LA CROSSE – The second and final day of the WIAA state track and field meet June 6 at Veterans Memorial Stadium played out much the way it did in 2025.For the second straight year, the Green Bay area had six individual champions across three divisions.It included a repeat champion in De Pere’s Grady Lenn, a record-breaking one in Coleman’s Kolton Peters, and several other first-time winners including Pulaski’s Keaton Dauk, Kewaunee’s Hannah Miller, Marinette’s Mason Hofherr and Oconto Falls’ Brady Bursa.Peters got the winning started with a memorable performance in the Division 3 110-meter hurdles.He had established himself as one of his school’s best athletes the last three years even before this weekend.He’s a standout in football during the fall. A star in basketball in the winter. When it comes to spring, there has never been anybody better in the 110 hurdles.Peters made history by winning the event in a D3 record-breaking time of 15.25 seconds, .5 seconds faster than runner-up Garrett Bracewell of Marathon.“It means a lot,” said Peters, who was fifth in the event as a sophomore. “I’ve been practicing all year for this, in the weight room every morning. It’s good to see the hard work paid off.”Bracewell and Peters switched spots in the standings in the championship round after Bracewell beat Peters in the preliminaries.Peters ran a 15.17 one day earlier, describing it as a “pretty bad” race despite finishing second.“But I cleaned it up when it mattered most,” he said. "So, it feels good.”Peters is the second boy in Coleman history to win the 110 hurdles state title and the first since Josh Pilllath won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. It’s one thing to win, it’s another to do it by setting a state record.“Yeah, the time is a trust in my skills,” said Peters, who also finished runner-up in the 300 hurdles with a time of 37.98. “Trust my skills. … I came to compete.”Dauk did the same for the Red Raiders with his D1 title win in the 300 hurdles, not to mention earning a runner-up finish as part of a 1,600 relay with teammates Max Fredrickson, Landyn Kroll and Kam McKeefry.Dauk showed he had championship potential as a sophomore last season after he finished runner-up in the 300 hurdles.He was third in the preliminary round on the first day of state behind Wisconsin Lutheran’s Niyer Clayborn and Hamilton’s Tristan Haigh.But it was a different race in the title round, with Dauk running a 37.91 to beat Haigh (37.97) and Mukwonago’s Devin Viola (38.61).It’s the first time Dauk has finished under 38 seconds in his career after previously running a personal-best 38.38 at the Bay Port DeMerit Invite in May.He is the first Pulaski boy to win a state title since Matt Mroczynski won the 3,200 in 2007.Miller made program history for Kewaunee by becoming the first girl to win a state title after the boys had won five in previous years.The standout senior earned the D3 800 championship with a time of 2:11.62, winning rather comfortably over runner-up Leah Harper of Phillips (2:13.71) and Inez Schmidt of Cameron (2:13.82).Like Dauk, Milller had shown the potential to win a state title in the past while going between D2 and D3.She was third in D2 in the 800 as a junior and sixth in D3 as a sophomore after placing 14th in D2 as a freshman.Down to her final chance, Miller got it done.It was the same story for Hofherr, who finally captured a title in the D2 200 meters.The senior finished in 21.65 to edge runner-up John Gibson of McFarland, who had a 21.71.It was a big jump in the 200 from last season for Hofherr, who just missed out on a podium finish after placing seventh.Hofherr had been dominant in the 200 in recent weeks entering state. He ran a PR 21.39 at regionals and followed with a 21.93 at sectionals.As for Bursa, the senior came up big toward the end of the D2 long jump to win his first state title in his final season with a jump of 23 feet, 2 inches.Bursa was down to his final two chances when he produced the winning jump on his fifth attempt.He was the only one of the 18 competitors in the field to surpass 23 feet.His sixth and final attempt was 22-9.75, which also would have been good enough to win the championship after Winneconne senior and runner-up Brody Schaffer’s best jump was a 22-9.50.Bursa is the first boy from Oconto Falls to win a state championship since Nathan Stymiest took first in the 1,600 in 2008, but the numbers suggest this was a big moment for the program.Although the Panthers won 12 state titles before Bursa’s big day, seven came during the 1920s and two each in the 1950s and 1970s. Lenn, meanwhile, had the perfect ending to a remarkable career at De Pere.He capped a dominating two years on the track by repeating as the D1 1,600 champion one day after he won his second consecutive 3,200 title.Lenn finished the 1,600 in 4:03.90, ahead of Racine Horlick senior Landon Franke (4:05.43) and Mequon Homestead senior Jemekhi Tally (4:05.90).The only time Lenn didn’t top in the event was his own after he set a state record last season with a 4:01.79.Lenn let out a few screams after crossing the finish line, not just happy that he won again but also because he felt there were some who didn’t believe he would be able to do it. “I just think it felt good to kind of quiet all the noise,” Lenn said. “There was a lot of people doubting me going into this. A lot of pressure on me that I felt from people that didn’t need to be giving me pressure. So, it felt good to kind of come out here and do what I know I can do. Just really do it for myself, and not anyone else.”Wait. Who the heck would doubt Lenn?“I just think everyone wanted to see that sub-4, everyone wanted to see me get beat for an upset,” Lenn said. “That kind of pushed me a lot. I’m not here to impress anyone else but myself and my circle of people, because those are the only people that matter.”Lenn has come a long way since his freshman year, when he finished 13th in the 1,600 at state and eighth in the 3,200.He now will continue his career at the University of Wisconsin.“I really didn’t know what to expect as a freshman,” Lenn said. “I just kind of knew I was going to give everything I had into the sport and see what it got me.”Ashwaubenon girls enjoy big dayJaguars junior Jamyana Witte picked the right time to have the best race of her prep career in the D1 100 hurdles.Witte finished runner-up with a personal-best 14.43, one month after breaking the school record that had stood for more than four decades.It came one day after Witte placed fifth in the preliminary round with a 15.29.Perhaps most impressive is that she did it all while battling painful shin splints, which have hampered her for two months and have continued to get worse as the season progressed.It didn’t appear to slow her down, although there was some real concern in the weeks leading up to state that she wouldn’t be at her best. But she rested as much as possible and entered the weekend with hopes of finishing among the top three.“It’s been really hard,” Witte said. “I just prepared really hard for this meet and I was really excited. Coming out and doing that, hard work pays off.”It probably was unrealistic to think Witte would win the state championship. Not because she lacks the ability but because Oshkosh North senior Sydnee Nelson has been queen of the event in recent years.She won her third straight 100 hurdles state title with a 13.94 and continued to top her time each year.With Nelson off to compete in volleyball at NCAA Division I Belmont University, the goal for Witte must be to win the whole thing next year, right?“Of course,” Witte said. “Of course.”Witte wasn’t the only Jaguars standout to earn a runner-up finish.Lera Black was second in the pole vault with a vault of 13 feet, 3 inches.While that event was going on, the junior also was busy in the triple jump. She earned another podium finish by placing fifth with a 36-10.50.Officials during the season worked with Black to make competing in two events at the same time as smooth as possible. For sectionals, she even got to ride in a golf cart so she could get from one event to the other.Doing both at state didn’t appear to bother her.“It honestly helps me a lot more, having two events to focus on instead of one,” Black said. “I feel like I get in my head a lot if I just focus on one event. But if I focus on two, I can kind of relax my mind and, if I do bad in one event, it’s OK because I have another one ahead of me.”The most impressive part of Black’s weekend might have been her finish in the triple jump.Black only participated in a handful of triple jumps this season – she estimated it was about five – but she has been a natural at it.It offered one other big benefit.“It got me out of running events,” Black said, laughing. “So, yeah. I wasn’t expecting anything.”Division 1 podium finishes∎ De Pere junior Tyler Hancock was third in the 110 hurdles (14.28).∎ West De Pere junior Kaylin Thomson was fourth in the 100 hurdles (14.55) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (44.49).Daniel Nehls placed runner-up in the 100 wheelchair (17.48). The senior was runner-up in the event last year but topped the 18.06 he had in 2025.Nehls also was runner-up in the shot put (24-7.50) and finished third in the 400 (1:04.17).∎ Bay Port’s 800 relay team of Brooke Dorner, London LaBlonde, Trista Harju and Hailey Schroeder placed fourth (1:41.51).The Pirates’ 400 relay team of Mariana Nieto, LaBlonde, Harju, and Schroeder also took fourth (47.57).∎ Preble’s Jacob Mathys was fifth in the 300 hurdles (38.95).Division 2 podium finishes∎ Denmark senior Ella Denor earned runner-up honors in the 100 with a 11.99, just behind the 11.96 from winner Sydney Falkowski of Kettle Moraine Lutheran.Denor was fifth in the event as a junior when she ran a 12.54.Denor also was part of an 800 relay team with Riley Guns, Anya Joyce and Ella Ovsak that finished fourth (1:43.12).She wasn’t done yet.The 400 relay team of Addison Kane, Guns, Joyce and Denor placed fourth (48.76).Lincoln Arneson was a standout for the boys. The junior finished runner-up in the 400 (48.59).∎ Green Bay Notre Dame’s 400 relay team of Julia Nolle, Ella Wallner, Hannah West and Haley Blevins finished third (48.75).A day after winning the discus state title, Tritons junior Richie Flanigan was fourth in the shot put (55-7.50).∎ Luxemburg-Casco senior Mason Trimberger was fifth in the 300 hurdles (39.33). Spartans junior Claire DuChateau was sixth in the 3,200 (11:08.19).∎ The Oconto Falls 400 relay of Emery Pagel, Brooke Fenlon, Gracie Miller and Rylie Shallow placed fifth (48.82). It came one year after the Panthers finished runner-up in the event.∎ Marinette’s 400 relay of Luke Adams, Hofherr, Derek Montalvo and Kaiden Brown was sixth (42.76).∎ Peshtigo freshman Berkeley Chaltry had a nice debut at state, placing fourth in the 800 (2:15.61).Another freshman, Wrightstown’s London Dockum, was sixth in the event (2:17.15)Division 3 podium finishes∎ Southern Door junior Elise Jackson was third in the 100 hurdles (15.38) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (45.34).∎ Lena/St. Thomas senior Zander Thomson was fourth in the 110 hurdles (14.85).∎ Gillett senior Bradyn Wendorff was fourth in the 800 (1:56.42).∎ Sevastopol sophomore Cash Kuehn was runner-up in the triple jump (44-9.50) and tied for fourth in the high jump (6-2).∎ Crivitz senior Kylah Betka was fourth in the pole vault (10-6).∎ Coleman sophomore Hunter Dehart was runner-up in the shot put (58-10.75).This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay-area has several first-time state track and field winners

As the Lowell Spinners continue to celebrate their comeback season, Saturday night they brought in a legend from the comeback Red Sox team, Johnny Damon. The Johnny Damon Celebration brought in Red Sox fans only building on the excitement for the Spinners. Fans at LeLacheur Park were buzzing with excitement to meet one of Boston’s most memorable players.“When we found out that this was happening, it was Johnny Damon, we’re like we gotta go,” Sarah Sigman, a fan at the game, said.Some even had the chance to meet Damon, getting signed jerseys, hats, posters, even Damon bobbleheads.“Winning the title after 86 years was a tremendous feat and it’s gonna live on forever,” Damon said. Many of the women at the ballpark, still fangirling over the player commonly known as the “Caveman.”“He still looks good, I love the man bun,” Sigman said.“I agree he still looks pretty good,” Julie Shaw, another fan at the game, said.Many of the men were still reminiscing. “I just think of a clutch player, man, there were so many times that he came through in the clutch for the Sox when they won the championship in 2004,” Ralph Vaccari, another fan at the game said.“Johnny’s an icon, so he’s always a hero in our house,” Doug Crawford, a fan at the game, said.“I’ll always remember the grand slam in the ALCS putting the Yankees down early, anything that happened after 2009 I don’t know I must’ve got hit in the head I don’t really remember,” Dan Beaulieu said.For the fans still not over what happened in 2009, they had the chance for some payback, getting the two-time World Series champ in the dunk tank.“We can definitely see the energy that’s at the ballpark right now,” Damon said. Damon, a 2026 Red Sox Hall of Fame inductee, said he’s grateful for the love he still receives in New England, more than 20 years after his World Series win.“It’s great to see, I’m glad I’m still loved here and it’s awesome to have Lowell baseball back,” Damon said.“You can see the excitement and the buzz in the crowd with Johnny being here, he’s a living legend in the Northeast,” Marc Deschenes, owner of the Lowell Spinners, said.Deschenes said he appreciates the support from the Spinners fans who welcomed the team back with open arms.“We couldn’t be more excited to bring a community-based platform back to the area where people can go out there and see good players that they’ll see in the future on our field as well,” Deschenes said.This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

LAS VEGAS – Gabriel Bonfim wants to make a tour out of defeating former UFC welterweight champions.At UFC Fight Night 278 on Saturday, Bonfim (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defeated Belal Muhammad (24-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. He then immediately turned his attention to another former champion: Jack Della Maddalena."He is my next opponent because the division is kind of muddy waters up there," Bonfim told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference through a Portuguese-language interpreter. "Things are kind of scrambled up top. He's in the top five, and I feel that he needs to be my next opponent."Della Maddalena (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has hit tough times in his two most recent outings. After he was dominated and lost the title to Islam Makahchev in November, he was brutalized and finished by Carlos Prates in May. He doesn't currently have a known fight on the books.As it stands, Bonfim has won five fights in a row, entering Saturday's bout off victories over Ange Loosa, Khaos Williams, Stephen Thompson and Randy Brown. His only UFC loss came to Nicolas Dalby in come-from-behind fashion in November 2023.This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Gabriel Bonfim sets sights on another former UFC welterweight champion

So that was fun. And, a lot of it. The Party Animals played the Loco Beach Coconuts at American Family Field on Saturday, June 6. The Coconuts defeated the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour champs, 4-2.For many, the party started on the ballpark's plaza five hours before the 7 p.m. game time. Out there, players signed autographs and took pictures with ticketholders; fans joined a long, like really long, conga line; and there was an entertainment stage.At Banana Ball Backstage, a VIP game-day experience, players did meet-and-greets with fans on the dirt of the infield. When Jesse Cole – creator of Banana Ball and founder of Fans First Entertainment – showed up in his signature yellow tux, fans went, well, bananas. When it came to the game itself, your brain kept shifting between locking in and getting lost in the music. The atmosphere was giving nonstop dance party – when game action was going on, too. The ump even got in on it. Doing the splits to T-Pain's "Booty Wurk," for example. The soundtrack made it hard not to want to move it, move it.Here were some of the highlights from Banana Ball's official Milwaukee debut, including Cole calling this "the loudest crowd we've ever had in Banana Ball history."1. Wisconsin's Brady Kais on the moundThe starting pitcher for the Party Animals on June 6 was none other than Wisconsin native and Brewers fanBrady Kais, who repped the Crew with a blue headband that was holding back his flow.Just a couple batters in, "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 came on. Cue: A dance break for Kais and his teammates, which led to his pitch. Not long after, with runners on first and third, the Animals made a double play to get out of the first inning of the game. 2. Jesse Cole called Milwaukee crowd 'loudest' in Banana Ball historyFollowing the game, Cole addressed the crowd: "We have been very fortunate the over last few years to travel around the country. We've seen a lot of crowds. And, I've got to tell you, this was the loudest crowd we've ever had in Banana Ball history." This also marked the first MLB stadium sell-out with the Party Animals headlining. It was said during the game that 41,000 people were in attendance. "When we started this, we had one goal: To make baseball fun. And, to see you guys come together, to see you bring the fun, to bring the energy," Cole told the crowd. "The world needs more fun right now. You brought it here tonight." During the game, Cole also led fans in the league's tradition of "Hey Baby." And, surprised the audience, when he introduced a longtime former Brewer up to bat. 3. Cameo from former Milwaukee Brewer Geoff JenkinsJenkins, one of the top sluggers in Brewers' history, got an at-bat for the Party Animals. While he struck out swinging, the crowd showed him lots of love. Jenkins played 10 seasons for the Brewers before finishing his career with Philadelphia in 2008. He batted .277 with 212 home runs and 704 runs batted in over 1,234 games with Milwaukee, with a .496 slugging percentage, 1,221 hits and 661 runs. He was inducted into the Crew's Walk of Fame in 2018. While we're talking cameos, "tarps off" made one, too, being shown on the jumbotron a couple of times. 4. Core memories created? Just ahead of the game, a 7-year-old boy got his turn up to bat at the home of the Brewers. He swung and missed, hit a foul, hit a foul off of a tee, then got a hit – that turned into a home run. Players fielding the ball kept fumbling it (wink, wink). When the boy – who can now say he hit a homer at AmFam Field – reached home plate, a Party Animal lifted him up in the air, then the team and the boy broke into dance. Before the game, an adorable girl sporting a pink Party Animals T-shirt and pink glasses got to go onto the field, and the crowd was instructed to do whatever she did. She jumped and clapped, broke out the Scuba and did jumping jacks as the audience copied along.At one point, players crowned several kids in the crowd with tiaras. 5. For the adults, tooFirst chug of the night: Before the game started, there was a Wisconsin-off of sorts. Two men took to the field to see who could chug a ... root beer the fastest. The guys had to chug it on one knee, then crush the can on their heads. The winner not only got to throw the crushed can like a ball to the catcher behind home plate, but also was named fan challenge representative – judge robe and all. There was more chugging later featuring Party Animal Dustin Baber, along with several adult fans around him, leading up to his at-bat.First date race: During a break in the action, two couples on first dates raced around the bases ... but there was, of course, a catch. The women had to run and jump into the arms of their dates, who were awaiting them at first base. The fellas then carried their dates to second, where they all chugged drinks, then separately sprinted to third. As the men carried the women from third to home, water guns sprayed them. Each couple may or may not have taken a tumble along the way. Guess that's one way to break the ice.Other memorable moments:Reece Hampton went down Bernie's Slide for his player introduction. During the game, a Party Animal slid down it, too. In true Wisconsin fashion, "Jump Around" was played at one point. A couple of fans did catch foul balls on the fly, which mean outs. Banana Ball rules.Like at a big-time concert, attendees were given bracelets that turn pink and green, which were incorporated into the production. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee 'loudest' crowd in Banana Ball history, and other highlights

INDIANAPOLIS — Baron Walker had a far-fetched thought after the Indiana All-Stars’ game against Kentucky on Saturday night that actually might make some sense in this crazy transfer portal college basketball world.“I wish we could just form a college and be a college team if we could,” Walker said.Indiana All-Stars’ coach Todd Woelfle, told of Walker’s idea, said he would pay money to watch that team play. He had a front-row view on Saturday night as Indiana swept Kentucky with a 94-80 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of 4,702 fans.It was not easy. Indiana looked like it might follow a similar path from Friday night’s 106-83 win in Lexington, Ky., when Indiana took command in the second half after leading by three points at halftime. Indiana took a 49-43 lead into the locker room on Saturday, then quickly pushed out to a 15-point advantage with a spark from Noblesville’s Walker, a Butler recruit.This time, Kentucky had an answer. More specifically, Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jake Feldhaus had an answer. The 6-8 Feldhaus, a South Florida recruit who finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds, sparked a comeback that allowed Kentucky to tie the score, 70-70, with 6:25 remaining.Kentucky, which had not won a game in the series on Indiana soil since 1996, had the momentum.“I think when it was 70-70, those kids bonding during the week and coming together, even though it was a short period of time, got them over the hump,” Woelfle said. “Everybody put their egos aside and just wanted to win. What a great group of kids.”Indiana got back on track with a nifty pass from IndyStar Mr. Basketball Luke Ertel to Crown Point’s Dikembe Shaw, who somehow flipped the ball off the backboard and in as he was fouled. After Walker and Ertel each hit two free throws, the Indiana All-Stars delivered a couple of knockout blows on a dish from Brady Scholl to Brennan Miller for a dunk and a 3-pointer from Ertel.Just like that, Indiana led 81-70. And no more concern about losing to Kentucky at home for the first time in 30 years. “I was just happy to get one to go,” a relieved Ertel said. “I was shooting it terrible all week, so to get that one three to go, I was pretty excited.”Even when he is not making shots at a high rate (he was 1-for-6 from the 3-point line on Saturday), the Purdue-bound Ertel can impact games in many other ways. He still finished with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting overall and added eight assists and eight rebounds to earn MVP honors.“He does so many things,” Woelfle said of Ertel. “He always defends and gives you his best effort. He never puts his head down. And that’s what separates good from great. There’s a reason, even if he didn’t score a ton of points the last two nights, why he’s Mr. Basketball. He’s a phenomenal person, first.”Walker added 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Indiana All-Stars and Lawrence North’s Miller also finished in double figures with 14 points and eight rebounds. Silver Creek’s Dane Caldwell was another player who provided a spark in limited playing time with nine points in 11 minutes.Up and down the lineup, the All-Stars received contributions from all 11 available players (Fishers’ Kai McGrew and Ben Davis’ JaShawn Ladd were out with injuries). Even more than meshing on the court, the 2026 Indiana All-Stars seemed to genuinely enjoy one another.“Honestly, no,” Ertel said when asked if he knew it would be that way coming into the week. “Usually there’s some drama or people jealous of each other or people complaining. But that wasn’t really the case at all this week. That shows why we went 3-0. We have a great group of guys.”The win clinched the 13th sweep for Indiana in the past 17 years and pushed Indiana’s all-time record to 109-46 against Kentucky since the series began in 1940. Indiana has won 45 of 52 games since 2000.The Indiana players ran back to the locker room together one final time after the buzzer sounded and meeting a midcourt with a yell of “Indiana!” They will now go their separate ways, as soon as Sunday for Ertel, Walker and others. In some ways, the Saturday of the Indiana All-Star series has the feel of the last day of school.“These relationships that we just built the last five days are going to take us way further,” Walker said. “It’s such a great group of guys … I could go down the list, just being able to play with some of them for the first time. It’s a blessing just to be part of this. I won’t really realize it now, but when I’m older and basketball is done, that’s when I’ll remember it. Just very blessed and grateful for the opportunity.”*Carmel’s Evan Harrell and Pike’s Komari Booker were named the Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award for 2026 as presented by the IndyStar Indiana All-Stars.Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to the new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kentucky vs Indiana All Stars boys basketball, IN sweeps 2026 series

DENVER, CO - JUNE 6: Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 6, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images Box ScoreJacob Misiorowski is approaching his one-year anniversary of his Brewers debut. Tonight, he showed just how much growth he has made in that year.Before Misiorowski could take the field, the Brewers staked him to an early lead. That came from Brice Turang, who hit the first pitch he saw 444 feet out to center field at 105.5 mph. The Brewers had a 1-0 lead early.A 440ft shot courtesy of Brice Turang pic.twitter.com/ZLnxYT5zSm— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 7, 2026In the next inning, again with two outs, the Brewers added another solo home run. This came from David Hamilton, who also hit one out to center, though this one only went 426 feet with a 102.4 mph exit velocity. Hamilton HAMMERED it pic.twitter.com/uCafE94l6T— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 7, 2026Early on, Misiorowski depended on his defense more than his strikeouts. He didn’t record a strikeout in the first, then struck out his first batter in the second. There was a scary moment when Troy Johnston hit a ground ball right back at Misiorowski, and it deflected off his calf. After a check from the trainers, he was fine and remained in the game. The next pitch was a double-play ball from Exequiel Tovar that ended the inning.Misiorowski was efficient through his first four innings. He had a clean third inning with a strikeout. In the fourth, he walked a batter but had another clean inning. He needed just 40 pitches for his first four innings.The Brewers’ lead would be challenged in the bottom of the fifth, partially because of some sloppy defense. With two outs, Edouard Julien with a ground ball right to Joey Ortiz. He rushed the throw, and it was wide and past Andrew Vaughn. That allowed Julien to reach second. It was initially ruled a single and error, but later changed to just an error.In the next at-bat, Kyle Karros hit a ball down the right field line. It would have been a single had Sal Frelick played it safely, but he misplayed it and the ball went to the wall. That turned it into a double that scored Julien (who might have scored on a single anyway). Misiorowski followed it up with a strikeout of Brett Sullivan, but the Rockies closed the gap to 2-1.While the Brewers had built an early two-run lead, they missed opportunities to blow it open early. In the first, the Brewers had runners at first and second following the Turang home run, but did not score either. They had runners at first and second again in the fourth, but a strikeout of Jackson Chourio ended that inning. Frelick drew a walk to start the sixth, but the Rockies picked him off first (following a video review). It would end up being a big review after Hamilton and Christian Yelich hit back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and third. Chourio struck out again to end that inning. The Brewers had a baserunner in each of the first six innings, but their only runs were the solo home runs.The bottom of the sixth is where Misiorowski really started to struggle. Jake McCarthy led off the inning with a single. Next up was Tyler Freeman. On a 1-1 count, he threw a 98.6 mph cutter that hit Freeman squarely in the left side of his head. Freeman was shaken up and Misiorowski was rattled by it as well. After trainers checked on Freeman, he walked off the field on his own, with Sterlin Thompson entering to pinch-run. Pitching coach Chris Hook also talked to Misiorowski during this to help settle him down after that.After TJ Rumfield flew out, Hunter Goodman drew a walk to load the bases with one out. It was looking rough for Misiorowski, but he recovered. Johnston swung at the first pitch he saw and flew out to Bauers in shallow left, which prevented McCarthy from tagging and scoring. Two pitches later, Tovar grounded out to Turang, who threw to Vaughn at first for the out. Misiorowski was out of the inning, but needed an additional 36 pitches between the fifth and sixth innings.The Brewers’ offense would finally break through in the seventh. It started with a William Contreras solo home run off Brennan Bernardino, increasing the lead to 3-1.Wild Bill mashes one⭐️https://t.co/ZGJNZU1cbnpic.twitter.com/ONePkNUDDi— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 7, 2026After that, Bauers drew his fourth walk of the game, and Vaughn singled to put runners at first and second. Blake Perkins would pinch hit for Vaughn, and on the first pitch of the next at-bat, both runners ran with big leads. Both were safe to move runners up to second and third. Two pitches later, Frelick hit a ground ball to Rumfield, who bobbled it. Both runners scored and Frelick reached on the error. Brewers add 2 more pic.twitter.com/KBWf0ZnvWj— Brewers.TV (@BrewersdotTV) June 7, 2026The lead was up to 5-1 and Bernardino was pulled for TJ Shook. Ortiz hit a single off Shook, but the Brewers couldn’t build any more as Shook struck out Hamilton and Yelich.Following a long layoff, Misiorowski came back out for the seventh inning. He started with a strikeout of Julien, but then walked Karros and allowed a single to Sullivan. At this point, Aaron Ashby was warming up, but Misiorowski told manager Pat Murphy in the dugout that he wanted to stay in the game. Misiorowski proved he could handle it, striking out McCarthy and Thompson to end the inning. It took 22 pitches but he got through the seventh.Miz FIGHTS to stay in.Stares down Pat Murphy. And Ks the next two hitters to finish the 7th. pic.twitter.com/oAIkfCLFIH— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 7, 2026While it might have been a night below Misiorowski’s recent standards, he still had a strong game. He allowed just one unearned run in seven innings. The Rockies did get their baserunners as Misiorowski allowed four hits and walked three. However, Misiorowski kept them mostly in check and added another eight strikeouts. He also maxed out at 103.7 mph, the fastest pitch thrown by a starter under pitch tracking.Grade Jacob Misiorowski's start today @ Rockies | Brew Crew BallNot wanting to waste his night, the Brewers offense added on more in the eighth. Turang remained hot with his second home run of the day, this one a solo home run to left field.Brice Turang has his second multi-homer game of the season! pic.twitter.com/5wlcvDPB6R— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2026Two batters later, Jake Bauers recorded his first hit of the night following four walks. It might have been a pop-up fly ball in most parks, but in Colorado, it was a home run to left field. The Brewers now had a 7-1 lead.BAUERS ALL-STAR BID CONTINUESBACK-2-BACK⭐️ https://t.co/ZGJNZU1cbnpic.twitter.com/f5cQkwsFgX— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 7, 2026Grant Anderson entered the game in relief in the eighth inning, just two days after taking a line drive off his arm. He walked a batter in the eighth but otherwise had a clean inning, striking out one. Drew Rom made his debut in the ninth, allowed a ground-rule double but that was all as he struck out two. A foul pop-up caught by Contreras ended the game.As a team, the Brewers collected 13 hits and six walks. Bauers reached base all five times, hitting a home run to go with his four walks. Hamilton had a 4-for-5 day at the plate. Contreras, Turang, and Yelich added two-hit days as well. The only hitless starters were Frelick (who drew a walk and batted in a run) and Chourio (who went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts). Five of the Brewers’ hits were solo home runs. This all happened despite the team going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 on base.This sets up a chance to sweep tomorrow afternoon in Colorado. Shane Drohan will face Kyle Freeland, with first pitch at 2:10 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

COLUMBUS − While no area state qualifier finished at the top of the podium at the 2026 Jesse Owens OHSAA State Track and Field Championships this weekend, several local standout student-athletes secured All-Ohio honors with finishes in the top eight in the entire state.Competing against Ohio's elite at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, these local competitors capped off their stellar seasons by securing a spot on the state podium and cementing their names among the best in their respective divisions.Podium Finishes & All-Ohio HonoreesLeading the local charge on the podium was Shenandoah's senior multi-sport star Braxton Barnett, who put together a massive individual weekend in Division IV, climbing the state medal stand four separate times. Barnett earned individual state runner-up honors by placing second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.28) and second in the 300-meter hurdles (37.61). He added a third-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 21-09.25 and locked up fourth place in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, 2 inches to wrap up a historic four-medal state meet performance.On the track, John Glenn junior standout Ashlynn Kuklica put together a historic distance showcase to claim two separate All-Ohio spots in Division III while taking on rigorous three-race ironwoman schedule. Kuklica unleashed a career-best performance in the 1600-meter run with a state runner-up spot with a career best time of 4:51.33. Returning to the track for the 800-meter run, she fought her way onto the podium yet again, claiming seventh place at 2:19.01 to lock up her second state medal. To cap off her big day, Kuklicia battled her way to a 10th place finish in the 3200-meter run with a gritty time of 11:21.40.John Glenn senior Ethan Zell closed out his decorated distance career by capturing All-Ohio accolades with a premium podium performance in the Division III boys 800-meter final. Zell went toe-to-toe with the fastest half-milers in the state, shattering his own school record to lock down an 3rd-place finish overall in Ohio with a blistering, personal best time of 1:52.94.Meadowbrook's Sophie May delivered an elite performance against the premier Division III field in Ohio. May stepped into the state shot put ring and unleashed a throw of 37 feet, 8.50 inches to battle her way to a fifth place overall, capturing All-Ohio accolades for the Lady Colts.Cambridge freshman sensation Paisley Williams shocked the state in Division III. Putting together a clutch, elite performance on Ohio's biggest stage, Williams cleared a spectacular height of 12 feet, 6 inches to finish in third place in pole vault. Williams' performance earned her All-Ohio honors and cemented a historic debut season for the Lady Bobcats.Caldwell's Camy Crock stood tall in a loaded Division V throwing field, headlining a busy weekend in both throwing circles. Crock launched a premium mark of 127 feet, 11 inches in the discus to place seventh overall in Ohio, earning her spot on the podium. She also doubled up her workload at the state meet by competing in the shot put, hitting a mark of 34 feet,8.50 inches to place 13th overall.State Tournament capsule resultsThe remaining local state qualifiers wrapped up their stellar seasons in the state preliminary and finals heats against the toughest fields in Ohio, with each finishing as follows:Division IIIVincent Campbell (Meadowbrook) − Boys 1600 & 3200-Meter Run: The elite Colts freshman concluded his breakout debut season with a double effort at the state meet. Campbell placed 10th overall in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:25.40. He returned to place a hard-fought ninth overall in the 3200-meter run with a time of 9:25.92.Jaylee Theodosopoulos (Cambridge) − Girls 100-Meter Dash: in her first state track meet appearance, placed 17th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.92, four-tenths of a second slower than her personal best 12.51 she ran last week at the regional meet.Bailey Anderson (Cambridge) − Girls Discus: The Lady Bobcats junior placed 15th in the discus at the State meet with a throw of 109 feet. Anderson finished fourth in the regional meet with a season-best throw of over 117 feet to qualify for the State meet.Audrina Gibson (Cambridge) − Girls 100-Meter dash & 300-Meter Hurdles: Gibson placed 16th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.76, almost four-tenths of a second slower than the school record 12.30 she ran at the regional meet last Saturday. In the 300-meter hurdles, Gibson placed 14th in 46.56, just a bit slower than her personal best time of 46.09.Division IVIda Estadt (Shenandoah) − Girls 1600-Meter & 3200-Meter Run: Completed a grueling distance double, crossing the line 10th overall in Ohio in the 1600-meter (5:16.48) and duplicating that 10th place finish in the 3200-meter run (11:19.51).Alyssa Crum (Shenandoah) − Girls 800-Meter Run: Showcased great tactical pace in a blazing middle-distance pack, finishing 11th overall in the state with a time of 2:21.03.Logan Gabel (Shenandoah) − Boys 400-Meter Dash: Battled fiercely in the explosive sprint prelims, placing 12th overall in the state field with a time of 50.59 seconds.Ethan Resor (Buckeye Trail) − Boys Discus: The standout junior competed hard against a premier throwing field. Resor launched a throw of 144 feet, 6 inches to finish 12th overall in the state.Division VCaldwell Boys 4X200-Meter Relay (Talon Bettinger, Garnar Gaydos, Aiden Danford, Alex Sheanshang): The Caldwell speed unit logged a strong performance on the state track, clocking a fast 1:33.92 in their heat to place 11th overall in Ohio.Ladyn Hanes (Barnesville) − Girls Pole Vault: Represented Western Belmont County on the state runway, fighting over the crossbar at 9 feet, 6 inches to wrap up her tournament trip in 14th overall.KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsportsThis article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Shenandoah's Braxton Barnett leads area at OHSAA track state finals

Another Opening Day starter has landed on the New York Yankees’ injured listed. The Yankees announced Saturday, before a game against the Boston Red Sox that was ultimately postponed due to inclement weather, that they’ve placed catcher Austin Wells on the 10-day IL with cervical headaches.A cervical headache, or cervicogenic headache, is head pain caused by a cervical spine issue, according to Cleveland Clinic, which says that “the pain can radiate from an injury or condition that affects your cervical spine, like an injury, arthritis or a slipped disk.”Wells, a 26-year-old backstop who has struggled mightily at the plate this season, joins Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL.Notably, Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a stress fracture in the first rib on his right side, an injury Judge believes he sustained way back on April 27 and that will now keep him out at least four to six weeks.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentAs for Wells, he was replaced on the roster by J.C. Escarra, a catcher New York had optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after its series-opening defeat to Boston on Friday. Escarra and recently promoted Ali Sánchez will man home plate for now, with the Yankees hoping at least one of them can provide impactful at-bats. Sánchez gives New York a right-handed bat at the position.Wells is slashing just .166/.278/.255 with four home runs and seven RBI in 47 games this season. His offensive shortcomings have cost him some playing time, and now he’s on the IL.“Austin came in late last night and complained about some neck stuff that was leading to headaches,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday after the game against the Red Sox was postponed, per The Athletic. “So, we got him today with a neurologist to put him through a battery of tests and everything, and he checked out negative for [a concussion]. But we want to look at the neck and how that is affecting things. So he’ll go through a battery of tests [Sunday].”Boone’s hoping Wells’ IL stint is a short one. As reported by The Athletic, Jesús Sánchez of the Toronto Blue Jays accidentally hit Wells in the back of the head with his backswing on May 19. At the time, Wells remained in the game.On Saturday, Boone said it was too soon to determine if Wells’ cervical headaches are linked to that moment, per The Athletic."This complaint is new," Boone said, according to ESPN. "So, whether it's a cumulative thing or something that happened last night, it's tough to say."

A US administration official said Washington would not allow the Iranian team to 'sneak terrorists' into the country (Handout)Iran's World Cup squad is expected to arrive in Mexico early Sunday under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff.The dispute erupted just days before Thursday's kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.The Iran team departed Turkey, where they had been training, on Saturday bound for Mexico, Iranian television announced.They are expected to arrive early Sunday in Tijuana, a border city in northwest Mexico where they will be based for the tournament's duration.Iran are due to play their three group games on US soil, making the first World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.Iran switched their base to Tijuana from their original base in Tucson, Arizona in late May.The team spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Antalya, using their time in Turkey to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States.On the eve of their departure for Mexico, the players received their US visas, Washington's envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack said on X late Friday.But Iran's embassy to Turkey issued a furious response, saying support staff had been denied visas -- 15 administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said."You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy wrote Saturday on X, calling for world football's governing body FIFA "to hold the US accountable for violations of its rules."Adding to the tensions, Iran's ambassador to Mexico said Saturday the squad had been notified that under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches."We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day," Iran's envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.That appeared to contradict what the team's spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state TV earlier."The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match," Alavi said.FIFA rules for World Cups stipulate that a team's coach must give a news conference on the eve of the match at the venue where the game will be played.- 'Abuse this system' -Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, has described the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form."In response, a US administration official confirmed that "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued." Without directly addressing the matter of those whose visas were refused, the official added: "We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses."In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but "some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them," suggesting ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist. Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have reported. The visa kerfuffle has impacted the Iraqi team as well. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said Saturday that Iraq's national team had landed in Chicago on Friday, and that two members were subjected to additional screening."Following inspection, one traveler was admitted to the United States. The second traveler, a photographer and NOT a player on the team, was determined to be inadmissible and was denied entry," CBP said in a statement.The Middle East erupted when the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28. An April 8 ceasefire, which largely halted the fighting, has come under strain from recent exchanges of fire. Iran are in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.str-acc-hmw/lkd/cms

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 22 consecutive batters over eight dominant innings, Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani homered to highlight a nine-run first and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Los Angeles Angels 9-2 on Saturday night.The Dodgers battered Angels starter Jack Kochanowitz (2-5) for seven runs — six earned — and six hits in one-third of an inning. The right-hander had a strikeout and a walk in 38 pitches.The Dodgers have outscored the Angels 41-5 in winning all five of their meetings so far. The NL West leaders have won 18 of their last 23 games overall.Yamamoto (6-4) had seven consecutive 1-2-3 innings in silencing the Halos' lineup after Oswald Peraza's RBI triple with two outs in the first. It was the first run scored against Dodgers starting pitching in 19 2/3 innings.The reigning World Series MVP allowed two hits, struck out four and walked none in eight innings. He threw 93 pitches, 69 for strikes. Yamamoto lowered his ERA to 2.68.In his last four starts, Yamamoto has an ERA below 1.00 and has allowed just three earned runs and one homer in 27 1/3 innings.The Dodgers reeled off six straight hits to open the bottom of the first when they sent 12 batters to the plate. Their nine runs came with just one out. It was the most runs scored in one inning since they also had nine on July 2, 2021, against Washington.Ohtani reached on an infield single to second and scored on Pages' 14th homer into the Dodgers' bullpen in left for a 2-1 lead. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts had consecutive singles and moved up on a wild pitch by Kochanowitz. Max Muncy reached on an infield single to load the bases.Ryan Ward doubled to center, bringing in Freeman and Betts for a 4-1 lead.Dalton Rushing walked to chase Kochanowitz. Alex Freeland grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop against Brent Suter. Muncy, Ward and Rushing scored on shortstop Zach Neto's throwing error to first that made it 7-1.Ohtani's two-run shot extended the lead to 9-1. He finished 2 for 4 with a strikeout and a walk.Neto homered off Jack Dreyer in the ninth.Up next Angels RHP José Soriano (6-4, 2.72 ERA) starts Sunday's series finale against Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 4.50).___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final was absolutely wild, and the finish was no exception. Shea Theodore was the hero for the Vegas Golden Knights, but his winning tally in double overtime will hardly be remembered as the prettiest goal in NHL history. Theodore fired a shot from near the blue line that rocketed off the end boards. Carolina's Jordan Martinook was unable to corral it and it struck Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi's skate, going into the net. SHEA THEODORE WINS IT FOR VEGAS IN @ENERGIZER DOUBLE OVERTIME TO TAKE A 2-1 LEAD IN THE #STANLEYCUP FINAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/zpOANju87a— NHL (@NHL) June 7, 2026This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes-Golden Knights double-OT thriller ends on bizarre goal

DENVER (AP) — Jacob Misiorowski threw a record-setting 103.7 mph pitch and Brice Turang hit two of Milwaukee’s five solo home runs as the Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-1 on Saturday night.David Hamilton, William Contreras and Jake Bauers also went deep for Milwaukee.Misiorowski (7-2) followed up his sensational May — he was 5-0 with a 0.23 ERA in six starts — with another excellent outing. He allowed just an unearned run on four hits and struck out eight in seven innings to lower his ERA to 1.50. The right-hander worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth and struck out Jake McCarthy and Sterlin Thompson looking with a runner on third to end his night.Misiorowski fired a 103.7 mph fastball that was low and outside to Kyle Karros in the third inning, the fastest pitch by a major league starter since tracking began in 2008.The 24-year-old Misiorowski has thrown the 12 fastest pitches by a starter. His previous high was 103.4 mph against St. Louis on May 25.Milwaukee got a scare in the second when Troy Johnston’s grounder hit off Misiorowski’s calf. The pitcher was checked out by a team athletic trainer and remained in the game after tossing two warmup pitches.Misiorowski was also involved in a more frightening moment when he hit Tyler Freeman in the helmet with a 98 mph cutter in the sixth. Freeman left the game but walked to the dugout under his own power.Misiorowski needed just 40 pitches to get through four innings but Milwaukee’s defense faltered in the fifth, leading to the Rockies’ only run.Turang gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead against Zach Agnos (0-1) in the first and added another solo homer in the eighth. Hamilton went deep in the second, one of his four hits that tied a career high, and Contreras connected during a three-run seventh.Bauers, who also walked four times, hit his 11th homer of the season one out after Turang’s drive in the eighth.Up nextBrewers rookie LHP Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.87 ERA) will face the Rockies for the first time Sunday, while Colorado counters with LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 8.06).___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

TOLUCA, MEXICO - JUNE 04: Luis Chávez of Mexico celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's fifth goal during the international friendly match between Mexico and Serbia at Nemesio Diez Stadium on June 04, 2026 in Toluca, Mexico. (Photo by Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images) | Getty Images Mexico ended their preparations for the 2026 World Cup by crushing Serbia in their final friendly by a 5-1 score. Mexico completely dominated the match and bounced back after Serbia got an early lead, to make it 3 out of 3 in their last friendly tour. Mexico will now face off a week for now against South Africa in the 2026 World Cup opening match. The 1st half started with Mexico coming out with Raul Jimenez up top for the first time in the last friendly tour prior to the World Cup. A low right footed shot inside the area from Brian Gutierrez forced a save from Serbia’s goalkeeper, Filip Stankovic. A cross into the area was headed from close range by Julian Quiñones forced and incredible save from Stankovic. A great back heeled pass from Jimenez allowed Gutierrez to get into the area but his right footed shot went wide in a bad miss. After a bad mistake from Jesus Gallardo gifted the ball to Petar Stanic, he was allowed to get into the area and get off a right footed shot past Mexico’s goalkeeper, Raul Rangel to score and give Serbia the 1-0 lead against the run of play. Mexico had completely dominated the match but a bad mistake allowed Serbia the shock lead. After getting the ball in the area, Jimenez got off a right footed shot that was well saved by Stankovic. A great combination play between Alvaro Fidalgo and Gutierrez ended with the ball left there for a close range volley shot from Quiñones but it went wide in a bad miss. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area found Cesar Montes but his header went wide. A cross into the area from Gallardo would find Jimenez but he whiffed on the left footed shot. The ball would then fall to Gutierrez but his left footed shot was blocked wide. In the ensuing corner kick, the short pass would find Gutierrez, who got a good cross into the area where Johan Vasquez would get a close range header that went past Stankovic and into the net to score and tie the match at 1-1. It was another set piece and another headed goal from Vasquez, who had doubled the amount of goals he scored for the NT in a week. A great cross into the area from Gallardo would be missed by Jimenez. A shot from outside the area by Quiñones looked like it forced a save from Stankovic although the referee ruled it had gone wide without a touch by the goalkeeper. A cross into the area was wonderfully volleyed by Jimenez but right to Stankovic. A back pass by Stefan Bukinac was terribly misjudged by Stankovic and the ball would go in for an own goal to give Mexico the 2-1 lead. The own goal was given to Bukinac but the mistake had been totally on Stankovic. The halftime whistle blew and although Mexico only had a one goal lead, they had completely dominated and deserved a bigger lead. The 2nd half started with Mexico subbing out Erik Lira for Edson Alvarez. Serbia subbed out Petar Stanic, Nikola Tulic and Lazar Randelovic for Dejan Zukic, Mihailo Ivanovic and Veljko Birmancevic. Jimenez would get the ball in the area and get off a left footed shot that would go just wide. Bukinac got off a left footed shot that would go just wide. A great play by Mexico had Roberto Alvarado making a great pass to Quiñones, who got off a right footed shot past Stankovic but it hit the post. The ball then went straight into the path of Raul Jimenez, who volleyed it into the empty net to score and give Mexico the 3-1 lead. Mexico subbed out Raul Jimenez, Julian Quiñones, Brian Gutierrez, Alvaro Fidalgo and Cesar Montes for Guillermo Martinez, Alexis Vega, Luis Chavez, Gilberto Mora and Israel Reyes. After getting the ball in the area, Ivanovic got off a right footed shot that went wide. Serbia subbed out Stefan Bukinac, Vanja Dragojevic and Filip Stankovic for Adem Avdic, Njegos Petrovic and Veljko Ilic. Off a corner kick, Vega got off a great low cross that Adem Avdic would try to clear but instead he would send it past Ilic and into the net in another own goal that increased Mexico’s lead to a 4-1 score. Mexico subbed out Jesus Gallardo, Johan Vasquez and Roberto Alvarado for Mateo Chavez, Luis Romo and Orbelin Pineda. Serbia subbed out Nikola Simic, Vukasin Durdevic and Aleksandar Stankovic for Petar Petrovic, Vasilijei Kostov and Ognjen Mimovic. Vega got time and space to get off a great right footed shot that hit the post. A cross into the area would be headed wide by Martinez. Serbia subbed out Strahinja Erakovic and Vladimir Lucic for Mirko Milikic and Kosta Nedeljkovic. Luis Chavez got off a left footed shot from outside the area that went just wide. A cross into the area was cleared but fell to Luis Chavez, who got off an incredible left footed shot from outside the area that went past Ilic to score and give Mexico the 5-1 lead. It was the last play of the match as the ref blew the whistle and gave Mexico a great victory in the send off before the World Cup. Mexico closed out in great fashion their last series of friendly prior to the World Cup. While it’s was true that Serbia came in with an alternate squad and had been a disappointing team in this match as well as their previous one against Cape Verde ( They lost by a 3-0 score), it was still a great performance for Mexico who dominated the game. Mexico will still need to workout some things especially on the offense as they missed a number of chances. Coach Javier Aguirre was wise to say in the press conference that a match like this could be dangerous because it can make you overconfident. Still it is much better for Mexico to have won big prior to the World Cup as well as to come in undefeated in 2026 after their lackluster closing of 2025. Mexico has improved with the number of additions to the midfield (Fidalgo, Gutierrez, Mora and Obed Vargas) and if they improve on defense, they should be ready to have a good participation as they host the World Cup for a third time.

Conn Smythe favorite Mitch Marner had a natural hat trick in the second period to help Vegas build a four-goal lead over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in the Golden Knights’ 5-4, double-overtime victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.The 4-0 advantage didn’t last, as Carolina answered with four goals in the third period to force overtime for the second straight game. Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit and won Game 2 in overtime when Seth Jarvis scored during a power play 3:56 into the extra frame.Despite a total of 13 shots for both teams, neither could score in the first overtime, with Vegas goalie Carter Hart stopping six shots and Carolina’s Brandon Bussi making seven saves.Vegas took a 2-1 series lead when Shea Theodore scored 5:38 into the second overtime.It was Carolina’s seventh overtime game of the playoffs, and Vegas’ fifth trip to extra time.Tomas Hertl broke a scoreless tie midway through the second, after Vegas opened the stanza by having two goals overturned by challenges.Marner’s first goal came when he gathered a loose puck near the boards and fired a backhander into the crease, where Carolina defenseman Sean Walker accidentally deflected the puck past Frederik Andersen.Less than four minutes later, Marner gracefully deked around Andersen and slipped the puck into the net with relative ease to make it 3-0.Then, with a little more than three minutes left in the period, the 10-year veteran blasted a shot from the right circle, triggering throngs of hats being thrown on the ice. It was the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup history at 6:10.“I can’t do it by myself, that’s for sure,” Marner said during a television interview between periods. “All five guys have been on a great page. I’ve liked our line’s play for the last month.”Marner also assisted on Hertl’s goal. His four points are tied for the most in a single period since 1919.Marner’s 28 points are the most by any player in NHL history in his first postseason with a new teamThe 29-year-old has 10 goals in 19 playoff games with the Golden Knights. He had 13 goals in 70 playoff games during his nine years with Toronto.

The American foreign policy class should shed its addiction to military force.

Russia’s decline has given Turkey the freedom to pursue its interests, and Ukraine is the beneficiary.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Light-hitting catcher Freddy Fermin launched his first homer this season to lift the San Diego Padres over the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday night, snapping a six-game losing streak.Fermin was hitless in his previous 30 at-bats before his two-run shot off reliever Austin Warren (1-2) in the seventh inning.That nullified a fine performance by Mets rookie Nolan McLean, who allowed one run on three hits and three walks in six innings.New York had two on and one out in the eighth when Juan Soto scorched a line drive to second baseman Sung-Mun Song. He snagged it and then flipped the ball to shortstop Xander Bogaerts to double off Carson Benge at second base.Bradgley Rodriguez (1-2) worked the seventh and got the win despite giving up Marcus Semien's tiebreaking solo homer. Mason Miller pitched a hitless ninth for his 18th save.Padres starter Griffin Canning tossed five innings against his former team. He yielded one run and three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.Semien broke a 1-all tie in the seventh when he sent Rodriguez’s first pitch over the left-field wall. Earlier in the game, Seimen snapped an 0-for-14 skid with a single.The Padres squandered a chance in the fifth with shoddy baserunning. Song and Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, putting runners at the corners with two outs.Tatis broke for second on a steal attempt, which drew a fake throw from Luis Torrens. The catcher then wheeled and fired to third, where Song had bit on the deception and was retired in a rundown.San Diego manufactured a run to tie the score in the third. Song opened with a walk, stole second and scored when Tatis’ grounder up the middle ricocheted off second base into shallow right field for an RBI single.The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second on Brett Baty’s two-out RBI single.Up nextPadres RHP Randy Vásquez (5-3, 3.31 ERA) pitches Sunday in the series finale. New York had not announced a scheduled starter.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Brazil Football Team 2026 World Cup Preview: Can Neymar Lead Them To Their Sixth Title?Brazil arrive at this FIFA World Cup 2026 as one of the least fancied sides the nation has produced in generations, yet their squad still has extraordinary talent. The Brazil football team enters North America carrying the familiar weight of expectation and a painfully long trophy drought. Carlo Ancelotti, who took over the Brazil job in May 2025 after leaving Real Madrid, becomes the first non-Brazilian to coach the Seleção at a World Cup. His preferred 4-3-3 structure brings composure to a group that has lacked it for years.Brazil’s expected first-choice XI features Alisson in goal, a back four of Wesley, Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos, and Alex Sandro, a midfield three of Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, and Lucas Paquetá, and an attack of Vinícius Júnior, Matheus Cunha, and Raphinha. This formation gives Ancelotti the defensive solidity and attacking width that recent Brazilian squads have so often needed.Brazil (4-3-3): Alisson; Wesley, Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos, Alex Sandro; Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, Lucas Paquetá; Raphinha, Matheus Cunha, Vinícius JúniorBrazil Football Team Strengths:Vinícius Júnior, the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up, scored the goal that sealed Brazil’s qualification against Paraguay and enters the tournament as the centrepiece of Ancelotti’s project. Raphinha has been Brazil’s top scorer in qualifying with five goals and has been one of Europe’s most consistent attackers over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Ancelotti’s use of patient build-up play to release the front three into high-value attacking zones gives the attack a cleaner structure than in recent cycles.Marquinhos, approaching his century of international caps, won the Champions League with PSG as captain in 2024-25, even won 2025-26, and remains the cornerstone of the defensive line alongside Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães. Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro provide genuine security in central midfield, something Brazil have not consistently had since their 2002 triumph.Brazil Football Team Weaknesses:BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL – MAY 31: Players of Cruzeiro pose for photos before a match between Cruzeiro and Fluminense as part of Brasileirao 2026 at Mineirão Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)Brazil face two pressing concerns heading into the tournament, first the limited time Ancelotti has had with the squad, and second a growing injury list that removes key players entirely, including Éder Militão, Rodrygo, and Estevão. Their South American qualifying campaign exposed real inconsistency, including a historic home defeat to Argentina that raised serious doubts about the squad’s resilience in pressure moments.Neymar’s fitness remains a major unknown. The 34-year-old has been fighting to recover his best physical condition after several difficult months dealing with injury problems, and he seems far more likely to function as an impact substitute than a guaranteed starter.Brazil will top Group C with few difficulties against Scotland, Morocco, and Haiti. This squad, with Ancelotti’s structure and Vinícius Júnior at his peak, gives them one of their best chances in over two decades of reaching and winning a final. Realistically, a semi-final exit feels the most probable outcome, with Spain or Argentina likely posing a challenge that exposes Brazil’s defensive fragility under sudden pressure. The Brazil football team have enough quality to go further, but consistency across seven matches in a big tournament has not been their strongest suit in quite some time.

Shubman Gill's unbeaten century against Afghanistan on Day 1 of the one-off Test was significant not only for the match situation but also for the milestone it helped him achieve.The Indian skipper became just the 11th captain from the country to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket while leading the side. More impressively, Gill reached the landmark in just his 15th innings as captain, making him the second-fastest Indian to get there behind only Sunil Gavaskar, who needed 14 innings.Gill also set another record by becoming the quickest Indian captain to reach 1,000 Test runs in terms of time, getting there in only 351 days.The milestone came during another commanding display with the bat. Leading from the front, Gill remained unbeaten on 103 off 143 balls as India piled up 368 for 3 against Afghanistan. The innings was a perfect reflection of the approach that has defined his captaincy so far, calm, assured and consistently productive.The century was Gill's sixth as India's Test captain, moving him ahead of several former captains despite having led the side in only 15 innings. Among Indian captains, only Virat Kohli (20), Sunil Gavaskar (11), Mohammad Azharuddin (9) and Sachin Tendulkar (7) have scored more Test hundreds while leading the team.Most Test centuries as India captain:20 - Virat Kohli11 - Sunil Gavaskar9 - Mohammad Azharuddin7 - Sachin Tendulkar6 - Shubman Gill*Gill's latest hundred was also his 11th overall in Test cricket and continued a remarkable start to his leadership tenure. At just 26, he has already begun rewriting sections of India's captaincy record book, and if his current pace continues, more milestones could soon follow.

Washington Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson entered Saturday’s road trip to Atlanta looking to build on a momentum-shifting 90-72 win over the Chicago Sky earlier in the week. The Mystics were chasing their first back-to-back wins of the season. Instead, the night ended with Johnson at the center of one of the most talked-about moments in the WNBA this year. What happened next stopped the entire game.Sydney Johnson Physically Held Back Before Police EscortAt the 3:52 mark of the third quarter, Johnson got into a heated exchange with the officiating crew. His outburst followed a foul call on Mystics guard Alicia Florez Getino after the rookie challenged Dream star Angel Reese’s layup attempt. Several Washington staff members stepped in to hold him back as he gave the crew an earful.Forward Kiki Iriafen also rushed over to calm her coach down. He received two technical fouls and was ejected. As he walked off the court, he continued to go at officials, leading to a police escort. Three police officers came out to walk with Johnson, who at that point calmly left the court.Postgame, Johnson kept it short. Said Johnson: “I lost my cool. There’s nothing more than that. That’s it. Officials did what was appropriate, and that’s all I can say.”Iriafen, who led Washington with 24 points, defended her coach. Said Iriafen: “Coach always has our back. He’s going to do whatever to protect us. I was just trying my best to kind of diffuse it.”Johnson’s Fire Reflects Frustration of a Struggling SeasonThe Mystics are the youngest team in the WNBA, with an average age of 23.4. Johnson has been vocal about protecting that group all season. Washington was coming off a convincing win over Chicago, averaging 21 assists across their last three games. Saturday wiped that progress off the board. The 109 points the Mystics allowed were the third most in franchise history. Every Dream player who touched the court generated points, with five finishing in double figures. The biggest question now is whether Johnson will coach the next matchup or if the WNBA will impose a suspension for his actions.Washington drops to 4-5 on the season. The Mystics now host the Indiana Fever on Monday, while Atlanta, who improved to 7-3, travels to Chicago on Tuesday.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 02: Bo Bichette #19 of the New York Mets looks on against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Mets were quiet offensively again tonight in a game where the top of the lineup did not hit much and lost 3-2 to the Padres. Nolan McLean struggled with walks but only allowed one run again.In the second inning, Marcus Semien walked, and A.J. Ewing hit a single into right field, bouncing it off of first base. Brett Baty followed up two batters later by smacking an RBI single past second base into center field, allowing Semien to score. In the bottom of the second, Nolan McLean allowed a two-out walk to Xander Bogaerts after retiring the first five batters he saw. However, McLean assisted Jared Young in ending the inning when Miguel Andujar grounded out during the next at-bat. In the third inning, McLean walked the leadoff hitter, Sung-Mun Song, who promptly stole second base. After Freddy Fermin bunted for a pop out, McLean threw a pitch to Fernando Tatis, Jr and stumbled, landing awkwardly. Thankfully, he was okay, but Tatis then tapped a single that bounced off of second base and angled into right field, scoring Song and tying the game. McLean allowed another two-out walk, this time to Ty France. McLean stranded both runners in the end, but his pitch count soared during the third inning.Semien hit a ground ball to left field for a single in the fourth inning, only to be caught stealing during the next at-bat. Ewing walked and tried to steal, but Mark Vientos struck out, ending the inning, which was made confusing when Fermin threw to second base anyway. In the fifth inning, McLean allowed a single from Song, and then a sacrifice bunt from Fermin moved Song to second base. Tatis smacked a single on a ground ball that Bo Bichette stopped from turning into an RBI, to the detriment of his left shoulder. After an injury delay and despite his obvious pain, Bichette stayed in the game. Song stayed at second base until Jackson Merrill flied out and Song moved to third. Tatis tried to steal second base, and Luis Torrens faked a throw. Song tried to steal home, as he realized what was happening too late. He turned around, but was ultimately caught stealing in a rundown with throws from Torrens to Baty to McLean. Bichette ultimately led off the top of the sixth inning with a groundout.Semien led off the seventh inning with a home run, and Austin Warren came into the bottom of the seventh to replace Nolan McLean, who had worked the first six innings and improved his record of 100 pitches in a game to 101 pitches in a game. Warren allowed a single from Song, and sort of fell down, and Fermin capitalized immediately by hitting his first home run of the season. Tatis flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done: Padres 3, Mets 2.In the top of the eighth, Torrens grounded out for the first out. Carson Benge lined a single into right field, and Bichette followed up with a single into center field. Unfortunately, the momentum ended there when Juan Soto hit directly to Song, who turned a double play to Bogaerts to get Benge out at second. In the top of the ninth, Ewing worked a two-out walk to bring up Vientos, who struck out to end the game with a Padres win.The Mets will try to take the rubber game tomorrow at Petco Park, with Sean Manaea likely to take on a role against Randy Vásquez.SB Nation GameThreadsAmazin’ AvenueGaslamp BallBox scoresMLB.comESPNWin Probability AddedWhat’s WPA?Big Mets winner: Nolan McLean, +22.0% WPABig Mets loser: Austin Warren, -38.0% WPAMets pitchers: -16.0% WPAMets hitters: -34.0% WPATeh aw3s0mest play: Marcus Semien hits a home run in the top of the seventh, + 20.5% WPATeh sux0rest play: Fernando Tatis, Jr. singles on a ball that bounces off second base, Sung-Mun Song scores -10.7% WPA

JASPER — Sometimes, it is just not meant to be.After winning the semi-state semifinal against Cathedral on Saturday, June 6, Memorial softball was just one game away from a trip to West Lafayette for the IHSAA Class 3A state championship. But in the end, the Tigers fell a game short after a 4-1 loss to New Palestine in the semi-state title game.A few players played their last game for Memorial in the loss to New Palestine, including Annie Blackburn, Madison Thomas and Ellie Eden. Memorial coach Rick Lutz said it will be impossible to replace what his seniors have brought.More: Tecumseh softball dynasty continues with another IHSAA state finals appearanceBut for the returners, this experience was invaluable as they look forward to next season.“This is immeasurable for the kids because we’re playing better competition,” Lutz said. "That's what we’re trying to do throughout the year so when you get these kinds of games you are ready for them. The more games you can play like this just helps you in the future.”3A semi-state semifinal: Memorial knocks off CathedralMemorial started off its opening game knowing New Palestine would await the winner. Regardless, the Tigers started the semifinal like they had all the motivation they needed inside their own dugout.Memorial’s seniors Blackburn and Thomas started things off with two runs in the first inning that stemmed from two Cathedral errors at third base and home plate. Then in the second, a sacrifice bunt from Olivia Wollenmann brought Liana Hartman home for Memorial’s third run.It appeared as if the Tigers would run away with this one, but Cathedral began to slowly build its own momentum. A Memorial double play limited what could have been the breakthrough for Cathedral in the fifth inning, but you could sense the growing belief in the dugout and the stands.This game was far from over.Heading into the sixth, it remained 3-0. Cathedral would get two runners on base with no outs, leading to a Memorial huddle at the mound.One batter later, the bases were loaded. A sacrifice fly gave Cathedral its first run. But credit to Bri Canaan and the Memorial defense, as that proved to be the only run allowed in the inning.After a scoreless bottom sixth, Cathedral’s last chance was here. Canaan started it off with a strikeout.Then came a walk in the following at-bat. After that, a bunt landed the hitter at first safely. A wild pitch from Canaan advanced the runners to second and third.Tension was rising. With two outs, a fielding error on a ground ball led to a Cathedral run. The score was 3-2, with two outs and the tying run at third.In the next at-bat, a bunt popped up behind home plate that was caught by Cypress Aliotta for the second out. One remaining for the Tigers to advance.That ended up being the case as a ball was grounded to right and thrown to first for the easy out. It was revenge for Memorial after last year’s loss to Cathedral at this stage.“We ran into a little trouble, but the defense has been good all year,” Lutz said. “They stiffened up and Bri threw the pitches that she needed to throw. That’s what got us through, especially in this last inning she really came through with clutch pitches.”Heartbreaking loss in semi-state finalIt was a different story against New Palestine, a team that put up 14 runs in their semifinal.The support was noticeable for Memorial as well, ready to see its team take another step forward.Despite the loss, it was not all bad for Memorial.The Tigers ended the top of the first with a Nevaeh Wise diving catch in right field. They opened the scoring in the bottom of the first courtesy of a Thomas home run to center field that brought the Memorial crowd on their feet. In the next at-bat, Aliotta double.It seemed to be a similar trend forming in Jasper until New Palestine limited the damage to just one run. Credit to Sadey Hughbanks, New Palestine’s pitcher, who made things tough for Memorial for much of this game.Fast forward to the fourth, New Palestine got on the board. It looked to be a demoralizing outcome with the Tigers already registering two outs before allowing the tying run to score. Even worse, it came from a fielding error after the runner had stopped at third.While it was only tied, the pressure on Memorial was mounting. At the same time, Memorial’s offense failed to generate much.Then in the sixth, another error led to New Palestine landing runners on first and second base. What followed was the dagger that put an end to the Tigers’ season.A three-run homer into center field for New Palestine. For the first time at semi-state, Memorial was trailing.An unfortunate end for the Tigers, but a loss to a worthy opponent. Still, Memorial has now won back-to-back sectional and regional championships for the first time in its history while also making two consecutive semi-state championship appearances.They might not have realized it immediately, but those girls have accomplished something that will stick with the program far beyond their time at the school. During his postgame speech, Lutz made sure his players knew how proud he is to be their coach.“Towards the end of the season, we really came together as a team,” Lutz said. “They’re a great group of kids.”Other Evansville area softball semi-state results 4A semifinal: Center Grove 14, Castle 1Knights' Ella Pickard contributed an RBI in the season-ending loss.2A semifinal: Tecumseh 12, Southmont 011 strikeouts for Tecumseh's Audrey Seiler. Madelyn Isaacs hit a grand slam.2A championship: Tecumseh 14, Eastern Hancock 012 strikeouts for Seiler. Shae Bailey went 3-for-3, including a two-run home run. You can read more about Tecumseh online at courierpress.com or in the Tuesday print edition of the newspaper.1A semifinal: Barr-Reeve 6, Indianapolis Lutheran 5Five runs in final two innings for Barr-Reeve to win. Seven strikeouts for Charley Paurazas and 2-for-4 hitting. 1A championship: Barr-Reeve 6, West Washington 2JJ Knepp went 2-for-3, including a solo home run. Sydney Wilson also hit a solo homer on 2-for 3 hitting.Both Barr-Reeve and Tecumseh will play in IHSAA state championship games Saturday, June 13 at Purdue University in West Lafayette. Barr-Reeve will play at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT, with Tecumseh to follow at approx. 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. Tecumseh will play Western Boone, while Barr-Reeve's opponent is yet to be determined, as weather postponed the 1A North semi-state games to Monday.Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at mtsegaye@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @10_Markos_.This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Barr-Reeve, Tecumseh softball win semi-state; Memorial falls short

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 06: (L-R) Iwo Baraniewski of Poland punches Junior Tafa of Australia in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on June 06, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Better to be safe than sorry …Following UFC Vegas 118 tonight (Sat., June 6, 2026) inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, promotion officials confirmed to MMAmania.com that one fighter was transported to a local “Sin City” hospital for precautionary reasons after sustaining damage in his respective bout.The lone fighter transported was Light Heavyweight Junior Tafa.Tafa (7-6) was transported to the hospital for a scan of his left leg following his technical knockout loss to Polish finisher Iwo Baraniewski. During the fight, Baraniewski blasted Tafa’s left leg with a kick, and the Australian immediately collapsed to the canvas in visible pain.Baraniewski quickly pounced with follow-up shots, and the fight was halted shortly after (watch highlights).UFC Vegas 118 was Tafa’s third fight of the year, and during fight week, he said he was hoping to compete six times in 2026. Unfortunately, those plans may have come crashing down depending on the severity of his leg injury.The 29-year-old is currently 3-6 inside UFC, with his three wins coming against Kevin Christian last month, Sean Sharaf and Parker Porter (watch highlights).At this time, Tafa’s scan results have not been publicly disclosed.It is normal for UFC to transport fighters to the hospital for precautionary reasons, especially after fighters are involved in damaging three-round battles, suffer nasty knockouts or sustain injuries that need additional evaluation.Stick with MMAmania.com for any further health-related updates.For complete UFC Vegas 118 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Jun 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz (41) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. LOS ANGELES — It got very ugly, very quickly, on Saturday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. After a short two-out rally that yielded a run in the top of the first inning, the Angels imploded in the bottom half of the inning and allowed nine runs, with four of them coming before an out was even recorded, in their 9-2 loss against the Dodgers."They just put me in some tough spots, definitely, and I wasn't able to work out of them," right-hander Jack Kochanowicz said. "I made a lot of pitches that I think were really well-executed pitches, and they're a really good baseball team. They got to me."Kochanowicz didn’t have his best stuff in this one. He allowed the first six Dodgers batters to record a hit, with four of them coming with two strikes. Shohei Ohtani leadoff the inning with a chopper to second that he beat out for an infield single. Kochanowicz then left a 2-2 changeup down the middle to Andy Pages, who hit it into the Dodgers’ bullpen for a two-run homer. Freddie Freeman hit a sharp two-strike single, and then Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each had softly hit singles to load the bases for Ryan Ward, who scored another two runs with a double off the left field wall. Kochanowicz got six batters to a two-strike count, but he only got one of them out. "I think it was just working through some stuff, body-wise, and I think just really getting those swing and miss non-fastballs is really where I need to dial it in," Kochanowicz said. He clarified that "body-wise" meant his mechanics, not anything injury-related.Kochanowicz finally recorded his first and only out of his evening by striking out Alex Call, but he walked Dalton Rushing, and that was the end of the line for him. He left with the bases loaded and only one out. The Angels brought in left-hander Brent Suter to try to stop the bleeding, but it didn’t work. Suter got Alex Freeland to hit a ground ball into the five-six hole, but Zach Neto threw it into right field trying to turn a double play, which cleared the bases. Ohtani followed that up by promptly clubbing a two-run home run. Pages and Freeman grounded out afterwards to finally put an end to the inning. When the dust settled, nine runs were scored, with seven of them being tagged on Kochanowicz, with six of them earned. Kochanowicz has now allowed 29 earned runs in 22 ⅔ innings pitched in his last six starts, which is good for an 11.51 ERA. His season ERA is now 6.05."We'll talk about it, see what our options are," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of Kochanowicz staying in the rotation. "He's obviously struggling a little bit, but at the same time, the stuff looked like it was still there. It's just to find a way to get him executing pitches and keep developing that."Once the first inning was settled, everything settled down. The Angels failed to get another baserunner after the first inning until Neto's solo home run off the foul pole in the ninth inning, as they failed to solve right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers were also held scoreless the rest of the game, in part because of an impressive MLB debut from left-hander Samy Natera Jr. The 26-year-old held the Dodgers scoreless and hitless in two innings of work with three strikeouts out of the bullpen, with his only blemish being a walk. "Samy looked great," Suzuki said. "He was throwing hard. Threw strikes, and to go two innings like that against that team, it was good. He looked like he was pretty composed out there, too. It looked like nothing was really getting to him and attacking his own."

Radek Vitek: United have a tough decision on their hands Manchester United will have to take a call on the futures of several academy graduates who have returned from loan spells.While the likes of Dan Gore and Jacob Devaney are itching to impress Michael Carrick and stake a claim for first-team inclusion, there are others for whom this might be the end of the road.Toby Collyer, who endured two injury-hit loan spells in the Championship, might end up departing, many feel that Radek Vitek could follow the same path.The 22-year-old enjoyed a stunning loan spell with Bristol City, playing 41 times and keeping 12 clean sheets.Brilliant loan spell for Radek VitekSo impressed were the fans and his teammates that the goalkeeper was named their Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.It was no surprise to learn that the Robins are considering a permanent move for the United shot-stopper.Back at his parent club, there is a gap opening up for the Czechia Under-21 international, with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir both expected to depart.However, as per the BBC‘s Simon Stone, the Carrington graduate does not want to play second fiddle to Senne Lammens at this stage of his career.Radek Vitek wants to play, not warm the benchWhile the 6ft 5in monster would love to make it at Old Trafford, he is desperate to play after the season he just had.And it is understandable. However, INEOS are currently not looking at a permanent sale, and are more inclined towards another loan.“I would be really surprised if he spends next season as deputy to Lammens. I don’t think that’s what he wants to do.“[…] Is it more likely he’s going to go on loan? That’s how it’s been mentioned to me. I suppose there’s a possibility he could be sold. In Vitek’s mind, he definitely wants to play.”Selling him would mean pure profit for the 20-time English league champions, but it makes a lot more sense to loan him out, this time to a Premier League side, and see if he can cut it at the top level.The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney really loves Green Bay. Despite the long offseason presenting a great opportunity for him to stay somewhere else to spend much of the vacation, the veteran defensive back chooses to stay in Titletown.During a recent interview with Kevin Clark on ESPN, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star gave a sensible reason for why he continues to live in Green Bay in the offseason.“Well, first of all, you don’t spend a lot of money here,” the 1-time All-Pro and 1-time Pro Bowler shared.With career earnings of over $45 million (according to Spotrac), the 26-year-old McKinney can live comfortably anywhere, but Green Bay is where he feels at home.Packers’ McKinney is loving his stay in Green BayBut more than financial and practical reasons, McKinney loves being in Green Bay because of the people.“People, they see me, and they know who I am, but I think there’s that respect level there of respecting my privacy,” McKinney said. “It’s always good interactions… the people there are not obnoxious, and they have a lot of respect, so it’s cool in that way.”Xavier McKinney lives in Green Bay in the offseason. I asked him why. "Well first of all you don't spend a lot of money here." 😂Great This Is Football episode with the star safety. A great discussion on why players love being in Green Bay (it's more than saving money). https://t.co/itwd4lClOQpic.twitter.com/9l3hC4jtHA— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 5, 2026McKinney spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants, who took him in the second round (36th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.In 2024, he parted ways with New York and signed a 4-year, $67 million contract with the Packers. That deal was later restructured.So far in his Green Bay stint, McKinney has 10 interceptions (eight in 2024) with a forced fumble, 195 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks and 21 passes defended in 33 games.Nov 23, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) celebrates a second half interception with safety Javon Bullard (20) and safety McKinney (29) against the Minnesota Vikings in the game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Wm. Glasheen-USA TODAY Network via Imagn ImagesFor More Great Wisconsin Sports ContentFollow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!

Las Vegas — Shea Theodore scored at 5:38 of the second overtime and Mitch Marner recorded the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup history in the second period as the Vegas Golden Knights recovered from blowing a 4-0 third-period lead to edge the Carolina Hurricanes in a wild, 5-4 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.Theodore's slap shot bounced off the end boards and bounced in off the skate of goaltender Brandon Bussi for the winner and a 2-1 lead in the best-of- seven series.Marner scored three times in the span of 6:10, besting the mark for the fastest hat trick of 6:21 in Game 1 of the 1957 Stanley Cup Final set by the Montreal Canadiens' Maurice "The Rocket" Richard against the Boston Bruins.Marner, who had an assist in addition to his natural hat trick, leads the NHL with 28 playoff points, surpassing Jack Eichel's team record for points in a playoff (26) set in 2023 when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.According to ESPN Insights, the winner of Game 3 in a best-of-seven series tied 1-1 in the Stanley Cup Final has gone on the win the series 77% of the time. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Las Vegas.Tomas Hertl also had a goal and an assist for Vegas. Carter Hart finished with 29 saves for the Golden Knights.Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored for Carolina, all in a 39-second span midway through the third period. It marked the fastest three goals by one team in Stanley Cup Final history. Andrei Svechnikov forced overtime with a power-play goal with 1:42 remaining and Sebastian Aho added two assists.Frederik Andersen stopped 12 of 16 shots for the Hurricanes before giving way to Bussi at the start of the third period. Bussi finished with 18 saves on 19 shots for Carolina, which lost for the first time in seven road playoff games (6-1). The Hurricanes had been 6-0 in overtime during this playoff run.Following a tight-checking first period that saw Vegas held to just two shots, including none over the final 15:13, the Golden Knights took charge in the second period, scoring four times in the span of 6:26.It could have been worse for the Hurricanes. Vegas had goals by Mark Stone and Eichel both waived off in the first four minutes. Stone's goal was taken off the board following a coaches' challenge by Carolina that found the Knights' Brett Howden was inches offside on the play. Eichel's tap-in in front of the net was ruled no-goal because Ivan Barbashev hit Anderson in the head while skating across the top of the blue paint.Didn't matter. Hertl made it 1-0 at the 10:26 mark with a power-play goal after the Hurricanes picked up a penalty for too many men on the ice. Hertl one-timed an Eichel pass from behind the net into the low slot for his fifth playoff goal.Just 16 seconds later, Marner scooped up a rebound of a William Karlsson shot by the right board and backhanded a shot into the low slot that Carolina defenseman Sean Walker redirected past Andersen and inside the far left post.Less than four minutes later, Marner, just seconds after hitting the post on a breakway, extended the lead to 3-0 when he wrapped in a backhand shot around Andersen's right pad.Marner then completed his natural hat trick at the 16:52 mark with his 10th goal of the playoffs, breaking down the right wing and blasting a slap shot from the top of the right circle past Andersen's blocker side.Marner had a chance to score four straight goals when he was awarded a penalty shot early in the third period after being slashed by Aho on a clean breakaway. However, Bussi deflected his backhand try past the left post.Bussi's save seemed to inspire the Hurricanes, who a few minutes later exploded for goals by Martinook and Hall, both on wrist shots, and a tip-in by Staal of a Jaccob Slavin shot, all in the span of 39 seconds from 7:03 to 7:42 into the period, to cut the lead to 4-3.Vegas defenseman Theodore picked up a delay of game penalty for firing the puck into the stands with 2:55 remaining. On the power play, Svechnikov scooped in a loose puck in the middle of the crease during a goalmouth scrum to force overtime.This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Marner's hat trick, Knights hold off Canes in 2OT, for series lead

The No. 11 Oregon baseball team will be playing for its season when it takes on No. 6 Texas June 7 in the Austin Super Regional at Disch-Falk Field.And there's no one the Ducks (43-17, 20-10 Big Ten) would likely rather give the ball to on the mound than sophomore Will Sanford, the probable starter for Game 2 after a humbling 11-3 loss in Game 1.The true sophomore is 9-2 this season in 16 appearances with a 3.46 earned-run average and a career-best 119 strikeouts. He's coming off his most dominant performance of the season against Washington State during the Eugene Regional, but outside a couple of tweaks he's always brought the same mindset."I think it's just how I compete out there," Sanford said. "Even if there’s no fans, even if I’m just playing against our team, I think I’ve done this throughout my career, especially in scrimmages. You can ask any of my teammates. I’m the same animated person when I pitch in scrimmages. So I think it’s just the competitor I am. I just really get amped up."The righty hasn't been confirmed as the Game 2 starter, but he'll likely get the ball come Sunday in Oregon's biggest game of the season in front of a rowdy crowd of nearly 9,000 fans in Austin, similar to the environments Sanford has thrived in this season.In a shutout win over Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament semifinals in Omaha, Sanford struck out nine and allowed just two hits in six innings in front of 13,000 fans clad in Cornhusker red."He’s got it," coach Mark Wasikowski said. "You either got it or you don’t, and you don’t know if they’ve got it until they’re put in that spot and he’s got it."Though Sanford has always been a fiery competitor, his confidence has really come into its own in 2026 in his second season as a Duck. The highly touted recruit had an up-and-down freshman campaign that featured a 6.39 ERA and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. But his teammates have noticed a change this season."The coolest part for me, watching as a teammates and just being behind him, he’s very confident in himself and I think that’s why he performs so well at that level," infielder Ryan Cooney said of Sanford. "Being able to have that type of energy, which is true, there’s nobody in the stands, there’s 15,000 people in the stands, doing it the same way, regardless. That makes it really easy for me to back them up and just watch and enjoy the performance that I get to watch. I’m not surprised by the stuff that he’s doing right now and I don’t think it’ll stop at this rate."And the Ducks will need Sanford at his best if they hope to best the Longhorns in Game 2 to preserve their season. The typically steady Cal Scolari ran into trouble in Game 1 as the Ducks gave up 11 free passes and were ran out of the building, 11-3.Just 24 hours after the defeat, Sanford will have to set the tone early in front of a hostile crowd, something he said he lives to do. "I honestly just think its really fun to play in those big environments," Sanford said. "Even the one in Nebraska, I thought it was great. Even though there’s 13,000 fans against you, it makes it more fun and you just enjoy it."Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com.This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon's Will Sanford pitching his best heading into super regional

Suryakumar Yadav has reacted gracefully to the major changes in India's T20I setup, expressing his happiness for Shreyas Iyer after the latter was named the new captain for the upcoming Ireland and England series.The development marks a significant shift for Indian cricket, with Shreyas replacing Suryakumar as T20I captain. The Mumbai batter also lost his place in the squad despite having led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title earlier this year.Speaking during the toss at the Mumbai T20 League, Suryakumar chose to focus on celebrating his long-time teammate's achievement.“Very happy for Shreyas Iyer. We played a lot of cricket for Mumbai and India together. Most importantly 3 back to back T20i captains for India from Mumbai now and it it very proud moment for all of us at Mumbai cricket and everyone needs to celebrate that”.— Vihaann96 (@Vihaann96) Suryakumar's response comes shortly after chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the rationale behind the decision to move in a new direction.“With regards to Surya, obviously it's a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is,” Agarkar had said.“(It was due to) partly his own form but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward and like I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain.""We deliberated on it a lot, especially when someone has led you to a World Cup win. It's not the easiest sort of discussion to have, but I don't necessarily think... at some stage, we were going to look at it. Now, whether IPL form dictated it; I'm not so sure that's the case. There were always conversations around it."The decision follows a difficult period for Suryakumar. Since becoming India's full-time T20 captain in July 2024, his batting numbers have dipped considerably. His average has fallen from 43.60 to 25.88, while his strike rate has dropped from 168.75 to 152.03.Despite the disappointment of losing both the captaincy and his place in the side, Suryakumar's public reaction reflected support for his Mumbai teammate, who now begins a new chapter as India's T20I captain.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 06: (L-R) Gabriel Bonfim of Brazil punches Belal Muhammad in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on June 06, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCGabriel Bonfim dismantled Belal Muhammad in the main event of the UFC Fight Night from the Apex on Saturday night. Bonfim took the unanimous-decision victory 50-45 on all three judges' scorecards and will likely snatch Muhammad's No. 5 ranking later this week.Key Facts at a GlanceEvent: UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim (UFC Vegas 118), Meta Apex, Las VegasDate: June 6, 2026Main event: Gabriel Bonfim def. Belal Muhammad (unanimous decision, 50-45 x3)Fight of the Night: Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan ($100K each)Performance of the Night: Iwo Baraniewski and Édgar Cháirez ($100K each)How Did Gabriel Bonfim Beat Belal Muhammad?Bonfim's size, speed and technical striking proved too much for Muhammad. The former champion did not push his wrestling as he did earlier in his career, and he chose to back up in an attempt to utilize his improved but still inferior striking. That approach didn't pay off for Muhammad as he was beaten up and soundly defeated by the welterweight division's next real title contender.All three judges turned in identical 50-45 cards, a clean sweep that captured how one-sided the night was. Bonfim's calf kicks were a recurring weapon, repeatedly forcing Muhammad to switch stances, while his pressure kept the former champion from leaning on the grappling that defined his title run. It is Muhammad's third consecutive loss, following his title defeat to Jack Della Maddalena and a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry, and it pushes Bonfim into the thick of the welterweight contender picture.UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim Main Card ResultsIn the co-main event, Brendan Allen outlasted Edmen Shahbazyan in a scrap that won Fight of the Night honors. Allen is traditionally known for his grappling, but won this one almost exclusively on the feet. He was tougher, more aggressive and accurate with his striking and he won it convincingly. Bryce Mitchell scored a buzzer-beating submission win over Santiago Luna with an expertly executed arm triangle in the final seconds of the third round. Also, Iwo Baraniewski blasted Junior Tafa out in the first round with destructive leg kicks.Gabriel Bonfim def. Belal Muhammad — unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)Brendan Allen def. Edmen Shahbazyan — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)Tom Nolan def. Farès Ziam — unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Bryce Mitchell def. Santiago Luna — submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 4:52Iwo Baraniewski def. Junior Tafa — TKO (leg kick and punches), Round 1, 1:25UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim Prelim ResultsThe finish of the night came from Ketlen Souza. Her right hand and follow-up head-kick finish of Ariane Carnelossi was easily the nastiest finish of the event and one of the more memorable finishes in 2026. She deserved a Performance of the Night bonus, but had to settle for the $25K bonus awarded to any fighter who wins by a finish. Édgar Cháirez got the other bonus with his clean and highly skilled finish of Bruno Silva.Ketlen Souza def. Ariane Carnelossi — KO (head kick and punches), Round 1, 1:34Joanderson Brito def. Jordan Leavitt — submission (ninja choke), Round 1, 4:19Chelsea Chandler def. Priscila Cachoeira — submission (armbar), Round 1, 3:42Édgar Cháirez def. Bruno Silva — submission (neck crank), Round 1, 4:13Marcus McGhee def. John Yannis — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)Alessandro Costa def. Matt Schnell — TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:28Jeisla Chaves def. Yuneisy Duben — split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Who Won Bonuses at UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim?Here's a breakdown of all of the bonus winners from Saturday's event.Fight of the Night: Brendan Allen and Edmen Shahbazyan — $100,000 eachPerformance of the Night: Iwo Baraniewski — $100,000Performance of the Night: Édgar Cháirez — $100,000Every other fighter who scored a finish — including Souza, Brito, Chandler and Costa — took home a $25,000 bonusIt was the kind of finish-heavy results card that crowds the bonus race and rewards fighters who refuse to leave it to the judges. With Bonfim surging and Muhammad sliding, attention now turns to what's next on the UFC calendar, with full official results also posted on the promotion's site.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

DENVER, CO - JUNE 6: Kyle Karros #12 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field after a 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field on June 6, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images Coming into tonight’s matchup, it felt like the Colorado Rockies had an uphill battle to fight against the red hot Milwaukee Brewers and their flamethrowing ace Jacob Misiorowski. The Miz leads the league in strikeouts while the Rockies offense is bottom-five in that department. The game seemed like it would hang on starting pitching even more so because of concerns around Zach Agnos and his return to the majors. He got roughed up in his last two bullpen appearances, giving up seven runs in each. On paper, it felt like the Rockies could be susceptible to giving up a lot of runs early and like they might not be able to get many baserunners on, falling into a deep hole. Those things didn’t quite play out that way. Agnos didn’t last long, but was able to minimize the early damage. Misiorowski posted eight strikeouts and was as formidable as expected. The Rockies were able to put him in a couple of somewhat vulnerable positions, but couldn’t capitalize on his (limited) mistakes. The bullpen allowed the game to get out of hand in the late innings and a slew of solo homers broke the game open in the late innings. A busy three innings for AgnosAgnos made his first start since May 21st. He performed considerably better in that lone start than he has as a bullpen arm lately. Luckily, that trend continued tonight, although he wasn’t flawless. After getting the first two batters to line out and ground out, Agnos couldn’t notch the final out and gave up a solo home run to Brice Turang. View LinkAgnos followed that with a walk to Jake Bauers before escaping the inning down 1-0. The second inning was essentially identical. Agnos got through the first two batters fairly easily before giving up another solo shot, this time to David Hamilton. After Hamilton, Agnos walked Christian Yelich and then secured the third out. Agnos only lasted three innings in his first game back after being recalled to the majors, finishing his day after 57 pitches, surrendering three hits (including the two homers), three walks, and one strikeout. Blas Castaño entered the game to start the fourth inning, down 2-0. A “challenging” night for Castaño (in a good way!)Castaño was a bright spot for the Rockies bullpen, both in how he pitched and how he delivered on some strategic ABS challenges. Challenges from pitchers have been few and far between this season. Castaño joined the club and — rightfully — called for one to work out of a jam in the fourth. With runners on first and second, Castaño challenged a called ball on a 3-2 count, which was overturn to convert a walk into an inning ending strikeout to keep the game at 2-0.View LinkLater, in the sixth inning, another Rockies challenge overturned a Castaño pickoff attempt at first that was initially called safe.Castaño posted 2.2 scoreless innings, with three hits and two strikeouts. In his postgame comments, manager Warren Schaeffer noted that, “Blas has been really good for us. Attacking the strike zone, pitching with energy, a firm heater. Throwing strikes, throwing strikes, throwing strikes. I like how he pitches.“Pitching and defense kept Colorado in it, brieflyCastaño’s performance and some nice defensive plays kept the Rockies hanging around. The offense finally broke through and got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Edouard Julien reached base on a throwing error, taking second. Then, Misiorowski gave up just his fourth hit with a running in scoring position this season (he was 3-for-35 before that), as a Kyle Karros double brought Julien home to bring the game to 2-1.View LinkThrough six innings, the Rockies only trailed by one in a low-scoring affair. It looked, for those few fleeting moments, like the Rockies bats might be able to chip away at Misiorowski. The Rockies best opportunity to get over on Misiorowski came in the bottom of the sixth. Jake McCarthy singled to start things off and moved to second on a wild pitch. In a scary situation, Tyler Freeman was hit in the helmet with a 98 MPH cutter. He was thankfully up and alert after, but exited the game immediately. Misiorowski got the next out before walking Hunter Goodman to load the bases. With Misiorowski rattled and ducks on the pond with just one out, the Rockies were in prime position to take the lead, or at least tie it up. Unfortunately, Troy Johnston went on to fly out to shallow left and Ezequiel Tovar grounded out to second. Schaeffer later lamented the lack of a conversion there: “That’s right where we want to be. Just didn’t cash in tonight.”Heat and K’s from the MizTh Rockies offense made a lot of contact early in the game, taking only one strikeout through the first two innings. Schaeffer talked about that plan to attack Misiorowski’s fastball: “You know he’s gonna throw a bunch of ‘em, and you don’t wait a guy like that out. You attack him.”Even though Colorado limited the strikeout damage early, Misiorowski was still able to get through the first few innings with a very low pitch count. He logged a handful of one or two pitch outs with the Rockies attacking so aggressively. Misiorowski is piling up quality starts, doing so in the last five straight games coming into tonight. You can make that six. He looked sharp through his seven innings pitched, giving up only four hits and one run (unearned), finishing with eight strikeouts. His season ERA drops from 1.65 to 1.50.The Miz brought lots of firepower. On his 98 pitches thrown, more than half were over 100 MPH. Of note, he threw a meteor that would have given him the fastest pitch thrown this season. San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller currently holds that record at 103.8 MPH. Misiorowski almost nabbed the lead tonight, tossing a 103.7 MPH fastball. Bullpen decisions prove costly (again)Aside from Castaño looking sharp, the rest of the bullpen allowed the Brewers to expand their lead. Castaño was removed in the in the top of the sixth after throwing 45 pitches, with two outs and a runner on first. Brennan Bernardino entered the game and worked into a jam immediately, giving up a single and putting runners on the corners. He was able to escape, striking out Jackson Chourio.Bernardino wouldn’t fare as well in the seventh, giving up a dinger to William Contreras, followed by a couple more runs to bring the game to 5-1, with Bauers and Blake Perkins scoring on a fielding error.View LinkIn another fun bright spot, TJ Shook entered the game and got his first major league strikeout. In a less fun sad spot, Shook gave up two more homers, one to Turang (his second of the night) and one to Bauers.The Rockies kept things close for a while against an impeccable starter, but the Brewers hit the most home runs they have all season as the bullpen got picked apart. Up NextIt’s a Dinger giveaway day at the ballpark! Fans will walk away their favorite purple triceratops in “bobblehead” form, but complete with 360 degree spinning action!As for the game itself, the Rox and the Brew Crew will conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon with a 1:10 p.m. first pitch, with the Rockies looking to avoid the sweep. Kyle Freeland will take the mound for Colorado, entering with a 1-6 record and an 8.06 ERA across 10 starts. For the Brewers, Shane Drohan gets the start, boasting a 2-1 record and a 2.87 ERA in 12 games with two starts. Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Lance Stephenson has built a reputation on intensity, and that competitive fire never really switches off. The former Indiana Pacers guard found himself at the center of a physical confrontation during a local basketball game in his hometown of Indianapolis. A shaky phone video captured the moment and spread quickly online. What the footage reveals is exactly the kind of scene fans have come to expect from him.Lance Stephenson Gets Into On-Court FightA short video shared on social media shows Stephenson in a heated on-court exchange during a local Indianapolis gym game. The clip captures pushing, grabbing, and a tense face-to-face confrontation with another player wearing a “BIGGEST BULLY” shirt. Things escalated quickly, though witnesses and social media replies were quick to note the altercation involved competitive shoving rather than punches.Lance Stephenson Involved in Heated On-Court Altercation During Indianapolis Gym Game (Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)No serious injuries were reported, and the game continued shortly after the situation cooled down. Observers described it as a typical flare-up in intense local hoops, not a full brawl.One onlooker noted in the moment: “Lance got to chill.”Another added: “Y’all better stop trying to fight these athletes.”Stephenson has remained active in the Indianapolis basketball community since wrapping up his 10-season NBA career with the Pacers in 2022. His “Born Ready” nickname has always reflected a competitor who plays every game like something is on the line, whether it is the NBA playoffs or a gym run back home.Lance Stephenson MMA Debut Ends in SubmissionThis is not the first time Stephenson has made headlines away from the hardwood. Just weeks ago, he swapped his sneakers for a mouthguard and stepped into the MMA cage. At Brand Risk 14 on May 23, an influencer combat sports event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Stephenson faced fellow former NBA player Michael Beasley in an amateur MMA bout.Beasley attempted a guillotine choke early, but Stephenson broke free, took his back, and locked in a rear-naked choke that forced Beasley to tap out at just 1:26 of Round 1. It was a sharp, composed debut for a first-time MMA fighter.Beasley said afterward he would be willing to box Stephenson in the future, and Stephenson agreed. Many fans now wonder whether his growing combat sports experience adds an extra edge to how he competes, even in casual settings back home.Stephenson remains one of Indianapolis’s most competitive basketball figures. With a possible boxing rematch with Beasley on the horizon and local gym runs keeping him sharp, he is far from done competing.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jorge Polanco's minor league rehabilitation assignment was halted Saturday because of ankle soreness and the Mets first baseman will return to New York for further evaluation.Polanco has been sidelined since mid-April with left Achilles bursitis. He has been playing rehab games in the minors recently, and the Mets initially indicated he might come off the injured list and rejoin the team this weekend in San Diego.That timeline was pushed back, but Polanco was supposed to play Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse before getting scratched.“We felt like we needed to continue to build him up," New York manager Carlos Mendoza said before his team's 3-2 loss to the Padres.The club wants Polanco to be able to reach certain thresholds before activating him.“Four at-bats as a DH, seven innings on defense, at least," Mendoza said. “We won’t see him here in San Diego.”In his first season with the Mets, the 32-year-old Polanco batted .179 with one homer, two RBIs and a .532 OPS in 14 games before landing on the 10-day injured list April 18, retroactive to April 15, with a bruised right wrist. But it's the Achilles bursitis that has been bothering him since very early in the season that is still keeping him on the IL.Polanco signed a $40 million, two-year contract with the Mets as a free agent in December to replace Pete Alonso at first base and potentially serve as the team's designated hitter on occasion. Polanco began his rehab assignment May 27 and played three games at Double-A Binghamton before playing three more with Syracuse. He was 2 for 12 overall with a home run, three RBIs and five walks.In another move, the Mets released left-hander Anderson Severino.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

COLUMBUS — The Shelby Whippets saw how amazing it can be when they are at full strength.The 4x100-meter relay team of Brady Bowman, Renner Gano and Gavin Baker got Brayden DeVito back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of the postseason and saw an instant boost as they won the Division III state championship with a new Division III state meet and overall Division III record time of 41.30. It is just the third relay state championship in Shelby boys track program history.The Whippets came in as the No. 5 overall seed with an entry time of 42.17 posted at last week’s Division III regional meet. They dropped nearly an entire second in the state finals. How does that happen?“This guy came back healthy,” Baker said. “That really is a huge difference. We were lucky enough to get Brayden back from his hamstring injury. He stepped up. All glory to God. We prayed before the race and he watch over us as he gave us this win.”DeVito ran just his seventh relay with his teammates this season in the state finals and hadn’t attempted to run in a month. The runner-up for the Ohio Mr. Football award in the fall, DeVito wanted to come out and give it his all one last time.“I knew the opportunity we had in front of us to go out with our brotherhood,” DeVito said. “I owed it to these guys to come back as strong as I could because they worked so hard to get us here. I wasn’t able to run in districts or regionals and Luke Blevins deserves a huge shoutout for running in my place. I knew I had to leave it all on the line in my very last race. I have been blessed with a lot of accomplishments, but a track state championship was missing and it feels great to get it.”Bowman was the tone-setter of the race getting his team out to a commanding lead after the first leg. He was instrumental in the Whippets dropping their season-best time by 1.16 seconds.“It was so important to break down that stagger and get us in good position,” Bowman said. “That’s all I was trying to do in the first leg and then trust my teammates to do the rest.”The title came after a nearly four-hour weather delay to the start of the Division III finals. The Whippets didn’t take the track until around 10 p.m., but their race lit up the night sky over Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.“It was so difficult to remain patient and believe we were even going to run tonight,” Gano said. “When we got word the meet was happening, we got our stretches in and came out here and took off. There isn’t a better group of guys to do this with.”The same quartet finished fourth in the state last year to earn back-to-back All-Ohio honors. The team brings back everyone except DeVito for a run at three straight and a repeat state title next season.jfurr@usatodayco.com740-244-9934X: @JakeFurr11Shelby Boys Track and Field Championship HistoryIndividual State Champions: Dick Whitney, 1941, 440-yard run; Jason Mueller, 1997 and 1999, 3,200-meter run; Jason Mueller, 1998, 1,600-meter run; Austin Wechter, Robbie Lash, G. Evans, Andrew Wechter, 2003, 4x400-metee relay; Austin Wechter, 2003 and 2004, 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles; Andrew Wechter, 2004, 400-meter dash; Uriah Schwemley, 2018, High Jump; Caleb Brown, 2019, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter run; Blake Lucius, 2019, 800-meter run; S. Logan, S. Swanger, Caleb Brown, Blake Lucius, 2019, 4x800-meter relay; Brayden DeVito, Renner Gano, Brady Bowman, Gavin Baker, 2026, 4x100-meter relay.This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Brayden DeVito, Renner Gano, Brady Bowman, Gavin Baker state champs

Only time can tell what is in store for Milwaukee Bucks superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer. Or maybe the outcome of the 2026 NBA Finals series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs can.NBA insider Chris Haynes recently touched on the subject of Antetokounmpo’s future amid rumors of a potential trade from Milwaukee to somewhere else in the offseason, saying that the New York Knicks could be “in play” for the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player if they end up losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.“I think this is the closest he’s come to saying he wants to be moved without saying he wants to be moved. I think signs are pointing to that…. This game (finals) is going to have some implications as well. If the Knicks were to falter to the Spurs, they might be in play for Giannis,” Haynes said (h/tHeat Central).Chris Haynes on Giannis:“I think this is the closest he’s come to saying he wants to be moved without saying he wants to be moved. I think signs are pointing to that…. This game (finals) is going to have some implications as well. If the Knicks were to falter to the Spurs,… pic.twitter.com/fSNMUq9Jww— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 6, 2026Will the Knicks go after Antetokounmpo?From what Haynes shared, it can also be said that the Knicks are only two wins away from perhaps forgetting about any thoughts on going after Antetokounmpo in the offseason. New York is on the verge of winning its first NBA title since 1973 after defeating the Spurs in the first two games of the series.However, the Knicks can strengthen their chances of winning an NBA championship next season if they somehow pull off a stunning trade for Antetokounmpo, who has one more non-player/team option guaranteed year on his current contract with Milwaukee.Jan 21, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn ImagesFor More Great Wisconsin Sports ContentFollow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!

The San Diego Padres organization again has two teams in the Domincan Summer League (DSL). The players live and train on the campus of their Domincan Academies and play their games on the grounds of the the team-operated training sites and academies.Padres Gold and Padres Brown began playing on June 1 with several top international prospects on the roster(s). Padres scouts and executives have signed dozens of players during the international signing period that began on Jan. 15. If you check the Padres transactions in the roster section of the website, you will see many more have been signed over past months.All of these players fall within the criteria of at least 16 years old and turn 17 before Sept. 1 of the signing year. They come from everywhere outside of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and the DSL is the location where most begin their professional careers.The Padres have a $5.94 million bonus pool for this signing class that runs until Dec. 15. Three of the top 100 international prospects as ranked by MLB Pipeline signed with the Padres. They are all currently on the roster in the DSL. There are also three other prospects playing this year that are considered high reward players. One is a holdover from the 2025 class that also featured three other players currently ranked on the Padres top 100 prospects list.2025 class prospects to watchSS/3B Deivid Coronil, No. 25, is an 18-year-old from Venezuela who played in the DSL last year and is currently not active on any team. He is most likely still in Arizona in a development program.SS/2B Jhoan De La Cruz, No. 21, is an 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic (DR) and played last year in the DSL. He is currently playing for the ACL Padres at shortstop, second base and DH.RHP Lan-Hong- Su, No. 16, is a 19-year-old from Taiwan who is with the ACL Padres after not playing in 2025 (he signed in Oct. 2025). He has already made a splash by skipping the DSL and has started three games for the ACL team with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings.LHP Carlos Alvarez, is not a top 30 prospect after struggling in his DSL debut last year. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Alvarez is still only 18 years old. Command and control are the big issues for him, and he still has plenty of time to work through them and develop.2026 top prospects in the DSLThe Padres signed 17-year-old Cuban shortstop Joniel Hernandez, the No. 13 rated international prospect on MLB Pipeline, for a $1.4 million bonus. At 6-1 and 180 pounds, the potential for a five-tool player is there. If he grows out of his shortstop position, he could be moved to center field. He is currently on the DSL Gold roster.View LinkLHP Diego Serna, 17, is the No. 20 prospect for the Padres and is from Mexico. He has international experience after pitching for Mexico in the 2024 U-15 World Cup. He is considered the best lefty prospect in the international class. At 6-3 and 205, Serna still has time to grow and currently has a low-90’s fastball with a slider and changeup. Serna is pitching for DSL Gold.SS/3B Timothy Mogen, 17, is from Curacao and stands 6-4 and 170 pounds. He was noted by Baseball America as one of the top athletes outside of the top rankings that should be watched. He has speed, a plus-arm and power potential. He is currently on the DSL Gold roster.RHP Yoel Duarte is out of Venezuela and recently changed from the shortstop position to pitching. He was clocked to have a mid-90’s fastball from the go and tops out at 98 mph. At 6-3 and 185 pounds, the 17-year-old still has projectible development and is still learning. He is on the DSL Brown roster.Catcher Jhonneiker Leon is a 17-year-old out of Venezuela. He is 6-1 and 210 with a plus-arm and already possesses plus-power with his bat. He is on the DSL Gold roster.RHP Jordan Perez is a Cuban 17-year-old that has a low-90’s fastball, a curveball and a developing third pitch. He is 6-1 and 175 pounds and is more polished that many of the other inexperienced pitchers around him. He is on the DSL Gold roster.The DSL season typically runs a 72-game schedule and ends in August. The Padres DSL Gold team won the championship last year and will fight to keep the DSL Cup. Updates will be included in the weekly minor league updates on Gaslamp Ball.

San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)New York; Monday, 8:30 p.m. EDTLINE: Knicks -2.5; over/under is 215.5NBA FINALS: Knicks lead series 2-0BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last meeting 105-104 on Saturday, led by 21 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 29.The Knicks are 30-10 in home games. New York ranks fifth in the NBA allowing just 110.1 points per game while holding opponents to 46.0% shooting.The Spurs are 30-12 in road games. San Antonio averages 119.8 points and has outscored opponents by 8.3 points per game.The 116.5 points per game the Knicks average are 5.0 more points than the Spurs allow (111.5). The Spurs average 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Knicks give up.TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Brunson is averaging 26 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. Mikal Bridges is averaging 17.3 points over the last 10 games.Wembanyama is averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks for the Spurs. Julian Champagnie is averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 10-0, averaging 118.2 points, 44.9 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 9.2 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.5 points per game.Spurs: 5-5, averaging 112.7 points, 48.4 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 7.8 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.2 points.INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

With the 2025-26 campaign done and dusted, we are into our season review series with a look at the strikers and how they did this season. All data is from FotMob.The No.9 shirt at Everton is the club’s most famous. With names such as Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton, Dave Hickson, Alex Young, Joe Royle and Graeme Sharp all achieving legendary status while wearing that number on the back of their Royal Blue jersey, whoever wears that shirt has enormous shoes to fill. Since the Premier League era the concept of players wearing one to eleven as they take to the field has become more and more obsolete in terms of numbers reflecting positions, but that number still holds massive importance to Evertonians, many of whom feel they have been starved of a goalscoring machine since the days of Romelu Lukaku, although the Belgian never actually wore the No.9 during his tenure on Merseyside. Goalscoring responsibilities this season fell on the dependable Beto and new signing Thierno Barry, with David Moyes often alternating between the two for that solitary starting role. And with 47 goals plundered in 38 games, how did our forwards fare during the 2025/26 season. Beto G – 37 Min – 1,565 Gls – 9 Ast – 1 YC – 3If application and attitude were measures of ability then the Guinea-Bissau international would be one of the most sought after strikers in football. The 28-year-old is a hugely popular figure on Merseyside, and loves playing for Everton, often stating his honour at performing in front of the fans. However nine goals this season (eight in the league) for the Toffees is form that will never guarantee the status of of main man up front for a team that should be pushing for Europe and, for a long time this season, had qualification in it sights.The physical Beto will always ask questions of defenders, but is a forward who is a slow starter. After scoring in consecutive games against Mansfield Town and Wolves in August, the Portugal-born star didn’t find the net again until January with a goal that was little more than consolation against Brentford. Form did pick up for the former Udinese star towards the end of the season, with goals away at Newcastle, Brentford, as well as a sublime run finish at Crystal Palace, which showed glimpses of the ability Beto does possess. But it was against Chelsea at Hill Dickinson in March that was his greatest performance of this season, with two goals and a performance that was worthy of that sacred No.9 shirt.It must be noted though, of all of Beto’s appearance for Everton this season he only completed two games in their entirety, and the lack of attacking full-backs and the club failing to address their winger issues will have hampered a player that enjoys playing on the shoulder of the last man and a player with a lot of heading ability. Grade: C – (10/10 for effort, but will always struggle to be Everton’s main man for goals)Thierno BarryG – 38 Min – 1,915 Gls – 8 Ast – 0 YC – 3If the 23-year-0ld had the same application and attitude as Beto, then the former Villareal man may have better endeared himself to the Everton faithful. That being said, many players struggle to settle in their first season in English football and the France U-21 international has been open and honest about his difficulties this campaign, while also being the victim of some unnecessary online abuse, which is never ok. However, Barry has not covered himself in glory in the world of social media, and his ill-advised posts regarding the trouble in the Everton end when the Toffees travelled to Arsenal will have done little to adhere himself to the fanbase. To matters on the pitch and the 6’5” forward has often been criticised for his body language and perceived lack of effort, with Moyes himself demanding more from his summer signing. While he is not the physically imposing forward Beto is, there is no question that Barry knows how to finish, and a return of eight goals does represent at least some potential, although it took the former Basel star until December to score his first goal, with VAR thwarting him on two previous occasions.Achieving 90 minutes three times this season, Barry did enjoy a return of three goals in January, and four in six over that period, included a wonderful finish that proved to be the winner at Villa Park. Form and minutes did wane for March and half of April, although a brace from the bench against Manchester City at home in early May showed that there is maybe more to come from the young marksmen, particularly if the full-back and winger issues are addressed in the summer. Grade: D (Definite ability, but a disappointing attitude more often than not)

Portuguese international admits he could move to Camp Nou this summer – “Barcelona is an option”Bernardo Silva is currently one of the hottest prizes available in the transfer market right now as the experienced playmaker will become a free agent after running down his contract at Manchester City.Silva has already been linked with a move to a number of clubs, but it appears La Liga could be his likely destination with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid emerging as potential suitors.Barcelona, in particular, have been touted as a potential destination for the Portuguese international. Silva admits Barcelona optionSilva in action during Portugal’s latest friendly. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)Now, Silva himself has admitted that Barcelona are indeed an option as he looks to take the next step in his career.Speaking to a Portuguese newspaper, Silva said he hasn’t yet made a final decision on his future, but Barça remain pretty much an option.“Barça? It’s an option I have, but I haven’t made a decision yet,” he said (h/t Diario SPORT).The Portuguese international, though, did not opt to go into detail about his contracts with Barcelona, offering a more vague outlook on his future.“The truth is I have many options, and I’m not going to talk about a specific club if I haven’t made a decision and haven’t signed with that club,” he said. “I’m going to try to be on a team where I’m wanted, where I feel truly wanted. That’s very important to me,” he added.Barcelona move still likely?Silva will be in action during the World Cup. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)Barcelona are tipped as the club leading the race to sign Bernardo Silva this summer, but the club are facing a few roadblocks.They need to acquire the approval of Hansi Flick, who is concerned about overstacking. Perhaps more importantly, the club need to sanction the sale of a few fringe players in order to make room for Silva.Therefore, it won’t be surprising to see the Silva transfer saga drag on until July – something the media has reported in recent times.

Haaland has scored 55 goals in 49 matches for his country [Getty Images]The last time Norway competed at a World Cup, Erling Haaland was not even born.Yet by helping to confirm their place in the tournament for the first time since 1998, Haaland has not just chalked off a personal milestone; he has completed a mission he has carried on his shoulders for years.Hopes of the Scandinavian nation ending their 28-year World Cup absence rested on the 25-year-old long before he fired in 16 goals across eight matches in a dominant qualifying campaign. And that was considered the case even before he became the fearsome Manchester City striker he is today.Those hopes for Haaland can probably be traced back to when, in his early teens, his talent was spotted at Norwegian side Bryne and fast-tracked through their youth teams.The talent grew and promise intensified during a club career carefully crafted to suit Haaland and now, having won everything there is to win in club football with City, he is fulfilling his destiny for the national team too.But things could have looked different.Born in Yorkshire, the forward was eligible to play for England. But affinity with his home country meant there was little chance of that happening, even if it meant the chances of winning something at international level, or even regularly reaching tournaments, were slim.With that decision could have come the career no superstar player wants - one that does not involve playing at a World Cup.Haaland will now avoid that fate. But what is it like being a global name from a nation with a population of just 5.5m people? And is it really just Haaland carrying this Norway team to the World Cup?Three Lions and a Viking?When England's manager at the time, Gareth Southgate, was asked in 2020 whether there was ever a possibility of Haaland playing for the Three Lions, he shut it down pretty quickly."With players like him, they're quite clear where they want to play," Southgate said. "He feels that allegiance to the country that he's playing for now and you're always very respectful of that."Haaland was born in Leeds - where his father Alf-Inge was playing at the time - in 2000.The family moved to Bryne in Norway three years later following Alf-Inge's retirement through injury, which ended a spell at Manchester City.The young Haaland's talent was spotted early and he quickly moved through the youth teams at Bryne before being taken on by Molde in 2017, joining a club then managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.Solskjaer helped to turn Haaland into the attacking force he is today and has often spoken highly of his former player, expressing regret that he could not bring him to Old Trafford when he became manager at Manchester United.The young forward began to draw attention during his time at Red Bull Salzburg before a spell at Borussia Dortmund really announced him on the world stage.Erling Haaland's move to Manchester City came in 2022 - one many felt had been inevitable with his father's history with the club and his own love of English football.Amid all the upheaval, drama and success in his life, Haaland has felt the pull of home, frequently returning to his native country where he owns several properties."Despite Haaland's global superstar status, he remains the exact same guy," Norwegian football journalist Andreas Korssund told BBC Sport."He knows exactly where he comes from and regularly visits his small hometown in Rogaland. He is incredibly proud of his roots and always makes himself available to the Norwegian press when representing his country."Haaland has discussed his desire to run a farm in his home country when he retires and he can frequently be spotted strolling around Oslo, where he owns an apartment.He has leaned into Norway's Viking history and is fiercely proud of representing his country.It is that affinity with his heritage that has also led to him sporting his full title of Braut Haaland on the back of his national shirt - Braut is his mother's maiden name and combining that with his father's name is a common Norwegian tradition."Haaland means everything to Norway," says Korssund."He has become an unprecedented superstar in the world's biggest sport. For a nation of just over 5.5m people to produce one of the absolute greatest footballers on the planet is immense."Haaland's Norway shirt celebrates the name of both his mother and father [Getty Images]A mission 28 years in the makingWhen Haaland steps on to the pitch for Norway's opening group match against Iraq on 16 June, he will carry not only the weight of a nation but the combined mass of all those former players who did not fulfil their World Cup dreams.Aside from reaching back-to-back tournaments in 1994 and 1998, Norway have endured long spells absent from major competition, last featuring at a major tournament at Euro 2000.That means the list of talented Norwegian players to miss out is long - Morten Gamst Pedersen, John Carew, Brede Hangeland and John Arne Riise to name a few.But many view this current Norway team as the nation's golden generation and, while Haaland's statistics might suggest a 'one-man team', the reality is he is not the only reason they have qualified.Midfielder Martin Odegaard will arrive in the United States fresh from winning the Premier League with Arsenal, while Kristoffer Ajer, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Oscar Bobb are also established top-flight players."We look at this similarly to what happened with Belgium's golden generation a few years ago - a relatively small nation that simply bleeds football," said Korssund.Norway might have plenty of quality in their ranks, but nobody among the supporting cast transcends the sport in the way Haaland does.His fame is approaching that of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. And Norway have never had a player like that before.It is easy to imagine a different story. One where Haaland joins the list of world-class players never to have represented their country at a World Cup.Think of George Best with Northern Ireland, Ian Rush and Ryan Giggs for Wales, Ballon d'Or winner George Weah with Liberia.But Haaland is about to end his wait as, despite missing out on Euro 2024, he will lead Norway's line on the sport's highest stage this summer.Not your typical Norwegian - the celebrity factorTowering at 6ft 5in tall, with long, flowing blond hair, Haaland has become one of the most recognisable players in football.His charisma has begun to shine through while at City, with his humour - which is at times very English - endearing him to fans.His YouTube channel, where he films 'day in the life' videos, has 1.6m subscribers while he is also set to feature in animated film ViQueens as the voice of a Viking, named, of course, Haaland.But Haaland is not a typical Norwegian hero."I think Erling is in some ways not a completely typical Norwegian," said Norwegian journalist Lars Sivertsen."He's confident and can be a little bit brash. He knows his value and he knows his quality and he backs himself."Scandinavia has a culture that's more about humility. Erling would complain if he was on the bench. So I think he is a little bit untypical of Norwegians."That makes him an interesting hero for us, because there will be moments of backlash."But Haaland's stock is undeniable and with that comes all those other things associated with being a superstar - shirt sales, increased interest in the World Cup, and inspiring youngsters."He is now just in a different strata of star than what we are used to from our sporting heroes," said Sivertsen."But I think if you look across the country, there is just an extraordinary sense of pride that a player doing the things he does is from our country."World Cup fixtures and group standingsHow to watch the World Cup on the BBCEverything you need to know about the World Cup

Jun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park.SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Padres (33-30) snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday night thanks to strong defense and the bat of an unlikely hero in a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets (28-36).That hero was catcher Freddy Fermin, who rounded the bases with plenty of emotion after hitting his first home run of the season and giving his team a much-needed 3-2 lead. That home run could be what changes the Padres season, or so they hope.“He works his ass off every day,” Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill said. “So for him to get that moment means a lot. Hopefully that's the exorcism for all of us. I feel like out of all of us, he needed it the most. It's huge to see that, so hopefully it sparks a fire, and we keep going with it.”San Diego is not out of the woods offensively by any stretch, but this was a much-needed win for a team that had lost 10 of its previous 11 games entering Saturday. During that stretch, the offense had been largely ineffective.“Those games are all in the past,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “We've got to put up a brick wall almost every day and say today is the only day that we can do anything in about it.”Padres starting pitcher Griffin Canning delivered one of his better outings of the season, allowing three hits, one earned run, and striking out six over five innings.The Mets scored first in the top of the second inning. Marcus Semien drew a walk as the second batter of the inning, and AJ Ewing followed with a single to right field. Two batters later, Brett Baty singled to center, bringing Semien home for an early 1-0 lead.“I think today proved it's kind of a team thing,” Canning said. “I think everyone had their role and everyone played their part. Just trying to go out there and put up zeros or a one there just to keep the team in the game.”Jun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Griffin Canning (17) throws a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park.David Frerker-Imagn ImagesJun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Griffin Canning (17) throws a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park.The Padres answered in the bottom of the third. Second baseman Sung-mun Song worked a five-pitch walk and later stole second base while Fernando Tatis Jr. was at the plate. With a full count, Tatis Jr. lined a ball up the middle that ricocheted off second base and into the outfield, allowing Song to race home and tie the game 1-1.San Diego had another chance to take the lead later in the inning when Ty France drew a walk, putting two runners aboard. However, Manny Machado struck out on four pitches against Mets starter Nolan McLean to end the threat.Things got strange in the bottom of the fifth inning. Song opened the frame with a single, and Fermin followed with a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position. Tatis Jr. then reached on an infield hit after Bo Bichette made a diving stop but could not complete the play. Merrill later popped out to center field, but Song advanced to third.On the fourth pitch of France's at-bat, Tatis Jr. attempted to steal second base. For some reason, Song broke for home while catcher Luis Torrens still had the ball in his hand. After a brief rundown, McLean tagged Song out, keeping the game tied at 1-1.“Song definitely didn't read the pump fake, thought he was throwing through to second, and then going on that,” Stammen explained. “We just got to practice that a little bit more, and make sure we communicate with him properly, and he understands what we're looking for in that situation. I'll take the blame for that.”The Padres received a strong sixth inning from reliever Adrian Morejón, who struck out two batters and got Bichette to ground out.The Mets regained the lead in the seventh when reliever Bradgley Rodríguez threw just one pitch to Semien, who launched it into left-center field for his seventh home run of the season, giving New York a 2-1 advantage.The lead did not last long.With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Song reached on an infield hit after a ball trickled down the third-base line. Reliever Austin Warren tried to field it and beat Song to first base but tripped and fell. Fermin followed and crushed the first pitch he saw into left field. Petco Park erupted as Fermin's first home run of the season gave San Diego a 3-2 lead.Fermin entered the game batting .126 and provided a much-needed spark for the Padres offense.“I’ve never been a part of a slump as long as that has ever been, but everything like that has to come to an end eventually,” Fermin said. “Good thing it came at a time where we came out with the victory and that's what matters at the end of the day.”Jun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Sung-Mun Song (24) celebrates after hitting a single during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. David Frerker-Imagn ImagesJun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Sung-Mun Song (24) celebrates after hitting a single during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park.In the top of the eighth inning, Carson Benge and Bichette singled off reliever Jason Adam to put two runners on base. Juan Soto stepped to the plate to a chorus of boos from Padres fans. On Adam's first pitch, Soto hit a ground ball toward second base. Song fielded it cleanly and quickly turned a double play after tagging Benge at second.The perfect image from this series came moments later as Soto stood in disbelief before smiling after Song's tremendous defensive play. Petco Park roared in appreciation of the play and took the opportunity to continue booing the former Padres star, as they had throughout the series.“Welcome back,” chuckled Merrill to Soto. “We can just play good defense and make stuff happen. Song's a gritty player, loves playing baseball, he's got a smile on his face, always, so he's looking for the best outcome and he did it.”Saturday marked Mason Miller's first save opportunity since May 29 against the Washington Nationals. He walked one batter, struck out one, and induced two flyouts to secure the victory.“That's a huge lift off your shoulders,” Stammen said. “Hopefully create some more belief, like, ‘yeah, we are a good team. We have done this for most of the season.’ A lot of wins like this, and this is how we're going to win going forward in the season.”The Padres will wrap up the series against the Mets on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. when Randy Vásquez (5-3) takes the mound against Sean Manaea (0-1).

How old is Serena Williams? Inside the tennis legend's comeback since 2022 retirement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Tennis fans, rejoice! One of the sport's all-time greats, Serena Williams, is back on the court for the HSBC Championships and the Berlin Tennis Open. After a hiatus of over three years, Williams is back to compete. She is far removed from the prime of her tennis career, with her first major win coming in 1999.That being said, she was still performing well before her retirement. At the start of the 2021 season, Williams was ranked No. 7 by the WTA, before falling to No. 41 by the season's end. Here is what to know about Williams' age and retirement status ahead of her tennis comeback. MORE: SN 140 moments, how Venus, Serena made history in Grand Slam finalHow old is Serena Williams? Williams is 44 years old. Her last match took place in 2022, when she was 40 years old.MORE: Serena Williams' history in doubles tennis ahead of comebackWhen did Serena Williams retire?Williams retired after the U.S. Open in 2022. She declared that this would be her last event before retiring. Ajla Tomljanovic beat Williams in the third round, making it her last match before her incoming return to tennis. Why did Serena Williams retire?Williams chose to step away from tennis in 2022 to focus on her family. At the time, Williams' first daughter was five years old. Then, in 2023, Williams had her second child. Now nearly three years removed from the birth of her second child, Williams has had sufficient time away from the sport. Even at the time in 2022, Williams was hesitant to use the word retirement, instead using evolution. "I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people," Williams told Vogue in 2022.Serena Williams' last matchThe 2022 U.S. Open was Williams' last event as a tennis pro. She won the event six times in the past, most recently in 2014.In 2022, however, Williams lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the event. After the match, Tomljanovic called Williams "the greatest of all time. Period." After the match concluded, Williams did an on-court interview where she said, "It's been a fun ride, it's been the most incredible ride and journey I've ever been on in my life, and I'm just so grateful to every single person that's ever said, 'Go Serena' in their life.” MORE: What is Serena Williams' net worth?Serena Williams comeback timelineWilliams has ventured into many endeavors since she stepped away from the tennis world.Most notably, Williams had a child in August 2023, less than a year after she retired from tennis. The child is now two years old. As a result of her pregnancy, Williams put on significant postpartum weight. She used GLP-1 medication to clear this up and lose 31 pounds before becoming a spokesperson for the brand. She now appears in their commercials and advertisements. This is one of a few business ventures for Williams. Her primary business is Serena Ventures, a VC firm that she created in 2014. She also Wyn Beauty, a beauty line she co-created with Ulta, and a production company called Nine Two Six. Oldest women to win pro tennis matchMartina Navratilova is the oldest woman to win a professional match, a feat that she accomplished at Wimbledon in 2004. She won her opening round match at 47 years old. The second-oldest woman is someone who Serena Williams knows quite well... her sister Venus. She won her first round of the WTA's DC Open in July 2025. At the time, Venus Williams was 45 years old.

Euro giants confirm what Liverpool already knew about 'special' starLiverpool are going to go through a lot of changes this summer. The Anfield outfit massively underperformed this season and, without some new faces being brought in, it's hard to see how they'd do any better next term.Indeed, Andoni Iraola may have taken over from Arne Slot which is already a step in the right direction but it's still not enough to guarantee that they'll be able to compete for silverware again.Several members of their first-team squad will probably be back from injury which will help them out massively but, with others such as Hugo Ekitike out until at least January, there's a lot of decisions that need to be made about the Reds' team.Bayern Munich are interested in signing Rio NgumohaSeveral members of Liverpool's first-team squad have already moved on.Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson have already had their next teams confirmed with Mohamed Salah's future still up in the air.However, one player that Liverpool fans didn't think that they'd have to worry about being sold is Rio Ngumoha.The 17-year-old has been one of the only shining lights in a rather poor Liverpool squad with his energy and his pace giving the Anfield outfit something they didn't have during the rest of the campaign.This good form has clearly not gone unnoticed with Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg sharing that Bayern Munich had phone calls with Ngumoha about a potential move."The deal between FC Bayern and Rio Ngumoha already collapsed yesterday (despite a verbal agreement) because it was clear behind the scenes that Liverpool would NOT sell the player," he wrote via his personal X account."However, there were phone calls, meetings and direct talks between Vincent Kompany/Ngumoha."As also reported by David Ornstein, Ngumoha became Bayern’s primary target once the Anthony Gordon deal began to collapse."Bayern are now focused on two transfers: Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari. If both deals go through, it’s very likely that NO additional left winger will be signed, as both players are capable of playing in that position."Bayern Munich confirm that Rio Ngumoha is the next big thingNgumoha is only 17 years old but that hasn't stopped him from being a regular feature in Liverpool's XI.A lot of his appearances have come off the bench this term but, towards the end of the campaign, the Englishman was a regular member of Slot's starting XI.He's played in 29 games across all competitions this term and has contributed to three goals.His versatility of being able to play anywhere across the front three is massive and, with how bad Cody Gakpo has been this term, he could easily become Liverpool's starting left-winger under Iraola.Most people in England can see the potential that Ngumoha has but, now that Bayern have shown an interest in him, that has been confirmed.The only problem that Liverpool have is the two years left on his current deal.If they can't agree terms with the 'special' attacker soon, they could end up losing him for a cut-rate fee or even for nothing.

After more than three decades covering north-east football, Ian Murtagh had probably thought he’d seen it all! But he joins us today to catch up on what has happened since we last caught up with him just before the derby at St James’! On today’s show…We get his take on our derby win up the road?!Where does the success of this year rank for Sunderland?How does it compare with Reidy’s sides that finished 7th?!What’s next?!Will he be watching the World Cup?!All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show.Want to get in touch with us? You can drop us an email at HawayThePodcastSAFC@Gmail.com, or you can contact us via social media – we’re @RokerReport on almost every platform. For your daily SAFC fan-written content, head over to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RokerReport.SBNation.com ⁠⁠𝗛𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 🎙️✨ IAN MURTAGH ✨North East footy reporting royalty joins the show today to chat about a historic season for Sunderland – EUROOOPE!APPLE: https://t.co/1HAingrvZ0SPOTIFY: https://t.co/3OFqqXybXXhttps://t.co/MrScfojZL0 | #SAFC ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/kEabjUvQ27— Roker Report (@RokerReport) June 7, 2026

The Duchess of Edinburgh praised winner Rebecca Stevens (centre) for being a "natural" [BBC]"My disorder hasn't stopped me achieving and I'm determined not to let it define me."Rebecca Stevens, from Caversham in Reading, Berkshire, won the Driving for the Disabled Championship at Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.The 28-year-old lives with functional neurological disorder (FND), a chronic condition that affects the nervous system and the way the brain communicates with the body."To have won the championship title is an incredibly surreal moment for me," she said. "I'm so proud of myself for everything I have been through."Rebecca said she had been at a stable yard when she "unexpectedly" suffered a mini-stroke in 2021.Left with reduced mobility on the right side of her body and her speech affected, she said it was "life-changing"."It came out of nowhere and it was very scary, I had to start from scratch," she said.Rebecca Stevens said meeting The Duchess of Edinburgh was a "real treat" [BBC]Rebecca's symptoms include seizures, extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, tremors and brain fog. "I have good days and bad days," she said. "I take the good days as a win, they are a huge success but on bad days I can't get out of bed."It's hard to explain [FND] to someone because, on the outside, I look like a normal person."It's a constant battle but I have got used to it."The equestrian said her life "looks very different from what I would have planned five years ago"."I never expected to be diagnosed with a neurological disorder," she said. "I certainly never anticipated driving for the disabled championship, let alone winning the title."Meeting the Duchess of Edinburgh was a real treat, she is so lovely and she told me I was a natural."It feels amazing. If I really take a step back and look at where I've come from and what I've achieved I get very emotional."Rebecca pictured driving pony Oakhaze McClintok, known as "Squeak" [BBC]Having always had a "passion for riding", Rebecca said she was unable to ride at the same level after her mini-stroke due to muscle weakness.But she said she was introduced to carriage driving by family friend Judi Ralls, who owns pony Oakhaze McClintok, known as "Squeak"."Carriage driving has given me a new sense of freedom and independence," said Rebecca."This class shows how disabilities don't define or stop us from achieving our dreams."I hope sharing my story encourages others living with disabilities to keep pursuing the things they love." More on this story 'FND has turned my life upside down – I hate it'Neurological disorder 'flipped my world upside down'Country singer taking a break after 'very difficult' time'I went into hospital for four days and came out two years later' Related Links NHS - Functional Neurological Disorder

Photo Credit: Getty Images A sports betting personality made a striking admission in court while pleading guilty in two basketball gambling cases involving the purchase of confidential information and, in one instance, an attempt to influence a player's on-court performance.NBC News reported that Marves Fairley, 40, pleaded guilty in late May in federal court in two separate cases tied to betting schemes involving professional and college basketball. In Brooklyn, Fairley — who presented himself online as a gambling expert — admitted that he and others used nonpublic information from NBA players and coaches to improve their betting odds."I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance to give me an advantage," he said.Prosecutors in Brooklyn said Fairley paid for information that included allegations of former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier underperforming in a 2023 game, as well as private medical details about Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.NBC News reported that Fairley also pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania in a separate case that accused him of bribing and recruiting college basketball players to perform below their usual level. Prosecutors say he profited from both operations and are seeking a prison sentence of 8 to 10 years.The case also comes at a time when online gambling has become deeply embedded in everyday entertainment. Sportsbooks are often marketed as fun, fast, and easy to use, but critics have long warned that the industry's rapid growth has brought predatory design, relentless advertising, financial harm, and the normalization of real-time wagering.As more money flows through legal and gray-area betting ecosystems, pressure is increasing on leagues, regulators, and platforms to detect suspicious activity, improve transparency, and prevent exploitation before it spreads.Prosecutors have portrayed Fairley as a leading participant in the schemes.Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman identified Rozier as the player involved in the NBA-related case.Rozier, however, has maintained his innocence. His attorney, Jim Trusty, pushed back strongly, saying: "There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors."Fairley declined to speak to reporters after the hearing. He is scheduled to be sentenced in February.Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)2026-06-07T06:13:01Z YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenians will vote Sunday in parliamentary elections as the incumbent government, under mounting Russian pressure, seeks to loosen ties with Moscow and deepen cooperation with the West. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling Civil Contract party are looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course. The opposition they face includes some parties that are vocally pro-Russian.Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with a barrage of restrictions in recent weeks, while high-ranking officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have made thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine.Armenian investigators said they issued six arrest warrants for members of the opposition Strong Armenia party the day before the vote, accusing them of buying votes. The nation’s Central Election Committee confirmed Saturday that the party could run after a member of another opposition party, Republic, appealed for Strong Armenia to be barred over corruption allegations. Trump offers support as Putin urges caution Armenia’s Parliament, the National Assembly, must consist of at least 101 members who are elected for five-year terms. Parties must win at least 4% of the vote to take a seat, while blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%.Two political blocs and 17 parties are taking part in Sunday’s election. Most pollsters and experts have predicted Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 following sweeping street protests, will come out ahead.“I think Armenians expect, first of all, a peaceful, independent and prosperous Armenia from this election, as we have today,” said Hripsime Grigoryan, a Civil Contract member of the outgoing Parliament. Pashinyan has spoken on several occasions about the need for a balanced foreign policy ensuring Armenia maintains good relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey and Iran. Read More Despite this, Pashinyan has attracted far more enthusiasm in the West than in Moscow. He has been endorsed by several European leaders, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump. “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, of Armenia, a great friend and Leader, is making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure,” Trump wrote on social media, urging Armenians to “Make (Armenia) Great Again.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. This has displeased the Kremlin. Speaking to journalists after Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9, Putin said if the Armenian people saw benefits in joining the European Union then “we will certainly have nothing to say against it.”Yet he also reminded reporters, “We are currently living through everything that is happening in respect of Ukraine. And how did it start? It started with Ukraine’s joining or attempting to join the EU.”Opposition wants closer ties with Russia Unlike the Civil Contract party, most of Armenia’s opposition supports building stronger relations with Moscow.The Strong Armenia party seeks to develop business ties with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of attempting to start a war with Moscow. Party leader Samvel Karapetyan is on trial for allegedly advocating for the government’s overthrow, which the Armenian-Russian billionaire has rejected as a politically motivated case. He has coordinated the party’s campaign while under house arrest, aided by his nephew Narek Karapetyan. Other potential contenders include former President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Hayastan bloc and has accused Pashinyan of “seriously undermining” relations with Russia, and the Prosperous Armenia Party led by pro-Russian business owner Gagik Tsarukyan.These parties also have strongly criticized Pashinyan for attempting to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan. The Armenian leader and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a document on moving toward a peace deal at the White House alongside U.S. President Donald Trump in August. The two countries were locked in a decades-long conflict over the fate of Karabakh, a breakaway region that had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region during a rapid offensive in 2023.“I want this government to change because the condition of our country is getting worse,” Sahakyan Elina, a supporter of the Prosperous Armenia Party, told The Associated Press at a rally Thursday. “I don’t want to live with my enemies in unity.” EU criticizes Moscow’s pressure Russian officials have slapped new restrictions on Armenian produce in the run-up to the parliamentary vote, banning the import of Armenian flowers, certain types of cognac and wine, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and more.Russia says the bans are related to violations of agricultural import rules. The European Commission on Thursday described the move as “nothing short of economic coercion.”“By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponizing economic relations for political pressure. We know this playbook all too well,” the commission said in a statement. Moscow also controls a significant portion of Armenia’s energy and infrastructure and supplies it with cheap gas, which is a point that Putin has been quick to drive home in his meetings with Pashinyan.Putin also has stressed that Armenia cannot join the EU and remain within the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led customs bloc.“Being in a customs union with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible,” Putin said. “It’s simply impossible by definition.” ___Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England. and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, front right, visits a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuels at an undisclosed place in North Korea Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)2026-06-07T01:32:54Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a U.S. push for the denuclearization of North Korea an “anachronistic dream,” saying Sunday the North will steadily expand its nuclear arsenal in the face of U.S.-led threats.The statement came a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, in his first visit to the country in seven years. “The U.S. assertion to backbite the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state has no legally binding force and no one will be bound by the U.S. unilateral rhetoric,” said Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name.She dismissed as “false information” a U.S. announcement that President Donald Trump and Xi confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea in their summit in Beijing last month. “Some officials in the United States have failed to wake from their escapist and anachronistic dream,” Kim Yo Jong said.North Korea has been focusing on enlarging its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say the North Korean leader wants an international recognition as a nuclear state so that he could demand lifting of international economic sanctions on North Korea. During a visit to a new nuclear materials production plant last week, Kim Jong Un said North Korea would bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” On Sunday, North Korea’s state media reported Kim Jong Un visited a weapons factory the previous day and called for increasing the country’s missile production capacity 2.5 times under a five-year plan period. Read More In her statement, Kim Yo Jong accused the U.S. and South Korea of pushing for “ceaseless arms build-ups,” saying her brother’s push for “steadily beefing up the nuclear war deterrent for self-defense” is “an irreversible final conclusion to be carried out unconditionally.” Analysts say Xi’s visit to North Korea is largely meant to reassert China’s influence over North Korea, whose foreign policy priority has shifted to Russia in recent years. They say Xi will likely refrain from directly raising the denuclearization issue and offer economic assistance programs during his meeting with Kim Jong Un.North Korea has sent troops and conventional weapons to Russia to back its war efforts against Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials say North Korea has received economic and other assistance from Russia in return. HYUNG-JIN KIM Kim is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) celebrate after Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore scored against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the second overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)2026-06-06T16:37:37Z LAS VEGAS (AP) — A four-goal lead in what has been a wacky, compelling and highly entertaining Stanley Cup Final nearly wasn’t enough for the Golden Knights on Saturday night.A four-goal, third-period rally by the Hurricanes nearly made NHL history and in process sent shockwaves through T-Mobile Arena.And this game ended in a way perhaps befitting all the craziness, a shot from Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore off the skate of Brandon Bussi — the backup goalie put in the game in the third period after not playing for two months — that went into the net at 5:38 of double overtime to give the Golden Knights a 5-4 victory over Carolina.“I have experienced a lot of games in playoffs,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “I haven’t experienced one like this.”Almost overlooked was the four-point night by Vegas’ Mitch Marner, who also produced the fastest hat trick in Cup Final history. The Golden Knights took a 2-1 series lead. The teams take two days off before meeting in Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Teams with a 2-1 series lead went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%. Carolina had been 6-0 in overtime this postseason. The Hurricanes were trying to become the first team to win after trailing by at least four goals in the third period, but now clubs in that situation are 0-109.“We just left our foot off the gas,” Theodore said on the ABC broadcast. “I think we have to be sharper in the third, but I liked the resiliency out of our group. I liked the way we started that second overtime, and I felt like we were more on our toes.” Read More This was the 10th time the first three games of a Cup Final were decided by a point. The last time was in 2016 between Pittsburgh and San Jose.The Golden Knights seemed to have it in hand after scoring four times in the second, including a natural hat trick by Marner.But Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored goals for the Hurricanes. Their goals, occurring 39 seconds apart, are the fastest three in a Cup Final game. Andrei Svechnikov jammed in a puck on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 left to force overtime.“I love that we feel like we can come back from anything, but you can’t put yourself in a hole like we did,” Martinook said. “The second period, for them to come out like that and take total control of the game, it’s something that can’t happen, especially this time.”Marner’s scoring outburst came over a 6:10 stretch of the second period, and he had four points in the period. He had the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal midway through the period.The last time a player had four points in a period of the Cup final was in 1919 when Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans pulled off that feat.Marner nearly added to the total in the third period, but failed to capitalize on a breakaway and a penalty shot. Those missed chances came back to bite the Golden Knights.The Hurricanes made the comeback after changing goalies to open the third, going with Bussi, who made 18 saves. Frederik Andersen had given up those four goals on 16 shots. Carolina also rallied without forward and former Golden Knight William Carrier, who had an upper-body injury in the second period.Vegas’ Carter Hart stopped 29 shots.Vegas twice thought it took the lead early in the second period, but the Hurricanes successfully challenged both goals to keep the game scoreless.The Golden Knights received a major boost when defenseman Brayden McNabb took the ice. He took a puck in the face in the first period Thursday night at Carolina and didn’t return to the game. McNabb, who had on a cage to protect his face, is Vegas’ best defensive defenseman. He was on the first defensive pair with Theodore.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl