Luis Enrique Martinez with the trophy and Jordi Alba at the end of the match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla CF, corresponding to the second match of the spanish Supercup, played at the Camp Nou Stadium, on august 17, 2016. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Former Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has been full of praise for Luis Enrique and revealed why the coach is the best manager he’s played under during his career.Lucho is currently celebrating winning the Champions League again with PSG, and Alba says the boss creates a great atmosphere within the squad.“For me, Luis Enrique is the best. He gets all the players to pull together, even those who don’t play. You feel happy for your teammates, for the team. Not everyone can do that. In that sense, he’s a star,” he told Mario Suarez on his podcast El Camino de Mario.“He’s spectacular at managing a group. He’s approachable and demands the best from you. If you don’t do what he says, someone else takes your place. He doesn’t care about names, what you’ve done in football… he sees the present.”Alba also spoke about working under Xavi Hernandez and feels he did a good job during his two and a half seasons in charge.“Xavi Hernández came in at a very difficult time,” he added.“He took on the responsibility and did quite well. We won La Liga and the Super Cup against Real Madrid. When I was there, he managed the group well.”

NBA Finals Schedule 2026: Dates, Channels, Streams for Knicks vs. Spurs originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Which team will capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy when the Knicks and Spurs collide in the 2026 NBA Finals?This series will be a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, which ended with the first championship celebration in franchise history for the Spurs. It will also serve as a rematch of the most recent NBA Cup championship game. The Knicks won that battle, 124-113, back on Dec. 16.Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are the favorites to win the title after dethroning the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, but Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are coming off impressive back-to-back sweeps of the 76ers and Cavs.Here is everything you need to know about Knicks vs. Spurs, including TV and streaming options for the NBA Finals.How to watch Knicks vs. Spurs: TV channel, live stream for 2026 NBA FinalsTV channel: ABCLive stream: DIRECTV | ESPN app | fuboEvery game of the Knicks vs. Spurs series will air live on ABC. Each game will also be available to stream on DIRECTV, the ESPN app and fubo.Try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live NBA, MLB and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1 and NFL Network — all included with DIRECTV.Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.Knicks vs. Spurs schedule: New York leads 1-0DateGameTime (ET)TV/Live streamJune 3Game 1: Knicks 105, Spurs 95——June 5Game 2: Knicks vs. Spurs8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fuboJune 8Game 3: Spurs vs. Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fuboJune 10Game 4: Spurs vs. Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fuboJune 13Game 5*: Knicks vs. Spurs8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fuboJune 16Game 6*: Spurs vs. Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fuboJune 19Game 7*: Knicks vs. Spurs8:30 p.m.ABC, DIRECTV, ESPN app, fubo*If necessaryNBA Playoffs scores, results 2026Conference finalsKnicks 4, Cavs 0Game 1: Knicks 115, Cavs 104 (OT)Game 2: Knicks 109, Cavs 93Game 3: Knicks 121, Cavs 108Game 4: Knicks 130, Cavs 93Spurs 4, Thunder 3Game 1: Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT)Game 2: Thunder 122, Spurs 113Game 3: Thunder 123, Spurs 108Game 4: Spurs 103, Thunder 82Game 5: Thunder 127, Spurs 114Game 6: Spurs 118, Thunder 91Game 7: Spurs 111, Thunder 103Conference semifinalsKnicks 4, 76ers 0Game 1: Knicks 137, 76ers 98Game 2: Knicks 108, 76ers 102Game 3: Knicks 108, 76ers 94Game 4: Knicks 144, 76ers 114Spurs 4, Timberwolves 2Game 1: Timberwolves 104, Spurs 102Game 2: Spurs 133, Timberwolves 95Game 3: Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108Game 4: Timberwolves 114, Spurs 109Game 5: Spurs 126, Timberwolves 97Game 6: Spurs 139, Timberwolves 109First roundKnicks 4, Hawks 2Game 1: Knicks 113, Hawks 102Game 2: Hawks 107, Knicks 106Game 3: Hawks 109, Knicks 108Game 4: Knicks 114, Hawks 98Game 5: Knicks 126, Hawks 97Game 6: Knicks 140, Hawks 89Spurs 4, Trail Blazers 1Game 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98Game 2: Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103Game 3: Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108Game 4: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93Game 5: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 95

Fan sprints onto court to take selfie with Victor Wembanyama during 4th quarter of NBA Finals Game 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs proved an eye-catching sight. There was nary a moment of reprieve, especially not in the fourth quarter as both sides traded the lead.With 6:29 left in regulation, though, the action stopped. The reason for the freeze? A fan who traipsed onto the floor in the hopes of securing a photo with towering French supernova Victor Wembanyama.Here's what you need to know about the situation. NBA PLAYOFFS HQ:Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracketFan sprints onto floor to take selfie with Victor WembanyamaWembanyama was greeted — against his best wishes — by a fan who evaded security in the hopes of snapping a photo with him. The fan reached the 7-4 supernova, only to be whisked away by security as soon as he reached his place on the court.Predictably, the incident resulted in a brief delay to the action. Interestingly, the fan featured fairly prominently on the broadcast — an unusual sight for a streaker.A fan just ran on the court to take a selfie with Wemby 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/5G7Sky6LKy— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 4, 2026Who was the fan that ran onto the floor?At present, it's unclear quite who stormed the floor during the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's game. It could've been a Spurs fan. It could've been a streamer. Only time will tell who the person was who danced across the floor at the Frost Center on Wednesday night.What is the punishment for running onto the floor during an NBA game?Those who run onto the court during NBA games are typically subjected to immediate ejection. They often face a lifetime ban as a result of their actions, with franchises also liable to potentially attempt to pursue criminal charges against them.

Credit: ESPNGame 1 of the NBA Finals was at a dramatic point in the fourth quarter when something truly bizarre happened – a fan ran onto the court in search of a selfie with Victor Wembanyama.The game was coming back from a timeout following a crucial run spurred by Jalen Bruson’s heroics had given the Knicks a six-point lead over the Spurs. Just as play had resumed, a fan very quickly made his way onto the floor and got far enough that he was actually in the middle of the action.Before security could remove the fan, he pulled out his cell phone in what looked to be an attempt at a selfie with the French superstar.Usually, network broadcasts will try to cut away form play when a fan invades the court or field so as to not encourage any similar behavior for people looking for a fleeting moment of fame. But this happened so quickly that ESPN was unable to do so. Mike Breen immediately called the situation on play-by-play while analysts Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson condemned the fan’s actions.What was really surprising was that ESPN ran a replay of the fan storming the court, even focusing on Mitchell Robinson’s flummoxed reaction.A fan on the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as seen and heard on the ESPN on ABC broadcast. #NBA#NBAFinalspic.twitter.com/atKDGe3Gcj— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 4, 2026“A fan just ran on the floor and wants to take a selfie. Security quickly takes him away. Crowd gives him the appropriate boo, fortunately nobody hurt,” Breen said.“It’s just too good for that to happen,” Legler admitted.“That person wasn’t here for the basketball,” Jefferson added.Thankfully, nothing truly nefarious happened here and order was quickly restored with a jump ball. Fans on the field or the court can provide some humorous moments from announcers calling the action. However, it’s still more than a little scary was able to get that close to Victor Wembanyama that quickly. And that security was caught sleeping.The post Fan runs onto the court for Victor Wembanyama selfie during NBA Finals appeared first on Awful Announcing.

A fan celebrated what will likely be his final NBA game with a selfie alongside Victor Wembanyama.Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals saw play interrupted in the fourth quarter when a fan ran onto the court and appeared to try taking a selfie with the San Antonio Spurs superstar. He was quickly apprehended by a pair of security workers and rushed off the court.Wembanyama appeared amused by the interruption, unlike New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson. Other camera angles show the fan being roughly dragged further into the tunnel by security personnel and officers.The fan can likely expect a ban for life from the NBA, which will take an especially dim view of anyone who interrupts a fourth quarter of its marquee event. There could be legal repercussions as well, as it is a crime in Texas to enter a restricted area at a stadium. Criminal trespass and disorderly conduct are both possible misdemeanor charges, with the former punishable by up to 180 days in jail.This is also only the second time a fan has interrupted a fourth quarter of a major championship, as someone else ran onto the field at Super Bowl LX. His journey ended much more violently.The Knicks went on to win the game 105-95, behind 30 points from Jalen Brunson. Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 6 turnovers.

The 2026 NBA finals got underway on Wednesday with the New York Knicks taking on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1. Both teams are looking to end lengthy title droughts and get off on the right foot in this series. This series features former members of the Philadelphia 76ers on both sides. The Knicks feature former Sixers draft pick Landry Shamet and he made a big impact off New York’s bench. Shamet scored 13 points and knocked down three triples as the Knicks defeated the Spurs 105-95 on the road to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Knicks star Jalen Brunson finished with 30 points and was huge in the fourth quarter down the stretch. New York has now won 12 games in a row in these playoffs. Landry Shamet off the bench:13 PTS3-6 3PLeading all remaining players in bench threes. pic.twitter.com/F1mntINZGe— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 4, 2026On San Antonio’s side, former Sixers forward Julian Champagnie had 16 points and 10 rebounds while knocking down five 3-pointers. Game 2 of this series is set for Friday night from the Frost Bank Center. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Former Sixers guard Landry Shamet helps Knicks beat Spurs in Game 1

Wales are second in League B Group 1 level on 10 points with leaders Czech Republic [Huw Evans Picture Agency]Wales' preparations for Friday's Women's World Cup qualifier in Montenegro have been badly disrupted after the team flight was forced to divert to Italy due to bad weather.Rhian Wilkinson's squad took off from Cardiff at 16:30 BST on Wednesday and had been due to arrive in Montenegro around three hours later.However, they were unable to land in Podgorica due to electrical storms around the Montenegrin capital and eventually diverted to the Italian port city of Brindisi.After more than three hours on the tarmac in southern Italy, during which Wales had hoped weather conditions would ease, the decision was taken to stay in Brindisi on Wednesday night.That left Football Association of Wales (FAW) officials scrambling to secure hotel rooms for the travelling party, as well as trying to arrange travel plans for Thursday."Due to storms in Podgorica, the Cymru women's national team flight was diverted this evening, landing safely in Brindisi airport in south Italy," the FAW said on social media."The team will stay overnight in Italy and will arrange alternative travel to Montenegro ahead of Friday evening's match."Wales take on Montenegro in Podgorica in their penultimate Group B1 fixture at 17:00 BST on Friday.They then host Czech Republic, their rivals to finish top of the group, in their final fixture in Cardiff on Tuesday.Wales boss Wilkinson has unfinished businessClark, Holland and Hughes named in Wales squad

Texas A&M baseball has seen its first non‑pitcher enter the transfer portal this offseason, and this one stings a little more than most. Sophomore infielder Sawyer Farr, a legacy Aggie who never stopped grinding for a role, has officially entered the portal, as first reported by Aggie Sports 365 and later confirmed by On3.Farr’s path in College Station was anything but straightforward. Thrust into a starting job far earlier than expected during the injury‑plagued 2025 season, he endured the typical freshman growing pains while trying to stabilize an infield that was constantly in flux. Despite being a top‑rated shortstop in his class, he wasn’t projected to play nearly as much as he did, and the learning curve showed.The 2026 season brought even more competition. True freshman Boston Kellner seized the starting shortstop job from day one, while Chris Hacopian opened the year at second base. Even when Hacopian shifted to designated hitter due to injury, veteran Ben Royo stepped in at second, leaving Farr without a clear path to consistent innings.With Jack Bell arriving through the portal and both freshman starters potentially returning, the infield picture only grew more crowded. Farr found himself on the outside looking in, reduced to backup opportunities rather than a defined role.Still, he made the most of the chances he did get. Across 19 games and 40 at‑bats, Farr posted a .250/.400/.325 slash line, showing improved plate discipline and the same clutch gene that surfaced multiple times during his freshman campaign.A move to the portal doesn’t diminish what Farr meant to the program. A hard‑nosed, team‑first player who answered the call whenever his number was called. But with A&M’s infield depth surging and roles tightening, a fresh start may give him the consistent runway he never quite found in College Station.Texas A&M sophomore INF Sawyer Farr has entered the transfer portalFarr was a highly touted HS prospect who hasn’t quite got it going yet at the college levelI’m disappointed to see him leave as I think he has tons of potential. pic.twitter.com/IIvE2yu8OR— Aggie Sports 365 (@365Aggie) June 4, 2026Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M infielder Sawyer Farr to enter transfer portal

Browns' Dillon Gabriel, Jared Verse jersey number controversy isn't what it seems originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Cleveland Browns already had a player who wears the jersey number 8, Dillon Gabriel.Then they traded for Jared Verse in the Myles Garrett deal, and the young pass rusher wore 8 for the Los Angeles Rams.Something's gotta give, right?There are some fans believing that Gabriel and Verse are feuding.After all, this post has about four million views on X:Dillon Gabriel on Jared Verse wearing number 8:"Yeah, I was kind of hoping he would pay me for my number. But then he just started wearing it in practice." pic.twitter.com/dz9aZVnYbX— Football Crave (@FootballCravee) June 3, 2026MORE: Myles Garrett's Browns career comes to the most Cleveland of endingsThe problem is this: That's not a real news-making account.It uses the words "parody account" in its bio.There is no truth to that quote. It's not something Gabriel really said.The whole goal of making that post was to get engagement, and it got a ton. A lot of fake posts are obvious, but that one seems like it could be real. It depicts Gabriel in a press conference setting, and it just shares a quote that isn't so outlandish that it couldn't be real.It doesn't show up anywhere among real Browns reporters, though, and the nature of this account is to post fake stuff.This is fake, and while Verse and Gabriel may have a number situation to figure out, the above post isn't what Gabriel thinks about it, because that's not real.More NFL news:The Aaron Rodgers problem no one is talking about for the SteelersCommanders, Brandon Aiyuk are waiting for the same thingLamar Jackson has an obvious reason not to sign right nowCould the Bosa brothers join forces?There's a risk the OBJ signing is a mistake

Eagles cut ties with Pro Bowl defender, two-time Super Bowl champion after A.J. Brown trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday wasn’t the only notable roster move the franchise made to start the week. In addition to cutting Brown loose after four seasons, the Eagles released a Pro Bowl defender and two-time Super Bowl champion before the start of the new season.“The Eagles released veteran defensive end Brandon Graham on Tuesday,” Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams reported.“It is a procedural move that was expected post-June 1 based on his contract. According to multiple reports, though, it is possible Graham could return to the Eagles.”“The team, though, improved the edge rusher position in the offseason, acquiring Jonathan Greenard and Arnold Ebiketie in a room that already included Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.”Although Graham announced his retirement following the Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, he opted to retire shortly after and spend another season with the NFC franchise that selected him with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Graham finished the 2025-26 campaign with eight tackles and three sacks in nine contests. Graham isn’t the force he was in his prime, but he’s still a contributor who could be serviceable with Philadelphia next year if the Eagles decide to bring him back. At the very least, the Michigan product could provide the Eagles with valuable veteran leadership that could go a long way toward the organization winning another title.More NFL: Bills-Vikings massive trade pitch sees Buffalo break bank to acquire generational $140 million WRBears named landing spot for $123 million 115-sack Steelers star LBEagles named top landing spot for former Cowboys $21 million start

OKLAHOMA CITY — The debate over the Texas Tech softball team's starting lineup for the first game of the Women's College World Series finals went on all day.Gerry Glasco had no issues deciding Kaitlyn Terry would be the starting pitcher. She's been great in OKC, the Tech coach said, and he would rather bring NiJaree Canady off the bench than Terry. The pitching wasn't the issue in the 7-3 loss to the Longhorns. It was the defense behind them.Katie Stewart ripped off a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, but the damage was exacerbated by a two-run triple from Kaiah Altmeyer after Desirae Spearman, starting her first game of the WCWS, misplayed the ball from the jump. That led to Texas plating five runs in the first inning, taking all the momentum of the game early on."When we get down, we've got to answer back," Texas head coach Mike White said. "And whenever we score runs, we've got to shut them down and keep that momentum. Momentum is everything in this game."Glasco's message after the game was similar to White's, though on the opposite end of the spectrum. He was fine with Stewart's home run (her 31st of the season) as Texas didn't generate many other hard-hit balls. The defense didn't help anything and sucked the energy from the Red Raiders."We've had games like that through the year," Glasco said. "If you go back to the Arizona game, there's several games where it seemed like we just aren't. ... we aren't focused on defense and our positioning's out. It's not necessarily the errors as much as not being in the right place at the right time and getting caught off. We were shallow in left field. She was the three hole. Altmeyer was the three hole for Arizona last year, and we were playing her like she was a weak slap hitter."Glasco also pulled the plug on Terry and NiJaree Canady (who came on later in the first) when the Longhorns got out to a four-run lead. He commended Samantha Lincoln for keeping the game within reach, but the Longhorns had enough breathing room where Mia William's two-run home run in the fifth inning was moot."She did what she was put in there to do," Glasco said. "She held the game, kept it close, kept it tight, gave us a chance to get back in the back. We just didn't do it."This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gerry Glasco details Texas Tech softball's miscues in Game 1 loss to Texas

Mayor Zohran Mamdani lent his political star power to an unusual TV ad promoting three Democrats running for House seats in New York City.

Wednesday brought bad news regarding Brandon Aiyuk.News broke earlier this evening that a warrant has been issued in Northern California for Aiyuk's arrest. Why? Well, it seems Aiyuk is wanted. He is wanted on a misdemeanor charge for an exhibition of speed in his automobile. Apparently, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the arrest warrant to The California Post on Wednesday.The San Francisco 49ers receiver has been the subject of speculation for months that he would be signed by the Washington Commanders as soon as the 49ers release him. Wednesday's news raises further questions, like did the Commanders already know about this? And if so, are the Commanders still interested in signing Aiyuk, because he is an old friend and teammate of their franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels?The Santa Clara County DA's office issued a warrant for #49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk on the misdemeanor charge of exhibition of speeding. The warrant is in reference to the video Aiyuk posted that seemed to show him going well over the speed limit on streets outside of Levi's Stadium,…— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) June 3, 2026It seems Aiyuk posted a video on his YouTube page back in December, and this is the source of the issue. Here is the video Aiyuk posted. In the video, you can observe for yourself that Aiyuk had his phone positioned to record his speedometer reaching 100 mph on Santa Clara roadways. At one point, Aiyuk can be seen driving at 104 mph, racing past Levi's Stadium, the home stadium of his team, the 49ers.In fairness to Aiyuk, a few days later, he apologized on his YouTube page, saying, Sorry y'all,” he wrote. “My car content won’t come with speeding anymore! Was praying with my son tonight and wouldn’t want anybody else to miss out on an opportunity to do the same with their loved ones! My apologies.”So, what does this mean for Washington? The Commanders are in the middle of their second week of OTAs, and there are no distractions. Even if Daniels can vouch for Aiyuk, the longer this situation goes on, the less likely it feels he ends up in Washington. Of course, the 49ers have to officially release Aiyuk first, something they are in no hurry to do. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: What does latest Brandon Aiyuk news mean?

Jun. 3—JAMESTOWN — The final sport of the 2025-26 athletics season wrapped up on Wednesday.Landry Rham and Luke LeFevre of the Jamestown High School boys golf team competed in the final round of the NDHSAA Class A Boys Golf State Championships. Rham finished the two-day event with a 185 while LeFevre carded a two-round total of 189.Minot High tied Grand Forks Red River for the 36-hole total of 625, but the Magicians won the tie-break based on the No. 5 team scorer. Williston finished third out of the 12 competing teams while Minot North finished up as the fourth-place team. Kolby Koerner of Red River was the Class A State Champion with a two-round total of 147. Four West Region golfers, Tripp Toepfer and Parker Argent of Minot High, Kyler Weishaar of Minot North and Williston's Kane Shannon placed in the top-10.

EAST GREENWICH — It proved to be only a matter of time before Tessa Charello-Ingegneri and the rest of the attacking girls lacrosse crew that calls Carcieri Stadium home got going Wednesday evening. East Greenwich was relentless coming forward around its junior standout, and an early Barrington lead in this Division I semifinal was gone by halftime. The Avengers took control for good on a Charello-Ingegneri goal just 19 seconds into the third quarter and never looked back. They booked a return to the title round for the first time since 2023 after surging to a 16-9 victory over the Eagles. Charello-Ingegneri finished with eight goals and had plenty of support from a lightning quick unit up front. Ava Halvorsen bagged a hat trick while Rell Ambler and Courtney Cavanaugh scored twice each to pull Barrington back after the visitors opened a 5-1 advantage in the opening eight minutes. “When we came together after the first quarter, we just kind of collected ourselves,” Charello-Ingegneri said. “We told each other to focus, slow it down, look for the open person and make the right play.” East Greenwich did exactly that more often than not the rest of the way, and its reward is a weekend date with Moses Brown at Brown University. The Quakers rolled to their own semifinal victory against La Salle and will attempt to deny the Avengers the same way they did when East Greenwich’s current seniors debuted. “I was just really excited as a freshman to be going to the state championship my first year,” East Greenwich attacking midfielder Lindsey Rowe said. “And obviously Moses Brown was a really good team — they still are now. I know that we’re going to have to work hard and play our game.” The Avengers broke this one open for good in the third, with Frances Hershberger finding Ambler to make it an 8-6 game and Rowe setting up Cavanaugh on a tic-tac-toe break started by Hershberger. That transition game was largely absent early, with Kendall Blaney controlling the draw circle and the Eagles working deliberately in possession. “It’s a team game,” Charello-Ingegneri said. “Trying to do this all by myself would never work. Everybody has to work together in order to win and succeed.” Rowe and Maddie Asay both played key roles in limiting Barrington (11-5) after its quick start. Their extended pressure out of defense and into the midfield was largely focused on Ashley DaCosta, who fired home all but one of her five goals by the midpoint of the second quarter. Her shot capping an extended offensive set gave the Eagles a 6-3 lead with 6:14 left, but East Greenwich (14-1) went into the break on a three-goal run. “I think we just started communicating a lot better and working a lot better together,” Rowe said. “We were able to pick up a lot of those cutters coming across the middle.” The Avengers now get a chance to atone for their lone defeat of the season to date. Moses Brown dispatched the Rams in a 16-2 thumping on the East Side and will be looking to make it four consecutive crowns. East Greenwich will need to make some adjustments after suffering a 17-5 setback against the Quakers at home on May 14. “I think that was just a learning opportunity for us,” Charello-Ingegneri said. “It helped us with what we needed to work on. I think we’re ready to face them again.”BARRINGTON (9): Kendall Blaney 2, Ashley DaCosta 5, Molly Reagan, Claire Capozza; assists — Lily O’Neill 2, Tessa Lapinski 2, Capozza, Sophia Scandura. EAST GREENWICH (16): Tessa Charello-Ingegneri 8, Rell Ambler 2, Lindsey Rowe, Courtney Cavanaugh 2, Ava Halvorsen 3; assists — Cavanaugh 2, Halvorsen, Frances Hershberger, Rowe 2, Charello-Ingegneri, Maddie Asay, Ambler. Halftime — 6-6. Saves — Emme Robinson, B, 6; Ella Mercurio, EG, 13. bkoch@providencejournal.com On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: East Greenwich girls lacrosse advances by taking control in second half

SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 08: Lamont Roach speaks during a press conference ahead of his fight with Isaac Cruz at Frost Bank Center on October 8, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)Getty ImagesLamont Roach Jr. has proven he can hang with the best fighters in the world, but he's yet to get a win in one of those marquee matchups. On August 1, Roach will get another opportunity when he clashes with William Zepeda in Las Vegas. The fight will headline a DAZN boxing card and all signs point to a potential war that could be the fight of the year.When And Where Is Lamont Roach Jr. Vs. William Zepeda?Roach-Zepeda will emanate from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The bout will headline the new TNT Sports and DAZN boxing series.The 12-round bout is set for Saturday, August 1, 2026, with the vacant WBC lightweight world championship on the line after Shakur Stevenson moved on from the division. Tickets go on general sale Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. PT, priced from $30 to $300.The card launches "The Fight," a new monthly boxing series from TNT Sports and DAZN — a real statement of intent for a partnership that wants to put marquee boxing back on accessible platforms.How Can You Watch Roach Vs. Zepeda?This one won't be too difficult for fight fans to locate. American fight fans can watch on TNT and truTV while the worldwide streaming access will live on DAZN.The basic-cable carry on TNT and truTV is the headline accessibility win — a 12-round title fight reaching far more U.S. households than the typical pay-per-view or premium-streaming model. The card is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in co-promotion with TGB Promotions and ProBox Promotions.The Ring is reporting that IBF lightweight titleholder Raymond Muratalla will defend against 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao in the co-feature, though that bout hasn't been formally announced yet. If it holds, the card carries two world title fights at 135.Why Could This Be Fight Of The Year?Stylistically, this has the makings of a war. Roach is a slick boxer, but he does his work inside the pocket. He has an excellent chin and he's a very accurate counterpuncher. Zepeda is an all-action fighter who comes forward and throws with volume. It'll be interesting to see which man is made to back up. In any case, there should be no shortage of action and strategy.The records back it up. Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) won the WBA super featherweight title in 2023 and has spent his last two fights going life-and-death with bigger names, drawing controversially with Gervonta Davis in March 2025 and again with Isaac Cruz at 140 pounds. Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) has lost only to Stevenson — a unanimous decision last summer — and brings the kind of southpaw volume that historically punishes anything less than a perfect game plan.When a high-IQ counterpuncher with a granite chin meets a southpaw pressure machine who never stops throwing, the math works toward chaos.What's At Stake For Roach And Zepeda?In addition to the action potential, the stakes are high for this fight. The WBC 135-pound title is on the line and the winner will hold sway over one of the glamour divisions in the smaller weight classes.For Roach, the win flips a narrative that has been hanging over his career. Two consecutive draws against bigger names have positioned him as the most-avoided "almost guy" in boxing; a clean victory here makes him a two-division world champion and puts him directly in the path of Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez and Keyshawn Davis. For Zepeda, this is the chance to graduate from interim-belt territory to full WBC champion and validate the marketing investment Golden Boy has made in him since 2021.Whichever side comes out on top, the lightweight division gets the kind of definitive champion it has been missing — and the loser falls into the kind of valley that's hard to climb back from.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Jun 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Athletics right fielder Colby Thomas (32) hits a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eight inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Athletics battled the Chicago Cubs in the second game of this three-game midweek series. The road-warrior A’s took an early lead and then gave it up. Up 4-2 for most of the night, it looked like the Cubs would hold on to even up the series. Yet, the A’s came back in the eighth to tie and wound up winning 5-4 in ten innings.A’s Score Right AwayAthletics’ right fielder Carlos Cortes led off with an infield single and first baseman Nick Kurtz walked against Cubs’ starting pitcher Collin Rea. On consecutive ground balls by catcher Shea Langeliers and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, the Cubs attempted to turn double plays, but both runners beat the relay throws to first. Cortes scored on Soderstrom’s groundout, giving the A’s a 1–0 lead.Sodey avoids the double play and the A's are on the board 💨 pic.twitter.com/ERGnnaVDny— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 4, 2026Jeffrey Springs kept momentum on the A’s side with a scoreless bottom of the first inning. The A’s added another run in the second. With one out, third baseman Zack Gelof doubled, extending his hitting streak to eight games. He scored on shortstop Alika Williams’ two-out RBI single. Williams sends 'em home 👏 pic.twitter.com/tplwabYYTi— Athletics (@Athletics) June 4, 2026Cubs Roar BackThe Cubs immediately got one back. After making a nice catch in the top of the inning, right-fielder Seiya Suzuki led off the bottom of the second with his eighth home run of the season, a solo blast to the left field bleachers. That was Springs’ 13th home run allowed this season. He wiggled out of trouble following Dansby Swanson’s one-out double, keeping his team’s lead intact. Chicago took the lead the next inning on center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run home run to right-center field, his eighth of the season. The blast came after Soderstrom’s defensive misread on a line drive that turned into a double for Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner. Through three innings, Jeffrey Springs again struggled with a familiar issue—giving up too many home runs, which has been a recurring problem during his ongoing winless streak. Meanwhile, Rea completed a second straight scoreless inning for the hosts in the top of the fourth, preserving their slim lead.The Cubs scored their fourth run in the fourth inning. Ian Happ doubled, and Michael Busch followed with an RBI triple. Cortes misplayed both hits in right field, especially the triple. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay pulled Springs after 3 2/3 innings. The A’s starter allowed four runs on seven hits, with those two home runs doing most of the damage, although he was not helped by the poor outfield defense behind him. A’s right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel came in and got Nico Hoerner to end the threat, escaping a two-on, two-out jam. Bullpen TimeKuhnel and left-hander Jose Suarez each turned in 1 1/3 scoreless relief appearances out of the A’s bullpen, keeping the team’s deficit at two. Zack attack 👏#VoteAthletics | https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/NnydhHEZeZ— Athletics (@Athletics) June 4, 2026With one out in the sixth, the Cubs went to their bullpen, pulling Rea from the game despite the starter allowing only two runs on four hits on just 69 pitches. Left-handed reliever Hoby Milner got the final two outs of that inning. In the seventh, right-handed reliever Jacob Webb held the A’s to one hit.A’s Tie The Game!Cubs’ left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar entered to pitch the eighth. Kotsay countered by bringing Colby Thomas off the bench to pinch hit for Cortes. Thomas, who crushes left-handers, delivered by hitting his second home run of the year, a solo blast crushed deep to the left field bleachers.Thomas torched 🔥 pic.twitter.com/a7l66DxMMH— Athletics (@Athletics) June 4, 2026Langeliers lined a double to the left-center gap with one out, positioning himself as the game-tying run. Soderstrom followed with a hit down the right field line, scoring Langeliers to tie the game. The A’s left fielder tried stretching that hit into a double. Suzuki made a nice throw to nab Soderstrom at second. Sodey evens it ⚖️#VoteAthletics ⭐️ https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/Lzt5Kj3Ppm— Athletics (@Athletics) June 4, 2026The next batter, designated hitter Brent Rooker hit a long single to center. If Soderstrom had stopped at first, he would have likely made it to third with one out on that hit, putting the visitors in prime position to take the lead. Alas, A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler failed again, hitting an inning-ending line out after fouling off multiple potential ball four pitches.Athletics hard-throwing right-hander Luis Medina pitched the bottom of the eighth, walking Alex Bregman to start the inning before inducing a double play from Seiya Suzuki. He gave up Happ’s two-out double, but then struck out Swanson to keep the game tied.The A’s went down in order in the ninth against Cubs’ closer Daniel Palencia. Chicago did the same in the last of the ninth as A’s reliever Hogan Harris sent this game to extra innings.Extra Innings!Athletics pinch-hitter Jonah Heim led off the tenth with a groundout to first, advancing the ghost-runner Williams to third. Kurtz singled to left, scoring Williams to give the A’s their first lead since the third.Nick Kurtz delivers a go-ahead hit in extras! pic.twitter.com/0DfNtZ1xQz— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2026Right-hander Justin Sterner pitched the tenth for the A’s, seeking the save. Hoerner led off with a fly out, advancing the Cubs’ ghost runner to third. Sterner struck out Crow-Armstrong for a big second out and then retired Bregman to end the game and seal the Athletics comeback series-clinching victory.The series ends tomorrow evening, same time, same place. The Athletics will send right-hander J.T. Ginn to the mound as they go for the series-sweep at Wrigley. The Cubs will counter with left-hander Shota Imanaga.

Mehdi Taj said his federation has been dealing with FIFA, not the United States, in trying to obtain visas for Iran to play in the tournament that begins next week.

The governor said the Department of Homeland Security’s actions at Delaney Hall raise “serious questions.”

A fan is detained by security after running on the court during the fourth quarter of Game One of the 2026 NBA FinalsCredit: Gregory Shamus/GettyNEED TO KNOWA fan interrupted the fourth quarter of the 2026 NBA Finals' first game by running onto the court to take a selfie with Victor WembanyamaThe game was briefly paused before the fan was escorted away by securityThe Knicks won Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals 105-95, marking their first Finals appearance since 1999The first game of the 2026 NBA Finals was briefly paused when a fan ran onto the court.The incident happened during the fourth quarter on Wednesday, June 3. The fan ran across to the three-point line where San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was standing, and appeared to try to take a selfie with the player.Two security guards at Frost Bank Center scrambled to usher the man off the court while the boos rained down from the crowd. It did not appear that the man made contact with any Spurs or New York Knicks players.A fan runs onto the court and takes a photo with Victor WembanyamaCredit: Ronald Cortes/GettyPlay was paused for a minute, and eventually resumed after a jump ball. The Knicks were leading at the time at 92-86, according toUSA Today. The Knicks won the game 105-95, taking a 1-0 series lead.PEOPLE reached out to the NBA for comment.Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!The 2026 Finals are a rematch of the 1999 Finals, which saw the Spurs win their first of five NBA championships. It is also the Knicks’ first trip to the Finals since then. The Knicks are looking for their first NBA championship since 1973.The Knicks have now won 12 consecutive playoff games, notes ESPN. They are also the first team to beat the Spurs in the first game of an NBA Finals championship.Read the original article on People

No offseason acquisition was more significant for the Minnesota Vikings than Kyler Murray. Their hope was that his inclusion would raise the floor of the quarterback room and that competition would help get the most out of J.J. McCarthy.So far in OTAs, it appears that both things are true. McCarthy has made strides, but it does appear that Murray may be poised to run away with the job.Whether or not this holds true through camp and preseason, no other position battle on the Vikings is more important than the one at quarterback, says Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox.The Vikings are hoping that improved quarterback play can lead them back to the success they had in 2024. McCarthy will have a chance to rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign, but he'll have to beat out former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, who was added on a one-year deal in free agency.Murray has plenty of reasons to be engaged this season. He is on a one-year deal, providing himself the opportunity for a massive contract if he performs well in 2026. Still, McCarthy needs to continue improving in case he is needed. Minnesota has started at least three quarterbacks in two of the past four seasons. Murray has started only one full season over the past four years.Regardless of who wins, the Vikings know they need better quarterback play in 2026. If they get that, a return to the playoffs could be in place.This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: The Vikings quarterback battle is the obvious one to watch

NBA may make massive Minnesota Timberwolves change when expansion happens originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Expansion sure seems to be coming to the NBA.The league will most likely add two teams when it happens, with Las Vegas and Seattle on the docket.And if it indeed comes to pass, a team is going to have to move from the Western Conference to Eastern Conference -- because both of those new franchises would definitely fall in the West.The team most likely? It sounds like it's the Minnesota Timberwolves.This is what inside Brett Siegel reported on Wednesday:Although Adam Silver did not specify anything about a team moving from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference amid potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, the conversation I've had with multiple league personnel is that the Minnesota Timberwolves are the likliest.— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 3, 2026MORE: This is how much Chipotle is eaten by Mikal BridgesThere are really two main candidates: the Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies.There's a super logical divisional setup for the Timberwolves (depending on how it's rearranged), with teams like the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks not that far away.They've never been in the East before, having joined into the West when they themselves were an expansion team.At this point, though, it could be a fascinating time to move from West (with OKC and Wemby) to the East (with neither of those powerhouses).Anthony Edwards might make the NBA Finals more often if he gets to play part of his prime in the Eastern Conference.Definitely stay tuned to this move, because it could be a big one down the road.More NBA news:We know how Mitchell Robinson likely got injuredJalen Brunson was there the last time the New York Knicks were in the NBA FinalsNYC mayor Zohran Mamdani gets rid of bedtime so everyone can watch Knicks in NBA Finals

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoots the ball over the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in game one of the NBA Finals (Gregory Shamus)Jalen Brunson scored 30 points as the New York Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to stun the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 and take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.Knicks talisman Brunson shrugged off an early injury scare to inspire a magnificent fightback and give New York a precious early advantage in the best-of-seven series, with game two set for Friday.Brunson upstaged Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama with a masterful clutch fourth quarter display, scoring 13 points in the final frame as the Knicks closed out a win to silence an expectant home crowd in Texas.The game was tied with just over two minutes to go, but Brunson marshalled the Knicks brilliantly and a late burst of scoring put the game out of the Spurs' reach."Just sticking together -- it wasn't really our night and wasn't really my night most of the night but we kept finding a way, kept chipping away," Brunson said afterwards.The Knicks playmaker said the team's "chemistry" had helped them climb out of their 14-point hole in the third quarter."Just knowing we have each other's back -- there's a lot of things we could have done better, but I think our togetherness was really the biggest difference," added Brunson, who left the court in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.Brunson was one of four Knicks to finish in double figures, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 points, OG Anunoby 17 and Landry Shamet 13.Wembanyama led San Antonio's scoring with 26 points but had a poor shooting night, making just 6-of-21 from the field while pulling down 12 rebounds with three blocks."I was bad tonight, it's not more complicated than that," said Wembanyama, who denied nerves had been a factor in the Spurs defeat."It definitely felt special for sure, but nothing close that could be an excuse," Wembanyama said. "It was not a factor in our performance."Stephon Castle had 17 points and Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie added 16 points apiece.- Brunson injury scare -An absorbing first half saw the Knicks make a bright start to take a 14-7 lead before San Antonio hit their stride with a 9-0 run to claim their first lead of the game at 16-14.A pair of three-pointers from Champagnie helped the Spurs suddenly accelerate into a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.The Knicks were then given a huge scare in the final two minutes of the first when Brunson left the game with a worrying-looking knee injury sustained after a collision with San Antonio's Harrison Barnes.Brunson returned to the game in the second quarter, and although there was another injury scare when he appeared to hurt an ankle after a layup, he remained in the game to play the decisive role.After trailing 55-48 at half-time, the Knicks were in danger of conceding an insurmountable lead as the Spurs built a 14-point advantage in the third quarter.But they were handed a lifeline when Wembanyama limped off after taking a knock to the knee, seizing that opportunity to cut the lead to single digits.The Knicks sustained that momentum when Wembanyama re-entered the game, and the score was tied at 76-76 heading to the fourth.A pair of threes from Anunoby helped New York take an 86-81 lead, and soon the Knicks were eight points clear at 94-86 after a sublime Brunson layup.Yet San Antonio hit back with a Wembanyama three and a layup, and the Spurs edged into a 95-94 lead with just over two minutes left.But Brunson's three-pointer put the Knicks back in front at 97-95 and the Knicks rattled in eight more unanswered points to claim the win.rcw/bb

I feel for Tony Santillan at the moment. He’s been such a vital part of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen, when healthy, for several years now, but it’s undeniable that he’s been struggling for weeks now to no avail.Problem is, the more he struggles, the more that’s still being asked of him. Simultaneous with his foibles have come the injuries to Emilio Pagan, Pierce Johnson, and Graham Ashcraft, as well as the latest derailment of Connor Phillips. In other words, opportunities keep falling on his lap based on his reputation at a time when he, like so many relievers before him, needed just a bit more time to work things out.The Cincinnati Reds have been worse for it, sadly. There just aren’t enough other good options down there to whom Terry Francona can turn.Cincinnati clawed their way back to a 2-2 tie against the Kansas City Royals thanks to a late 2-run homer by Blake Dunn, a swing that leveled the score after Chase Burns turned in yet another stellar start (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 K). The problem, though, is that the more that was asked of Cincinnati’s beleaguered bullpen, the worse things got.I hate to pile on Santillan here, but the facts are what they are now. In 23.0 IP this season, he’s pitched to a 6.65 ERA while yielding an impossible nine homers in that time. Seven of those dingers have come since May 5th alone. Yet here the Reds were in the 9th inning of a game against a club that was just 23-38 on the season coming in with Santillan on the mound with the game on the line, and things once again simply collapsed in real time.Short of swinging a major deal for an entirely new bullpen, I’m not sure exactly where the Reds go from here. We saw in April how vital a fully-functioning Cincinnati bullpen was going to be for the way this roster was built, with thin margins and wins in close games paramount given their lack of obvious ways to win games in blowouts. Now, we’re seeing just how penalized the roster building can be when banking on such thin margins, as the relievers of the Reds are seemingly just out of relief right now.Thursday is a day off, and Sunday will see Rhett Lowder return to the starting unit. I just wonder whether or not either will be enough of a jolt to get this thing back on track with so many key arms still weeks away from rejoining the roster at any strength, let alone full.

Texas Tech took advantage of every hit it got off Texas ace Teagan Kavan, but the 11th-seeded Red Raiders couldn’t scratch out nearly enough of them.The No. 2 Longhorns topped Tech 7-3 in the opener of the best-of-three Women’s College World Series final, and Kavan was more dominant than Texas Tech’s run total might suggest.She allowed three runs on just three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in the complete-game victory. “The game started with a bang, literally,” Texas softball coach Mike White said, referencing the first-inning home run of Texas Tech’s Mihyia Davis. “Then, of course, Teagan Kavan worked her tail off for us.”Kavan settled in quickly and mostly cruised through the rest of the night.More: Who will win NCAA softball title? Texas vs Texas Tech WCWS championship series picksBut by the time she spoke to the media in the postgame news conference, she was already thinking about her next game.“I was able to change speeds enough tonight and then kind of live in different areas at different times,” Kavan said. “I think I'll go back and look and adjust for tomorrow and probably not do the same things again.“One through nine, they have a lot of power, so it's super vital to mix it up and use everything.”White wasn’t ready to tip his hand regarding his pitcher for Game 2 as the Longhorns try to close out the series and repeat as national champions.However, Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco started thinking about Game 2 by Wednesday’s second inning. That’s why he limited his top two pitchers, NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry, to four outs apiece.“Thinking about tomorrow and the next day,” Glasco said. “We've got two games. I felt like I was going to give our offense the second and third inning to respond, and if we didn't get anything, I didn't feel like I could leave NiJa out there and let them look at her. I want the matchup tomorrow.“I just felt like it wasn't a smart move for me to leave her out there in that moment.”Texas slugger Katie Stewart, whose two-run home run sparked the five-run first inning that put the Longhorns in firm control, knows what that decision by Glasco means for Thursday.“I was surprised she came out early, but she'll be fresh for tomorrow,” said Stewart, who has homered in four straight games. “We need to make sure we stay on the attack.”More: Texas softball's Viviana Martinez making most of WCWS moment after last year's ACL injuryWhen these teams met in last year’s championship series, Texas won the opener and Tech rebounded with a win to force Game 3.Is this series going to follow the same script?White believes his team is more confident this year than it was a year ago.“We talked about the number one thing is confidence,” he said. “What comes first, confidence or success? I think the confidence has to come first, and that comes from hard work and preparation and facing live pitching, facing pitching machines or throw just like NiJa and Terry. “Those things will prepare you for those battles that you've got to have. I think that gives you that confidence.”Told that the winner of Game 1 has won the championship series 80% of the time, Glasco embraced the numbers.“I think that's good,” he said with a smile. “We have no choice. We've not lost two games in a row the whole year, so we've got to hang our hat on that. We've got to come back out tomorrow to fight. “If we can survive tomorrow night's game, you've got momentum going into Game 3, and our kids will feel a lot different after they win a game than they do right now.”Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Teagan Kavan, Texas softball turn focus to finishing WCWS in Game 2

Shohei Ohtani could be working as only a pitcher this season, and we would still be talking about how he’s having one of the best starts in MLB history.The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar continued his campaign for a third straight NL MVP award (and his fifth MVP award overall) with six scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. His ERA is now 0.74 through 10 starts, which would easily lead MLB if he had one more inning to qualify for the ERA title.Ohtani struck out six while allowing only two hits and one walk against the D-backs. He also happened to reach base in his first four plate appearances, with two singles and two walks, to build his NL lead in on-base percentage.It’s the kind of accomplishment that needs to be repeated to be appreciated: The Dodgers have the pitcher with the best ERA among any pitcher with at least five starts and the hitter with the best OBP in the National League. And they are the same person.Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, only two pitchers in MLB history have had a lower ERA through their first 10 starts of the season: Jacob deGrom in 2021 (0.56) and Juan Marichal in 1966 (0.59). Even Fernando Valenzuela’s mark was “up” to 1.24 by the 10th start of his legendary Fernandomania run (with far more innings, obviously).Here is an abbreviated game log of Ohtani’s 10 starts. Try and decide what the worst one is.DateInningsHitsEarned runsWalksStrikeouts3/31610364/8640124/156212104/22650074/28651395/5742085/13740285/20530245/27601476/362016You could legitimately make an argument that Ohtani’s six hitless innings on May 27 was in the bottom half of his starts this season on a results basis. His ERA increased, after all.If there was a knock against Ohtani this season, it was that his bat had lightened in his first full season as a pitcher with the Dodgers. The Dodgers admitted as much when the started giving him the day off as a hitter when he was pitching.He is hitting .431 since May 12.

HOUSTON (AP) — Cam Smith hit a tiebreaking two-run triple to cap Houston’s six-run eighth inning, Isaac Paredes homered and the Astros overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 on Wednesday night.Yordan Alvarez had four hits and two RBIs for the Astros. Smith and Paredes had two hits and three RBIs apiece, and Jeremy Peña went 2 for 3 with a double.AJ Blubaugh (3-2) pitched the eighth inning to get the victory. Josh Hader made his season debut and worked a scoreless ninth for the save, ending the Pirates' winning streak at four.Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, who went 4-1 in five starts with a 0.93 ERA in May, allowed four runs in four innings.Henry Davis hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning for Pittsburgh. Nick Gonzalez had a homer, double and three RBIs. The Pirates have scored nine-plus runs in four consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors this season, and has struck out at least nine batters in eight straight games. Pittsburgh's Gregory Soto (4-1), who faced four batters, allowed three runs and three hits and walked one.Up nextPirates RHP Jared Jones (0-0, 10.48 ERA) was set to start Thursday against RHP Kai-Wei Teng (3-3, 2.57) in the series finale. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

In this latest edition of The Detroit News' Gritiron Gang podcast, Nolan Bianchi and Richard Silva wrap up the team's OTAs and discuss the Rams' trade for Myles Garrett.Previous Gritiron Gang episodes▶NFC North spotlight on Minnesota Vikings▶ Four Lions who need bounce-back seasons▶ Lions have easiest 2026 NFL schedule▶ Projecting roles for Lions' 2026 draft picks▶ Wrapping up the Lions' 2026 NFL DraftThis article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Lions podcast focuses on OTAs, Myles Garrett trade

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the fourth quarter of the Spurs' loss to the New York Knicks in game one of the NBA Finals (Gregory Shamus)Victor Wembanyama refused to hit the panic button on Wednesday after the San Antonio Spurs blew a double-digit lead to suffer a potentially crucial NBA Finals game one defeat to the New York Knicks.The French superstar led San Antonio's scorers with 26 points but had a poor shooting night before ultimately being upstaged by the Knicks' Jalen Brunson.A relaxed Wembanyama was staying calm after the disappointing opening loss, noting that there was still a long way to go in the best-of-seven series."Nothing," Wembanyama replied when asked what aspects of his performance he was kicking himself over. "We've been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously. "But I'm not kicking myself about anything really. I mean, I'm not worried the slightest."The 22-year-old is confident San Antonio will bounce back in time for game two in Texas on Friday."I'm going to figure it out," Wembanyama said. "I mean, I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that."Wembanyama also rejected suggestions that the occasion of playing in the NBA Finals might have played a role in San Antonio's defeat."I mean, it definitely felt special, for sure," he said. "But nothing close that could be an excuse, you know. It was not a factor in our performance."Wembanyama added that he was confident of delivering an improved performance in time for game two."It's almost not like I have anything to figure out. It's almost like I have to play normal, not even good," he said."It's just like doing the right things is enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. "This is why I'm not worried. We're going to be so much better. I'm going to be so much better."rcw/bb

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before the House Appropriations Committee, Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)2026-06-04T03:13:22Z WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, tapping his former personal lawyer who has aggressively pursued the Republican president’s agenda while leading the Justice Department in an acting role.Trump said at a dinner at the White House that he plans to nominate Blanche formally on Thursday, according to a video of the event posted on social media by a White House aide.“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at the Rose Garden event.Blanche sought quickly to position himself as the favorite for the permanent job after Pam Bondi’s firing in April, accelerating investigations into Trump foes and announcing a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate the president’s allies for alleged political persecution. The proposed fund created a bipartisan firestorm that forced the Justice Department to scrap the idea earlier this week in an extraordinary about-face. Blanche was brought into the Justice Department as deputy attorney general and was elevated after Bondi’s ousting over her failed efforts to prosecute Trump’s perceived political opponents. Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent post but made clear through splashy moves since taking the reins his intent on proving his loyalty to Trump. Blanche’s actions have outraged Democrats and other critics who accuse him of still acting like Trump’s personal lawyer to carry out the president’s campaign of retribution. The $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” also prompted backlash from Republicans in the Senate whose support Blanche will now need in order to be confirmed as attorney general. Read More While Blanche has maintained he feels no pressure from the president, the Justice Department under his watch has advanced its pursuits of longtime Trump foes. Blanche has strongly rejected accusations that the Trump administration has politicized the Justice Department and has said he is focused on correcting what he contends were past abuses by the Biden administration. Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in April over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat the president. Comey, who has slammed the case as politically motivated, has said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Justice Department pursues additional indictments against him.Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, an 81-year-old former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump.He came under intense scrutiny last month over the proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the administration said was meant to compensate people who feel they’ve been unjustly investigated and prosecuted under past administrations. The fund sparked outrage over the possibility that violent offenders who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot could be considered for payments — which Blanche refused to publicly rule out. Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday the Justice Department would not move forward with the plan after the political blowback stalled legislation to fund Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies. A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche came to public prominence for his lead role on Trump’s defense team, including during the Republican’s hush money trial in New York. That perch afforded him, he has said, a firsthand look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against Trump.___Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Wade Meckler and Nick Madrigal each had four of Los Angeles' 16 hits, Walbert Ureña pitched six solid innings and the Angels beat the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Wednesday night.Meckler is batting .389 (14 for 36) with two homers and 10 RBIs since he was recalled from Double-A on May 22.Vaughn Grissom added a homer and three RBIs, and Oswald Peraza had two hits and two RBIs to help the Angels — who tied their season high with the 16 hits — avoid a three-game sweep. Ureña (3-4) allowed three hits and three runs. He struck out seven and walked three, cooling a Colorado lineup that scored 39 runs in its previous five games. The 22-year-old right-hander, who moved from the bullpen to the rotation in mid-April, has a 2.08 ERA in his last seven starts.The Angels bunched six hits in a six-run second, the rally featuring Jose Siri’s RBI double and RBI singles by Logan O’Hoppe, Grissom and Peraza. Two runs scored on wild pitches by Michael Lorenzen (2-8), who gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.The Rockies cut it to 6-1 on back-to-back doubles by Hunter Goodman and Troy Johnston in the fourth, but the Angels countered with Grissom’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning for an 8-1 lead.Colorado pulled to 8-3 in the fifth on Tyler Freeman’s two-run homer, but the Angels answered again in the bottom half on Jo Adell’s RBI single for a 9-3 lead. Doubles by Meckler and Peraza and Madrigal’s RBI single pushed the lead to 11-3 in the sixth.Relievers Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates covered the final three innings for the Angels.Up nextAngels LHP Reid Detmers (2-5, 4.63 ERA) was set to face Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki (3-3, 4.59 ERA) Friday night in Los Angeles. Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (2-1, 4.85 ERA) was scheduled to face Brewers RHP Brandon Sproat (1-4, 6.24 ERA) on Friday night in Colorado.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been an amazing pitcher during his starts every sixth game, and Wednesday was no different vs. the Diamondbacks, pitching six scoreless innings. Ohtani’s pitching has not been the sharpest recently, with his command failing to put him in favorable counts.Shohei Ohtani is absolutely shoving again. Just one hard hit, no hits, and three strikeouts for Ohtani on a night where his command looks a lot better. His velocity is down on the heater, but he is locating so well that he has 10 called strikes. pic.twitter.com/xgGKidKJIH— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) June 4, 2026Still, he has not allowed many runs as a pitcher, and he continues to impress with better two-way performances, hitting and pitching well on days when he does both. In Arizona against a division rival, Ohtani was back to his usual best, delivering outing plate appearances, and his pitching was the best it has been in a couple of starts. Jun 3, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani reacts as he looks at his finger in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesOhtani reached base four times through six innings, while the Arizona Diamondbacks only reached base three times up until that point. He allowed two hits and a walk, and despite being at 89 pitches, manager Dave Roberts made the call to pull Ohtani, especially since the game was in hand with a 7-0 lead after the top of the seventh inning. Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, on June 2, 2026.How did Shohei Ohtani dominate vs. Arizona? Ohtani, as a hitter, stayed patient at the plate, drawing two walks and two hits by choosing his pitches well. He did not force the issue, only striking out once and seeing the pitches well at the plate. He has continued to produce at the plate, with his swing looking comfortable and his hitting choices returning to his usual level. As a pitcher, Ohtani was stellar. He threw 58 strikes out of 89 pitches, with his rate in the zone being much better than his more recent game.His ERA drops to a startling 0.74, keeping him firmly in the Cy Young race, though the competition is fierce and he looks like a long shot despite his impressive ability to limit runs. Some notes on Shohei Ohtani's start thus far:*Less sweeper, more curveball than his past few starts.*He trusts his fastball's location and command more.*The D-Backs are guessing on his pitches, and his sequence is good: 20 called strikes.pic.twitter.com/bmFeELKfkn— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) June 4, 2026His fastball was down to start his outing, but it climbed in terms of velocity on a steady basis. The pitch had a good carry on it, generating three strikeouts and six whiffs. He got a crazy 22 called strikes, painting corners well and keeping the hitters on their toes. Ohtani is trending to put together a generational season, and games like Wednesday are the hallmark of a year that will go down in the history books as one of the best ever. Dave Roberts said that Ohtani would be able to go as long as needed, with rest coming on Wednesday. “I think him knowing he’s down tomorrow is mentally freeing going into tonight,” Roberts said before the game. “And so, there is some value in him knowing he can empty the tank and know that he doesn’t have to go to it tomorrow as well.”

Longest NBA playoff win streaks: Where Knicks' dominant run ranks in league history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Winning 10 consecutive games in the regular season is hard enough. The New York Knicks haven't done it since 2013, and they have only put together six regular-season win streaks of at least 10 games in their history.A double-digit win streak in the playoffs seems downright impossible, particularly in this new era of NBA parity. The Knicks have done it anyway, winning comfortably more often than not along the way. While what the Knicks have done isn't unprecedented, the streak puts them in rare territory in NBA history — and they extended their run by stealing Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals vs. the Spurs on the road. Here's a look at the longest win streaks in NBA playoff history and where the Knicks rank all-time.NBA PLAYOFFS HQ:Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracketLongest NBA playoff win streaksNo team has come close to the Warriors' record of 15 consecutive wins in one playoffs, as they came one win away from perfection in 2017 before taking their first and only loss of the playoffs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.Here's a look at every double-digit streak:TeamYearWinning streakResultGolden State Warriors201715Won FinalsSan Antonio Spurs199912Won FinalsNew York Knicks202612TBDLos Angeles Lakers200111Won FinalsLos Angeles Lakers198911Lost FinalsBoston Celtics202410Won FinalsCleveland Cavaliers201710Lost FinalsCleveland Cavaliers201610Won FinalsSan Antonio Spurs201210Lost conference finalsNew Jersey Nets200310Lost FinalsThe Knicks' streak is surpassed by only one: the 2017 Warriors. The 2026 New York team is now tied with the 1999 Spurs, who beat the Knicks in the Finals, with a 12-game playoff win streak, also surpassing the 2001 Lakers and the 1989 Lakers, who had 11 consecutive wins.Of that group, only the 1989 Lakers fell short of a championship, suffering a sweep at the hands of the Pistons while Magic Johnson was hampered by injury.The 2012 Spurs are the only team with a double-digit playoff win streak to fall short of the NBA Finals, as they lost four straight to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals after winning their first 10 playoff games.MORE:Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns echo James Dolan's NBA Finals mandateLast Knicks lossThe Knicks haven't lost since April 23, when they lost their second consecutive game against the Hawks and fell behind 2-1 in the first-round series. The series deficit invited questions about the future of first-year coach Mike Brown and the rest of the team's core.Since then, the Knicks have quite literally been unstoppable. New York has won 11 of 12 games by double-digits, with the caveat that one of those wins came in overtime. Four of those wins came by at least 25 points.Last time Knicks made NBA FinalsNew York is returning to the Finals in 2026 for the first time since 1999, when the team lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. The Knicks were a No. 8 seed in the shortened NBA season but made a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals by defeating the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers.It was a 27-year drought in between NBA Finals appearances in 1999 and 2026, as the team finally ended one of the longest absences.

SEATTLE (AP) — Natasha Mack scored a career-high 16 points to go with 10 rebounds, Kahleah Copper also had 16 points, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 72-68 on Wednesday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.Awa Fam scored 18 points and Natisha Hiedeman added 15 for Seattle (3-8), which has lost four straight games.Copper put the Mercury ahead 61-59 with 5:37 remaining and they did not trail again. DeWanna Bonner made a jumper, fast-break layup and free throw to extend Phoenix’s lead to 68-61 with 2:39 left. Seattle got within one possession twice in the final 20 seconds, but Copper went 4 for 4 at the free-throw line to seal it. Monique Akoa Makani added 12 points, and Bonner scored five of her 10 points in the final four minutes for Phoenix (3-8), which secured its first victory since beating Chicago on May 15. Phoenix led 36-33 at halftime despite shooting just 35% from the field, including 2 of 13 from 3-point range. The Mercury went 10 of 13 from the stripe, while Seattle did not attempt a free throw.Hiedeman scored 10 of the Storm's 22 points in the third to help them take a 55-52 lead entering the fourth. The teams combined to go 12 of 55 from 3-point range. Up nextPhoenix: Plays at Portland on Friday. Seattle: Travels to play Minnesota on Saturday.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t nervous in the lead-up to Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. That, he said, was due to his mother.“I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace that, I don’t know, had to be coming from the woman above,” Towns said on ESPN after their 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died in April 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. She was 58.While Jacqueline wasn’t able to be in the stands for the first NBA Finals game of Towns’ career, he said he absolutely felt her presence. And that made all the difference.“I felt really confident about today, I felt good,” Towns said. “I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. This is something that as a kid you always dream about. You always hope to be an NBA player, let alone to be in the NBA Finals. “All day, it was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to play my Saturday AAU games and my Sunday AAU games. In a way, it felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun, it was really fun, and it was really comforting.”Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the Knicks’ 10-point win on Wednesday night, which gave them the early 1-0 lead over the Spurs. It marked the team’s 12th straight win in the playoffs, too. They swept both the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers to reach the Finals for the first time since 1999.Towns, now in his second year with the Knicks, averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season. Towns and the Knicks will run it back on Friday night in San Antonio for Game 2 of the series before returning to Madison Square Garden next week. While they still have a long way to go to actually secure what would be the franchise’s first championship since the 1970s, the Finals couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for Towns, both on and off the court.

Nature, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01789-xThe therapy activates a protein that could stop pulmonary fibrosis from progressing.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Gerry Glasco’s leash is short and his vision long. A mere two innings into Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series, Glasco unofficially ended it himself by digging deeper into his bullpen than he had all week at Devon Park. It was an early stunner by the Texas Tech head coach in a WCWS rematch between his boom-or-bust roster and reigning champion Texas. The plan was to eat innings, keep the game close enough that Texas couldn’t do the same, and put an uncompetitive 7-3 loss to bed. They’ll wake up for Game 2 with NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry preserved and fresh, hoping Texas can’t say the same. What he’s prepared to do is put all his faith in continued resilience and a favorable pitching matchup with their backs against the wall … again. The first game of the championship series should have been Canady’s to throw. The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is in her fourth WCWS holding a record 19 game appearances. After a masterful complete game in a semifinals win that sealed their return, all the talk of “Peak NiJa” pointed toward a Game 1 rematch of her and Texas ace Teagan Kavan. It wasn’t that Glasco and his staff didn’t consider it. “We were back and forth with it all the way up, all day, because there's two ways to approach the series,” Glasco said. The pre-game lineup listed Canady as the starter, but Terry took the circle. It was how Texas Tech won Game 3 against Florida in the super regionals and its second-game semifinal over No. 1 Alabama. Start Terry. Insert Canady. Perform a mind-boggling game of swaps distilled into a super-cut complete with circus music until elimination is held off. It’s a tactic that has both bemused and befuddled. “I'm really comfortable putting NiJa in a game; I'm not comfortable taking her out of a game,” Glasco said. “So I tend to wait — I usually wait too long with NiJa, and I feel like it's an easier choice for me to go [with Terry].” He also wanted to see how Terry, a junior transfer from UCLA, would compete in the series. Canady carried the outsized load for the Red Raiders all of last year, and by the final winner-take-all game, she tapped out. The righty allowed five runs off five hits in the first inning of Game 3, a scenario eerily similar to Texas’ start here in Game 1. Glasco said they’d pushed her “to her limit,” and they searched for help that’s been worth the price so far. The team’s commitment to peaking collectively appeared on track as recently as 48 hours prior. It’s tough to say Terry was lit up by Texas’ offense when the defense behind her missed its cue. No errors were given to either team, but the Red Raiders misplayed balls, were out of position and didn’t give batters the proper respect. Texas infielder Jaycie Nichols (24) reacts after being called safe at home in the fourth inning against Texas Tech in Game 1 of the NCAA Women's College World Series.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERSIt was a complete mess from a start that won’t cut it against a team with Texas’ power and familiarity. They pitched to Katie Stewart, who hit her fourth home run in as many games for an early 2-1 lead. “When you play Texas, you know Katie Stewart's going to get her licks in, to be expected,” Glasco said. “Other than that, I don't really remember a hard-hit ball. I thought we were just in the wrong place, wrong time.”Texas pushed across two more runs on Terry, and an additional one on Canady when Glasco put her in with two outs and runners on the corners. Given the theatrics of the week, a new game began to brew when she threw a quick second. Glasco didn’t see it that way. The offense couldn’t do anything more against Kavan than Mia Wiliams’ home run in the first. “If we didn't get anything, I didn't feel like I could leave NiJa out there and let them look at her,” Glasco said. “I want the matchup tomorrow.”Sophomore Samantha Lincoln entered to kill innings, a move she pulled off rather successfully. After throwing 17% of Texas Tech’s innings this season, she gave up two runs off four hits in 3.1 innings. Yet, she never let the Longhorns run too far away that they felt safe enough to rest Kavan. The 2025 Most Outstanding Player threw a complete game, allowing 3 runs off 3 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks.“Tip my hat to Teagan on her effort tonight,” Glasco said. “She was outstanding.”Kavan builds better in the postseason, and won Texas its second-game semifinal victory on Monday to come back from the loser’s bracket. To Glasco’s delight, she threw 115 pitches in Game 1 and faced every batter three times. “I was able to change speeds enough tonight and then kind of live in different areas at different times,” Kavan said. “Yeah, I think I'll go back and look and adjust for tomorrow and probably not do the same things again.” Texas head coach Mike White isn’t so sure she’ll get the chance. Unlike Glasco, he could keep his plans closer to the chest one victory away from repeating as champions. All he acquiesced was that considering throwing her a day later was “a good question.” It’s not unusual for a softball pitcher to take the circle two nights in a row, though it does open up the opportunity for opponents to begin figuring her out. Mia Williams admitted she didn’t see her first at-bats well before blasting a two-RBI home run in the fifth that cut the deficit to three. That vision is sped up on the second of a back-to-back. After winning the opener, Kavan did not pitch the second game last year. Texas piecemealed four pitchers, asking Kavan to throw two-thirds of the sixth inning in the 4-3 loss. The Longhorns could opt for senior Citlaly Guiterrez, a right-hander White repeatedly praised this week for her recent appearances. She has a 2.27 ERA over 80.1 innings, a sharp drop from the 226.2 that Kavan threw with a 2.35 ERA. “There's an option there,” White said. “It's something we'll kind of sleep over.”They know what Texas Tech will do. Terry and Canady will carry the load with a season on the line. Glasco already completed most of his draining thought process while Texas batted around and boosted confidence. Their vision is also long the other way. They can’t let up as they did here a year ago. “It's not going to come easy,” Stewart said. “They're going to come back fighting harder than ever.”

New York's Jalen Brunson rises to the basket in the Knicks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the NBA Finals (Gregory Shamus)Jalen Brunson fueled another New York comeback triumph on Wednesday but said the Knicks can't afford to relax after pulling off a 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the NBA Finals.Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks rallied from a 14-point deficit to post their 12th straight victory after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and finals.It was the seventh double-digit comeback in the second half of a playoff game by the Knicks over the last two postseasons and their fourth of these playoffs.That includes their rally from 22 points down with less than eight minutes remaining in their opener against Cleveland."I think we know what we have to do," Brunson said of the Knicks' ability to dig in when they're down. "I think we're a pretty together group and still just continue to fight and have each others' back and just know that we're going to keep chipping away, chipping away."It's a credit to the mentality we have as a team," he said.Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said it's a mentality that reflects New York City."It's something that's in the city," Towns said. "You feel that energy in the city -- the grit, the grind, the hard work you've got to put in to make it in the city."I think we reflect all our fans and their lifestyles and what it takes to make it in New York City when we step on that court in a Knicks jersey."The Knicks, chasing their first title since 1973, are in the Finals for the first time since they fell to San Antonio in 1999.While they managed to snatch a key road win, Brunson said he expects a young Spurs team led by French star Victor Wembanyama to hit back hard."They come ready to play more than any other team we've faced," he said. "We have the utmost respect for them. We know that we've got to be ready for game two."We can't just be satisfied," he added after the Knicks leaned on defense to pull out the victory despite a lackluster offensive showing. "We have a lot of things we can do to be better."bb/rcw

PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani threw six scoreless innings, Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer into the Chase Field pool and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 on Wednesday night.Ohtani (6-2) allowed two hits and struck out six while lowering his major league-best ERA to 0.74. He's allowed one earned run in 24 innings during a four-game winning streak.Ohtani also hit three singles and reached base five times, scoring a run.Tucker hit his homer off Zac Gallen (3-5) in the second inning. Freddie Freeman added a two-run single in the third. Max Muncy followed with a run-scoring single and Alex Freeman's two-run single in the seventh put the Dodgers up 7-0. Los Angeles had 16 hits to win for the 16th time in 19 games.Arizona had two hits in its fifth loss in six games since winning five straight.Ohtani was frustrated with his command against Colorado despite winning his last start, dropping a few expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic. The four-time MVP had a few control issues against the Diamondbacks as well. Ohtani sailed his first warmup pitch into a group of photographers at the backstop — he of course apologized — and almost hit three different batters in the first three innings.The right-hander was nearly unhittable when he did keep it around the plate.Ohtani didn't allow a hit until Gabriel Moreno's double over first base with two outs in the fourth inning and induced an inning-ending double play after Geraldo Perdomo's single in the sixth.Ohtani threw 89 pitches and was lifted following the Dodgers' long top half of the seventh inning.Gallen allowed five runs — four earned — on nine hits in five innings.Up nextDodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (7-2, 2.87 ERA) faces Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (2-4, 4.82) in Thursday's series finale.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Victor Wembanyama reveals he is not too worried about the Spurs' Game 1 defeat originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Victor Wembanyama's stats might look good at first glance because he got a 26-point and 12-rebound double-double. However, it was a struggle because he only shot 28.6% from the field against the stingy New York Knicks defense.It was not a performance that people expected from Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs in such a high-stakes game. This was a rough night for the Frenchman, but it seems he's okay with what transpired in Game 1, knowing he can bounce back.Victor Wembanyama is confident he can bounce back in Game 2As a 7'5" behemoth, most people expect Wembanyama to be dominant. In most matchups, he can stand out and prove he is the best player in the league. However, this was not the case against the Knicks.With the combination of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have the personnel to at least slow Wembanyama down. They did so in Game 1, as they made Wemby play inefficient basketball.MORE: Mitch Johnson is ready to look for the best solutions for Victor Wembanyama's slow startSpurs fans should not be too worried, though, because Wembanyama himself is ready to bounce back. He knows what he can do better in Game 2, which can be scary for anyone rooting for the Knicks."I'm gonna figure it out. I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that... We've been down in a series before, never in the Finals, obviously, but I'm not kicking myself about anything really. I mean, I'm not worried the slightest," Wembanyama said about his struggles in Game 1.That is the right mindset to have, especially in the NBA Finals. Wembanyama is ready to prove that he is one of the best players in the league, and he is ready to do so on the biggest stage the NBA has to offer.More NBA news:A fan managed to run onto the court to get a picture with Victor WembanyamaJalen Brunson loves how the Knicks' chemistry stood out in Game 1 of the NBA FinalsESPN's bizarre graphic had an AI image of Tony ParkerThe complete box score for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and SpursThe Knicks avoid a major injury scare with Jalen Brunson

Karl-Anthony Towns stats today: New York big man makes difference against Victor Wembanyama in win over Spurs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Karl-Anthony Towns has had better games than the one he put forth during the Knicks' Game 1 win over the Spurs. He has scored more points, tallied more rebounds, dished out more assists and recorded more blocks.But none of those performances came in games of the magnitude of Wednesday's. Towns authored an eye-catching two-way display, producing consistent offense on one end of the floor while limiting Victor Wembanyama's effectiveness on the other.Compared to his glitziest showings, Towns' output on Wednesday might look a bit underwhelming. Rest assured, however, his outing proved vital to New York's result. His teammates and coaches made that clear postgame/Here's what you need to know.NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracketKarl-Anthony Towns stats todayPoints: 18Rebounds: 12Assists: 4Steals: 0Blocks: 1TOs: 2Fouls: 4FG: 7-153FG: 0-2FT: 4-4Towns continued his run of strong form on Wednesday, producing 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He tallied 12 rebounds, the joint-second-highest mark of any player (trailing only Josh Hart). He fell slightly short of his postseason average for assists, collecting just four instead of his usual 5.9 dimes.Nevertheless, Towns powered New York's comeback efforts on Wednesday night — especially as Brunson's performance toiled.He also kept Wembanyama quiet, an impressive — and somewhat unexpected — sight.Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Victor WembanyamaHere's a look at how Towns' performance compared to that of Wembanyama on Wednesday night.Karl-Anthony TownsVictor Wembanyama34Minutes3818Points2612Rebounds124Assists20Steals11Blocks32Turnovers646.7% (7-15)FG%28.6% (6-21)0.0% (0-2)3PT%22.2% (2-9)100% (4-4)FT%92.3% (12-13)Wembanyama shined at the free throw line. But he was left to just 28.6% shooting on the day, his joint-third-worst shooting showing of the season.The Frenchman had his fair share of highlights during the contest, swatting Towns to send San Antonio's concourses into raptures.Karl-Anthony Towns drives and goes Victor Wembanyama for the third time tonight, except that this time Wemby blocks him from behind (with replays) pic.twitter.com/svkQpjcnpA— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 4, 2026But Towns got the last laugh, using his physicality to bother his opposite number on both ends of the floor.His display had Mike Brown singing his praises postgame."He was amazing. The double-double was huge."Mike Brown talks about Karl-Anthony Towns' performance tonight in Game 1: pic.twitter.com/lGiZNlFotE— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 4, 2026Karl-Anthony Towns playoff stats16.9 points per game10.6 rebounds per game5.9 assists per game1.2 steals per game1.4 blocks per game2.6 turnovers per game57.2 percent field goal shooting48.9 percent 3-point shooting89.1 percent free throw shooting How old is Karl-Anthony Towns?Towns is 30 years old. He'll turn 31 on Nov. 15.Karl-Anthony Towns postgame interviewAfter the contest, Towns spoke candidly with "Inside the NBA" about his mindset entering into the contest. Towns explained that he was undaunted by the challenge of taking on Wembanyama and the Spurs in Game 1. He felt there was a higher power helping guide him: his late mother, Jacqueline."I felt like a kid," Towns said. "In a way I felt like I was seeing (my mom) in the stands and it was fun. It was really comforting."Karl-Anthony Towns said he felt a calming presence ahead of Game 1."I felt like a kid. ... In a way I felt like I was seeing (my mom) in the stands and it was fun. It was really comforting." pic.twitter.com/ImZNlwCVT0— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 4, 2026

The longer we go without oil from the Persian Gulf, the less we’ll need it.

Mike Brown speaks about how Jalen Brunson lived up to MVP expectations in Game 1 win originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Ahead of the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks had an 11-game winning streak dating back to their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. After that series, they won two series in sweeps, proving they are one of the best teams in the league.Now that they are in the Finals, they are still considered underdogs against the young San Antonio Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama. As the Knicks' best player, Jalen Brunson proved the doubters wrong while playing the MVP-level basketball expected from him.Jalen Brunson has lived up to Mike Brown's MVP-level expectationsFor the entire 2025-26 season, Knicks head coach Mike Brown has called Brunson an MVP-level player. He has wanted more people to show respect to Brunson because he is the Knicks' best player.Even if he is a smaller guard, Brunson manages to find ways to keep scoring and leading the Knicks to victories. That was what happened in Game 1, as he scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter.MORE: Jalen Brunson does not take sole credit for the Knicks' Game 1 win vs the SpursIt might not have been the most efficient night of Brunson's career, but that goes out the window when it comes to getting wins. As long as the Knicks get a victory, that is a big result for the team and its fans.Brown wanted to highlight how big Brunson has been for the Knicks. They won't be here if not for his performances, and Brown has always had high expectations for Brunson, and he is living up to them."He's a gamer. In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands, we said we were going to live and die with him, and he went, and he got it done for us," Brown said in his post-game interview after Game 1.Ahead of Game 2, the pressure will be on Brunson to live up to those expectations again. However, he has continued to prove that he is one of the best players in the league, and he is ready to lead this Knicks team to a championship.More NBA news:Jalen Brunson avoids a major injury scare in the Knicks' Game 1 win vs the SpursThe Knicks' Game 1 win vs the Spurs as seen in the complete box scoreThe impact of Mitchell Robinson's injury on the NBA FinalsVictor Wembanyama is already raring to bounce back in Game 2 of the NBA FinalsHow Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks' Game 1 win

Braves' Drake Baldwin reportedly offers different return outlook than manager Walt Weiss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Atlanta Braves just picked up their 42nd win of the season by clinching another series, this time over the Toronto Blue Jays. They are performing well this season despite the injuries they have endured.One of the most recent injuries was to catcher Drake Baldwin, who was swinging the bat well before landing on the injured list.“The Atlanta Braves put Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, with an MRI revealing that the star catcher has a Grade 1 right oblique strain. Baldwin, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, was replaced by backup catcher Sandy Leon in the sixth inning of Monday's 12-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. Manager Walt Weiss said Baldwin initially felt a slight discomfort after his second at-bat but not painful enough to warrant his removal,” ESPN wrote.Baldwin is nearing a return; it is just a matter of when for the young catcher. Braves manager Walt Weiss believes he could be back for the next homestand.“Weiss said Baldwin could be activated during the next homestand, which runs June 16-21,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posted.The Atlanta lineup has been missing Baldwin, especially since Sandy Leon and Chadwick Tromp haven’t impressed at the plate. While there is optimism from Weiss that he could return soon, it doesn’t seem like Baldwin has a definite target date.“Drake Baldwin said he has just started doing some baseball activities. Still hasn’t been cleared for dry swings. While he’s hopeful to return as soon as possible, he said he’s not aiming for a specific date,” Bowman wrote.The Braves know that when Baldwin returns, he will likely resume catching duties regularly, especially with Murphy also dealing with injuries. Baldwin knows this as well, so he may be taking a cautious approach.It is somewhat surprising that Weiss mentioned a potential return date while Baldwin did not echo the same timeline. Baldwin may simply know his recovery is further along than expected. The Braves will need to be careful not to rush his return too soon.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gives exciting update on Tigers' Tarik Skubal trade possibilityBlue Jays-Tigers trade pitch sends $32M Cy Young arm to Toronto to supercharge World Series dreamsDodgers predicted to trade Justin Wrobleski, top prospect for $32M Cy Young winner in power moveBraves-Red Sox trade pitch sends $7.7M All-Star MVP to Atlanta to form electrifying outfield

Game 1 between the Knicks and Spurs lived up to its billing with starts Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama giving their respective teams late leads in the fourth quarter.But it was Brunson's heroics and clutch play that allowed New York to come away with the first win of the 2026 NBA Finals. Brunson scored a game-high 30 points on 12 of 31 shooting with three rebounds and two assists, but his performance in the fourth quarter will go down in Knicks history. The Knicks captain scored 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting, leading New York's 11-0 run to end the game. While the Knicks fans in attendance in San Antonio and those watching at home were in awe, the Spurs were not surprised by Brunson's efforts. "He’s a tremendous player that’s skilled, picks his spots, knows his angles. Shoots contested shots without being sped up," Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of Brunson after the game. "He’s a phenomenal player and we just have to keep making him work. "He had a phenomenal game. He got going and got a few in a row, but 30 points on 31 shots, is something you probably want to keep making him work for those points. Probably some of the other stuff that we can control, instead of him making or missing shots."Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, was asked how the team can defend Brunson better moving forward. The Spurs big man didn't have an answer, but knew they have time to come up with a gameplan.“He’s an elite player and we don’t have many more chances," Wembanyama said. "It’s a first-to-four series. So we’re going to have time to work on it.”A common talking point before the NBA Finals started was whether the Spurs would be fatigued after a grueling seven-game series with the Thunder. On the opposite end, the Knicks, after sweeping the Cavaliers in the ECF, were off for more than a week.The fourth quarter saw the Spurs turn the ball over five times -- the Knicks had zero turnovers in the final frame -- and Wembanyama, in particular, looked winded at points, but San Antonio downplayed that narrative. Instead, they pointed to their own execution."I don't think it was fatigue. I'm sure guys got tired at times," Johnson said. "I don't think anyone's performance was based on fatigue, I think we just need to be sharper and execute better. And continue to work the game and not fight it at times and play the right way.""I feel both teams were fatigued, really," Dylan Harper said. "I just feel like they executed better." Wembanyama scored a team-high 26 points -- 11 coming in the fourth -- and Harper had 16 off the bench, but it wasn't enough to stop the Knicks and Brunson from stealing home court advantage on Wednesday night. But this youthful Spurs team is gaining experience by the day, and they are confident they can bounce back in Game 2. “We’re confident but also have a chip on our shoulder from this game we just lost," Harper said. "You never want to lose and going into this next game, we’re going to be even more hungrier and keep on proving.”“We’ve been down in a series before," Wembanyama said. "I’m not kicking myself about anything, really. I’m not worried in the slightest.” Game 2 takes place Friday night.

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani creates two-way MLB history, shines on Cy Young night originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani nearly did it all Wednesday night, while creating MLB history.As the starting pitcher, the four-time MVP blanked the host Arizona Diamondbacks through six innings, yielding just two hits and walking one batter. As the lead-off batter, Ohtani produced three singles and drew two bases on balls, becoming the first hurler in the modern era to reach base five times and yield fewer than five base runners.Highlighting a night where four of the top NL Cy Young award candidates competed, Ohtani (6-2) displayed his two-way prowess during the 7-0 victory at Chase Field. During the expansion era, only two pitchers have reached base five times during a start: Ohtani, who has done it twice, and former pitcher Mel Stottlemyre.NL Cy Young candidates go to workHere is a look at how the four Cy Young award candidates fared Wednesday:Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez (7-2) may have had his scoreless streak snapped at 50.2 innings, but he earned the win, a 3-2 decision over the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Sanchez's effort ranked third-longest since at least 1920.Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes (6-5) failed to escape the fifth inning of an 11-9 loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. His ERA rose to 3.09 during the no-decision.Cincinnati Reds' Chase Burns (7-1) yielded a two-run, first-inning home run to Kansas City's Vinnie Pasquantino, but followed it up with five straight scoreless innings, finishing with nine strikeouts during the 5-2 defeat. Burns' ERA dipped to 2.05.Ohtani finished his outing with six strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 0.74, while creating MLB history on a night when the stars were out.More MLB news:Braves continue to haunt Blue Jays' Patrick CorbinSocial media users react to Mets' Mark Vientos claiming defensive prowessShould Marlins call for mulligan on outfield trio?Can Marlins' Sandy Alcantara shake off messy May, reinstate tradability?

Luke O'Nien of Sunderland during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, United Kingdom, on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Schedules matter. You set goals and you try to hit them. As a fanbase, we’ve been through a spell where our ambitions got completely torn apart. We were humbled. In League One, people accused us of arrogance, and I remember feeling a bit taken aback that Wycombe players were taking the piss out of us. But yeah, maybe there was some arrogance there. Over time, stuck in that dross of a division, we reset a bit. We shook off that Premier League mentality, and something changed properly in all of us. We were still Sunderland, of course. We’ve still got those six league titles and that massive fanbase. But humility gives you a different kind of strength.As the team bus crawled along the road outside the stadium, there were two kids stood on a bench outside the Beacon of Light, each holding a flare. The future of Sunderland Football Club that I feared would be lost when we surrendered to League One. They can’t have been more than six years old.What’s happened at Sunderland over the last 24 months has been nothing short of remarkable, and it’s happened way ahead of schedule. Of course, that brings concerns with it. Have we overreached a bit? Maybe. But the faith in the recruitment is still there.I’ve never been a Sunderland fan who truly trusted the decision-makers before now. Last summer felt like opening an advent calendar: “Who have we signed today?” I’d never heard of most of them, but it was exciting. Now those players have developed, and their value has gone up. They’ve proved themselves, and naturally greedy eyes are watching.That’s Sunderland now. And you won’t find a bigger Sadiki fan than me – I absolutely love the lad. But if some unbelievable offer comes in, I’ll have to accept he’s probably moving on, and trust that the money will be put to good use. In the past, it would’ve been frittered away on someone like Didier N’Dong or Papy Djilobodji. We’d have signed players near the end of their careers who could maybe still do a job, but were always depreciating assets – players like O’Shea or Wes Brown. Or maybe we’d have taken a gamble on a young lad who looked promising but drifted, like Jack Rodwell.Not now.Yes, we signed Xhaka, and he’s obviously a depreciating asset too, but we needed that leadership in among the young lads, and it worked perfectly.Relegation favourites at the start. Relegated by Easter, apparently. This team just keeps defying expectations. The best thing about this season, though, has been the way the fans have really embraced that underdog spirit. They’ve connected with the players, and the players have connected right back.I’d say lads like Hume, O’Nien and Ballard have been a huge part of that. They’re grounded, and they understand what’s happened here. They pass that on to our captain, and he grabs hold of that mentality and makes sure everyone else does too.We’re ahead of schedule. This wasn’t supposed to happen yet. But for the first time in my life, I trust the Sunderland process.

NEW DELHI: Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has claimed that match-fixing continues to exist in cricket, though he stopped short of making any allegations against the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying the tournament has become too lucrative for players to risk their careers.Modi, who has been residing primarily in London since leaving India in May 2010, spoke on a range of subjects during Wisden Cricket's podcast The Scoop, including corruption and match-fixing in cricket.When asked whether fixing still exists in the IPL, Modi said corruption in the sport has evolved and become increasingly sophisticated."They're fixing in cricket. It has gone to a very sophisticated level. Whether it's in the IPL, I don't know. I don't think so, but I don't know. And I can't tell you because I genuinely don't know. But I'm sure it exists everywhere; every sport has its issues. I can't give you a yes-or-no answer, to tell you the truth. And I would like you to play all of this. Don't cut out this portion because otherwise people will take it the wrong way. Because I'm telling you very clearly: I do not know," Modi said.The former IPL chief, however, said he does not believe fixing is prevalent in the IPL because of the vast sums of money involved in the tournament."I don't think it would be happening in the IPL because the money has become so big. It is so big that there is no reason for players to fix because they have too much to lose," he added.Modi instead pointed to smaller domestic and regional leagues as being more vulnerable to corruption due to a lack of governance and oversight."But I can tell you for a fact that in many of the smaller leagues, you will see games being manipulated. Not in the main leagues, but in the smaller leagues, and especially in the bachha leagues, it's all about fixing. You'll see so many entrepreneurs launching these small inter-city leagues, inter-area leagues and interstate leagues. There is no corporate governance there. There is nothing out there. You don't even see television coverage. It's all about satta baazi," Modi said."And if you look at the satta baazi market today, it's massive. If you have Rs 40,000 crore being bet per day — not per season, per day — and you have 100 games, it's a $40 billion industry in cricket alone, a number nobody is talking about. It is huge, and something that huge tends to have problems," he said."Cricket lends itself to ball-by-ball betting, with odds changing every delivery. For lack of a better word, that's the reality. And the smaller leagues are toxic. Very toxic," Modi said.

Why would the Los Angeles Dodgers stop spending now? With several injuries in their rotation that could impact them for months, the Dodgers may be preparing a package for Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal — a move that manager Dave Roberts knows would leave plenty in the baseball world upset."They would go ballistic," Roberts told USA Today's Bob Nightengale, laughing. "But we would have the prospect capital to do that. We are one of the teams that could do that with the Tigers."The Dodgers, who have almost continuously made moves to bring in some of the biggest names in the sport in recent years, leading MLB with a $398 million projected payroll. The New York Mets are the only other team above the $300 million mark. There are also six teams, with the Miami Marlins coming in last, that haven't even spent $100 million. The Dodgers landing Skubal would likely add to calls for Major League Baseball to either add a salary cap or reform the system in some way — something that is already underway amid CBA negotiations ahead of the deadline at the end of the season. Fears of a work stoppage impacting the 2027 season are very real.Skubal, in his seventh season in the league, would be a huge addition for the Dodgers. He currently holds a 2.70 ERA and a 3-2 record in seven starts this season in Detroit, though he's been sidelined recovering from an elbow injury. The back-to-back Cy Young Award winner is on a one-year, $32 million deal with the team and is set to become a free agent next offseason. Many expect that the Tigers, who are 25-38, will move Skubal before the trade deadline on August 3.The Dodgers are dealing with plenty of injuries on the pitching front, too. Tyler Glasnow is out with lower back issues, and it's not clear how long he'll be sidelined. Edwin Diaz underwent surgery for an elbow injury and is still recovering. Starters Bobby Miller, Landon Knack and Gavin Stone are still out on the injured list, too.A healthy Skubal would undoubtedly go a long way in the Dodgers' quest to win a third straight World Series title this fall, regardless of what uproar it may cause elsewhere. Whether the Dodgers can get it done, though, is a different story.No team is more built for a Tarik Skubal trade than the DodgersAs much as the Dodgers’ spending pops up in the headlines, they have been the class of MLB when it comes to developing talent. And their current crop seems almost built to justify a Skubal trade.The Dodgers are currently tied with the Seattle Mariners for the most players in MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 100 prospects, with seven. Five of those players are outfielders: Josue de Paula (No. 8), Zyhir Hope (No. 19), Eduardo Quintero (No. 37), Mike Sirota (No. 41) and Charles Davalan (No. 96). That doesn’t include their most MLB-ready prospect either, as James Tibbs is slashing 321/.424/.651 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.The Tigers, meanwhile, rank in the bottom 10 in MLB in outfielder fWAR and have only one outfielder in their top 20 MLB Pipeline prospects above rookie ball. That prospect happens to be Max Clark, who is as good a prospect as anyone on the Dodgers’ list, but there are three outfield spots.Riley Greene is entrenched in left field and Clark is earmarked for center field, where his plus-plus speed could make him a perennial All-Star. That still leaves right field, though, as well as designated hitter. And Greene is also a free agent after 2028.So to summarize, you have a top contender with a glut of prospects, many of whom play the same position, and another team with an ace it has good reason to offload for younger talent. The contender is also one of the few that has the money to retain said pitcher, a pending free agent, barring the introduction of a salary cap.The Dodgers could build a package starting with something like Hope and Tibbs, who is currently blocked at OKC, and add even more prospects or a controllable pitcher who can replace Skubal in the Detroit rotation. As far as packages go for half a season of Skubal, it’s hard to imagine any other team being able to build a real offer so painlessly.

All Elite WrestlingCredit: All Elite WrestlingDespite going head-to-head with Game 1 of the NBA Finals, AEW had a loaded episode of Dynamite on tap for Wednesday, June 3.Advertised ahead of time was MJF making the first defense of his third AEW World Championship reign against Rush. In a notable move, the title match opened the show rather than headlining it, likely due to Dynamite beginning 30 minutes before tipoff. Would Long Island's own continue his reign, or would he fall victim to El Toro Blanco?Also on the card, Kevin Knight defended the TNT Championship against his former friend Mike Bailey following his shocking heel turn at Double or Nothing. Could Speedball get his revenge and reclaim championship gold?All that and more took place on this week's edition of Dynamite:AEW Dynamite Results for June 3, 2026Backstage, Rush hyped up his AEW World Championship match with MJF before the champion interrupted him. The confrontation quickly turned physical as the two briefly brawled.Elsewhere backstage, Andrade El Idolo urged Rush to win the title and remind everyone exactly who he is.No Countout Match for the AEW World Championship: MJF (c) def. Rush by submission to retain the title. After the match, MJF attempted to continue the assault on Rush before Mark Briscoe made the save. However, a low blow from MJF neutralized Briscoe until the rest of The Conglomeration arrived to even the odds.Mark Briscoe def. Lio Rush by pinfall. Following the victory, Briscoe reflected on the passing of his brother Jay and the emotional journey that followed, from his AEW debut to where he stands today. He credited his friends for helping fill the void and restoring his love for professional wrestling.However, Briscoe said MJF had brought his anger and rage back to the surface. Reminding everyone that he pinned MJF last year, Briscoe challenged the champion to prove he's the best by granting him an AEW World Championship opportunity.A video package aired recapping Kevin Knight's actions over the past several weeks.Thekla and the Triangle of Madness entered through the crowd. Thekla said she would burn Stardom to the ground if anyone from the promotion appeared in AEW. Claiming everyone there made her sick to her stomach, she said she had to take them all out, which ultimately led to her being fired from Japan.Thekla stated that Skye Blue must win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and that Julia Hart needs to reclaim the TBS Championship. As for herself, she has her sights set on Forbidden Door, where she intends to close the door on Stardom forever. She then climbed a ladder and spat on the Stardom logo displayed on the screen.Backstage, Jon Moxley told Will Ospreay it was time to completely move on from Mark Davis. Moxley reminded Ospreay that his only job tonight was to stay focused while Moxley handled everything else.Andrade El Idolo def. a local competitor by pinfall. Afterward, Andrade made it clear that he wants MJF's AEW World Championship. While acknowledging MJF's victory over Rush, Andrade questioned whether the champion could defeat him.Don Callis then emerged alongside Jake Doyle and officially welcomed Kevin Knight into the Don Callis Family. In an unintentionally memorable moment, Callis' teeth flew out of his mouth during the announcement.TNT Championship Match: Kevin Knight (c) def. Mike Bailey by pinfall to retain the title.After the match, Knight said he had finally shed the weight holding him back, Bailey, and aligned himself with the Don Callis Family because he intends to reach the top of AEW.Being part of the Don Callis Family has elevated several heels over the years, but Knight already felt established on the roster. Now, he runs the risk of blending into a faction that has grown to nearly a dozen members. Compounding the issue is that viewers still haven't been given a clear explanation for why Knight joined the group in the first place. After an impressive solo promo last week, the move feels like a head-scratcher.Backstage, Clark Connors and David Finlay celebrated attacking Cope and Christian Cage and laying out the Bang Bang Gang the previous week. The Young Bucks interrupted and reminded them that they're next in line for an AEW World Tag Team Championship opportunity. Connors and Finlay brushed them off, saying they'll consider a title match when they're ready.Backstage, MJF relaxed in a bathtub and declared there would be no AEW World Championship match for Mark Briscoe.Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Match: Mercedes Moné def. Alex Windsor by submission.A video package then hyped up Divine Dominion defending the AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship against TayJay on Collision.Backstage, Don Callis boasted that everyone was talking about his family because he is a magnet for championship gold. He proclaimed Kevin Knight would become the greatest TNT Champion of all time and vowed that the Don Callis Family would march into the main event of All In.Callis also said Kazuchika Okada had been screwed over, while Okada promised Konosuke Takeshita's reign as International Champion would not last much longer.Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa vowed to continue beating up Chris Jericho whenever the opportunity presents itself. Ciampa said that while Jericho was away, he arrived and made an impact, adding that he'll chop the head off the snake known as Chris Jericho. If Jericho chooses to return, Ciampa promised he'll be waiting.Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Match: Will Ospreay def. Mark Davis by submission. The Death Riders and Don Callis Family brawled throughout the final stages of the match. As Kyle Fletcher tried to attack Ospreay with a screwdriver, Takeshita stopped him and they fought at ringside. This article was originally published on Forbes.com