CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 29: Virginia Tech Hokies offensive lineman Kyle Altuner (62) and the offensive line in the trenches during a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Virginia Cavaliers on November 29, 2025, at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, VA. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images What a day for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Coming off their second big recruiting weekend in a row, the Hokies began the day receiving commitments from four-star WR Cam Wade and four-star CB Bryce Woods. Head coach James Franklin wasn’t done. Later on Sunday evening, four-star offensive tackle Junior Saunders became the latest to announce his commitment to the good guys. A 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect from Woodberry Forest School in Madison County, Virginia, chose the Hokies over Virginia, N.C. State, Tennessee and South Carolina. He held over 20 reported offers. Saunders will join former high school teammates Sheldon Robinson and Buddy Wegdam in Blacksburg. 1000% committed let’s go Hokies 🦃🦃🦃 pic.twitter.com/5OKkMJvbCS— Jr Saunders (@JrSaunders8) June 7, 2026The Hokies have prioritized Saunders for a while. He’s also a consensus four-star recruit, with 247Sports listing him as the No. 6 player in the state for 2027, and the No. 32 offensive tackle in the country. Here are some of Saunders’ highlights in a game from his junior season at Woodberry Forest. View LinkWhy the Hokies?“It was everything,” Saunders told Brian Dohn of 247Sports, via Evan Watkins. “Family bond, I think talking to Coach Franklin was really key. It just felt like home.”Saunders also has a strong relationship with offensive line coach Matt Moore. “Coach Moore is very promising for my future,” he said. “He showed me how he wants me to be developed. He wants me to be the next big thing.”The Hokies beefed up the offensive line in Franklin’s first class (2026), and that trend is continuing for 2027. Saunders joins four-star interior offensive lineman Kaden Buchanan (Lebanon, Tenn.) and three-star offensive tackles Luke Braham (Morgantown, W.V.) and Dylan Latell (Girard, Ohio). After Saunders’ commitment, Tech now moves up to the No. 6 spot nationally in 247Sports 2027 team recruiting rankings. And the Hokies aren’t done. Welcome home, Junior.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 08: Diego Lopes is seen on stage during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference at Prudential Center on May 08, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight finishers Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia will duel this weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House lawn from Washington, D.C. for UFC Freedom 250.Unfortunately for Lopes, it has now been definitively proven twice that he’s not capable of tracking down and cracking Alexander Volkanovski. Fortunately, few fighters on the entire roster can match Volkanovski’s distance management and footwork. Lopes remains a real threat to just about everyone else, and as soon as the title changes hands, he’s back in the mix. Garcia, meanwhile, has won seven straight fights since dropping back down to 145 pounds. His recent wins include a good mix of fellow up-and-comers and some older talent, but this is a clear step up in competition for the “Mean Machine,” who could emerge as a title threat with one more victory.Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:Lopes vs. Garcia Betting OddsDiego Lopes victory: -192Diego Lopes via TKO/KO/DQ: TBDDiego Lopes via submission: TBDDiego Lopes via decision: TBDSteve Garcia victory: +148Steve Garcia via TKO/KO/DQ: TBDSteve Garcia via submission: TBDSteve Garcia via decision: TBDOdds via FanDuel SportsbookHow Lopes WinsLopes is a massive Featherweight with excellent finishing instincts. He’s a brutally powerful hitter from close quarters, and his timing on the counter can be very dangerous as well. On the canvas, Lopes is an excellent BJJ black belt with lots of offense from both top and bottom position.In this bout and most others, Lopes wants to invite a car crash. His great advantages over most of the division are size, durability, and power, which means he shines in any kind of one-to-one exchange. Jean Silva is a huge and athletic striking savant, and even he wound up on the wrong side of the knockout when he tried to get in Lopes’ face and trade.Against Volkanovski, Lopes was unable to create that kind of chaos, falling short while reaching for Volk and failing to cut off the cage. Maybe Garcia tries to copy Volkanovski’s tactic, but that’s unlikely. Garcia’s style naturally produces the exact kind of exchanges that Lopes couldn’t create versus “The Great,” so that makes Lopes’ life a lot easier. As such, the real adjustment to make is some occasional wrestling. A takedown could change the fight in an instant, but Garcia’s defensive wrestling is solid. The more likely benefit is that a failed shot will allow Lopez to punch on the break, creating an opportunity to land without having to really box with the skilled puncher. How Garcia WinsGarcia is a bruiser with refined offense from every range. He excels at beating his opponents up continually and building towards the KO. At distance, he kicks smartly and sets up his advances to gain the pocket. Once there, he throws in combination and has power in both hands. If the trading does move into the clinch, Garcia is quick to break with elbows and knees.15 of his wins come via knockout. Lopes is a dangerous man, but there’s a chance Garcia can make him look silly, as Lopes is not hard to hit. He’s there to exchange, and if Lopes can avoid the biggest swings, he can demonstrate the difference in boxing between the two.Ultimately, Garcia’s goal should be to land first and third. The former is more dangerous, as Lopes is really good at timing intercepting blows. Garcia can alleviate that risk to some degree by feinting often and trying to keep his head off the center line while initiating exchanges. Ideally, Garcia will be able to snap a jab or 1-2, avoid the return fire, then punish Lopes while he’s still out of position with further combinations. I’d love to see Garcia rip the body as well. Any time you’re dealing with an opponent with a granite chin, it’s worth the investment to take a few shots to the breadbasket as an alternative way to deflate the tires.Lopes vs. Garcia PredictionLopes is a flawed fighter, but he’s damn good at what he does, and his physical attributes are pretty outrageous. Even with the overall boxing edge, I’m not sure Garcia can trade with Lopes without getting stunned badly at some point. When that happens, Lopes — frustrating Volkanovski fights aside — is excellent at jumping on a wounded opponent and ending things quickly.There’s also the question of grappling. While Garcia feel confident throwing his kicks or committing to his right hand when a single takedown could put him in terrible position? Lopes has more ways to win, and he’s so durable that it feels likely he’ll find some avenue to victory over 15 minutes.Prediction: Lopes via knockoutFor the latest UFC White House news and notes checkout our comprehensive event archive right here.

Newcastle’s stance on Ewen Jaouen revealed after agreeing deal for Reims goalkeeperNewcastle United have reached an agreement in principle with Reims to sign goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen.Jaouen will join for €28.5 million and has agreed a four-year deal with the club. He is set to become their first signing of this summer’s transfer window.According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Magpies consider him a long-term project. He is not expected to be their first-choice goalkeeper immediately.The 20-year-old joined Reims as an academy player in 2023. He was loaned out twice before becoming the French side’s starting goalkeeper.He has stood out for his impressive shot-stopping ability. He kept 15 clean sheets in 34 games in Ligue 2last term.Jaouen has also been linked with Chelsea, although this has now been discredited as they are not planning to sign a goalkeeper this summer.Newcastle want to revamp their goalkeeping department.They are open to selling Nick Pope, who struggled last season. Ipswich Town and Leeds United are monitoring his situation.Manchester City’s James Trafford, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Bart Verbruggen, or Lens’ Robin Risser could be Pope’s replacement. They have all been shortlisted as potential targets.Newcastle are also expected to sign a left winger following Anthony Gordon’s departure to Barcelona.Newcastle finished outside the European places last season and will be aiming to avoid a repeat next term by strengthening their squad.

‘A Galactico like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka’ – Florentino Perez promises to sign €150m star ahead of Real Madrid electionsReal Madrid president Florentino Perez has revealed plans to launch a €150 million bid for a Galactico signing along the lines of Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka.Perez is looking to counter rival Enrique Riquelme’s campaign promises ahead of the Madrid presidential elections.He made the comments on the programme Horizonte, where he dismissed Riquelme’s claims that he would sign Erling Braut Haaland for Madrid.“Regarding Haaland, everyone has denied it, so it must be a bluff,” Perez said (via Marca), adding that he does not want ‘people who destabilise the club’.He also revealed that a formal approach will be made on Tuesday for a Champions League club’s star player, with the deal expected to surpass any fee in Madrid’s history.“The player will most likely be from midfield forward – it’s not Haaland,” he added, while ruling out Premier League-based targets and insisting the signing will generate excitement.Perez stressed that the club remains the most valuable in world football and reflected on his long-standing connection with Madrid.He also highlighted the club’s financial growth, claiming it is worth around €10 billion and reaffirming his belief that Madrid continues to set global standards in sport and business.Supporters now await Tuesday’s announcement, which could reshape Madrid’s midfield and attacking structure.Given Perez’s hints that the target is likely a midfielder and the club’s desperate needs, attention naturally turns to Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves and Vitinha.Both offer elite control, press resistance and progressive passing qualities that Madrid have lacked in the post-Toni Kroos transition phase.Neves currently operates as a workhorse in the engine room, but he is a midfield conductor, while Vitinha provides technical security and quick circulation under pressure.Either would suit Jose Mourinho’s system, giving Madrid the control-oriented profile they have been missing.

Former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad suffered his third consecutive loss on Saturday losing to Gabriel Bonfim in the UFC Vegas 118 main event. It was a one-sided fight with Bonfim winning every round on the judges' scorecards. On Sunday, Muhammad released a statement addressing the loss. "Alhamdillah for everything to blessed to be stressed.. You don’t find out who you are when everything goes your way. You find out when it doesn’t. Grateful for the journey, grateful for the lessons," Muhammad wrote on Instagram. "I’ll be back...Thankyou to all my supporters my team and family .. congrats my brother on his big win his hard work paying off on his way to the title."View this post on InstagramMuhammad captured the 170-pound title by dethroning Leon Edwards in July 2024. He was beaten by Jack Della Maddalena in his first title defense and then lost to Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision. Now on a three-fight losing streak, the 37 year-old has an uphill climb back to the top of the division.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Nelly Korda won the 81st U.S. Women’s Open with less than her “B game” at a place known for Babe Zaharias, Ben Hogan and Humphrey Bogart. She dramatically horseshoed in the winning putt in a glorious amphitheater setting on primetime TV as the crowd chanted her name. At famed Riviera Country Club it felt, as her caddie Jason McDede said, like destiny. “I feel like I’m in a dream,” said 27-year-old Korda of winning the title she wanted most. “I just can’t even explain how much this means to me.”It was a fight all week. From the moment she slipped off those LeBron-gifted shoes during the first round, when she holed what she called an ice cream swirl of a 3-footer on the 72nd green.“She’s probably the icon of golf right now,” said her proud father Petr, with grandson Greyson perched high on his shoulders. Is she ever.Korda became the first American woman to win the U.S. Women’s Open while ranked No. 1 since the Rolex Rankings debuted in 2006. She’s the first American woman to reach four major titles since Meg Mallon in 2004, and the first American to win the first two majors of the season since Pat Bradley in 1986.How rarefied is Korda’s air right now? She joins a list of American players to have won four majors before age 28 that includes the Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright and Kathy Whitworth.Big sister Jessica Korda, who sat on the range Thursday afternoon and offered the tip that would turn Nelly’s game around, couldn’t even get out any words on Sunday in aftermath. Only tears.“My sister was like, I barely could sleep. I just literally told you to change your grip during a major championship,” said Korda, laughing. GET IN THERE!!Nelly Korda finds every bit of the cup to win the U.S. Women's Open!@Allypic.twitter.com/3Sz0jIz5XM— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) June 7, 2026It was, Korda said, the hardest and most uncomfortable thing she could possibly do in the heat of battle, but she pushed through and relied on a short game that proved unmatched.A gob smacked Korda was seven strokes back after the first round at Riviera and in a share of 56th. Her grittiest of comebacks ties the largest in terms of strokes by any U.S. Women’s Open champion after the first round.The 9-foot birdie putt she made on the 71st hole was the most clutch shot of her life, certainly the most consequential. She called McDede in to confirm the lead and then took her place in history, realizing a lifelong dream.“I don’t think she’ll ever get a moment like this again,” said McDede through tears. “To win at Riviera, No. 1 in the world … she’s getting older. You know, time passes.”The maturation of Korda was on full display this week. She was baffled, at times, but not panicked. If she got mad, she moved on quickly. Korda revealed this week that she has taken to traveling with Post-It notes to give herself uplifting reminders when she’s getting ready for the day. Fiancé Casey Gunderson backs it up.“Casey brings a very positive and calm personality to her tornado mess sometimes,” said Jessica with a laugh. “He's been a great addition.”Sunday’s Post-It at Riviera: “Whatever happens, happens, just give it 100 percent.”Korda has lost to only nine players all season. In eight starts, she has four wins, three runner-ups and a share of eighth. She’s now only two points shy of the LPGA Hall of Fame and has two opportunities to win the career grand slam: at the Amundi Evian Masters or AIG Women’s British Open. (The LPGA counts winning four of the five different majors a career grand slam. Capturing all five is the super slam.)The last time an American woman played her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame was Juli Inkster in 1999. Korda, with 25 points, sits on the doorstep.This is, without question, the biggest moment in women’s golf since Michelle Wie West won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2.“She's the needle mover that makes people outside of golf pay attention,” said USGA CEO and former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, adding, “I remember when Stacy (Lewis) went on her run. I told her everything on your shirt and your bag will be an [LPGA tournament] title sponsor one day, because you just reached No. 1. “And everything did.”The first U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera delivered the most packed board of major winners in championship history. But, in the end, Korda held off two players in search of their first in Gaby Lopez and Charley Hull, who now has five runner-up showings at the majors. “I pretty much only get up for the majors,” said a disappointed Hull.As Korda climbed the stairs from the 18th green Amy Alcott, the Hall of Famer who snuck onto Riviera as a kid and shaped her Hall of Fame career in the practice fairway between the first and second holes, stood ready to greet her.Earlier in the week, Korda asked Alcott for some advice, and she shared the same message her own mother offered before she won the 1980 U.S. Women’s Open.“Just go out and let the world enjoy you,” said Alcott.Of that, there was no doubt. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Nelly Korda wins first US Women's Open title, fourth career LPGA major

After two seasons as a member of Steve Kerr's coaching staff, 18-year veteran Jerry Stackhouse decided to test the free agent market in search of his first NBA head coaching job. Stackhouse has already interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers and was also said to be a 'candidate' for the Chicago Bulls' vacancy.While Stackhouse determines his future, the former Vanderbilt head coach made an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," sharing the invaluable insights he took from his time with Kerr with a panel of past NBA players, including former Warrior DeMarcus Cousins. "With Steve, it was all about, you know, he wants those guys' joy. His messaging was always on point," said Stackhouse."I saw how Steve, you know, he wants conversation. He wants to make sure that you understand—even the coaching staff—just constantly confirming with everybody to make sure that you know where you stand and you know what we're trying to get accomplished."A former championship-winning G-League head coach (Raptors 905), Stackhouse knows what it takes to develop talent. However, now with the added guidance and mentorship from Kerr, Stackhouse appears to be one of the more sought-after names remaining on the market.This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Jerry Stackhouse reveals what he learned as Steve Kerr's assistant

Alabama baseball will have to wait a bit longer to secure a spot in the College World Series. The Crimson Tide's Super Regional matchup against St. John's was postponed after a four-and-a-half hour weather delay. The suspension comes "due to field conditions." Alabama will restart against St. John's at 11 a.m. Monday, June 8. Alabama holds a 7-2 lead heading into the eighth inning against St. John's A grand slam by third baseman Jason Torres helped secure Alabama's five-run lead. Zane Adams gave Alabama 6⅓ innings of two-run baseball. After an 8-0 win against St. John's Saturday, Alabama is one win away from a College World Series bid. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama baseball vs St John's postponed, game time announced

⚠️ Snakes spotted, Switzerland issues security alertThe Switzerland national team issued an alert to all members of the squad due to a new danger at their training camp. The European side is preparing for its World Cup debut at a camp at the San Diego Jewish Academy, a place where rattlesnakes also live. That is why both the players and coaching staff received instructions on how to act in the presence of the animal, as well as a map to avoid dangerous incidents. Switzerland joins the list of teams that have received safety protocols because of the local wildlife. Such is the case of Norway, which was warned about the presence of dangerous reptiles at its base. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

LOS ANGELES — This is it. This is the moment. Mark it down for Sunday June 7, 2026, at almost straight up 5 o’clock on the West Coast.That’s when World No. 1 Nelly Korda’s three-foot par putt swirled around the edge of the cup before dropping in, and the American had won her national championship, the 81st U.S. Open, for the first time at one of the country’s greatest courses, Riviera Country Club.We won’t consider the alternative storyline if the roll had been just a quarter of an inch more to the left—other than a miss and subsequent playoff against England’s Charley Hull and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez might have changed the future of women’s professional golf.This was Korda’s moment, in front of a packed amphitheater at Riviera and no doubt a very large television audience. It was American golf’s moment. And it most certainly should be a moment that shakes awake everyone in charge of the game at all levels of women’s golf.For mothers and fathers, show your kids the example of a 27-year-old woman who works under a microscope and hot spotlight, and who only last year handled with admirable grace one frustrating close call after another in not winning for a single time.For golf instructors, teach your students that the elegance of a swing doesn’t make you great; it’s the practice and mental toughness to perform under adversity and pressure that defines champions.For the media, and even those fans who only occasional dip their toe into the waters of women’s golf, celebrate Nelly Korda as the youngest four-time women’s major winner since Mickey Wright was 25 years old in 1960. That’s the same Mickey Wright whose name and likeness appears on the medal that was draped around Korda’s neck on Sunday.Finally, for the USGA, PGA of America and, most importantly, the LPGA Tour, you are never going to have a greater chance to laud and promote a champion of women’s golf than you do right now. Do your job, find every platform and avenue possible to tell Korda’s story, and pound it into the brains of even casual sports fans about her extraordinary accomplishments.You know the story to tell: Korda is the greatest American player in a couple of generations. With as many seasons ahead of her as she chooses, she has won 19 LPGA titles, including two majors this year, has captured an Olympic gold medal, is a mere two points away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, and she is one major win on foreign soil (Evian Championship or Women’s British Open) away from becoming only the eighth player in history to capture the career Grand Slam.There are those who will say that promoting one player at the expense of all others is a dangerous gambit. That it’s risky to put all hold dear into one box. That it puts an unfair burden on your defining star. But nobody worried about that with Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, and in her sport, Korda has become their equal.“To me, she’s the GOAT, and I’ve said that for a while,” Jessica Korda, Nelly’s older sister, said on Riviera’s 18th green after the trophy ceremony. “… She’s incredible. U.S. Opens transcend sports.”Jessica Korda pointed out how popular Michelle Wie’s win was in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Just like then, part of that was her winning on such a storied site, but it also essentially was the end of a long journey for a woman whose achievement finally met expectations.The promise of this win for Nelly Korda is that it can be only the springboard to interest that she and women’s golf have never had before. And that’s exactly what the LPGA needs and craves. It is a tour searching for a defined story and mission—and a bright and frequent marketing campaign that hits a home run after years of look-at-us futility. The rest of this season’s message should be about Korda’s chance at a single-season Grand Slam and her bid to reach the Hall of Fame. It Korda doesn’t appear on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show this week, that’s already a huge miss.When Korda won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal in 2020, there was little fanfare created by the LPGA. In 2021, Mollie Marcoux Samaan was named commissioner after Mike Whan left for the USGA, and she never seemed to connect with Korda or the many of the other players. Nor did the LPGA seem to make any progress in visibility.Marcoux Samaan stepped down in late 2024 and was replaced by Craig Kessler, a golf industry veteran who previously was chief operating officer of the PGA of America. Kessler has engaged the players, including Korda, who has praised him for his energy, but has continued to be critical of the tour’s global schedule and the female-only format of the newly formed WTGL, which has been heavily backed by the LPGA.Kessler has made significant strides in the LPGA’s TV coverage, and he hired a chief marketing officer, Chad Coleman, who is well-versed in modern social media platforms. But there have been hiccups and controversies this season—the decision to cut short due to weather the season-opening Tournament of Champions, which Korda won, and the scant live promotion of Lydia Ko’s bid to shoot 59 in the Ford Championship.Kessler and the LPGA have acknowledged the issues and seem to have worked out some kinks. On Sunday, the tour had about 20 Korda-related posts. That’s big progress.Kessler, who was on hand earlier in the week but not at Riviera on Sunday, was predictably thrilled with Korda’s win. “Nelly is a generational talent, a true superstar and one of those rare talents who can capture the attention of fans well beyond her sport,” he said in a statement provided to Golf Digest by the LPGA. “What she did this week at Riviera was another reminder of why she has become such an important figure for the LPGA Tour and women’s golf.”There is one important figure in this equation, in terms of how this particular moment can drive interest: Korda herself.It has been well documented during her career that Korda is a reticent public figure, that she can be shy and introverted. In the past, interviewers’ questions could be met with professional, but bare minimum answers. Loquacious and insightful, Korda was not.But there have been glimpses this year after she won the Chevron Championship that she might be getting more comfortable in her skin, including an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that was fun and breezy. This week at Riviera, Korda’s interaction with the media was maybe the best it’s ever been. She was relaxed, engaging and thoughtful.On Saturday after her round, Korda became introspective on what she’s done to change her mindset about her golf. “At the end of the day I think I have to come to terms with my attitude change,” she said. “Like, I can express my frustrations to my parents, to a sports psychologist, but the only person at the end of the day that can change that is myself.”That’s good and promising stuff for her as a golfer and a person.It was a sentiment that made Korda, the superstar, seem more real and vulnerable than ever before. If she and those at the top of women’s golf can keep telling her story of greatness and humility, they’ve got a true moment on their hands.

Yankees Ace Continues To Torment Red Sox With Latest Gem originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Red Sox have faced New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler three times in his young career, and all three games have gone poorly for the Red Sox.Boston is 0-3 against Schlittler, who dominated them again on Sunday in the Yankees' 6-1 win at Yankee Stadium. The AL Cy Young candidate held the Red Sox to one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, lowering his career ERA against them to 0.83.Schlittler has dominated almost everyone since making his Major League debut last year, but Boston's been particularly helpless against him, managing just two earned runs off him in 21 2/3 innings.The 25-year-old's success against the Red Sox is even more painful given that he's a Massachusetts native who played college ball at Northeastern.It started last October, when Schlittler essentially ended Boston's season with eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Round. His first career start at Fenway Park in April brought more of the same with eight strong innings.Sunday was his shortest outing yet against the Red Sox, but he was still terrific and finished just one out shy of a quality start.Boston won't see him again until late June at the earliest, so its lineup still has some time to figure out why Schlittler has their number.More MLB: Red Sox Legend Explains Why Boston Shouldn't 'Blow It Up Yet'

Two local high schools took home the boys track championships this weekend.[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]Archbishop Alter and Wayne High Schools each took home titles at 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OSHAA) Boys Track and Field Championships in Akron, according to an OHSAA spokesperson.TRENDING STORIES:9 adults, 3 teens injured in mass shooting near Ohio festival2 in custody after shooting leads to multi-department chaseNeighbors worried after 2 different shootings this weekend in DaytonAlter High School said in a social media post that the boys 4x400 relay team won the Division III state championship.Tobias Garrison, Q Thomas, Rhylen Dawson, and Chimdi Eze won the state title with a time of 3:16.Wayne High School won its fourth boys track and field Division I state title.In addition, Key’Shawn Garrett won two state titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.The Huber Heights Fire Department escorted the team back to Wayne High School after they exited Interstate 70.[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

🚨Araújo leaves Uruguay camp and travels to Barcelona injuredRonald Araújo raised alarm bells in Uruguay after experiencing muscle discomfort that would keep him out of the National Team’s World Cup debut.The player received authorization from Marcelo Bielsa to travel to Barcelona to undergo medical treatment with “professionals who have treated him before” and who will help him resolve the injury. This will be quite an adventure for Araújo, as he will rejoin the National Team at their training camp in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Tuesday, June 9 (48 hours). This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Westlake Village (Calif.) Westlake wide out Demare Dezeurn has committed to Cal and broke down why he chose the Bears. Dezeurn officially visited Cal over the weekend and actually started his trip as an Oklahoma commit. On Saturday, news broke he was backing off his pledge and a day later, he announced he will play his college ball in Berkeley. “There were a lot of reasons why I chose Cal,” Dezeurn said. “I love the coaching staff and what coach Tosh (Lupoi) is building. “You can tell they’re building something special there and that’s exciting for me. Coach Tosh and the rest of the staff is going to turn things around and it’s going to be fun to be part of that first class to make it happen.”Cal wide receiver coaches Ike Hilliard and Geoff McArthur played a big role in the decision as well.“I’m very excited to play and get developed by those guys,” Dezeurn said. “Ike Hilliard is an NFL guy, he played in the League and got where I want to go so I’m excited to be coached by him.“Geoff McArthur played at Cal and was an All-American. We have a great relationship and he was big for me. He’s a great guy and a great coach, very technical so having those guys around, it’s huge for sure.”Scheme wise, Dezeurn said he’s excited about the offense and how he fits. “They want me to be a playmaker, use my speed to make explosive plays,” Dezeurn said. “They want to get the ball to me in space and also use me to stretch the field. “They want to move me around but also develop my receiver skills and route running so I’ll be able to do a little of everything. I know I can return kicks as well and there’s a lot of early opportunity there so I couldn’t pass that up.”The academic opportunities at Cal were too much to pass up as well.“At Cal, it really is the best of both worlds,” Dezeurn said. “It’s great academics and a football program that is going to win and help you get to the next level. “Location wasn’t really a factor for me but that’s an added bonus too. I’m just excited about the opportunities. Cal really felt like home, I know a lot of the guys coming in and our recruiting class is building something great so I’m excited.”

(COMBO) This combination of file pictures created on November 14, 2025, shows Spain's forward #19 Lamine Yamal (L) walking onto the pitch prior to the UEFA Nations League semi-final football match between Spain and France in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on June 5, 2025, and Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi looking on during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Argentina and Colombia at the Mas Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on June 10, 2025. The Finalissima between Lionel Messi's Argentina and Lamine Yamal's Spain will be played in March on neutral ground, said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez on November 20, 2025, in Asuncion, speaking to AFP and a Paraguayan media outlet. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO and Franck FIFE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has been asked about the infamous photograph of Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as a baby.The photograph emerged and went viral following Yamal’s emergence at Barcelona. It was part of a charity calendar photoshoot that took place when Messi was 20 and Yamal just five months old.De la Fuente says it could just be an amazing co-incidence but admits that there may have been some divine intervention involved“Maybe Messi has picked up lots of babies,” he told The Guardian. “Maybe it’s chance. But for those of us who have faith, who believe in something beyond, ‘chance’ is God’s pseudonym when he doesn’t want to sign his name. In life I think, everything happens for a reason.”The Spain boss was also asked if Yamal is Messi’s successor but didn’t really want to go there, replying: “Messi: those are big words. Messi has been, is, and will always be … he is football.”

The Denver Broncos are heading into the 2026 season as reigning AFC West champions, with their defense one of the most feared units in the league. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper was a key piece of that machine, recording eight sacks last season as part of a franchise-record 68-sack campaign. But as training camp approaches, an off-field incident has put one of Denver’s most reliable pass rushers at the center of a serious legal story.Jonathon Cooper and Girlfriend Arrested on Domestic Violence ChargesBroncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper and his girlfriend, Jade Fiegen, were both taken into custody Thursday night in connection with a domestic violence case following an alleged late-night dispute at Cooper’s Denver-area home.According to Douglas County jail records, Cooper was booked on two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief after being arrested by Parker Police at around 11:16 PM and processed into the Douglas County Jail at 2:38 AM Friday.Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper Arrested After Alleged Domestic Dispute with GF Jade Fiegen (Imagn Images)Reports say the altercation escalated inside Cooper’s apartment amid allegations of infidelity. Fiegen told police she threw Cooper’s phone against a wall during an argument over alleged infidelity at the Broncos star’s residence.She claimed that as she tried to leave the apartment, Cooper grabbed her by the neck with one hand and lifted her off her feet and up against the wall. In the arrest affidavit, Fiegen also claimed Cooper held her up in the air for around one minute. She stated he then let her go but picked her up and threw her on the ground three times.Both Cooper and Fiegen were booked on misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and criminal mischief. The criminal mischief counts stem from the damage each caused to the other’s phone during the struggle.Cooper appeared in court on Friday and was released on a personal recognizance bond, according to his attorney, Harvey Steinberg. After his release, Cooper addressed the situation on social media.“I apologize to my family and my friends and my community… And so many others. Sincerely. I apologize. This situation is not who I am.” Cooper wroteThe NFL and the Broncos released statements acknowledging they are “aware of the matter.”Beyond the courtroom, Cooper’s place in Denver’s 2026 plans now hangs in the balance. His contract, his roster spot, and the Broncos’ defensive identity all face real questions heading into the season.Cooper’s Arrest Puts Broncos Defense and $54M Contract at RiskCooper is entering his sixth season with the Broncos. He has started every game since 2023 and has 31.5 career sacks, with at least eight sacks in each of the last three seasons, including a career-best 10.5 sacks in 2024 when he signed a four-year, $54 million contract extension.Any disciplinary action from the NFL, which has its own personal conduct policy separate from the legal process, could affect his availability and his contract. The NFL’s domestic violence policy carries a baseline six-game suspension for a first offense, though outcomes vary based on the specifics of each investigation.Opposite Cooper is Nik Bonitto, a two-time Pro Bowler. Beyond those two, the Broncos have Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson, Drew Sanders, and Johnny Walker. Replacing Cooper’s production would not be simple, and Denver’s coaching staff now faces an uncertain offseason as the legal process plays out.Cooper faces a disposition hearing today, June 8, as the legal process moves forward. He recorded eight sacks in 2025, second on the team, as Denver set a franchise record with 68 sacks. The Broncos open the 2026 regular season on September 14 at the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, with Cooper’s status for the season now uncertain.The post Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper Arrested After Alleged Domestic Dispute with GF Jade Fiegen appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

The Los Angeles Lakers need to add at least one two-way wing to their roster in order to take the next step forward and become championship contenders. Given all of their incumbent free agents they will want to keep on new contracts, they may need to go for a low-cost player in order to address at least one of their roster needs.Ochai Agbaji is a 26-year-old 6-foot-5 wing with the Brooklyn Nets who has shown some promise in his four seasons in the NBA but hasn't put it all together, at least not yet. Maxwell Ogden of Lake Show Life suggested that the Lakers take a flyer on Agbaji and look to rebuild him while his value is low."As the Los Angeles Lakers search for low-cost talent to bolster their rotation via free agency, Ochai Agbaji should be a priority signing as a player with a believable shot at redemption," Ogden wrote."Agbaji, 26, finished the 2024-25 season with averages of 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 offensive board, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in 27.2 minutes per game. He did so while shooting with elite efficiency at a clip of .498/.399/.708."Unfortunately, Agbaji's production regressed to marks of 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 offensive boards, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 three-point field goals made in 15.7 minutes per game in 2025-26. He even shot poorly at a clip of .436/.266/.837."As such, a player who seemed destined for a big pay day during the 2026 period of free agency is now likely to be limited to short-term contract offers. If that proves to be the case, then the Lakers must do what they can to at least get a one-year deal, if not a second-year club option, out of negotiations with Agbaji."Agbaji may not be a guaranteed success story, but he's talented enough to emerge as the type of 3-and-D wing the Lakers desperately need."Agbaji, who was the No. 14 pick in the 2022 draft, was lauded when he came out of the University of Kansas for his leaping ability, 6-foot-10 wingspan and overall athleticism. He was thought to have some real potential as a defender, and despite his offensive struggles this season, he did do well on that end of the floor, as Ogden pointed out."For as poorly as he played on offense, Agbaji actually turned in a solid defensive season. He ranked in the 83rd percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index, and placed in the 78th percentile in defensive positional versatility."Agbaji made nearly $6.4 million this season, and he is about to become a restricted free agent.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Writer suggests Lakers take a flyer on promising 3-and-D wing

LAWRENCE — The second lengthy weather delay Sunday didn’t end with Kansas baseball and Oklahoma continuing their game, as the decision was made to suspended this matchup and finish it Monday.The first delay pushed first pitch at Hoglund Ballpark in this NCAA super regional game from 5 p.m. (CT) to 7:30 p.m. (CT). The second delay started at 8:40 p.m. (CT), and at 10:23 p.m. (CT) the announcement was made that the game will continue on Monday at 12:02 p.m. (CT) — according to a social media post on X by the KU team. At the time of the start of the second delay, Oklahoma held an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning and looked poised to coast to a victory.RELATED: Kansas baseball vs Oklahoma super regional suspended, resumes Monday: UpdatesShould Oklahoma win this game, it would capture a super regional title after already beating Kansas once before in this best-of-three series. That first game was Saturday and saw the Sooners dominate on the way to an 8-1 victory. Kansas would need to come back in this second game and then win another game — set for Monday at 4:06 p.m. (CT) if needed — in order to win this series and advance to the College World Series.This season has seen Kansas enjoy a lot of success prior to this super regional. The Jayhawks won the Big 12 Conference’s regular-season and tournament titles before winning the Lawrence Regional. That momentum, though, hasn’t carried over into this showdown against SEC foe Oklahoma.Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What time will Kansas baseball vs OU resume Monday in super regional?

CHICAGO — The Giants did what they couldn’t a day earlier: They plated the automatic runner placed at second base to begin extras and prevented the Cubs from doing so in their turn to bat.Jonah Cox, in as a pinch-runner, raced home on an opposite-field single from Matt Chapman for only the Giants’ second run of the game that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win Sunday night against the Cubs, who walked them off in extras the previous afternoon.Chapman’s RBI single was only the Giants’ fourth hit of the night and their first since the fourth inning, completely stymied by Javiar Assad, who only entered the game after Jameson Taillon strained his hamstring one batter into the second inning.Dylan Smith, one of the only arms left in the Giants’ bullpen, struck out Michael Conforto to begin the bottom of the 10th and worked around a stolen base that put the tying run on third and forced the infield in with one out to earn his first career save.San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hits a one-run single during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhWilly Adames had to backpedal into the shallow outfield from the cut of the infield grass to secure a popup from Michael Busch for the second out and stranded the Cubs’ automatic runner 90 feet away with another popup from Alex Bregman for the final out.The Giants were in action early against Taillon, who walked Rafael Devers and allowed him to come around to score on an opposite-field single from Jung Hoo Lee to open a 1-0 lead.But as soon as Assad entered, the Giants went silent. Assad allowed only three Giants to reach base while tossing 6 ⅓ shutout innings of surprise relief, putting the Cubs in position to break the 1-1 tie in the eighth. A walk and an error by Erik Miller had put runners at the corners with nobody out, but pinch-runner Kevin Alcantara was doubled up at third on a broken-bat line drive that went straight to Devers.San Francisco Giants’ Rafael Devers, right, scores on a one-run single by Jung Hoo Lee. AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhThey survived the eighth and got around a walk from Winn in the ninth that put the potential winning run in scoring position and brought Pete Crow-Armstrong to the plate.Crow-Armstrong, who provided the heroics with a walkoff homer the previous afternoon, came up with the winning run on second in the ninth but grounded out to first.The Cubs led the majors in walkoff wins, and the Giants had been walked off more than all but one other team, but their fortunes flipped in a late-night finale to their 10-game, three-city trip.What it meansThe Giants, one of the majors’ worst teams away from home with a 14-23 road record entering the game, finished off their first non-losing road trip since their first of the season.San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, right, gets a high-five from Luis Arraez during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhWho’s hotDespite their struggles against Assad, the Giants should return home feeling good about the biggest bats in their order, which isn’t something that could be said for much of the season.Before Taillon exited, Lee extended his hitting streak to 15 games — the longest active streak in the majors — and finished the trip batting 23-for-41.Bryce Eldridge also extended his on-base streak to 14 games and went 15-for-35.The much-maligned middle of the order has also come alive with Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman combining to drive in 31 runs on eight home runs and 10 other extra-base hits while batting a respectable .271.San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Trevor McDonald throws against Chicago Cubs during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhWho’s notThe last time McDonald took the mound, he became the first Giants starter since his last turn in the rotation to complete five innings. This time around, another solid start from the rookie capped a suboptimal road trip from the rest of the pitching staff.Despite their bats breaking out in a big way since they left home, the Giants still barely/didn’t even break/broke even over the 10 game, three-city trip.Dating back to the start of the trip, the 6.49 ERA from Giants pitchers is the second-worst in the majors, ahead of only the Rockies, and it’s no secret what has been the biggest culprit.The 55 walks issued over the course of the trip were the most by any Giants team over a 10-game stretch since 2010, averaging out to almost two every three innings.Up nextThe Giants face an ultra-quick turnaround before hosting the Nationals on Monday to begin a six-game homestand. Logan Webb, who flew ahead of the team, gets the ball against Miles Mikolas and will be tasked with trying to hold in check the majors’ top run-scoring operation.

Every season brings a new struggle for people in Dadu District, Pakistan, an area prone to sandstorms, drought and flooding.

He used the pandemic to ruthlessly tighten his grip on the country. Then he energized its economy by leveraging Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, who meet on Monday, have recently clashed with President Trump. Their motivations, however, may be different.

A new federal lawsuit is trying to stop next weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 card on the South Lawn of the White House. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two Virginia residents by the Public Integrity Project, was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia this weekend in an effort to stop the June 14 bout. It called the event on the White House grounds “deeply corrupt” and alleged that several federal rules and regulations have been violated in an effort by President Donald Trump to give UFC head Dana White a favor. “The President is giving White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access,” the lawsuit reads, via The Athletic.Plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged that the Department of Interior and the National Park Service violated federal law by both organizing a private sporting event on public property and failing to obtain congressional approval for construction sites, according to ESPN. As the South Lawn and other monuments where events will take place are federal land, the lawsuit alleged, construction of the UFC stadium occurred without a required environmental review. Construction has already started for the event, including a 600-ton steel arch on White House grounds.The lawsuit is asking for an injunction to stop the event. The lead attorney for the Public Integrity Project, Brendan Ballou, said he expects a ruling on that this week. "We think that this is a profound misuse of our sacred national monuments for private gain," Ballou said, via ESPN. "And we think that needs to be stopped because it breaks the law … Ultimately, we want to stop this fight, this weigh-in and the permanent installation of the quote-unquote claw.“And I want to be clear, this is not an attack on MMA in the slightest. This is an attack on the corruption that is facilitating this event."Ballou also called out financial issues he sees with the event, including the $1.5 million sponsorship packages, potential other advertisements throughout the event, and an exclusive streaming deal with Paramount+. He also said that he believes the event doesn’t qualify for a special events exemption for the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration, as it is being planned by the UFC and not an “executive department or agency” within the federal government.White has said that the UFC is spending $60 million on the event, and it will pay $700,000 to restore the South Lawn after it is done.The UFC, Department of Interior, National Park Service and Department of Justice did not comment to ESPN, though a Trump administration official slammed the lawsuit in a statement. "This is an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our Nation's history during our semiquincentennial celebration," the statement read. "This iconic event is no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year."Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria are set to headline the UFC 250 card in their lightweight title bout next Sunday night. Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will square off in the heavyweight interim title bout, too. The UFC is scheduled to hold news conferences on Friday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial and weigh-ins on Saturday at the Ellipse. The fights on Sunday will take place on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, too. If it moves forward, it would be the first professional sports event on White House grounds in history.

The WTA Queen’s Club first-round action begins on Monday. The WTA Tour shifts into grass season right after the end of Roland-Garros. Queen’s Club is a WTA 500 event in England. With tour players having just three weeks before Wimbledon, most pros will attempt to play at least two of those three weeks, maybe allowing one week for rest. Because grass season is so short, players need to get used to the surface since they don’t usually practice on it most of the year, especially in the offseason. Players need the match play as much as they need the paycheck and the ranking points. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.WTA Queen’s Club Pliskova – Kessler: Time 5:00 ESTH2H: 0-0Karolina Pliskova faces McCartney Kessler. It’s the first grass match of the season for both players. They both played their most recent matches at the French Open, with Kessler losing early in the main draw and Pliskova losing in qualifying. Notably, Pliskova played many matches in Madrid and Rome before Paris, so she might have been slightly tired at Roland-Garros. She has gained plenty of rest going into this match. Kessler has plenty of rest as well, but Pliskova might have needed the rest a little more. Best Bet to MakePliskova is ranked just outside the top 100, but she was outside the top 200 earlier in this spring before her runs in Madrid and Rome boosted her ranking. Kessler is the higher-ranked player, but Pliskova is a former Wimbledon finalist who knows her way around grass and whose serve is helped by grass. This match is priced very close to a toss-up, with the average odds for Kessler moneyline being 1.82 and Pliskova moneyline at 1.88. You can get Pliskova moneyline for an even 2.00 at one book. That’s way too good to pass up here.That being said, betting on Pliskova winning is a value bet for sure.Value bet/ the best odds: Pliskova winning @2.00 @UnibetBoulter – Fernandez: Time 5:00 ESTH2H: 2–1Katie Boulter faces Leylah Fernandez. This is the first grass match of the year for both players. Fernandez is ranked inside the top 30, several dozen spots higher than Boulter, who is outside the top 50. Both players are 2-4 in their last six matches. Neither player is in especially good form coming into this battle. Boulter will be playing in her home nation, which might give her a boost, but Fernandez has a lot to prove after a very ordinary clay season. Grass could treat her better.Mar 20, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Zheng Qinwen (CHN) serves against Lauren Davis (USA) on day three of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Jim SmithBest Bet to MakeBoulter is not an easy opponent to play on grass, but Fernandez is a better player. Also, Boulter has not been in good form. She is not playing well enough to deserve a bettor’s trust as an underdog in this match. Fernandez is getting moneyline value. With her ranking being several dozen spots higher than Boulter, the price for Fernandez moneyline could have been a lot worse. Make it simple and take Fernandez to win the match. You don’t have to go for straight sets, just moneyline.That being said, betting on Fernandez winning is a value bet for sure.Value bet/ the best odds: Fernandez winning @1.75 @InterwettenZheng – Cristian: Time 5:00 ESTH2H: 2–2Qinwen Zheng faces Jaqueline Cristian. Qinwen Zheng used to be a top-10 player, but she has fallen out of the top 50 and is enduring a very rough period in her tennis career. Yet, she’s the clear betting market favorite in this match because Jaqueline Cristian is 3-4 in her last seven matches and is not coming into Queen’s Club in great form. Cristian did well at a smaller recent tournament in Strasbourg but has not been especially strong at the bigger events on tour in 2026. Best Bet to MakeZheng winning could be part of a parlay. However, Zheng’s form means it will be hard to trust her to win in straight sets. You will get a very good price for Cristian winning one set. With Zheng going through a difficult time in her career, Cristian should at least be able to make this match close. That’s where a single bet should go, even while you fold Zheng moneyline into a parlay.That being said, betting on Cristian +1.5 sets is a value bet for sure.Value bet/ the best odds: Cristian +1.5 sets @1.85 @BetwayMain Photo Credit: Taya Gray-USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS – Spencer Steer’s value as the most versatile player on the Cincinnati Reds’ roster is well documented, including appearances at five positions this year – and starts at 4.But his All-Star value?Three years after a top-6 finish in Rookie of the Year voting, Steer responded to a rough three-week start to the season with the look of a guy making an All-Star push as fan voting gets underway.His consistent production since mid-April earned him time in the No. 3 hole in the lineup in recent days.Not that the idea of an All-Star bid has crossed his mind, he said.“I’ve always thought if you show up every day and play the game to win, then all the individual accomplishments and accolades take care of themselves,” Steer said.Since a .190 start 20 games into the season, Steer’s hitting .305 with six homers, nine doubles, 22 walks and an .881 OPS (in 43 games through Saturday).If Steer’s not looking for an All-Star bid, he says several teammates should.“There’s a lot of guys in here that deserve it,” Steer said, surveying the clubhouse. “I don’t know if I can put a number on it, but there’s a lot of guys who have played really well this year and who have stepped up.”If the Reds don’t pull out of their team malaise quickly, they might have trouble landing more than the mandatory lone All-Star, regardless of how many are performing well.Meanwhile, check out where Steer lands on the Enquirer’s latest list of candidates.This week’s Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings (previous ranking in parentheses):1. RHP Chase Burns (1)The power-pitching right-hander in his first full season in the majors keeps his spot atop the rankings as he heads into his 13th start of the season Tuesday in San Diego.Despite spinning his eighth quality start of the season – and allowing two or fewer runs for the 11th time in 12 starts – his ERA actually went up. To a *whopping* 2.05. Which is the fourth-best mark in the majors.Burns (7-1) also ranks second in MLB in pitching bWAR, seventh in WHIP and seventh in K/9.2. OF JJ Bleday (5)The reigning National League player of the month didn’t make his Reds debut until April 26 after spending the first month of the season in the minors. He led the NL in slugging (.631) and OPS (1.018) in May, and also for the month was tied for first in RBIs (25), tied for third in home runs (eight) and was in the top 10 in walks (15).His POM award was the Reds’ first since Joey Votto won it in July 2021. Then he homered on the first day of June. And moved up three spots in our rankings.3. IF/OF Spencer Steer (4)When he failed to reach base in Sunday’s series finale in St. Louis, it marked the first time he hadn’t reached by hit or walk since May 8, ending the longest active streak in the majors. The 24 consecutive games was the longest streak by a Red since Votto’s 25 in 2021.Steer hit .307 with three home runs and 13 walks, a .392 on-base percentage and an All-Star-worthy .869 OPS during the streak.4. SS Elly De La Cruz (2)Nothing De La Cruz did on the field caused the drop two spots in this week’s rankings. It’s the fact that he’s not on the field, having opened the month with hamstring injury that resulted in his first career trip to the injured list.The two-time All-Star was a near-lock to win a third bid at his two-month performance pace. Now it’s mostly a matter of having enough time to get back in the race – or of having enough national popularity to win the fan vote regardless of playing status.5. 1B/3B Sal Stewart (3)A monster April is keeping Stewart firmly in the running for an All-Star selection in his rookie season. But he’s come back to earth since then, hitting .236 with three homers, a .694 OPS and 33 strikeouts in the 32 games that followed. He may need to rally to earn a spot in the Classic at the traditionally ultra competitive position, especially if the team doesn’t rally enough to open the door for multiple candidates.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Spencer Steer makes All-Star push, moves up in Reds Power Rankings

ST. LOUIS – Spencer Steer’s value as the most versatile player on the Cincinnati Reds’ roster is well documented, including appearances at five positions this year – and starts at 4.But his All-Star value?Three years after a top-6 finish in Rookie of the Year voting, Steer responded to a rough three-week start to the season with the look of a guy making an All-Star push as fan voting gets underway.His consistent production since mid-April earned him time in the No. 3 hole in the lineup in recent days.Not that the idea of an All-Star bid has crossed his mind, he said.“I’ve always thought if you show up every day and play the game to win, then all the individual accomplishments and accolades take care of themselves,” Steer said.Since a .190 start 20 games into the season, Steer’s hitting .305 with six homers, nine doubles, 22 walks and an .881 OPS (in 43 games through Saturday).If Steer’s not looking for an All-Star bid, he says several teammates should.“There’s a lot of guys in here that deserve it,” Steer said, surveying the clubhouse. “I don’t know if I can put a number on it, but there’s a lot of guys who have played really well this year and who have stepped up.”If the Reds don’t pull out of their team malaise quickly, they might have trouble landing more than the mandatory lone All-Star, regardless of how many are performing well.Meanwhile, check out where Steer lands on the Enquirer’s latest list of candidates.This week’s Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings (previous ranking in parentheses):1. RHP Chase Burns (1)The power-pitching right-hander in his first full season in the majors keeps his spot atop the rankings as he heads into his 13th start of the season Tuesday in San Diego.Despite spinning his eighth quality start of the season – and allowing two or fewer runs for the 11th time in 12 starts – his ERA actually went up. To a *whopping* 2.05. Which is the fourth-best mark in the majors.Burns (7-1) also ranks second in MLB in pitching bWAR, seventh in WHIP and seventh in K/9.2. OF JJ Bleday (5)The reigning National League player of the month didn’t make his Reds debut until April 26 after spending the first month of the season in the minors. He led the NL in slugging (.631) and OPS (1.018) in May, and also for the month was tied for first in RBIs (25), tied for third in home runs (eight) and was in the top 10 in walks (15).His POM award was the Reds’ first since Joey Votto won it in July 2021. Then he homered on the first day of June. And moved up three spots in our rankings.3. IF/OF Spencer Steer (4)When he failed to reach base in Sunday’s series finale in St. Louis, it marked the first time he hadn’t reached by hit or walk since May 8, ending the longest active streak in the majors. The 24 consecutive games was the longest streak by a Red since Votto’s 25 in 2021.Steer hit .307 with three home runs and 13 walks, a .392 on-base percentage and an All-Star-worthy .869 OPS during the streak.4. SS Elly De La Cruz (2)Nothing De La Cruz did on the field caused the drop two spots in this week’s rankings. It’s the fact that he’s not on the field, having opened the month with hamstring injury that resulted in his first career trip to the injured list.The two-time All-Star was a near-lock to win a third bid at his two-month performance pace. Now it’s mostly a matter of having enough time to get back in the race – or of having enough national popularity to win the fan vote regardless of playing status.5. 1B/3B Sal Stewart (3)A monster April is keeping Stewart firmly in the running for an All-Star selection in his rookie season. But he’s come back to earth since then, hitting .236 with three homers, a .694 OPS and 33 strikeouts in the 32 games that followed. He may need to rally to earn a spot in the Classic at the traditionally ultra competitive position, especially if the team doesn’t rally enough to open the door for multiple candidates.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Spencer Steer makes All-Star push, moves up in Reds Power Rankings

Dylan Harper is generating plenty of buzz this postseason. He’s been lighting it up for the San Antonio Spurs, and even though he is a rookie, he has consistently risen to the occasion when the challenge gets tougher. He had a slow start to the season, but he is making up for lost time and is now regarded as one of the Spurs’ most important players.His team is entering Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks trailing 0-2 after dropping both home games. Game 2 was especially heartbreaking, as they lost by just one point following a costly error by star Victor Wembanyama.The Spurs must play with a sense of urgency from this point forward, and Harper said he is built for moments like these.“Desperation. I think for me, I feel like I’m at my best when I play with that type of desperation, and I think that’s what’s kind of needed for this occasion,” Harper said on Sunday when asked about his approach for the next two games.“I feel like I’m going to go out there and no matter what the circumstances, I think if I’m not playing with that type of fire or grit, I’m doing a disservice to everyone.”Dylan Harper as a starter?Harper has been steady for the Spurs throughout the playoffs. He broke out as a starter in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and even though he was moved back to the bench in favor of De’Aaron Fox, he has remained just as productive.There is now a growing push for him to become a starter and replace Fox in the lineup.New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) grabs his leg as San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) looks on during the first quarter during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesThe Spurs are outscoring the Knicks by 15.3 points per 100 possessions when Dylan Harper shares the court with Victor Wembanyama.Needing to win three of the next four to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, it’s time to bench De’Aaron Fox in favor of Wembanyama’s long-term option. pic.twitter.com/KdUTbLAuts— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 6, 2026Will Mitch Johnson heed the call in this desperate time?

As Broadway’s brightest gathered for the industry’s biggest night, here’s an up-close look at what you couldn’t see on TV.

Every season brings a new struggle for people in Dadu District, Pakistan, an area prone to sandstorms, drought and flooding.

Where to watch U.S. Open golf qualifying 2026: TV channel, live stream, schedule, sites for final 36-hole qualifiers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here."Golf's Longest Day" is the official beginning of the U.S. Open, as players seek to earn the last few spots in the third major of the year later this month.While this year's U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York, the U.S. Open qualifiers will take place across a variety of golf courses in North America. The final golfers with hopes of competing on Father's Day weekend will need to produce a strong 36 holes of golf to secure their spot in a few weeks.WATCH: U.S. Open golf qualifying 2026 with DIRECTTVMany big name golfers will be joined by other surprising entries in this year's U.S. Open qualifiers, which will take place across the entire day on Monday.Here's how fans can follow along with the 2026 U.S. Open final qualifiers on Monday afternoon.How to watch U.S. Open golf qualifying 2026TV channel: Golf ChannelLive stream:DIRECTV,The Golf Channel will have coverage of all of the U.S. Open qualifiers throughout the day on Monday beginning at Noon ET. Fans who want a streaming option can use DIRECTV.U.S. Open golf qualifying 2026 start timeDate: Monday, June 4Time: Noon ETCoverage of the U.S. Open golf qualifying will begin at Noon ET on Monday, June 4. Golf Channel will have coverage of the event through the end of the day outside of a few select episodes of pre-taped programming in between.U.S. Open golf qualifying sites 2026There are 10 U.S. Open qualifiers taking place at different sites across North America on Monday. Here's a look at which courses are hosting U.S. Open qualifiers this year:Lambton Golf and Country Club, Ontario, CanadaDel Paso Country Club, Sacramento, CaliforniaSpringfield Country Club, Springfield, OhioEmerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, OregonWoodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, MarylandBellenIsles Country Club (East Course), Palm Beach Gardens, FloridaCentury Country Club and Golf Club of Purchase, Purchase, New YorkGaston Country Club, Gastonia, North CarolinaLakes Golf and Country Club, Westerville, OhioHawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, GeorgiaThere were also already three other completed qualifiers at Walton Health Golf Club in Tadworth, United Kingdom, Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas Texas and Hino Golf Club in Shiga, Japan.

What time is the NBA Finals tonight? TV schedule, channel to watch Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.After a back-and-forth Game 2 which saw both teams lead by double-digits at separate points, the Knicks came out with a 1-point win.In NBA Finals history, 37 teams have taken a 2-0 lead. 32 of them won the series, including every team to win the first two games on the road. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Knicks in Game 2. The New Jersey Native scored a team-high 21 points with 13 rebounds to boot. He also went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson each tacked on 20 points and 6 assists of their own. The Spurs ran their offense through Victor Wembanyama once again. The French big man scored 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting with 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. De'Aaron Fox scored 20 of his own and dished out five assistsIn Game 3, both teams will be concerned with pace. The Knicks excelled on fast breaks, scoring 19 points to the Spurs' 11. The Spurs will look to slow the pace in order to set up better looks in the paint and avoid the steals that plagued them in Game 2. Here's what you need to know about Monday's matchup between the Knicks and Spurs, including broadcast information and start time.Knicks vs. Spurs start timeDate: Monday, June 8Time: 8:30 p.m. ETGame 3 of the NBA Playoffs series between Knicks and Spurs is set to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York City.What channel is Knicks vs. Spurs on today?TV channel: ABCLive streams: ESPN app, DIRECTV, fuboKnicks vs. Spurs Game 3 will be broadcast by ABC and will stream live on the ESPN app or via DIRECTV or fubo, which offer a free trial to new users. Catch every game – try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live MLB, March Madness, soccer and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1, and NFL Network—all included with DIRECTV.Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.Knicks vs. Spurs series scheduleNew York leads series 2-0DateGameTime (ET)WatchJune 3Game 1: Knicks 105, Spurs 95——June 5Game 2: Knicks 105, Spurs 104——June 8Game 3 at Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTVJune 10Game 4 at Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTVJune 13Game 5* at Spurs8:30 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTVJune 16Game 6* at Knicks8:30 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTVJune 19Game 7* at Spurs8:30 p.m.ABC, ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTV* If necessaryNBA Playoffs bracket 2026Click here for the updated 2026 NBA Playoffs bracket from The Sporting News.NBA Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2026Here are the key dates to know for the NBA Playoffs and offseason. EventDatesNBA Finals beginJune 3NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary)June 19NBA DraftJune 23-24NBA Summer League Las VegasJuly 9-19Related LinksLatest NBA news and rumorsFull 2025-26 NBA schedule and scoresHow to bet on the NBAThe GOAT Debate: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

The Georgia Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State by a final score of 11-9 on Sunday afternoon. The Dawgs won thanks to a two-run Daniel Jackson home run in the 10th inning to secure the series victory in Game 2 of the Athens Super Regional, and Georgia has punched their ticket to the 2026 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.Both games of the Super Regional against Mississippi State were nothing short of a shootout. Georgia defeated the Bulldogs 13-12 on Saturday, and Sunday’s 11-9 win was an elite offensive showing for the second day in a row. Georgia shortstop Kolby Branch was excellent at the plate, as the senior went 3-for-4 while also hitting two critical home runs. "We try to try to give our guys something hard to do every single day, whether it be physical or mental," Georgia baseball manager Wes Johnson said after the game. "And you just saw a bunch of resilient guys, and you saw the fruition of all that work come through."Georgia’s Justin Byrd played a critical role out of the bullpen for the Dawgs as well. Each team struggled on the mound throughout the series, but Byrd was able to shut the Bulldogs down in the ninth and 10th inning and ultimately secured the win for Georgia.Next up, the Dawgs will now travel to Nebraska for the 2026 College World Series in hopes of securing their second National Championship in program history. Georgia will face the winner of the Austin Super Regional in the opening round of the College World Series next weekend. Texas currently leads Oregon 1-0 in the series, with Game 2 concluding later today. Follow UGA Wire on Instagram, Facebook, X or Threads for more Georgia baseball coverage! This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia baseball defeats Mississippi State 11-9, punches CWS ticket

Tigers' Tarik Skubal's unthinkable elbow recovery paves the way for MLB through medical advancement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Detroit Tigers lost Tarik Skubal at the beginning of May after he injured his elbow. It was later announced that Skubal would undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, a procedure that has become increasingly common around Major League Baseball.Elbow surgery to remove loose bodies has become a more frequent procedure in MLB. For Skubal, the expectation was that he would be sidelined for a couple of months.“Many pitchers have had arthroscopic procedures to remove loose bodies, such as a bone chip, which is what Skubal had, and the typical recovery time is two to three months,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote.However, just one month later, Skubal was set to make his first appearance since the injury. His return came significantly quicker than expected as he took the mound for the West Michigan Whitecaps.“Tarik Skubal’s next team has been revealed: The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is about to become a West Michigan Whitecap, making a rehab start with the High-A club on Sunday. The start against Dayton could be the final step in Skubal’s rehab following surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow,” MLB.com’s Jason Beck wrote.Skubal was lights out in his rehab appearance, and it hardly looked like he was returning from an elbow injury. It appears the nanoscope technology used during his surgery could represent a turning point in procedures involving loose bodies.“Tarik Skubal underwent elbow surgery May 6. One month and one day later, he threw five scoreless innings on 54 pitches and punched out six at High-A. Maybe Skubal is just that guy, but if nanoscope technology halves the return time from bone-chip injuries, what an advancement,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted.Everyone around the league is going to take notice of how quickly Skubal returned. If the results continue to be this successful, the nanoscope could become a common tool used in these types of surgeries.Not only did Skubal return remarkably fast from surgery, but he may have also helped establish a new trend for future procedures. Teams and players throughout the league will undoubtedly want a quicker recovery from loose-body surgery, and if this technology continues to deliver these kinds of results, it could become the new standard across baseball.Braves-Tigers trade pitch sends $32M 2-time Cy Young winner to Atlanta to pair with Chris SalePhillies predicted to trade for $426M 9-time Silver Slugger, 3-time MVP to bolster batting lineupBlue Jays predicted to trade for $32M 2-time Cy Young winner to save injury-plagued seasonBraves exposed by glaring problem during Drake Baldwin's oblique recovery

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - JUNE 07: Lewis Hamilton (44) of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari HP sprays champagne at Kimi Antonelli (12) of Italy and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team after the F1 Monaco Grand Prix on June 7, 2026 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesKimi Antonelli pulled off a sensational drive through the streets of Monte Carlo to take a historic victory at the Monaco Grand Prix.Having started the race on pole after producing what he described as a “magic lap” the day before, the Mercedes driver dominated the race from the start all the way to the checkered flag, scoring his fifth consecutive career victory and making history as the youngest winner of the Monaco Grand Prix at just 19 years, nine months and 13 days old.The Italian also became the youngest driver in F1 history to achieve a grand slam (grand chelem) - taking pole position, leading every lap, clocking the fastest lap and securing victory.“It’s been an incredible weekend, an incredible race,” said Antonelli. “It was one of those days where we had incredible pace and it was just coming all so naturally.“The car was feeling incredible and it was just giving me the confidence to push, so it was a very enjoyable day.”MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - JUNE 07: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on June 07, 2026 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Monaco Grand Prix got off to a dramatic start when Max Verstappen, who was lined up in second eyeing his first win of the season, suffered an engine failure that prevented him from getting off the line before having to retire from the race on the first lap.With one of his main threats out of the way and a fantastic launch on his end, Antonelli managed to hold onto his position and pull out a commanding gap of over 20 seconds, having even lapped all but the top three as the race wore on.The gap evaporated however when a safety car was deployed with 18 laps to go after Lance Stroll crashed his Aston Martin at the final corner.When the race resumed, home favorite Charles Leclerc crashed at the same corner while running in third place, prompting the FIA to suspend the race and inspect the track surface.After a 40-minute stoppage, the race was resumed with a standing restart for the final eight laps, and a calm Antonelli once again pulled away to score a dominant victory with a margin of 6.271 seconds, surviving two safety cars and a red flag.Second-place finisher Lewis Hamilton of Scuderia Ferrari celebrates on the podium during the 2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix. (Photo by Nicola Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)Getty ImagesHamilton, who jumped into second at the start of the race, managed to hold onto his position to the flag, scoring his third podium finish in Ferrari red.Now the seven-time world champion has eight Monaco podium finishes, equalling the legendary Ayrton Senna’s podium record in the Principality.“I have to start by congratulating Kimi and the Mercedes team, my old family,” said Hamilton. “They’ve done it again, they’ve created an amazing car and Kimi’s doing an incredible job, just delivering weekend in, weekend out. It’s great to see and I’m really happy for them.“On our side, I think we’ve been progressing over the past months and can’t quite keep up with them just yet, and it’s probably going to take a lot of work for us to get to their level.“But to get another second place is such a great feeling, especially in Monaco, under the trickiest conditions. It was the hardest conditions out there, and we’ve had such a great turnout today as well, so I’ll definitely take it.”Isack Hadjar celebrated his first podium finish with Red Bull, having inherited third place after Pierre Gasly of Alpine was penalized twice for pit lane speeding. Although Hadjar was at risk of losing his P3 post-race, the stewards cleared the team of any red flag infringements after a review.Elsewhere, Oscar Piastri scored McLaren’s only points with a fourth-place finish, while defending champion Lando Norris suffered a DNF for the second race in a row.The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad put in a strong showing to net fifth and sixth respectively, followed by Gasly who fell back to seventh after his penalties.Alexander Albon grabbed eighth place for Williams ahead of Esteban Ocon’s Haas, with Fernando Alonso scoring his and Aston Martin’s first point of the season.It was Sergio Perez who originally took what would have been Cadillac’s first point in F1, but the Mexican driver was later hit with a 10-second penalty for being out of position at the restart after the red flag.With the Monaco weekend now wrapped up, Antonelli maintains a strong grip on the championship lead with a 66-point advantage over Hamilton, who moved up from fourth to second following his P2 on Sunday.Title hopeful George Russell slipped to third after a point-less outing in Monte Carlo, now sitting 68 points away from teammate and leader Antonelli.F1 Standings 2026 – Drivers’ ChampionshipHere are the updated drivers’ standings following the Monaco Grand Prix:Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 156 pointsLewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 90 pointsGeorge Russell (Mercedes): 88 pointsCharles Leclerc (Ferrari): 75 pointsOscar Piastri (McLaren): 60 pointsLando Norris (McLaren): 58 pointsMax Verstappen (Red Bull): 43 pointsIsack Hadjar (Red Bull): 29 pointsLiam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 26 pointsPierre Gasly (Alpine): 26 pointsOliver Bearman (Haas): 18 pointsFranco Colapinto (Alpine): 15 pointsArvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): 13 pointsCarlos Sainz (Williams): 6 pointsAlexander Albon (Williams): 5 pointsEsteban Ocon (Haas): 3 pointsGabriel Bortoleto (Audi): 2 pointsFernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 1 pointNico Hulkenberg (Audi): 0 pointsValtteri Bottas (Cadillac): 0 pointsSergio Perez (Cadillac): 0 pointsLance Stroll (Aston Martin): 0 pointsF1 Standings 2026 – Constructors’ ChampionshipHere are the updated constructors’ standings following the Monaco Grand Prix:Mercedes: 244 pointsFerrari: 165 pointsMcLaren: 118 pointsRed Bull: 72 pointsAlpine: 41 pointsRacing Bulls: 39 pointsHaas: 21 pointsWilliams: 11 pointsAudi: 2 pointsAston Martin: 1 pointCadillac: 0 pointsThe next round of the 2026 season is the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, scheduled for June 12-14.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

ONE Championship returns to the world-famous Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 12, with The Inner Circle 18, which streams live exclusively at live.onefc.com.Headlining the show is a flyweight Muay Thai clash between surging Thai sensation Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai and Azerbaijani brawler Anar Mammadov.The 22-year-old PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product left his hometown of Surin at 15 to chase his dream in Bangkok, and six years later, he has emerged as one of the most exciting talents in the flyweight Muay Thai division. Tomyamkoong enters the main event on a three-fight winning streak, which includes back-to-back stoppage victories.View this post on InstagramTomyamkoong scored a one-punch knockout of Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn at ONE Friday Fights 116 last July and a third-round TKO of Moldovan debutant Bejenuta Maximus at ONE Friday Fights 149 this past April.He is now stepping onto The Inner Circle platform to test himself against even tougher competition and with a life-changing US$100,000 contract in his sights.Mammadov will provide a stern test. The Azerbaijani striker, who trains out of Team Mehdi Zatout in Pattaya, has gone 12-4 in his professional career and brings a kickboxing-influenced style into the matchup.If the Thai’s hunger and finishing ability hold, the fans in Lumpinee Stadium should be in for another highlight-reel night. But Mammadov has seen enough of the world to know how to ruin the home crowd’s evening.View this post on InstagramIn the co-main event of The Inner Circle 18, Rambong Sor Therapat takes on Sornsueknoi FA Group in a flyweight Muay Thai showdown that promises to be an explosive affair.Rambong has been one of the most consistent performers on ONE Friday Fights, having made 14 appearances on the weekly series. The Thai veteran has the experience and the ring craft to defeat anyone, and this Friday, he will attempt to make it three wins in a row.Sornsueknoi brings his own battle-tested credentials to the squared circle. The FA Group representative has had mixed results during his time in the promotion, but he remains a technically capable Muay Thai practitioner who will look to disrupt Rambong’s momentum and make a splash in the flyweight picture.View this post on InstagramThe rest of the card rounds out an entertaining night across three combat sports that fans won’t want to miss.That includes a lightweight Muay Thai tilt between New Zealand’s Titus Proctor and Myanmar’s Tun Min Aung.Proctor, a WBC Super Middleweight Muay Thai World Champion, arrived at ONE Friday Fights with a perfect record and made an instant impact with a third-round knockout of Liu Quan in his promotional debut.Now, the undefeated fighter faces a 20-year-old knockout artist from a family steeped in Lethwei tradition who has earned multiple bonuses at Lumpinee Stadium.View this post on InstagramPlus, Adham Ruziev takes on Japanese dynamo Sora Tanazawa in a strawweight kickboxing clash, with the 17-year-old Uzbek looking to bounce back into the win column following a split-decision loss in his promotional debut this past March.And New Zealand’s Ethan Brockett opens the show against Japan’s Sora Enmei, who will look to dazzle in his first ONE Championship appearance.Take a look at the full card for The Inner Circle 18 on June 12 below.View this post on InstagramFull Card For The Inner Circle 18 On June 12Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai vs. Anar Mammadov (Muay Thai – flyweight)Rambong Sor Therapat vs. Sornsueknoi FA Group (Muay Thai – flyweight)Titus Proctor vs. Tun Min Aung (Muay Thai – lightweight)Adham Ruziev vs. Sora Tanazawa (kickboxing – strawweight)Ethan Brockett vs. Sora Enmei (MMA – featherweight)Source

Hugo Broos: Mexico want to win the World Cup, going by how they playHugo Broos, South Africa’s coach, spoke to the press ahead of the World Cup opener and highlighted the quality of the Mexican national team. "You can tell they want to win the World Cup by the way they play," the coach said. The Bafana Bafana leader was honest and revealed that he does not know the names of the 11 players on the national team, but he stressed that "they are all dangerous." "Mexico is a complete team with a lot of movement and solidarity," he said. This will be the second time Broos has faced Mexico in a World Cup, as he did so as a player at Mexico 86 when he was part of the Belgium national team. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Jun 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) takes the ball from starting pitcher Randy Vasquez (98) during a fifth inning pitching change against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn ImagesSAN DIEGO -- As losses continue to mount, so do the questions surrounding the Padres offense. Those concerns have only intensified as the club's stars have continuously failed to deliver on a consistent basis this season.Sunday was more of the same.The Friars dropped Sunday's series finale to the New York Mets by a final of 7-3, finding themselves half a game out of a National League playoff spot as a result."We just know that we’re better than what we’re doing," Fernando Tatis Jr. said postgame. "We’re working for it. We’re trying to find a way out of it," he added.Despite two early runs surrendered by San Diego starter Randy Vásquez, a two-run deficit seems insurmountable for this offense to overcome at the moment.After Vásquez's impressive start to the campaign, the 27-year-old has now posted a 2-4 record while giving up 17 earned runs in his last 35 2/3 innings pitched.Vásquez was hit hard from the first inning on, allowing eight hits and four earned runs Sunday."Some days you’re going to have it and some days you’re not," Padres manager Craig Stammen said. "If anybody knows that, it’s me. I know that some days you’re nails, you can’t do anything wrong, and then there’s other days where you can’t do anything right. And unfortunately, we’re kind of having a lot of guys right now that feel like nothing’s going our way right now."San Diego's lineup went on to go 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in their effort to back up Vásquez's rough outing. Manny Machado's 0-for-4 day at the dish also lowered his batting average to .179 on the year, the lowest mark among all MLB qualified hitters.Base running blunders have also plagued the Brown and Gold as of late. Regardless of their aggressiveness on the base paths, they're not being rewarded. Utility-man Sung-Mun Song was caught in a rundown in Saturday’s victory after an aggressive move toward the plate on Mets catcher Luis Torrens hard-selling a throw to second base.On Sunday, Tatis was thrown out trying to steal third to end the fifth inning — with Ty France up as the tying run and Tatis already in scoring position — three batters after catcher Freddy Fermin hit a two-run homer to cut the Mets' 4-0 lead in half at the time.As the Padres fall to 33-31, they need to find a solution and they need it quickly. Their next test comes in the form of the Cincinnati Reds at home starting Monday.

Although it fell short of capturing its second consecutive Division I state title, the Hilliard Davidson girls track and field team enjoyed a record-setting day June 7 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.Led by seniors Anna Wile and Celia Schulte, the Wildcats finished second (61 points) behind Avon (68).Wile defended her title in the 100-meter hurdles, with her time of 13.24 seconds setting a record for OHSAA Division I, the Division I state meet and the stadium. New Albany’s Ric’Keya White was second (13.25), Westerville Central’s Skylar Brittman finished third (13.85) and Gahanna Lincoln’s Latorian Freeman was fifth (13.9).Wile followed up that effort by setting the same three records in the 300 hurdles (40.7). She also finished sixth in the 100 (12.08) and ran on the seventh-place 1,600 relay (3:55.02).“It was a great day,” Wile said. “I just trusted in my training all season and at the end of the day, you don’t have to do stuff crazy here at the state meet. You just have to compete and stay true to yourself, and that’s what I did and overall, just have fun.”A day after anchoring Davidson’s first-place 3,200 relay, Schulte defended her title in the 800 (2:10.86) and ran on the 1,600 relay, which also included Talia Mazzulo and Laken Wenclewicz.Davidson’s Erica Kaulen finished third in the 1,600 (4:54.15), ahead of Dublin Jerome’s Natalie Fouts (fourth, 4:54.81), Lancaster’s Harper Allen (fifth, 4:56.15) and Olentangy Orange’s Brooke Chapman (seventh, 4:58.82).Chapman won the 1,600 each of the past two years.“I’m super proud of this team,” Wile said. “We’ve had a few circumstances this past week that haven’t been what we expected, but overall, we pushed through and that’s what we’ve been meant to do. We had a few injuries. Everyone is running so many races, it’s kind of hard to stay 100% [healthy] through the whole day, but we just gave it what we all had and left it all on the track.”New Albany finished fourth (40), followed by Gahanna (fifth, 39), Pickerington North (seventh, 28), Jerome (eighth, 23) and Westerville Central (ninth, 22).New Albany’s Reese Holman won the high jump (5 feet, 7 includes) and was second in the discus (129-4).Westerville Central’s Symone Smith won the discus (137-0) and was third in the shot put (42-5).Gahanna’s Moriah Dixon, Brionna Wright, Alexzandria Stafford and Aliyah Bennett won the 800 relay (1:37.25), ahead of runner-up Pickerington Central (1:39.12) and third-place Pickerington North (1:39.52).Pickerington North’s Mya Clark, Layla Wilson, Ava DiNovo and Paris Williamson closed the running finals by winning the 1,600 relay (3:48.83).Wright, Dixon, Bennett and Chloe Yates were second in the 400 relay (46.97) for Gahanna. Bennett also was second in the 200 (24.33) and DiNovo finished third (24.56).White finished second in the 100 (11.78) and third in the 300 hurdles (41.62).Olentangy Liberty’s Caroline Kman was third in the pole vault (11-10).Big Walnut girls finish second in Division IIThe runner-up Golden Eagles (40) finished four points behind champion Dayton Chaminade Julienne, while Watterson was sixth (27).Lindsey Cochran won the 1,600 (4:54.45) and finished third in the 800 (2:13.63) to lead Big Walnut. Grace Buskirk finished third in the 1,600 (4:56.27) and Karsyn Klaus was fourth in the long jump (18-3¾).South senior A’Ziya Smith won the 300 hurdles (42.86).“This means a lot to me because it’s my last year,” Smith said. “I wanted to finish first because everyone said I couldn’t do it and I came so far to be No. 1, and I’m very excited.”Granville’s Annie McCracken was second in the pole vault (12-6).Watterson finished second in the 800 (1:40.28) and 1,600 (3:57.37) relays.High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA track and field, Day 4 central Ohio girls state champions

On May 21, the Baltimore Orioles roster was sporadic at best and limp at worst, along with a sputtering starting rotation. The team was 21-29 and over 10 games out of first place in the American League East.Since then, the Orioles have been playing over .500 ball and have been good enough to put them in third place and back in the Wild Card conversation. While the team is still in the hole with their record at 31-35, some silver linings in the roster suggest the team could finally be turning a corner. The players they’ve invested in for the 2026 season are finally starting to come around, and there might be some good prospects on the way soon.Baltimore Orioles Roster Powered By Pete Alonso, Samuel Basallo, Among OthersWhen the Orioles signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a large five-year, $155 million contract, they were betting big on his power abilities and giving the lineup a jolt.Alonso was known to have a slow start to his seasons, which was the case in his first season with the Orioles. Through March and April, Alonso went .198/.306/.668 with only four home runs and 33 strikeouts. Fans, who have been impatient with the team’s front office, were beginning to get worried about whether Alonso was the right signing for the team’s offense.Pete Alonso Last 15 Games.310 AVG .517 SLG 4 HR 12 RBIThe Polar Bear is getting comfortable in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/CK53BUhJXU— ?am Brice (@kambrice1tv) June 5, 2026The 31-year-old turned it on throughout May and has had a hot start to June, slugging nine home runs in 34 games to an OPS near .900. Since May 22, he’s gone .305/.373/.882 with four home runs, albeit no other extra-base hits. He does make up for it in cutting down his strikeout rate below 20% and has more hits.Alonso’s also adapting to the new ballpark as well, especially with the left-field wall being pushed back to cut down on home runs. He currently is tied with Gunnar Henderson for sole possession of leading the team in home runs with 13.Catching prospect Samuel Basallo is also beginning to emerge as a serious power and gap bat between Alonso and Henderson. In May, Basallo hit .338/.376/.974 with four home runs, along with six doubles and even a triple. He has regressed a bit in June, only hitting .143 with no home runs so far. A small downside is that he’s comfortable hitting at home, but his metrics and performance dip when on the road, hitting only .229/.304/.678 away.The rest of the team is also playing well, including Adley Rutschman getting back to his All-Star level of play with an .839 OPS. The return of Jackson Holliday has also been important, with him slowly reaching the .700 OPS mark. Outside of the successful players, the only lag on the lineup is outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who is hitting a weak .158/.267/.495 with two home runs.Handful of Prospects Await DebutSeveral Orioles prospects stuck in the farm system could make their way onto the big league roster later this year. That all depends on how close the team gets to a potential postseason push.Outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. is hoping to make a surprise appearance with the Orioles at some point this year, despite suffering a hand injury that sidelined him for a bit. He’s currently in the middle of a rehab assignment, but has stolen 10 bases in just 23 games, along with five bags in five High-A games.Enrique Bradfield Jr. goes deep for Triple-A Norfolk.It’s the 8th homer of his professional career. pic.twitter.com/bAoVfcyuJy— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 11, 2026Bradfield Jr.’s speed, which grades out at 80 in his scouting report, is desperately needed on a team that lacks a definitive baserunning threat. Blaze Alexander and Leody Taveras have done a good job with seven bags apiece, but putting Bradfield Jr. on the team could be the equivalent of adding Chandler Simpson. It could also lead to more runs scored at the top of the lineup, and maybe the deciding runs in games.A second player the team could look forward to could be Creed Willems, a dual catcher and first baseman who could slide into the designated hitter spot. He’s currently putting up the best numbers of his career at Triple-A and might eclipse 20 home runs by the end of the season. He’s also been included in trade rumors if the team decides to sell.The Orioles roster could stand to have another power bat, though it makes sense to trade him for an MLB-ready player. If Willems made it to the roster and played at the same level, he could be their third .800 OPS player.What Does This Mean for the AL East?A revised Orioles roster could suddenly represent a three-way race for the top of the division, including the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. It’s entirely possible, given the close race at the top and with the Toronto Blue Jays floundering, the Orioles could surprise everyone. There is the matter of pitching, however.The team’s starting rotation is lackluster, despite the return of Kyle Bradish and the acquisition of Shane Baz to the team in the offseason. The bullpen is okay, even with Ryan Helsley sidelined for a while, having been bolstered by the recent debut of prospect Trey Gibson. Still, there’s a lot to be desired. If the Orioles go all-in during the trade deadline, it will be in the form of trades for pitchers in their rotation. Keep a close eye on what they do with their trade chips and how they perform this month. Main Photo Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images

In destroying what remained of a relatively free internet, Vladimir Putin has broken a longstanding social contract.

One week ahead of the White House hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, a public interest law firm is attempting to stop the high-profile sports event from taking place. In a lawsuit filed this weekend, the Public Integrity Project -- representing a political activist and Vietnam veteran -- claimed the event was improperly permitted, skipped an environmental review, and is an extraordinary use of public land to benefit President Donald Trump and his allies. They asked a federal judge to declare the authorization for the event, framed around the country’s 250th anniversary, unlawful. Scheduled to take place on Sunday, which is also President Trump’s birthday, the UFC plans to host a mixed martial arts event in a caged octagon on the South Lawn of the White House, as well as host thousands of fans at the nearby Ellipse. 'Maybe we'll never take it down': Trump compares White House UFC arena to Eiffel Tower, says it could be permanent“The President is giving [Dana] White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access,” the lawsuit said. The White House and UFC did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. Calling the event “deeply corrupt,” the lawsuit alleged that the Trump administration improperly used a temporary rule for “America 250” to bypass the permitting requirements normally required to host events on National Park Service land. They argue that because the event is being organized by a private entity, not the federal government, and is not explicitly “for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence,” the fight does not qualify for that temporary rule. “It is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’—it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth,” the lawsuit said. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images - PHOTO: Preparations continue for the Ultimate Fighting Championship Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn on June 05, 2026 in Washington, DC.The lawsuit also alleged that the construction of the 600-ton steel arch over the South Lawn should have undergone an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit was filed by a retired government employee who frequently attends protests and other events near the National Mall and White House as well as a Vietnam War veteran who said he frequently enjoys the DC landscape while working part-time as a rideshare driver. The lawsuit alleged they are suffering “aesthetic, dignitary, and procedural harms as a result of Defendants’ unlawful acts.”Construction underway on UFC Octagon at White House for Flag Day fightsLawsuits challenging Trump’s attempt to reshape the White House and DC have had a mixed track record, in part because judges are often skeptical if plaintiffs have standing to sue. A judge attempted to block construction of Trump’s ballroom before his ruling was lifted by an appeals court. Lawsuits challenging his planned arch, golf course renovations and the repainting of the reflecting pool have so far been unsuccessful in stopping work. As of Sunday, the case was assigned to Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.In addition to alleging improper permitting and a lack of a necessary environmental review, the lawsuit alleged that Trump and his allies are profiting from the event. The lawsuit noted that Trump owns some stock in UFC’s parent company, that the UFC is selling VIP packages for more than $1 million while offering sponsorships to an overseas cryptocurrency exchange, and how the fight is being streamed through the UFC’s broadcast partner Paramount Skydance.

The Dallas Cowboys' pass rush group has been a top concern this offseason after a horrible 2025 season following the Micah Parsons trade. Now the Cowboys find themselves at the bottom, looking up at the rest of the NFC East. Dallas made an effort to inject talent into the group through trades, both successful and failed, free agency, and in the draft. Time will tell if they can dig themselves out of the basement in the division.Another position group with lingering questions, who will back up running back Javonte Williams? Despite the Cowboys believing in the players currently on the roster, they still have a chance to find help elsewhere. One player who could become available is the Chargers Kimani Vidal. Vidal stepped in for the Chargers as they dealt with injuries at the position, but could find himself on the outside looking in, making a potential trade for Dallas less expensive and more appealing. Though it may take an injury for the Cowboys to make a move.Dallas Cowboys Top HeadlinesWhere do Cowboys rank among the NFC East pass-rushing units for 2026? :: Cowboys Wire (Link)Cowboys' backup RB question could have an answer nobody saw coming :: The Landry Hat (Link)Can Cowboys DC change unlock 3x Pro Bowl, $21.5M defender beyond stats? :: Cowboys Wire (Link)Cowboys aim to improve pass rush with depth and without star edge :: NFL.com (Link)Quinnen Williams Believes New Cowboys Coaches Will Help Unlock His Pass Rush :: Sports Illustrated (Link)Cowboys defender wins prestigious national award; Dallas roster now boasts past 3 winners :: Cowboys Wire (Link)Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: DT D.J. Withers :: Blogging The Boys (Link)Ranking NFC East wideout rooms is question of separation at this point :: Cowboys Wire (Link)3 reasons why Alvin Kamara could land with the Dallas Cowboys :: Inside The Star (Link)George Pickens isn't with Cowboys for voluntary work as Schottenheimer says communication is good :: ABC News.com (Link)What To Watch For During Dallas Cowboys' Second Week of OTAs :: Sports Illustrated (Link)Jerry Jones, Cowboys reportedly plotting blockbuster move for 5× Pro Bowler as Cowboys trade rumors heat up :: The Sporting News (Link)Cowboys left tackle battle fuels unnecessary panic :: Blogging The Boys (Link)News and Headlines from Around the NFC EastJacory Croskey-Merritt Rival ‘Impressive’ in Commanders RB Battle :: Heavy.com (Link)NY Giants minicamp storylines: Where do the rookies fit? :: Big Blue View (Link)Eagles Fans Notice Something Different About DeVonta Smith :: Heavy.com (Link)Jayden Daniels gets fresh fuel that could ignite Commanders revenge tour :: Riggo's Rag (Link)New York Giants Connected to Trade for 2x Pro Bowl Running Back :: Sportsnaut.com (Link)News & Headlines from Around the NFLChiefs’ QB2 Battle: Justin Fields vs. Garrett Nussmeier Has Clear Frontrunner :: Heavy.com (Link)No, A.J. Brown did not say he “leaked” Eagles stories to the media :: ProFootballTalk (Link)Early impressions of new Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle at OTAs :: ESPN.com (Link)Will Anderson says Texans 'most definitely' have title aspirations: 'We've got Super Bowl-caliber players all over the field' :: NFL.com (Link)Brandon Aiyuk's Social Media Standoff: Analyzing the Pros and Cons for Washington :: Sports Illustrated (Link)This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Headlines: NFC East pass-rush rankings, A surprise RB2 option

Sunderland's English midfielder #13 Luke O'Nien reacts after the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Chelsea at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north east England on May 24, 2026. Sunderland won the game 2-1 and qualified for European football. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / | AFP via Getty Images Anth Gair says…Where do you even start?Back in August, I’d have taken seventeenth place and a final-day scramble, no questions asked. Instead, the Lads have given us seventh place, fifty four points, a derby double, and European football on Wearside for the first time in over fifty years. Go on, read that sentence again. I’ll wait.The derby double deserves its own paragraph.The Mags spent weeks on their big, scary tifo, and the best they could come up with was “Welcome to the region’s capital” — a welcome banner. Terrifying stuff, lads! Brian Brobbey said “Thank you” in the ninetieth minute, and the pub I watched it in nearly came off its foundations — not quite the St James’ away end, mind. But nearly.The final day arrived with the need to beat Chelsea, of all clubs, to secure European football. Trai Hume put us ahead, but Malo Gusto turned one into his own net. Somewhere in the second half, word spread that Brighton were losing. I’ve never heard the Stadium of Light like it.As for the future? I’ve never been more optimistic. Régis Le Bris, a young squad still growing, Enzo Le Fée pulling the strings, and Thursday nights under the lights at the Stadium of Light.Bring on Europe. Haway the lads.Jonny Hawley says…This season was genuinely beyond my wildest dreams and I can’t quite believe we really qualified for the Europa League as a promoted club. Sunderland aren’t supposed to do things like this!I can’t even really think of anything that could have gone better, beyond the obvious (win more and lose less!).We beat the Mags twice — in the funniest way possible each time — and those six points directly led to us being in Europe and them languishing in the bottom half. We took points off almost everyone, including the previous and future champions, and stayed unbeaten at home until February.I remember when we didn’t win at home for a calendar year; a few short years ago, I didn’t think I’d ever watch Sunderland play top flight football again and I never, ever thought I’d be lucky enough to get to watch us in Europe. We’ve just bloody achieved both in a single year!With Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Florent Ghisolfinand Régis Le Bris steering the ship, I think this is the most optimistic I’ve ever been about the future of our great club. I don’t know how anyone could have a single complaint with them after the past five years!Whether we follow this up with another top-seven finish, drop to mid-table or even survive by the skin of our teeth next season, we’re going to get to watch Sunderland AFC on the European stage at least eight times. Yeah, I know. I can’t believe it either!We’re the luckiest generation of Sunderland fans in more than fifty years. Enjoy every single minute, lads and lasses!Malc Dugdale says…The season we just experienced was the stuff of dreams. No other way to describe it. I’ve been a lads fan for well over forty years and that’s the best season ever for me.I lived and breathed the Peter Reid era and went to plenty of games at home and away, experiencing the Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn phenomenon as it happened, but I still say this was our best season and I stand by it. It’s been amazing.Other than the cup run in 1973 (which I was a bit too young to appreciate), this has been the best footballing performance since the 1930s for me and I have to agree with my Roker Report Predictions mate Martin, who said similar on a recent podcast.It’s been our best in almost a century. Times are very different but pound for pound, having seen both eras and considering the level the Premier League is at right now, this outdoes Quinn and Phillips and company, in my view.We were all prepared for a battle last summer, happy to back our lads to do their best, give their all and hopefully buck the trend of no promoted side of the last few years managing to even stay up. We did that, with a huge heap of fantastic footballing on top, and I’m still pinching myself even now.What a team and what an outcome. And fully deserved for every lad in that squad who played a part .I was genuinely expecting a struggle despite the mood and momentum at the club after the playoffs. We finished fifth in the Championship — we didn’t walk the second division title by a mile and we also didn’t find a twenty five-plus scorer like we did nearly thirty years ago and use that to propel us up.This was a collaborative and unified effort.We bonded as a team and a club, worked very hard, used the talent we had across the squad and the park really well, and found a way to get promoted last season. And funnily enough, we repeated that approach under the leadership of Régis Le Bris and Granit Xhaka, and it worked during our first Premier League season for almost a decade.Given my expectations last summer, I am well and truly happy to get a little bit carried away this season coming.Now we’re up and have shown we’re very competitive, there’s a risk that teams will work us out and that extra European games could impact our league form.So, we need to stay humble, tactically agile and we need to expand and rotate the squad. With Le Bris at the helm and Florent Ghisolfi scouting gems, we can do that — I’ve never been so confident of it.If we invest in a few players in a few key positions, there’s no reason we can’t have another season where we finish in the top half and maybe have a go at progressing quite far in the Europa League.Beating the Mags is the norm now. That’s always special but is becoming an expectation and not a worry. We want and deserve more lofty achievements and the butterflies in my gut are already fluttering at the experiences to come from August onwards.We may not claim to be the richest club in the world, but right now we’re one of the best and I’m going to bask in that all summer, through the World Cup and right up to kick off for the 2026/2027 campaign.I love this club and I can’t wait.Tom Albrighton says…What can you really say about this season that hasn’t already been said?It’s incredibly difficult to fully articulate how brilliant and incredible it was, bolstered again by a feeling that the club, the fans and the players are all as united as they’ve perhaps ever been.For myself and what I assume are many others, the real magic lies in the people we’ve shared this meteoric rise with. When I looked around on that Sunday, I saw the jubilation on the faces of people who were once complete strangers — who we all collectively shared the lows with — ascending to unimaginable highs.We’ve all endured and remained resolute. At times things became fractured and tense but all those people still showed up, week in, week out. The magic was spending that moment, collectively, just as we’d shared the lows.Family, friends, strangers…we did it together and in essence, that’s what makes it all so special — to come from the darkness and into the light. The only ones who can truly understand what it means and how it feels are those souls who braved it all to be there when it all came together.For the future? Well, nobody knows, but if you can’t let yourself dream after the last twelve months, perhaps this game and in particularly this club isn’t for you. All we can do is embrace what’s to come and fate willing, yet more success.As I look back on the last few years, I always go back to walking out of Wembley after losing to Charlton in the League One playoffs and my cousin turning to me and simply asking “When is it ever going to be us?”, and ever since that moment, it’s only ever been us.As they say on Test Match Special, “What a time to be alive”.

4/10/1986 English Football League Division One - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United. United goalkeeper Chris Turner. (Photo by Mark Leech/Getty Images) | Getty Images It was probably more wishful thinking than anything else, but on this day in 1987, newly-appointed Sunderland manager, Denis Smith, was required to dash fans hopes of a return to Roker for goalkeeper Chris Turner.The Sheffield-born keeper started out at his boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday and quickly established himself as one of the top young goalkeeper talents in the country. This resulted in Ken Knighton moving quickly following his appointment as manager in the summer if 1979 to sign Turner for around £80,000.He was to fight it out with Barry Siddall to see who would be number one as the Lads gained promotion to the top flight in Turner’s first full season. He would remain Sunderland’s main man between the sticks until relegation was confirmed under Len Ashurst in 1985 – and it was clear Turner would stay in Division One.Ron Atkinson paid £275,000 to take him to Old Trafford, but it proved difficult for Turner to establish himself as first choice at Manchester United, with the likes of Gary Bailey, Gary Walsh and later Jim Leighton challenging him for the number one jersey.Meanwhile Sunderland suffered without him and Turner would be difficult to replace as the club fell to the third tier for the first time in our history. Iain Hesford had struggled between the sticks under Lawrie McMenemy and after Turner was placed on the transfer list at his own request at United, the rumour mill began to turn. Hopes were raised to such an extent that Roker manager Denis Smith had to pour cold water on any flickering hope by stating: “I am afraid he is not in Sunderland’s price bracket at the moment.”A group of fans tried – and failed – to raise the transfer fee, and Smith did enquire how much Manchester United would want – but, despite Turner’s public declarations that he’d love to move back to Wearside, finances dictated it wasn’t to be. Hesford had been transfer-listed by chairman Bob Murray following Sunderland’s relegation to the Third Division, after the former England Under-21 international was criticised for conceding a number of soft goals on their way down. But Smith was aiming to give the squad a clean break from what had happened previously:A lot of things went wrong here last season, which makes me believe it was not only the goalkeeper’s fault. I played a lot with Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton at Stoke City and I have seen them drop some howlers. Keepers make mistakes. If people start accepting that, it might take a bit of pressure off them.Perhaps it is not all the goalkeeper’s fault and others should take an equal share of the blame. I have spoken to other managers and they tell me Iain is a good goalkeeper. I remember when he played for Blackpool against York he was brilliant.We should work on talent and not be so eager to throw it out. As a player I know what he has gone through and from what I have heard perhaps a lot of his problems are due to a loss of confidence.The Roker boss also needed a long chat with 21-year-old winger Paul Atkinson, who had suggested he may benefit from a change of scenery according to reports – with Middlesbrough waiting in the wings to take him down the A19. But Smith was quick to express his wishes on keeping Atkinson at the club and hoped he would sign a new one-year-contract.Smith had also had talks with Mark Proctor who had hinted would be leaving the club, but Smith said “he went out of my office a lot happier than when he came in”. Also in the news was Smith’s update that Frank Gray would travel to York City to discuss a coaching role with the club.

Is change good?I’ve lived in Yorkshire for around twenty years now, and I realised very quickly that any sort of change in the region is about as welcome as a fart in a space suit.I’ll give them some credit, however, that it can sometimes be a little scary, none more so when it comes to our beloved team. I’m at an age now where I have seen all my heroes who wore a red and white strip when I was young leave the club, and some of them have resulted in me being absolutely gutted.I imagine most of you are now thinking back to those football first loves, but when they finally left Wearside, it would rip your heart out. Marco Gabbiadini was probably the first for me, then there was Paul Bracewell going up the road in 1992, and I remember being in a state of shock when Don Goodman left.In hindsight, that last one shouldn’t have come as a surprise because rumours were swirling for around twelve months before he actually left.But then came Reidy’s side – and Quinny and Phillips. There were no worries about Quinn to be fair because of him being in the latter period of his career, but there was always a concern that Phillips would go. In fact, following that defeat against Charlton Athletic at Wembley, there was a fear that the whole side might break up.This is where the fear comes in. When we have a side that brings a little success, we want them to stay together to carry on doing what they’re doing. There’s a natural hope that a side stays together, but there’s probably no better example than the Reid era (or potentially last summer even) that this isn’t always the best way to go.Looking back now, and it’s not an exact science, but there were times where Phillips might have brought in £20m+ (to young’uns out there – this was a decent wedge back then…) and we might have been able to re-build and go again.We went through it last season in a way that was perceived to be positive, because very quickly the income was being invested brilliantly in young talent. In the second half of last season, there were constant rumours and debate around Jobe Bellingham staying at Sunderland, and there was an almost universal feeling that we wanted to see him play for the Lads in the Premier League.But within a couple of weeks, he had departed quickly for north of £30m, and ~£50m was spent to bring Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra to the club.This summer, it’s a similar conversation – but slightly different.There’s a possibility we might get those astronomical bids from the big boys for the likes of Sadiki, Roefs and Brobbey that we just can’t turn down, and those players might well see it as an opportunity they just can’t turn down – to play Champions League football for example as well as getting a decent pay bump. But if we bring in double or triple the money we spent on those players, then we have to see it as an opportunity.In an ideal world, a lot of these players would stay with us for a good few years, but the club appear shrewd enough to know there will be an optimum time to sell – and when those times do come around, we should get excited about what the club might do next.Thanks, Dennis…On the topic of change, the first big(ish) news to come out of the club in terms of players arriving or heading off into the sunset was Dennis Cirkin leaving the club. I remember getting messages from mates who support Spurs at the time we signed him, and they were very surprised we’d managed to get him to come to us in League One.But we did, and he’s been brilliant. As I said above, it would have been great to see him (and a few others…) kick on and become a Premier League regular, but we moved on a little too quickly for him.In a parallel universe somewhere, he doesn’t pick up the injuries, and he becomes one of the best full-backs in the country. But we say thanks, and we all wish him the best for the future!Up for the World Cup?Gav and I were chuntering on the other day, and we realised he’s pretty excited about this World Cup – but he’s not really mentioning England or our prospects of bringing it home at all. The anticipation comes from just how many Sunderland players might turn out for their various countries!There are loads of them, so many that I’m not going to list them – I just haven’t got that sort of time. Surely there’s never been a World Cup with so many Sunderland players?! I think there’s one day where four or five might play across four different fixtures on the same day – or something like that.But it does beg the question of whether or not this World Cup is creating excitement, and – it might be different when we get going – but I’m not so sure it is.Kick-off times might have something to do with it. Ticketing issues and the banning of water also give it a weird feel, but we’ll see if this changes as the clock ticks down to the first game, and it might be a case of: “open the pubs… then I’ll be bothered”.

Classic sidecar racing is set to be introduced during next month's Southern 100 road races following the exclusion of the modern class on safety grounds.The decision about the Isle of Man's Billow Course event followed the suspension of sidecar racing at this year's TT after a review of a crash in qualifying.However, organisers said the design of the classic machines meant they were "entirely unaffected by the current regulatory pause" and could be raced under separate technical regulations.Entry will be free for teams who want to take part due to the "incredible generosity of a private benefactor", they added.The Southern 100 road races take place between 6 and 9 July on the 4.25-mile (6.8km) Billown Course in the south of the island.'Fantastic solution'The classic machines were last run on the island during the Pre-TT Classic races, held on the same course in late May.Organisers said the proposed races would "run strictly under the established technical regulations" for those races."Because these traditional machines do not utilise the complex prototype aerodynamic features or flat-floor designs of their modern counterparts, they are entirely unaffected by the current regulatory pause affecting the modern class," they added.Clerk of the course Giles Olley said the club was "deeply saddened to have to pause the modern sidecar class this year".However, he said organisers "must look forward" and introducing a classic race was "a fantastic solution" that came "directly from discussions within the paddock"."The message from the club is clear - if the teams enter and we can build a viable grid, the races will go ahead," he said, adding: "Newcomers to the event especially are very welcome."Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X. More on this story Sidecars excluded from second road-racing eventInclusion of sidecars at July event under reviewTT sidecar class suspended on safety grounds Related internet links Southern 100

Dozens of drivers were keen for motor racing to resume after World War Two, but faced a challenge trying to find a suitable venue [Paul Joslin/BBC]In 1946, the full-throated roar of motor racing returned to Britain, a country starved of such entertainment since 1939.But the MGs, Bugattis, Aston Martins and a lone Rolls-Royce did not compete at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, which later became the home of motorsport.Instead, British motor racing was reborn nearly 80 years ago on 15 June at RAF Gransden Lodge, a few miles west of Cambridge."I think by setting a template, it was showing people just what was wanted," said researcher Roger King.Motor racing had restarted in Europe shortly after VE Day in the summer of 1945, but Britain lacked tracks.King, a former member of Cambridge University Automobile Club, said: "Circuit racing had been allowed in Europe for several years, but we had always banned racing on public roads, so we had no circuits."The 1946 event featured drivers who would go on to be influential not only in motorsport but also in the British car industry, said David King [Paul Joslin/BBC]Before World War Two, the only racetracks in place were at Donington Park, near Derby, and Brooklands, near Weybridge, Surrey."Donington Park was still being used as a massive storage depot by the Army, who wouldn't let go of it," he said."And Brooklands had been partially built on with aircraft hangars and would never come back to being a full circuit."Little is left of RAF Great Gransden's wartime heritage today, except an old control tower, a hangar and some of the perimeter track (above) [Paul Joslin/BBC]Many members of Cambridge University's automobile club were engineering students and bursting to get their cars back on a racetrack.By 1944, there were more than 700 airfields in Britain, and they were an obvious choice for a circuit, said King, who has undertaken extensive research into the Gransden Lodge races.Airfields that had been home to bombers were ideal because they had both concrete runways and perimeter roads.Chris Sullivan, Gransden Lodge historian, said the airfield "was originally built as part of several airfields to carry out some fairly secret trials of radar and similar technologies".Operational flying from Gransden ended in March 1946, meaning it was still in good condition, so the students thought it might be suitable as a racetrack.In the 1990s, King received a letter from student James Obeyesekere, who competed in 1946 and later became a Sri Lankan barrister and politician."He said, the double-dyed racing stalwarts, having been starved of motorsport over the war years, were waiting with their tongues hanging out for something, or anything, to happen," King recalled."'This included Earl Howe, who was president of the RAC permit committee, who, on the pretext of testing the suitability of the circuit for granting the permit to race, kept scorching round and round, enjoying himself to such an extent that it was with the greatest of difficulty we were able to stop him."The winner of the 1946 Gransden Lodge Trophy was Reg Parnell, here shown after his victory in Jersey the following year [Keystone/Getty Images]The club had found its circuit, but it needed to go through eight different committees to get permission to race on an airfield.So, its president, David Hodkin, had the brainwave to go straight to the commander of No 47 Squadron RAF, Air Commodore David Atcherley.King said: "He simply declared, 'This sounds a jolly good idea' and signed the permit, without bothering the Air Ministry."By 15 June, a 2.3-mile (3.7km) anti-clockwise circuit had been laid out, and barbed wire was strung up to keep the spectators back.A wide range of cars took part in the racing, including Rileys, Fiats, Fraser Nashes and Alfa Romeos.The races were three laps only, which was probably chosen because that had been the standard at pre-war Brooklands, said King [Paul Joslin/BBC]King said drivers who would go on to be very influential in the post-war sport were there, including Dennis Jenkinson, the journalist and navigator for Stirling Moss, and Roy Salvadori, who won the Le Mans 24 hours in an Aston Martin in 1959.The feature event of the day was the Gransden Lodge Trophy, which was taken by Reg Parnell in his Maserati in a time of four minutes and 50 seconds.Just over a year later, Gransden Lodge hosted another bigger race, attracting about 15,000 spectators.But a new policy from the RAC in 1948 effectively banned casual race meetings at airfields, said King."[The Air Ministry] had made this deal with Silverstone to permit more meetings there, and I guess as far as Gransden Lodge was concerned, it couldn't compete on that level," he explained.But he believed what took place at the airfield was a template for how Silverstone would go on to be run."Whilst... motorsport would have come back to Britain without Gransden, it certainly wouldn't have in 1946," he added.Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Exhibition marks F1 Grand Prix's 75th anniversaryFirst British F1 team's humble beginnings from shedLegendary Formula One car is being revived Related internet links Cambridge University Automobile ClubCambridge Gliding Centre: Great Gransden Airfield

Chloe Watts has faced abuse simply for being a female football fan [Chloe Watts]"I've had comments made to me online and in person about how I don't belong in football, how I don't belong here and how I need to get back in the kitchen."Chloe Watts says football has "always been in her blood" as she was brought up going to Bristol Rovers games with her dad.But Watts, from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, has experienced her fair share of misogyny at games. She has now become an ambassador of a campaign against sexism in sport – Her Game Too. More from Gloucestershire Bid to build 180 homes recommended for approvalNew grammar school test 'won't stop tutoring gap'Man who 'discreetly supplied' class A drugs jailedHer Game Too was founded in May 2021 and, while it initially focused on football, it grew to include sports including cricket, rugby, and ice hockey.Watts, who says she was once touched inappropriately at a cricket game, says "there's still some stigma to get rid of".One statistic that she says has stuck with her is that 58% of female sports fans have personally experienced sexism in a pub or in a stadium, according to a survey by Her Game Too.The Lionesses won the Euros in 2022 and, pictured here, in 2025 [Getty Images]As a result of this sexism, some pubs have become Her Game Too pubs.Watts says this means they are designated safe spaces for women to watch games, with staff given training in spotting sexism and pledging to show more women's sports.The Abbey in Gloucester and The Miller in Cheltenham have signed up to the scheme, Watts says."We've seen a massive increase in women and girls getting involved in football from the successes of the Lionesses," she explains."I think a lot of people obviously forget that women's football was banned for 50 years, and I think a lot of people then try to just directly compare it to the men's game."Crediting the progress made so far, she said: "We're now seeing record attendances at women's games... it's been really brilliant to see the successes of female national teams across multiple sports."'Not the same game'Ellie Scrivens, also from the Forest of Dean, was inspired to start watching football after losing her Arsenal supporter dad.She began playing herself after watching the Lionesses win the Euros in 2022.But Scrivens, who now plays for Abbeymead Rovers Ladies, says she has experienced negativity about the women's game.She says expressing her love of Arsenal WFC has led to comments including "it's not the same game" and "they just give away the tickets".But she says that, sometimes, conversations are opened up that "go really well".Ellie Scrivens says her local pub will show women's matches even when a "big" men's game is on at the same time [Ellie Scrivens]Scrivens says her local pub has been great in supporting Abbeymead Rovers and the women's game in general."If we ring them up and say 'Look, we've got this really important Women's Super League game', they'll always make sure it's on for us, even if there's another big men's game on at the same time," Scrivens said."Having those social spaces where you can go and share those experiences is really important, and I think that's only going to help in the long run of breaking down all of those outdated views in regards to women's football."Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Sexism in football - a problem that isn't going awayFootball fans rally around female commentator over sexist abuse online Related internet links Her Game Too

Patrick Dorgu: Man United star continues to back up bold club decisionManchester United have had numerous players in international action ahead of the World Cup.One United man who will not be there is Denmark’s Patrick Dorgu after his nation fell to the Czech Republic in the World Cup play-offs.Patrick DorguThe Dane has had an impressive season at United, where he reinvented himself as an attacking force.He joined the club in January 2025 from Lecce as a left wing-back and had a mixed first few months.Towards the end of Ruben Amorim’s time at Old Trafford, he tried Dorgu as a left winger on Boxing Day against Newcastle, and Dorgu responded with a stunning strike to win the match.He followed this up with strikes against Manchester City and a truly wondrous effort versus Arsenal at the Emirates in January.Dorgu picked up an injury in the Arsenal match and was out of action until the end of April.The Dane also scored a vital goal against Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day of the season, as it allowed Bruno Fernandes to break the Premier League assist record.Match versus UkraineDorgu continued his meteoric rise to prominence as an attacker with a quite stunning effort versus Ukraine.He cut inside from the right-hand side of the pitch, confidently carried the ball towards goal, and smashed in an unstoppable drive to give the Ukrainian keeper no chance after 17 minutes.Sadly, the game had to be abandoned after former United man Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch in the second half.Luckily, Eriksen seems to be okay according to the latest reports, but the match will not officially stand.Nonetheless, Dorgu’s goal suggests the club’s decision to mould him into a more offensively-minded player is certainly paying off dividends at the moment.Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Imagesonline pollsThe 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

📸 No Lamine Yamal! How Spain arrived in PueblaThe Spanish national team is already on World Cup soil. This Sunday, the national squad arrived in Puebla, where it will face Peru in its final friendly match. La Roja has three absences: Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Víctor Muñoz will not be available for tomorrow’s match, as they stayed in the United States to continue their recovery work. Mexico goes crazy!Mexican fans prepared a huge welcome for the Spanish side, and the players returned the gesture by handing out autographs and taking photos. Spain will play a group-stage match in Mexico, as it is set to face Uruguay in Guadalajara, Jalisco, on June 26. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.