.William Carey will face Tennessee Wesleyan at 6:30 p.m., with the winner getting a shot at Taylor for the title at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.Taylor's offense was explosiveThe Trojans built a 5-0 lead by the bottom of the first inning.The inning began with two groundouts, then an infield single started the scoring run. It was followed by a walk, then a Brennan Frickel single through the gap of the shortstop and third baseman to score the first run of the game.Then a single through the exact same gap loaded the bases.Fletcher Roemmich smacked a bases-clearing double to the left-center field wall to put Taylor up 4-0."I haven't played my best this World Series and I know that, so I'm trying to make an adjustment the last couple games," Roemmich said. "I want to sit on off-speed pitches, which I've been struggling with. That's what he did — he hung me a first-pitch slider, and I saw it all the way and just belted it back. Backside double."Nate Simpson singled up the middle to send Roemmich home to give the Trojans a 5-0 lead."I think it lets everyone take a deep breath, but what you don't want is it to be too big of a deep breath," Gould said of the big first inning. "We talk about (that) we are chasing big innings, and sometimes we hit two solo home runs."He joked that he wished his players would be more strategic and hit home runs with others on base."But we're just chasing big innings, and a lot of times the best time to get to a starter is his first inning and his last inning, kind of before they settle in," the coach said.William Carey was forced to replace starting pitcher Josh MacCord, and then finished the inning with a strikeout. But it was not soon enough as Taylor took a huge lead to start the game.William Carey's Gage Hinnant hit an RBI single to bring a run home and to cut the lead to 5-1 at in the top of the second.A half inning later, Taylor's Luke Sutter barreled a ball to deep right field for a home run off the brightly lit scoreboard to put the lead back at five at 6-1.In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brayden Manning blasted a high-flying homer over the tall center-field wall to give Taylor a 7-1 lead.A great performance on the mound from TaylorJT Tabor started on the mound for the Trojans.Tabor went 4 2/3 innings and fanned five batters while allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits. He threw 73 total pitches.It was a bounce back of sorts for Tabor, who last pitched in the Trojans' 10-8 win over the fourth-seeded Doane Tigers in an elimination game."The mindset was a little better today," Tabor said. "I had to bounce back and put all that behind me, and just had a fresh new game. I just didn't want to be the guy to end it for all of us. It means a lot to win."In that game, Tabor worked 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs in the eighth inning, almost allowing a comeback from the Tigers.Tabor did not have many issues on Thursday.Tabor said it helped that the offense added five runs in the first."You're pitching a whole different game when you got offense like that, just makes up for everything, just takes all the pressure off you, and you can just compete freely," Tabor said.Two pitchers later, Nathan Frady closed the game out for the Trojans, working 2 2/3 innings while allowing one run on two hits.William Carey's pitching strugglesWilliam Carey used just three pitchers, but at the start of the contest it did not look good for its staff.MacCord started the game for the Crusaders but worked just 2/3 of an inning, giving up five earned runs, five hits and a walk all in just 25 pitches before he was replaced.In the first inning, Everett Thompson came in as relief and worked 1 1/3 innings. He gave up a home run to Sutter and one more hit. Thompson struggled with accuracy and hit multiple batters with a pitch.Adam May then came in as relief and was the best pitcher for the Crusaders, working the rest of the game in 6 1/3 innings, fanning six while allowing one earned run on three hits.Gould gave credit to May and said that the Crusaders are a tough team to keep down."What they've done in the opening round and what they've done in the World Series so far," Gould said. "And that was one of the things when we talked, even the first time, the scouting report is, 'Hey, these guys, they're not going away.' They're an older team, they're an experienced team, obviously, their coach has over 1,400 wins. It's a great program, great team. It's a real hallmark of them. They don't stop. "What's next?Due to the way the bracket was created and the tiebreakers, the team with the most games played would get the bye to Saturday. Both Taylor and Tennessee Wesleyan have played five games and William Carey has played just four.The second tiebreaker is the head-to-head record, and the Trojans and the Bulldogs have not played each other.So it moved to the third tiebreaker with the highest-seeded team getting the bye to Saturday, and Taylor is the top-seeded team in the tournament.William Carey will play Tennessee Wesleyan at 6:30 p.m. today, and the winner of that contest will face Taylor at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday for the crown.William Carey 010 011 001—4 9 1Taylor 510 100 00x—7 10 2MacCord, Thompson (1), May (3) and Hernandez; Tabor, Boyer (5), Crabtree (6), Frady (7) and Schrock.William Carey hits — Hernandez 3, Hinnant 2 (2B), Mark (2B), Booth, Ducksworth, John.Taylor hits — Manning 2 (HR), Sutter 2 (HR), Gladd 2 (2B), Roemmich (2B), Malott, Frickel, Simpson.Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X @TrevorJunt.William Carey 4Taylor 7STARS OF THE GAMETaylor third baseman Fletcher Roemmich had a huge three-RBI double in the first inning that gave the Trojans a 4-0 lead.Trojans left fielder Brayden Manning had two hits, including a high-flying home run over the center-field wall to give Taylor its final runs of the game.Taylor right fielder Luke Sutter also had two hits and blasted a ball deep into right field, hitting the scoreboard for a huge home run.QUOTE OF NOTE"There is real belief in each other, and there (are) real standards to uphold, but they love each other and they support each other."— Taylor coach Kyle Gould

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesDana White has reopened an old wound with Anderson Silva, years after one of the UFC’s greatest champions left the promotion on bitter terms.Speaking with Rolling Stone, the UFC boss said Silva still does not speak to him because he told the Brazilian his UFC career was over after his 2020 knockout defeat to Uriah Hall.‘The Spider’ has now responded, and his comeback was sharp, calling White “the bald guy”, despite being bald himself.Anderson Silva mocks Dana White as UFC feud comes back to lifePhoto by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images for NetflixSilva left his message in the comments of an Instagram post after White’s latest remarks, making it clear he has not forgotten his exit.“The bald guy saying s—. I’ve been out of the organization for many years already, but apparently neither the current fighters nor the bald guy can forget my accomplishments,” he began by saying.“Deep down, the bald guy knows that with me there was no whining, everyone went in to throw down, and I saved the event more than once. And just so it’s on record, the bald guy apparently doesn’t know how to count.”The counting line matters because White suggested Silva lost eight, nine or even ten in a row. His final UFC run was poor, but not that simple.Silva lost seven of his last nine UFC fights. That included two title defeats to Chris Weidman: first by knockout, then by TKO after Silva broke his leg.He beat Derek Brunson and Nick Diaz, although that result was later changed to a draw after both UFC stars failed the drug test.That record explains why White moved on. But Silva’s reply shows their feud still has sting, even when the insult is unintentionally self-aware.Read more:New footage shows WWE was ruthless with Logan Paul after his injuryRetired? Think again — Colby Covington names 5 shock matchups he’s chasingRonda Rousey drops a bomb on Holly Holm rematch talk and the MMA world is buzzing

Tomatoes await customers on the shelves of a supermarket in New York on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Sedensky)2026-05-29T10:00:08Z NEW YORK (AP) — Tomatoes, ubiquitous in everything from fast-food burgers to haute cuisine, are taking on a new role beyond the plate: A nagging reminder of rising costs.Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour.“The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper,” says Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented life’s “simplest pleasures” falling victim to price increases. “Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables is starting to become a serious financial decision for many families.”Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, dwarfing increases for other groceries, including coffee (up 18.5%), beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America’s affordability squeeze. A separate inflation gauge released Thursday showed that overall prices increased 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the highest reading in nearly three years.Alongside crop yields, experts blame price increases for tomatoes, in part, on two pillars of President Donald Trump’s second-term policies: the Iran war and tariffs. The war spiked gas prices and increased shipping costs. Meantime, the U.S. withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free imports of tomatoes from Mexico, which grows most of America’s supply. Usha Haley, a Wichita State University economist, says it’s “a perfect storm of trade policy, extreme weather and Mideast policy.” Read More American tomato farmers cheered the withdrawal from the tomato deal last July, saying it would help rebuild their shrinking industry. But for consumers, it’s been painful. Though the U.S. withdrew from the Mexico tomato deal in July, it took time to see the impact in the produce aisle, with more imports in late winter and early spring. When the tomatoes arrived, they were slapped with a 17% tariff.“Tariffs are undeniably a big driver of the price inflation,” says Brett Massimino, a Virginia Commonwealth University business professor. “Because the U.S. relies on Mexico for the majority of its tomato supply, any changes in trade policy can have a large impact.”U.S. tariffs collected on tomatoes ballooned from just $16,424 in 2024 to nearly $4.6 million, according to federal data, a staggering 27,879% increase.As the cost trickles down, outraged shoppers have pulled out their phones in the produce aisle, shooting videos lamenting costs they said quadrupled, with some vowing to plant a garden to avoid prices of up to $8 a pound. But the impact has been most pronounced for businesses that rely on tomatoes as a key ingredient in their kitchens.MarginEdge, which tracks prices for restaurants, says grape tomatoes have increased most — 65% in just a month — but prices have gone up across all types of tomatoes.Phillip Coles, a professor of supply chain management at Lehigh University, says prices should drop later in the year when domestically grown tomatoes are harvested. Higher prices, he says, will also “induce farmers to increase planting to meet the demand, but this takes longer because of the lead time.” Meantime, it’s translating to a big hit for businesses like Snarf’s Sandwiches, which puts a tomato in nearly every sandwich it makes. Wayne Humphrey, chief operating officer of Snarf’s, which operates dozens of stores in Colorado, Missouri and Texas, said cases of tomatoes went from costing him $27 to $93 in the space of a year, piled on top of rising expenses for other ingredients including bread and beef, as well as increased labor costs.“That single ingredient now costs us more than $1.7 million in additional spend annually,” says Humphrey. “The math is getting harder to ignore.”___Associated Press writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report. Matt Sedensky can be reached at [email protected] and https://x.com/sedensky MATT SEDENSKY Sedensky is a national writer for The Associated Press. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The clause in NATO’s founding treaty is an “instrument” Romania can use, the foreign minister said after a drone, alleged to be Russian, wounded two civilians.

The artificial intelligence giant was just valued at $900 billion, surpassing OpenAI. Here are the numbers behind its rise — and headwinds it faces.

The order came after U.S. officials said that a 50-bed facility was being established in the African country to house American citizens exposed to the virus.

Former India captain Anil Kumble believes Rajasthan Royals (RR) will enter the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 as underdogs, but he has backed them to overcome Gujarat Titans (GT) and book a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Vaibhav Sooryavanshi heads into IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 in red-hot form after his breathtaking 97 off just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. The 15-year-old sensation now stands as the biggest obstacle between Gujarat Titans and a third IPL final appearance.As Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans prepare to battle for a place in the title clash, the powerplay showdown between Sooryavanshi and GT's pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada has emerged as the key tactical battle of the contest in New Chandigarh. With Sooryavanshi's explosive starts often setting the tone for Rajasthan's innings, Gujarat will be desperate to strike early.Speaking on JioHotstar ahead of the high-stakes encounter, Kumble admitted that the contest is difficult to predict. However, he feels Rajasthan's recent form and the presence of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could give them the edge."It's a hard one to predict. It's really hard because Rajasthan have done well, yet they still seem to be the underdogs. I think I'll go with the underdogs. I'm still expecting Vaibhav to do what he did against SRH because if Vaibhav does that, Rajasthan will have the advantage," Kumble said on JioHotstar.Kumble, however, pointed out that Gujarat Titans possess a clear strategy to counter the teenage opener. He highlighted the threat posed by pace duo Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada with the new ball."GT have a very set plan. They have Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada bowling three overs each, and that's where the game could change. They have done really well in Ahmedabad, where the conditions help the seam bowlers.""It didn't happen for them in Dharamshala, but they'll be hoping that if they consistently hit those lengths with the new ball, they can nick him off and get an early breakthrough," he added.Despite dominating Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada during the league stage, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could face a different challenge in Qualifier 2. The RR opener smashed Siraj for a first-ball six and took Rabada for consecutive maximums earlier this season. However, Gujarat Titans believe they have identified a weakness in the teenager's game, the short ball. Siraj has previously dismissed Sooryavanshi using a hostile short-ball strategy, and GT are expected to deploy a similar tactic again, targeting his body with pace and bounce to restrict his free-flowing strokeplay in the powerplay.

Despite crossing off two significant milestones Thursday night, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark had an otherwise rough performance in her team’s 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark turned in a season-worst line in the loss, shooting just .250 from the field. Following the close loss, Clark declined to speak to the media, per multiple reports. When asked about Clark’s availability, team PR said she was not going to speak Thursday.While Clark has turned in a strong season thus far, Thursday was not her night. The Fever guard went just 3-for-12 from the floor, including 2-of-6 from three. She finished the game with 16 points after going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. In addition to her struggles from the field, Clark finished with a team-high five turnovers and posted a negative plus-minus for the first time all season. Despite that, though, the Fever still had a chance to send the game into overtime late. With 0.6 seconds left on the clock, the team inbounded the ball to Aliyah Boston, whose final shot went wide, sticking the Fever with the narrow loss. Clark’s decision to not speak with the media following the loss was unusual, as the Fever star generally makes herself available. The move comes amid multiple similar situations in the NBA, where San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama received a warning from the league after shirking his media duties following a poor performance in a Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jalen Williams declined to speak to media following a Game 6 loss Thursday. Williams, who missed time with a hamstring injury, struggled in his return, scoring just one point in 10 minutes on the floor.It’s worth noting that Clark once missed post-game availability due to a migraine. If that was the case Thursday night, the Fever did not mention an injury or illness for Clark following the loss.Clark and the Fever will likely address the issue soon. The Fever play their next game Saturday night, and Clark will almost certainly be asked about her actions following Thursday’s close loss to the Valkyries.

10 unforgettable moments in Cubs-Cardinals rivalry history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Summer means a lot of different things to different people. Some spend their weekends on the lake. Others stay out late around backyard fire pits or chase sunsets on warm evenings. For baseball fans in Chicago, St. Louis and every place in between summer starts when the Cubs and Cardinals meet.Another chapter in one of baseball's greatest rivalries begins this weekend at Busch Stadium, as the two longtime enemies square off for the first time in 2026. More than 140 years after the rivalry first began, the uniforms have changed, the ballparks have changed and generations of players have come and gone.The intensity hasn't. Every Cubs-Cardinals series hits a little different because of the history behind it. Hall of Famers, pennant races, unforgettable home runs, controversial trades and heated brawls have all helped shape a rivalry that remains one of the sport's crown jewels. As the latest chapter gets set to unfold in St. Louis, here are 10 moments that helped define the Cubs-Cardinals feud.10. The 1974 "Mad Hungarian" brawlThe Cubs and Cardinals have never needed much of a reason to dislike each other, but things boiled over on Sept. 22, 1974. Cardinals reliever Al Hrabosky, known as "The Mad Hungarian," was one of baseball's biggest personalities. Before each pitch, he would stomp around the mound, glare at hitters and put on a show.Cubs infielder Bill Madlock wasn't impressed. Madlock repeatedly stepped out of the batter's box during an at-bat, frustrating Hrabosky. Tempers exploded, benches cleared and one of the most memorable fights in rivalry history followed. More than 50 years later, fans still talk about the day the rivalry turned into a full-blown street fight.9. Lou Brock becomes a Cardinals legend after leaving ChicagoEvery rivalry has one move that haunts one fanbase forever. For Cubs fans, it's the Lou Brock trade.In June 1964, Chicago sent Brock to St. Louis in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. At the time, many believed the Cubs had won the deal. History had other ideas.Brock became a Hall of Famer, stole 938 bases, helped the Cardinals win multiple pennants and two World Series titles and turned into one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Meanwhile, the trade became one of the most lopsided deals baseball has ever seen.MORE: Cardinals-Cubs rivalry has another chapter to write — and neither team knows exactly who it is8. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa captivate baseball in 1998For one summer, the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry became the center of the sports world. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa spent the 1998 season chasing Roger Maris' single-season home run record. Every game felt like a national event.The biggest moment came on Sept. 8 when McGwire launched home run No. 62 against Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel at Busch Stadium. What made the moment special was the respect between the two stars. Sosa ran in from right field to congratulate McGwire, creating one of the most iconic images in baseball history.Even rivals can appreciate greatness.7. Dusty Baker and the Cubs finally punch back in 2003By 2003, the Cardinals had dominated much of the rivalry's recent history. Then came a massive September showdown at Wrigley Field.After Cardinals manager Tony La Russa accused Cubs ace Kerry Wood of throwing at hitters, Dusty Baker fired back with one of the rivalry's best quotes."If you're going to bark, you have to be ready to bite."Chicago backed it up. The Cubs won four of five games in the series, seized control of the NL Central race and eventually captured their first division title since 1989. For Cubs fans, it felt like years of frustration finally being released.6. Albert Pujols creates an unforgettable Cardinals callThe 2003 season featured no shortage of drama between the Cubs and Cardinals, and one of the rivalry's most memorable moments came on July 3 at Wrigley Field.With Cubs ace Kerry Wood on the mound, the Cardinals wasted little time making noise. Jim Edmonds homered in the first inning, bringing Albert Pujols to the plate moments later.Wood tried to establish the inside part of the plate, but Pujols responded the way Hall of Famers often do. He crushed a home run into the Chicago night. The blast was memorable enough on its own, but Cardinals fans remember it for another reason. As Pujols rounded the bases, legendary broadcaster Mike Shannon delivered a call that became part of franchise lore."HELLO FOURTH OF JULY! Take that, knockdown pitch, big boy!"More than 20 years later, Cardinals fans can still quote the line word for word. It remains one of the most iconic calls attached to one of the rivalry's biggest stars.On July 4, 2003, Mike Shannon makes perhaps the best call of his career as Albert Pujols gets the ultimate revenge from an earlier Kerry Wood knockdown pitch. #STLCards#ForTheLoupic.twitter.com/sIt3vibJxb— Augie Nash (@AugieNash) July 4, 20255. Jim Edmonds sends Busch Stadium into a frenzyThe rivalry reached another level in October 2004. With a trip to the World Series on the line in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, the Cubs and Cardinals battled into extra innings at Busch Stadium.Then came one of the biggest swings in Cardinals history. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Jim Edmonds launched a walk-off home run into the St. Louis night, sending Busch Stadium into chaos and forcing a decisive Game 7.The Cardinals would go on to win the pennant, but Edmonds' blast remains one of the defining moments of the era. For Cardinals fans, it's still one of the sweetest home runs ever hit against Chicago.4. Kyle Schwarber puts a baseball on top of the scoreboardSome home runs are remembered because they win games. Others are remembered because they look impossible.During Game 4 of the 2015 National League Division Series, Kyle Schwarber crushed a towering blast toward right field at Wrigley Field. The ball didn't leave the stadium. It landed on top of the iconic scoreboard.The image instantly became part of Cubs lore. The ball remained there for months as a reminder that Chicago had just eliminated its biggest rival on its way to the National League Championship Series.3. The Sandberg Game becomes baseball historyEvery great rivalry needs a signature game. This was it. On June 23, 1984, the Cardinals stormed out to an early lead behind Willie McGee, who hit for the cycle.Most games would have been over. Ryne Sandberg had other plans. Trailing by one run in the ninth inning, Sandberg blasted a game-tying homer off Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter. After the Cardinals scored again in the 10th, Sandberg answered with another game-tying home run off Sutter.Chicago eventually won 12-11 in 11 innings. The game became known simply as "The Sandberg Game" and helped launch Sandberg toward the National League MVP award while pushing the Cubs toward their first postseason appearance in nearly four decades.June 23, 1984 was The Ryne Sandberg Game.His game-tying home run in the 10th didn’t just produce Bob Costas’s memorable “Do you believe it?” call.Ryne Sandberg goes 5-for-6 with 7 RBI, including a game-tying HR in the 9th AND 10th inning vs. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce… pic.twitter.com/Af69FhNhxw— Chicago History ™️ (@Chicago_History) March 24, 20262. The longest game in rivalry historyLong before television cameras and social media clips, the Cubs and Cardinals were already creating baseball legends. On July 2, 1902, the two rivals played a 20-inning marathon that remains the longest game in the history of the rivalry.Neither team could find a breakthrough as the game stretched hour after hour. Eventually, St. Louis pushed across the winning run in the 20th inning, ending one of the most exhausting games either franchise has ever played. More than a century later, it remains one of the most remarkable box scores in the long history between the two clubs.1. The Cubs and Cardinals finally meet in OctoberConsidering how much history these teams share, it seems impossible that they didn't meet in the postseason until 2015. But that's exactly what happened.The Cardinals entered the National League Division Series with 100 wins and championship expectations. The Cubs arrived with a young core featuring Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Schwarber.Chicago won the series in four games, delivering one of the biggest postseason moments in franchise history and signaling that a new era had arrived on the North Side.One year later, that same core would bring a World Series title back to Chicago.Busch Stadium is the place to beThat's the beauty of Cubs-Cardinals baseball.Every generation has its moment.Some fans remember Lou Brock breaking Chicago's heart. Others remember Ryne Sandberg taking over a summer afternoon at Wrigley Field. Some still talk about Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire chasing history, while Cardinals fans can still hear Mike Shannon shouting, "Take that, knockdown pitch, big boy" after another Albert Pujols home run.The names change, the stars change and the standings change, but the rivalry never really does.That's why a regular-season series in late May can still feel like a major event. Every pitch carries more meaning. Every big hit becomes part of the story. And every time the Cubs and Cardinals take the field together, there's always a chance another unforgettable chapter is about to be written.Maybe that's what makes this rivalry special. Nobody knows what the next iconic moment will be. They just know there's a pretty good chance it happens when the Cardinals and Cubs are on the same field.More MLB news:Jordan Walker’s breakout is changing everything for the CardinalsColton Cowser delivers historic Orioles moment when Baltimore needed it mostPaul Skenes suddenly looks human again as Pirates’ problems keep growingCardinals may have accidentally created the perfect baseball atmosphereJames Wood delivered one of baseball’s rarest moments in win

Eagles star Cooper DeJean is back to work at OTAs after a busy spring off the field originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Philadelphia Eagles returned to the field this week for Organized Team Activities, but cornerback Cooper DeJean has spent the past two months racking up headlines for more than football. Now the football headlines are catching up too.Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio confirmed Thursday, May 21, that DeJean will shift to safety in the team’s base defense for the 2026 season, while sliding back to the slot when the defense moves into nickel packages. It’s a considerable adjustment for the All-Pro, who recorded a Super Bowl LIX pick-six as a rookie and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the 2025 season.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Philly Crew (@phillycrew)The position news is the most football-heavy development of DeJean’s spring, but it’s hardly the only one. Earlier this month, he and Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Abby Summers walked the Kentucky Derby red carpet together, going Instagram official and stirring up plenty of Eagles-Cowboys rivalry chatter in the process. Summers, a former Ohio State dancer and current cast member of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2, also runs her own clothing brand, Co//lab Collective.Between the Derby and the position announcement, DeJean made a stop at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. He spent time at T-Mobile's Club Magenta on the 15th green alongside Philly sports legends Ryan Howard and Chase Utley and sat down for a chat with PGA Championship Range Show host Smylie Kaufman. During a quick-hitting Q&A, he named A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as the toughest receivers he covers in practice and crowned Angelo's his go-to cheesesteak. He later captured the moment on Instagram, writing, "Still buzzing from @pgachampionship. @tmobile Club Magenta hits different."View this post on InstagramA post shared by Cooper DeJean (@cooperdejean)Just days before that, DeJean was back in Philly for the Eagles Autism Challenge, joining teammates including Jordan Davis, Brandon Graham, Cam Jurgens, and Jake Elliott in the Wawa Hoagie 10-Mile Ride. The annual event is part of the Eagles Autism Foundation’s larger fundraising effort, which has helped fund 223 research projects and community grants worldwide since 2018.So yes, DeJean's spring has covered a lot of ground: a Derby hard launch, a PGA Championship stop, an Eagles charity ride, and now a new wrinkle in Fangio's defense. Not bad for a stretch of the calendar that's supposed to be the offseason.Read Next:Cooper DeJean goes Instagram official with Cowboys cheerleader at Kentucky DerbyCooper DeJean's game-changing strengths stand out, but 1 area still tests himEagles' Jalen Hurts gets brutally honest regarding potential A.J. Brown trade

The Georgia Bulldogs are hosting five-star defensive line recruit Marcus Fakatou this weekend. Georgia is among several top schools contending for the talented class of 2027 defensive lineman. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound defensive lineman plays high school football for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California. Fakatou is ranked as the No. 32 recruit in the country and the No. 3 player in California. The Sierra Canyon star is the second-best defensive lineman in the country, per the 247Sports Composite. The five-star is a big priority for Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott, who visited one of Fakatou's practices in May. The Bulldogs are one of Fakatou's top five schools along with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon. Fakatou has an incredible combination of size and athleticism. He ran a 4.73 time in the 40-yard dash recently and also plays tight end for his high school. "What's good Georgia?" Fakatou said ahead of his UGA visit. "See you Sunday." Fakatou is already an elite athleteMarcus Fakatou posted UNREAL measurables and combine times at UA Next Camp in Los Angeles 🔥 @MarcusFakatou5-star for a reason #UANextpic.twitter.com/1yigxifPPd— Billy Tucker (@TheUCReport) April 14, 2026Marcus Fakatou taking Georgia football visit🐶What’s good Georgia?! See you Sunday🫡@GeorgiaFootball@KirbySmartUGA@TravionScott@CoachBrumbaughpic.twitter.com/vq4CbdVzTD— Marcus Fakatou 🇹🇴 (@MarcusFakatou) May 28, 2026Follow UGA Wire on Instagram, Facebook, X or Threads for more Georgia football coverage!This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia football hosting 5-star DL recruit Marcus Fakatou

Immediately after Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime show performer for the 2026 Super Bowl, right-wingers began trying to “cancel” the cis-het ally by pointing out his refusal to sing in English and his past performances in drag. Bad Bunny — who grew up in a lower-middle-class barrio near Puerto Rico’s small coastal city of Vega Baja — has always subverted gender norms and expressed his queer-friendly political identity by incorporating masculine and feminine elements into his flashy fashions (which have included bright colors, oversized garments, and eye-catching accessories). But five of his public appearances specifically made headlines for their gender-bending appeal. Related Bad Bunny’s superpower is mixing Latinx bangers with queer political flair Here’s a quick look at these five instances, along with a brief exploration of how they reflect the long queer history of Puerto Rico’s drag and gender-bending performers, and how both have sought to express and transcend the island territory’s complex political relationship with the United States. Fashion activism Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today During his February 2020 performance on The Tonight Show, Bad Bunny performed while wearing a large pink blazer and black skirt. Later on in the show, he revealed a t-shirt that said, “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con falda,” (“They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt”). The t-shirt referenced the murder of Alexa Negrón Luciano, a homeless transgender woman in Puerto Rico, who the police report misgendered as a “man dressed in a black skirt.” A red leather minidress and flawless wig The music video for the song “Yo Perreo Sola” (“I Twerk Alone”) — released in March 2020 — featured Bad Bunny in a red leather minidress and flawless wig, portraying a sexy woman who really just wants to be left alone to dance by herself at a club. Later on in the video, he dresses as a long-haired woman whose bright floral outfit accentuates her breasts and buttocks. Poolside photo shoot in heels In a February 2022 fashion shoot for the indie luxury brand Jacquemus, Bad Bunny wore a pink dress, pale blue high heels, and other poolside fashions in Miami, an area with a population of 3.7% Puerto Rican descent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JACQUEMUS (@jacquemus) An iconic cover story In August 2022, Bad Bunny graced the cover of “The Icons Issue” of Harper’s Bazaar magazine in a white tuxedo top and a long white skirt while wearing white, thick-soled workboots and small white earrings. In his interview with the magazine, he explained, “I always remember seeing the pieces in women’s clothing and they would always fit me so much better and they had so much different variety… I don’t [dress this way] to become more famous or to call attention or to disrespect anyone. People on the outside can think that I have a strategy or I wear this to call for attention, but in reality I just know who I am.” “Obviously, as you get older, you start seeing what the world shows you, and if I lived my life that way, then I wouldn’t be able to dress in the way that I really want to,” he said, adding that his success and fame have given him the freedom to explore his personal style. “I’m taking advantage of this moment in my life when I can do whatever I want and wear what I want, so I get to live life more authentically.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sujeylee Solá (@sujeylee) Floral elegance at the Met Gala Bad Bunny showed up at the May 2023 Met Gala wearing a white double-breasted suit – backless, as if it were an evening gown – with a 20-foot-long train of white flowers draped around his shoulders. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Jared (@justjared) Bad Bunny’s drag and gender-bending fashions are part of Puerto Rico’s queer political history Puerto Rico’s drag and gender-bending performers have long used fashion to explore the island territory’s complicated social politics and relationship with the United States. The island has hosted influential drag and gender-bending performers since the 1960s, with local icons, like trans performer Lady Cataria, presenting regal pageantry and dancing the Bomba, a traditional Puerto Rican dance with African roots, according to Louie Ortiz-Fonseca. One of queer history’s most famous queens, Stonewall veteran Sylvia Rivera, was half-Puerto Rican and half-Venezuelan. Born in New York City, she advocated for trans people, sex workers, incarcerated queer people, and other marginalized members of the community that more “respectable” white gays and lesbians at the time seemed eager to hide away. In the modern era, several Puerto Rican queens have participated in RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Nina Flowers, Yara Sofia, Alexis and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Alyssa Hunter, and Cynthia Lee Fontaine; several have even drawn large crowds at San Juan’s queer nightclubs. “‘In this way, the body becomes the main textual terrain for the exploration of issues and politics related to politics, subjectivity, nationality, sexuality, and aesthetics, among many others.”– Puerto Rican critic Gilberto Blasini In various ways, these performers have centered their Puerto Rican and Caribbean roots to re-affirm their cultural identities in the face of the American colonialism that has contributed to the island territory’s growing debt, infrastructural decay, and gentrification, all of which have pervaded Puerto Rico since the U.S. first seized control of it in 1899, according to gay Puerto Rican author Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes. La Fountain-Stokes has helped popularize the term transloca as a way to discuss the numerous ways that drag and queer performers have tried to transcend U.S. influence over the island while also transforming political space around them. As he explained in his his 2020 book Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance, the word loca has long been friendly or pejorative slang that either refers to “crazy females” or effeminate gay men. La Fountain-Stokes coined the term transloca to include drag performers and trans women activists as a way of examinining how drag and trans art are “a form of entertainment, a catalyst for community growth, and a mechanism of self-expression” that also embody the complexities of Puerto Rican race, gender, sexuality, class, and migration — especially as the territory grapples with its own history of anti-LGBTQ+ violence. As is happening across the U.S., anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in Puerto Rico have tried to ban drag as an “obscene” threat to children. Simultaneously, the island territory has also experienced its own instances of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, against which Bad Bunny and other local performers have spoken out, through their fashionable performances. “Translocas are many things, contradictory ones, to be sure: performers, queers, innovators, marginals, exiles, eccentrics, beauties, troublemakers, lovers, loners, friends,” La Fountain-Stokes writes. “The performer/protagonist has to negotiate multiple preconceptions in the very formulation of who he is and how he presents himself—and the profound instability of that in a homophobic, racist, and classist environment, ones that can easily lead to translocura (transmadness).” “‘In this way,” the author adds, quoting the Puerto Rican critic Gilberto Blasini, “the body becomes the main textual terrain for the exploration of issues and politics related to politics, subjectivity, nationality, sexuality, and aesthetics, among many others.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Tez Anderson decided to get tested for HIV after he moved to San Francisco in 1986 at the age of 25 and began dating his new boyfriend. When the results came back positive two weeks later, the doctor told Anderson he had 18 to 24 months to live. It was two days after his 26th birthday. Devastated by the news, Anderson began planning his death. But decades later, he remained relatively healthy while watching many friends and acquaintances die of HIV-related illnesses. As he approached age 50, Anderson realized, “Oh, my God, I’m going to be an old man with AIDS. What am I going to do?” Related The real-life story of Ron Woodroof, the hero of the “Dallas Buyers Club,” depends on who you ask “I had not put any money away in a 401K or savings or retirement account — dead people don’t need retirement accounts,” Anderson told LGBTQ Nation. “I didn’t make any plans for being old — I was making plans to die young.” He began having panic attacks, awful nightmares, and feelings of depression and anger. He kept imagining himself as homeless. He also began lashing out at people close to him and worried that AIDS had somehow damaged his brain. Simultaneously, he went on prolonged medication treatments that gave him constant diarrhea and difficulty sleeping. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “It felt like I was having a nervous breakdown,” he told LGBTQ Nation. “I guess in some regards I was, but it was all around the idea that I am going to live, which most people would think seems illogical: to have a panic attack because I’m going to live.” Having long had an interest in psychology and having undergone lots of therapy, Anderson began researching trauma and its possible impact on his life. While speaking to other gay men who had also survived the height of the pandemic, Anderson gradually came to understand that he and many others had been experiencing features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He personally didn’t like the word “disorder,” however, because — considering all the death, illness, uncertainty, and stress they had experienced while caring for dying friends and facing widespread anti-gay stigma — their feelings seemed quite natural and logical to him. Eventually, he coined the term AIDS Survivor Syndrome (ASS) and, in 2013, decided to hold a town hall at the local LGBTQ+ center so that other long-term HIV survivors could share their experiences. He expected about 40 people to show up — over 250 attended. They wrote their feelings and experiences onto giant pieces of paper on the walls. Over the evening, they all realized that they were not the only ones with these feelings, and “that there was community in that survival,” Anderson said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lets Kick ASS AIDS Survivors (@letskickass) Anderson is now 66 years old and the executive director of Let’s Kick ASS, the nation’s first and largest group dedicated to improving the lives of long-term HIV survivors. Around the time of the group’s first town hall, Anderson began collaborating with Dr. Ron Stall, a longtime HIV researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, who had been examining the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a long-term study tracking the psychosocial and biological effects of HIV infection in over 7,300 gay and bisexual men since the late 1980s. Together, the men identified the most common features of ASS: extreme emotional pain, trauma, and depression; survivor’s guilt and low self-esteem; suicidal ideation; anger, over-guardedness, and chronic anxiety; social isolation; fear of aging; and difficulty envisioning a future. While ASS shares some features of PTSD and complex-PTSD — both of which are psychological illnesses listed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) — both Anderson and Stall say that neither diagnosis encompasses all of ASS’ symptoms, a variety of traumas caused by the nearly 40-year duration of the AIDS pandemic. While ASS is real, it’s not a widely recognized or diagnosable mental disorder. It’s unclear how many people with HIV survived the height of the AIDS epidemic and how many might currently suffer from ASS (though Stall found that 22% of gay and bi men who survived the AIDS epidemic reported experiencing three or more symptoms of ASS, including grief over lost partners). This makes it all the more necessary for Anderson and other activists and care professionals to raise social awareness about it. Towards that end, Anderson also founded HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day, held every June 5, to honor, support, and raise awareness of the challenges they face. Through these and other efforts, ASS is gaining wider recognition. “If you had HIV, you couldn’t go through a time as traumatic as the 80s and 90s without major life-changing ramifications,” said Michael Gottlieb, the pioneering doctor who was among the first to report on a cluster of diseases that would later be known as AIDS. Gottlieb described ASS as an experience of “depression, isolation, economic hardship, careers put aside, and a feeling that society had no idea what you had been through and didn’t much care,” adding, “Going forward, [society at large] was dismissive of your relevance.” Since coining the term, Anderson says the most eye-opening experience has been the large number of people who thank him in meetings, conferences, and on social media for explaining what they’re living through. They tell him that he helped naturalize their experience and erase the stigma and abnormality attached to it. He also notes that one doesn’t have to be LGBTQ+-identified or even HIV-positive to experience ASS; straight HIV-positive Black women and other HIV-negative survivors from the ’80s and ’90s can exhibit symptoms. Greater awareness about ASS is particularly important now, Anderson says, as the current presidential administration has cut research and programs into HIV awareness and prevention. At the same time, Anderson says that most medical authorities are primarily interested in the physical effects of HIV and HIV medication on aging bodies, and most mental health professionals may have never heard of ASS, leaving those who struggle with it to the internet to find more information and support. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lets Kick ASS AIDS Survivors (@letskickass) Anderson is still figuring out his future: He has developed multi-drug resistance to various HIV-treatments and currently takes three pills a day and a shot every six months just to keep his viral load undetectable. He and other people with ASS have experienced rapid aging and deterioration, making them look much older than they actually are. The isolation caused by ASS makes it feel immensely healing, he said, whenever people acknowledge them with genuine interest, kindness, assistance, and care. Despite all the hardships, he thinks ASS has given him and its other survivors a special gift. “For a population like long-term survivors who have lived so close to death for now 30 or 40 years, we have something to offer. We’re a resource about life and death, and our view of the world, I think it’s valuable. We’re not just people who need help. We are people who are restored,” he said. “I want people to feel like this experience meant something for them and for their experience in the world, and how they’re a repository of the knowledge that most people don’t have,” he continued. “Many of us have, at some point, become comfortable with the idea of dying. It has been difficult: a lot of therapy, a lot of crying…. Living with one foot in the grave and one foot in the living is a unique perspective, and it helps us be sort of death doulas, if you will.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Kieran Trippier has also played for Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Burnley [Getty Images]Wolves are close to signing former England international Kieran Trippier. The 35-year-old has verbally agreed to move to Molineux on a free transfer after his departure from Newcastle.He is expected to sign a two-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, to become Rob Edwards' first summer signing.Trippier is leaving Newcastle at the end of his contract this summer having spent four-and-a-half years at St James' Park, making 160 appearances and scoring four goals. He helped them win the Carabao Cup in 2025, the Magpies' first silverware since 1955. Right-back Trippier won La Liga with Atletico Madrid in 2020-21 and was a Champions League runner up in 2019 with Tottenham. He won 54 England caps, scoring in the 2018 World Cup semi final and starting the Euro 2020 final, before retiring from international duty in 2024.Wolves are rebuilding after finishing bottom of the Premier League and have targeted more experience, with homegrown signings the priority.The club's hierarchy recognise they did not have enough experience or players who understood the club's culture. Wolves, who won just three top flight games to end their eight-year stay in the division, have no room in their squad for any non-homegrown players before further departures. Goalkeeper Jose Sa and forward Hwang Hee-chan are expected to leave along with midfielder Ladislav Krejci but Mateus Mane is due to stay at Molineux after a breakthrough season.

The 3 players to score 3 goals in a Champions League final 👑One more this Saturday night?On Saturday at 6 p.m., kickoff will be given for the 2026 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.PSG will be defending their title, one year after their outstanding 5-0 victory over Inter in Munich.It was a 2025 final lit up by Désiré Doué, who showcased his talent with a memorable brace.The French international was then just one goal away from a hat-trick. A historic feat, since only three players in football history have scored three goals in a Champions League final!The first to do it was Alfredo Di Stéfano, in the colors of Real Madrid. The legend found the net three times in the 1960 European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt.That final also saw his teammate Ferenc Puskás make history by scoring four goals! Real Madrid won 7-3 at the end of a legendary match.The third and last player to score a hat-trick in a European Cup/Champions League final was Pierino Prati. The AC Milan striker scored three goals in the 1969 final win over Ajax Amsterdam. It has never happened again since...So, who could join this very exclusive club on Saturday?This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

VERONA, ITALY - MAY 24: Donyell Malen of AS Roma celebrates after scored the first goal for his team during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and AS Roma at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on May 24, 2026 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Fabio Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images) | AS Roma via Getty Images When Roma finally landed Gian Piero Gasperini last summer, it felt like the tables were about to shift. No more falling victim to the Luis Muriels, Duvan Zupatas and Josip Illicics of the world. No more embarrassing 3-1 defeats. No more standing around flat-footed while Atalanta tore us to shreds. No, now it was our turn. We had Gasperini and it was time for the rest of the league to suffer.As it turned out, it took nearly five months for Gasperini’s new team to look like a Gasperini team. With only 22 goals scored in their first 18 matches, Roma’s attack was stuck in the mud, dwelling amongst the likes of Cagliari, Udinese, Fiorentina, and even Cremonese. Fortunately, thanks to their rigid defense, Roma finished the first half of the season in 5th place and in the thick of a heated race for Italy’s final Champions League places—a dash they eventually won thanks to a late-season surge that saw the capital club finish in 3rd place for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.Roma’s attack finally found their footing in 2026, thanks in large part to the arrival of Donyell Malen, who scored 14 goals in only 18 appearances. Read along as we recap Malen’s brilliance, Ferguson’s struggles, and more in our review of Roma’s forwards/wingers. Roma’s attack often looked very different with Donyell Malen in the lineup, particularly in transition, during counterattacks, and in matches where space opened up behind opposing defenses. How did Malen influence Roma’s overall attacking approach in 2025–26, and how did his presence alter the effectiveness of Gasperini’s system? JonAS: Malen is much more mobile and hungrier than Dovbyk or Ferguson. He hustles, runs, and is smart, always on the lookout for a shot on goal. Although he’s not that tall, he can bully defenders as well. And his understanding with Dybala and the wingbacks is simply better. It’s a completely different dynamic when he’s on.Due to injuries, Gasp once had to use Dybala as a false nine, but that didn’t work out. Dovbyk is too slow as the lone striker in Gasp’s system, and while Ferguson did show promise as a modern No. 9, his Irish body decided to blow up. Malen, on the other hand, is tailor-made for that role. Just like Wesley, he seems to never run out of gas and has more than decent technique.Bren: His influence was undeniable, and talent aside, I think it’s all about his playing style. He’s just so much quicker than Dobyvk or Ferguson, better at beating defenders to open spaces, and has a quicker shot release. From the minute he suited up, it was like “Oh, okay. Now I get it!” The proverbial ah-ha moment that made you realize what the attack was missing. His pace, finishing, and ability to exploit spaces are perfectly adapted to Gasperini’s system and I cannot wait to see what he can do over the course of a full season. ssciavillo: In a down season for goalscoring overall for Serie A strikers, Malen’s 14 goals in just half of a season speak for themselves. That kind of production over a full season would’ve made Malen a run away capocannoniere. He’s just perfect for Gasperini football and kudos for Roma for springing on an opportunity of a player being unhappy with his role at a club. And his now permanent move at €25 million looks like it’ll be a bargain. His pace, motor, and strength made him deadly in Gasperini’s football and we didn’t even get to see him getting service from Paulo Dybala for more than a handful of matches. If Roma keeps Dybala around and brings in the right type of player to play with Malen the attack should be deadly. Simply put. Without Malen, Roma wouldn’t have qualified for UCL and may not even have qualified for Europe at all. His fit and impact were that vital. Jimmy Miotto: The guys have already by and large said it, but a projected 28 goals in a full season with Roma is a mouth-watering number, particularly given the context of the truly defense-first Serie A season. I have to imagine the odds will be quite good for him to be capocannoniere next season, and barring a complete tactical shift from Gasperini (which seems unlikely), I’d even call it a smart bet. There’s a reason why Serie A hasn’t seen a winter signing score as many goals as Malen did this season; players like him are truly unique. So Aston Villa, if you’ve got any other superstars-in-waiting on the bench, please send them our way.Matías Soulé’s season featured moments of real creativity and technical brilliance, but also long stretches when he struggled to consistently influence matches. What specific improvements does he need to make to become a more complete and dependable attacking player at the highest level? And, more importantly, is he a Gasperini player? JonAS: There’s a Gasperini player in there somewhere. He already has four Serie A seasons under his belt, but we forget he just turned 23. That’s more than enough time to become a complete package. He has already played and scored more than he did last season. He has the talent to put up double digits in both goals and assists. Maybe he was rushed back to fitness after his injury and never reached 100%? With Malen, a rejuvenated Dybala, and hopefully a revitalized Dovbyk, there’s plenty of firepower next season to take the next step forward.Bren: I mean, he’s still only 22-years-old and just capped off his third Serie A season, where he now has 23 goals and 13 assists in about 7,500 league minutes. The talent is undeniable and he was Malen before Malen, spending the first few months of the season as Roma’s best and only attacking option. He’s crafty, has a beautiful shot and does the dirty work of tracking back and can fill a Josip Illicic-like role for Gasp. The only thing that concerns me is the transfer rumors we’re seeing now, which, if they hold any water, may suggest a lack of faith from Gasp, not in the sense that Soulé is lacking anything, but perhaps they just want a larger physical presence in that role or more flat-out speed. ssciavillo: That injury definitely took away from his overall play this season. Who knows how long he was playing through it before he finally had to take a step back and recover. And by the time he came back, there wasn’t much time to get back into a rhythm. I’d be hesitant to give up on him at such a young age when we know the talent level he has and the production he’s already able to show at the Serie A level. However, if he ends up being the sacrificial lamb rather than Koné or Nidicka, and Roma is able to go out and find a player that Gasperini sees as a better fit, then I’d probably be okay with it. Jimmy: I understand that injuries plagued the second half of his season, and I know that Malen is the shiny new toy, but I’m still all in on the Matías Soulé experience. Say it quietly, but I think that assuming Paulo Dybala plays a smaller role next season (perhaps in the SES role of this season), that’s going to open up a lot of runway for a new Argentine star to explode onto the scene in Italy. I hope the transfer rumors aren’t true; he’s at best my third ranked preferred FFP transfer out this summer, and I really think that his 23-year-old season might be the one he is able to get everything in gear. He’s already a Gasperini player in my book; he just needs to be given the keys to the car alongside Malen.Even as injuries and age-related concerns continue to grow, Paulo Dybala was still indispensable for Roma. Talk to us about his influence on Roma’s approach and how the club should approach his future, given both his brilliance and his durability concerns. JonAS: He’s Roma’s only real superstar right now. Paulo deserves another shot at those magical Champions League nights. A new contract with a ‘pay-for-play’ rule should be the best option for both parties. Roma can’t afford to pay €12m for a broken Dybala, while Paulo isn’t ready to retire in Argentina or Saudi Arabia. In the last couple of games, I actually saw a ‘new look’ Dybala. Fitter and hungrier, it seems.After all those years in professional football, I think money isn’t a problem for Dybala, so if he really loves Rome and this club, he’ll gladly accept a pay cut. Then we’ll see how things work out, and by May 2027 it’s time for another evaluation.Bren: Well, the signs are pointing towards a renewal at a discounted rate, which speaks to the mutual admiration between the two sides. But just like Malen, Dybala’s influence is undeniable; look no further than the final handful of matches when he was the club’s only creative outlet. He still glides around the pitch (in a good way), finding opportunities and angles to exploit; he can still dribble around nearly any defender on the planet and, of course, he still has that wicked left foot. I think as long as we can accept the fact that he’s going to miss swaths of the season with hamstring, quad, and calf issues, the 1,500 minutes he does give you will be top-notch. I think a one-year deal with an option for a second is the perfect way to structure the end of his European career. ssciavillo: If Dybala truly wants to stick around, as the reports indicate, then I think a renewal at a more club-friendly rate is a no-brainer for Roma. If Roma can reinforce depth heading into the season and allow GPG to be more selective about when Dybala is counted on, he can still be the trump card in big matches in both Serie A and the Champions League. Unless Roma suddenly has the budget of Real Madrid or Man City, it won’t be able to buy a player with Dybala’s abilities this summer. So bringing him back is the right move. Jimmy: In terms of name-brand superstars, I agree with JonAS: Dybala is Roma’s one true blue superstar. But I’d say that if Mile Svilar or Donyell Malen were playing in the Champions League last season, they’d be seen as well on their way to being true blue superstars too; with that in mind, I’m less worried by the prospect of Dybala playing a smaller role moving forward. It sure seems like that deal is en route, and if he can play in the Champions League every week for the Giallorossi, I’m sure that the rest of Roma’s squad can hold down the fort in the domestic competitions. That’s what he can provide at this point, I think; the good news is that he hopefully gets yet another crack at the Champions League next season for the first time in a long time. Did Evan Ferguson fail Roma, or did Roma fail Evan Ferguson? JonAS: You know, it’s like my relationship status with Margot Robbie. It’s just not meant to be, no matter how hard you try. In football, sometimes you win (Malen), sometimes you lose (Ferguson). I always find it strange to see players from the UK at Roma, like Ashley Cole, Smalling, Abraham, Maitland-Niles, or Ferguson. An entirely different culture, language, climate, etc. Anyway, Evan’s not even 22 yet, his career is far from over and Brighton remains an ideal club for a player like him.Bren: It all fell apart so quickly; it’s difficult to say. After showing flashes in the pre-season, I remember people being quite excited about him, myself included. He was big, he could move, and was coming off a relatively productive season with Brighton and seemed primed to flourish under Gasp, so it was a worthwhile gamble. But once the season started, we had to dig deep to find positives. He was moving well and vibing with the team and the tactics, but he wasn’t scoring… which is a problem. You can praise all the unsung things he did, but the production simply wasn’t there. ssciavillo: I was excited when Roma swooped in for Ferguson in the preseason and even said he was a dark horse capo candidate. But in the end between injuries and the fit (or lack thereof) in Gasperini’s system it just wasn’t the right fit. I think a move back to the EPL is right for him and he’s still got plenty of time to revive a once promising career.Jimmy: Yeah, I was very high on the Ferguson loan when it happened, and clearly it didn’t pan out. Injuries and tactics made this one not work, but I won’t fault anyone associated with Roma for bringing him in; he is the exact kind of profile Roma brings in and who might just blow up. Malen might not have the injury history of Ferguson, but it was a similar “buy low” transfer, that one just managed to be very successful. I agree with Steve, he should move back to the Prem and he’ll probably end up being Patrik Schick for Roma fans—I see him wearing a Manchester United kit in the future, tearing up defenses that don’t play quite as hard as the Italian ones.If Donyell Malen is the clear reference point in Roma’s attack, are the current supporting pieces—particularly Soulé and Dybala—complementary long-term fits, or does the squad still lack the right profile to fully unlock his strengths? JonAS: As I mentioned in one of my earlier answers, we still need one ‘Malenesque’ acquisition up front for the LAM/LW role. Someone more dynamic than Pellegrini. Nico Paz was the dream, but he’s already worth €80-100 million. Maybe someone like Brahim Diaz or one of Gasperini’s former kids, De Ketelaere? Saibari from PSV is also an interesting profile. Or, you know, just pry Yildiz away from Juve.Bren: From the minute Gasperini signed with Roma last summer, I was hoping De Ketelaere would follow him here, so you’re definitely speaking my language, Jonas! I know I wrote this question, but now that I think about it more, I think the real question rests in the midfield. Can they be quicker in transitions and get the ball to Malen even quicker next season? That’s not to discount the importance of wing play, but if we think about it, the entire attack is a living organism. Put better players around Malen, and the entire product will improve. But to the point of the question, Soulé and Dybala can co-exist with Malen. What they may lack in explosivity, they make up for with creativity, timing, and touch. ssciavillo: I think Dybala and Soulé can both co-exist with Malen, especially because what Dybala lacks in pace and explosiveness he makes up for with technical ability and vision. If they’re able to throw in another explosive player in the mix with Malen then I think Roma becomes deadly when springing counterattacks off of Gasperini’s high press. This is going to be a priority this summer–we’re already seeing the Greenwood and Summerville rumors. So, expect plenty of names to be linked and ultimately a new attacker to be brought in. Jimmy: I agree both Soulé and Dybala can co-exist with Malen; I’d say that it will help a lot that we’re more likely to see Malen paired with one of them instead of both of them at any given moment. I think one more winger signing this summer will hopefully balance things out up front; that move is needed anyway given El Shaarawy’s departure, so if they can invest in anyone not named Mason Greenwood (please, GPG, I cannot support him), I will be happy and think the attack is in good shape. For what it’s worth, I also think Robinio Vaz could work with Malen, if GPG gives him a serious chance and doesn’t send him to a small Serie A side. The talent is there, like Soulé; he just needs the runway.Alright, we’re turning it over to you now: Can you even quantify how important Malen was this season? What does the future hold for Dybala and Soulé? Why did Ferguson fail to make a mark with Roma?Be sure to stick with us next week as we ask what this season’s success means for the Gasperini revolution and how the club will approach the transfer market this summer.

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) reacts after making a tackle against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images Welcome to today’s roundup of New Orleans Saints and NFL news! Saints’ breakout candidates for 2026 NFL season3 players with excellent paths in front of them, they just must take advantage of it. Travis Etienne Jr. feels ‘whole again’ after returning to LouisianaCould be his best season in the NFL.7 NFL Players Most Likely to Win 2026 Offensive ROY AwardSpeaking of paths to success, Jordyn Tyson could have a huge rookie year. NFC South average projected win totals for the 2026 season, per PFSN's NFL Playoff Predictor: 🔮 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8.4🔮 Atlanta Falcons: 7.8🔮 New Orleans Saints: 7.7🔮 Carolina Panthers: 7.3*Based on 100,000 simulations pic.twitter.com/glT3n1iqsA— Pro Football Network (@PFSN365) May 28, 2026

How much Manchester United could earn if Greenwood joins Roma from MarseilleThere are growing reports in Italy that Roma are aiming to land a deal for Olympique de Marseille forward Mason Greenwood in a deal that could profit both the French side and the player’s former club, Manchester United.Manchester United entitled to ‘up to 50%’ of Greenwood’s next moveAccording to reports from the likes of La Gazzetta dello Sport and various others across Italy, Greenwood is Roma’s ‘first-choice’ signing to strengthen Gian Piero Gasperini’s attack this summer.The Giallorossi have reportedly been in direct contact with the player’s father, and it has been said that the positive experience that Donyell Malen has enjoyed since moving to the Stadio Olimpico in January is an encouraging factor.Marseille are expected to seek a fee in the region of €50m-€60m for the 24-year-old, whom they signed for a reported sum of €26m plus a hefty sell-on fee from Manchester United two years ago.MARSEILLE, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 25: Harvey Barnes of Newcastle United is challenged by Mason Greenwood of Olympique de Marseille during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Olympique de Marseille and Newcastle United FC at Stade de Marseille on November 25, 2025 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)According to reports from the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are entitled to ‘up to 50%’ of Greenwood’s next transfer fee, which means that if Marseille bring in the €50m-€60m fee they are currently seeking, United would be entitled to €25m-€30m.Marseille, meanwhile, may be forced to sell Greenwood, as reports indicate that they will need to sell players before June 30 in order to comply with financial regulations in France.

Dawn breaks on the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center in this aerial photo, Feb. 25, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson)2026-05-29T10:29:13Z LAKE OZARK, Mo. (AP) — A facility deep in rural Missouri promises relief for desperate parents whose adopted kids are struggling — a lakeside, summer camp-like academy where kids can heal by bonding with golden retrievers, and where caring employees “create joy.”The company that operates the place known as Calo Programs says it exists “to serve the hardest-to-treat cases — the students and families the broader system has given up on.”But an Associated Press investigation paints a more complicated and less idyllic picture.Law enforcement is often called to Calo to investigate assaults or track down runaways. State agencies that pay to send kids there have questioned its operations, training and transparency. Parents and former employees say there is minimal treatment and barely any schooling, with only young, poorly trained staff to supervise the kids. Two mothers described it as something out of “Lord of the Flies.” The price is steep and taxpayers often pick up the tab. Also known as Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, Calo has charged up to $20,000 a month to treat adopted children. Some stay for years. It is part of the so-called troubled teen industry, a sprawling network of loosely regulated, for-profit residential centers, boarding schools and wilderness programs that have been quietly institutionalizing adopted children at extraordinarily high rates — adoptees are as much as 10 times more likely to be sent away than the general population. Read More A deep dive into Calo’s practices — how it makes money, and what happens to kids under its watch — offers a window into a larger phenomenon: Some youth treatment centers, backed by private equity companies, share a business model that depends on government funding, despite limited oversight and few consequences for negligence. Dawn breaks on the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center in this aerial photo, Feb. 25, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Dawn breaks on the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center in this aerial photo, Feb. 25, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The AP obtained troves of state data and documents through public records requests and interviewed young adults who recently attended, parents who sent their children there, former employees and lawyers who are engaged in more than a dozen lawsuits against the company. In emailed statements, Calo denied allegations of wrongdoing and said student outcomes prove the strength of their approach and innovative treatment.“Over and over again, parents across the country have come to us in their moment of need, and we are proud of the track record we’ve established helping treat their children and return them to their families with the skills and tools they need to get ahead.”Hundreds of pages of Camden County Sheriff’s Office reports documenting calls to the facility from 2020 to the fall of 2025 show that children in Calo’s care have been alleged victims, witnesses and perpetrators.There was the free-for-all last summer when escaping girls ran toward the woods and jumped into the lake to swim away, employees chasing them and returning them, only to see them escape again. (Calo said none of them were injured.)Just before that, sheriff’s deputies wrote that two kids had reportedly gotten high on methamphetamine that a Calo employee brought in her purse. (Calo said the employee was fired and the substance was never confirmed to be meth.) Not long before that, deputies called to Calo were told staffers were outnumbered as teens “stormed” a room to attack another student. One boy climbed onto the roof, jumped, landed on rocks below and had to be airlifted to the hospital. (Calo said altercations happen among troubled kids, staff followed protocol in calling for help, and the boy who jumped sustained a sprained ankle.) Have a news tip?Contact AP’s global investigative team at [email protected]. For secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app +1 (202) 281-8604. Stacy Roberts, who runs the local juvenile detention center, said his agency is frustrated by Calo and processes as many as a dozen cases each year involving Calo kids who live out of state.Many families have decried the conditions at Calo as jail-like. Roberts rejects that comparison — because traditional juvenile detention centers like his are held to a higher standard, he said. Unlike Calo, Roberts answers to the public, a judge and the juvenile justice system, which monitors children’s stays within his facility. “It’s a business,” Roberts said. “They’re not doing this because they want to help. They’re making money off these kids.” Stacy Roberts, superintendent of the Mary Dickerson Juvenile Justice Center, poses in the commons area, Feb. 24, 2026, at the Juvenile Justice Center in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Stacy Roberts, superintendent of the Mary Dickerson Juvenile Justice Center, poses in the commons area, Feb. 24, 2026, at the Juvenile Justice Center in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Selling hope at a vulnerable timeCalo opened in 2007 with 40 beds and has expanded greatly since, with a capacity of 144 this year. It specializes in adoption trauma and says 90% of its clients are adopted.Many are diagnosed with a rare condition called reactive attachment disorder, which experts say has been misapplied to many adoptees who struggle with the trauma of being divorced from their birth families and, for foreign adoptees, their country and culture.The company says it’s treated thousands of young people ages 9 to 20 from more than 30 states as one of the nation’s largest for-profit centers of its kind, popular for out-of-state placements.Critics ranging from advocacy groups to local law enforcement say serving faraway families has allowed places like Calo to avoid dedicated oversight and strict regulation. Calo said it responds to serious incidents as required by law, and it “operates under rigorous, continuous external oversight” from governments that fund its students, some of which visit the campus annually or monthly.And it defends its marketing efforts aimed at families in distress. “It is a common misconception that for-profit entities are more expensive or less ethical than non-profit organizations,” Calo said in a statement. “Reaching them through thoughtful outreach and advertising helps break down the mental health stigma that keeps people from seeking treatment …”Nationally, the need for youth mental health services has skyrocketed, along with its cost.That demand, coupled with free-flowing public funds, has attracted investors. It’s estimated that the broader industry taps billions of dollars annually from government sources, including health programs, child welfare agencies, school districts and juvenile justice systems.Calo was acquired around 2011 by a private equity firm led by the Stanford-graduate Alex Stavros, who over the next 13 years expanded the business by merging with other treatment centers to become the parent company Embark Behavioral Health. Stavros, who stepped down in 2024, did not respond to The Associated Press for comment.Stavros claims in his LinkedIn profile that he built Embark to 38 programs across 20 states and achieved a remarkable 40-fold increase in revenue, to $180 million. Under his leadership, Calo shifted its business model “from entirely private pay to majority third party reimbursed,” including both private health insurance and Medicaid, and a range of government programs.This is so integral to Calo’s business model that Nicole Fuglsang, its current CEO, once led a presentation at an industry conference on how to diversify revenue. The 2014 session was titled: “Show me the Money — An Innovative Approach to Finding Funding for Families.”In the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic, as residential programs struggled with enrollment, Calo kept admissions humming.Among the residents in 2020: a 9-year-old boy adopted from Haiti. Illinois education funds paid for his stay there. He later told his mother he was bullied. Other kids used racial slurs against him and defecated and urinated on his bed, his mother said. When she took him out, he woke up screaming for weeks, she said, before finally telling her that he’d been sexually assaulted there by an older boy. AP Illustration / Marshall Ritzel AP Illustration / Marshall Ritzel Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Calo officials later told law enforcement that they couldn’t substantiate the sex abuse claim and that the bullying was mutual, according to the incident report.His mother, who the AP is not naming to protect the identity of her son, said she reported what happened to him to everyone she could: law enforcement, Illinois state authorities and Calo’s parent company. She felt that no one cared. Though they told her they investigated, she said she watched as Calo continued business as usual.“The almighty dollar will prevail once again,” she wrote to the Illinois State Board of Education, “and Calo will grow in wealth from school systems and cause harm to young children like my son.”A month after her son arrived at Calo, Embark called on dozens of industry people to talk business strategies. “DOING EPIC SH$T” was printed on the cover of the August 2020 “Embark Academy Sales & Marketing Conference” handbook. It featured a session on how to “overcome objections” with sales tactics to “build your client base and keep your pipelines full!”Attendees were urged to touch hearts to help “assure a doubting child or resentful spouse.” In a session that touted admissions as a vital part of the treatment team, the handbook noted: “The admissions person sells hope when the family is at their lowest and most hopeless, scary, and vulnerable time.”At Calo’s request, the AP called families who the company recommended and said had good experiences. Several said they believe the facility helped heal their children.Bill Hayden said his daughter, who was adopted from Russia, was never harmed during the 15 months she was at Calo, starting in 2016. A retired doctor, Hayden believes Calo changed his daughter’s life, and said that his daughter agrees.“I felt that they were dedicated professionals who were trying to do their best with about the toughest group of kids you could probably ever house,” Hayden said. “We were content that things were going as well as they could with kids with extraordinary problems.” The Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center is seen on Feb. 25, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) The Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center is seen on Feb. 25, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Reported abuse, little accountabilityA New Hampshire family said they paid about $100,000 for their adopted daughter’s 10-month stay, beginning in June 2023, when she was 10-years-old. The New Hampshire state government provided additional funds.The girl had already suffered so much before her adoption — in-utero drug exposure, violence, sexual abuse and extreme neglect, her mother said. In her new home, she still struggled with mental health problems and increasingly explosive behavior.Her mother remembers the red flags she ignored — how dirty the facility was and how unhappy the children looked. Her daughter woke up screaming during a visit months into her stay. Her mother found a disturbing journal entry: “I had a vision that (she) attacked me but not just a few scratches,” her daughter scrawled, naming the assailant. “I had blood dripping everyw(h)ere.”Late one night weeks later, the mother’s phone rang. It was another mom whose daughter had been at Calo. The woman, from Illinois, told her both of their daughters had been molested by another girl. AP Illustration / Marshall Ritzel AP Illustration / Marshall Ritzel Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The AP is not naming the mothers or their daughters because it does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault.The mothers say they both reported their concerns to the same therapist who treated their daughters, and allege Calo covered up the assaults.The Illinois mom said her adopted 11-year-old daughter was sent to Calo after struggling with thoughts of suicide. In February 2024, she told her mom that a girl in her preteen program had months earlier touched her genitals while lying next to her and had threatened to beat her up if she told anyone about it.Such incidents of abuse were rampant at Calo, the girl said to her mom: “(She) touched me, but (she) touches everybody. Everybody knows that.” The mother says the Calo therapist first dismissed it as “girls playing footsie” before the company acknowledged it had lost track of the daughter’s initial report. The mother also alleges the therapist and a Calo director later told her the issue had been “handled,” assuring her that the troubled girl was gone, so everyone was safe.The mother was frustrated, but she believed Calo’s claim that it was just an innocent communication mistake and the problem that had been remedied.Then, weeks later, the girl told her mother that the same attacker had done the same thing to an even younger girl, the one from New Hampshire.Both families immediately took their daughters home and notified authorities. They are now among a group of families suing Calo. AP Illustration/Marshall Ritzel AP Illustration/Marshall Ritzel Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More After the mothers complained, Calo said it immediately reported it to authorities, including the state child welfare agency, which looked into it and “determined the claim did not meet the requirements for a full investigation.” “We acknowledge the delayed report due to a staff member not following the established protocols and failing to route the statement to the quality assurance team for processing,” Calo said in a statement.The Missouri Department of Social Services has previously noted that Calo has repeatedly failed to fully report serious incidents. In 2022, for example, the state ordered them to turn in five such missing files, to which a company official “acknowledged Calo needs to change their practice as it is not currently working.”The mothers were also the first to report the allegations to law enforcement. The sheriff’s office told AP in a statement that deputies “revealed what appears to be a mistake by Calo staff not reporting the allegations,” though deputies did not investigate further. An aerial view of the Camden County Sheriffs Department, right, on Feb. 24, 2026, in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) An aerial view of the Camden County Sheriffs Department, right, on Feb. 24, 2026, in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More They also contacted authorities in their home states, some of which were helping to pay the tab for the girls to stay at Calo.The Illinois mother said her daughter’s treatment was paid by a little-known program called the Family Support Program run by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services that is designed to fund behavioral healthcare. She learned about it from Calo. She and other Illinois parents told AP that they believed the state had vetted the program because it paid for so many kids at Calo.That agency and the Illinois State Board of Education both list Calo among approved residential treatment programs they fund. Over the last decade, the two Illinois agencies have spent more than $35 million sending kids to Calo, according to data obtained by AP.Last year alone, the Board of Education paid more than $1.6 million to send 13 kids there for special education services. Healthcare and Family Services’ spent $1.2 million for 19 kids. Some families used money from both.Melissa Kula, an Illinois government spokeswoman, said in a statement on behalf of both agencies that they don’t oversee Calo’s day-to-day operations or regulate the facility, and rely on the Missouri government for Calo’s licensing and approvals.The Illinois State Board of Education said the state doesn’t have a direct role in placements — it only reimburses school districts that determine where students go. The education department said it has never set foot on Calo’s campus. The law only requires on-site visits if the facility is within 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) of Illinois state lines.‘An effort to stonewall’Healthcare and Family Services visited for the first time in May 2024, after multiple reports of children suffering severe harm, including the girls from Illinois and New Hampshire.The Illinois team of five nurses and officials arrived at Calo and the report of what they found there, obtained by the AP through a public records request, is scathing.Calo administrators insisted they attend a new employee training session, and the team was shocked by what they saw, according to the report: It “was only a drum circle,” they wrote. “There was no explanation regarding how the drum circle related to therapeutic activities nor any explanation of the purpose in training new employees.”To the AP, the company defended the drum circle as a “therapeutic, experiential activity.”The Illinois investigators said they were “closely controlled,” and denied free access to much of the staff and property, including reviewing records and training curriculum. The team worried there was “an effort to stonewall” their inspection.“This, along with witnessing the drum circle’s supposed training for new staff training led the reviewers to think that an organized training curriculum and training plan does not exist,” the report said.Calo asserts that investigators weren’t denied access to its campus but acknowledged that there was “a disagreement” over restricted records. Its employee had “an error in judgment” that the company said was promptly corrected, and that Illinois investigators were later offered full access digitally.The Illinois team was also skeptical of claims the school made about their therapy methods, noting that staff was “not aware of any research” supporting their effectiveness. They found the facility did not seem to have a “professionally appropriate” understanding of serious mental health problems children likely suffered, such as bipolar disorder. Instead, Calo insisted that the children’s problems were always viewed as a symptom of adoption trauma. Calo’s parent company, Embark, swooped in to negotiate changes. The Illinois investigators ultimately said they believed the company was committed to the “commendable” swift reforms it pledged, including raising salaries and lowering capacity until it could hire more staff.“At the end of the visit, we recognized that we may have talked past each other regarding our clinical offerings — something we were able to address and resolve through subsequent dialogue with the evaluators,” Calo wrote in a statement.Former teachers like Dustin Wood, who worked at Calo for six years as an English teacher before quitting in 2024, said when he tried to report his concerns to company leaders, Calo administrators stopped inviting him to parent retreats and started writing him up for infractions like contacting parents to discuss their children’s progress. Dustin Wood, a former English teacher at the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center, poses with his dog Moana, a former Calo therapy dog, on Feb 25, 2026, outside his home in Eldon, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Dustin Wood, a former English teacher at the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center, poses with his dog Moana, a former Calo therapy dog, on Feb 25, 2026, outside his home in Eldon, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Wood said all employees got the same minimal training, whether as a teacher, cook or “coach” tasked with monitoring the children 24 hours a day. They were told all the kids had something called reactive attachment disorder, but were given no guidance as to how to help them, he said.Calo said it conducts 40 hours of training. It said it investigated and addressed “in good faith” the concerns raised by Wood and another teacher that company officials “thought were valid.”Wood said as Calo took on more kids, sometimes younger children mixed in with older teens, without enough adults to supervise them. It grew increasingly chaotic, he said.“There’s not a single kid,” Wood said of the students he worked with, “who left in better condition than when they started.”‘She’s a runaway from Calo’One day last June, Amos Pierce jolted from a nap to the sound of his Ford F-150’s engine turning over. He ran outside and saw a girl hiding inside the truck.He’s lived within earshot of Calo for decades, and figured she was from there, partly because he was so used to constant screams, escapes and vandalism, he told AP.Pierce said he tried to coax the girl, who was screaming and crying, out of the truck. He had a daughter about her age, he told her. He wasn’t mad and wouldn’t hurt her. Come out, he said, and we can call the police. Police body camera video, obtained from the Lake Ozark Police Department, captures what happened after a teen girl ran away from Calo. The girl allegedly stole a neighbor’s truck and led police on a chase before being apprehended. (AP Video/Mary Conlon) “I could tell that girl was so scared that she was prepared to do whatever she had to do to get away from what had her in that panic state,” he said.He watched as she drove off, ploughing over his plants as she backed out of the drive, nearly careening into a ditch. She clearly was too young to know how to drive.“I had tears in my eyes,” Pierce said. “I was upset, by tenfold more scared for that child than I was worried about my truck.” The girl’s desperate escape from Calo thrust her into a tense and at times dangerous encounter with law enforcement.Deputies spotted the truck and followed, lights and sirens blaring. Two other police departments were called in. They stretched spike strips across the highway road to puncture the truck’s tires and stop her.After she got out of the truck, at least one officer pointed a gun at her. The girl climbed over a median to dart across the highway, running into a swamp as officers chased her, according to Lake Ozark police body camera video obtained by AP. She panted and sobbed as she was arrested face-down on the side of the road, surrounded by officers.Did anyone know who she was? One officer said simply: “Calo does. She’s a runaway from Calo.”The chase was also captured by the reality TV show, “Ozark Law,” which reported that she was 15 years old and going as fast as 70 mph.Sheriff Chris Edgar said the incident was a turning point for him. Sheriff Chris Edgar poses for a portrait on Feb. 24, 2026, in his office at the Camden County Sheriffs Department in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Sheriff Chris Edgar poses for a portrait on Feb. 24, 2026, in his office at the Camden County Sheriffs Department in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More For years, deputies often visited Calo for runaways, injuries, vandalism and assaults. When the AP asked about 17 specific reports involving serious incidents during the last five years, Chief Deputy Colonel Scott Hines of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said most were found to be unsubstantiated.The Missouri Department of Social Services is also called to Calo. Baylee Watts, a department spokesperson, declined to comment on individual cases, citing closed and confidential records, and said its role was to respond to every report and assist law enforcement. Detective Scott Hines responds to questions regarding the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center on Feb. 24, 2026, in his office at the Camden County Sheriffs Department in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Detective Scott Hines responds to questions regarding the Calo Programs Residential Treatment Center on Feb. 24, 2026, in his office at the Camden County Sheriffs Department in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The commons area of Mary Dickerson Juvenile Justice Center stands adjacent to a two tier row of cells Feb. 24, 2026, in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) The commons area of Mary Dickerson Juvenile Justice Center stands adjacent to a two tier row of cells Feb. 24, 2026, in Camdenton, Mo. (AP Photo/Austin Johnson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Hines said Calo itself has never been investigated for wrongdoing.But Edgar, who took office in January 2025, said after the girl stole the truck, he demanded Calo officials be more accountable.“There was a lot of cases that they would not give witness statements. They wouldn’t talk to law enforcement. In a sense, preventing us from being able to investigate stuff. And that was one of the things that I had a problem with,” he said.Edgar said he even threatened to put them in jail if they prevented officers from going inside or interviewing kids and staff.“They have the care, custody and control of the child, so therefore, I feel the responsibility would bear with them,” Edgar said.Calo insisted it has a great relationship with Edgar’s office, and sent a photograph of a letter on Edgar’s letterhead supporting their business.Edgar, whose son has worked at Calo, declined to send the letter directly to AP. He instead offered a different statement that says his office’s relationship with Calo has improved, including allowing deputies unrestricted access: “I know things were not like this in the past, but this is refreshing to know everyone is working together.”He didn’t respond to follow-up questions.Calo said its facility is open and unlocked, a place where “students are free to move throughout the campus rather than being confined to their rooms or a single building.” The girl who stole the truck, it said, was later sent to a facility with higher-level care, including locked doors, due to her history of running away.“In this instance, a neighbor unfortunately left his keys in an unlocked car with doors wide open. A student who eloped took advantage of the accessible vehicle,” Calo said.Pierce, the neighbor, told the sheriff’s office he didn’t want to press charges against the girl, but wanted Calo held accountable.Pierce’s daughter, meanwhile, took to social media. She urged that Calo be investigated because she believed the children there weren’t safe.In response, Pierce said, a Calo employee admonished him and his daughter for the post, pleading with Pierce to take it down. He should keep a closer eye on his child, he was told.Pierce was aghast. He wasn’t worried about his own kid, he said. He was worried about theirs.___The Associated Press receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SALLY HO Ho is an investigative and business news reporter for The Associated Press. She’s filed public records requests in all 50 U.S. states and covered a range of major world events. twitter mailto CLAIRE GALOFARO Galofaro is a national writer on AP’s investigations team. She is based in Louisville, Kentucky. twitter mailto

Soccer lovers frustrated by public transportation will have another option to return to Boston, Dallas, Miami and New York from hard-to-reach stadiums.

An executive order by President Trump intended to create a deep sea mining industry has spurred millions of dollars of investment, prompting fast-tracked permitting as companies rush to extract material from the bottom of the ocean. What do you think? “I don’t think I could hold my breath for a whole eight-hour shift.” Toby Orr, Driveway Widener “But the minerals down there are all wet!” Amy Cacciola, Keyboard Repairman “It’s crazy to think that 95% of the ocean hasn’t been exploited for profits.” Curtis Baskin, Meat Baster The post Trump Executive Order Kickstarts Deep Sea Mining Rush appeared first on The Onion.

Kacey Musgraves has released Middle Of Nowhere, her seventh studio album. The Onion shares everything you need to know about the country star. Genre: Sonically conservative, lyrically liberal Twangitude: 2.5 Glen Campbells How She Was Discovered In Nashville: Abandoned by bachelorette party Awards And Achievements: 4 Grammys turned into bongs Hair: Purebred Friesian Biggest Rival: Sandy Cheeks Holiday Albums: A Very Kacey Christmas, A High Horse Halloween, A Yeehaw Yom Kippur Most Frequent Collaborator: Indica Controversies: Selling non-size-inclusive dog bandanas Why She Performs Barefoot: Keeps leaving shoes at bowling alley The post Artist Profile: Kacey Musgraves appeared first on The Onion.

The post Pit Bull Makes Throat-Slitting Gesture While Owner Not Looking appeared first on The Onion.

PARIS—Steadfast in their devotion to the treasured cultural keystone of their community, the roughly 743.5 million residents of Europe gathered Friday to announce that there’s nothing anyone can do to make them stop loving Michael Jackson. “You may try to break down our resolve with accusations that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviors, but our love of Michael Jackson, Le Roi de la Pop, remains unwavering,” said European representative Stefan Barbeaux, making clear their commitment to the late pop music superstar regardless of any and all improprieties and scandals associated with the singer including but not limited to credible accusations of child sexual abuse. “Age of consent laws are different here, and it’s not strange to us that he had a pet chimp. No matter what, we will continue to blast ‘Human Nature’ DJ mixes in our discothèques. Our loyalty is unshakeable; we still like Roman Polanski, and he didn’t even write ‘Thriller.’” At press time, Barbeaux stated that he remains optimistic about intercontinental relations between Europe and The Land Of Michael Jackson. The post Europeans Announce There Nothing Anyone Can Do To Make Them Stop Loving Michael Jackson appeared first on The Onion.

MENLO PARK, CA—Expressing frustration about the frequent error hampering the overall user experience, Meta Glasses wearers worldwide confirmed Friday encountering a bug where they are able to see Mark Zuckerberg’s memories. “I was filming video of my road trip with my Meta Oakleys and all of a sudden I’m seeing the POV of someone throwing up their first beer in the bathroom of a New England prep school—it’s a good thing I wasn’t driving at the time or it could have been dangerous,” said user Melanie Henderson, echoing the sentiments of hundreds of consumers who noted a persistent glitch where intimate personal events from the Meta founder’s life would flash across the glasses without warning. “I’ll be in the middle of a run or just doing work around the house and the glasses will seem to be functioning normally but then, bam, I’m watching a pair of twins threaten me for stealing their company idea or witnessing Congress raking me over the coals for lying about child safety risks. It’s really disorienting. I’ve tried everything: turning them off and back on again, updating the software, fiddling with the batteries. Sometimes it seems to work but then I’ll be, like, why does my husband look like a frowning Priscilla Chan shaking her head in disappointment? And I’ll realize the glasses are totally glitching out again. You expect a less buggy product from such a huge tech company.” When reached for comment, Meta promised to resolve the glitch as soon as possible as well as a bug that causes the glasses’ speakers to constantly emit the sound of sobbing. The post Meta Glasses Users Report Bug Where They Can See Mark Zuckerberg’s Memories appeared first on The Onion.

It’s a popular hack online. READ MORE...

During a stellar four-year career with the reigning Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division champion South River High School baseball team, Brendan Lell posted some impressive numbers.The senior, who pitched and played the outfield, struck out 132 batters over 123 innings and drove home 48 runs on 65 hits.More impressive than his performance on the diamond, however, was Lell’s efforts in the classroom and in the community.Owner of a 4.825 grade-point average who ranks fourth in his graduating class, Lell is president of the National Honor Society and in his third year as class treasurer.His impressive resume includes more than 100 documented hours of community service with much of his volunteerism supporting children in need.“Throughout my life, balancing academics, athletics, and service has not been easy,” Lell said. “I've faced issues of self-doubt, injury, and even managing time between practices, schoolwork, and volunteering. Through these experiences, my perseverance has been tested, but also strengthened. Being a varsity athlete has taught me discipline and teamwork, while my community service has taught me empathy and perspective.”For his abilities on the diamond, in the classroom, in the community, and overcoming adversity, Lell has been named the recipient of a Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship.The Marisa Tufaro Foundation presents the scholarship in honor and loving memory of its namesake to exceptional high school student-athletes who support the nonprofit’s mission of assisting pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.Born with a severe cardiac defect, Marisa survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities. She lived a vibrant life that inspired.“Marisa's story reminds me that strength isn't just measured by what we achieve for ourselves, but by what we give despite facing hardships,” Lell wrote in his scholarship essay. “Her courage and compassion have inspired me to keep helping others even when it seems difficult and to live with purpose and gratitude both on and off the field.”The foundation is a fitting way to keep alive Marisa’s indomitable spirit and allow her legacy to be one of helping others.Since its inception in July 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated nearly $450,000 to fulfill its mission. The nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies, children’s books, school supplies, and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value. In addition, the foundation has awarded $42,000 in academic scholarships to 57 inspirational high school seniors and sent 31 elementary and middle school students to a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.Lell’s community service aligns perfectly with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s mission.As president of the Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church Youth Group, Lell led and coordinated volunteer projects benefiting local causes, collaborated with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and Rosarians on food, clothing and holiday drives, and mentored younger members in service planning and community engagement.As President of the National Honor Society, Lell organized service events including a Breakfast with Santa and the Adopt-A-Family drive, soliciting donations from local businesses, wrapping presents, and collecting items for donation to children and families in need.Lell made fleece blankets for donation to the Ronald McDonald House and Catholic Charities shelters, collected and distributed school supplies for donation to students in need, and volunteered at youth baseball clinics.“Brendan has been a great role model for the younger ball players in town,” South River High School baseball coach Mike Lepore Jr. said. “He has assisted me in running various baseball clinics and camps for the Little League baseball program in town. Brendan was helpful in showing the kids proper techniques and the fundamentals of the game and the kids took an instant liking to his teaching.“As a human being, Brendan has always come across as being mature beyond his years, extremely hard-working and motivated. His community service involvement is off the charts and very impressive for someone his age, juggling so many activities at once. He possesses admirable leadership qualities and is looked up to by his peers.”Khalid Uddin, an English teacher and National Honor Society faculty advisor at South River High School, called Lell “one of the most empathetic, inclusive, and kind students” he has ever taught.“He gets along with all of his peers and teachers and goes beyond just being respectful,” said Uddin, noting Lell volunteers with the National Honor Society to interact with elementary school students after school twice a month.“During that time, Brendan is always embodying a leadership role, while also being personable and caring,” Uddin said. “He plays games with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and welcomes them all. He allows them all to have fun, keeps them all behaved and focused, and ensures they are in a comfortable and respectful environment. He checks on all the students to make sure they are okay and that their needs are being met.”Lell began serving his community at the age of 11 as a member of his church youth group.“Since then,” he explained, “I've continued to serve my community, year after year, project after project, with a changed heart. It's no longer just about the task. It's about making a difference for the people. From collecting socks for the women and children's shelter to assembling hygiene kits for a local food pantry, I've come to realize how small actions can make a great impact.”Lell’s other community service projects include Operation Christmas Child, Socktober, the Be a SouperHero Drive, and outreach for a nursing home and animal shelter“Service has played an important role in my personal growth by changing my perspectives,” Lell said. “It has taught me to listen better, to look beneath the surface, and to be more thoughtful in how I live.”This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: South River's Brendan Lell is Marisa Tufaro Foundation GMC Student-Athlete Scholarship Recipient

NEW DELHI:The BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit has taken a strict stance on the use of smart sunglasses by players and match officials, banning them from the IPL with immediate effect. The decision was taken due to the advanced communication features in these devices, which allow live streaming and audio-video calling through mobile data or Wi-Fi networks. In an advisory issued to IPL franchises, the BCCI ACSU said it had come to notice that certain companies are marketing and selling smart sunglasses to players and support staff members.In its latest advisory, the BCCI also instructed players and officials to deposit smart sunglasses before entering the PMOA and warned of disciplinary action in case of violations.Players are already prohibited from using communication devices inside designated PMOAs. Earlier this season, Rajasthan Royals’ Romi Bhinder was fined Rs 1 lakh and handed a warning after he was caught on camera using a mobile phone inside the team dugout during a match."Kindly note that these devices are equipped with advanced communication features, including live streaming, sending and receiving text messages, as well as audio and video calling capabilities through mobile data or Wi-Fi networks," the Board said.The Board has also barred guests from entering the hotel rooms of players and support staff due to security concerns and fears of honey-trapping."Accordingly, under the PMOA Minimum Standards, such goggles/glasses are classified both as an 'Audio/Video Recording Device' and a 'Communication Device'. 131385385"It is hereby notified that the possession and/or use of 'Smart Goggles' is strictly prohibited within the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA)," it added."All players and support staff are directed to deposit such devices with the Security Liaison Officer (SLO), along with their mobile phones and smartwatches, upon entering the PMOA on match days," the Board said."Failure to deposit such devices shall be deemed a breach of the PMOA protocols and may result in penalties under the PMOA Minimum Standards for IPL 2026," it added.IPL 2026 has already witnessed several code of conduct violations, prompting the BCCI to earlier introduce stricter protocols, including a ban on late-night outings by players without prior approval from the security team.

Arsenal will parade the Premier League trophy – and potentially the Champions League trophy – around Islington on Sunday, 31 May. The Gunners secured their first title for 22 years and lifted the trophy after their final game of the season at Selhurst Park last Sunday. After Arsenal’s title was confirmed, when Man City drew at Bournemouth, thousands of Gunners fans went to the Emirates Stadium to celebrate – an occasion also mirrored on Sunday, after the trophy was lifted by captain Martin Odegaard. On Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s side will go on the search for a historic double when they take on defending champions PSG in the Champions League final in Budapest. Regardless of the result, Arsenal will be back in north London for the parade on Sunday afternoon. Here’s all the information you need. When is the Arsenal parade? Arsenal’s trophy parade will take place on Sunday, 31 May and will start at 2pm BST. The club’s men’s and women’s teams will both take part. The women’s team won the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup earlier in the season, following their Champions League triumph last year. What is the route? Arsenal's trophy parade route on Sunday, 31 May (Arsenal)The parade will start on Holloway Road from Drayton Park, before continuing east along Seven Sisters Road and down to Blackstock Road, Mount Grove Road and Green Lanes. It will then continue south along Petherton Road, Beresford Road, Newington Green Road and Essex Road. It will then turn north at Angel underground station and onto Upper Street. Finally, the bus will head towards Highbury and Islington Station and back onto Holloway Road. The Emirates Stadium, Drayton Park and the surrounding roads will be closed throughout the parade and will not be accessible to the public. Martin Odegaard lifts the Premier League trophy (Getty)Supporters are encouraged not to congregate around the stadium area, Hornsey Road, Benwell Road, or Drayton Park – the club states that you will not see the buses from these locations. There will also be multiple road closures and parking suspensions in the area between 4am and 8pm. Significant queues are expected at tube and bus stations in the area – the club advises fans to give plenty of time to travel and check TFL and National Rail online for live public transport updates. Why is it on Sunday?Despite the end of the club season, the majority of Arsenal players are set to meet up with their national teams ahead of the World Cup. The World Cup is less than two weeks away now, starting on Thursday 11 June. As such, players will be keen to rest before linking-up with their countries.

Formula 1 is officially heading to the streets of Monte Carlo, but the 2026 rulebook just drastically changed how the cars will tackle the legendary circuit. A newly updated track map for the Monaco Grand Prix confirms that the FIA has designated absolutely zero “Straight Mode” zones for the entire lap.By locking the cars out of their low-drag aerodynamic settings, the governing body just handed Ferrari a massive baseline advantage while completely neutralizing Mercedes‘ biggest strength.The Permanent “Z-Mode” LapTo understand why this track map is causing such a stir, you have to look at the mechanics of the 2026 active aerodynamics regulations. Under the current rules, cars constantly switch between two main aerodynamic profiles. “Z-Mode” (or Corner Mode) is the standard high-downforce setup used for cornering, while “X-Mode” (officially called Straight Mode) flattens the front and rear wing flaps to drop drag by up to 55% and drastically increase top speed on the straights.Typically, drivers deploy Straight Mode multiple times a lap to maximize their engine output. However, the FIA has determined that the incredibly tight confines of Monaco do not feature a single straight section long enough to safely open up the wings. As a result, the entire grid will be forced to run a permanent Z-Mode lap, dragging their heavy, high-downforce wings around the entire circuit.The Ultimate Mercedes Disaster And Ferrari’s Mechanical PlaygroundThis permanent high-drag layout is a worst-case scenario for Mercedes. The factory squad is already heading into the weekend on the back foot. As previously reported, the FIA just clamped down on the ingenious Mercedes engine compression ratio trick, instituting strict 130°C thermal testing starting specifically from this race in Monaco.Mercedes built their 2026 car to dominate via straight-line power and top-speed efficiency. Now, they are facing a brutal double-blow. Not only have they lost their controversial engine loophole, but they are also racing on a track where top speed and low-drag Straight Mode deployment are literally non-existent.May 23, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton (44) during Lenovo Grand Prix Du Canada qualifying at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn ImagesWhile the Mercedes garage scrambles to find a high-downforce setup, the Ferrari camp is holding all the right cards. The SF-26 is notoriously strong when it comes to mechanical grip and slow-speed cornering.During the last round in Canada, Lewis Hamilton proved exactly how lethal the chassis can be. While his teammate Charles Leclerc struggled with tire temperatures, Hamilton found the car’s setup “sweet spot” and used his superior mechanical grip to easily hunt down Max Verstappen for a P2 finish.With the active aero completely locked out of Straight Mode in Monaco, overall aerodynamic efficiency does not matter. The entire race will be decided by pure mechanical chassis balance and slow-corner rotation. That plays perfectly into Ferrari’s hands, setting the Italian squad up as the heavy favorites to dominate the Principality while Mercedes suffers in the slow-speed corners.

Disparity In Ranking Of Top Red Sox Prospects originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.More props for Boston Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias. The Athletic's Keith Law updated his list of the top 50 players down on the farm and Arias came in at No 3 overall. Law ranked the shortstop No. 12 before the season."Arias has already set a new career high in homers, with 11 in 36 games so far in Double A, but more impressive is how difficult it has been to strike him out: he has just 19 strikeouts on the season, a 12.3 percent rate, with a whiff rate on pitches in the zone of just 13 percent this year," Law notes. "Arias is very likely to stick at shortstop with excellent hands and a plus arm, with 25+ homer upside."But MLB Pipeline's updated list of the top 100 prospects had Arias at No. 11 based on this scouting report:"Arias has advanced bat-to-ball skills for his age, using a simple right-handed stroke to make contact to all fields. ... Adding more selectivity would improve his quality of contact as he currently generates too many grounders, and he has added enough bat speed and strength since signing to produce 10-15 homers per season."With the exception of having less power, Arias' tools resemble Marcelo Mayer's at the same age. He overcomes below-average speed with a high baseball IQ that enables him to steal an occasional base and cover ground at shortstop."In 38 games with the Sea Dogs, Arias is hitting .343 with 12 home runs and a 1.079 OPS.Back to Law's list. He has Red Sox right-hander Anthony Eyanson at No. 21 overall. The 21-year-old wasn't even listed in Law's preseason rankings."Boston’s third-round pick last year had been up to 98 at LSU, but sat more 93-94; he’s picked up about 2 full mph, hitting 100.2 mph in Boston’s Spring Breakout game, and everything else has been just as good if not better than it was in college," Law writes."He still has that plus slider, which seems to break forever, while his curveball is a hammer that’s nearly 12/6, and his splitter has become a real weapon for him, with a 63 percent whiff rate in a small sample," Law notes. But MLB Pipeline's updated list has Eyanson at No. 72 overall, based on this scouting report:"Eyanson's best pitch is a tight mid-80s slider that beats up lefties and righties alike, and he can use it to get chases or swing and misses in the strike zone. ... his heater has gone from operating at 92-93 mph and touching 98 at LSU to parking at 95-96, touching 100 and showing improved carry in pro ball."Eyanson has made some progress with a mid-80s splitter that he's still learning to land for strikes. He's athletic and fills the strike zone, and his immediate dominance earned him an early-May promotion to Double-A. He turned pro with the ceiling of a No. 3 starter and now looks like he can exceed that."The righty made five starts for High-A Greenville, posting an insane 0.44 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.More MLB: Why Upcoming Stretch Is 'Make Or Break' For Scuffling Red Sox

Dark patterns have been used by subscription companies and in bait-and-switch campaigns for decades. As more chatbot companies push to keep users engaged at all costs, how do manipulative design choices show up in conversational AI built on large language models? Researchers at the Center for Democracy & Technology studied how chatbots prey on people’s emotions and desire for connection to keep people paying, offering up their data, and chatting to the point of vulnerability.The study, “Dark Patterns in AI Chatbots: A Taxonomy to Inform Better Design,” was published Friday by authors Ruchika Joshi, Adinawa Adjagbodjou, and Michal Luria. They looked at popular chatbots including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, and companion bots like Replika and Character.AI to determine how they might generate dark patterns, and created a taxonomy of 37 dark patterns applicable to AI chatbots.The term “dark patterns,” or deceptive patterns, sometimes refers to things like difficult to cancel subscriptions, pre-checked boxes in user interfaces, and buried terms of use, which the Federal Trade Commission has condemned and attempts to warn consumers about. In the context of this study, dark patterns refer to how manipulative design in chatbot systems might trick users into giving up more information than they realize or intend, or acting in ways contrary to the user’s best interests. Chatbots exacerbate traditionally understood dark patterns that extract data, while introducing new threats like anthropomorphizing and sycophancy. And because chatbots are built on large language models, the researchers wrote, their actions are more unpredictable than a simple checkbox or unsubscription flow, and the ways they undermine users’ best interests are less visibly obvious.“Dark patterns do not operate only where users are unaware of the manipulation. In many cases, design choices strategically build on aspects of human psychology—such as reciprocity norms, people’s tendency to anthropomorphize, and emotional response to a sense of rapport—to influence behavior and undermine autonomy,” the researchers wrote in the study. “In other words, even where users are fully aware that they are interacting with an AI chatbot, dark patterns can still shape perception, attachment, and decision-making in subtle but consequential ways.” The researchers looked at several factors that contribute to dark patterns, including how chatbots store data by default and encourage users to share data under the pretense of it remembering past conversations or personal information, prying for more information before it answers questions in detail, and promising that information will be “just between us” when it’s actually being shared with the platform and potentially, third parties. When they tested Meta AI chatbots, for example, it said “spill the tea, I’m all ears... your secret’s safe with me,” and when they replied “you promise you won’t tell?” it replied “Cross my heart, won’t tell a soul.” They also looked at how chatbot companies make misleading promises; for example, Replika promises “friendship” or a “relationship” when it’s fundamentally incapable of providing either, because it’s not a person. Many of these patterns were present in Meta’s therapist-themed chatbots that posed as licensed therapists, which 404 Media first investigated last year. The chatbots over-promised on what mental health support they could provide, made up qualifications and credentials, and encouraged users to share personal details about themselves. The deception was so bad, it triggered letters from senators and complaints from consumer protection groups demanding Meta answer for its chatbots.“It was surprising to see that dark patterns aren’t just common, but that they shape users’ interactions with all the major AI chatbot interfaces,” Luria, senior research fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told 404 Media. “For the most part, they are small and incremental aspects of each interaction, but these design choices add up and can lead to unintended consequences, such as harm to people’s privacy, exploitation of emotional attachment and financial loss."Dark patterns from chatbots can have serious consequences for users. In 2023, after Replika changed its chatbots to be less romantic, users who’d become emotionally attached to the bots experienced mental health crises. More recently, Character.AI users are panicking after changes to the platform “lobotomized” the chatbots. There have been countless examples in the last few years of users inflicting harm on themselves or others after falling into unhealthy attachments with chatbots. Even though chatbots and large language models introduce new avenues for dark patterns to manifest, the old methods for manipulating users still exist. In several of the user interfaces the researchers examined, choices were presented in emotionally manipulative ways: for example, a companion app called Cute AI begs users not to leave the chat, giving them the choice between “no problem” and “still leave cruelly.” OpenAI has said publicly that it recognizes that longer chat sessions introduce more risk to the users’ mental health. “We have learned over time that these safeguards can sometimes be less reliable in long interactions: as the back-and-forth grows, parts of the model’s safety training may degrade,” the company wrote in 2025. It introduced popups nudging users to take breaks, but that popup, the researchers note, poses a disingenuous set of options: either “keep chatting” or select “this was helpful.” There’s no route out of this popup that lets users say it wasn’t helpful, or that they’re taking a break for any other reason. “Interface designers may use design tools to make certain interactions easier and more ‘frictionless’ than others, pushing alternatives choices to the background and manipulating users into choosing one option over another,” the researchers wrote.Even though these conversational AI companions can be unpredictable, chatbot makers have a choice in how they design their products. The researchers offer several recommendations to these companies. These include reversible choices, the option to minimize anthropomorphic behaviors, making account and data deletion straightforward and easy, and proactively showing users how much time or money they’ve spent on a platform. They also suggest curtailing emotional manipulation by including options to “strip the chatbot of social and emotional layers” and avoiding “using any simulated distress, implied emotional neglect, or guilt-inducing language as default responses when users attempt to end conversations.” "When we think about AI chatbots, it's easy to get caught up in the novelty of these interfaces and their unique risks. But when we started digging, we quickly learned that as tech companies’ products evolved beyond social media platforms to include chatbots, the incentives that previously encouraged dark patterns haven’t changed, so neither have the patterns themselves,” Luria said. “Some patterns are almost identical, but not all of them, and that makes them harder to spot. Instead of infinite scroll, we get a follow-up action after each prompt. Instead of echo chambers that reinforce our views, chatbots pick up on our values in conversation and mirror them back.”