We are two months and two days away from the MLB trade deadline, and as the month of June begins, there are several players who have shined throughout the first half. For some of those players, given the teams they play for, their performances could pique the interest of potential buyers at this year's trade deadline.Here are five players buyers should be keeping their eyes on.Luis Arraez, 2B, San Francisco GiantsIt was a slow offseason for Arraez, who didn’t have many suitors on the free-agent market. But the veteran second baseman found his way to the Bay, signing a one-year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. And in a year full of head-scratching decisions for Buster Posey and Co., Arraez might go down as the team’s best addition.The three-time All-Star has found new life with the Giants. Arraez has always been known for his elite bat-to-ball skills, but because of the lack of power in his game, that has often felt one-dimensional. In 2026, however, Arraez has shown that he can still be an offensive producer. Entering Monday, he’s hitting .321 and ranks fifth among second basemen with a 121 wRC+, which would be his highest mark since 2023.And the biggest surprise from Arraez this season has been the significant improvement he has made defensively. Over the past few seasons, he was forced to play first base in San Diego due to his lack of value at another position. But now he’s back to being a full-time second baseman, and he has taken full advantage of the tutelage of arguably the best infield coach in baseball, Ron Washington. Arraez is currently second among second basemen with nine outs above average.Unfortunately for San Francisco, this Giants team is going nowhere fast, and with few movable contracts on the roster, Arraez could be their key to getting something out of this year’s trade deadline.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was one of the many names floated on the trade market in the offseason. With a new front office led by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni coming in and a rebuild on the way, you could understand why Abrams' name kept popping up. But the Nationals held on to their 25-year-old shortstop to begin this season, and their offense has reaped the benefits. Abrams looks like a different player so far this season, and he has been a catalyst for the Nationals, who have scored more runs than any other team in MLB and qualify as one of the season’s biggest surprises so far. Abrams has been a huge part of that success, and offensively, he has been one of the premier shortstops in the game. Entering Monday, he has a .294/.391/.542 slashline with 12 homers and 47 RBI in 59 games, and he leads all shortstops with a 160 wRC+. The jump in production might be attributable to a more patient approach, as the Nationals’ shortstop has nearly doubled his walk rate, which is currently a career-high 10.7%. The Nationals, currently 31-29 and second in the NL East, have played much better than many would’ve expected in year one of a rebuild and are in the mix in the NL wild-card race. As they continue to rebuild the organization, trading Abrams this summer could help the team expedite that process. The shortstop has two years of club control remaining and could bring back a strong return, especially if he continues to produce at this level.A good player on a bad team often makes for a strong candidate to be traded.Bruno Rouby/Yahoo SportsJoe Ryan, SP, Minnesota Twins While the best pitcher on the planet, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, could be available at this year’s trade deadline, he isn’t the only frontline starter who could be on the market. Twins ace Joe Ryan is a name that has been coveted by teams for the past few seasons, as Minnesota has taken a few steps back and entered a rebuilding phase. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Ryan has become one of baseball’s most consistent starting pitchers, with an ERA of 3.60 or lower in four of the past five seasons.This year, he looks to have taken another step forward, going 3-3 with a career-best 2.94 ERA through his first 12 starts. Even in a season with Skubal on the market, a team looking for more than a rental would be wise to make some phone calls about Ryan, who has an additional year of club control after this season.The Twins are currently in an interesting position, as they’re just two games out of the AL wild-card picture. But in a year when much of the American League has been so bad, Minnesota might not truly know if it’s a buyer or seller until much closer to the deadline, and many other teams could be motivated to make compelling offers for Ryan.Michael Wacha, SP, Kansas City Royals There might not be a more underrated starter in baseball than Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha. The 34-year-old, who joined the Royals as a free agent in 2024, has continued his late-career renaissance, pitching to a 3.38 ERA since ‘22. And Wacha has been pitching at a high level this season, going 4-3 with a 3.23 ERA through 12 starts this season.Unfortunately for the Royals, they’ve been unable to take advantage of the stellar start from their right-hander and, at 22-37, currently have the second-worst record in the American League. Following a disappointing 2025, they’ve been underperforming again through the first few months of this season.If Kansas City continues to flounder in the standings and is forced to be a seller at the trade deadline, Wacha could be one of the best options available on the pitching market. He’s in the second year of a three-year, $51 million deal that includes a club option for 2028.Willson Contreras, 1B, Boston Red SoxIt has been a disastrous first half for the Boston Red Sox, but if there has been one bright spot, it’s the performance of first baseman Willson Contreras. Contreras, 34, has made the most of his first year in Boston after being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason. The Sox’s first baseman leads the team in nearly every major offensive category, slashing .286/.384/.505 with 11 homers, and he’s fifth among MLB first basemen with an .889 OPS. The Sox, who are 25-33 and last in the AL East, have watched their season go off the rails, leading to the firing of longtime manager Alex Cora back in April. With a still-underperforming roster and several key injuries to notable players such as Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Garrett Crochet, selling at the trade deadline is likely where Boston is headed. Teams are always looking for additional power at the trade deadline, especially right-handed power. Contreras would be a dangerous offensive addition to any playoff-caliber lineup.

The UW-Milwaukee and Auburn baseball teams played a NCAA Tournament regional final into the wee hours of June 1.The teams are hoping to avoid that again, but the weather in Auburn, Alabama, is not cooperating.Another weather delay in Auburn NCAA baseball regionalThe winner-take-all "Game 7" on June 2 for a spot in the super regionals was supposed to start at 5 p.m. But with heavy storms rolling through the area, the first pitch has been pushed back to 8 p.m.The game will still be televised on ESPNU.Severe Thunderstorms will be Rolling Through the Auburn, Alabama area Most of the Afternoon ⛈️We now have a Scheduled First Pitch Time of 8:00 p.m. this evening#ForTheMKE | #HLBASE | #MKEBaseball | #RoadToOmahapic.twitter.com/dHt2k6IYSI— Milwaukee Baseball (@MKE_Baseball) June 1, 2026This will be the third time in four days that the fourth-seeded Panthers and top-seeded Tigers have played. UWM opened the tournament with a 13-8 upset on May 29, then Auburn got late-night payback with an 8-1 victory on May 31 to set up the finale.This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Milwaukee vs. Auburn regional final is delayed by rain

CLEMSON — Clemson football added its third defensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class with the commitment of Desmond Malpress on June 1.The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida, is a four-star edge rusher. He is the No. 15 player in the state and the No. 147 player nationally by the 247Sports Composite.In his junior season, Malpress recorded 15 tackles, including 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in six games.Malpress chose Clemson over rival South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State, posting his commitment on Instagram.His commitment comes after Clemson landed two recruits after its big visit weekend May 29-31. Malpress' pledge continues the Tigers' strong recruiting momentum, earning nine commits in 14 days.Clemson's 2027 class has 16 commits and is ranked No. 13 nationally (second-best in the ACC). The Tigers have 10 four-star players and six three stars.MORE: Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Donnell Woolford on College Football Hall of Fame 2027 ballotMalpress is Clemson's third Florida commit, joining four-star wide receiver Jamarin Simmons and four-star edge rusher Santana Harvey. Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson lands Desmond Malpress, 2027 4-star DL for Dabo Swinney

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Tech softball team needs to score a pair of wins to advance to the Women's College World Series championship when the Red Raiders face Alabama tonight at Devon Park.The Red Raiders survived another nine-inning thriller against UCLA to advance to the semifinals and now need to beat the Crimson Tide twice to stick around OKC for a few more days. Alabama is 2-0 in the WCWS with wins over UCLA and Nebraska.Can NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry keep Texas Tech alive, or will Jocelyn Briski push Alabama into the finals?The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is bringing you live coverage of the game. Follow along for live score updates, stats, highlights and more.Texas Tech softball vs Alabama in Women's College World Series semifinalsThis section will be updated closer to game time.What channel is Texas Tech softball vs Alabama in Women's College World Series on today?TV Channel: ESPN2Livestream: Fubo (subscription required) The Texas Tech softball game vs Alabama will air on ESPN2. The game can also be streamed on Fubo, which requires a subscription.Texas Tech softball vs Alabama in Women's College World Series time todayDate: Monday, June 1Start time: 6 p.m. CT & 8:30 p.m.The Texas Tech vs Alabama game starts at 6 p.m. at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. If needed, the second game will be at 8:30 p.m.Watch Women's College World Series softball on Fubo2026 Women's College World Series scheduleAll times CentralTHURSDAY, MAY 28Game 1: Texas Tech 8, Mississippi State 0 (5)Game 2: Tennessee 6, Texas 3Game 3: Alabama 6, UCLA 3Game 4: Nebraska 5, Arkansas 3 (10)FRIDAY, MAY 29Game 5: Texas 5, Mississippi State 0Game 6: UCLA 11, Arkansas 0 (5)SATURDAY, MAY 30Game 7: Tennessee 2, Texas Tech 1 (9)Game 8: Alabama 5, Nebraska 1SUNDAY, MAY 31Game 9: Texas 3, Nebraska 1Game 10: Texas Tech 8, UCLA 7 (9)MONDAY, JUNE 1Game 11: Tennessee vs. Texas, 11 a.m., ESPNGame 12: Tennessee vs. Texas, 1:30 p.m. (If necessary), ESPNGame 13: Alabama vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m., ESPN2Game 14: Alabama vs. Texas Tech, 8:30 p.m. (If necessary), ESPN2This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Live score updates for Texas Tech softball vs Alabama in WCWS semis

Women's T20 tri-seriesWest Indies 141-8 (20 overs): Glasgowe 36, Campbelle 21; Canning 2-11, Prendergast 2-26Ireland 99-5 (14.1 overs): Prendergast 71*; Hector 2-21Ireland win by one run by DLS methodScorecardIreland followed up Sunday's win over Pakistan in the T20I Tri-Nations Series by beating West Indies for the first time in that format in a dramatic finish at Clontarf.Home captain Orla Prendergast celebrated her birthday with an unbeaten 71 as an Ireland four from the last ball before rain intervened ensured the hosts prevailed by one run on the DLS method.Prendergast had taken two wickets as West Indies made 141-8 off their 20 overs, with Ireland's 99-5 off 14.1 overs in reply proving just enough.After electing to bat first, West Indies lost three wickets in the opening powerplay, but recovered somewhat as Jannillea Glasgow top-scored with 36 off 26 balls.Ava Canning was the pick of the home bowlers with 2-11 while Prendergast ended with figures of 2-26.Needing 142 to win, Ireland found themselves two wickets down in the first over but player-of-the-match Prendergast's contribution, struck off 46 balls, proved decisive.The Irish skipper hit 11 fours and a six in a 50-minute masterclass, putting together a 57-run partnership with Rebecca Stokell (12), and then a 34-run stand with Louise Little (9*) propelled the home side towards their target.As rain began to fall, Ireland were still three runs behind on DLS and the umpires persisted with play to see one more ball bowled.Little swung the bat through the falling rain and edged the ball past the keeper for four to see her side surge past the DLS target.As the rain began to fall more heavily, the umpires relented and the players left the field and were unable to return. Ireland are back in action on Thursday against Pakistan at the same venue.Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport

The ruling gives a temporary reprieve to a group of service members while their lawsuit proceeds. The plaintiffs plan to ask the court to extend the ruling to all transgender troops.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won two of three games in the recent series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but that one loss prompted some unconscionable remarks from one social media user.Reliever Tanner Scott picked up the loss on Saturday after he gave up three runs in the eighth inning, and his wife, Maddie, and newborn child were targeted with hateful comments by a pseudonymous user, @hawk.3112090.May 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott (66) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images“When did it stop being a game?” Maddie Scott wrote on an Instagram story this weekend. “I don’t speak out often. Ever actually. I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”Social media user threatened Tanner Scott’s family with physical violenceScott revealed some of the comments she got, including awkwardly worded phrases that appeared to be intended to evade automated moderation provided by social media companies, such as “gun shot your family tonight.”Christian Orozco of the California Post detailed that @hawk.3112090 also commented under a photo of the Scotts’ child saying “Hope this mutt d i e s soon.”Other horrifying comments include: “I hope you get home to your family lying in puddles of their own blood” towards Tanner Scott“Hope it’s a still b i r t h,” posted under a photo of Maddie Scott announcing her pregnancy on Mother’s Day“Hope that kid doesn’t see age 5”“Hope this d i e s soon” on a photo of the couple’s child“k i l l yourself” to Tanner Scott on multiple postsHow is Tanner Scott playing in 2026?After a rough 2025, Scott has rebounded this season. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Dodgers Nation (@dodgersnation)His 43.6% chase rate is at the very top of the major leagues, as is his walk rate of 3.3%.He’s also in the top 10% of pitchers in whiff rate, strikeout rate and hard-hit percentage.Apr 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott (66) reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesWhile he has a losing record on the year at 1-2, he also has a 2.19 ERA and has recorded five saves.His WHIP of 0.689 is especially impressive, given he’s only finished a season with a WHIP under 1.000 once in his career, when he was a Miami Marlin in 2023.That year, he finished with a WHIP of 0.987.

It is easy to see why Cleveland Browns fans are among the most emotionally distraught in the NFL. Myles Garrett, future NFL Hall of Famer, is the latest first round pick to leave town and head for Los Angeles. It brings up unresolved feelings from LeBron James leaving and to a lesser extent Odell Beckham Jr. The other unresolved issue Garrett’s departure presents is what happens to the work he has done in the city including his minority ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers.MORE: WWE star, Browns superfan ‘The Miz’ rips Cleveland over Myles Garrett tradeGarrett often called Cleveland his second homeThe Texas native was proud to call Cleveland his second home, and he put his money where his mouth was. Garrett invested in improvements to downtown Cleveland, commissioning artists to paint murals.Garrett was also an eager investor in the Cavaliers, frequently spotted at the team’s games. Will he sell his minority stake in the Cavs?He embraced Cleveland, and Cleveland embraced him.Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (left) laughs as he watches a video on the scoreboard during the second quarter of a preseason football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal/Ohio.com] | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesNow Cleveland is left feeling dejected yet again. Fans will blame the Browns for wasting another player’s prime and not affording him legitimate opportunities to play for a contender so he could retire as a Brown.MORE: Colts-Gardner trade looks worse after Rams-Garrett tradeWill Garrett win in Los AngelesIt will be extremely bittersweet if Garrett is able to win a Super Bowl in Los Angeles. Cavs fans will also be pained if he is spotted at Lakers or Clippers games.I can’t help but wonder if Garrett was eager to leave and embark upon this Rams opportunity not only for the Super Bowl possibilities, but also because his girlfriend Olympic champion Chloe Kim is a California native. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. Cleveland fans have been delivered this gut punch before and now have to process and deal with it yet again. The only consolation is that the Rams are not scheduled to play the Browns this season.

Carson Boleman of Southside Christian High School was named the Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year on June 1.Boleman also won the award last year, making him the first player in South Carolina to win the award in back-to-back seasons.Boleman recently led Southside Christian to a fifth straight state championship after an 8-7 victory over Oceanside Collegiate on May 27 at Sabre Park. Through 33 games, Boleman had a 0.17 ERA, 91 strikeouts, and a 7-0 record in 41.1 innings pitched.MORE: T.L. Hanna baseball's remarkable playoff run ends in state finalBoleman has played on varsity for the Sabres since he was an eighth-grader and was named the 2026 South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year. The five-time state champion played for the USA Baseball 18U national team, which won the World Championship in 2025.The 6-foot-4, 220-pound left-handed pitcher and first baseman is signed to play at Wake Forest and is a MLB prospect. Boleman has been named the Greenville News' Upstate Player of the Year for the past two seasons.Southside Christian finished the season 25-8-1, and 10-0 in Region 2-3A.Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her story ideas, athlete-of-the-week nominations, and statistics to KEJackson@gannett.com, and follow her on X at @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Southside Christian's Carson Boleman named 2026 Gatorade baseball player of year

Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull is offering some insight into the team's locker room after a viral exchange between Caitlin Clark and head coach Stephanie White has garnered headlines.Following the Fever's 100-84 loss to the Portland Fire on May 30, footage of White and Clark getting into a verbal disagreement during a team huddle circulated across social media. In the video, White eventually removed Clark from the bench and asked Raven Johnson to sit in her place. Kelsey Mitchell and Makayla Timpson attempted to calm Clark, who shook her head while standing behind her coach.During an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily on Monday, Hull acknowledged frustrations boiled over in the moment, but clarified that "it's not something that we're worried about at all.""That's part of the game. There's frustrations that rise and decisions have to be made and ultimately this wasn't something that carried on," Hull said. "This is in the moment, something that happened and not something that is talked about now in our locker room or talked about even later on in the game. That's just something that happened and unfortunately, Caitlin's got a camera on her 24/7 and so you see every little thing."OPINION: Are Caitlin Clark, Fever losing composure? Frustration hits boiling point "That's part of the game, there's frustrations that rise."Fever guard @lexiehulll addresses the heated exchange between Caitlin Clark and HC Stephanie White during Indiana's loss to Portland.(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/qD6LF8Cw7H— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 1, 2026Hull explained the Fever's defensive effort added to the frustration. Indiana committed 18 turnovers in the loss to the Fire and gave up 52 paint points. Clark finished with six points, six assists and five fouls."We noticed they were trying to pick on Caitlin (Clark) a little bit on defensive line," Hull added on Monday. "She was getting called for some fouls. Fouls aren't fun. She got in some foul trouble. Our team got into some foul trouble and that's just all it was... this happens almost every day in women's basketball."Following Saturday's loss, White said the Fire's "competitive spirit was better than ours."Clark acknowledged it was a tough game, but vowed to bounce back and defend without fouling. "It's hard when you foul and I just need to do a better job of being straight up, keep the defender in front of me," Clark said. "Also, if they're going to hunt ISOs, just move my feet a little bit better... but that's just basketball. It's just a game. Just learn from it, watch the film and come back next game and be ready to go."Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever's Lexie Hull addresses viral Caitlin Clark, Stephanie White video

On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams made the difficult decision to part ways with former first-round pick and two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse. Verse, along with multiple draft picks, was moved to add reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.Team captain Quentin Lake took to social media, penning a tribute to Verse. Lake and Verse worked together over the last two seasons to redefine the defense in the post-Aaron Donald era. Lake spoke to Verse's quality on and off the field."Jared, my locker mate, is one of the most amazing human beings and teammates I have ever been around," wrote Lake. "Sucks that some things are out of players control but love and support is what he needs in this moment. Love my guy to death and can’t wait to see him tear up the league."Lake began to play the best football of his career once Verse joined the team, with Verse's injection of enthusiasm and power being the perfect pairing to Lake finding a role as the team's slot corner/star. When Lake became the team's signal caller in the middle of 2024, Verse saw a dramatic increase in production and pressure, cementing the relationship between the two.This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Quentin Lake pens tribute to Jared Verse after Myles Garrett trade

Nature, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01760-wUnprecedented results against a stubbornly hard-to-treat cancer are boosting optimism that other challenging tumours will be next.

It's perfect in small rooms. READ MORE...

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Tim David has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee and suspended for one match after breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during RCB's five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.David, who scored 24 runs off 17 balls in the final, was found guilty of violating Article 2.9 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Team Official, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a Match.”The incident took place during the 10th over of Gujarat Titans' innings. After a wicket fell, David threw an ice bag in the direction of on-field umpire Nitin Menon. Match Referee Javagal Srinath imposed the penalty after David admitted the offence and accepted the sanction.It was David's third Level 1 offence of the season. He had earlier received one demerit point in Match 20 and two demerit points in Match 54. The latest breach added another two demerit points, taking his total to five.Under IPL regulations, a player who accumulates five demerit points receives a one-match suspension. As a result, David will miss the opening match of IPL 2027, whether he plays for RCB or another franchise next season.The Australian batter finished IPL 2026 with 305 runs from 16 matches and was part of the RCB side that successfully defended its title.RCB's victory over Gujarat Titans made them only the third team in IPL history to retain the trophy after Chennai Super Kings (2010 and 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019 and 2020). The Bengaluru franchise also became the fourth team to win multiple IPL titles, joining Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have five titles each, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won three.RCB captain Rajat Patidar also entered the record books by becoming the first skipper to win the IPL in each of his first two seasons as captain. He is only the third captain to secure back-to-back IPL titles after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Justin Herbert is arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but his performance has largely been overshadowed by the team's struggles.The 2026 season has the potential to tell a different tale. The Chargers essentially won the coaching cycle by hiring former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator. The Bolts also spent the offseason bolstering the roster, finding more protection for Herbert.Given the solid supporting cast Herbert has around him, PFF's Bradley Locker believes the stars have aligned for the 28-year-old to have his first All-Pro season. "Herbert’s 2025 season still feels like a vastly underappreciated one. Despite playing behind the league’s lowest-graded offensive line and with a receiving corps that placed 20th in PFF receiving grade, the Chargers stud ranked 10th in overall PFF grade (78.0) among qualified quarterbacks. Also encouraging was that Herbert’s 2.6% turnover-worthy play rate tied for the fifth-lowest," Locker writes. "The circumstances for Herbert will be diametrically different in 2026 as he returns two Pro Bowl-caliber tackles in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, plus ushers in one of the game’s foremost offensive minds in Mike McDaniel. As the gunslinger boasting the fourth-best PFF passing grade (90.6) since 2021, it’s fairly surprising that Herbert has never made an All-Pro team. The cards may finally fall into place in 2026, although he’ll also face steep competition."Herbert earned one first-place MVP vote that notoriously altered the race between Matthew Stafford and runner-up Drake Maye. The Chargers quarterback was chosen because of his gritty performance despite the porous offensive line around him and the lackluster offense.What can Herbert do with a high-powered offense and a formidable line to go with it? Only time will tell.This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' Justin Herbert predicted to be named All-Pro in 2026

I hope we fully appreciate what we witnessed in the Western Conference finals.A remember-where-you-were Game 1 was the start; a fight-to-the-figurative-death Game 7 was the end. In the middle were five games — decided by double-digits, but defined by absolute haymakers. By virtue of net rating, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs were the two best teams in the NBA. Within the broader context of the league, they were arguably the most important. On one end, you had the defending champion Thunder, headlined by one of the greatest guards ever, backed by one of the best defenses in league history. On the other were the Spurs, headlined by the most unique superstar in league history with hard-to-quantify dominance, backed by a supporting cast that is equal parts talented and strikingly unafraid of anything or anyone.The “you do this, we counter with that” of it all permeated this round. The Spurs tweaking how much help to send toward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; the Thunder shifting who got the Victor Wembanyama assignment. The Thunder stationing their bigs at the wing to move Wemby around the board; the Spurs running every variation of pick-and-rolls with two screeners to stretch the limits of the Thunder’s defense. This was one of my favorite playoff series of all time. While I’m kinda sad it ended, it does set the stage for what should be a fabulous Finals matchup between the Spurs and the New York Knicks, with the East rep currently sporting [checks notes] the biggest point differential in NBAplayoff history. Before we get there, it’s worth zooming out with the Thunder.We start with well-deserved praise. Winning 64 games in today’s NBA is not easy. It’s even more difficult coming off a championship that took seven games to capture; it’s even more difficult to do so while dealing with injuries across the board. I mentioned this in my MVP piece about SGA, but it’s worth hammering home just how impressive it is that the Thunder had the season they had while 10 rotation players missed at least 10 games. Add in the eventual (re)injuries of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell in the conference finals, and the fact that they pushed this thing to seven — and could’ve conceivably won if they had grabbed defensive rebounds in the second half — speaks to their collective talent and will.But win, they did not. And now they stare down the barrel of a long offseason that will require some deep, deep soul-searching. That, in my opinion, has to start with the stars.Can OKC’s Big Three get better?As phenomenal as SGA was this season, the Spurs were able to bother the MVP for prolonged stretches in this series. Wemby is a singular rim-deterring force, but the ball pressure from Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and others combined with the active (and shape-shifting) help defense goaded SGA into an inconsistent process.On the high end, SGA was able to punish some of the more aggressive help looks he got with timely kick-outs; he did log 8.9 assists in the series, the highest mark he’s ever logged in a series. The Thunder looked for more ways to get him rolling as a scorer — including screens and seals from Isaiah Hartenstein, mixing in even more wing-clearing cuts to create space, and a slight uptick in off-ball screens as the series went on — with Game 2 (30 & 9) and Game 7 (35 & 9) serving as MVP-level reminders.The two-time MVP must find ways to improve. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)On the low end, SGA looked out of sorts trying to create outside of his comfort zone. The growth we saw from him as an off-the-dribble threat from deep during the regular season didn’t carry over. He went 5-of-22 (22.7%) on off-the-dribble 3s in the series, a far cry from his regular-season efficiency (39.1% on 3.4 attempts). With Wemby walling off the rim and the Spurs’ help defenders loading the gaps and disrupting his usual midrange looks, it sometimes felt like there was nothing really there for SGA.To become more difficult to deal with — and better counter the Spurs’ Wemby-led defense — SGA will have to continue his perimeter growth. The 3-point shooting is a given, though I’d quietly argue there’s room for more volume and fluidity to his off-ball work overall. Assist numbers notwithstanding, there’s still room for growth in terms of processing speed and pass placement.(It’s generally a stickler take of mine, but rewatching all of SGA’s kicks to the corner in particular highlighted more high or outside-the-pocket passes than you’d like. To be clear, it wasn’t a bad passing series for him, but the margins shrink in the playoffs — especially against a defense like this.)Williams largely gets a pass since he was injured for so much of his run, but it’s worth keeping an eye on his self-creation in the half-court. It can lean (short) midrange heavy at times; not inherently a bad thing, but it poses the question: how many of these are being taken because he wants them, and how many are being taken because digs from the nail can affect his process?More than anything, I just want to see a healthy campaign next season. Then, there’s Holmgren.Anytime an All-NBA talent underwhelms in a postseason setting, some level of criticism is warranted — just ask Jalen Duren, for example. Holmgren simply didn’t live up to the billing in this series: 10.7 points (58/27/77 splits), 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks just isn’t enough. Set aside the Holmgren-Wemby rivalry that people were excited about; Devin Vassell comfortably defending him for most of the series is something that should’ve been taken off the table. That’s on Holmgren for his limitations; the handle and release point on his jumper complicates some of his scoring windows, especially with him playing the 4. Part of the reason he played so much 4 is because, for whatever reason you deem appropriate, the Thunder became increasingly hesitant to let him log time at the 5. We only got 60 minutes with Holmgren on the floor without another big in this series; 59 of them came in the first four games of the series.Even beyond some of the mechanical issues, there were way too many possessions in this series where Holmgren didn’t even attempt to assert himself. The Game 7 was particularly loud in the wrong way; to play that many minutes and log two shot attempts is frankly beneath a player of Holmgren’s talent level and importance.There’s also room for criticism toward head coach Mark Daigneault as, by his own admission, he plays a role in putting Holmgren in favorable spots. I generally enjoyed when the Thunder ran Holmgren off of screens to set up some of his touches — either to get him a head start to the rim, or to get him touches near the elbow to isolate. Perhaps it was the wing-on-Chet gambit and the accompanying physicality that influenced the thinking (though it certainly isn’t new), but it was odd to see those looks virtually disappear. His off-ball screen numbers, per Second Spectrum:Regular season: 4.9 per game (8.3 per 100)First round (PHX): 6.8 per game (11.3 per 100)Second round (LAL): 2.3 per game (3.6 per 100)Conference finals (SAS): 2.4 per game (4.1 per 100)That’s just one play-type example, but it does bring a broader “What does maximized Chet look like?” question into play, particularly within the context of future matchups with the Spurs. Is internal growth from Holmgren alone enough to quell concerns? Is more varied usage enough? Does this just come down to Holmgren bulking up (and staying healthy) enough to log more minutes at the 5, making him a more valuable offensive player almost by default? The Thunder have to find that out; ultimately, whatever the answer is could have a pretty big impact on this upcoming offseason.OKC’s offseason outlookTo that end, there’s also the obvious financial reality of this group. As laid out by teammate Kevin O’Connor, the Thunder are looking at a hefty payroll with serious second apron implications. The max contracts of Holmgren and Williams will kick in this summer. Cason Wallace (what a baller) will be extension-eligible; considering he’s coming off an All-Defense campaign, it might behoove them to lock in a deal now or “risk” him taking another leap and raising the price next summer. The team options of Hartenstein ($28.5M), Lu Dort ($17.7M) and, to a lesser extent, Kenrich Williams ($7.2M) could force some tough decisions. Hartenstein, figuratively and literally, is central to their plans. If the Thunder don’t think Holmgren can handle full-time or most-of-the-time minutes at the 5 against the Spurs — or if they can’t find an even bulkier 4 so (Jalen) Williams doesn’t have to guard Wemby or Insert Center Here — Hartenstein becomes a lot less expendable. His combination of size, physicality, connectivity as a passer and screener, and rebounding is pretty singular for this group. I would anticipate OKC declining his option, but is there a workable, long-term-but-lower-AAV deal to be had to keep him on the roster? The Thunder would have to hope so. The continued emergence of Wallace could spell trouble for Dort’s future in OKC, though there appears to be a strong mutual love between him and the organization. There’s always the possibility of him taking a team-friendly deal, but I wonder if it’s more likely he cashes out elsewhere to be a culture setter/raiser. I don’t feel it’s appropriate to seriously explore trades for Holmgren or Williams. It’s a possibility in a literal sense; they could put themselves in the Giannis Antetokounmpo conversation if they really wanted to, I just don’t think they will. If they want to make a drastic swing, it seems more realistic that they’d aim a tier or two lower. There’s enough pick ammo in the chamber for OKC to make, say, the Pelicans (Trey Murphy III) or Nets (Michael Porter Jr.) pick up the phone if they’re worried about their 3-point volume.It would be reasonable for the Thunder to ultimately run things back, bank on internal growth and better health, and stay atop the Western Conference. The Spurs winning the matchup this handily, this early, just means they’d better be really sure it’s their optimal pathway.

Patriots Seemingly Reveal A.J. Brown's New Number With Social Media Post originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Patriots have acquired A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, and he will seemingly be moving on from the No. 11 he has worn his entire NFL career.The Patriots posted a picture of Brown in a Patriots uniform wearing No. 1, captioned "WR1."WR1 pic.twitter.com/prgizq270j— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 1, 2026Joshua Dobbs wore No. 11 last season, but he is no longer with the team. Brown had the number available to him, but it seems like he is changing to No. 1. It is the same number he wore in college at the University of Mississippi. When he got to the Tennessee Titans, No. 1 was retired for Warren Moon.Moon gave Cam Ward his blessing to wear the number, thus unretiring it, but it was not an option for Brown. When Brown got to the Eagles, Jalen Hurts had the number. Hurts wore No. 2 as a rookie, but switched when No. 1 became available. Now, on the Patriots, Brown can wear the number again. Brown could have stuck with No. 11, but perhaps his respect and admiration for Julian Edelman has something to do with it. Brown received a signed jersey from Edelman last offseason, and a video he posted on social media made it seem like he was getting traded to the Patriots. It was a prank, but his enthusiasm for receiving Edelman's jersey was real."It's finally official. The wait is over. The wait is over, man," Brown said in an Instagram video. "Oh, man. The GOAT Jules, man. Yes sir, man. That's what I'm talking about, man."Edelman is one of the best players in franchise history, and Brown appeared on his podcast earlier this offseason. Players have worn No. 11 after Edelman's retirement, but perhaps Brown wants to show respect for one of his idols. Regardless of what number he wears, he figures to be a great target for Drake Maye.The No. 1 was last worn by Ja'Lynn Polk. DeVante Parker, N'Keal Harry and Cam Newton have worn the number in recent years as well. Harry, of course, was the receiver the Patriots drafted in 2019 while Brown was still on the board.More NFL: A.J. Brown Trade Grades: Patriots Snag WR From Eagles, Give Drake Maye Game-Changing Weapon

New Jersey cruised to the Columbus title and the "belt." From L-R Martin Emmrich, Noe Khlif, Jorja Jonson, Anna Leigh Waters, and Will Howells.Major League PickleballThe 2026 season of Major League Pickleball (MLP) presented by DoorDash, after an awesome opening weekend in Dallas, headed immediately to the home of the defending 2025 league champions Columbus for Week 2 of the league, and one team in particular (the New Jersey Fives) decided it was time to make a statement.This week, we got the season debuts for seven of the league’s 20 teams, including the brand new Palm Beach Royals franchise, some surprising results from the newly promoted former Challenger teams, and a No. 1 vs No.2 final that did not fail to satisfy.Key links for tracking the event this weekend, which feature livestreams from the primary courts at the facility on MLP’s YouTube channel and on PickleballTV.com. I also have data-centric links at the bottom.MLP Columbus Week 2 Event home pageMLP Columbus Media Notes, with player news, rosters, etc.League Standings and Team/Player StatsMLP 2026 Schedule along with Rosters for the 20 Premier League TeamsTransaction Recap & Player NewsAhead of the weekend, the following transactions were announced:California suffered a blow when Luca Mack, who team officials described as their “secret weapon,” suffered a season-ending injury and had to be put onto the Injured Reserve. In his place, they drafted Australian Joseph Wild, who will join the team in Week No. 4 in Austin. Host Columbus will have lead female Parris Todd rejoining the team after serving her one event suspension last week in Dallas. According to this tweet from the Kitchen, when asked who was going to play the Left, Danni-Elle Townsend intimated that they’d play it straight up, a rarity in the pro world these days. Townsend also added, "What people don’t know is my right side is better than my left haha.” It did not take Columbus long to cash in on Alix Truong’s performance, trading her to Phoenix for Judit Castillo. Curiously, Columbus sent cash along with the trade for Judit, not the other way around, despite Truong’s top-10 performance in Dallas. Nonetheless, Phoenix pairs the Truong siblings and improves, while Castillo moves to a winning team but likely won’t play unless there’s a blow-out or an injury.Las Vegas heads into the event with its Number 1 female Chao-Yi Wang injured; they line up with Liz Truluck alongside the veteran Callie Smith.News and NoteworthyAhead of the event, here’s some news and noteworthy items for MLP.Thanks to a 3-way tie for 4th place in the group stage last weekend, MLP updated and clarified their tie-breakers. These are in the media guide linked above and are now part of the official procedures. In order:Group RecordHead-to-Head(-to-Head) ResultsNet GamesPoint Differential (Net Points)Rock-Paper-Scissors (just kidding).Host Columbus will have lead female Parris Todd rejoining the team after serving her one event suspension last week in Dallas. According to this tweet from the Kitchen, when asked who was going to play the Left, Danni-Elle Townsend intimated that they’d play it straight up, a rarity in the pro world these days. Townsend also added, "What people don’t know is my right side is better than my left haha.” I can’t wait for the Columbus-New Jersey rematch.Premier League Group Stage Match RecapSofia Sewing (L) made her UPA debut this past weekend and shined. Here she is playing Mixed alongside the legendary Tyson Mcguffin.Major League PickleballDay 1 ObservationsThe Palm Beach Royals made their league debut, as did Sofia Sewing. They cruised to a women’s doubles win to open the match, but then their veteran Men’s team of McGuffin & Bar stalled to lose to French & Young to even the match. Sewing comes out with Tyson in Mixed, while Carolina subs in bench player Connor Mogle for Young in mixed in an interesting move. It did not matter: the experienced PB team cruised in both Mixed matches to win the tie.With two former NJ players on Chicago (Navratil and Humberg), the familiarity is high, but NJ held firm, overcame early deficits to take both gender doubles ties. Zane & Mari really pressed ALW and Khlif, who are still playing together even after issues in Dallas. Chicago gave NJ everything they could handle, isolating ALW on the right but it wasn’t enough; she won the game and match on a far-ranging poach for a winner to win 13-11 and claim the tie. Chicago won the meaningless last game, but this was closer than the score-line indicates. Coincidentally, this would be the ONLY game New Jersey lost the entire weekend.Parris Todd resumes her starting slot on the Sliders … and starts off nicely with a win in Women’s doubles with Dallas sensation Townsend, but the underrated Miami Men’s team of Yuta and Acevedo shocks CJ & Andre to even it up. Miami won the first mixed tie as well to shockingly be in a position to win, but Daescu & Todd won Mixed #2 to force the first DreamBreaker of the day. Columbus, not considered to be a great DB team, played Daescu instead of Crum and instantly got dividends with a 4-0 start. Instead, Crum subbed for CJ and went 3-1 to hand the strong Columbus women a 7-1 lead. Todd went 4-0, then newly acquired Judit, traded for earlier today and literally fresh off the plane, moved it to 14-1 before finally dropping another point. They eventually win 21-5, likely the worst ever DB defeat, to salvage the win.Day 2 ObservationsNicholas Acevedo (L) and Yuta Funemizo (R) got solid results all weekend as Miami opened some eyes.Major League PickleballMiami got the first real jaw-dropping result of the season, sweeping Atlanta 4-0 in a match where none of the games were terribly close. Atlanta's veteran player strategy came face to face with Miami GM Johnny Goldberg's genius for finding players and came up short.Miami may have been able to beat a mid-level team like Atlanta, but New Jersey wanted none of it. Waters went on a rampage and NJ’s two mixed teams dominated enroute to a sweep.LV needed a DreamBreaker to get past Carolina, but luckily is one of the best DB teams out there, winning 21-9 to maintain pace in the group.Day 3 ObservationsIn a statement game, New Jersey dominated Columbus from start to finish. There was no mercy here, no upsets, no surprises from down-under. Just pure domination from the sport's best player.Florida's player-owner Rettenmaier sat himself, and saw his last-place team get their first win of 2026 behind Martina Frantova's two wins.In perhaps the most shocking result of the weekend, the hapless California Black Bears trounced the same Miami team that blanked Atlanta yesterday.Atlanta rebounded from a couple of bad losses this weekend to edge past Chicago, in a likely battle between two teams that will be fighting for the last playoff spot. Group Stage ResultsAt the end of the group stages, here were the standings, which drive the final day’s competition.Group A: New Jersey, Columbus, Atlanta, Chicago, California, MiamiGroup B: St. Louis, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Carolina, FloridaEvent Standings Results For 2026, the final day features the Event Standings matches, where the winner of Group A players the Winner of Group B, the 2nd place teams play for 3rd, the 3rd place teams play for 5th, and so on. Here’s a review of those final matches.Event 1st Place match: A chippy match between the two best teams on paper turned into a sweep for New Jersey, who beat STL for the first time ever and nearly complete a spotless weekend, finishing 22-1 in games W/L.Event 3rd Place match: Disappointed not to win the group, Columbus did not letup in the 3rd place game.Event 5th Place match: Las Vegas put down a statement against fellow fringe Playoff contender Atlanta with a 3-1 win for 5th place.Event 7th Place match: Florida put up a fight but Chicago swept to claim 7th place points.Player Stats Analysis for the WeekendHere’s a quick look at the players who played best (and worst) this weekend.Not surprisingly, the top 8 statistical performers were the four starters from each of New Jersey and St. Louis. Jorja Johnson actually led the event in points percentage won with 74%.The next highest ranked players not on the two top teams were the two ladies starters from Columbus, Parris Todd and Danni-Elle Townsend.Sofia Sewing’s debut? She went 8-2 on the weekend. Not bad. I guess those APP players aren’t half bad.Before he pulled the plug on himself, Florida’s Travis Rettenmaier had the worst statistical performance of the weekend, winning just 25% of the points he was involved with in four games.What did we learn this weekend?What were our top Takeaways from the competition this weekend?Anna Leigh Waters can certainly dish it out, returning the “B-word” curse at Hayden Patriquin that was uttered at an event last season. Apparently, she didn’t forget.As we learned in the Partners documentary, there’s no love lost between Parris Todd and Jaume Martinez Vich.Even though they finished low in the group standings, teams like Miami, California, and Florida did show some signs of life. Carolina, not so much; they went 0-4 this weekend and are now 1-8 in their first two matches. Media Pick’ Em Contest UpdateMLP Super-Fan Matty Pickles (aka Matt Klitch) created a season-long Media MLP Pick’em Contest last year where a number of leading media pundits and voices in the sport compete as prognosticators each week. This year we have 16+ participants across nearly every major media outlet in the sport. Here’s the link to track the competition online, and I’ll be tweeting out the pick matrix and updates, so follow me on Twitter if interested.Pick’em Competition Weekly Summary: After finishing dead last in Week 1, the Dink’s Thomas shields earned 9 of the 11 points to win the week along with Johnny 5.0 and Laura Gainor. Erik Tice, despite abstaining both his team’s matches, remains on top for the season. Just one pundit picked NJ to win this event; the namesake of the event Matty Pickles himself.Next up on the Pickleball Calendar? According to my Master Pickleball Schedule ...Next up for the MLP is Week 3 in St. Louis, at the Chaifetz Arena, which was an awesome event last year with huge crowds.MLP-specific stats mentioned herein come from PickleKey.com, which has done a great job collecting detailed MLP player data for the league and went through an off-season re-design that includes a slew of new ways to slice and dice the data.My colleague Erik Tice at the Dink (who does double duty as the GM for the California Black Bears) is back to maintaining his Public MLP Data sheet, which has all sorts of awesome data. Any Tour-level match stats quoted in this article are courtesy of PickleWave. Visit picklewave.com for the premier source of Pro Pickleball data, including match replays, highlights, stats, and discussion. PickleWave has more than 31,000 matches in its database across all the pro tours.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Pat McAfee and ESPN are engaged in long-term contract extension talks, sources told Front Office Sports.McAfee’s current five-year deal with ESPN is not up until 2028 and finalization of a new contract wasn’t imminent, the sources said. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment. Earlier Monday, McAfee announced his show’s DraftKings deal in a segment on Monday. DraftKings is the official sportsbook sponsor of ESPN. ESPN’s relationship with McAfee does not boil down to a strict talent deal like most of their on-air employees. Instead, the network licenses The Pat McAfee Show, which means writing one check for McAfee, his co-hosts and producers, and the program’s studio in Indianapolis. On typical studio shows, ESPN has large overhead costs on top of what it pays the talent. The ESPN-McAfee arrangement does have a talent element as the former All-Pro punter stars on College GameDay, one of ESPN marquee properties, which has set ratings records for the past two seasons. “We were up 34% year-over-year in the 18-to-24 demo,” ESPN’s president of Burke Magnus told FOS last year. “That just doesn’t happen in our business without something remarkable. To me, that’s the appeal of Pat. I have kids who are 23 and 25. He’s the guy. He’s the voice of their generation and their fandom. He represents them. He’s the guy like Chris Berman was for me.”McAfee has demonstrated why he’s worth a fortune to both ESPN and DraftKings. He’s a draw for the younger male demographic and was a proven driver of customer acquisition for DraftKings’s rival FanDuel in the early days of sports-gambling legalization. He’s also seen as a big star by both active famous athletes and league executives alike. Last week, when ESPN needed to fill airtime because the Eastern Conference Finals ended in a sweep, McAfee booked every major commissioner other than Roger Goodell for a special primetime edition of his show—on two days’ notice. ESPN’s extension talks with McAfee come as Netflix has been going full-throttle into major video podcasts. In the sports realm, the streaming giant has done large deals with Barstool Sports shows including Pardon My Take, The Ryen Russillo Show, and Spittin’ Chiclets, as well as several shows from The Ringer, including the Bill Simmons Podcast.The post Pat McAfee in Early Extension Talks With ESPN appeared first on Front Office Sports.

Joining the New England Patriots was always deeper than football for A.J. Brown. For the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, it was an opportunity to accomplish his childhood dream. The news fans had been waiting to hear for the last three months finally came on Monday, as it was announced that the Philadelphia Eagles were trading the star wideout to the Patriots. It's a deal that has the Patriots shipping a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick to the Eagles. And it all feels worth it for a team that won the AFC championship last season and advanced all the way to Super Bowl LX. There was no hesitation in completing the deal with Brown to pair him with burgeoning star quarterback Drake Maye in his third NFL season. Brown, who grew up a lifelong Patriots fan, reacted to the move on social media. View this post on InstagramThe Patriots will head into the 2026 season with a significantly improved wide receiving corps that includes Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism III. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: A.J. Brown posts initial reaction to being traded to Patriots

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Teagan Kavan pitched a complete-game two-hitter and defending-champion Texas advanced to the championship series of the Women's College World Series, defeating Tennessee 4-0 on Monday in their second matchup of the day.The second-seeded Longhorns (51-12), needing two wins against the seventh-seeded Volunteers (49-12), accomplished the feat with a 5-2 win in the first game, then followed with Kavan's dominating win. It was the second straight year that Texas eliminated Tennessee in the Final Four. The Longhorns will be making their third consecutive appearance in the final series where they will play either Alabama or Texas Tech.Longhorns ace Kavan (28-6) did not start the first game but got a one-batter save. In her start, she struck out 10 batters without a walk. Tennessee had only two base runners as the Longhorns played errorless ball after committing four errors in the first game.Texas broke through with three runs in the third inning, taking advantage of two infield singles and a steal of home. Viviana Martinez, who had three hits in the first game, drove in the first run with a chopper down the third base line that barely reached the outfield grass. With Reese Atwood at the plate, Martinez stole second and Kayden Henry stole home when Tennessee second baseman Emma Clarke fell and lost the ball while trying to make the out on Martinez. Atwood then doubled to left center, driving in Martinez. Katie Stewart hit her second solo home run of the day — a blast that reached the last row of bleachers in left-center field — making it 4-0 in the fifth inning.Tennessee’s second-game starter Karlyn Pickens (15-8) allowed four runs and seven hits in a complete game. She struck out six and walked three.In the first game, Hannah Wells hit a two-run single and Stewart and Atwood had solo home runs, leading Texas to a 5-2 win. Texas starter Citaly Gutierrez allowed two runs, one earned, in 6 2/3 innings and Kavan got the final out for her fourth save.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

After dropping its NCAA Tournament opener on Friday, the USC baseball team has now won three consecutive games. The Trojans will now battle Texas A&M on Monday night with a trip to the super regionals on the line.Andy Stankiewicz’s team actually found itself in an identical position last year. Playing in the Corvallis Regional, the Trojans advanced to the regional final against host Oregon State, with the region coming down to a decisive seventh game.Unfortunately, that battle did not go very well for USC. The Trojans could neither score nor stop the Beavers from scoring, as they suffered a 9-0 blowout loss that ended their season.Now, a year later, USC is back on the same stage. Once again, the Trojans’ regional will come down to a decisive game against the host school—this time in College Station against Texas A&M. After being on the wrong end of things last year, Stankiewicz and company are hoping for a different outcome in 2026.This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Andy Stankiewicz, USC baseball back in regional final once again

Mauricio Pochettino will soon look to guide the U.S. Men's National Team to success at the FIFA World Cup -Credit:John Dorton/USSF/Getty ImagesThe U.S. Men’s National Team’s preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will largely be held on home soil, are well underway.Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s first of two pre-tournament friendlies has now been and gone, with the USMNT surviving a Senegal comeback to beat the fellow World Cup participants 3-2 on Sunday.Arguably, the biggest storyline to emerge from the game wasn’t the result, nor that the USMNT’s defending could prove concerning, having given up a 2-0 lead, but that midfielder Christian Pulisic’s 2026 goal drought finally came to an end at just the right time.Budget-friendly Costco faces backlash with $39,100 FIFA World Cup ticket packageFIFA boss Gianni Infantino stands by $2 million World Cup tickets with hot dog promisePochettino has emphasized the importance of leaving the World Cup without any regrets -Credit:John Dorton/USSF/Getty ImagesPerhaps the AC Milan star’s turn of luck had something to do with a speech made by Pochettino prior to the Senegal game, in which the Argentine delivered a poignant message to his 26 players.“No regrets was the first thing he said,” midfielder Brenden Aaronson recalled Pochettino telling his team, via the ‘Men in Blazers’ podcast.“[He said], ‘This is the tournament we're going to walk in, and I want you guys on the couch after the tournament watching something to feel like you went to the World Cup and you gave it your all. So then you're sitting there, and you're not having any regrets.’“I think that's the biggest thing, because you know the nerves, the pressures, everything like that can get to you in moments.“But I think hearing just little things with the guy. I mean, he's been through so much, you know, he's been to a World Cup, he's been left off of two rosters like he's told us. So he's been through it all.To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE“And to hear him say something like that, it just, you know, it means something. You think about it, and you kind of take it back, and we all just have to play with no fear.”The USMNT will need every ounce of bravery it can find when they take on four-time champions Germany in their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Heading into the game, the USMNT’s track record against European opponents weighs heavily against them, having lost their last eight games dating back to 2022 when they were knocked out of the Qatar World Cup by the Netherlands.As for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, they travel to Illinois fresh off a 4-0 friendly win against Finland on Sunday.Regardless of how the trip to Chicago goes for the USMNT, their primary focus will then turn to the games that truly matter, starting with their Group D opener against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They then return to action against Australia on June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, before heading back to California to face Türkiye in their final group game on the 25th.

Ghana’s parliament passed a new bill last Friday that punishes the “willful promotion, sponsorship or support of LGBTQ+ activities” with up to five years in prison. The legislation, entitled The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also punishes same-sex acts with a prison term of up to three years and includes a “duty to report” prohibited LGBTQ+ acts to legal authorities under threat of up to three ⁠years in prison. Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama is now under pressure to sign the bill, Reuters reports, as religious groups in both West Africa and the U.S., have pressured legislators with Mahama’s National Democratic Congress political party to support the bill. It’s unclear if Mahama will do so. Similar bills have disrupted sexual health clinics, HIV medication providers, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in other countries. Related Uproar ensues after trans artist in Ghana says she’s an anti-LGBTQ+ politician’s “lover” Ghanian legislators approved an earlier version of the bill in 2021 and 2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, but he never signed them into law. Two preemptive cases were filed against these versions of the bill, but Ghana’s supreme court dismissed them both unanimously since they had remained unsigned. Anti-LGBTQ+ activists in the country have gone on record saying that a second U.S.-based Christian nationalist hate group, MassResistance, has provided advice and counsel while they pushed the punitive new legislation targeting gay people. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today However, in Mahama‘s remarks around January 2025 to clerics attending the Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference, he said, “If we are teaching our values in schools, we wouldn’t need to pass a bill to enforce family values. More than just passing the Family Values Bill, we need to agree on a curriculum that instills these values in our children as they grow.” Berinyuy Burinyuy, Communications Director for LGBT+ Rights Ghana, told the Washington Blade that Mahama’s remarks marked a major shift in the conversation around LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana and showed that the president “may not yet be fully committing to a clear policy direction.” “His statement leaves open the possibility of a more balanced approach, one that allows for a national conversation on sexual rights without rushing into divisive legislation,” Burinyuy said. “For many, the mere suggestion that LGBT+ issues could be addressed through education rather than criminalization represents a significant departure from the traditional legislative path championed by the bill’s proponents,” Burinyuy added. “This shift implies a possible opening for dialogue and a more inclusive approach, one that recognizes the need for respect and understanding of diverse sexual identities within Ghanaian society.” Burinyuy also expressed fear that a national “family values” educational curriculum could “risk reinforcing discriminatory attitudes under the guise of cultural preservation” and “also perpetuate harmful stereotypes and deepen existing prejudices” in school children. In an op-ed for Erasing 76 Crimes, writer Melanie Nathan slammed Mahama for allegedly playing a “double game” on the current anti-LGBTQ+ bill, expressing his plans to sign the legislation to folks in Ghana while changing his language when speaking to American audiences. Philadelphia’s Lincoln University revoked its offer of an honorary degree to Mahama last March following an outcry against the legislation. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has called the legislation “a cruel bill that violates the fundamental rights of LGBTQI+ people and allies throughout Ghana.” “Every single lawmaker who voted to pass this bill is wrongly using their power to strip away the basic humanity of the people they are supposed to represent,” said David Stacy, HRC’s vice president of government affairs, following passage of the bill in Parliament earlier this year. Ghana joins a growing list of African nations outlawing LGBTQ+ identity. Uganda’s notorious Kill the Gays law, signed in 2023, is the most egregious example, with penalties up to and including death for some same-sex behavior. In March, Senegalese President ⁠Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a bill doubling prison terms for same-sex sexual acts to up to 10 years and criminalizing any “promotion” of homosexuality. Last September, the military junta ruling Burkina Faso, Ghana’s neighbor to the north, said that homosexual acts are now an offense punishable by law. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft talks with head coach Mike Vrabel during a community NFL football day, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)2026-06-01T20:44:28Z FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A.J. Brown is leaving a frustrating experience in Philadelphia for a reunion in New England with his first NFL coach.The Eagles traded the star receiver to the Patriots on Monday, putting a cap on the long-rumored deal.The Eagles said they will receive a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 for the three-time Pro Bowler.The trade comes after a frustrating 2025 season for Brown in Philadelphia, in which he had grown dispirited with an Eagles offense that played uninspired football at times while the team failed to defend its Super Bowl title.Brown played under Vrabel for three seasons after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2019.Brown, 28, quickly rose to the top receiving option in Philadelphia after being traded by Tennessee to the Eagles in 2022.He had back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons his first two seasons with the Eagles, catching 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 and 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven TDs in 2023. He earned a Super Bowl ring during the 2024 season, but began to grow unhappy last season as the Eagles offense stagnated — leading to a change at offensive coordinator following a wild-card playoff loss to San Francisco last season. It led to an increase in chatter about the potential for a trade heading into this offseason. It didn’t happen during April’s NFL draft likely because the Eagles would have had about $43 million in dead cap money for 2026 compared to about $16 million this year and $27 million next year if traded after June 1. Read More Ultimately a high draft pick proved to be enough to persuade them to deal a player of Brown’s caliber.The Patriots have been viewed as a possible landing spot for Brown since they released receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs led New England with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season in New England in 2025, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. Diggs’ exit made finding a No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Drake Maye a priority. The Patriots did add former Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs in free agency. But he doesn’t instantly change an offense the way Brown’s addition could.Maye acknowledged last week that he was aware of the Brown-to-New England rumors.“If he ends up being on our team, great. What a great player. And if he doesn’t, we’ve still got to work these guys here,” Maye said. “It’s a tough balance, but I know he’s a phenomenal player.”Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who was on the Eagles 2024 Super Bowl-winning team with Brown, said the receiver would be a big addition. “He can definitely help our team,” Williams said. “Great dude. Monster on the field, great in the locker room, holding guys accountable and holding himself accountable. That’s everything you want in a player of his caliber.”Brown leaves Philadelphia as one of the top receivers in franchise history. He topped 1,000 yards receiving all four seasons with the Eagles. He totaled 339 total receptions and 32 touchdowns and was a crucial member of the two Eagles teams that played in the Super Bowl during his tenure. Vrabel was entering his second season as coach of the Titans when the team selected Brown in the second round of the 2019 draft.Brown caught 185 passes for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns over the next three years, peaking with a 2020 season in which he earned a Pro Bowl selection after pulling in 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns.But the Titans wound up trading Brown to Philadelphia on the second day of the 2022 draft that April despite having a season left on his rookie deal. The team was adamant that it wasn’t its preference to trade him but felt his asking price for an extension was too high.Vrabel stated multiple times during that offseason that Brown would be on the roster as long as he was the coach, but the realities of the situation changed things.“Unfortunately, we understand that if we’re going to be here awhile we’re not going to be able to keep every single player that we draft and develop,” Vrabel said at the time.Four years later, he’ll get to coach him again.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL KYLE HIGHTOWER Hightower covers Boston sports for The Associated Press and also contributes on coverage of sports gambling and Olympic basketball. twitter mailto

A new study suggests using body mass index alone may miss many people with the disease, but the findings come with caveats.

See how one DIYer achieved this budget-friendly, rental-friendly, landlord-approved new look. READ MORE...

So, looking back after three seasons, would the Houston Texans still have selected Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall? What about All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.? Would he be on the board when Houston was willing to trade up nine spots for the do-it-all defender from Alabama? CBS Sports might have the answer.CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson conducted a re-draft of the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Texans weren't able to snag Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick since he went No. 1. But remember when fans wanted Alabama's Bryce Young to take over for Deshaun Watson? In the re-draft, Wilson has the Heisman Trophy winner waiting one more pick before calling Houston home. "Young has probably been the better QB over the past 12 months, and I think both Young and Stroud are going to continue to improve in Year 4," Wilson wrote. "The Texans' roster is stacked, but if you don't have a serviceable QB, it won't matter. Stroud played out of his mind as a rookie, but I'd like to think Young would have helped Houston advance to the playoffs at least twice in his first three seasons in the universe where they drafted him." Stroud might have the higher upside — even in a down season based on the outsider's standards — but Young has blossomed into a servicable starter under new coach Dave Canales. In 2024, he threw five more touchdown passes and limited his interception total to nine. Last season, he threw for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdown passes while guiding Carolina to a division title. Given that Houston only had Davis Mills on the roster, Wilson is probably correct for having the two-time AFC South champs select a quarterback at No. 2. He also has the Texans staying put at No. 3, but instead of taking Anderson, the selection becomes All-Pro wideout Puka Nacua from Los Angeles."Will Anderson Jr. was such a good pick here, and the cost, it turns out, was not prohibitive either," Wilson wrote. "But rules are rules, so instead, the Texans get Bryce Young a legit weapon in Puka Nacua."In any re-draft, Anderson might end up being the first player off the board. He's blossomed into the league's most dominant pass-rusher outside of recently traded Myles Garrett, racking up over 30 sacks and 66 tackles for loss in three seasons. Wilson likely would have made Anderson the pick at No. 2 and then taken Young at No. 3, but there was a caveat to the selection process. When he said "rules are rules," he put an addendum in stating that teams couldn't select the same player twice, meaning that Houston wasn't allowed to take the current highest-paid non-QB in the league. Nacua certainly would have upgraded the Texans' passing game for Young, but one could argue that with both Lions starter Jahmyr Gibbs and Falcons All-Pro Bijan Robinson still on the board, Houston could have benefited from one of them upgrading its run game. Both have become fixtures of their respective offenses and are considered among the consenus top three running backs entering 2026. If the Texans wanted to go defense, Eagles star Jalen Carter was still an option, as was Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Should Wilson have kept the Texans at pick No. 12, which was the initial pick on draft night before the infamous trade, Dolphins running back De'Von Achane, Lions linebacker Jack Campbell and Seahawks All-Pro wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba all would have been options. For the full mock draft, click here. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans pass on DE Will Anderson Jr., select Bryce Young & Puka Nacua in 2023 re-draft

May 22, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan (55) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants are getting set to kick off a four game series at American Family Field. It’ll be a reunion with several former Brewers players who are on the Giants, including Willy Adames, Eric Haase, and Adrian Houser.Prior to the game, manager Pat Murphy provided some updates on injured Brewers and the plans for this series. Currently, the Brewers have Wednesday and Thursday marked with TBA as the starters. When going over possibilities, Murphy said Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Coleman Crow are all possibilities, but that Brandon Woodruff was not. Woodruff played catch today and is scheduled for a “3 up” live BP session on Wednesday and then there’s another step after that before he could return to the rotation.Also Logan Henderson’s back is progressing “very well” and he should be playing catch on track to return soon. In other good news, Jacob Misiorowski is taking home the NL Player of the Week award for last week following his most recent dominant outings. For the game today, Shane Drohan is getting the start for the Brewers. It’s just his second start of the season with the other being his MLB debut. Since then Drohan has pitched in a bulk role out of the bullpen and has done incredibly well with it with a 2.63 ERA on the year, helping him earn this start tonight. On the other side, the Giants will be countering with right-hander Landon Roupp, who has a 3.30 ERA on the season. The 27 year old has been a regular in the Giants rotation and is having a breakout season in his third year in the bigs. The Giants will keep four lefties in their lineup against the left-handed Drohan. Rafael Devers, Luis Arraez, and Jung-Hoo Lee will surround the right-handed hitting Willy Adames in the heart of their order. The Giants will also have their top prospect, the giant Bryce Eldridge batting seventh. Eldridge stands 6-foot-7 with plenty of pop in a dangerous bat.The Brewers lineup has Christian Yelich leading off again, followed by Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras. Luis Rengifo will man third base and David Hamilton will have shortstop to round out the bottom of the order.Stop 2⃣ on the road trip⌚️: 4:40 p.m. PT📍: Milwaukee, WI📺: @NBCSGiants | @FS1📻: @KNBR | KSFN#SFGiants | @CocaColapic.twitter.com/KIfOXvJjYK— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 1, 2026

Florida State Seminoles infielder Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (15) celebrates his teammate’s run. The St. John's Red Storm defeated the Florida State Seminoles 5-4 in the Tallahassee Regional finals at Dick Howser Stadium on Monday, June 1, 2026. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Anything can happen on the road to Omaha. No matter a team’s talent level, caliber, or reputation, all they need is a golden ticket into the field of 64, and they can produce a magical run.St. John’s was the last team seeded in the Tallahassee Regional and the last team standing by Monday afternoon, not dropping a single game and stunning hosts Florida State twice on the way to capturing its first Super Regional berth since 2012.ST. JOHN'S ELIMINATES NO. 10 FLORIDA STATE TO ADVANCE TO THE SUPERS 😱 pic.twitter.com/Ixbz3aADBf— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2026The Red Storm became the fifth all-time regional four-seed to sweep their way into the Super Regionals. They also join Little Rock as the second regional four-seed to secure a place in the last sixteen this year, marking the first time in tournament history that multiple regional four-seeds have advanced this far.Mike Hampton’s team showed great resilience this weekend, trailing by multiple runs in all three of their regional games and coming back in each contest.In their tournament opener versus Florida State on Friday, St. John’s was down 5-2 before leveling the game with a three-run eighth inning. Dylan Fitzsimmons, who replaced Lewis Rodriguez in the second inning after the left fielder injured his ankle, sparked the rally with a solo shot.Later in the inning, two baserunners scored on a pair of wild pitches by Seminoles closer John Abraham. The Red Storm took the lead in the ninth inning when Jayder Raifstanger drove in Fitzsimmons with an RBI single up the middle, and Evan Hoeckele induced a game-ending double play in the bottom half to ice a 6-5 upset victory.Saturday rain pushed the Red Storm’s matchup against Northern Illinois back one day, and it took the Johnnies some time to gather themselves after falling into a 5-0 hole through three innings. When they did, they left nothing to chance with a jaw-dropping offensive explosion.Over the next four innings, St. John’s scored 18 unanswered runs to blitz the Huskies, helping cement a 21-8 rout and make their first Regional Final in eleven years. The Red Storm combined for 20 hits and 15 walks in the nonstop parade around the bases, and their nine-run fourth inning became the program’s highest scoring frame in a single NCAA Tournament game. Every starting batter that came to the plate recorded at least one hit, an RBI, and a run.With rotation arms Liam O’Leary and Evan Chaffee already taxed after throwing more than 100 pitches in the first two games, Evan Hoeckele stepped up in a spot start, only surrendering two earned runs on a season-high five innings on 84 pitches.Down by a pair of runs in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two out, star catcher Adam Agresti produced the most consequential hit in the last decade of Red Storm baseball, mashing a go-ahead grand slam over the center field wall against John Abraham to push St. John’s ahead, 4-2.GRAND. SLAM. JOHNNIES. 😤Adam Agresti sends it WAY out to clear the bases and give @StJohnsBaseball the 4-2 lead over FSU in the 5th!#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPNUpic.twitter.com/P4RAYtBzg8— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 1, 2026Cristian Bernardini then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning when he came home off a wild pitch by Kevin Mebil, which would prove to be a massive one in the final frame.Jack Nestler then came out of the pen, hurling 1.2 scoreless frames and his breakfast, before handing it over to Victor Frederick to complete the seven-out save.The sophomore right-hander got through the seventh and eighth innings without any fuss; however, Seminoles third baseman Cal Fisher drove in two runs with his second homer of the day in the ninth inning, cutting the Red Storm’s lead to one.With his cushion suddenly gone, Frederick dialed in and protected the Red Storm’s lead, snaring a hard line-drive by John Stuetzer before he could finish his follow-through for the second out. He walked Brayden Dowd on five pitches to put the tying run on base, but froze Brody DeLamielleure with a game-ending, regional-ending strikeout.St. John’s will return to New York for a few days before they head down south again to face Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional this weekend, where the Red Storm will play in a best-of-three series that decides one of the eight College World Series berths. The Johnnies are looking to make their first trip to Omaha since 1980.

In a conference call with media, interim MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer outlined why the players in Major League Baseball are adamantly opposed to a salary cap system. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reservedIn a conference call with the media today, MLB Players’ Association interim executive director Bruce Meyer outlined why the union is adamantly opposed to a salary cap system."Our union has never been broken, and never will be." That may have summed up Meyer’s and the players’ position on a recent salary cap proposal as part of labor negotiations ahead of the expiration of the current CBA on December 1st. Meyer said that the players have fought a cap system for decades based the belief “that it's bad for players at all levels, and not just monetarily,” but bad for the freedom of the players, bad for the fans, and “bad for players at every level – particularly bad for the middle class, who sometimes you hear that somehow that kind of system is going to benefit them.”He went on to say, “That's not what happens in the other sports. In fact, it's the opposite. Why do I say bad for fans? Because fundamentally, that system is anti-competitive. It's a form of institutionalized collusion.”Meyer felt it was important to clarify aspects of the league’s cap proposal and the sharing of revenues 50/50.To start, Meyer said that players’ share for this season in 2026 is projected to be well over 50%. “Using MLB's definitions of revenues and what counts against player share, had MLB proposal been in place in 2026 we estimate players would lose over half a billion dollars," he said.The league has proposed a hard cap system, with the cap being $245.3 million and a floor of $171.2 million. But Meyer pointed out what comes off the top “in billions” before it gets to actual pay to the players.“It's not even a real 50%,” Meyer said. “It's taking billions of dollars off the top before they're proposing to even share any of that in terms of what counts against player share, and their proposal is everything: salaries, as well as, all forms of benefit, other things of value, things like moving costs, and the cost of translators.... All of that gets counted against player share, and most importantly, most significantly, amateur signing bonuses, which is something you really don't have an analog to in the other sports that have salary caps."When it was brought up that there were similarities between the 1994 proposal that led to the strike, specifically that the owners proposed a 50/50 split in revenues, Meyer said the recent proposal was worse given that the league was not proposing an escrow system in 1994, which by definition means salaries would no longer be guaranteed.“If revenues are soft or they go down, then that means players at the end of the day won't get the guaranteed money, so they won't necessarily get the money that you see in the club-specific floor,” Meyer said. “This is not just theoretical; it's happened in hockey, which has escrow. In the NBA, just last year, the players had to give back almost $500 million to the owners of their supposedly guaranteed contracts, because of escrow, [due to their] salary cap system.”While Meyer said that “we have professionals on both sides” and that he hoped they would think rationally, knowing that MLB and the players will eventually reach a deal, he didn’t know when or what it was going to take.“I wouldn't be optimistic expecting an early deal, but on the other hand, you never know… we have people – hopefully we share an interest – in growing the game,” adding, “You don't need a cap [to do that].” While both the MLBPA and MLB have issued their first economic proposals, what’s next is an open question. Meyer said that there were no meetings currently scheduled, but that if the sides were not making a lot of progress on those proposals, there would be plenty of other items to work on, and pointed to negotiations ahead of the current labor agreement. “There are a lot of other things that we bargain over, and as has happened last time, we are going to be meeting on all of those things,” he said. “There are a lot of other areas that we have to make progress on that we can talk to the league about. We're never going to refuse to meet, we're never going to refuse to talk. So as of right now we haven't scheduled anything, but we will in the near future, and we'll be meeting, I'm sure, during the whole period of time up until we get a deal, whenever that is.”This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Ben Askren is set to wrestle an active, former UFC champion almost a year after cheating death.Not long ago, things looked grim for the former Bellator champion and two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, as he was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia. Askren went into the hospital in late May of 2025 and was in a coma and on a ventilator for well over a month. Askren ended up getting a double-lung transplant and lost 50 pounds throughout the process. He also revealed he died four times, with his heart stopping "for about 20 seconds."Fast-forward a year, and Askren has not only made a good deal of recovery, but he also has a wrestling match booked against Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of RAF 11. The event will take place on Askren's 42nd birthday – July 18 – in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis."I'm going to wrestle," Askren said on The Ariel Helwani Show. "I was the first signee for Real American Freestyle back in May 2025, prior to all my issues. I love wrestling. I love what they're doing. I've been coaching for three months now, and when they told me, it was many months ago, when they told me that they were doing a show in Milwaukee – I asked them to come to Milwaukee because I thought they would knock it out of the park – (and) it was July 18th, and it's my birthday, and something spoke to me and said I need to wrestle on that. So I've been doing my best every single day to train and stay in shape. It's feeling really good. I'm in the wrestling room, and I'm wrestling with the guys, not super hard yet, but I'm doing things. I told them last week, 'Hey, I want to wrestle,' and they said, 'If you want to wrestle, we support it.'"Askren's road to recovery is not yet complete despite having a match booked at RAF 11. He's been slowly getting back to training, and he's still needing to take precautions such as avoiding people who are sick and large groups, and wearing a mask.Askren admits he does have some reservations about his physical performance, which is why he thinks Muhammad is the perfect opponent for him at this point in his life."I wanted to pick someone who was really tough, but he doesn't have super high-level wrestling credentials," Askren explained. "That wasn't his background; that's not what he did. I know I couldn't compete with the high-level wrestlers at this point in my life, but I think I could still compete against someone really good. I didn't want to go to the other side and take someone who was too easy because that annoys me. Some of the wrestlers at RAF want easy matchups, and it's annoying."Askren confirmed this return is a one-and-done for him. He's not looking to continue competing beyond July 18. Askren's main reason to return to the mats is to inspire others with his story. "One thing that spoke to me when they said July 18 in Milwaukee was, I think of it like I lived the first life, and now I'm doing a second act because I don't know if I totally should've made it," Askren said. "But I think, what is my purpose moving forward, and I think part of my purpose is being able to inspire people to do hard things and show them that they could do it. You guys all watched me on my deathbed last year. You guys watched me go through something incredibly hard. I think the way I've been able to bounce back from it has been inspiring to many people, and I'm not going to stop doing that."This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ben Askren explains what drove wrestling comeback after nearly dying

Will Howard wasn't on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ long history of dealing with Myles Garrett, but he understands what the trade means inside the AFC North.The Steelers backup quarterback commented on the Cleveland Browns sending Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.“Not bad for us,” Howard told 93.7 The Fan at Bank of America's Golf with Us event. “We don't have to play that beast twice every year.”Howard says goodbye to Myles Garrett in the AFC North. #Steelers#NFLpic.twitter.com/Akgh5tzST0— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) June 1, 2026That is probably how plenty of people in Pittsburgh feel. Garrett has been one of the NFL’s most disruptive defenders for years, and the Steelers no longer have to build two game plans per season around keeping him away from their quarterback.Howard didn’t dismiss what Cleveland got back. The Browns added Jared Verse, a young, explosive pass rusher who poses a new set of issues.“But they're bringing in a great player in Jared Verse,” Howard said. “So, it's gonna create more challenges, but just looking at it, it'll be nice to not have to play that dude twice a year.”Cleveland may still have a dangerous defensive piece, but Pittsburgh won’t complain about seeing Garrett far less often.This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Will Howard reacts to Browns trading Myles Garrett to Rams

🚨 Colombia v Costa Rica line-ups confirmedColombia continues its warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup and this afternoon will face Costa Rica, who, without taking part in the tournament, will be in action during the June FIFA window. Colombia XICosta Rica XIDon’t miss the match details with OneFootball. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Excitement over the Stanley Cup Final is driving ticket prices to staggering levels. If you want to go to the game and are still looking for tickets, you need to be careful before spending thousands of dollars to see the Carolina Hurricanes take the ice.Tickets for games at the Lenovo Center went on sale Saturday, sparking a frenzy among fans eager to secure seats for the championship series against the Vegas Golden Knights.Some resale listings have reached eye-popping prices. ABC11 found tickets listed for more than $17,000 for a single seat. Even standing-room-only tickets released Monday afternoon through Ticketmaster were selling for more than $600 each. With so much money changing hands, the Better Business Bureau is warning fans to watch out for scammers."The people that have the tickets can kind of set the prices in that regard. So, if you are trying to buy, you know, a secondhand ticket, it is kind of the price that they determine. So unfortunately, if you want to get in you're going to have to pay the price, but you do want to make sure that it is someone who's actually legitimate and has a legitimate ticket, and not someone who's just trying to scam you because we don't want you to be out the money and not go to the game," said Alyssa Parker with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas..Parker said the BBB has already received complaints related to ticket sales and is looking into them. One of the biggest red flags, she said, is a seller providing only a screenshot of a ticket."Anything that goes through Ticketmaster or through the arena is going to be a live ticket. That means it has a barcode that is constantly changing," Parker said.The BBB says legitimate tickets should be transferred directly to the buyer's account, where they can then be accepted and accessed through the ticketing platform. Social media has become a popular place for fans to buy and sell tickets, but Parker warns buyers to proceed with caution. Scammers often pose as season-ticket holders or create fake profiles to appear legitimate.Before sending money, try to meet the seller in person when possible or use a video call to verify their identity. If purchasing through a third-party ticket marketplace, buyers should take time to understand the site's policies and protections."Do read the policies because in those, you know, the fine print is always going to say, you know, whether it's money back, guaranteed. If the ticket doesn't work out the transfer window, how does that work? Just make sure you know what you're getting into before you actually click that button on those third-party sites," Parker said.The BBB also recommends paying with a credit card when purchasing tickets online because it provides stronger fraud protection than other payment methods.The warning comes after one Hurricanes fan told ABC11 he was scammed earlier this season while buying tickets through social media. He received screenshots of tickets and did not realize that legitimate tickets must be transferred directly to the buyer.With Finals tickets selling for hundreds, and in some cases thousands of dollars, taking a few extra steps before purchasing could help fans avoid losing money and missing the game.All Stanley Cup Final games are on ABC11SEE ALSO | Share your Canes spirit photos, videos with ABC11!SEE ALSO | Raleigh woman says scammers stole $75,000 of her life savings

Knepp earns medalist honorsMONTGOMERY – The Barr-Reeve Vikings continued to show why they are considered one of the best teams in southern Indiana.B-R ran away with the Washington Invitational on Saturday in a talent-laden field at Country Oaks that looked a lot like the likely regional field coming up in a little more than a week.The Vikes posted a 292, a score that lapped the field, and picked up the medalist honors as Cam Knepp shot a 71 to win that title in a 3-hole playoff. Lincoln Miller added a 72, Isaac Knepp added a 73, Brady Wagler shot 76 and Lincoln Wagler added a 78. Every member of the team made the all-tournament team.Memorial came in at 305, Forest Park at 306, Gibson Southern at 309 and Boonville at 310 to round out the top five.The host Hatchets also had an excellent day, posting a 312, a number that would normally have them in contention for the win on most days. They were led by Aiden Boyd and Patrick McCarthy, who bot shot 77s, Tristan Zollars added a 78, Drew Jones and Bensen Smith also had a pair of 80s. The Washington B-Team was led by Levi Burkemper with an 89.Other area schools who played well, included Pike Central at 324 and Jasper at 327.Sectional will begin on Friday at Vincennes at Cypress Hills.ND 162, South Knox 194BICKNELL – The North Daviess Cougar golf team had senior night at High Pointe in Bicknell on Friday. They defeated South Knox, 162-194.ND was led by Collin Lengacher with a 39, a 40 from Coby Loheider, a 41 from Aaron Marner, a 42 from Lance Stoll and a 46 from Kahlil Wagler.ND will be playing in the Vincennes Sectional on Friday.

Former Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic said in a recent interview posted online that Mike Budenholzer was an “alcohol addict” in criticizing his coaching and interactions with players. “The situation we were in, the environment we were in, and then you find out, well, I don’t even know if I should say this, but the guy was an alcohol addict,” Nurkic said during an interview with X&Os Chat with Edin Avdic that was posted May 31. “He was really having a problem with it.” Basketball Sphere translated the interview into English in a May 31 tweet. Team owner Mat Ishbia fired Budenholzer after one season in which the Suns won just 36 games in 2024-25 and missed the playoffs with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the roster.At the time Budenholzer was let go, The Arizona Republic reported rumblings about his future escalating after a Feb. 27 home loss to New Orleans, which won just 21 games that season. "Mike Budenholzer? He was explaining to Kevin Durant how to score a basket. It was absurd.Then, at the end, you find out he was struggling with alcohol addiction..." 🍻Jusuf Nurkic, now a member of the Utah Jazz, shared strong criticism of the Phoenix Suns system under head… pic.twitter.com/ys2yrwdKac— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) June 1, 2026The Suns were 27-32 at the time under the two-time NBA Coach of the Year. Nurkic said Budenholzer tried to teach Durant, now the NBA’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 32,597 points, how to get buckets. “He was literally explaining to Kevin Durant how to score a basket,” said a laughing Nurkic. “If he had been telling me or (Eric) Gordon or Royce (O’Neale) or Grayson (Allen), whatever, but explaining to Kevin Durant how to score? That’s like explaining to a pilot how to fly a plane. I don’t know, not just for me, but to everyone, the whole system felt so absurd.” Nurkic later said Budenholzer intentionally tried to frustrate players. “He would schedule 1-on-1 meetings just to provoke people,” Nurkic said. “He’d tell Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, ‘You have no idea. You need to be this, you need to be that.’ I mean, you’d just sit there and couldn’t believe what you were hearing.” Nurkic then recalls Budenholzer calling him a “bad teammate” during that season. “I told him, ‘Listen man, we can talk about anything, whether I’m playing poorly or badly, whether I can improve, whatever, but for you to tell me that,’” Nurkic said. “He was like this camera right here, small. And he is just picking fights and provoking people.” Nurkic spent this past 2025-26 season with the Utah Jazz as he averaged 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and a career-high 4.8 assists in just 41 games in his first year with the team. Jazz coach Will Hardy spoke highly of Nurkic during the season. “Nurk’s been awesome,” Hardy said back in October 2025. “I know when the other team gets near him, we get open. He’s a heck of a screener. He does a good job of creating space for all our perimeter players. You don’t push him off the spot very easily around the basket. He’s been able to hold his space and use his physicality to rebound.” The 7-footer is an unrestricted free agent. The Suns traded Deandre Ayton to Portland in a three-team deal in acquiring Nurkic from the Blazers, going into the 2023-24 season. Nurkic averaged 10.9 points and 11 rebounds in his first season with the Suns, who won 49 games under Frank Vogel to earn a third seed in the 2024 playoffs, but the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them in the first round. The Suns fired Vogel after one season and replaced him with Budenholzer, whose relationship with Nurkic began nicely as he visited him overseas during that 2024 summer. The relationship eventually turned rocky. Nurkic said during an interview with The Republic on Jan. 25, 2025, that he and Budenholzer hadn’t talked in two months. “We don’t have a relationship,” Nurkic said back then. “So, it’s fine. For me, just be a pro and do the best I can. Work and stay ready for whatever might be, but there is no chaos or bringing that to this team. They already have plenty of it. Trying to be as professional as I can and work my ass off for something else.”Suns coach Mike Budenholzer addressed his relationship with Jusuf Nurkic, saying he understands the frustration with him, but there has been "conversations." #Sunspic.twitter.com/IJlp4tyfaL— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 26, 2025The Suns played the Washington Wizards later that night in Phoenix. After a 119-109 win, Budenholzer said there had been conversations with the Suns' bigs at the time about earning minutes.“It’s never easy in this league,” Budenholzer said, regarding Nurkic’s “relationship” comments. "He hasn’t played. I’m sure he’s frustrated. I respect that.” The Suns traded Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Vasa Micic, Cody Martin and a second-round selection before the 2025 trade deadline. Budenholzer was Phoenix’s third coach in three years. The Milwaukee Bucks had fired him after the 2022-23 season. Budenholzer coached the Bucks to an NBA championship in the 2020-21 season.Milwaukee defeated the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals in six games. At his introductory press conference back in May 2024, the Arizona native talked about spending that year away from coaching to further connect with his kids, travel and get his mind and body right. “This year for me was really healthy,” Budenholzer said, with his voice cracking from emotion. “I kind of had a list of priorities, diving into my kids and my family, super important. We’ve been through a lot. Really, the time with my kids was amazing. My son is a senior in high school. Going to every one of his games, driving home, you're like, wow, I got a gift. So diving into family and kids was awesome." The Suns started the 2024-25 season 9-2, but fizzled to the point of missing postseason play for the first time since 2019-20. Phoenix then hired Jordan Ott to replace Budenholzer. The Suns won 45 games and returned to the playoffs this past season under the first-year coach, who landed his first NBA job as a video coordinator in 2013 with the Atlanta Hawks when Budenholzer was Atlanta’s head coach. The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the eighth-seeded Suns in the first round of this year's playoffs. Ott finished fifth in the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year voting. Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jusuf Nurkic says Mike Budenholzer was an 'alcohol addict'

Gregory Bovino — the now-former tactical commander-at-large for U.S. Border Patrol official who oversaw the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaigns in U.S. cities before Trump removed him last January — spoke alongside fascists and neo-Nazi at a “remigration” summit in Figueira da Foz, Portugal last weekend. The summit’s lead organizer, Afonso Gonçalves, once said, “Weimar conditions require Weimar solutions,” a reference to the rise of Nazi Germany under Hitler’s Third Reich, the independent journalistic outlet The Redoubt reported. Gonçalves also founded the far-right, anti-Muslim group Reconquista, the outlet added. Related Elon Musk says his daughter being trans fueled his decision to get involved in right-wing politics The outlet noted that other speakers at the summit included “a Belgian fascist convicted of Holocaust denial, the founder of a Swiss neo-Nazi group called “Junge Tat,” and Martin Sellner, an Austrian extremist who promotes “great replacement theory,” a debunked white nationalist conspiracy theory that a cabal of rich Jewish people wants to “replace” white Americans and Westerners with non-white immigrants and people of color (especially Black people and Muslims) to fundamentally change the racial makeup and political culture of different nations. subtle.— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) 2026-05-29T15:14:46.363Z Bovino posted an image of himself delivering what commenters said looks like a Nazi salute before attending the summit. In an interview with a far-right website ahead of the summit, Bovino called Nazi Germany’s lead general Erwin Rommel an inspirational figure, Politico reported.

Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2026-06-01T20:12:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is reconsidering whether to move forward with a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said Monday, as the Justice Department said it would temporarily pause its implementation to comply with a court order.The potential retreat is a recognition of the legal setbacks the fund has encountered since it was announced two weeks ago as well as a mounting political backlash from Republicans concerned by a perceived lack of oversight of the money disbursement and the potential for payouts to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.The Trump administration had defended the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” established to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, as an appropriate corrective measure to make up for what officials insist was weaponized law enforcement during the Biden administration. Though some Trump supporters — including participants in the Capitol riot — celebrated the announcement of the fund, the reaction among Republicans in Congress has been decidedly more hostile. The fund was one of the issues the president spoke about with House Speaker Mike Johnson, whom he met with Monday, according to a person who was granted anonymity to discuss a private discussion. On Monday, a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the president’s thinking, said Trump was reconsidering whether to move forward with the fund. The Justice Department said separately that it would comply with a ruling by a federal judge in Virginia on Friday that halted plans for the fund pending additional arguments later this month, even as it noted that it “disagrees strongly” with that decision. Read More Lawmakers have raised concerns about the lack of oversight of the money and pushed the administration to either impose limits on the fund or scrap it altogether. It especially complicated matters in the Senate, where Republicans defiantly left town 10 days ago without passing legislation to fund Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies. Republicans who returned to Washington on Monday said they won’t have the votes to pass the Homeland Security spending bill until the White House works with them to place parameters on the fund.Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated Monday that he hoped the White House would move to drop the fund.“I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” Thune told reporters.Senators pressed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the fund at a closed-door gathering last month that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called one of “the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate.”The fund’s future was called into question Friday by a pair of court rulings. In Virginia, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily halted its formation and scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend her order barring the government from moving forward with the fund while pending litigation challenges it. The Justice Department said Monday it would abide by the ruling but noted in a statement the “fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise.” Separately, the federal judge in Florida overseeing Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS ordered Trump’s attorneys to respond to “grievous allegations” by settlement critics that the president abandoned his claims to avoid the court’s scrutiny of an illegal deal. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams gave them until June 12 to respond in writing to allegations of collusion and whether the case should be reopened because the court was the “victim of a fraud.”_____Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

President Trump told CNBC that he “couldn’t care less” if the negotiations with Iran break down.

The deep-blue state’s primary elections will show how angry voters are at the status quo.

Delegates to the Minnesota Republican Party’s convention voted to hold a moment of silent prayer for Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

UFC White House is nearly here. As part of the ongoing 250th celebration year of the United States of America, U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White have organized a star-studded seven-fight mixed martial arts card — dubbed UFC Freedom 250 — to take place in the nation’s capital this summer. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic event.When is the UFC Freedom 250 fight?UFC Freedom 250 takes place on Sunday, June 14 — the same day as Flag Day in the United States, as well as Trump’s 80th birthday. The latter fact may or may not be coincidental, depending on who you ask. The entire event begins at 8 p.m. ET.Where will the UFC Freedom 250 fight be held?The South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. will play host to the fight. Yes, really.A sneak peak at what's in store for June 14.Heather Diehl via Getty ImagesAs you can see above, construction on the massive stage the UFC plans to utilize has been underway on the South Lawn for months.Where to watch the UFC Freedom 250 fightDetails about the broadcast schedule for UFC Freedom 250 remain unclear as of this writing, although we do know one thing: The entire card will air live on Paramount+.Considering the UFC’s $7.7 billion broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount, which kicked off this year, it’ll be a genuine surprise if at least some of the card is also not simulcast on CBS proper, similar to what happened with the UFC’s kickoff show for the deal in January.Who’s headlining the UFC Freedom 250 card?A title unification match between UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje is set to close out the show.The undefeated Topuria (17-0) is a two-division champion and one of the biggest stars in the UFC. A dangerous knockout artist who first won the UFC featherweight title (145 pounds) with historic finishes of future Hall of Famers Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria, 29, captured his lightweight belt (155 pounds) with a first-round knockout of former champion Charles Oliviera in June 2025. Gaethje (27-5) is widely considered one of the most entertaining in-cage fighters in MMA history. He’s a two-time interim champion, having also won an interim belt back in 2020. Gaethje, 37, is however winless in undisputed UFC title bouts, falling short to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and then Oliveira in 2022.Who is favored to win the fight?Topuria is a heavy betting favorite to win the bout, listed anywhere from -500 to -800 depending on your sportsbook of choice.Gaethje is currently listed as anywhere from a +350 to +500 underdog.Who else is on the UFC Freedom 250 card?The card features six additional fights aside from the main event, including former two-division champion Alex Pereira moving up to heavyweight in pursuit of history against Ciryl Gane in a battle for the UFC interim heavyweight championship. Pereira already claimed gold at middleweight (185 pounds) and light heavyweight (205 pounds); if he defeated Gane, he’ll have the claim of being the first-ever three-division UFC champion.Check out the complete UFC Freedom 250 fight card below.Fight Card (8 p.m. ET, Paramount+)Lightweight championship: Ilia Topuira vs. Justin GaethjeInterim heavyweight championship: Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl GaneBantamweight: Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann ZahabiHeavyweight: Josh Hokit vs. Derrick LewisLightweight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael ChandlerMiddleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle DaukausFeatherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

May 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Matt Vierling (8) celebrates with shortstop Zack Short (15) after scoring against the Chicago White Soxduring the tenth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Detroit Tigers (22-38) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-20)Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Tropicana FieldSB Nation Site: DRaysBayMedia: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: RHP Ty Madden (0-0, 2.38 ERA) vs. RHP Griffin Jax (1-3, 3.60 ERA)PlayerGIPK%BB%GB%FIPfWARMadden311.127.94.755.22.620.2Jax1730.021.111.750.64.500.0LineupsTIGERSRAYSKevin McGonigle – SSYandy Diaz – DHDillon Dingler – CJonathan Aranda – 1BKerry Carpenter – LFRichie Palacios – 2BRiley Greene – DHJunior Caminero – 3BSpencer Torkelson – 1BChandler Simpson – LFColt Keith – 3BVictor Mesa – RFWenceel Perez – CFCedric Mullins – CFHao-Yu Lee – 2BHunter Feduccia – CZach McKinstry – RFTaylor Walls – SSJoin the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 26: Griffin Jax #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images Go Rays!Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 26: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals during an MLB game between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals on May 26, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The 22-37 Royals last won a game on Sunday, May 24th, against the Seattle Mariners. I attended that game and left when the score was 8-3 Royals. They tried to lose the game but failed. Since then, the Royals have been very successful at losing, as they suffered consecutive sweeps at the hands of the Yankees and Rangers.Tonight, the Royals roll into Cincinnati riding a six-game losing streak to take on the 30-28 Reds. Despite the winning record, the Reds are in last place in the NL Central. Max has you covered on the series preview.The Reds will start someone named Lyon Richardson, who is not a starting pitcher and has not started an MLB game since 2023. He walks a lot of guys and does not strike out many – his career K% and BB% are pretty close. Seems as though it will be a bullpen game from the Reds.In addition, the Reds will not have star Elly De La Cruz due to a hamstring strain. The Reds have a ton of pitchers on the IL, especially in the bullpen. If there was ever a time to break a bad losing streak, tonight is it.Salvador Perez gets a game off and Jac Caglianone will hit cleanup. 3-4 are both lefties…we will see how that pans out today. Luinder Avila will get the start.The starts at 6:10pm US Central time and is in Cincinnati. You can watch on Royals.TV or listen on 96.5 The Fan/Royals Radio Network.Lineups:

SLIPPERY ROCK — Despite clawing its way back from a six-run deficit to take a one-run lead in the top of the sixth inning, Western Beaver saw its season come to an end on Monday, June 1, as costly errors allowed District 10 champion West Middlesex to advance to the PIAA high school baseball Class 1A quarterfinals with a 12-9 win. “The guys battled, hit the ball when we needed to in situations, had a couple of errors that gave up a lot of runs, but we fought the entire game,” longtime Western Beaver head coach Chad Miller said. “This is a good group. There was just a couple of plays that could have gotten us to the next round. Holding a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after scoring seven runs across the previous two, Western Beaver (12-5) aimed to keep mistakes at a minimum after errors allowed West Middlesex to build a six-run lead earlier in the game. After West Middlesex (16-5) tied the game on a sacrifice fly to deep right field in foul territory, an error by the Western Beaver right fielder allowed Kam Miles to score. Following the error, two more runs came in off back-to-back RBI singles by Nolan Kayser and Caleb Koncar to put the game away. “We knew there were going to be a couple of errors, there were a couple of balls that we missed and the timing wasn’t right,” Miller said. “This game could have been rough for them after the first inning, but these guys didn’t hang their heads and continued to fight.”Heading into the game, Miller wanted to make sure that his bats were aggressive after a few games where the team fell short offensively. While the Golden Beavers came out on the losing end, it wasn’t for a lack of offense, combining for 13 hits, including four players recording multi-hit games. Live PIAA Tournament Updates: PIAA spring sports playoffs, live Beaver Valley updatesRequired Reading: Ellwood City comes from behind to defeat South Park for WPIAL 3A titleRequired Reading: Blackhawk falls in second consecutive WPIAL softball championship gameCenter fielder Nate Schwarz picked up a pair of RBI singles and Sawyer Chaffee also contributed with an RBI single of his own. Along with the Tinley singles, Jackson Kisucky finished the game with three RBIs, a pair coming off a single in the fifth and another off a triple in the sixth. Christian Stefanakis, who was pulled after three-straight walks in the first inning and later re-entered in the sixth, finished with three RBIs, two coming on a two-out triple, also in the sixth.“Those first three innings, we were either fouling pitches off and putting the ball in play hard,” Miller said. “I give credit to these guys for sticking to it and putting up the hits that we did. We just didn’t get the break that we needed.”Western Beaver ends its year with one of the best finishes in the program’s recent memory, winning a section championship and qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at emorrison@usatodayco.com and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X. This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Western Beaver falls to West Middlesex in PIAA 1A baseball playoffs

Pelicans trade rumor should be of serious interest to Lakers, Warriors originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Moving forward, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors should pay close attention to trade rumors involving assets who would be solid additions to their respective rosters. Of course, trades can’t be completed until the offseason officially gets underway, but nothing is preventing them from crafting a lengthy list of summer targets. A recent New Orleans Pelicans trade rumor should undoubtedly pique the interest of Los Angeles and Golden State in early June.“We assume he’s (Trey Murphy) probably going to get traded over the next three weeks,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons stated. “I think Boston (Celtics) is a possibility. We thought whoever lost this matchup (between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder) is a possibility. You have two to three weeks to trade for someone like that.”Although Simmons didn’t name the Lakers and Warriors as potential landing spots for Murphy, it’s widely believed that both organizations are in the mix for the 25-year-old. With Simmons’ report indicating that there’s a high probability the Pelicans will soon make him available in trade talks, Los Angeles and Golden State should be licking their chops as the offseason looms closer. Murphy is exactly the type of player the Lakers are seeking this summer, as he’s a high-level perimeter shooter who gets after it on the defensive end. The Warriors will likely be more enamored with the Virginia product’s awe-inspiring long-range production, given their playstyle. That said, it’s reasonable to assume they wouldn’t overlook his valuable defensive contributions. Murphy, who averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.0% from the field and 37.9% from three this year, should soon garner heavy interest from the two Western Conference franchises.More NBA news:Rockets predicted to swap ex-Lakers disgruntled forward for $285 million Celtics starCeltics get straightforward Giannis Antetokounmpo trade updateLakers predicted to cut ties with Dalton Knecht, acquire $175 million two-time MVP

We are diving into some fantasy football content this offseason as we look to bring in all sorts of football fans to Bucs Wire. It is arguably the most popular game that is around football, so not dipping our toes into the proverbial pool wouldn't make sense.What we will start with is some rookie profiles, and where they fit into the landscape of the team they were drafted by. Next up, New York Giants wide receiver Malachi Fields.Depth Chart SituationMalik Nabers* (returning from injury)Darnell MooneyDarius SlaytonMalachi FieldsSkill Players Around HimMalik Nabers, Wide ReceiverDarnell Mooney, Wide ReceiverDarius Slayton, Wide ReceiverCam Skattebo, Running BackIsaiah Likely, Tight End2026 Stat ProjectionsStat projections are done by ESPN's Mike Clay17 Receptions197 Receiving Yards1 Touchdown43 Fantasy PointsReason to Believe in Malachi Fields in 2026: Physical StyleThe Giants do not have a wide receiver at the moment who could do the dirty work, and that is something that John Harbaugh has always appreciated in his offense. Fields blocks and makes physical catches across the middle, so that could be his path to being on the field as a rookie. 2026 OutlookMalachi Fields is not going to be worth a spot in your fantasy lineup in 2026, most likely. We hate to be so abrupt, but he would need a lot to go his way in order to achieve that. Anything is possible but fantasy owners should hold off on being invested in him in the current landscape. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Fantasy Rookie Profile on Giants WR Malachi Fields

Sean McDonnell, who coached the University of New Hampshire football team from 1999-2021, has been named to the 2027 National Football Foundation (NFF) College Football Hall of Fame ballot.This is McDonnell's first time appearing on the ballot, which features 39 coaches and 99 players from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). There are also 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) on the ballot.The announcement of the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in January 2027.McDonnell, a two-time Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award winner (2005, 2014), owns the second-most career wins in UNH program history (157). His former head coach while playing at UNH, Bill Bowes, owns the most with 175.The Wildcats made the NCAA FCS tournament every year from 2004-17 and reached the semifinals in both 2013 and 2014.Bowes, who coached UNH from 1972-98, and Jerry Azumah, a former cornerback who graduated from UNH in 1999, are the only Wildcats currently in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.