Connor Bedard finally recorded his first career hat trick Tuesday, powering the Blackhawks to a wild 7-3 win over the Senators.
The star forward ripped three beautiful shots past Senators goalie Linus Ullmark, against whom he coincidentally also scored his first NHL goal two years ago. He added one beautiful assist to Ryan Donato to complete a four-point performance.
Bedard’s second-period goal was one of the most impressive of his career, perhaps second only to his lacrosse goal in St. Louis last year. He skated coast-to-coast through the Senators’ defense before dragging the puck around defenseman Artem Zub’s stick to create a shooting angle.
Bedard then picked the corner off a faceoff early in the third period to complete the hat trick in his 160th NHL game. It was a big tally for the Hawks at the time, too, because they had raced out to a 4-0 lead before allowing three straight Senators goals that briefly tightened things up.
The Hawks are now a surprising 5-3-2 this season as they prepare to embark on a season-long six-game road trip.
Dach’s pursuit
Young Hawks forward Colton Dach talks often about his pursuit of consistency. This season, he has gotten closer than ever before to achieving it.
He’s not quite there yet. After an excellent training camp and start to the season, he did trail off for a few games. But the encouraging thing is he identified that and addressed it. Over the last three games, Dach has re-established his A-game. He chased down and buried a rebound for his first goal of the season in the first period Tuesday.
“My game is [about] being physical, being engaged,” Dach said recently. “Maybe it’s not a huge hit, but it’s [about] getting into guys, winning battles, being heavy on sticks and puck battles. That’s where my game needs to be every night. That’s the non-negotiable I need.”
He hasn’t lacked hits, either. He ranked seventh in the NHL with 38 of them entering Tuesday.
Toews next
Jonathan Toews will face the Hawks for the first time in his career — a situation most people, including him, never imagined would occur until recently — on Thursday in Winnipeg. His against-the-odds comeback has gone well so far, as he has tallied five points in nine games for the Jets (entering Tuesday).
Current Hawks captain Nick Foligno said he has kept in touch with his predecessor.
“You never really doubt Jonathan, because he’s got a little screw loose in a lot of ways,” Foligno said. “That’s what makes him who he is. [I] admire it so much. Because if told he’s not going to do it, he’s going to do it.”
Low attendance
The Hawks’ attendance has been worse than expected so far, although perhaps not quite selling out their home opener — they drew 19,334, short of the United Center’s official hockey capacity of 19,717 — was a presage.
The announced crowd of 15,100 on Tuesday was their smallest since March 28, 2023, more than two years ago. They’ve drawn fewer than 16,700 fans in four of their last five games after falling below that mark just four times all of last season. Their average attendance was 18,585 per game last season; it’s 16,806 this season.
It’s disappointing, but not worth panicking about. October and November are typically the hardest months to sell tickets; crowds usually surge around the holidays and stay respectable in January and beyond.
Connor Bedard’s first NHL hat trick powers Blackhawks past Senators
Bedard scores 1st NHL hat trick, Blackhawks stay hot with win against Senators
The Blackhawks went out to a 4-0 lead and held on despite the Senators responding by scoring three straight goals in the second period.
Defenseman Louis Crevier had a goal and an assist, Andre Burakovsky and Nick Foligno each had two assists, and Spencer Knight made 21 saves for the Blackhawks (5-3-2).
Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Drake Batherson had two assists for the Senators (5-5-1), who were playing the second of back-to-back games. Linus Ullmark made 19 saves. Ottawa had its three-game winning streak ended.
Colton Dach’s first goal of the season gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 6:47 of the first period. Dach picked up the rebound of a shot from the right point by Crevier and scored on the forehand from the bottom of the left face-off circle. With the initial pass to Crevier, Foligno recorded his 600th career point with the secondary assist on the goal.
Crevier made it 2-0 at 12:06 when he picked up the puck along the right-wing boards outside the right circle and one-timed the puck, which deflected into the net off the leg of Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo.
A power-play goal by Bedard at 17:53 gave Chicago a 3-0 lead. Burakovsky skated to the goal line from the left point and made a cross-ice pass to Bedard, who scored with a wrist shot from the right circle.
Bedard put the Blackhawks up 4-0 at 2:58 of the second period. He moved into the offensive zone, made a toe-drag move and scored on a wrist shot from the slot.
Jake Sanderson got the Senators on the board at 4:58 with a shot from the blue line that caromed off the end board and went in off Knight.
Michael Amadio cut the Blackhawks’ lead to 4-2 at 7:09 when he skated out from behind the net and lifted the puck over Knight.
The Senators came within one at 8:31 when Stutzle moved into the offensive zone and scored with a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Knight glove side. Stutzle’s goal marked the Senator’s third in 3:33.
Bedard achieved the hat trick at 3:46 of the third period. Ryan Greene won a face-off, Bedard picked up the puck ant put it in with a snap shot from the left circle.
Olofsson’s five-point game leads Avalanche past Devils, ending New Jersey’s win streak
DENVER (AP) — Victor Olofsson had his first career NHL hat trick and added two assists, Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 8-4 on Tuesday night in the second game in three days between the teams.
The loss snapped the Devils’ eight-game win streak, which tied a franchise record for the most victories through the first nine games of a season, while Colorado broke a skid of four consecutive games without a victory.
MacKinnon’s goals were the 375th and 376th of his career, moving him past Milan Hejduk for fourth place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
Martin Necas, Parker Kelly and Zakhar Bardakov also scored for Colorado, which had goals on four of its six power plays. The Devils had entered the night with the NHL’s second-best penalty kill, at 93.5%.
Scott Wedgewood made 26 saves and Cale Makar had four assists.
Bardakov’s goal was the first of his NHL career. With an assist on Kelly’s goal, Brent Burns tied Bobby Orr for 11th place for most career points by an NHL defenseman.
Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Dawson Mercer and Stefan Noesen scored for New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom had 34 saves.
Kelly’s goal with 11:21 remaining in the second period gave the Avalanche 5-0 lead.
The Devils responded by scoring four times in a stretch of 4:04. The spurt was capped off by Hughes’ ninth goal of the season, giving the teams a combined eight goals in the period and trimming Colorado’s advantage to 5-4.
MacKinnon got his second goal of the night 1:12 later, helping to give the Avalanche a cushion.
Up next
Avalanche: At Vegas on Friday night.
Devils: At San Jose on Thursday night.
___
Ivan Demidov Reminds Scouts of All-Time Greats, Hall of Famers
As Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov continues to make a name for himself, hockey analysts and scouts find themselves comparing the 19-year-old phenom to some of the all-time greats.
Actually, several NHL insiders and “hockey lifers” were tasked by Eric Engels of Sportsnet to give their thoughts on Demidov after just 10 games this season and 17 NHL contests overall, including five in last season’s playoffs. Afforded anonymity in order to speak openly – really, to speak at all about a player based on so few games, which Engels stressed that many scouts are loathe to do – the experts were asked three questions:
Who does Demidov remind you of (past or present players) and why?
What stands out to you most about his game?
What will he need to work on most to reach his ceiling as fast as possible?
Among the answers given, several respondents said that Demidov reminded them of 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Pavel Datsyuk.
“(A)nd not because of his skating but really because of his deceptiveness one-on-one and his ability to create space for himself and his teammates,” a hockey lifer answered.
“Not only by the way they are always on their inside edges when they have the puck, but in the way the brain, hands and feet are all working together to manipulate defenders and make plays,” one of the scouts stated. “Similar quick and smooth handles with the puck, with great range and body control.”
Other players mentioned included Paul Kariya, Kirill Kaprizov and Macklin Celebrini, while another scout likened Demidov to “a harder-working version of fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov. It’s the east-west movement and the willingness to try anything with no fear.”
Scouts and Hockey Lifers Compare Ivan Demidov to Various NHL Greats
There were also a few mentions of Nikita Kucherov, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger who has won the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy. Coincidentally, when Engels appeared on Monday’s episode of “The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro,” Marinaro also said that Demidov reminded him of the two-time Stanley Cup champion, in large part due to his work ethic.
“I believe that [Demidov] could be to the Canadians power play what Kucherov has been to the Lightning power play,” Marinaro said. “Kucherov is a player that’s not only incredibly skilled but he works really hard 200 feet. He’s very passionate about hockey. He works at it 12 months a year. You talk to anybody close to him that will tell you that, you know, at the end of the Lightning season, even if they win the Stanley Cup, within two weeks, the guy’s back on the ice, and there’s a lot of comparisons, I think.”
It’s rare that a 19-year-old gets this kind of attention this early — the comparisons to Pavel Datsyuk, Nikita Kucherov and Paul Kariya weren’t thrown around casually. But with that recognition comes weight.
The scouts were almost unanimous: yes, he has the offense and vision. But sustained success requires a different level of consistency, physical maturity and defensive nuance. One recurring refrain: “He will need to improve his shot and his defensive structure.”
That’s not a knock — it’s a clear pathway. It means Demidov isn’t just here to be fun to watch; he’s here to earn the trust of coaches and defenders alike.
Ivan Demidov Has Already Made His Presence Known for the Canadiens
And frankly, the Canadiens are banking on it. Coach Martin St. Louis promoted Demidov to the top power-play unit, and his presence opposite captain Nick Suzuki altered the look of the unit almost overnight. When a defender is forced to consider “Oh, is that Demidov or Suzuki handling this puck?” then you’ve reached another level of threat.
Here’s the truth: what Demidov is doing so far merits attention, but he’s still at the stage where “could be” meets “so far.” For Montreal, this means being smart — giving him opportunity, but also protecting the long view. Learning to kill shifts in the defensive zone, handling fatigue, playing the dirty areas, handling expectations — those are the details that separate those who flourish from those who flicker.
So what comes next? First: maintain the confidence and keep him involved in high-leverage moments so that his composure grows under pressure. Second: layer in strength and shot development — the move from slick passer to threat-shooter will open another dimension. Third: protect his usage, ensure that the defensive side doesn’t become an afterthought. The offense will grab headlines. The two-way game will secure the legacy.
For fans in Montreal, the message is simple: buckle in. This isn’t a prospect you wait to peak in three years. The flashes are arriving now.
What remains is whether he can turn those flashes into the consistent brilliance the franchise hopes for. If he does? This could be the moment the Canadiens say, “We didn’t draft a star — we built one.” And if you listen to the voices watching, that moment feels not just possible, but likely.
Terry Rozier faced $8 million tax lien in NBA gambling scandal twist
Another layer to Heat guard Terry Rozier’s alleged role in the NBA sports betting scheme is coming to light after ESPN found records that showed he was facing an $8 million tax lien from the IRS.
According to Broward County, Florida, clerk records obtained by the Worldwide Leader in Sports, the IRS filed a federal income tax lien of $8,218,211 on Rozier in November 2023.
The lien was filed the same year Rozier — who was then playing for the Hornets — is alleged to have pulled himself from an NBA game as part of the illegal sports betting scheme.
There was no lien release on record, according to ESPN. The IRS has 30 days after a debt payment has been made to file a lien release.
Records in Broward County showed a construction lien filed against Rozier in August 2022, for which $250,000 of the $271,000 lien was paid off by July 2023.
Federal prosecutors allege that Rozier pulled himself from a March 23, 2023, game between the Hornets and Pelicans in a premeditated move to impact prop bets. He allegedly told a friend of his plans, who then sold the information for close to $100,000.
The Heat player is facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“The non-public information included when specific players would be sitting out future games, or when they would pull themselves out early for purported injuries or illnesses,” U.S. attorney Joseph Nocella said after the sprawling busts that led to 31 arrests in two separate alleged schemes. “They relied on corrupt individuals, including [ex-NBA player Damon Jones] and Rozier. They also misused information through longstanding friendships they had with NBA players and coaches.
“And in at least one instance, they got their information by threatening a current player, [Jontay] Porter, because of his pre-existing gambling debts.”
Senate Committee Seeks Answers From NBA On Gambling Investigations
Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times,
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is seeking answers from the NBA regarding gambling scandals that have engulfed the league.
In an Oct. 27 letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the committee’s chairman, and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the committee’s ranking member, wrote that current and former NBA players and coaches have “compromised the game’s integrity.”
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was apprehended in relation to an illegal sports betting operation, while Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in connection to a rigged poker scheme tied to the Gambino, Bonanno, and Genovese crime families.
Former NBA player Damon Jones was also apprehended. He was allegedly tied to both schemes.
“In light of the latest allegations of gambling-related corruption involving an NBA player, we write seeking more information about how the NBA investigated and handled these allegations as well as what steps the Association is taking to maintain the public’s trust,” wrote Cruz and Cantwell.
In the case involving Rozier, the defendants allegedly used insider information to make bets and profit, according to the indictment. This involved Rozier telling two co-defendants that he was going to remove himself from a game and not return, allowing his co-conspirators to place successful and fraudulent over-under bets on how many points he was going to score and other statistics.
Jones, as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022–2023 NBA season, allegedly sold insider information to co-conspirators about a player not being on the court for a game ahead of the injury report being released to the public, according to the indictment. The player is believed to be Lakers superstar LeBron James, who has not been accused of wrongdoing. This allowed the bettors to make certain bets based on non-public information.
Billups is an unindicted co-conspirator in the rigging scheme where he sat key players for a Trail Blazers game against the Chicago Bulls. He had his team purposefully lose the game so that the team, which was out of playoff contention, could increase its chances of getting a higher draft pick, according to the indictment. The defendants bet on the Bulls winning the game based on the insider information they got.
Cruz and Cantwell acknowledged that the NBA has not had any role in rigging games and that the league has taken steps to combat fraudulent gambling by NBA players, such as banning former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life for being connected to a betting scheme. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 15 months behind bars.
The senators noted the NBA found that Rozier did not violate league rules.
Cruz and Cantwell asked to know about the specifics of the NBA’s investigation and why Rozier was allowed to still play on the court.
“This is a matter of Congressional concern,” wrote the lawmakers.
“The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organized crime or gambling-related activity. Sports betting scandals like this one may lead the American public to assume that all sports are corrupt.”
Cruz and Cantwell requested documents created between Jan. 1, 2020, and the present regarding the NBA’s policies on sports betting, gambling, and game rigging; any investigation by the league for violating the NBA’s rules on those three issues; and communications between the NBA and betting platforms.
They also requested documentation between that time period regarding how the NBA plans to combat sports betting, gambling, and game rigging; and the final report and other documents relating to the league’s probe of Rozier.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the NBA for comment on the letter.
Talking to reporters, Cruz said that the NBA gambling scandal “poses a grave threat to the integrity of sports.”
Giannis trade rumors live updates during 2025-26 NBA season
Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent his entire NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s won MVPs in Milwaukee, an NBA title with the Bucks, represented the team in a record nine straight All-Star Games and has nearly all of the franchise records.
His goal in all of it, as he continues along in his Hall of Fame career, is to compete for championships.
Will that continue to be in Milwaukee for years to come?
Antetokounmpo’s future has been a hot button talking point at the national level for years and it went into overdrive this past offseason after the Bucks bowed out in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season.
What’s real, what’s a rumor and what’s just mindless chatter on social media? Could Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee actually be on borrowed time? And would he want out?
With the New York Knicks coming to Milwaukee for the first time this season on Oct. 28 — the team that had a discussion with the Bucks this offseason about Antetokounmpo — here’s a closer look at what we know.
We’ll update this file throughout the season with reporting from the Journal Sentinel, news from reputable sources as it surfaces and other stories of interest regarding Antetokounmpo’s future.
Follow below:
Giannis Antetokounmpo 2025 NBA season
Giannis Antetokunmpo returned to Milwaukee following a summer of reports about his future. He’s under contract for the next two seasons but the 2025-26 season will be critical for the direction of the franchise.
Antetokounmpo began the season with a monster 37-point, 14-rebound, five-assist game in a 133-120 win over former teammate Khris Middleton and the Washington Wizards on Oct. 22 at home.
Fans at Fiserv Forum welcomed Antetokounmpo back for another season with thunderous cheers.
Giannis trade rumors: Bucks, Knicks
But about two weeks before the season opener, ESPN released a report on Oct. 7 that the Knicks and Bucks engaged in a trade discussion for Antetokounmpo later in the summer.
League sources told the Journal Sentinel multiple times this offseason the Bucks have had no interest in trading Antetokounmpo. ESPN reported that “New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade” and that the Bucks were not seriously entertaining moving their star.
Antetokounmpo also did not request to be moved.
Buy Bucks tickets on StubHub
Giannis trade rumors: Antetokounmpo addresses ESPN report
A day after ESPN’s report came out, Antetokounmpo spoke on the matter.
Jamal Murray promises help for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
After Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, one NBA star is pledging to help the country with its recovery.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who has a deep family connection to Jamaica through his father, pledged on social media on Tuesday afternoon to be a part of the massive effort it will take to help Jamaica recover from a storm that was among the most powerful to come into existence in the last century.
Hurricane Melissa’s 185 mph winds and 892 millibars of central pressure on landfall tied two different records for the strongest Atlantic storm upon hitting Jamaica.
That prompted Murray to take to X and post,
Kevin Durant Addresses Differences Among OKC, Warriors, Nets Stints, Talks NBA Future and Retirement
Kevin Durant has been the NBA’s most well-rounded scorer for almost two decades, a rare superstar who could fit into any system. From the bright lights in Oklahoma City to the dominant Golden State dynasty and the drama-filled chaos of his later career, each chapter in his journey has shown different aspects of his game. Now, at 37, he finally revealed what those years taught him, and how far away the end might be for him.
During an appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Durant addressed differences in his role on the various teams he’s been on. “When I was with the Thunder, I had to score points for our team,” he said. “I had to find out different ways to score points. I had to come off of down screens like Steph sometimes. I had to iso up top like Kobe sometimes. I had to play point guard like Bron sometimes.”
His early years in OKC were a revelation: he was a scorer so versatile that defenses couldn’t keep up, yet he was still lethal. During his eight years with the Thunder (not counting his time in Seattle), Durant led the league in scoring four times. Durant learned to morph between sets and blend styles, playing off Russell Westbrook’s playmaking. “They tested me to play all different styles because they needed me to score,” he said. “So I learned my game there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Then came the controversial decision to go to the Warriors, a place that didn’t need him to score, but to do the smaller things. “They challenged me to guard a little better on the other end of the floor,” Durant recalled. “Guard the point guard for a few possessions and slow the point guard down, block a shot.” Employing a roster that already had Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Durant found impact in the margins, honing his defensive skills and carving out a more balanced playing style.
However, his time with the Brooklyn Nets was a different experience altogether. “When I got to Brooklyn, they put it all together,” Durant said. “Just do everything. Rebound, block shots, play the point guard.” It was the most complete version of KD as he scored, facilitated, and anchored the defense, especially with co-stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden missing significant time. “All of these stops challenged me to do more and bring out more of my game,” he added. “Every spot maximized me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Brooklyn system- designed around motion, spacing, multiple elite creators- allowed Durant to expand his role. He was no longer simply the secondary scorer behind Steph Curry’s Warriors or the primary creator in OKC- he was both.
It’s an intriguing statement from a player who has always chased greatness. Now, in Houston, after a 7-team trade, Durant leads a young Rockets squad hoping to win the championship, and they could certainly use the lessons he’s learnt over the years.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Kevin Durant Speaks on Retirement and What Still Drives Him
During the podcast, Kevin Durant didn’t just talk about the past, but what he’s left to give. When asked about retirement, he said, “I don’t even know how that feels… At this point, I got the energy to get up and practice and work on my game. I enjoy that part of my life right now.” For him, it still seems more about the grind than the glory at this career stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“Not the games, but you know, working on my craft. That’s the fun part of it,” he explained. “When that’s not fun no more, that’s probably when I’ll step away.” In an era where stars chase rings and legacies, Durant’s admission is different. To him, it’s more science than celebrity; he’s motivated by repetition, quiet hours, and the ritual of improvement.
And in perhaps the most revealing statement of all, Durant revealed that, if needed, he’s open to taking a smaller role one day. “If I’m on a team where we nice and I realize that I am not capable of starting no more… I could step into that role too.”
How to Watch Clippers vs Warriors: Live Stream NBA, TV Channel
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors will face Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in this NBA matchup on Tuesday night at Chase Center.
How to Watch Clippers vs Warriors
When: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Time: 11:00 PM ET
TV Channel: NBC, NBC Sports Bay Area
Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)
The Clippers enter this game with a 2-1 record, while the Warriors are 3-1. Both teams are looking to build off strong starts to the season.
Los Angeles is coming off a 114-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Kawhi Leonard recorded a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds, while James Harden had a double-double as well, scoring 20 points and dishing out 13 assists. Ivica Zubac was unstoppable in the paint, scoring 21 points and pulling down eight boards. John Collins scored 16 off the bench.
Golden State defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 131-118 last time out. Jonathan Kuminga led the way with 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski scored 23 points while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody each added 20 points in the Warriors’ victory.
This is a great NBA Basketball matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
Live stream Clippers vs Warriors on NBC, NBC Sports Bay Area for free with Fubo: Start your free trial now!
You can live stream NBA games all season long with Fubo, who offer a free trial. They carry all of the channels you will need to never miss your favorite team’s games, including nationally broadcast channels like ESPN, NBC, ABC, and NBA TV, as well as local team coverage.
Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Carmelo Anthony Responds to Wardrobe Criticism After NBA on NBC Debut
Carmelo Anthony’s debut on NBA on NBC made headlines for more than just basketball talk. The 10-time All-Star’s first appearance as an analyst drew massive attention online, not for what he said, but for what he wore, per Sports Illustrated.
Last Tuesday’s broadcast marked NBC’s highly anticipated return to NBA coverage, pulling in huge ratings and positive reviews from viewers nostalgic for the “Roundball Rock” era. Yet amid the excitement, Anthony became a trending topic after showing up in a quarter-zip pullover and dark shades while his fellow panelists arrived in formal suits.
Fans Roast Carmelo Anthony’s Outfit
Anthony stood out on a panel featuring Maria Taylor, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter, all of whom opted for the traditional on-air look, the New York Post reports. Viewers quickly took notice, flooding X (formerly Twitter) with memes and commentary about his relaxed style.
“I would emphasize him to dress professional, take it seriously,” one user wrote. “If not, I’m sure you can get another former NBA star to take the gig and he can go back to his couch with his comfy swag clothing and be about his day.”
Another fan added, “He dresses like he’s on the way to shootaround. He’s gotta tighten up on live TV.”
The jokes spread fast, but Anthony did not seem bothered. Speaking with veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, the Hall of Famer brushed off the wardrobe criticism and explained why he is not interested in conforming to old broadcast norms.
“I’m going to be me. I’m going to bring me to the screen,” Anthony said. “I just think we get so caught up on the suit and ties and you have to look this way, you have to look that way. Coaches aren’t wearing suits anymore on the sideline. I think the game of basketball and sports in general is just changing. The dynamics are changing. The way people talk the game is changing.”
Anthony Defends His Approach
For Anthony, it is not about fashion, it is about comfort, professionalism, and staying true to who he is. He said he is open to dressing up at times but believes authenticity matters most.
“We’ll have suits on from time to time, we’ll throw them in there,” Anthony said. “But I think it’s just about being comfortable and being professional up there and being presentable and being able to talk the game of basketball.”
His comments echo the broader shift across sports, where the old expectations of suits and ties have faded in favor of individuality. It is the same change that saw NBA coaches abandon formalwear during the pandemic, and Anthony has clearly embraced that evolution.
NBC, which re-acquired NBA broadcast rights for the 2025–26 season, announced in May that Anthony would join its new analyst team alongside Carter, McGrady, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Crawford. The network also added Michael Jordan as a special contributor to celebrate the network’s return to basketball.
“Watching the NBA on NBC growing up shaped my love for the game. Now, I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family,” Anthony said in a statement at the time. “I’ve always used my platform to help grow the game, and I’m excited to bring fans a fresh perspective as we usher in a new era of NBA coverage.”
Authenticity Over Appearance
Anthony’s debut outfit might have stood out, but it also symbolized his approach to this new chapter. He is not trying to fit into someone else’s mold, he is redefining what a modern basketball analyst looks like.
While social media debated his wardrobe, Anthony focused on delivering sharp analysis and thoughtful insights. It is the same authenticity that defined his 19-year playing career, now repurposed for a broadcast audience.
Russell Westbrook Makes History Back Where It All Began
Russell Westbrook added another milestone to one of the most decorated careers in NBA history on October 28.
With a first-half steal against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sacramento Kings guard officially passed Derek Harper for 15th place on the NBA’s all-time steals leaderboard, according to the Basketball Reference.
With under four minutes to go in the second quarter, Westbrook scooped up an errant pass from Jaylin Williams. Williams tried to throw a pass behind his legs to a teammate he presumed to be still in motion. The pass bounced awkwardly and Westbrook retrieved it to start a fast break and set up Keon Ellis for an easy layup.
A Fitting Milestone Against Russell Westbrook’s Former Team
For Westbrook, the setting made the moment even more symbolic. The 36-year-old earned his 2017 NBA MVP award and built his legacy with the Thunder, the franchise that drafted him fourth overall in 2008. Returning to Oklahoma City, he not only received a warm ovation but etched his name one line higher on another historical list.
According to Basketball Reference, Westbrook entered the game tied with Harper at 1,957 career steals. The record-breaking swipe pushed him to 1,958 and counting, cementing him among the top 15 defenders in NBA history by total steals — a number built on nearly two decades of consistency, hustle, and elite anticipation.
Harper had held the No. 15 spot for almost 20 years. The Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks guard compiled his total over 16 seasons from 1983 to 1999. Westbrook reached and surpassed that mark in his 18th NBA season and 1,241st career game, showing how his trademark energy continues to yield production deep into his career.
A Career Built on Relentless Drive
While Westbrook’s triple-doubles, rebounding, and explosive scoring have long defined his reputation, his defensive consistency is one of the most underrated elements of his game. He’s averaged 1.6 steals per game across his career and has never finished a season below one steal per contest — a feat few active players can claim.
For perspective, only 14 players in NBA history have recorded more career steals than Westbrook. The next name in his path is Allen Iverson, who ranks 14th with 1,983. At Westbrook’s current pace, he could surpass Iverson later this season.
Now in his first year with the Kings, Westbrook has shifted into a veteran leadership role but continues to impact games on both ends. He’s averaging 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists through three games, per ESPN box scores, and has already logged three steals this season.
Legacy Still Growing
For Westbrook, this latest milestone adds to a resume that already includes nine All-Star appearances, two scoring titles, and the distinction of being the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles. But more than anything, the steal record underscores his longevity and two-way intensity — qualities that have kept him relevant through stylistic eras that have reshaped the league.
From MVP glory in Oklahoma City to this late-career resurgence in Sacramento, Westbrook’s place among the game’s all-time greats keeps evolving. And as of October 28, he can officially claim a new title: one of the 15 most prolific steal artists the NBA has ever seen.
Michael Jordan explains why load management ‘shouldn’t be needed’ in NBA
Michael Jordan shared his insights on load management as the second installment of the
Blackhawks’ mozzarella pucks top new NHL, NBA arena food
The 2025-26 NBA and NHL seasons are underway, which means fans are filing into arenas again and concession stands will be getting creative to serve the masses.
Among those creations are the crispy mozzarella pucks that will be sold only at Chicago Blackhawks’ games at the United Center. The parmesan herb-breaded mozzarella sticks — or in this case pucks — are sold with homemade marinara sauce.
Here are some other innovations that can be found at NBA and NHL arenas across the campaigns.
Utah Jazz: Jazz Note Donut
Orlando Magic: UFO Burger and funnel fries
New Jersey Devils: Garlic knots in goalie helmet
Inside Billboard’s Legend of Live’s Dynamic Concerts
“I work for every bit of applause I get,” Usher told Billboard on the eve of his first Las Vegas residency in 2021. “I try my hardest to give people an incredible experience.”
That philosophy has propelled Usher’s 28-year touring career, which has taken him to arenas, residencies and the world’s largest stage: the Super Bowl. As a 19-year-old wunderkind in the late ’90s, he scored his first opening gigs for Mary J. Blige, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Janet Jackson. Fast forward to this year, when the 47-year-old superstar completed his most recent arena tour, Usher: Past Present Future.
The eight-time Grammy winner’s latest outing was the highest-grossing and best-selling tour of his career, according to Billboard Boxscore, grossing $183.9 million and selling 1.1 million tickets over 80 shows. All told, Usher has a reported career gross of $422.6 million from 3.3 million tickets over 334 shows. That’s a whole lot of singing and dancing — both of which are an innate part of Usher’s DNA.
Usher will appear in conversation during Billboard‘s Live Music Summit, held Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. For tickets and more information, click here.
Drawing comparisons to Michael Jackson while honing lithe dancing skills and his supple tenor, Usher graduated from opener to solo headliner in 2002 with his 8701 Evolution Tour in support of his third studio album, 8701. Two years later, The Truth Tour, in support of his smash-hit album Confessions, became one of the period’s highest-grossing outings, with $31.4 million earned. Usher more than doubled that return with the 2010-11 OMG World Tour, which grossed $75 million; the trek landed in seventh place on Billboard’s Top Tours chart in 2011.
But it was a post-pandemic foray into Las Vegas’ residency scene — suggested by manager Ron Laffitte well after Usher’s last tour in 2014 — that reintroduced and reinvigorated the R&B star’s musical legacy this decade. The first residency, Usher: The Las Vegas Residency, at Caesars Palace, did $18.8 million and sold 84,000 tickets over 20 shows (2021-22). The second, My Way: The Vegas Residency, staged at the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM, garnered $95.9 million and sold 394,000 tickets over 80 shows (2022-23). Those successes sparked a chain reaction that culminated in Usher’s critically acclaimed Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance and Past Present Future.
Usher’s singular status as a dynamic performer has led to his recognition as Billboard’s 2025 Legend of Live. For him, however, it’s the connection with his audience that counts most — and fuels his ongoing passion for performing.
“When it all comes together — the song, the connecting message to the audience, the dance — it almost feels like classical music,” Usher said ahead of his Super Bowl performance last year. “I just want to love what I do, make what I love, allow people to come to my space and see what I have to offer.”
This story appears in the Oct. 25, 2025, issue of Billboard.
William Byron’s Team Refuses to Give Up Despite Jeff Gordon’s Comments
As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs gear up toward the Phoenix finale, William Byron’s No. 24 team stands tall after a must-win Martinsville triumph. Crew chief Rudy Fugle has steered them into a spot in the Championship 4 for the third straight year. With Byron’s recent win flipping past near misses into momentum, the squad eyes their first title since 2021. And amidst all of this, Jeff Gordon, team vice chairman, has voiced high hopes for Hendrick’s duo, yet the pressure builds in this high-stakes showdown.
Fugle’s steady hand shines in Byron’s growth, from Truck Series rookie wins under his watch to six Cup victories in 2023 alone. Gordon, who piloted the same No. 24 to glory, sees echoes of his own grit in Byron’s laser-focused prep. But with teammate Kyle Larson also advancing, internal battles loom large. This resilience hints at deeper layers of determination waiting to unfold.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Rudy Fugle’s defiant push for glory
On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Rudy Fugle opened up about the playoff rollercoaster, capturing the raw drive keeping Byron’s team in the hunt. “It is tough. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to run up front, You know, those first six races, you know, a lot of 11th place finishes, 10th place finishes, and not as good as we want to run.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Fugle reflected on those frustrating 10th- and 11th-place finishes that he got in the first six races. That early grind tested their mettle, especially after Byron‘s regular-season crown faded amid wrecks at Las Vegas and a last-lap spin at Talladega. Yet, as Fugle noted, “our cars were lightning fast” once the Round of 8 hit, with the crew nailing setups that swept stages at Martinsville. This turnaround shows that it wasn’t luck but rather a payoff from years of collaboration, like their back-to-back win in the Daytona 500 from last season.
Fugle’s refusal to give up because of his whole No. 24 team’s hard work, but still the presence of Kyle Larson in the final four definitely adds some fear in the No. 24’s title hunt dream. And that same fear is magnified when Jeff Gordon leans toward Larson having the edge in this title tilt. Gordon, speaking at Martinsville, praised Larson’s poise: “I just think that Kyle is very unique in the way that he blocks things out. And I feel like he’s always had confidence, always been able to fall back on his talents. And his race team, his race cars to get himself back there.”
Jeff Gordon’s words highlight Larson’s grit and the lessons he learned from over a decade of experience. Larson’s 10.7 average finish at Phoenix in 22 starts edges Byron’s 10.8 average finish in 15 starts. Larson’s edge? His proven clutch gene, from that 2021 Phoenix crown to 4 top-fives in the last 5 races there, gives Gordon an edge to favor Larson over Byron’s three Martinsville wins.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Still, Fugle doubles down on experience as their weapon: “There’s a little bit of an experience factor there that will hopefully pay off when it matters,” he told SiriusXM, nodding to three straight Championship 4 runs. This marks Fugle’s fifth Cup year with Byron, building on their 7 Truck Series wins in Byron’s 2016 rookie campaign alone.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Byron echoes this grit, fresh off a Martinsville win, where he led 304 laps from the pole. “I found a way to flip that script,” he declared post-race, turning scars from prior near-misses into fuel for his 16th career win. That bold pass on Ryan Blaney amid tight traffic sealed it, a nod to the mental shift Fugle fosters. Gordon called it “the race of his career,” but his nod to Larson‘s steadiness underscores why Fugle won’t yield and eying to prove his doubters wrong in Phoenix’s 312-lap grind.
With two Hendrick gunslingers facing off against the field, the real fireworks could ignite from an old-school rivalry between two giants team of the sport.
Hendrick-JGR clash set for epic showdown
Jeff Gordon predicts a brutal back-and-forth at Phoenix, pitting Hendrick’s Byron and Larson against Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. “We’re pretty excited to have two-on-two in a heavyweight fight… I don’t know. I feel like our chances are extremely good. Right now I’m excited,” Gordon said post-Martinsville, as the stakes are high for HMS, the whole organization looking to get that trophy, which HMS last won in 2021 through Kyle Larson.
This setup revives a decades-old feud, like Gordon’s ’98 clash with Dale Jarrett or HMS’s 2021 sweep over JGR. Hamlin, winless in the 2024 playoffs, is a Phoenix master with three wins. And he is pairing with Chase Briscoe, the wildcard eyeing the title in the first season with JGR.
Gordon amps the hype by saying, “It’s going to be an epic battle. You got four cars, two organizations that are going to give it everything.” JGR last tasted glory in 2019 with Kyle Busch, but now, with Hamlin looking for his first title very desperately and Briscoe’s Talladega charge, they’re reloaded. Hendrick counters with Byron’s stage-sweeping form and Larson’s 14 Phoenix top-10s, but track temps and tire wear could flip scripts fast.
That storied tension, Gordon added, “We’ve battled through some big events and championships in the past,” setting the stage for a prep week buzzing with strategy tweaks and sim laps.
NASCAR’s counterclaim dismissed in court
Judge Kenneth Bell has dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim against Front Row Motorsports, 23XI Racing, and 23XI Racing co-owner Curtis Polk.
“NASCAR’s evidence fails to establish either an unreasonable restraint of trade or that it suffered antitrust injury,” Judge Bell wrote in his order.
The order comes through the summary judgment that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports requested. NASCAR filed its counterclaim against the teams and Polk in March.
“We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning,” NASCAR said in a statement. “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport. Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
NASCAR alleged that an illegal conspiracy, led by Polk, who was working as a member of the team negotiating committee, was created with strategies to, among other things, boycott races, create negative media attention, and interfere with the negotiations for the new media rights deal. The counterclaim also alleged “a strategy to threaten, coerce, and extort NASCAR into meeting their demands for better contract and financial terms.”
The counterclaim was being considered in conjunction with the original antitrust lawsuit, filed joint by the teams in October 2024, by 23XI Racing and Front Row against NASCAR. Judge Bell has set the trial date for December 1.
Jeffrey Kessler, the lead counsel for 23XI and Front Row issued the following statement on Tuesday:
23XI Racing wins legal battle as judge dismisses NASCAR’s counterclaim
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim against the two teams suing the racing series over antitrust allegations.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell issued the summary judgment in favor of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, dismissing NASCAR’s claim that 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk illegally colluded with other teams during negotiations for new charters.
23XI is also owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Polk is Jordan’s longtime business manager. Polk was also part of a four-member negotiating team that worked with NASCAR during two-plus years on the charter agreement signed by 13 of 15 organizations last year.
NASCAR argued in its countersuit that a 2023 boycott of the team owners council meeting negatively impacted its media rights negotiations, and that by the 15 organizations unifying for the charter talks, the teams got a better deal than they could have gotten if NASCAR negotiated with the teams separately.
Bell found the boycott to be a negotiating tactic “which appeared to have little impact” because NASCAR started individual negotiations shortly after.
Bell also found that 23XI and FRM did not participate in “unreasonable restraint of trade” because NASCAR’s individual meetings with the teams did result in some changes to the charter agreement, and because all the charter agreements would be the same among all the teams, that the teams working together in negotiations would be reasonable.
“The evidence here establishes that not only were individual negotiations ‘available,’ but NASCAR had such negotiations regularly during the negotiation period,” Bell wrote in his order. “And, those individual negotiations achieved concrete results, including the final 2025 Charter agreement that was signed by 13 teams acting individually (and contrary to the supposed ‘joint agreement’).”
Bell must also rule on two other summary judgment motions, one by NASCAR asking for a ruling in its favor and one from 23XI and FRM to designate the market as “premier stock-car racing.”
Two days of mediation last week failed to end this contentious feud and the case is still scheduled for a Dec. 1 trial date in North Carolina.
23XI and FRM are the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign extensions on charters, which are at the heart of NASCAR’s business model. A chartered car is guaranteed revenue and access to weekly races, and without them both teams say they will almost surely go out of business.
“Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport,” 23XI/FRM attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement. “Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone — teams, drivers, employees, partners and fans.”
NASCAR indicated in its statement that it is still hopeful of a settlement. The season ends with Sunday’s championship finale at Phoenix and Hamlin is one of four drivers eligible for the Cup title.
“We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning,” NASCAR said. “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport.
“Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
Judge dismisses NASCAR’s counterclaim, sides with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim against the two teams suing the racing series over antitrust allegations.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell issued the summary judgment in favor of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, dismissing NASCAR’s claim that 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk illegally colluded with other teams during negotiations for new charters.
23XI is also owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Polk is Jordan’s longtime business manager. Polk was also part of a four-member negotiating team that worked with NASCAR during two-plus years on the charter agreement signed by 13 of 15 organizations last year.
NASCAR argued in its countersuit that a 2023 boycott of the team owners council meeting negatively impacted its media rights negotiations, and that by the 15 organizations unifying for the charter talks, the teams got a better deal than they could have gotten if NASCAR negotiated with the teams separately.
Bell found the boycott to be a negotiating tactic “which appeared to have little impact” because NASCAR started individual negotiations shortly after.
Bell also found that 23XI and FRM did not participate in “unreasonable restraint of trade” because NASCAR’s individual meetings with the teams did result in some changes to the charter agreement, and because all the charter agreements would be the same among all the teams, that the teams working together in negotiations would be reasonable.
“The evidence here establishes that not only were individual negotiations ‘available,’ but NASCAR had such negotiations regularly during the negotiation period,” Bell wrote in his order. “And, those individual negotiations achieved concrete results, including the final 2025 Charter agreement that was signed by 13 teams acting individually (and contrary to the supposed ‘joint agreement’).”
Bell must also rule on two other summary judgment motions, one by NASCAR asking for a ruling in its favor and one from 23XI and FRM to designate the market as “premier stock-car racing.”
Two days of mediation last week failed to end this contentious feud and the case is still scheduled for a Dec. 1 trial date in North Carolina.
23XI and FRM are the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign extensions on charters, which are at the heart of NASCAR’s business model. A chartered car is guaranteed revenue and access to weekly races, and without them both teams say they will almost surely go out of business.
“Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport,” 23XI/FRM attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement. “Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone — teams, drivers, employees, partners and fans.”
NASCAR indicated in its statement that it is still hopeful of a settlement. The season ends with Sunday’s championship finale at Phoenix and Hamlin is one of four drivers eligible for the Cup title.
“We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning,” NASCAR said. “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport.
“Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Which Big Ten football stadiums are the best, most underrated and overrated?
Editor’s note: This article is part of our College Football Stadium Rankings series, highlighting the most interesting venues across the country.
By Scott Dochterman, Austin Meek, Mitch Sherman and Cameron Teague Robinson
The Big House. The Horseshoe. Jump Around. The White Out. The Tunnel Walk. And, of course, the Rose Bowl.
These structures, traditions and nicknames are embedded into Big Ten culture and its accompanying stadium experiences. For more than a century, Big Ten stadiums have produced legendary atmospheres befitting of college sports’ oldest conference. Last week, The Athletic’s college football staff ranked the top 25 stadiums, and nine Big Ten stadiums landed on our list, with three others receiving votes.
Here, Big Ten writers Mitch Sherman, Austin Meek, Cameron Teague Robinson and Scott Dochterman provide their spin on many of the topics that have Big Ten fans buzzing about the great stadium debate. Feel free to comment below on your favorites and other topics related to Big Ten stadiums (and check back for more superlatives by conference throughout November).
What is your favorite Big Ten stadium?
Dochterman: I find charm and awe in each of the stadiums, but there’s one that truly feels like a religious experience, and that’s a White Out at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. When there are 107,000 fans decked out in white waving pom-poms, chanting
The 10 Most ‘Haunted’ NFL Stadiums
You’ve heard of the Sunday scaries, but have you ever wondered which NFL stadiums are more haunted than others?
Now that question has been answered.
Just in time for Halloween, here are the pro football homes that are most likely to leave you shaking in your boots if you pay a visit.
While No. 1 — the Superdowm in Louisiana — might make a lot of sense, the rest of the top 10 includes some surprises.
No Topping New Orleans
Picks site Pickswise ran the numbers and determined the scariest place in the NFL is the Superdome in New Orleans.
That is not only because the Saints might be the worst team in the league this season but for a few other factors.
No. 1 on the list number of haunted locations per square mile in the state. With its spooky history of spirits and voodoo, Louisiana topped the list with 3.84. That beat second-place Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts by a healthy margin (3.32) while TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and FedEx Field (now known as Northwest Stadium) in Landover, Md., also had scores above three.
Proximity to a cemetery was also among the factors studied. According to Google Maps, the 50-year-old Superdome is less than a mile from a one, although that is farther than Highmark Stadium in Buffalo and Ford Field in Detroit.
Here is the full top 10:
1. Superdome (New Orleans Saints)
2. Highmark Stadium (Buffalo Bills)
3. Huntington Field (Cleveland Browns)
4. MetLife Stadium (New York Giants and New York Jets)
5. Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
6. TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville Jaguars)
7. Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers)
8. Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
9. Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins)
10. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
What about the least-scary stadiums?
Empower Field at Mile High in Denver came in as the least-scare place. The home state of the Broncos is apparently pretty light on ghost stories and haunted places, and it is relatively far from a cemetery.
The latter is also true of No. 29: Allegiant Stadium. The home of the Las Vegas Raiders also ranked low on the age scale (it’s only five years old).
Rounding out the bottom five are Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts), Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers) and Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals).
The big disparity between Ohio’s NFL stadiums is interesting since the Buckeye State has more than one haunted location per 1,000 miles and neither stadium is that old.
The home state of Goosebumps author R.L. Stine also ranks high on the ghost stories list, but the big difference is team success.
Supernatural Body-Horror Film ‘Bloody Tennis’ Boarded by The Playmaker
The Playmaker has taken international sales rights to Nikias Chryssos’ English-language debut, the supernatural body-horror pic “Bloody Tennis.” The Playmaker will launch international sales on the film at the American Film Market in Los Angeles.
The film, which is produced by Augenschein, was written by Chryssos. The Greek-German filmmaker broke out with his 2015 feature “Der Bunker,” which debuted at Berlinale and won the Next Wave Award for best feature at Fantastic Fest in Austin. His second feature film “A Pure Place” was developed in the Résidence du Festival de Cannes and premiered at the Munich Film Festival, where it won the award for best director.
“Bloody Tennis” stars Sandra Guldberg Kampp (“Foundation”), Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengel (“News of the World,” “The Legend of Ochi”), Lucie Zhang (“Paris, 13th District”), Lily Taieb (“The French Dispatch,” “Bergman Island”), Elina Löwensohn (“Schindler’s List”), and Zlatko Burić (“Triangle of Sadness”), with an original score from Jim Williams (“Titane,” “Raw,” “Possessor”).
The horror film takes the world of elite sports to disturbing new extremes, filled with brutal ambition, blood-sucking leeches, and hard-hitting serves. After being admitted to an elite tennis academy hidden deep in the south of Europe, Sophie (Guldberg Kampp) must contend not only with the fierce brutality of her teammates but with the school’s increasingly sinister undercurrents, where competitive sports are taken to their extreme and only the hungriest survive.
The film is a German production, produced by Jonas Katzenstein and Maximilian Leo (“The Assessment,” “Mother Mary”) of Augenschein in co-production with Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion, which also acts as the German distributor, and ZDF. It is supported by Film-und Medienstiftung and German Federal Film Fund (DFFF).
Moritz Hemminger, head of sales and acquisitions at The Playmaker, said, “We are delighted to be working with the prestigious Augenschein team. In ‘Bloody Tennis,’ Nikias Chryssos once again demonstrates his original style as a director, which is why our international distributors can look forward to a wild, bloody, and highly entertaining horror film.”
Jonas Katzenstein, producer at Augenschein, added, “Nikias Chryssos’ films are unmistakable in their visual style—intoxicating, absurd, and darkly comic. He consistently confronts audiences with bold, disturbing visions that challenge and reward in equal measure. We are thrilled to continue working with such a singular talent, and to partner with The Playmaker and the extraordinary filmmaking team who brought this wild ride to life.”
Court orders California university to reinstate women’s sports teams
A U.S. District Court judge has barred Concordia University Irvine from eliminating the school’s women’s swimming and diving, and women’s tennis programs or any other women’s varsity team during the 2025-26 academic year.
Judge Fred W. Slaughter granted a preliminary injunction on Friday preventing the Irvine Division II university from dropping the women’s programs. The injunction came five months after Concordia announced it was dropping its men’s and women’s tennis and swimming programs at the end of the 2024-25 academic year as part of what the school characterized as a “strategic restructuring.”
In granting the injunction, Slaughter also ordered that “To the extent that those teams have already been eliminated, CUI shall immediately reinstate them, and provide the teams with funding, staffing, and all other benefits commensurate with their status as varsity intercollegiate teams.”
The injunction, Slaughter ordered, will remain in place “for the duration of this case or until further order of this court.”
Nine female Concordia athletes, seven members of the swimming and diving program and two tennis players, are suing the university in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that by dropping the women’s sports programs, the school is “violating Title IX by depriving women of equal opportunities to participate in intercollegiate athletics.”
Women made up 59% of Concordia’s undergraduates in 2024-25, but received only 51.2% of the opportunities to participate in varsity sports, according to Arthur Bryant, an attorney for the Concordia athletes, citing what he described as publicly available information.
“The court’s thorough, compelling decision confirms what we said from the start: CUI’s decision to eliminate the women’s swimming and diving and tennis teams was a flagrant violation of Title IX,” Bryant said.
Ann M. Ashmon, the school’s associate vice president of strategic communications, said in a statement, “Concordia University Irvine will comply with the judge’s ruling while the litigation is in process.”
Concordia announced on May 20 that it was dropping the four sports.
“The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the university’s academic and athletic offerings, resource allocation, and long-term strategic priorities,” Concordia said in a statement released at the time of the announcement. “University leadership, in partnership with the Department of Athletics, determined that the current model is not sustainable in the midst of increasing operational costs, facility limitations, and significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape.”
Crystal Rosenthal, associate vice president and director of athletics, at the time estimated the move would save the university $550,000.
“This decision is in no way a reflection of their performance or commitment. It is a necessary step to address broader challenges and to ensure a sustainable future for the university,” Rosenthal said in a statement at the time.
Rosenthal did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
But the program cuts came at a time when Concordia was committed to investing in a $25.5 million plan to upgrade the university’s athletic infrastructure.
The Concordia athletes allege in their lawsuit that the move was a violation of Title IX and “sadly, consistent with CUI’s history of sex discrimination in its intercollegiate athletic program … since at least 2004.”
Rosenthal has testified, according to court documents, that Concordia’s Title IX analysis was done “only (by) (her) self.” When asked by an attorney, “[a]t the end of the day when it was decided swimming, diving, and tennis were going to be eliminated” from among all of the teams considered for elimination, “did you do any formal Title IX analysis?” Rosenthal testified, “No.”
In a follow-up question, Rosenthal was asked, “Okay. So just sort of your back-of-the-envelope analysis based on your understanding of the numbers?”
“Yeah — yes,” Rosenthal answered.
“This decision shows why women have to fight for the equality the law requires – and what they can accomplish when they do,” said Alexandra Grant, a sophomore on the women’s swimming and diving team and a plaintiff in the case. “We are devoted to enforcing Title IX and grateful for the Court’s decision. My teammates and I are eager to get back in the water as soon as possible.”
Jannik Sinner Hits At Grand Slams Over Financial Injustice: “Asking for a Fair Contribution”
It’s not often that tennis’s biggest names take on its most powerful institutions. But that’s exactly what’s happening right now. Jannik Sinner, along with Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, has often called out the Grand Slams for how they handle money and player welfare. Their main concern is that these tournaments generate most of the sport’s revenue, yet, according to Sinner, they’ve been ignoring repeated requests to talk about fairer pay and basic benefits for lower-ranked players.
For over a year, top players have been pushing for change. They submitted detailed proposals asking the Grand Slams to increase prize money percentages and create proper welfare systems: pensions, healthcare, and maternity support for those outside the spotlight. In August, those proposals were rejected. The players’ request for a meeting during the US Open was also turned down. Grand Slam organizers claimed they couldn’t move forward until a separate legal case involving the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) was settled. To players, that sounded like yet another excuse to delay action. And now it was time for Sinner to open up!
Recently, Jannik Files shared a post on X quoting Jannik Sinner’s words from his comments to The Guardian. “We had good conversations with the Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so it was disappointing when they said they cannot act on our proposals until other issues are resolved. Calendar and scheduling are important topics, but there is nothing stopping the Slams from addressing player welfare benefits like pensions and healthcare right now.”
He added, “The grand slams are the biggest events and generate most of the revenue in tennis, so we are asking for a fair contribution to support all players, and for prize money that better reflects what these tournaments earn. We want to work together with the slams to find solutions that are good for everyone in tennis.” He made his point very clear: the largest tournaments need to start using the money wisely now that it is accessible. And the statistics support him.
Currently, players only receive 12-15 percent of the total tournament revenue from the Grand Slams, while major ATP and WTA events like the Italian Open and Indian Wells give players roughly 22 percent. The prize money of $63.6 million only yielded 12.3 percent of the revenue that Wimbledon 2024 earned ($520 million).
To elite athletes, that might not be much, but to the hundreds of professionals who are just struggling to meet their training, travel, and medical expenses, that amount can make the difference between remaining in the sport and dropping out. It is one thing because more players, such as Carlos Alcaraz, prepare to accept an invitation by Jannik Sinner at the Paris Masters: the inequality in tennis income is no longer a pet issue. But at what point did this disagreement begin?
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Jannik Sinner and the stand-off that shook tennis
The dispute began in March when the top ten men’s and women’s players sent a joint letter to all four Grand Slams. They demanded a fairer share of revenue and better welfare protections for lower-ranked players. The letter said the ATP and WTA give about $80 million a year for player welfare, but the Grand Slams give nothing. Moreover, it accused them of adding Sunday starts at the Australian Open and US Open without asking the players. This marked the start of what would become one of the most public power struggles in modern tennis.
In May, representatives from both sides met for the first time. Players were represented by Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, and Alex de Minaur from the ATP and Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Madison Keys from the WTA, alongside former WTA chief Larry Scott. Talks continued at Wimbledon in July, where Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic joined the player delegation. Talks were polite, but players felt stuck as the Grand Slams refused to share financial details. The ATP and WTA also grew uneasy, seeing the move as a lack of transparency despite their long partnership on prize money.
As tournaments revealed record purses but unequal distributions, the tension only grew. The prize fund for Wimbledon in 2025 increased by 7% to $72.6 million. However, the champions and semi-finalists received the majority of that boost, with early-round players receiving only modest 5% increases. Thus, the WTA Players’ Council made an effort to alter that. Their proposal to increase prize money for early-round players was turned down. They also rejected a similar attempt prior to the US Open, which had a record purse of $90 million. Players, joined by Jack Draper of Britain, sent another letter in August, frustrated by the lack of response, demanding urgent negotiations. The Grand Slams again refused, saying they couldn’t negotiate until the PTPA’s antitrust lawsuit, led by Novak Djokovic, was resolved.
Tennis might be a sport of love, but right now there’s no love lost between players and the Slams. If Jannik Sinner and friends keep serving like this off the court, the real break point might come sooner than anyone thinks.
Valerie Camillo will be the new chair of the WTA Tour
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Valerie Camillo will be the new chair of the WTA Tour and WTA Ventures as of next month, taking over leadership of women’s professional tennis.
The WTA announced Camillo’s hiring on Tuesday. She will start on Nov. 17, replacing retiring tour chair Steve Simon.
“I’m honored to lead the world’s No. 1 women’s sport at such a pivotal time. The WTA has long been a force for progress, pushing boundaries for athletes and fans alike,” Camillo said.
“This is a critical moment for women’s tennis, with important decisions ahead that will shape the future for our players, tournaments, fans and partners,” she said.
Camillo serves as a board director for Herschend Family Entertainment and the University of Virginia Athletics Foundation. She previously oversaw business operations for the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center as the president and CEO of the sports and entertainment division of Comcast Spectacor, and has held senior roles with the Washington Nationals and the NBA.
___
Secaucus High School Girls Tennis Team Wins Division Title For 6th Year
The Secaucus girls tennis team just won the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference division championship, with an undefeated 10-0 record.
SECAUCUS, NJ — The Secaucus High School girls’ tennis team won the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC) Meadowlands division title, with an undefeated record of 10-0 this season.
This is their third championship win in the last four years. The Lady Pats’ overall record of 19-2 was the most wins in the history of the Secaucus girls tennis program.
This is the sixth year Secaucus girls’ team won this conference title. To win the title, they had to beat Rutherford, Becton, Hasbrouck Heights, Weehawken, Harrison, Midland Park and Ridgefield. The Lady Patriots also won Hudson County championship.
Concordia ordered to reinstate women’s teams as lawsuit plays out
Concordia University’s attempt to bolster athletics with one hand while slashing four sports with the other was hampered by a federal judge who granted a preliminary injunction preventing the Division II university from dropping the women’s swimming and tennis programs.
Seven members of the women’s swimming and diving team and two women’s tennis players allege in a sex discrimination class action lawsuit filed in August that by dropping the programs, the Irvine school is violating Title IX.
Judge Fred W. Slaughter agreed, ordering that the injunction remain in place for the duration of the lawsuit. Concordia must immediately reinstate the women’s teams and provide them “with funding, staffing, and all other benefits commensurate with their status as varsity intercollegiate teams,” Slaughter wrote in a 19-page ruling.
Concordia announced the cuts of the men’s and women’s swimming and tennis teams in May, stating the school had “determined that the current model is not sustainable in the midst of increasing operational costs, facility limitations, and significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape.”
But the cuts came at a time when Concordia was plowing $25.5 million into upgrading the university’s athletic infrastructure. A week after athletic director Crystal Rosenthal calculated the cuts would save $550,000 a year, she sent an email to unaffected athletes boasting that major improvements would be made to the Concordia’s athletics infrastructure.
Rosenthal, who is also the school’s softball coach, wrote: “We are currently in the midst of a major $17.5-million construction project that includes a new 19,000-square-foot facility featuring a state-of-the-art weight room, locker rooms, and modern training room space. This facility represents our belief in the future of our athletic programs and our student-athletes.”
She added that more than $8 million had been earmarked for upgrades to the baseball, softball and soccer/track/lacrosse facilities — including the installation of outdoor lights.
The lawsuit followed in August and Slaughter issued the preliminary injunction Friday. Arthur Bryant, the lawyer representing the female athletes, said that women comprised 59% of Concordia’s students but received only $51.2% of the roster spots for sports.
“The court’s thorough, compelling decision confirms what we said from the start: CUI’s decision to eliminate the women’s swimming and diving and tennis teams was a flagrant violation of Title IX,” Bryant said in a statement. “Concordia needs to add about 100 opportunities for women to reach gender equity. It should not be eliminating any women’s teams.”
The concurrent spending on infrastructure was particularly galling to female athletes and some alumni, according to SwimSwam. The swimming and water polo teams train off-campus and place few operational demands on the school. The swimming program had 23 men and 25 women on its rosters last season.
Concordia, a Lutheran-affiliated school with about 1,500 undergraduates that moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2017, is one of several universities whose efforts to trim athletic programs have been thwarted by courts.
Andy Roddick Admits He’s ‘Not Clean’ While Opening Up on Betting in Tennis
“Gambling is a cancer to society,” read a comment when Andy Roddick announced his partnership with Betway back in August 2023. The former world No. 1 revealed he’d joined the betting giant as their global tennis ambassador, promising expert takes and columns for Betway’s “Insider” platform. On paper, it sounded harmless, just analysis and insights from a retired pro. But fans weren’t convinced. Many felt uneasy seeing one of tennis’s most respected names step into gambling territory.
Fast forward to now, and Roddick is once again in the spotlight. But this time, defending his decision to work with betting sites while the larger debate over gambling’s grip on sports keeps heating up. He was in the midst of a discussion regarding the ATP’s expanding relationship with betting companies on a recent episode of his podcast, Served. Jon Wertheim, his co-host, exposed the hypocrisy of the sport’s alleged “data deals.” Wertheim stated that “anytime you see a data deal, that’s just a euphemism for we’re making a deal with a sportsbook.”
He asked why the ATP gladly signs multimillion-dollar contracts with gambling sponsors while players are prohibited from doing so. Andy Roddick didn’t dodge the topic. In fact, he admitted he had worked with Betway for two years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I am not clean of any of this,” he said honestly. “I didn’t give gambling picks. I basically took a—it’s not dissimilar to what I do here, where you give an overview of a tournament and they use it. So I wasn’t making specific picks; I wasn’t, you know, tilting betting lines or anything. Me saying, “Carlos Alcaraz, I think he’s one of the favorites at Wimbledon,” isn’t really, I would assume it’s not changing much.”
He did, however, draw attention to how strictly regulated these alliances were: coaches, captains, and anyone connected to players were prohibited from participating. He claimed that podcasters were the only people left to provide a tournament summary.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But beyond defending himself, Roddick also challenged the bigger system. He questioned where all the money from these ATP “data deals” actually goes. He further added that he believes it’s going to the Challenger Tour or to infrastructure.
He further questioned, ” How much is going to go there…., or is that going to go to pockets?” His point was simple: if the ATP can take gambling-related money under the banner of “innovation,” then there should be clarity about how it benefits the players who make the sport run.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
For context, last year, the ATP signed a six-year partnership with Sportradar through its Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) division. The deal gives Sportradar access to official match data for both betting and analytics. The ATP claims it has led to a 60% increase in Challenger Tour prize money since 2022. But as Roddick and Wertheim discussed, the picture isn’t entirely clear.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In defending himself, Andy Roddick has drawn a line between promoting gambling and talking about tennis on a betting-owned platform. But the real question is, governing bodies like the ATP, WTA, and ITF strike massive sponsorship and data deals with betting firms because they bring in millions. However, officials, coaches, and athletes are prohibited from betting in any way.
ITIA cracks down on tennis betting offenses
Players who violate the sport’s anti-corruption regulations have faced harsh penalties from the International Tennis Integrity Agency, including multi-year bans and hefty fines. Lauro Milanovic, a Croatian player, was given the harshest punishment for his match betting and refusal to assist investigators: an eight-year suspension and a $10,000 fine.
The ITIA found that Milanovic, who is currently unranked, had placed 15 winning bets on a match involving a close associate back in 2018. After initially denying any involvement, he later refused to provide access to his phone or respond to formal requests for evidence. His suspension runs until May 2033, though he has appealed the ruling.
In another case, Uzbekistani player Rakhimbek Ibrakhimov was suspended for 21 months and fined $5,000 after failing to cooperate with an ITIA investigation into suspicious matches from 2022. The 22-year-old, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 1550, earned just $1,710 in career prize money. Based on the ITIA, Ibrakhimov ignored numerous interview demands and missed a rescheduled hearing. His ban will be until April 2027.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) also suspended Melina Ferrero, an Argentine player, on 12 counts of supplying and 12 counts of betting, on the argument of match-fixing, for a three-year suspension. The panel found the sustained course of misconduct between 2017 and 2018, comprising not reporting corrupt practices, and being paid to do poorly, and found it to have been perpetrated by Ferrero.
Until July 2027, she will not be eligible and will pay a fine of $15,000. The ITIA, an independent organization established to protect the integrity of tennis, makes it an offense where all three players cannot attend or take part in any event that is hosted by the ATP, WTA, ITF, or the federation of national tennis in their countries of origin when they are in suspension.
High school girls’ tennis: City Section playoff scores, updated pairings
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals
OPEN DIVISION
#1 Palisades 21, #4 El Camino Real 8.5
#2 Granada Hills 17.5, #3 Venice 12
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 12:30 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
DIVISION I
#9 Cleveland at #1 LA Marshall
#5 GALA at #4 Eagle Rock
#6 Van Nuys at #3 North Hollywood
#7 San Pedro at #2 Chatsworth
DIVISION II
#9 University at #1 Granada Hills Kennedy
#5 Franklin at #4 Bell
#6 Downtown Magnets at #3 Gardena
#10 Legacy at #2 Carson
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
At Balboa Tennis Center, Encino
Finals
OPEN DIVISION
#1 Palisades vs. #2 Granada Hills, 11 a.m.
Grant Thornton field includes Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, Jason Day, Tony Finau
The full 32-player field for the third annual Grant Thornton Invitational has been announced.
Sixteen mixed teams, each with one LPGA and one PGA player, will compete for a $4 million purse.
The three-day event will take place from Dec. 12-14 at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples.
The full 32-player field for the third annual Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-team golf tournament scheduled for this December at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, is now set.
The 16 mixed teams are:
Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp
Lydia Ko and Jason Day
Lilia Vu and Tony Finau
Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy
Jessica Korda and Bud Cauley
Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners
Andrea Lee and Billy Horschel
Charley Hull and Daniel Berger
Lottie Woad and Luke Clanton
Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark
Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup
Rose Zhang and Michael Kim
Lauren Coughlin and Andrew Novak
Maja Stark and Neal Shipley
Angel Yin and Tom Hoge
Megan Khang and Keith Mitchell
This year’s field features golfers who have combined for 137 LPGA and PGA career victories, with nine of those wins coming in 2025. There are 10 major champions in the field, including Sweden’s Maja Stark, the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Champion.
“We are thrilled with the 16 dynamic teams we’ve been able to put together for this year. The interest from both tours continues to be high, and we are incredibly pleased with the collection of world-class players heading to Tiburón Golf Club this December,” Grant Thornton tournament director Rob Hartman said in a release. “These mixed teams are comprised of current-year winners from both tours, many of the game’s rising stars and established veterans and major champions.”
The 16 mixed teams, evenly comprised of LPGA and PGA players, will compete for an equal $4 million purse. The three-day tournament, which will consist of three distinct playing formats in scramble, foursome and modified four-ball, is set for Dec. 12-14 at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples and will be televised by NBC and Golf Channel.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit grantthorntoninvitational.com.
Grant Thornton Invitational teams
Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR); Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)
Patty Tavatanakit (WWGR: 55) and Jake Knapp (OWGR: 87)
As the defending Grant Thornton champions, this pair holds a total of three career wins on their respective tours. The 26-year-old Tavatanakit, a native of Thailand, has two wins on the LPGA Tour and was the 2021 Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour. Knapp, 31, has one career PGA TOUR title.
Lydia Ko (WWGR: 4) and Jason Day (OWGR: 45)
As the inaugural champions of the Grant Thornton in 2023, these former World No. 1 players have the most individual career titles in the field. Ko, 28, an LPGA Hall of Fame member from New Zealand, has 23 victories and won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Day, 37, from Australia, has won 13 times, including the 2015 PGA Championship.
Lilia Vu (WWGR: 34) and Tony Finau (OWGR: 72)
Vu, 28, is a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, with four victories in 2023, including two major championships. Finau, 36, has six career victories. This is a new team and Finau’s return to the tournament since 2023, when he finished T4 with Nelly Korda.
Nelly Korda (WWGR: 2) and Denny McCarthy (OWGR: 57)
Korda, 26, has accumulated 15 career victories, including two major titles. She was named the 2024 Rolex Player of the Year following a seven-win season. This is her third consecutive appearance in the tournament, with her best result being a T4 in 2023, when she was paired with Tony Finau. McCarthy, 32, is making his second appearance since 2023, when he finished T4 with Megan Khang.
Jessica Korda (WWGR: NA) and Bud Cauley (OWGR: 66)
Both are newcomers to the competition. Korda, 32, has won six times on the LPGA Tour. Cauley, 35, who has suffered multiple injuries since 2018, had a strong resurgence in 2025, qualifying him for the PGA TOUR playoffs and rising to No. 66 in the world.
Brooke Henderson (WWGR: 25) and Corey Conners (OWGR: 27)
The Canadian team is the highest-ranked pairing in the field. This will be the third consecutive year they have been paired together, finishing second in 2023 and T4 last year. Henderson, 28, has won 14 times on the LPGA Tour, including a special victory this year at the CPKC Women’s Canadian Open. Conners, 33, has two career victories on the PGA TOUR, both at the Valero Texas Open. He was T8 at the Masters Tournament and T10 at The Open Championship this year.
Andrea Lee (WWGR: 20) and Billy Horschel (OWGR: 40)
This will be the second time these two are paired together. In 2023, they finished T14. Combined, they have nine victories on their respective tours. Lee, 27, has one victory, and Horschel, 38, has eight PGA TOUR wins, including a FedEx Cup trophy.
Charley Hull (WWGR: 5) and Daniel Berger (OWGR: 52)
England’s Hull will be returning for her second appearance in the tournament since finishing T9 with fellow countryman Justin Rose in 2023. Berger is also making his second start, finishing 13th with Nelly Korda last year. Hull, 29, has won three times during her career, including a win in September at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Berger, 32, is a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR.
Lottie Woad (WWGR: 11) and Luke Clanton (OWGR: 151)
This team is making its Grant Thornton debut. As the youngest pairing in the field, Woad, 21, and Clanton, 21, were college teammates at Florida State. Woad, from England, won the 2022 Girls Amateur Championship, 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and reached No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in June 2024. Earlier this year, she won her first professional start on the LPGA Tour at the Women’s Scottish Open. Clanton, 21, rose to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in August 2024.
Lexi Thompson (WWGR: 71) and Wyndham Clark (OWGR: 33)
This major championship-winning duo will be paired for the first time. Thompson, 30, has played the last two years with Rickie Fowler, while Clark, 31, is joining the tournament for the first time. Thompson has 11 career victories. Clark has won three times on the PGA TOUR, all in 2023, including the U.S. Open.
Jennifer Kupcho (WWGR: 41) and Chris Gotterup (OWGR: 26)
Kupcho returns for the second year, finishing third last year with Akshay Bhatia. Gotterup is a rookie in the field. Kupcho, 28, won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019 and has since recorded four career LPGA Tour victories, including this year’s ShopRite LPGA Classic. Gotterup, 26, was the college player of the year in 2022 and has two PGA TOUR wins, including the Scottish Open in July.
Rose Zhang (WWGR: 56) and Michael Kim (OWGR: 37)
Zhang, 22, returns for her second start in the tournament. She finished T9 with Sahith Theegala in 2023. Zhang has won twice on the LPGA Tour. Her first win in 2023 made her the first player to win in her professional debut on the LPGA Tour since 1951. Kim, 32, holds one PGA TOUR victory from 2018. In 2013, while at the University of California, Berkeley, he was named the college national player of the year. This is his first appearance in the tournament.
Lauren Coughlin (WWGR: 16) and Andrew Novak (OWGR: 35)
Coughlin is making her second consecutive start in the tournament. She finished T7 with Cam Young last year. This is the first start for Novak. Coughlin, 33, has two LPGA Tour wins, both in 2024. Novak, 30, captured his first PGA TOUR victory this year in New Orleans at a team event with partner Ben Griffin.
Maja Stark (WWGR: 15) and Neal Shipley (OWGR: 89)
Stark is making her second consecutive appearance in the competition. The Swedish star was T9 last year with J.T. Poston. Shipley is another tournament rookie in the field. Stark, 25, has two career victories, including this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. Shipley, 24, has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, earning his PGA TOUR card for the 2026 season.
Angel Yin (WWGR: 10) and Tom Hoge (OWGR: 85)
This is a new team competing in the Grant Thornton Invitational. Yin, 27, has won twice on the LPGA Tour, including the Honda LPGA Thailand earlier this season. Hoge, 36, won the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for his lone PGA TOUR victory so far.
Megan Khang (WWGR: 35) and Keith Mitchell (OWGR: 124)
Khang is returning to the Grant Thornton for the third time with a different partner. She was T9 with Matt Kuchar last year and T4 with Denny McCarthy in 2023. Mitchell is making his tournament debut. Khang, 28, has one career victory, and Mitchell, 33, has one PGA TOUR win.
PGA Tour Champions releases ’26 slate with $69M in purses
Two new tournaments highlight the 28-event PGA Tour Champions 2026 schedule that features a record-setting purse total.
The Portugal Invitational in Algarve (week of July 27-Aug. 2), and the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic in Allentown, Pa., (Sept. 28-Oct. 4) are the new additions to the schedule. The total prize money for the season is $69 million, a slight increase from this year.
Golf’s ability to create stars is imperative no matter what a new PGA Tour looks like
Outgoing commissioner Jay Monahan has used a form of this word — regenerate — twice in the last two years. It got lost amid topics like private equity investments and a pathway back for LIV Golf players, and even turning over the helm to a new CEO.
But it’s what the PGA Tour can’t afford to lose as it tries to create a bold, new model.
“We consistently as an organization regenerate talent and create stars,” Monahan said at The Players Championship in 2024, when negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf were still ongoing with far more hope for a deal than there is now.
And then in August at the Tour Championship, where Monahan held his last press conference while introducing Brian Rolapp as the CEO, he mentioned 11 first-time winners on the PGA Tour and paused ever so briefly for emphasis.
“Further proof that talent regeneration is alive and well on the PGA Tour,” he said.
That number is now up to 15 first-time PGA Tour winners this year. The latest was Michael Brennan, perhaps the most unlikely of them all.
The Wake Forest graduate was looking forward to the Korn Ferry Tour after winning three times on the PGA Tour Americas (the equivalent of Double-A baseball) this summer. The big leagues was another year away at best.
And then he received a sponsor exemption to the Bank of Utah Championship, unleashed his powerful swing and won in his PGA Tour debut as a pro to earn a two-year exemption.
Was a star born?
Talent is discovered more than it is created. It needs a little more time and a small dose of context. The stars are in hibernation at the moment. Brennan wasn’t holding off Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, but Rico Hoey and Pierceson Coody.
It was no less impressive, and Brennan will now have a bigger stage. He gets into at least one $20 million signature event next year — the RBC Heritage, replacing Sentry as the portal for winners — and he has a reasonable chance of finishing the year in the top 50 in the world (he’s at No. 43) to get into the Masters.
It’s all about opportunity, and that’s what the Futures Competition Committee should keep in mind as it figures out what 2027 will look like.
Rolapp announced this committee in August, and it formally met for the first time last week.
Tiger Woods is the chairman of a committee that includes five players — Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Camilo Villegas, Maverick McNealy and Keith Mitchell — and three business advisors that include progressive thinker Theo Epstein.
Rolapp got attention when he said, “The goal is not incremental change. The goal is significant change.” He mentioned a clean sheet of paper, being “as aggressive as we can.”
The idea is to make every tournament meaningful, and 2026 — effectively a bridge year — will feature as many as 46 events. About 30 of those events are more like “opportunities.”
But that opportunity is what generates stars.
Will a new tour model include someone like Brennan? Yes, because he played Black Desert on a sponsor’s exemption. Those are still available.
And there remains a pathway from the Korn Ferry Tour that has produced the likes of Scheffler and Schauffele over the last decade, and players like David Duval and Justin Thomas before them. The best players always find their way. Some get there quicker.
Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth both narrowly missed out at the second stage of Q-school in 2012. Spieth received sponsor exemptions, earned a card and then a trophy, and played in the Presidents Cup a year later. Koepka started on the Challenge Tour in Europe and it took a little longer. But he now has five majors.
There are indications a new model will cater to the stars in a bid to get them playing against each other more often. That’s what makes meaningful competition. The other word Rolapp used was “scarcity,” when less means more.
It’s not hard to imagine a tour schedule of signature events, along with The Players Championship, four majors and the FedEx Cup playoffs. That effectively would create two tours, which is not too much different than what exists now.
However it looks — and there is a lot of work ahead for the committee — the key is to allow for enough movement from the “opportunities” to the “meaningful tournaments” to regenerate.
That might be the biggest difference between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and the key issue that kept the Saudi-funded league from being recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. LIV starts and ends its season with the same 54 players (except for an occasional alternate).
Chris Gotterup got his opportunity in Myrtle Beach, and then he cashed in by taking down Rory McIlroy a year later in the Scottish Open. There are just as many stories about players making good on their opportunity and not lasting very long against tougher competition.
Still to be determined are how Brennan and other recent newcomers — Jake Knapp, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Novak — will fare against a steady diet of golf’s best players.
Rolapp is still relatively new to golf after his long tenure at the NFL. But while he is remembered for talking about parity, scarcity and simplicity, he also brought up the most important word in golf — meritocracy.
“Whatever we do, wherever we end up on a competitive model, let’s just make sure that I can earn my way into it,” he said. “And if I earn my way into it, I deserve to be there.”
For now, Michael Brennan knows the feeling.
___
Golf’s ability to create stars is imperative no matter what a new PGA Tour looks like
Outgoing commissioner Jay Monahan has used a form of this word — regenerate — twice in the last two years. It got lost amid topics like private equity investments and a pathway back for LIV Golf players, and even turning over the helm to a new CEO.
But it’s what the PGA Tour can’t afford to lose as it tries to create a bold, new model.
“We consistently as an organization regenerate talent and create stars,” Monahan said at The Players Championship in 2024, when negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf were still ongoing with far more hope for a deal than there is now.
And then in August at the Tour Championship, where Monahan held his last press conference while introducing Brian Rolapp as the CEO, he mentioned 11 first-time winners on the PGA Tour and paused ever so briefly for emphasis.
“Further proof that talent regeneration is alive and well on the PGA Tour,” he said.
That number is now up to 15 first-time PGA Tour winners this year. The latest was Michael Brennan, perhaps the most unlikely of them all.
The Wake Forest graduate was looking forward to the Korn Ferry Tour after winning three times on the PGA Tour Americas (the equivalent of Double-A baseball) this summer. The big leagues was another year away at best.
And then he received a sponsor exemption to the Bank of Utah Championship, unleashed his powerful swing and won in his PGA Tour debut as a pro to earn a two-year exemption.
Was a star born?
Talent is discovered more than it is created. It needs a little more time and a small dose of context. The stars are in hibernation at the moment. Brennan wasn’t holding off Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, but Rico Hoey and Pierceson Coody.
It was no less impressive, and Brennan will now have a bigger stage. He gets into at least one $20 million signature event next year — the RBC Heritage, replacing Sentry as the portal for winners — and he has a reasonable chance of finishing the year in the top 50 in the world (he’s at No. 43) to get into the Masters.
It’s all about opportunity, and that’s what the Futures Competition Committee should keep in mind as it figures out what 2027 will look like.
Rolapp announced this committee in August, and it formally met for the first time last week.
Tiger Woods is the chairman of a committee that includes five players — Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Camilo Villegas, Maverick McNealy and Keith Mitchell — and three business advisors that include progressive thinker Theo Epstein.
Rolapp got attention when he said, “The goal is not incremental change. The goal is significant change.” He mentioned a clean sheet of paper, being “as aggressive as we can.”
The idea is to make every tournament meaningful, and 2026 — effectively a bridge year — will feature as many as 46 events. About 30 of those events are more like “opportunities.”
But that opportunity is what generates stars.
Will a new tour model include someone like Brennan? Yes, because he played Black Desert on a sponsor’s exemption. Those are still available.
And there remains a pathway from the Korn Ferry Tour that has produced the likes of Scheffler and Schauffele over the last decade, and players like David Duval and Justin Thomas before them. The best players always find their way. Some get there quicker.
Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth both narrowly missed out at the second stage of Q-school in 2012. Spieth received sponsor exemptions, earned a card and then a trophy, and played in the Presidents Cup a year later. Koepka started on the Challenge Tour in Europe and it took a little longer. But he now has five majors.
There are indications a new model will cater to the stars in a bid to get them playing against each other more often. That’s what makes meaningful competition. The other word Rolapp used was “scarcity,” when less means more.
It’s not hard to imagine a tour schedule of signature events, along with The Players Championship, four majors and the FedEx Cup playoffs. That effectively would create two tours, which is not too much different than what exists now.
However it looks — and there is a lot of work ahead for the committee — the key is to allow for enough movement from the “opportunities” to the “meaningful tournaments” to regenerate.
That might be the biggest difference between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and the key issue that kept the Saudi-funded league from being recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. LIV starts and ends its season with the same 54 players (except for an occasional alternate).
Chris Gotterup got his opportunity in Myrtle Beach, and then he cashed in by taking down Rory McIlroy a year later in the Scottish Open. There are just as many stories about players making good on their opportunity and not lasting very long against tougher competition.
Still to be determined are how Brennan and other recent newcomers — Jake Knapp, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Novak — will fare against a steady diet of golf’s best players.
Rolapp is still relatively new to golf after his long tenure at the NFL. But while he is remembered for talking about parity, scarcity and simplicity, he also brought up the most important word in golf — meritocracy.
“Whatever we do, wherever we end up on a competitive model, let’s just make sure that I can earn my way into it,” he said. “And if I earn my way into it, I deserve to be there.”
For now, Michael Brennan knows the feeling.
___
On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
PGA Tour Golfer Took a Page Out of John Daly’s Book for $1.08 Million Feat, Says Former Pro
When the sun dipped behind the red cliffs of Ivins, Utah, this weekend, one man stood tall. Michael Brennan, at just 23, owned the weekend with a calm, commanding four-shot win at the Bank of Utah Championship. It was a performance that left even Dennis Paulson in awe.
This victory adds another highlight to what’s already been a breakout season for Brennan. Fresh off earning his Korn Ferry Tour card, he’s starting to look like the next big thing. And to top it off, Paulson’s comparison to one of America’s finest golfers might be the highest compliment he could ask for.
Brennan won the Bank of Utah Championship by four commanding strokes. This was a remarkable feat considering it was only his third career PGA Tour start and his first as a professional. On SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Dennis Paulson couldn’t stop praising the 23-year-old’s performance. He even compared Brennan’s breakout to that of American golf legend John Daly.
“It’s gonna be interesting to see how this translates, but what I saw, and I don’t wanna go crazy and say all this stuff, but it reminds me a lot of what John Daly did at the PGA Championship when he burst on the scene”, stated Paulson.
The 63-year-old veteran further added, “Now, that was a major championship, but he was just taking it over to corners and doing things that, and I’m not saying that he’s the longest on the PGA Tour, but boy, oh boy, was he straight.” Reflecting on the show that young Brennan pulled off, Paulson shared, “I mean, half those fairways that he missed, one of them was a tug in a fairway bunker, and I saw him hit it through the fairway on that one hole where he drove it all the way in front of the green and it rolled forever to get there… I didn’t see any foul balls.”
Continuing further with the post-game analysis, Paulson shared how the 23-year-old went for a conservative, smart play to keep the ball in play and ensure a good angle and chose a 3-wood instead of a driver on the 18th hole. “It was very impressive the way he drove the golf ball, and if he’s gonna drive the ball like that, the rest of the stuff doesn’t have to be that good, but that stuff is good. That’s the thing. I mean, he’s good with his irons”, said Paulson about Michael Brennan. As it appears, Brennan, too, was confident that he could pull off a win going into the Championship.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Michael Brennan shares heartfelt reflection after Bank of Utah Championship triumph
The PGA Tour Americas outing for Michael Brennan turned out to be quite a huge success. Battling it out on the Black Desert in the Bank of Utah Championship, Brennan’s impressive showing propelled him to the pole position of the PGA leaderboard. As the second round of the event suffered due to poor lighting conditions, Brennan pulled out a 6-under-65 to take a one-stroke lead. Next up, as he played under a sponsor exemption, the 23-year-old clinched a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth.
Michael Brennan was understandably thrilled after his latest triumph. “It’s very exciting to be in a tour event,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to play any this fall, so to have the opportunity to play in one is awesome. I’m just very grateful to be here. It’s been a really fun week so far. Hopefully, it stays that way.”
Watching Brennan, it was clear he’s a gifted player. But few expected him to dominate the way he did. Then again, maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The 23-year-old had already won three times between mid-August and late September, and those recent battles clearly shaped how he handled the pressure in Utah.
Reflecting on his victory in The Loop podcast, Brennan said, “Being in those situations [on PGA Tour Americas] has been so fruitful for me in my development as a golfer. I think I had five or six rounds in the final group over the last six tournaments, so I just tried to lean on that experience and enjoy the day.”
It’s safe to say a new name has entered the spotlight. Whether Brennan can sustain this momentum is what makes his next few starts worth watching.
Wesley Bryan Lost for Words as PGA Tour Creator Rubs Suspension Dilemma in His Face
It’s not often that a PGA Tour pro gets roasted about his suspension and laughs along. Many elite players face PGA Tour suspensions, largely for competing in the LIV Golf league. Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Sergio Garcia are just a few of the names that come to mind. While many criticize these golfers for joining the Saudi-backed league, there are hardly any who would joke about their suspension. But such an event occurred with Wesley Bryan, who was recently suspended from the PGA Tour.
Recently, Tee Times shared an X post with the text, “@RobbyBerger with a nice little jab at Wesley Bryan about the PGA Tour suspensions for being in YouTube videos 😂 #InternetInvitational.” The post features a video in which Bob Does Sports host Robby Berger mocks Wesley Bryan’s suspension. “Downside to it, Wesley could probably tell you, is we are all, as of tomorrow, probably suspended from the PGA Tour. So, if you have any questions on that, Wesley could tell you, and it’s a shame because, me and Duke, we are going to be in the John Deere Classic next year,” Berger said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Wesley Bryan is a 35-year-old professional golfer and popular golf content creator on YouTube. He creates golf videos with his brother George. In April 2025, Bryan was suspended from the PGA Tour. The suspension came after his participation in “The Duels: Miami.” It was a LIV-backed event. The event featured six LIV golfers with six YouTube creators in a nine-hole scramble format. The 2017 RBC Heritage champion teamed up with Sergio Garcia and won the $250,000 event.
The PGA Tour suspended Bryan for participating in what they deemed an unauthorized LIV-sponsored golf competition broadcast on YouTube. The Tour’s rules impose a suspension for members playing in LIV-backed events without permission. Bryan contested the suspension.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I want to be clear, I do respect the authorities that are in place, but because of the ambiguity in the rules and regulations that were written, I do, as a member of the PGA Tour, have a right to appeal their decision of which I plan on exercising,” Bryan said. The core of his appeal was that “The Duels: Miami” was not a regular event.
Wesley Bryan said that the weeks after the suspension were an emotional roller coaster for him. It is easy to see why it would have been like that for the PGA Tour pro. Until suspension, Bryan had played 137 events, won 1, made the cut in 68, and amassed over $5 million in official earnings. Suspension from the PGA Tour means he wouldn’t be able to compete on the biggest stage of golf. Moreover, it also meant that he had lost one of his biggest sources of income.
However, he did have other sources of income, such as his YouTube channel. Beyond that, Bryan has also started playing in non-PGA Tour events, including the International Series Philippines. Despite his indefinite suspension, Bryan might still play in the Good Good Championship’s inaugural event in 2026.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Wesley Bryan’s possible return at the Good Good Championship
Insider Matt Schraff from Good Good Golf hinted at Bryan’s possible participation in the upcoming Good Good Championship, a FedExCup invitational event. Although there’s a year between now and the inaugural event in November 2026, the hype is already building around it. A few days back, Schraff was on The Scratch Golf Show. That’s when he hinted at Bryan’s possible return. “It could be his return, or we’re going to have to go out there and battle for 18 holes, and if I beat him, get the spot. You know, we you know, you never know. But yeah, it could be his return,” Schraff said.
The Good Good Championship brings together an unusual mix of competitors and aims to include diverse players. Its organizers aim to select players carefully. The team says that the process is very challenging because of the high number of talented candidates. Besides Wesley Bryan, Sergio García could also make a return at the event.
Garcia’s career situation includes controversy because of missing the minimum DP World Tour event requirements in 2025, risking membership loss for 2026. He withdrew from the Amgen Irish Open and remains affiliated with LIV Golf. This could raise eyebrows if he participates in Good Good Golf activities.
Whether or not Sergio García or Wesley Bryan returns for the Good Good Championship, Bryan remains suspended from the PGA Tour. And no matter how much Robby Berger teases him about it, there isn’t much he can do right now.
PGA Tour Turns Heads as NFL Star Parker Washington Takes on Unlikely One-Day Role
Most NFL wide receivers spend their off-days reviewing film or recovering in ice baths. Parker Washington? He was in a PGA Tour production booth, zooming in on ball flights and crafting slow-motion replays like a seasoned editor.
The Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver didn’t just show up at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas—he became an unexpected social media sensation. The PGA Tour’s official Instagram post featuring Washington went absolutely viral, racking up over 150,000 likes and sparking a wave of memes across both sports worlds. The clip showed the 23-year-old nailing a crisp driver swing at TPC Summerlin with Hollywood-level production: slow-mo replays, zoom-ins on the ball flight, cartoonish “whoosh” effects, and text overlays reading “Future Tour Pro?” and “Jaguars by day, birdies by… well, today.”
The caption? “Parker Washington might have a future in video editing… or golf? #PGATOUR #Jaguars” – a cheeky nod to both the slick production and his legitimate golf game. And here’s the kicker: Washington actually shot under par during the pro-am, drawing cheers from touring pros like Tom Kim. For an NFL player in the middle of a breakout season—32 catches, 390 yards, and 3 touchdowns through October—this wasn’t just a photo op. It was proof of serious skills.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
To Be Continued..
Michael Kim Pays LPGA Star Major Compliment as They Get Paired For Grant Thornton Invitational
When a PGA Tour pro publicly gushes about a partner’s golf swing, you know something special is brewing. Michael Kim just dropped a social media bombshell that has the golf world buzzing with excitement.
The 32-year-old took to X on Tuesday morning with a post that was equal parts playful and genuine. “Super excited to tee it up with Rose at the @gtinvitational!” Kim wrote. “Sometimes a Cal Bear and a Stanford Tree can get along!” But he didn’t stop there. The real kicker came in his next line: “(Especially when your partner has the prettiest golf swing you can imagine).”
That’s right. Kim and Rose Zhang are officially teaming up for the December 12-14 Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida. And Kim’s not hiding his excitement one bit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Cal-Stanford rivalry angle makes this pairing even more entertaining. Kim won the prestigious Haskins Award at Cal Berkeley in 2013. Zhang, meanwhile, dominated at Stanford with two consecutive NCAA Individual Championships in 2022 and 2023. She even broke Tiger Woods‘ Stanford tournament record by winning 12 times in just 20 collegiate starts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
These two universities have battled it out in “The Big Match” since 2018. The annual golf showdown features both schools’ men’s and women’s teams competing head-to-head. Cal and Stanford are tied 3-3 in the series through 2025. Now, two of their brightest golf stars are joining forces.
Kim’s compliment about Zhang’s swing isn’t just friendly banter. It’s backed by serious credentials. Zhang spent a record 141 consecutive weeks atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She made history in June 2023 by winning the Mizuho Americas Open in her professional debut. That made her the first player to accomplish that feat since Beverly Hanson in 1951.
Her second LPGA victory came at the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup. Zhang fired a tournament-record 24-under-par to dominate the field. She also went 4-0-0 at the 2024 Solheim Cup, proving she thrives under pressure. Those are the kind of performances that earn genuine praise from fellow pros.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Kim has been experiencing his own career resurgence in 2025. He finished T2 at the WM Phoenix Open in February, pocketing $818,800. Then in September, he captured his first worldwide victory since 2018 at the FedEx Open de France. The win earned him $552,500 and launched him to a career-best No. 38 in the world rankings.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
His social media presence has exploded alongside his game. Kim has amassed over 207,000 followers on X. Multiple golf publications now call him “the PGA Tour’s best follow.” His candid insights and self-deprecating humor resonate with fans everywhere.
The tournament’s unique mixed-team format and significance
This marks Zhang’s second Grant Thornton appearance. She finished T9 with Sahith Theegala in the 2023 inaugural event. Kim, however, is making his tournament debut. The pairing joins a stacked field that tournament officials recently unveiled. Defending champions Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp return after their wire-to-wire victory in 2024. Inaugural winners Lydia Ko and Jason Day are back for another run. The powerhouse duo of Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy headlines the competition.
The Grant Thornton stands alone as golf’s only current mixed-team event. It’s the first since the JCPenney Classic ended in 1999. The tournament features a $4 million purse split equally between LPGA and PGA Tour players. Winners take home $1 million to share.
What makes this event special is its rotating format. Friday features Scramble. Saturday brings Foursomes (Alternate Shot). Sunday closes with Modified Four-Ball, where players tee off, then switch balls for their second shots. Each format tests different partnership skills.
Kim and Zhang will need all three working in harmony. But if his X post is any indication, they’re already on the same page. Sometimes a Cal Bear and a Stanford Tree really can get along—especially when there’s a million-dollar prize on the line.
NASCAR Opens Investigation Into Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton Collision
Sam Mayer, the 22-year-old driver of the No. 41 Audibel Ford for the Haas Factory Team, is facing possible penalties from NASCAR after an intentional post-race incident at Martinsville Speedway on October 25, 2025.
During the IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250, Mayer battled hard with Jeb Burton and eventually came to finish seventh. The latter got sixth. However, the checkered flag did not solve the issue between these two.
Shortly after the race, Mayer rammed the rear end of Burton’s No. 27 Chevrolet in Turn 1, causing a spin that hit the outside wall violently. NASCAR officials arrived at the scene quite promptly and were very displeased with the incident. They also warned that the disciplinary measures may be released as early as October 28.
Bad Blood Between Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton
At the start of the race, during a Stage 1 restart, Mayer had a heated battle with Burton and aggressively pushed him up the track, thus setting a tense tone. As the laps were running out, Burton bumped Mayer to grab sixth place, and Mayer clearly saw it as a payback move.
The two weren’t only fighting at Martinsville, actually, their feud goes back to a pileup at Talladega earlier this season, where Mayer blamed Burton for making him lose his playoff berth. The grudge has only increased since then, particularly by Mayer, who is known for his outbursts of rage when things don’t turn out his way.
This is not the first time that Mayer’s emotions have made the headlines at Martinsville. In 2022, after a similar bump-and-run, he and Ty Gibbs got into a heated confrontation on pit road. Burton, who drives for Jordan Anderson Racing, after Saturday’s race, didn’t mince his words and called Mayer a “punk”.
NASCAR’s Stance and Possible Penalties
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer addressed the situation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on October 28, making it clear that post-race retaliation won’t be tolerated. “Having that type of incident after the checkered flag, it’s just not something we’re going to tolerate,” Sawyer said. “We’ll get with our team today, discuss it, and see what the next steps are.”
Sawyer went on to explain how NASCAR handles such reviews internally. “I’ll let our series director (in the Xfinity Series), Eric Peterson, run point,” he said. “He’ll talk to both drivers, in this case, Jeb and Sam, and get their side of the story. We’ll go back and look at all the replays. We’ll look at the race as an entirety to see what unfolded early on, and then we take all of that, sit down, and look at prior similar situations, and we’ll make a decision on how we move forward.”
He added that NASCAR considers post-race retaliation especially serious. “When we start using vehicles to run into each other, that rises to a different level, and we’ll respond accordingly.”
Insider Jordan Bianchi suggested that a one-week suspension is likely, citing the deliberate nature of Mayer’s move.
Others believe a fine or points deduction could be more appropriate, similar to the $5,000 fine Burton received earlier this year for a Martinsville incident.
NASCAR has consistently punished intentional post-race wrecks harshly, seeing them as “weaponizing” cars. Officials have stressed that no matter the emotions involved, retaliation after the race poses unnecessary safety risks to drivers and crew members alike.
A Heated Season
This latest drama adds to what’s already been one of the most emotional Xfinity Series seasons in years. Rivalries have flared, tempers have boiled over, and the intensity has pushed NASCAR to enforce stricter behavioral standards.
For Mayer, a former ARCA East champion and one of the sport’s brightest young stars, the consequences could be costly. A suspension or fine might not just dent his points but also his growing reputation.
Judge dismisses NASCAR’s counterclaim
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim against the two teams suing the racing series over antitrust allegations.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell issued the summary judgment in favor of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, dismissing NASCAR’s claim that 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk illegally colluded with other teams during negotiations for new charters.
23XI is also owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Polk is Jordan’s longtime business manager. Polk was also part of a four-member negotiating team that worked with NASCAR during two-plus years on the charter agreement signed by 13 of 15 organizations last year.
NASCAR argued in its countersuit that a 2023 boycott of the team owners council meeting negatively impacted its media rights negotiations, and that by the 15 organizations unifying for the charter talks, the teams got a better deal than they could have gotten if NASCAR negotiated with the teams separately.
Bell found the boycott to be a negotiating tactic “which appeared to have little impact” because NASCAR started individual negotiations shortly after.
Advertisement
Bell also found that 23XI and FRM did not participate in “unreasonable restraint of trade” because NASCAR’s individual meetings with the teams did result in some changes to the charter agreement, and because all the charter agreements would be the same among all the teams, that the teams working together in negotiations would be reasonable.
“The evidence here establishes that not only were individual negotiations ‘available,’ but NASCAR had such negotiations regularly during the negotiation period,” Bell wrote in his order. “And, those individual negotiations achieved concrete results, including the final 2025 Charter agreement that was signed by 13 teams acting individually (and contrary to the supposed ‘joint agreement’).”
Bell must also rule on two other summary judgment motions, one by NASCAR asking for a ruling in its favor and one from 23XI and FRM to designate the market as “premier stock-car racing.”
Advertisement
Two days of mediation last week failed to end this contentious feud and the case is still scheduled for a Dec. 1 trial date in North Carolina.
23XI and FRM are the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign extensions on charters, which are at the heart of NASCAR’s business model. A chartered car is guaranteed revenue and access to weekly races, and without them both teams say they will almost surely go out of business.
“Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport,” 23XI/FRM attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement. “Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone — teams, drivers, employees, partners and fans.”
NASCAR indicated in its statement that it is still hopeful of a settlement. The season ends with Sunday’s championship finale at Phoenix and Hamlin is one of four drivers eligible for the Cup title.
“We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning,” NASCAR said. “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport.
“Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
Court dismisses NASCAR’s counterclaim against Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim against the two teams suing the racing series over antitrust allegations.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell issued the summary judgment in favor of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, dismissing NASCAR’s claim that 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk illegally colluded with other teams during negotiations for new charters.
23XI is also owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Polk is Jordan’s longtime business manager. Polk was also part of a four-member negotiating team that worked with NASCAR during two-plus years on the charter agreement signed by 13 of 15 organizations last year.
NASCAR argued in its countersuit that a 2023 boycott of the team owners council meeting negatively impacted its media rights negotiations, and that by the 15 organizations unifying for the charter talks, the teams got a better deal than they could have gotten if NASCAR negotiated with the teams separately.
Bell found the boycott to be a negotiating tactic “which appeared to have little impact” because NASCAR started individual negotiations shortly after.
Bell also found that 23XI and FRM did not participate in “unreasonable restraint of trade” because NASCAR’s individual meetings with the teams did result in some changes to the charter agreement, and because all the charter agreements would be the same among all the teams, that the teams working together in negotiations would be reasonable.
“The evidence here establishes that not only were individual negotiations ‘available,’ but NASCAR had such negotiations regularly during the negotiation period,” Bell wrote in his order. “And, those individual negotiations achieved concrete results, including the final 2025 Charter agreement that was signed by 13 teams acting individually (and contrary to the supposed ‘joint agreement’).”
Bell must also rule on two other summary judgment motions, one by NASCAR asking for a ruling in its favor and one from 23XI and FRM to designate the market as “premier stock-car racing.”
Two days of mediation last week failed to end this contentious feud and the case is still scheduled for a Dec. 1 trial date in North Carolina.
23XI and FRM are the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign extensions on charters, which are at the heart of NASCAR’s business model. A chartered car is guaranteed revenue and access to weekly races, and without them both teams say they will almost surely go out of business.
“Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport,” 23XI/FRM attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement. “Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone — teams, drivers, employees, partners and fans.”
NASCAR indicated in its statement that it is still hopeful of a settlement. The season ends with Sunday’s championship finale at Phoenix and Hamlin is one of four drivers eligible for the Cup title.
“We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning,” NASCAR said. “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport.
“Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
NASCAR seeking resolution with 23XI Racing, Front Row ahead of Championship weekend
NASCAR stated Tuesday a desire to “resolving” its lawsuit with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
“Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport,” NASCAR stated in part of its statement Tuesday.
NASCAR’s statement came after Judge Kenneth D. Bell dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim Tuesday against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
NASCAR stated: “We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning. Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport. Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have stated previously that they are open to settling the case.
Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, stated after Tuesday’s decision by Judge Bell: “We are thankful for Judge Bell’s thoughtful consideration of the facts and the law, and his decision to grant Summary Judgment in my clients’ favor against the NASCAR counterclaim.
“Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport. Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone – teams, drivers, employees, partners and fans.”
23XI Racing — co-owned by Michael Jordan and Cup championship contender Denny Hamlin — and Front Row Motorsports filed an antirust lawsuit Oct. 2, 2024, against NASCAR, stating that “NASCAR has unlawfully maintained its monopoly position for offering a top-tier stock car racing series in the United States in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.”
NASCAR filed a counterclaim March 5 against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, stating that the two teams “embarked on a strategy to threaten, coerce, and extort NASCAR into meeting their demands for better contract and financial terms.” NASCAR amended its counterclaim May 8.
Oral arguments were heard Oct. 23 about a summary judgement on the counterclaim ahead of Judge Bell’s order Tuesday.
Gene Haas & Co. Accepts Faith as NASCAR Suspends 22-Yo Driver for Post Race Antics
It is no secret that NASCAR is becoming stricter with its rules, and after last weekend’s Xfinity Martinsville mayhem, Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, won’t be hitting the track for this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Championship race at Phoenix. On Tuesday night, NASCAR dropped the news in its weekly penalty report, confirming that the 22-year-old has been handed a one-race suspension.
And the Haas Factory team quickly confirmed that it won’t appeal the penalty. Instead, Ryan Sieg will take the wheel of the No. 41 this weekend. Sieg, who normally drives the No. 39 RSS Racing Ford, a team with Haas ties, will be making his 400th career start at Phoenix. They didn’t mince words in their statement.
The statement read, “Although we are disappointed with the results, Haas Factory Team will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to Sam Mayer and the No. 41 team following last weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. We remain focused on finishing the season out strong at Phoenix Raceway and look forward to contending for a race win with Ryan Sieg at the wheel.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The suspension stems from a heated moment at Martinsville, where Mayer slammed into Jeb Burton’s No. 27 Chevrolet after the checkered flag had already waved. The two had been trading jobs all along, but things boiled over on the cooldown lap when the No. 41’s move sent Burton spinning hard into the outside wall. This led to Mayer delivering a cold response after the race, as things got heated during the interview.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
NASCAR cited Mayer for violating Section 4.4B of its member code of conduct, resulting in a one-race ban. The Wisconsin native will be eligible to return at the start of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season at Daytona. Having already been knocked out of playoff contention, the 22-year-old was going to be racing for nothing but pride at the season-finale, before the sanctioning body’s verdict was released.
Denny Hamlin Learns Rare Lesson as Controversy Surrounds Him
“If you’re good enough, you’ll get your shot at some point through the day.” That’s a mantra Denny Hamlin seems to have adopted lately, with the Virginia-native making a conscious effort to stay away from headlines for all the wrong reasons. With the season finale at Phoenix on the horizon, the veteran racer has his eyes on the prize and is uncharacteristically attempting to steer clear of controversies with the Bill France Cup on the line. But fans haven’t forgotten his recent incidents with Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace, and even though the field is set for one last showdown, the 44-year-old is adopting a different approach, having learned a rare lesson from the past few wrecks.
Hamlin’s No. 11 has six wins this year, leading the series in wins. But any wrong approach chosen to tackle the finale may remind everyone how the title’s hope may slip away in early wrecks. So let’s look into whether this 44-year veteran will apply those newly learned lessons in the finals.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Denny Hamlin’s clean slate strategy
On the latest episode of the Action Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin opened up about his Martinsville mindset, revealing a calculated restraint amid the playoff pressure. “I let no less than five cars actually pass, like let them pass,” he said. “I wasn’t, I could have just held my line and air blocked them and made them get their stuff hot. And it would just been very detrimental to them.” This came after Hamlin let drivers like Elliott and Joey Logano pass him without a fight, even though various voices from the garage urged him to slam Logano to take past revenge.
But why did Hamlin let them pass? Patience pays in a sport where early aggression can lead to grudges, resulting in retaliatory moves in subsequent races. His issues with various drivers in the past include Gibbs’s bumps at Bristol, Elliott’s incident during the 2023 Coca-Cola 600, and Bubba’s contact in 2023. These incidents taught him that wrecking others just to pass on in the early stage of the race may invite revenge from them when it counts the most.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
At Martinsville, where he led early before an engine failure, Hamlin chose a “deposits and withdrawals” mentality, banking on goodwill from other drivers in Phoenix‘s tight pack racing.
That philosophy contrasts directly with Hocevar’s aggressive Martinsville weekend, where the rookie spun three times, including tangles with Daniel Suárez. Hamlin didn’t hold back on the podcast: “Why do you think Carson Hocesvar was in four wrecks? You know what I mean? I’m not asking for anything. I’m just saying that it’s okay to let people go.” Echoing this, he added further about racing at Phoenix, “Once you get inside 30, 50 laps to go and you’re like 20th or worse… do me a favor and please don’t bring out a caution for no particular reason. Like, let’s just get it to the finish, fellas.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Hocevar, bringing yellow caution in the later part of the final stage while William Byron was leading, flipped the script on alliances. Hamlin’s lesson here is mutual give and take, like drive clean now, and rivals might return the favor in the 312-lap grind in the finale. With Phoenix’s flat 1-mile oval favoring Hamlin’s 939 laps led there, this could keep him preserving his shot at the crown jewel.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The payoff? Hamlin plans to lean on this lesson at Phoenix, where his second-place run earlier this season showed speed. By avoiding “d–k moves,” as he put it, he tried to avoid wrecks that haunted Hocevar throughout the season and plagued his own playoff chances. Yet, if tempers rise, those old controversies could resurface, testing whether Hamlin has evolved or is just waiting for his moment.
As Hamlin eyes that first title, comparisons to another all-time great without one keep surfacing in garage talk.
Two Titans without a title
NASCAR’s garage loves a good “what if,” and putting Denny Hamlin against Mark Martin for the best driver without a title ignites endless debate. Martin with 40 Cup wins in 882 starts and five IROC titles from 1994 to 2005. Hamlin, debuting in 2005, counters with 60 victories in 718 races, three Daytona 500s, three Southern 500s, and a Coke 600, which edged Martin in Cup wins despite fewer starts.
Kyle Larson, no stranger to Hamlin’s greatness, stated, “I mean, I guess it would be between Denny [Hamlin] and Mark Martin, right? I didn’t get to compete with Mark a whole lot, you know? I wanna say Denny just because I see how good he is,” Larson said in a recent interview.
Racing weekly and watching how good he is made Larson pick Hamlin. Hamlin’s six wins this season alone, including his 60th at Las Vegas, show a sustained edge over Martin’s 40. Larson’s ties to Hendrick may add bias to his pick, but his point stands true. Hamlin’s adaptability in the Next Gen car, leading playoffs in laps, mirrors Martin’s stealth but is just magnified. Still, Martin’s IROC dominance, where he beats IndyCar stars, hints at amazing cross-discipline grit that Hamlin hasn’t shown.
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Scores Early Advantage as NASCAR Faces Lawsuit Setback
48 hours! That’s how long the scheduled meeting for settling lasted. With both parties unyielding, the October 21 meeting spilled over to the next day, but it ended without a truce. This still keeps 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR very much in the dispute. Coupled with the summary judgment hearing on October 23, it is clear that the legal battle has been anything but quiet.
With Denny Hamlin not holding back on the behind-the-scenes discussions, he said that “it was OK the first day, not great the second day.” It was definitely a letdown for the co-owner of 23XI Racing. However, the lawsuit just got more interesting and with a recent ruling, the cards may be in favor of the two teams.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Judge Bell sides with 23XI Racing and FRM amid NASCAR’s counterclaim
In a series of twists, a federal ruling has set aside NASCAR’s counterclaim in the ongoing antitrust dispute brought forward by 23XI Racing and FRM. US District Judge Kenneth Bell determined that NASCAR’s allegation of improper collusion, centered around 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk’s negotiations for the sport’s charter system, lacked sufficient grounds to proceed.
Polk, who has long-standing business ties with fellow 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan, served as one of the four representatives involved in more than two years of charter discussions with NASCAR. The sanctioning body maintained that the 2023 boycott of the team owners’ council meeting disrupted its media rights negotiations and that unified bargaining among the 15 chartered organizations produced advantages that would not have emerged under separate talks.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Judge Bell found that the boycott was simply a negotiating tactic that did not significantly affect NASCAR’s media talks, especially since the series quickly returned to individual discussions with teams. He also determined that the teams working together during charter negotiations did not amount to an illegal restraint of trade.
23XI Racing and FRM‘s attorney, Jeffery Kessler, responded to Judge Bell’s move, saying in a statement, “We are thankful for Judge Bell’s thoughtful consideration of the facts and the law, and his decision to grant summary judgment in my clients’ favor against the NASCAR counterclaim. Today’s decision has only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport. Their determination remains strong as we continue our efforts for a resolution that benefits everyone—teams, drivers, employees, partners, and fans.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Individual meetings still shaped the final agreement, and since all teams were set to receive the same charter terms, joint involvement made sense. Bell’s ruling emphasized that individual negotiations remained available and were used throughout the process, leading to the 2025 charter deal ultimately signed by 13 teams.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The case stems from the antitrust lawsuit filed by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and FRM last year on October 2. Their suit alleged that NASCAR has “ unlawfully maintained its monopoly position” over top-level stock car racing in the US, violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. NASCAR countered on March 5 of this year, accusing the teams of attempting to “threaten, coerce, and extort NASCAR” into more favorable business terms, in a letter updating its counterclaim on May 8.
But today, as both teams fight for the court to favor them, and only Denny Hamlin reveals a bit of the behind-the-scenes settlement talks, NASCAR has other plans.
NASCAR seeks a resolution with the teams ahead of championship weekend
On Tuesday, NASCAR expressed its intention to reach a quick resolution in its ongoing legal dispute with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Their statement read, “Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport.”
These comments followed Judge Bell’s dismissal of NASCAR’s counterclaim against the two teams earlier in the day. In response, NASCAR acknowledged the ruling but noted it disagreed with the court’s legal rationale. Another statement read, “We respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning. Our priority remains resolving this matter quickly so all parties can focus on Championship weekend and continuing to grow the sport. Should a resolution not be reached, we intend to appeal the decision at the appropriate time.”
Both sides presented oral arguments on October 23 as the court considered summary judgment. Just days earlier, on October 21, the parties had taken part in a two-day settlement conference, but talks concluded without a deal. Two other major issues remain undecided: NASCAR’s requests for a ruling in its favor and the teams’ push to define the market as premier stock car racing for the antitrust case.
With mediation failing to settle, the case continues toward a December 1 trial date in North Carolina. 23XI and FRM are still the only teams refusing to extend their current charters, arguing that losing guaranteed revenue and race access would threaten their ability to survive.
Their legal team says this latest ruling supports the need for a more balanced system for everyone involved in the sport. But for now, as the lawsuit has taken a turn, a lot of uncertainty remains. And with the 2025 NASCAR season coming to an end, all eyes and ears will be on the lawsuit that continues to grab eyeballs.
Big win for teams as judge tosses NASCAR counter claim
A federal judge dealt a major blow to NASCAR on Tuesday, dismissing the counter-lawsuit it had filed against teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
This decision simplifies the massive antitrust case, which is still set to go to trial in December, by putting the spotlight squarely back on whether NASCAR is running an illegal monopoly.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell sided with 23XI and Front Row, tossing out NASCAR’s claim that 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk somehow “illegally colluded” with other teams during those tense charter negotiations.
The judge essentially said the teams did not engage in “unreasonable restraint of trade.” The ruling guts a part of NASCAR’s defense, which had tried to paint the teams’ joint efforts to get a better deal as an anticompetitive scheme.
NASCAR had argued that a team owners council meeting boycott in 2023, coupled with the teams sticking together during charter talks, amounted to an “illegal cartel” that harmed media rights negotiations.
However, Judge Bell determined the boycott was just a negotiating tactic that “appeared to have little impact.”
NASCAR itself went ahead and started one-on-one negotiations with teams soon after. The judge pointed out that these individual meetings worked, as 13 out of 15 organizations ultimately signed the new 2025 charter agreement.
Jeffrey Kessler, the lawyer representing 23XI and Front Row, celebrated the win, saying the decision “only reaffirmed my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport.” He stressed that their focus remains strong on finding a final resolution.
As for NASCAR legal team, they were disappointed, stating they “respect the Court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its legal reasoning.” They added that their priority is to resolve the matter quickly and that they plan to appeal the ruling later if a settlement can’t be reached.
The victory is a huge boost for the two organizations – including the 23XI team co-owned by Michael Jordan and championship contender Denny Hamlin. The Dec. 1 trial will now exclusively address the teams’ original complaint that NASCAR operates as an unlawful monopoly.
The core fight is over the charter system, which is vital because it guarantees a spot in races and a chunk of the weekly revenue. 23XI and Front Row are the only two teams that refused to sign the extension, arguing the current system prevents them from building long-term value, potentially risking their entire business without those chartered entries.
Joe Gibbs Reveals Why Denny Hamlin’s Championship Hunger Still Defines Him
Let’s wind our clocks back a couple of decades. It’s 2004, and a 24-year-old Denny Hamlin has walked into Joe Gibbs Racing with little more than raw talent and quiet determination, signing as a developmental driver for the team. Back then, he wasn’t supposed to become the team’s backbone – the one constant through eras, teammates, and shifting NASCAR landscapes. Just another driver/team trying to see if they are a fit for each other.
Yet, two decades later, here he stands. 60 wins – the winningest Cup driver in JGR history. Still strapped into the same seat he first earned in 2004. His loyalty has been unwavering, his drive relentless, and his connection with Joe Gibbs deeply personal. But for all the milestones, all the near-misses, and all the years of consistency, there remains the grand prize that continues to evade him. And Joe Gibbs reveals why it ignites the fire within him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Denny Hamlin’s pursuit of a championship
Joe Gibbs Racing stands firmly in the NASCAR Championship 4 spotlight with two prominent drivers fighting for the sport’s top prize in 2025. Chase Briscoe, the first-year JGR racer, has grabbed attention with a breakthrough season. However, the talk of the town is the other JGR driver – Denny Hamlin, NASCAR’s most accomplished driver without a championship.
Hamlin has been heartbreakingly close to a championship multiple times, only to see it slip away. The closest he has been is second in 2010. “I think for everybody the only thing that Denny has not claimed is a championship, and so I know everybody asks him about that in every interview, and so if you do that for 20 years, I can tell you there’s a burning desire for him to win a championship,” explained Joe Gibbs.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
From a promising rookie to one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers with 60 career Cup wins, Hamlin’s journey has been shaped by relentless dedication. However, one can’t forget the quiet sacrifices of his family, who supported his pursuit of racing excellence through every high and low. Over time, he’s evolved beyond being just a driver; today, he’s also a co-owner of 23XI Racing, a team that’s become a force in its own right.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Joe Gibbs has shed light on Hamlin’s journey, saying, “All the things that he does now, he’s an owner of a race team. Okay. He races for us and all he’s done over those years, his family, where he is today, when he first came with us, all that’s just a huge story.” Yet, even with all he’s achieved – the wins, the fame, the legacy – the championship still evades him. And the hunger to win it is what keeps Hamlin going.
For nearly two decades, every season has brought him back to that same pursuit, that same question from every interviewer: When will you finally win it all? As Gibbs himself put it, after 20 years of chasing the crown, that hunger has only intensified. This weekend, it’s not just another race for Denny Hamlin. It’s the culmination of a career built on endurance, loyalty, and an unshakable desire to finish what he started.
Joe Gibbs talks about Chase Briscoe’s remarkable rise
In the same interview, Joe Gibbs also highlighted Chase Briscoe’s inspiring journey to the NASCAR Championship 4 in 2025. He shared a story from Sirius XM NASCAR Radio about Briscoe’s challenging early days. “They were talking to him about the couch that he slept on for like two years while he’s trying to get an opportunity in the sport,” Gibbs recalled.
In 2014, Chase Briscoe moved into his friend, videographer Ross Wece’s apartment, which he then shared along with his JGR teammate, Christopher Bell. He slept on a couch there for four years, which Briscoe’s parents had bought in the 1980s while he was in Illinois. “The couch I slept on for years at@RossWece’s place. My back hurts just looking at this thing again. 😂” Briscoe replied when Wece shared the couch’s photo on X.
Briscoe got his NASCAR break in the ARCA Menards Series. In 2015, Kerry Scherer of Cunningham Motorsports approached the Indiana-native with a test opportunity. With an impressive performance that season, Briscoe then claimed the ARCA Menards Series in his debut season. Later, Briscoe made his debut in the Xfinity Series in 2018.
Now, in 2025, in his rookie season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe has defied expectations, proving his talent and composure under pressure. He secured seven poles – the most by any driver this season – showing his qualifying speed and consistency. Beyond poles, he won three races, including a key victory at Pocono over teammate Denny Hamlin that locked him into the playoffs. He’s been a dominant force throughout, running top-10 finishes in the playoffs (Martinsville being the only exception).
Dale Jr. Calls for Maturity From Championship 4 Drivers Ahead of Phoenix Showdown
Since the end of 2024, JR Motorsports has been riding a fever pitch of success. Justin Allgaier fetched the Xfinity Series championship last season and set the tone for brilliance. And 2025 has been a dizzying rollercoaster ride – from Justin Allgaier’s Daytona 500 entry to Connor Zilisch’s injury-laden yet record-breaking race victories. Yet as this success is fast-approaching its climactic episode, Dale Jr. is worried.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, with all eyes on four drivers. JR Motorsports has 75 percent of the Championship 4, with Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, and Carson Kvapil all vying for a title. Despite this domination, Dale Jr. is taking a cautious approach.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Dale Jr. urges a calm demeanor
In November 2024, Justin Allgaier did not look like a potential title winner. He crashed during practice and had to fall back on a backup car for the title race. Then Allgaier got into trouble midway through the race when his back left tire started losing air. He also received back-to-back penalties for an improper restart and then speeding on pit road. Despite these gigantic challenges, the No. 9 JR Motorsports driver still managed to clinch the championship! And Dale Jr. invoked that glorious memory at this crucial time: “Anything can happen in this race. You’ve got to remain calm.”
Justin Allgaier is once again in the Championship 4, racing to defend his title. Yet Dale Jr.’s attention is on the first-timers – Connor Zilisch, who won 10 races, and Carson Kvapil, who cracked the title race through points. “I’ll sit down with Carson, and I’ll sit down with Connor,” Dale Jr. said in a Dale Jr Download episode. “Things are going to happen. You’ll find yourself somehow someway through the chaos of the back half of the third stage with a late yellow and an opportunity inside the top six on a final restart if you just stay calm, and you never know what happens there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Having three JRM teammates in the Final Four also presents a possibility for in-house conflict. So Dale Jr. sternly warned his drivers: “They can’t hit, don’t touch, don’t rub, don’t get tired, you know, don’t give each other donuts, none of that. Like I don’t like them sending it off on the inside underneath them and getting loose up into each other. We can’t have that, right? You got to know how to if you’re going to commit to a move, you got to wrap the corner and do it right. Can’t put your teammate in a precarious situation.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Yet most of all, Dale Jr. urged his drivers to be mature and calm during any mishap. He wants them to be as calm as Justin Allgaier was during the troublesome 2024 title race. “You’re sitting there running eighth, 9th, 11th, struggling with the balance, thinking, “Oh god, we’re in trouble.” Just sit there. Just calm down. Take a take an opportunity to work on the car.”
With these heartening words from Dale Jr., the JRM competitors will be in their best form. These words are even more important considering the solid threat they face.
A one-man army
Granted, JR Motorsports dominates the Final Four. However, the single outside driver in that mix poses a big challenge to all of Dale Jr.’s drivers. That is none other than Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love, who won in Daytona early in the season. His flawless consistency in fetching 8 top fives and 21 top tens was close to breaking last weekend. Love’s 40-point advantage began fading when he landed a pit road speeding penalty on lap 33. That left him outside the top 20. Then Love encountered another pit road penalty for equipment interference, which placed him 36th.
However, Jesse Love muscled back for a 23rd-place finish, enough to advance to the Final 4 by 18 points. “It wasn’t the night we wanted, but we accomplished the goal,” said Love. “This RCR team never gave up, and now we’ve got one more race to go — the biggest one of the year. I’m proud of everyone who’s been a part of this season, and we’re going to Phoenix ready to fight for it.” The No. 2 Chevy driver extended his partnership with Whelen Engineering, returning for the 2026 NASCAR ‘O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
Clearly, Dale Jr.’s drivers need to be cautious for several reasons. Nevertheless, they are leaving fans in a breathtaking state of excitement for the upcoming Phoenix festivities!
Derek Jeter says he doesn’t miss playing baseball at all
Derek Jeter isn’t itching to get back on the baseball diamond.
While the Yankees great has remained a part of the game as a broadcaster on Fox’s MLB coverage — and previously as a minority owner and CEO of the Marlins — he seemed to go out of his way on Tuesday to mention that he did not miss the game while on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”
“I don’t miss playing the game. I don’t,” Jeter said after waxing poetic about playing in the World Series. “There hasn’t been a day since I retired where I’ve missed playing the game.”
Jeter, of course, had a legendary baseball career for the Yankees, winning five World Series over his 20 big league seasons. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class.
He appeared in 14 MLB All-Star Games and won five Gold Glove Awards, while also being named World Series MVP in 2000 when the Yankees beat the Mets in the Subway Series.
“You dream of playing in the World Series,” Jeter said to Cowherd. “This is what the fun is about. When you’re in Little League, you sit down and you dream that you dreaming you’re up in a World Series. I was fortunate, I played in a lot of World Series. I played in seven World Series, so I’ve had a lot of at-bats. I just love it.”
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the World Series for free.
One of our favorite options is DIRECTV, which offers over 125 channels, including FOX, the MLB network, and ESPN unlimited. Plans start at $49.99/month, but you can start watching for free today with their 5-day free trial.
However, that’s when Jeter pivoted to mentioning he did not miss playing.
Jeter has found a successful role in broadcasting, appearing as an analyst on Fox Sports’ baseball coverage since 2023.
In a clip that aired during the Game 3 broadcast of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, Jeter cracked a joke with Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts and how many championship rings he has.
“How many rings you got?” Jeter asked.
“Three,” Betts replied, only to have Jeter fire back, “Two and a half?” Jeter likely meant the 2020 World Series that the Dodgers and Betts won during the shortened season.
Betts laughed, and Jeter made sure to point out that he was only joking.
Blue Jays Manager Confronts MLB’s Shohei Ohtani Favoritism With Blunt World Series Message
After that historic game against the Brewers, Shohei Ohtani has not looked back. He has been doing what everybody expected him to do and changing the game. But some people are aware of the impact he can make in a game and want to restrict it. These changes would restrict players like Shohei Ohtani from making an impact after a certain point. And one of the people who asked for this change was the Blue Jays manager.
In his recent interview, the Toronto Blue Jays manager, John Schneider, said, “If you’re a pitcher and you’re done pitching, you can’t hit.” Shohei Ohtani has already caused enough trouble for the Toronto Blue Jays with the bat during this World Series, and John Schneider is ready to take every step to stop Ohtani from doing more damage.
Shohei Ohtani turned Game 3 of the World Series into something straight out of baseball history. He went 4-for-4 in his first four at-bats, collecting two doubles and two home runs. By the time the game reached the 18th inning, he had reached base nine times, breaking the postseason record by three. His performance forced the Toronto Blue Jays to intentionally walk him four times and pitch around him once more.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
That kind of dominance has left the Blue Jays frustrated and searching for answers they can’t seem to find. Manager John Schneider admitted the plan now is to simply “take the bat out of his hands.” The approach might sound cautious, but it reflects a team worn down by Ohtani’s historic production. The Dodgers’ lineup behind him makes the strategy risky, as Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both loom right after him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Now, as Game 4 approaches, Ohtani is set to take the mound for his first World Series start. He last pitched in the NLCS against Milwaukee, throwing six scoreless innings with ten strikeouts while also hitting three home runs. That memory lingers for Toronto, who knows Ohtani can beat them with both bat and ball. For Schneider and the Blue Jays, the mission is simple but impossible—contain the player who refuses to be contained.
Shohei Ohtani isn’t just playing baseball; he’s rewriting the boundaries of what’s possible. John Schneider can talk about rule changes all he wants, but Ohtani keeps changing the rules himself. If history repeats, the only thing Toronto might successfully walk away from is Ohtani’s legend.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
The Blue Jays wanted no part of Shohei Ohtani, and a Dodgers player approves of the move
At some point, it stopped being baseball and started looking like a game of hide-and-seek, only the Blue Jays were the ones doing the hiding. John Schneider and his crew spent most of Game 3 pretending Shohei Ohtani didn’t exist, and honestly, you can’t blame them. When a hitter turns into a cheat code, even professionals like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette start praying for four wide ones.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Toronto Blue Jays entered Game 3 of the World Series with one clear plan in mind. They chose to take the bat out of Shohei Ohtani’s hands, walking him five times, four intentionally. Ohtani had gone 4-for-4 before the walks, reaching base nine times in total. John Schneider explained after the game that avoiding Ohtani’s bat was necessary, even if it frustrated fans and extended the innings.
Freddie Freeman supported the Blue Jays’ cautious approach after the Dodgers’ 6-5 win in the 18th inning. “When you’re hitting balls to left-center and right-center like Shohei was, you just knew he was feeling good,” Freeman said. He added that “it’s the right move,” acknowledging Ohtani’s dominance through his first four at-bats. The Dodgers eventually broke through, but Freeman’s words reflected the respect Ohtani had earned on both sides of the field.
MLB, Dodgers unveil renovation projects after Eaton Fire
PASADENA, Calif. — Deputy Fire Chief Tim Sell walked into Pasadena Fire Station 37, and as he took in the brand new sleeping quarters, kitchen, recreational room and patio, all he could think to himself was, “This is awesome.”
“This is our home,” Sell said. “And it offers a chance, when the firefighters come back, to have a respite. And for a station that’s 70 years old, a little update was definitely warranted and greatly appreciated.”
The renovated historic fire station was one of two MLB Together World Series Legacy Projects unveiled in Pasadena on Tuesday morning as part of the 2025 World Series Legacy initiative between Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
The other part of the community renovation project included a revitalization of the John Muir High School Wellness Center, which provides counseling and mental health resources for students and families affected by the Eaton Fire in January. Muir also happens to be the alma mater of Jackie Robinson, who grew up in Pasadena.
“I think for those of us who live on the other coast, you see it on TV, but it’s hard to imagine what these fires were like,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the podium during the unveiling ceremony. “And it’s also hard to comprehend the tireless effort and acts of bravery that people like you engaged in in order to help the community. So we really, truly thank you for your service.”
Muir principal Lawton Gray describes the school’s Wellness Center as a refuge for his students, especially those who lost their homes or were displaced due to the Eaton Fire, which destroyed over 9,000 structures — 6,116 of which were residential — and killed at least 17 people in what became the fifth-deadliest and second-most destructive wildfire in California history.
“We’re in for a marathon,” Sell said. “The rebuilding, what this community endured, isn’t gonna be fixed in a month, two months, a year. It’s going to be several years for this community, and that’s really what true resiliency is to me. How you bounce back, and how you approach that bounceback. We’re in for a marathon, but we’re here to support the community.”
The message Gray wants to drive home is to tell his students that they’re not forgotten. Disasters happen. Things, and people, go away. But he hopes that the new and improved Wellness Center can be something that stays for a long time.
“There may be something else that’s going to occur in someone’s life,” Gray said. “Someone’s going to need this space, and it’s going to be there for them.”
Both projects came together quickly, as they can’t be decided on until both teams playing in the World Series have clinched. MLB begins prepping the work with clubs throughout the postseason, and on the Dodgers’ side, they already knew they wanted to keep building on the work they’ve done in the community all year.
In 2025, the Dodgers Foundation has provided over 1.5 million meals, 4,200 educational resources and 600,000 basic essentials to families affected by the wildfires. They built two new Dodgers Dream Fields at Alta Loma Park and in Altadena.
“I come from communities that needed a lot of support,” said Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Dodgers Foundation. “Nonprofit organizations and individuals supported me throughout my life, and I know that’s why I stand here. … So to continue to be able to pay that forward on a day-to-day basis, using this platform that is the Dodgers to provide that access and that opportunity and those resources to marginalized communities, it means everything.”
And for people like Gray and Sell, who have experienced the impacts of the fires firsthand, the Dodgers have also provided a source of hope on the field, as well.
Just under 11 hours before the ceremony on Tuesday morning, Gray was watching Game 3 of the World Series at dinner with his wife, but they left as their table had a two-hour time limit. When they got home, the game was still going. They watched the rest of what would end up being a six-hour, 39-minute game — the longest in World Series history — until Freddie Freeman walked it off for the Dodgers with a home run in the 18th inning.
Sell was at home watching the game with his two sons, his 9-year-old passed out on the couch. Sitting there with them evoked his own memories of watching Kirk Gibson’s iconic walk-off in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series with his own father.
“It’s a special thing for the community,” he said. “Seeing what this community has gone through — and it’s not just us. It’s Altadena. It’s Palisades. It’s everywhere in Southern California as a whole — what we’ve gone through this last year. It’s awesome when your local team is excelling and playing with the heart of a champion.”
How Many Intentional Walks Are Allowed in an MLB Game? Can Batters Refuse An Intentional Walkout?
In a tight game when the opposing team sends their best hitter to the plate to change the result, there’s a strategy that comes from the pitching team. Intentional Walk! How many times have we often seen the slugger move comfortably to first base? That calmness is a sign of a well-thought-out choice. Managers use it not to acknowledge defeat but to keep things from getting out of hand. This stops sluggers like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and others from turning the game into team favorites.
Now, it’s time for a quick look at how it basically works and what the rules are.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What is an Intentional Walk? Know its origin and use in baseball
An intentional walk, also known as IBB, represents a defensive team’s deliberate choice to place a batter on first base rather than pitch to him. The strategy has been around since at least the 1870s, when teams learned that giving up first base may keep dangerous hitters from scoring. This tactic allows teams to sidestep particularly formidable batters or create more favorable matchups against subsequent hitters in the lineup.
Teams use intentional walks mostly when a game-changing hitter comes to the plate and a weaker hitter is waiting on deck. The goal is to manage risk.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Teams employ it to set up double plays, avoid power hitters, or face a batter who is weaker and on deck. It’s not about being scared; it’s about having chess-like foresight, where one planned move can change the outcome of the whole inning.
And wondering how long the clubhouse can do this? The rules are quite simple, though.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
What are the rules regarding it? Can a player refuse an Intentional Walk?
There are no regulations in baseball that say how many intentional walks a club can give out in a game. Teams can walk as many hitters as they like, whether that means walking the same hitter several times or spreading walks out among other players. This infinite power lets managers choose their defensive plan depending on how the game is going.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Since 2017, managers can signal intentional walks from the dugout at any time during a plate appearance, and the umpire gives the batter first base right away. Before this modification, the catcher stood up to grab four balls that were thrown outside the strike zone. The old system took a lot of time and sometimes made things dramatic when batters swung at pitches that were too close to the plate.
Once the manager calls for an intentional walk from the dugout, the batter can’t turn it down. The rules say that the defensive team has full control over giving the walk.
Before the automatic method, batters had a small chance to change the outcome by swinging at intentional balls if pitchers threw them within reach. This could sometimes turn batters’ attempts to avoid hitting into base hits.
Recently, in Game 3 of the World Series, we all saw how the Blue Jays gave back-to-back intentional walks to Ohtani in the extra innings.
Most Intentional Walks in a game
An intentional walk isn’t a new concept in baseball; there have been instances where teams have given so many to the opposing team. Here is the complete list:
Andre Dawson – 5 intentional walks (May 22, 1990)
The Chicago Cubs outfielder received five free passes from the Cincinnati Reds during a 16-inning game. Dawson entered hitting .346, and the Reds lost 2-1 despite their extreme caution.
Shohei Ohtani – 4 intentional walks (October 27, 2025)
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar received four intentional walks from the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series after demolishing pitching with four extra-base hits, including two home runs, in his first four plate appearances.
James Wood – 4 intentional walks (June 29, 2025)
The Washington Nationals player received four free passes from the Angels in a game the Nationals won 7-4.
Barry Bonds – 4 intentional walks (four separate occasions in 2004)
The Giants slugger reached four intentional walks on April 23 against the Dodgers, May 1 against the Marlins, June 12 against the Orioles, and September 22 against the Astros during his record-breaking season.
Manny Ramirez – 4 intentional walks (June 5, 2001)
The Boston Red Sox designated hitter received four free passes from the Detroit Tigers.
Garry Templeton – 4 intentional walks (July 5, 1985)
The San Diego Padres shortstop walked four times against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Roger Maris – 4 intentional walks (May 22, 1962)
The New York Yankees outfielder received four walks from the Los Angeles Angels during his post-record-breaking 61-home-run campaign.
Ted Kluszewski – 4 intentional walks (July 11, 1959)
The Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman walked four times against the Chicago Cubs.
Every intentional walk has its own narrative to tell, and it’s not just about avoiding someone; it’s also about showing respect. Whether you’re trying to keep a lead or outsmart your opponent, this is a reminder that sometimes, in baseball,
not pitching can be the smartest pitch of all.
Blue Jays Make Historic Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Announcement During World Series Game 4
The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the deepest teams in baseball, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes them a force that gives the defending champions fits.
The 26-year-old entered Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-for-15 with three walks and three runs scored over the previous three contests. He was also slashing .414/.493/.776 with six homers and 12 RBIs over 14 playoff games.
However, the Blue Jays needed Guerrero to continue his hot streak on Tuesday, as they were down 2-1 in the series after losing 6-5 in 18 innings on Monday. Luckily for them, the two-time Silver Slugger made team history, via Toronto’s social media.
Guerrero hit a two-run home run to left center off of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the top of the third inning to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead, giving him a franchise-record seven playoff homers for his career. The 6-foot, 245-pounder didn’t have a postseason home run before this year, but his production this October was enough to give him the record.
Guerrero passed Jose Bautista and Joe Carter on the all-time list.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Earning $500 Million Contract
Guerrero signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with Toronto in April, forgoing unrestricted free agency, per Spotrac. The five-time All-Star is showing why that was a smart move on the team’s part.
Although the Blue Jays gave Guerrero one of baseball’s biggest contracts, their total payroll is still almost $95 million lower than Los Angeles’s this year, per Spotrac. The Dodgers lead baseball with a $355.02 million payroll.
Toronto is showing that it’s possible to keep up with the highest-paid roster in the sport without spending nearly as much. Players like Guerrero, outfielder/designated hitter George Springer, shortstop Bo Bichette, catcher Alejandro Kirk, and ace pitcher Kevin Gausman are just a few core pieces responsible for the franchise’s best season since 1993.
Although Guerrero is one of baseball’s best players, the extension was also a leap of faith for the Blue Jays.. The Dominican-Canadian never hit better than .143 in the playoffs before 2025, so they banked on him continuing his regular-season production in the postseason moving forward.
Up next for Toronto is Game 5 in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Blue Jays will then host the Dodgers for Games 6 and 7, if necessary.
Game 5 will start at 8:00 p.m. on Fox.
Shohei Ohtani Makes MLB Scouts Eat Their Words as Old Reports Resurface Amid World Series Heroics
“It’s getting a little absurd. This shouldn’t be humanly possible. It’s like watching Barry Bonds in his prime, Reggie Jackson in October, and Albert Pujols in a Cardinals uniform,” wrote Bob Nightengale after Shohei Ohtani’s electrifying Game 3 performance. Ohtani is playing on another level, putting on a show so brilliant it’s silencing every doubt that ever trailed him. One of those doubts resurfaced recently through an old fan post — a reminder of how far he’s come since people questioned if he could ever succeed in the big leagues.
It has a March 2018 tweet from Sporting News that highlighted a scout’s quote about Shohei Ohtani: “He’s basically like a high school hitter because he’s never seen a good curveball.” Even Ohtani said about that at one point, “There wasn’t anyone [in the MLB] who was looking at me as a pro baseball player who could bat. I didn’t think I’d have the option of doing both.” And frankly, they look ridiculous next to what we are all watching.
After ending another MVP-caliber regular season, Ohtani’s postseason actually started in a deep slump, where he was just 1-for-18 against the Phillies. But the time of his explosion can not be better. In NLCS Game 4 against the Brewers, he hit three massive home runs while pitching six scoreless innings with ten strikeouts in a single game.
Read it twice! Because he is the first man in history to do that.
And in Game 3 of the World Series, he was perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and two homers, reaching base every time in his 9 at-bats, with 4 intentional walks and one walk in the 18-inning marathon game. And that’s exactly why Nightengale wrote it was like watching “Barry Bonds… Reggie Jackson… and Albert Pujols” all in one.
And to be fair, scouts’ reports are not perfect
Baseball history is filled with famous misses. Look at Albert Pujols. When he was drafted in the 13th round, one report said he only had “mistake HR power.” Pujols went on to hit 703 home runs.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Then there is Mike Piazza. Piazza was a 62nd-round pick as a favor. But he became the best-hitting catcher in baseball history. The list keeps going. Nolan Ryan was a 12th-round pick in 1965 who became the all-time strikeout king with 5,714 Ks.
And others like Andre Dawson (11th round) and Jim Thome (13th round) also became Hall of Famers. Even Tony Gwynn had a report calling him “average.”
But that does not mean scouting is worthless. Because when they are right, everything changes. A 1987 report on Ken Griffey Jr. was perfect, which reported, Griffey had “all the tools to be a superstar.” And a 1986 report on Bo Jackson that called him the “greatest pure athlete in America” was spot-on, and a 2006 report on Clayton Kershaw that said he had a major league curveball was spot-on. In successful cases, scouts find the talent that wins championships.
And championships are exactly what Ohtani and the Dodgers are fighting for right now in the World Series.
This 2025 World Series has already been a classic. Game 1 saw Addison Barger hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history when the Jays crushed the heavily favored Dodgers 11-4.
In Game 2, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a rare complete game, retiring the final 20 batters to win 5-1.
Then came the marathon Game 3, which extended to 18 innings, and at one point, legendary pitcher Clayton Kershaw needed to clear the bases in the 12th inning for the first time in his career.
The Dodgers eventually won the game 6-5 and got the series lead 2-1 after a Freddie Freeman walk-off home run.
And Ohtani? After hitting a 2-run homer in the middle of the “We don’t need you!” chant in Toronto’s Rogers Center, he delivered a historic performance in Game 3. But he is not done yet.
He is scheduled to start Game 4 against Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber, after playing all 18 innings in which he was at base 9 times. So, the so “high school hitter” is now the center of the baseball universe, but where is the scout now?
wife of Eric Kay says Angels failed him amid drug addiction
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The ex-wife of a Los Angeles Angels employee on Tuesday said the MLB team failed her drug-addicted husband during a trial over the fatal overdose of one of its star pitchers.
Camela Kay testified that she previously had seen Angels players partying, drinking and passing around pills on the team plane when she traveled with her then-husband Eric Kay, the team’s communications director. In 2019, after her husband was hospitalized for a drug overdose, she said she heard that he had pills intended for pitcher Tyler Skaggs, and shared the information with the team’s traveling secretary.
Less than three months later, Skaggs was dead.
Eric Kay was later sentenced to 22 years in prison for providing a fentanyl-laced pill that led to the fatal overdose.
Ex-wife of Angels employee says team failed her drug-addicted husband at trial over pitcher’s death
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The ex-wife of a Los Angeles Angels employee on Tuesday said the MLB team failed her drug-addicted husband during a trial over the fatal overdose of one of its star pitchers.
Camela Kay testified that she previously had seen Angels players partying, drinking and passing around pills on the team plane when she traveled with her then-husband Eric Kay, the team’s communications director. In 2019, after her husband was hospitalized for a drug overdose, she said she heard that he had pills intended for pitcher Tyler Skaggs, and shared the information with the team’s traveling secretary.
Ex-wife of Eric Kay says Angels failed him amid drug addiction
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The ex-wife of a Los Angeles Angels employee on Tuesday said the MLB team failed her drug-addicted husband during a trial over the fatal overdose of one of its star pitchers.
Camela Kay testified that she previously had seen Angels players partying, drinking and passing around pills on the team plane when she traveled with her then-husband Eric Kay, the team’s communications director. In 2019, after her husband was hospitalized for a drug overdose, she said she heard that he had pills intended for pitcher Tyler Skaggs, and shared the information with the team’s traveling secretary.
Less than three months later, Skaggs was dead.
Eric Kay was later sentenced to 22 years in prison for providing a fentanyl-laced pill that led to the fatal overdose.
MLB Insider Reveals if Intentional Walk Rule Could Change After Blue Jays’ Shohei Ohtani Antics
For some, the intentional walk is baseball’s ultimate white flag. They see it as a moment when a team just gives up. For others, it’s a tactic that Managers use to avoid scary hitters. We all saw it for years with Barry Bonds, when Managers would rather walk him than risk pitching to him 249 times between 2002 to 2004. We sometimes see it with Aaron Judge, too. But Shohei Ohtani just took this to a new level, prompting everyone to ask: Should this rule even be allowed? One top MLB insider has a clear answer.
So, should MLB step in and change the rules? Host Rich Eisen asked this question to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Eisen noted fans stay up late to see stars like Ohtani hit and asked Olney what he thought about limiting the walks. Olney told Eisen, “You can’t do anything about it. Because in the end, even if you made that rule, then they[pitchers] would throw four wide ones and he would walk to first base.”
He continued, “I mean, we always have those situations where the manager or the pitching coach goes out to the mound and says, ‘Don’t let the guy beat you.’ So you could take away the intentional walk, uh, and alter that rule, but in the end, they’re not going to pitch to him if they don’t want to. I guess that’s true. That would just be like an old old fashioned Don’t give him anything to hit.” So, for Olney, it is a complete non-starter. But before rejecting the whole idea, what started this whole conversation?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It all started after Game 3 of the World Series, an 18-inning marathon where the Dodgers won 6-5 on a Freddie Freeman walk-off homer at the end. But the biggest story of the night was Ohtani, who went a perfect 4-for-4 in his first four at-bats, smashing two home runs and two doubles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Rule: The intentional walk rule lets a manager award a batter first base without pitching to him. Instead of throwing four balls, the manager signals to the umpire, and the batter automatically advances. It’s used to bypass strong hitters or create a better defensive setup.
After seeing his second homer that tied the game in the seventh inning, Toronto’s manager John Schneider decided to take the bat out of Ohtani’s hands and intentionally walked him four straight times in the 9th, 11th, 13th, and 15th innings. He also got a fifth walk later to reach base nine times and became the first player in World Series history to do that, and joined Frank Isbell as the only players to get four extra-base hits in Fall Classics.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
And did the Blue Jays walk him in Game 4 as well?
No. Toronto pitched to Ohtani in Game 4. The “Unicorn” finally cooled off and went 0-for-3 at the plate with struck out two times, which ended his 11 on-base streak. He did draw one regular walk, though.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
And on the mound, he pitched six solid innings, giving up four earned runs— allowing two runs in the third inning due to a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. two-run go-ahead homer and two runs because he left the mound with 2 bases loaded that the next pitcher, Anthony Banda, couldn’t clear— on six hits and striking out 6.
And though Olney shot down a new rule, Ohtani has changed the rulebook before. His unique two-way ability literally forced MLB to adopt the “Ohtani Rule” back in 2022, which allows a player to remain in the game as a DH after his starting pitching role ends. Before this, the team would lose its DH.
And this season, when the Dodgers’ bullpen has struggled down the stretch, fans even wondered if he could be a reliever or closer when the team needed. In those cases, the situation could force him to play the outfield only to stay in the game. But the Manager rejected that speculations and said he is already grateful for what Ohtani is doing on the mound.
NFL Week 8: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game
Week 8 of the2025 NFL seasonbegan in Los Angeles on Thursday night, with quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers cruising to a win over the Vikings. Herbert threw three touchdown passes and rushed for 62 yards, while rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II continued his quick ascension with 77 yards and a touchdown.
In the early window Sunday, the Jets got their first win of the season and the three other AFC East teams also won their matchups (Bills, Dolphins and Patriots). Buffalo running back James Cook IIIfinished with 216 rushing yards through three quarters against the Panthers, the most by any NFL player since 2018. The Eagles also got a vintage performance from running back Saquon Barkley, who dominated against his former team (the Giants) before exiting in the third quarter because of a groin injury.
In the late window, the Bucs’ defense finished with four takeaways in a win over the Saints, who benched quarterback Spencer Rattler for rookie Tyler Shough in the second half. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor scored three touchdowns for the second straight week in their dominant win over the Titans. And the Broncos scored onfive of their first eight possessions against the Cowboys.
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelerslost 35-19 tothe quarterback’s former team, the Green Bay Packers,to wrap up the night’s slate.
Finally, the Chiefs capped off the week with an impressive win over the Commanders.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Jump to:br/>WSH-KC |GB-PIT |DAL-DEN |TEN-INDbr/>TB-NO|CHI-BAL|MIA-ATL|NYJ-CINbr/>SF-HOU |CLE-NE|NYG-PHIbr/>BUF-CAR | MIN-LAC
Kansas City 28, Washington 7
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Chiefs
What’s different about these Chiefs ahead of Sunday’s showdown against the Bills? Much of the attention for the Chiefs will be given to their offense. But the Chiefs defense appears to be more prepared for another marquee matchup against the Bills. The Chiefs should have all their projected defensive starters available for Sunday’s game and the group of linemen around pass rusher Chris Jones — such as DEs George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna — are performing better than they did at the beginning of the season. The biggest test for the unit could be running back James Cook III, who has been one of the league’s best backs and finished this week with a career-high 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Key stat to know: Monday’s game was another example of the Chiefs proving to be the NFL’s best offense on fourth down. Twice against the Commanders, the Chiefs converted on fourth down, the latter occurring at a pivotal point early in the third quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line,Patrick Mahomesscrambled out of the pocket to extend the play before finding running back Kareem Hunt in the end zone for the touchdown. With Mahomes on the field this season, the Chiefs have converted on 14-of-16 attempts on fourth down (87.5%), the highest success rate of teams who have had 10 or more attempts. — Nate Taylor
Best quote from the locker room:Hunt on his touchdown catch:
Dan Campbell Puts the NFL on Notice After Lions Bye Week
The Detroit Lions have begun the 2025 NFL season with a 5-2 record. They have won five of their last six games, and in the game they lost, the Lions dealt with multiple injuries in the secondary on the road against Patrick Mahomes.
But Dan Campbell’s message in his opening statement during his press conference after the team’s bye week was rather simply — the Lions can be even better.
“I really believe we haven’t played our best ball yet, collectively, in all three phases, and that’s really what we’re trying to get to here is how we can sharpen ourselves,” Campbell told reporters. “We know it’s going to take every phase.
“Every game is different and one unit may have to pick up the slack, but we have to play complete ball across the board.”
Campbell stressed the team has to keep getting better to keep up with the other teams in the race. One of those teams is the Minnesota Vikings, who the Lions will face on November 2 in Week 9.
Dan Campbell Continues to Stress Complimentary Football
Detroit’s success over the past few years has largely been behind an elite offense. But to begin the 2025 season, Campbell seems to have gone out of his way to stress all three phases.
The Lions have responded. They are ranked eighth in total offense and overall defense. The Lions are also third in points scored and 11th in points allowed.
On special teams, Kalif Raymond has returned a punt for a touchdown. Kicker Jake Bates has made all of his attempts inside of 50 yards.
But as is typical during NFL bye weeks, Campbell and his coaching staff conducted self-scouting. With that, the Lions have found new things to correct.
“I really believe you tighten a screw here, you tighten a belt and all of a sudden this thing is running like a well-oiled machine,” Campbell said. “So, just a couple of things, that’s all.
“So, easily correctable things that we can do better. And I’m talking about coaches and players, myself, all of us.”
Lions to Host Minnesota Vikings Following Bye Week
Campbell mentioned the Vikings right after talking about teams that are in the race with the Lions. But on November 2, the Lions will have the opportunity to put a lot of distant between themselves and the Vikings.
Minnesota has lost two straight and sits in last place of the NFC North. With a win, the Lions would move three games in front of the Vikings, who finished second in the division last year.
The Green Bay Packers lead the NFC North and have already defeated the Lions. But the Lions trail by only half a game, and the two teams will meet for a rematch on Thanksgiving in Detroit.
After hosting the Vikings, the Lions will go on the road for consecutive matchups in the NFC East. First, Detroit will visit the Washington Commanders and then the Philadelphia Eagles. Those two squads were the final two teams standing in the NFC last year.
Washington upset the Lions in the NFC divisional round last January.
Seahawks Predicted to Trade CB Riq Woolen to Odd Destination
“Though the 5-2 Seattle Seahawks certainly don’t fit the mold of a typical deadline seller, they could have a starting-caliber corner up for grabs. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks are actively shopping Riq Woolen.”
Woolen made the Pro Bowl for the Seahawks as a rookie, but that was three years ago in 2022. He was tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions during that campaign.
This season, Woolen has started the six contests in which he has appeared. In those contests, he has 19 combined tackles and three pass defenses.
Seahawks Predicted to Trade CB Riq Woolen to Lions
As Knox suggested, it’s odd the Seahawks are even considering moving on from Woolen. NFL contenders don’t typically give up depth, especially at positions where they’ve had injuries.
The Seahawks have had plenty of injuries in the secondary this season. Seattle should be healthier coming out of its bye week this Sunday, but those injuries have lingered in the Seahawks defensive backfield this fall.
That could make Woolen an important piece to keep.
Even if the Seahawks do trade Woolen, though, it would make the most sense to not trade him to competition.
While moving Woolen to the Lions isn’t an inter-division trade, the two teams could be battling for NFC wild card positioning at the end of the year. Both the Seahawks and Lions could also win their divisions, which would put the two teams in competition for seeding.
If they meet in the NFC divisional round, the higher seed will host the contest.
But should the Seahawks really want to trade Woolen, they might not have that many options. A non-contender isn’t going to trade for Woolen because those teams are obviously more interested in future assets.
If the Seahawks move Woolen, it’s highly likely to be to a team going to the playoffs. But it would be best for Seattle if that team is in the AFC.
Why the Seahawks Could Trade Woolen
The fourth-year cornerback has been at the forefront of trade rumors since NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on September 28 that teams are “monitoring” Woolen’s situation with the Seahawks.
“Woolen’s playing time has diminished, and in a contract year, teams believe he could be available,” posted Rapoport on X.
Woolen’s rookie contract will expire at the end of 2025. The Seahawks are unlikely to re-sign him because of how he’s fit in Mike Macdonald’s defense.
That makes him a rental player for any team interested in adding a cornerback.
Woolen’s playing time, though, hasn’t really diminished with the Seahawks. Woolen has played 92% of Seattle’s defensive snaps in the six games where he’s dressed. That’s a higher percentage than either of the past two seasons.
The Lions could be interested in cornerback additions because of all the injuries they’ve had in the secondary. Both the Seahawks and Lions own 5-2 records.
Adrian Peterson Asleep At Wheel Of Running Car Prior To Arrest
NFL legend Adrian Peterson was seen slumped over at the wheel of his SUV on Sunday morning, just minutes before he was arrested for DWI.
The former Minnesota Vikings star was spotted dozing off in the driver’s seat of his ride while he was at a Sugar Land, Texas gas station. A witness who photographed the former footballer at the scene tells TMZ Sports the 40-year-old’s engine was still running while he was asleep, and his phone was still in his hand.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to us officers did, indeed, find Peterson in that manner.
We’re told when cops responded to the scene, they took him out of the vehicle and investigated him for potentially drinking and driving.
Law enforcement sources say he displayed signs of intoxication during questioning … and later bombed field sobriety tests. We’re also told a gun was found inside his car.
Peterson was ultimately booked into a Fort Bend County Jail on two separate charges — one count of DWI and one count of unlawful carrying weapon.
Jail records show he was released from custody late Monday afternoon.
Ferraro talks Olympics, ‘Frozen Frenzy’ in Q&A with NHL.com
It wasn’t until the midway point of the second period that Crosby first got on the board to get to the milestone. While on the power play, Erik Karlsson passed the puck to Crosby on the half wall, and Crosby then made a cross-ice pass to Parker Wotherspoon, who snapped the puck top corner past Joel Hofer to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead in the game.
Crosby then hit the milestone with an assist that added to that lead. After being given the puck behind the net, Crosby set up Karlsson at the point for a one-timer, which Bryan Rust deflected home to make it 4-2 for Pittsburgh.
After the Blues had drawn within one, Crosby capped off the night with a breakaway goal late in the third to regain the two goal lead, with Evgeni Malkin’s empty net goal 20 seconds later putting the game away for the 6-3 win.
With his performance, Crosby becomes the ninth player in NHL history to hit the 1,700 point mark, joining Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Ron Francis, Marcel Dionne, Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux. He joins Lemieux as the only player to hit the milestone entirely as a Penguin, while Jagr and Francis are the only other players to do so while playing for the Penguins at some point in their career.
While Crosby has held down ninth in all-time scoring for several months now, he does continue to creep his way up the list. He is now just 22 points behind Lemieux for eighth, as well as the Penguins franchise scoring record, and should he have another point-per-game season and be healthy, he could finish the season as high as sixth to pass Yzerman (1,755) and Dionne (1,771).
Crosby has had another excellent start to the season, seemingly turning back time with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 10 games.
ESPN tripleheader, ‘Frozen Frenzy’ highlights according to NHL.com writers
Hockey heaven arrives Tuesday.
In addition to an ESPN tripleheader, each of the League’s 32 teams play on the same night for the second and final time this season as part of
Cooper Flagg’s first NBA back-to-back is a painful one
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg’s first experience with an NBA back-to-back was a painful one.
The No. 1 draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks barely got through the opening seconds of the second game Monday night before hurting his left shoulder. Flagg held the shoulder multiple times during the first half, used a heat wrap on it while on the bench during the second half and struggled through a 1-for-9 shooting night for two points, missing all three of his 3-pointers.
Flagg played 31 minutes but was watching from the bench during most of the Mavericks’ late rally, as they cut a 22-point, second-half deficit against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to one point in the final minute but lost 101-94.
“Just being a little flat, a little banged up. I’ve got to find ways to play through it,” Flagg said while seated at his locker with an ice pack on the shoulder. He said the shoulder will be scanned Tuesday and he expects to play in Dallas’ next game, Wednesday at home against Indiana.
The 6-foot-9 guard from Duke said he doesn’t know how he got hurt, just that it was in the game’s opening minute when he was trying to box out and felt something move.
“Just a little contact. Can’t remember if a guy like, grabbed,” Flagg said. “It was somebody’s arm. I just like felt something in my shoulder, a little pain after.”
Flagg shot 1 for 6 in the first half, scoring on a layup midway through the second period.
“He played through it,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s a tough kid.”
Watching down the stretch was unusual for Flagg after he was on the floor in crunch time last season as the national player of the year in his one season with the Blue Devils.
“I mean, the way the game was going, we had a group there that was doing really well,” Flagg said. “I see where Coach was at with that. I was flat. I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t having an impact on the game at a high level. Wasn’t doing the right stuff.”
The two-point night left Flagg averaging 13 points four games into his pro career, with a high of 22 in Sunday night’s home win over Toronto.
Dallas’ next back-to-back will be Nov. 7-8 at Memphis and Washington.
“It is different, but I’ve got to figure it out,” Flagg said. “I’m not too worried about it.”
___
Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History as 25-Point Triple-Double Downs Timberwolves Without Anthony Edwards
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ home crowd had just started to believe that their team could take home another win against the Denver Nuggets in one of the NBA’s newest rivalries. Unfortunately for them, Nikola Jokic picked the Wolves apart in a methodical display of dominance that he made look casual. By the end of the night, Jokic’s stat line didn’t just lead the Nuggets to a win, but etched his name next to basketball royalty.
With his 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists on an absurd 90% shooting, Jokic joined the legendary Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever log a 25/15/10 triple-double while shooting at least 90% from the field. It wasn’t just an ordinary night for the Joker, but a study in precision. Every post hook over a defender, bounce pass to a cutter, and box out on defense was executed perfectly.
If that wasn’t enough, this marked Jokic’s third straight triple-double to open the season, something only accomplished by Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. For all the superlatives that have surrounded the Serbian big over the years, he’s just continued a dominant run that he’s been on since his first MVP. Denver and the Joker show no signs of slowing down, winning back-to-back games after their sole loss to the Warriors.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Mike Tyson’s Son Calls Out NBA Fans for Ousting LeBron James in GOAT Debate With Jordan, Bryant
Fans have long debated who deserves the title of the ‘Greatest of All Time,’ no matter the sport. Everyone seems to have their own opinion. In basketball, the conversation usually revolves around names like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant—true NBA royalty. Yet, one name often gets overlooked, and that’s when debates heat up. A recent social media poll reignited that discussion, forcing the son of legendary heavyweight Mike Tyson to chime in.
It all started when ‘Pubity,’ a popular Instagram page known for covering pop culture, sports, and trending topics, launched a fan poll to decide the ultimate basketball ‘GOAT.’ “THE BATTLE OF THE GREATS,” they captioned the post, with a graphic showing a table pitting several players against each other in a competition format. The competition was split into five rounds, with fans voting each time to narrow down the contenders.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Who are the final two contenders that the son of Mike Tyson had issues with?
By the fifth and final round, only two legends remained—Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, leaving LeBron James out. The Instagram page asked its followers, “Head to our story to vote on the 5th and final round of matchups and support the basketball player you think is the greatest of all time.” While the poll hasn’t finished yet, with the winner between Jordan and Bryant still to be decided, Amir J. Tyson took notice.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Amir shared the post on his Instagram story, airing his frustration with James’ exclusion by fans in the caption. “Most beloved, yes,” he agreed with the final two contenders, “But not having Bron is crazy, even though he’s not as universally likable to everyone like those two were from a basketball fan perspective.” In Amir’s eyes, LeBron James should have made it to the top two, but his personal favorite did. “[James is] top two, and Kobe’s my favorite player ever.”
Of course, Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers for the final time in 2003, and Kobe Bryant tragically passed away in 2020, leaving LeBron James as the only one still active in the NBA among the three. But does that automatically place James on the same pedestal as Jordan and Bryant?
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
NBA Hall of Famer reveals why LeBron James stands apart from Jordan and Bryant
Last month, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley explained why he believes James stands apart from Jordan and Bryant. Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley praised all three as basketball greats but pointed out what he sees as a key difference in mentality. “The three best players I’ve ever seen were Michael, Kobe, and LeBron,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“And I’ll tell you the difference in the three. Michael and Kobe are dangerous—they will kill your a—. LeBron’s a nice guy. And that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy.” Barkley compared LeBron’s personality to that of Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, calling both “really nice guys.”
He added, “The difference between Michael and Kobe, man, they are dangerous. They really wanted to kill you, humiliate you.”
Lauri Markkanen scores career-best 51 points in OT win against Suns
Lauri Markkanen was hoping the game would end before he had a chance to hit a new career-high. He would have been perfectly fine with 44 points and the win after regulation.
“You never think about like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go for 50,’” he said. “But obviously, when it’s overtime and you’re at 47 and they start fouling, you kind of start thinking there’s a good chance that it’s going to happen.”
And happen, it did. Markkanen scored a career-best 51 points to go with 14 rebounds on Monday night in a 138-134 Utah Jazz overtime win against the Phoenix Suns.
His teammates doused him with water and he was awarded the game ball for his new career mark. The last time that happened was Jan. 5, 2023 in Houston when his previous career-high of 49 was set during his first and only All-Star season.
Though Markkanen didn’t set out to score 50 on Monday, he did admit that now that he’s done it, the allure is there to want more.
“You get hungrier as it happens,” he said. “So hopefully it’s not the last one.”
If the last few days are any indication, we could be headed for more of these kind of games around the NBA.
The young 2025-26 NBA season has been marked by wild scoring performances. We’re less than a week into the calendar and Markkanen’s 51-point game marks the fourth 50-point game of the season.
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (55), as well as the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon (50) both hit the mark last Thursday night, and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves scored 51 on Sunday.
“The offensive explosion is nothing new in the league,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said before Monday’s game against the Jazz. “I think it’s a little surprising here early in the season. I’m not sure that that’s been the trend over the last couple years.”
The trend continued with his team on the wrong side of the result on Monday, to the delight of Markkanen’s teammates.
“That’s crazy,” Ace Bailey said. “In my rookie year, too — my teammate. No, that’s something special, and the crowd was chanting ‘MVP’ for him. I feel excited for him. It’s crazy.”
Bailey mentioned that he hadn’t watched too much of Markkanen before joining the NBA ranks, but after the last few weeks of being his teammate and having a front-row seat on Monday night, he wished that he’d been more locked in on Markkanen before now.
“It was unbelievable effort all around, but, I mean, 50 points is insane,” Walker Kessler said as he scanned the box score. “I’m super proud of him. He was hooping — golly, plus-26 is insane! Golly, yeah, that’s insane. That’s crazy.
Cooper Flagg’s 1st NBA back-to-back: missed shots and banged-up shoulder
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg’s first experience with an NBA back-to-back was a painful one.
The No. 1 draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks barely got through the opening seconds of the second game Monday night before hurting his left shoulder. Flagg held the shoulder multiple times during the first half, used a heat wrap on it while on the bench during the second half and struggled through a 1-for-9 shooting night for two points, missing all three of his 3-pointers.
Flagg played 31 minutes but was watching from the bench during most of the Mavericks’ late rally, as they cut a 22-point, second-half deficit against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to one point in the final minute but lost 101-94.
“Just being a little flat, a little banged up. I’ve got to find ways to play through it,” Flagg said while seated at his locker with an ice pack on the shoulder. He said the shoulder will be scanned Tuesday and he expects to play in Dallas’ next game, Wednesday at home against Indiana.
The 6-foot-9 guard from Duke said he doesn’t know how he got hurt, just that it was in the game’s opening minute when he was trying to box out and felt something move.
“Just a little contact. Can’t remember if a guy like, grabbed,” Flagg said. “It was somebody’s arm. I just like felt something in my shoulder, a little pain after.”
Flagg shot 1-for-6 in the first half, scoring on a layup midway through the second period.
“He played through it,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s a tough kid.”
Watching down the stretch was unusual for Flagg after he was on the floor in crunch time last season as the national player of the year in his one season with the Blue Devils.
“I mean, the way the game was going, we had a group there that was doing really well,” Flagg said. “I see where Coach was at with that. I was flat. I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t having an impact on the game at a high level. Wasn’t doing the right stuff.”
The two-point night left Flagg averaging 13 points four games into his pro career, with a high of 22 in Sunday night’s home win over Toronto.
Dallas’ next back-to-back will be Nov. 7-8 at Memphis and Washington.
“It is different, but I’ve got to figure it out,” Flagg said. “I’m not too worried about it.”
NASCAR 25 Patch Notes: New Update Hits Gameplay and Online Multiplayer
Highlights
A fresh update hits NASCAR 25 this week.
Developers continue fine-tuning gameplay and stability.
Fans notice quality-of-life changes across modes.
You ever sit down for a few laps, fire up the lobby, and just as you’re about to take the green flag—boom, crash? Yeah, NASCAR 25 knows that pain too. Thankfully, this week’s update aims to end that cycle of heartbreak and respawns once and for all. Rolling out for PlayStation and Xbox, the new patch tightens online stability and adds long-requested features for both wheel and controller players.
According to the official NASCAR 25 Game account, this patch tackles a frustrating online multiplayer crash that’s been causing sudden disconnects mid-race. With that fix in place, matchmaking and lobby stability should feel much smoother — something the community’s been asking for since launch.
Players also get more creative freedom behind the scenes. The Career Paint Kit now lets racers copy paint schemes to all slots within the same series, saving time for those who want a consistent team look. Championship mode sees a similar quality-of-life boost, adding the ability to switch paint schemes between events for that extra layer of customization.
But perhaps the most exciting addition comes for gearheads: H Pattern Shifter support is officially here. That means fans with manual shifters can finally enjoy the tactile immersion of classic racing — clutch, gear, and all — the way it’s meant to be.
While this isn’t a massive overhaul, it builds on a steady streak of refinement since launch. And speaking of steady progress…
Just last week, NASCAR 25 rolled out a substantial patch that focused on precision and control both in the pits and across the garage. It gave players expanded pitting options for tire pressure and wedge, a long-requested feature that sim fans praised for adding more realistic tuning depth.
Career Mode received a balance pass too, adjusting Cup Career part levels to make progression smoother and more consistent over a full season. That update also included new driver rating adjustments from Racing Insights, aligning in-game performance more closely with real-world data — a subtle but impactful tweak that made the AI grid feel sharper.
Finally, developers fixed a rare save file issue that had occasionally wiped progress for players, rounding out a patch that reinforced stability and simulation authenticity.
Together, last week’s tuning and this week’s multiplayer polish show a team taking small but meaningful steps toward the immersive racing experience fans expected from the start.
Patch Summary
MLB World Series Rules: Extra Innings, Pitch Runner & Key Differences from Regular Season Explained
After five hours, the Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series game is officially the longest postseason game the Jays have ever played in terms of time. Extra innings in the Fall Classic feel like a different sport altogether.
From extra innings to running rules, let’s take a look at how it really works.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
How is the postseason different from the regular season?
There are a few key differences between regular season rules and playoff rules.key differences between regular season rules and playoff rules.
Extra innings: In the regular season, baseball introduces a little shortcut. The teams start the 10th inning with a runner already on second base. Some call it the “zombie runner.” The idea here is simple. Fewer marathon games, fewer exhausted arms, and hopefully fewer injuries.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, when it comes to October baseball, that shortcut doesn’t apply. Nobody gets a head start. Extra innings return to the classic style with bases empty and pressure sky-high.
More Replay Challenges: Managers also get a bit more power when the stakes rise. They go from just one replay challenge in the regular season to two during the postseason. When every out feels like life or death, that extra chance to get a call right can be a game-changer.
But well, how long will the games be?
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
You should know that postseason games add about 30 extra seconds between innings for another commercial slot. That helps fuel the big October broadcast spectacle.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The pitch clock still stays in play, though, so the rhythm of the game doesn’t drag. Even with the bigger stage and longer breaks, you can still expect most postseason games to wrap up in under three hours. But of course, the Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series game 3 was a different case altogether.
Know the rules: Pitch runner, Extra Innings and more.
So, there are a few key rule changes to brush up on.
Extra innings rule in MLB playoffs:
Most importantly, in the postseason, every extra inning starts clean, with bases empty and pitchers having to work for every baserunner. The pitch clock still keeps things moving, but without that automatic runner, games could stretch a bit longer. And managers may need to dig deeper into their bullpen to get through those tense late innings.
Number of challenges managers get in the MLB playoffs:
Note that during the regular season, managers get just one replay challenge. In the postseason, they get two. If a challenge is successful and the call gets overturned, they keep that challenge. If not, they lose it.
Other than that, most of the regular-season rules stay the same in the playoffs. Still, it’s helpful to revisit a few of the key ones since the stakes are sky-high in October.
Is there still a pitch clock in the MLB postseason?
The pitch clock rules stay the same in the postseason. There’s still a 30-second limit between batters, and pitchers get 15 seconds to throw with nobody on base and 20 seconds when runners are aboard. Pitchers are also allowed only two pickoff moves or step-offs per plate appearance. If the runner moves up during the at-bat, those limits reset. All of this keeps the pace sharp, even with the playoff tension turned all the way up.
The three-batter minimum rule:
The three-batter minimum rule still applies in the postseason. That means a pitcher has to face at least three hitters or finish the inning before he can be taken out. If he comes in to face just one batter and that ends the inning, the team can still choose to bring him back for the next frame.
In such a case, he needs to face two more batters to reach the required three. The idea is to keep the game moving and reduce the number of pitching changes.
Home Field Advantage:
How is it determined precisely? So, Home-field advantage in the World Series goes to the team with the better regular-season record, no matter how each club was seeded in the playoffs. If both teams finish with the same record, MLB uses a set of tiebreakers to determine which team hosts more games. The order is:
• Head-to-head results between the two teams
• Record within their own division
• Record within their own league
Whoever comes out on top gets the comfort of starting and potentially finishing the Fall Classic in their home ballpark.
Longest Playoff Games in MLB History
1 (tie). Game 3, 2025 World Series: Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 5
In one of the greatest World Series games in recent memory, Freddie Freeman launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning at Dodger Stadium to give the Dodgers a 2-1 Series lead. The contest lasted six hours and 39 minutes, ending 10 minutes before midnight in Los Angeles.
Shohei Ohtani reached base a postseason record nine times and became the first player in MLB history to have at least four hits and five walks in a single game — four of the free passes were intentional. Two of Ohtani’s four hits were homers, with the other two being doubles in an encore to his previous game at Dodger Stadium, which was arguably the greatest single-game performance in history.
1 (tie). Game 3, 2022 American League Division Series: Astros 1, Mariners 0 — 18 innings
In the first postseason game played in Seattle in 21 years, the Astros and Mariners were scoreless into the 18th inning thanks to tremendous pitching that resulted in a combined 42 strikeouts in the contest. But Houston’s latest postseason hero was a rookie — Jeremy Peña launched a go-ahead homer off Penn Murfee and reliever Luis Garcia closed out the series-clinching victory with a 1-2-3 bottom of the frame.
Garcia was a hero among heroes on the mound for Houston, going five innings in which he yielded only two hits and struck out six. Overall, after starter Lance McCullers Jr. went six strong innings, seven Astros relievers combined to go 12 innings in which they gave up just five hits while walking one and striking out 15.
1 (tie). Game 3, 2018 World Series: Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 — 18 innings
In the longest postseason game, in terms of time, in MLB history (seven hours, 20 minutes), the Dodgers beat the Red Sox on a Muncy walk-off home run in the 18th inning to cut their Series deficit to 2-1. The two clubs combined to use 18 pitchers and 46 players overall in the contest, both postseason records. With the victory, Los Angeles became the first team to ever win a World Series game after trailing in the 11th inning or later.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler tossed seven scoreless innings before Jackie Bradley Jr. homered off closer Kenley Jansen with two outs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 1 (the lone L.A. run to that point came courtesy of a solo homer from Joc Pederson). In the top of the 13th, an Eduardo Nunez infield single, coupled with a Dodgers error enabled Brock Holt to score the go-ahead run. But Los Angeles responded in the bottom half of the frame, when Yasiel Puig produced an infield single of his own, and an Ian Kinsler throwing error allowed Muncy to score from second.
1 (tie). Game 2, 2014 National League Division Series: Giants 2, Nationals 1 — 18 innings
The Nationals have had more than their fair share of agonizing playoff losses in the past decade. This was one of them. The Nats held a 1-0 lead entering the ninth inning in Washington, and Jordan Zimmermann was dominating. The righty had thrown eight shutout innings, and he took the mound for the top of the ninth. He got two quick outs — giving him 20 straight batters retired — but then walked Joe Panik. Matt Williams replaced Zimmermann with Drew Storen, who allowed a single to Buster Posey and a game-tying double to Pablo Sandoval. The Giants almost took the lead there, but Posey was thrown out at the plate to keep the game tied.
From there, neither team scored for the next eight innings. Finally, in the top of the 18th, Brandon Belt homered off Tanner Roark to break the tie, and the Giants held on. The game took six hours, 23 minutes — the longest postseason game on record by time as well as innings. The Giants would eliminate the Nationals in four games and go on to win the World Series.
1 (tie). Game 4, 2005 NLDS: Astros 7, Braves 6 — 18 innings
Entering Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS, the Astros already held the record for longest postseason game — their 16-inning Game 6 loss to the Mets in the 1986 NL Championship Series. They topped that one here, with a win that sent them to the NLCS. Their record has since been equaled, but not broken. One crazy fact: Tim Hudson, who started the 18-inning playoff game for the Giants in 2014, also started this one for the Braves.
The Braves jumped out to a 5-0 lead, thanks to a grand slam by Adam LaRoche, and led 6-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. But the Astros got four back in the eighth when Lance Berkman crushed a grand slam of his own. Then, down to their last out in the ninth, they tied the game on Brad Ausmus’ home run off Kyle Farnsworth. The score stayed 6-6 until the bottom of the 18th, when unlikely hero Chris Burke ended the game, and the series, with one big swing.
6. Game 6, 1986 NLCS: Mets 7, Astros 6 — 16 innings
This game stood as the record for the longest in the postseason for close to two decades. Like the Astros-Braves contest that eclipsed it, this one was a series clincher. The Mets beat Houston at the Astrodome to move on to the World Series against the Red Sox, setting the stage for one of the most memorable Fall Classics of all time.
Looking for the clinch, the Mets were baffled for eight innings by Bob Knepper, who took a 3-0 lead into the ninth. But the Mets rallied for three runs off Knepper and reliever Dave Smith to equalize. The extra innings were thrilling. Wally Backman knocked a go-ahead single for the Mets in the top of the 14th, only for the Astros to tie the game in the bottom of the 14th on Billy Hatcher’s homer off Jesse Orosco. The Mets scored three more times in the top of the 16th; the Astros rallied for two in the bottom of the 16th, and had the tying run in scoring position with two outs. But Orosco struck out Kevin Bass to end the game, and the Mets advanced.
7 (tie). Game 5, 2025 American League Division Series: Mariners 3, Tigers 2 — 15 innings
In a game that they’ll never forget in the Pacific Northwest, the Mariners outlasted the Tigers to advance to the AL Championship Series for the first time in 24 years on a walk-off single in the 15th inning by Jorge Polanco. No winner-take-all postseason game had ever gone more than 13 innings prior to this instant classic.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, made history with seven consecutive strikeouts en route to a 13-strikeout performance over six brilliant innings for Detroit. But pinch-hitter Leo Rivas delivered a game-tying single in the seventh, the last run that would be scored for the next eight innings. In all, 15 pitchers were used in a game that lasted four hours and 58 minutes, every one of which was brimming with excitement and anticipation.
7 (tie). Game 2, 2022 American League Wild Card Series: Guardians 1, Rays 0 — 15 innings
Sixteen pitchers racked up 39 total strikeouts in this marathon pitchers’ duel, allowing just 10 hits and eight walks through the first 14 innings. That was before Oscar Gonzalez led off the bottom of the 15th with his series-clinching walk-off home run off former Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, the eighth pitcher out of the Rays’ bullpen. In sending the Guardians to the ALDS, Gonzalez joined an exclusive club, becoming just the 13th player in MLB history to clinch a postseason series with a walk-off home run.
7 (tie). Game 5, 1999 NLCS: Mets 4, Braves 3 — 15 innings
The Mets won another marathon in the 1999 playoffs, a 15-inning victory against the rival Braves in the NLCS that took five hours, 46 minutes. But there was no World Series trip awaiting them this time, as Atlanta would go on to win the series in Game 6 two days later.
The Mets won Game 5 on a play that is iconic for its oddity: Robin Ventura’s grand slam single. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 15th, the game tied 3-3, Ventura crushed what should have been a walk-off grand slam over the right-center-field wall at Shea Stadium. And it was a walk-off… but it went into the scorebooks as a single when a celebrating Ventura abandoned his home run trot after only touching first base.
7 (tie). Game 2, 1995 American League Division Series: Yankees 7, Mariners 5 — 15 innings
Game 2 of the ALDS actually set up a dramatic comeback in the series by the Mariners — the Yanks’ 15-inning win gave them a 2-0 series lead, but the Mariners would rally to win the final three games in a row to advance to the ALCS.
Game 2 at Yankee Stadium was a back-and-forth slugfest, with six home runs between the two teams. Among the highlights: a sixth-inning shot by Don Mattingly (his only career postseason home run, after finally making the playoffs in his final season in pinstripes); a go-ahead homer by Ken Griffey Jr. for the Mariners in the top of the 12th (the Yankees would tie the game in the bottom half); and, of course, Jim Leyritz’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 15th.
11 (tie). Game 1, 2015 World Series: Royals 5, Mets 4 — 14 innings
The record for longest World Series game is a three-way tie at 14 innings, with the most recent being the Royals’ 5-4 win over the Mets in the opening game of the 2015 Fall Classic. The win sent Kansas City on its way to the franchise’s first championship since 1985.
The Royals opened the World Series with a bang — Alcides Escobar hit a first-pitch inside-the-park home run off Matt Harvey leading off the bottom of the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. But it was the Mets who led Game 1, 4-3, entering the ninth. That’s when Alex Gordon crushed the game-tying home run to dead center field to send the game to extras. The Royals completed the rally in the bottom of the 14th, when Eric Hosmer’s sacrifice fly brought home Alcides Escobar with the game-winning run.
11 (tie). Game 2, 2015 ALDS: Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4 — 14 innings
The most memorable game of this series was the deciding Game 5 — the Jose Bautista bat flip game. But before Joey Bats won the Blue Jays the series, capping a comeback from down 2-0, the Rangers pulled out this 14-inning affair on the road in Game 2.
Most of the offense came early, although the Rangers did get a much-needed pinch-hit, game-tying single from Mike Napoli with two outs in the eighth, which helped push the game to extra innings. The Rangers held off Toronto until they broke through with a two-out rally in the 14th, stringing together four straight hits and scoring twice for the decisive runs.
11 (tie). Game 3, 2005 World Series: White Sox 7, Astros 5 — 14 innings
The White Sox lost just one playoff game on their way to the 2005 World Series title, going 11-1 in a dominant postseason, including a sweep of the Astros in the Fall Classic. But those wins were hard-fought, especially Game 3 of the World Series, the only extra-inning game the White Sox played during their title run.
Chicago’s only offense in the first nine innings came during a five-run fifth, capped by a go-ahead two-run double by A.J. Pierzynski off Roy Oswalt. But after the Astros tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, the White Sox needed extras to get the win. Geoff Blum hit the tiebreaking home run off Ezequiel Astacio in the 14th, and Mark Buehrle got the final out in relief — just two days after he pitched seven innings in Chicago’s Game 2 win.
11 (tie). Game 5, 2004 ALCS: Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 — 14 innings
This game was part of one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history — the Red Sox’s unprecedented rally to beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS after being down three games to none. The night before, in Game 4 at Fenway Park, that comeback had begun with Dave Roberts’ steal, Boston’s ninth-inning rally against Mariano Rivera and David Ortiz’s walk-off homer in the 12th inning. In Game 5, Big Papi did it again.
The Red Sox needed a late-inning rally just to force extra innings. Ortiz — who else? — got it started with a homer leading off the eighth to get the Sox within one. A few batters later, Jason Varitek hit the game-tying sacrifice fly off Rivera, and into extra innings it went. No one scored until the bottom of the 14th. With two on and two out, just over five hours after the game began, Big Papi was the hero again, lining the walk-off single to center field.
11 (tie). Game 2, 1916 World Series: Red Sox 2, Robins 1 — 14 innings
The Red Sox and Brooklyn Robins — now the Dodgers, of course — established the World Series benchmark when they played this 14-inning World Series game all the way back in 1916. No postseason game would go longer for the next 60 years, until the Mets-Astros NLCS Game 6 in 1986. In the good old days of the dead ball era, this game lasted only two hours, 32 minutes.
The winning pitcher for the Red Sox in Game 4 of the 1916 Fall Classic? None other than Babe Ruth. The Babe, still in a Boston uniform and still a pitcher, lasted all 14 innings while allowing just a single run. He also plated a run himself with an RBI groundout in the third, which stood as the Red Sox’s only offense until the bottom of the 14th, when Del Gainer knocked the walk-off single to give Boston the win. The Red Sox would go on to win one of their last World Series before Ruth was sold to the Yankees and the Curse of the Bambino began.
Dodgers troll Blue Jays fans over Shohei Ohtani chants
If MLB carved its own Mt. Rushmore of baseball greats, Shohei Ohtani’s face would be featured front and center. Of all his fellow superstars, past and present, there has been no player quite like Ohtani.
Not surprisingly, his free agency was the blockbuster event of the winter in his free agent class of 2023-2024, making waves and ruffling a few feathers. And today, the feathers are more ruffled than ever. Taking the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series, Toronto Blue Jays fans welcomed Ohtani in the Rogers Centre with a chorus of boos and chants of “We don’t need him!” in resounding fashion.
This, of course, is a reaction that stems from the Blue Jays’ failed pursuit of Ohtani, a failed pursuit that is now plaguing them on MLB’s biggest stage. Ohtani responded to his detractors by going 4-for-4 in Game 3, hitting two home runs and two doubles against Toronto. With the irony of the moment falling hard on the Blue Jays, the Dodgers took the time to rub it in just a little.
Dodgers chide Blue Jays fans on X with playful post
In a post on X, the Dodgers tweeted a photo of Ohtani victoriously rounding the bases with the caption, “Don’t need Shohei? Don’t worry, he’s ours.” To their point, Ohtani is having the postseason of a lifetime. It just so happens that his historic performance coincides with a Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series duel.
And as for the Blue Jays, there was no response. After going 4-for-4, Toronto pitchers walked Ohtani five times (four intentional walks, one unintentional walk), handing him a postseason record of reaching base nine times in a single playoff game. This is just one of a few records Ohtani set or tied on Monday.
The Dodgers would go on to win the record 18-inning marathon. As it turns out, the Blue Jays may have, in fact, needed Ohtani, who scored three of the Dodgers’ six runs. Still, the fall classic is anything but over. The Dodgers hold a 2-1 advantage in a best-of-seven World Series.
Patrick Mahomes’ Dad Pat Mahomes Had 11-Year MLB Career
Patrick Mahomes grew up in a world of resin bags, dugout chatter and late bus rides. Before the Chiefs star learned to turn broken plays into magic, his dad was logging innings across the majors and beyond.
Pat Mahomes Sr. started his career with the Minnesota Twins in 1992, bounced through the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, and carved out an 11-year MLB stay that stretched into a 22-year professional journey when you count the minors, Japan and independent stops.
That life gave young Patrick a front-row seat to daily work, the kind of routine that builds poise. As fans get ready for “Monday Night Football” against the Washington Commanders, it is a good time to remember the first sport that shaped the arm and the calm that define Kansas City’s quarterback.
The Long Road That Shaped A Son
Pat Sr. was a starter early, then became the dependable long reliever managers reach for when games get away. He was the man who could take the ball on a moment’s notice, soak up innings and keep a clubhouse steady.
The numbers tell one story with 42 wins and 452 strikeouts; the job tells another. That role is about being resilient, solving problems and showing up every day ready to go. A kid who watches that for years learns how to slow the moment, how to treat pressure like part of the job, not a spotlight to fear. That’s Patrick.
Patrick’s Shortstop Roots Still Show
Patrick was a three-sport athlete in Texas, a shortstop with a live arm who could throw on the move and change slots without losing accuracy. He pitched too, touching 90 mph, which is where those sidearm flicks and shovel passes started. The Detroit Tigers took a late flier on him in the 2014 MLB Draft, and he even got a taste of baseball with the Texas Tech Red Raiders before turning full-time to football.
The mechanics never left him. The footwork at shortstop turned into pocket movement. The quick release on double plays turned into quick game throws. The creativity you need to make an off-balance throw across the diamond now shows up on third and long.
The Game Behind the Game
Quarterbacks talk about processing, feel and tempo. Baseball taught those things first. A reliever learns to compete without perfect feel, to win counts, to move on from a mistake. Patrick does that on Sundays. He changes arm angles like a middle infielder working around a runner. He reads leverage the way a pitcher reads a hitter’s swing. When the game speeds up, he slows down. That mindset traces back to watching his dad grind through a career built on persistence more than fame.
For Pat Mahomes Sr., the reward was never about the spotlight. It was about staying ready, putting in the work, and finding pride in each chance to compete. Those same lessons echo every time Patrick jogs onto the field, cool under pressure, confident in his instincts and still showing a little bit of that baseball kid who grew up around the game.
Quick Career Snapshot
• MLB debut in 1992 with the Twins
• 11 MLB seasons, six franchises
• 42 career wins, 452 strikeouts, 709 innings
• Professional career across MLB, minors, Japan and independent leagues
• Patrick was drafted by the Tigers out of high school, brief two-sport stint at Texas Tech before choosing football
Pat Mahomes Sr. never needed headlines to define his success, and that steady outlook rubbed off on his son. When you watch Patrick Mahomes under the prime-ptime lights, you’re seeing more than a quarterback at the top of his game.
You’re seeing a legacy built through years of work, family influence and a shared love for competition that started on the baseball diamond and continues every time he takes the field.
NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Eagles & Texans Rise, 49ers & Bears Fall
Week 8 of the NFL season is done and dusted, and after next week, we’ll officially be halfway done with the regular season. There have been major upsets, close finishes and straight-up blowouts, but as the dust settles on Week 8, I think we have a fairly good idea of where each team stacks up.
Today, we’ll be power ranking all 32 NFL teams, and after a lot of movement last week, things didn’t shake up all that much this time around.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
32. Tennessee Titans (1-7)
Last Week’s Ranking: 31
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Week 8 Result: 38-14 loss to Colts
PFF Rankings: Offense 30th, Defense 24th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Chargers
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Taking over the bottom spot in our power rankings is the Tennessee Titans, who feel to 1-7 after a 24-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Titans just have no juice on either side of the ball, and it feels like they’re just playing for the No. 1 pick for the rest of the year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense 26th, Defense 31st
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Bengals
The Las Vegas Raiders had a bye this week, but they fall two spots because of two teams behind them both earning big wins this weekend. There’s not much to say about the Raiders. They have a bad offense and a bad defense, and Pete Caroll might already be feeling some heat.
30. New Orleans Saints (1-7)
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
Week 8 Result: 23-3 loss to Buccaneers
PFF Rankings: Offense 29th, Defense 20th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 4:05 pm at Rams
The New Orleans Saints were giving some good teams a tough time early in the year, but they’ve had back-to-back ugly losses and Spencer Rattler was benched in favor of Tyler Shough this week. We’ll see who they move forward with, but things are not looking good in New Orleans.
29. New York Jets (1-7)
Last Week’s Ranking: 32
Week 8 Result: 39-38 win over Bengals
PFF Rankings: Offense 24th, Defense T-17th
Week 9 Matchup: Bye
The New York Jets got their first win of the Aaron Glenn-era on Sunday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in a shootout, 39-38. Justin Fields probably wasn’t even going to start, but Tyrod Taylor was ruled out with a knee injury, and Fields looked great. He might’ve just saved his job with his performance this week, but I can’t not mentioned Breece Hall, who had one of the best performances of the week.
28. Arizona Cardinals (2-5)
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense 22nd, Defense 26th
Week 9 Matchup: Monday, 8:15 pm at Cowboys
The Arizona Cardinals had a bye this week, and the hope is that Kyler Murray can return for their game against the Dallas Cowboys next week. It should be a high scoring game considering Dallas’ defense came back down to Earth after a good game two weeks ago. We’ll see if they can pull off the upset in Murray’s return.
27. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Last Week’s Ranking: 26
Week 8 Result: 32-13 loss to Patriots
PFF Rankings: Offense 32nd, Defense 1st
Week 9 Matchup: Bye
The Cleveland Browns were manhandled by the New England Patriots on Sunday. This game was never close, and even the Browns’ defense couldn’t stop Drake Maye and the Pats’ offense. They have a bye this week, and before you ask, Kevin Stefanski has already committed to starting Dillon Gabriel after their bye.
26. Miami Dolphins (2-6)
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Week 8 Result: 34-10 win over Falcons
PFF Rankings: Offense 31st, Defense 29th
Week 9 Matchup: Thursday, 8:15 pm vs Ravens
The Miami Dolphins are a hard team to figure out. Just when you think they’re ready to lay down and die, they come out and get a win or play a tough team close. They absolutely destroyed the Atlanta Falcons, who have completely fallen off a cliff since their win over the Buffalo Bills. Miami has some life, but their defense is so bad that I don’t see them winning many more games.
25. New York Giants (2-6)
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
Week 8 Result: 38-20 loss to Eagles
PFF Rankings: Offense 28th, Defense T-17th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs 49ers
The New York Giants are one of the more entertaining 2-6 teams to watch that I can remember. Jaxson Dart is incredibly fun, and so was Cam Skattebo, but he suffered a gruesome ankle injury and is likely done for the year. Fun doesn’t always equal good, though. They’ll give some good teams a tough time, but wins will continue to be hard to come by.
24. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
Week 8 Result: 39-38 loss to Jets
PFF Rankings: Offense 23rd, Defense 30th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs 49ers
This was a bad loss for the Bengals. After a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, they come out and give up 39 to the Jets. That just can’t happen. Their offense is firing on all cylinders with Joe Flacco, but that defense is just horrible.
23. Washington Commanders (3-5)
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
Week 8 Result: 28-7 loss to Chiefs
PFF Rankings: Offense 16th, Defense 16th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 8:20 pm vs Seahawks
The Washington Commanders held up a lot better than I thought on Monday night. Their defense in particular was pretty solid against one of the best offenses in the league (at least in the first half), but their offense without Jayden Daniels was tough to watch. Still, credit to them for making this a somewhat entertaining first half on Monday night.
22. Baltimore Ravens (2-5)
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
Week 8 Result: 30-16 win over Bears
PFF Rankings: Offense 19th, Defense 28th
Week 9 Matchup: Thursday, 8:15 pm at Dolphins
The Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens got a big win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Nobody expected that to happen when Jackson was ruled out, but their offense looked pretty good with Tyler Huntley running things. Their defense also played their best game of the year. Will they be contenders when Jackson returns (hopefully this week)? We’ll see.
21. Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
Week 8 Result: 37-10 loss to Chargers
PFF Rankings: Offense 27th, Defense 23rd
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Lions
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the most boring teams to watch. Carson Wentz is not inspiring, and their defense, which has been so good under Brian Flores, just hasn’t shown up this year. A big loss in primetime to the Los Angeles Chargers should’ve hurt them more than it did, but I think they’re better than all the teams listed below them.
20. Carolina Panthers (4-4)
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
Week 8 Result: 40-9 loss to Bills
PFF Rankings: Offense 15th, Defense 14th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Packers
The Carolina Panthers got blown out by the Bills on Sunday. They were down Bryce Young, but I don’t think he would’ve made much of a difference. The Panthers were always worse than their 4-3 record, and this loss showed that.
19. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
Week 8 Result: 34-10 loss to Dolphins
PFF Rankings: Offense 12th, Defense 20th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Patriots
The Falcons have a couple good wins this season, but it’s hard to ignore their recent struggles. I know Michael Penix didn’t play, but I don’t think their loss to the Dolphins would’ve gone much differently if he played. They’ve now been outscored 64-10 by the Panthers and Dolphins. Yikes.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense 25th, Defense 12th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 4:05 pm at Raiders
The Jacksonville Jaguars were on a two-game losing streak heading into their bye week, but will get a good chance to get back into the win column against the Raiders this week. Their offense needs to iron out some kinks if they want to make the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence needs to be more consistent, Brian Thomas Jr. needs to stop dropping so many passes and Travis Etienne needs to get things going on the ground again.
17. Dallas Cowboys (3-4-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
Week 8 Result: 44-24 loss to Broncos
PFF Rankings: Offense 5th, Defense 32nd
Week 9 Matchup: Monday, 8:15 pm vs Cardinals
The Cowboys defense is horrible. It’s easily the worst in the league, and usually they’d be ranked way lower than 17, but that offense can keep them in pretty much every game. They’ll be competitive for the rest of the year, but their defense really needs to figure things out.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
Week 8 Result: 35-25 loss to Packers
PFF Rankings: Offense 19th, Defense 13th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Colts
In the first half, it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers had this game in the bag, but they completely fumbled it in the second half. The Green Bay Packers scored 28 second-half points and they shut down pretty much everything Aaron Rodgers and Co. tried to do offensively. It was a very disappointing loss considering how they played in the first half.
15. Chicago Bears (4-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
Week 8 Result: 30-16 loss to Ravens
PFF Rankings: Offense 12th, Defense 19th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Bengals
The Bears put themselves in a good spot to make the playoffs after an 0-2 start by winning four straight games, but they just lost to the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. They only scored 16 against one of the worst defenses in the league despite having nearly 400 yards of offense. They couldn’t score touchdowns in the red zone, which ultimately cost them the game. Still, I think they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs, but they need to play much better than they did last week.
14. Houston Texans (3-4)
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
Week 8 Result: 26-15 win over 49ers
PFF Rankings: Offense 18th, Defense 5th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Broncos
The Houston Texans got a statement win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Their defense played great yet again, and their offense really found a nice rhythm both through the air and on the ground. If they can keep playing like this, they’ll be a playoff team, but their offense needs to be more consistent than it has been in the past.
13. San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Week 8 Result: 26-15 win loss to Texans
PFF Rankings: Offense 11th, Defense 26th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Giants
People are going to ask how I have the 49ers over the Texans after they just lost to Houston, and my answer is because I still believe they’re a better team. When they get a few of their key pieces back, which shouldn’t be too much longer, they’re going to be a very good team again. The Mac Jones magic has run out, but I still think they’re going to make the playoffs.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
Week 8 Result: 37-10 win over Vikings
PFF Rankings: Offense 13th, Defense 9th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Titans
Despite all of their injuries, the Chargers are sitting at 5-3 and are coming off a massive win over the Vikings. They’re getting healthier by the week, and once Omarion Hampton is back, this offense is going to be even harder to stop than it already is.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
Week 8 Result: 23-3 win over Saints
PFF Rankings: Offense 21st, Defense 7th
Week 9 Matchup: Bye
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shouldn’t drop five spots for winning, but after thinking about it, I over-ranked them last week, and with some teams right behind them earning big wins, they fall five spots to No. 11. I still think this is a good team, but they’ve been decimated by injuries and just don’t have the same juice they did early in the year. This bye week will be good for them, and I expect them to come back strong.
10. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Week 8 Result: 40-9 win over Panthers
PFF Rankings: Offense 4th, Defense 28th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm vs Chiefs
It’s hard to drop a team two spots for winning 40-9, but the Panthers were never as good as their record, and they had Andy Dalton under center. It was still an impressive win, but a couple teams that were behind them last week leapfrog them after some big wins.
9. New England Patriots (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
Week 8 Result: 32-13 win over Browns
PFF Rankings: Offense 8th, Defense 12th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Falcons
The Patriots just keep on climbing. I keep waiting for them to get a reality check, but they’ve avoided two straight trap games and are sitting at 6-2. This is a playoff team, and potentially even a contender to make the Super Bowl, though the AFC is very loaded.
8. Green Bay Packers (5-1-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Week 8 Result: 35-25 win over Buccaneers
PFF Rankings: Offense 9th, Defense 3rd
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Panthers
I’m still sticking to my guns and saying the Packers aren’t Super Bowl contenders, but my ranking for them was a bit harsh last week. Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense looked good on Sunday Night, and their defense made some plays. I think they could be as high as six, but this top 10 are all so close, and I think the teams right above them are just a little bit better.
7. Denver Broncos (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Week 8 Result: 44-24 win over Cowboys
PFF Rankings: Offense 15th, Defense 11th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Texans
The Denver Broncos are such an interesting team. Their offense has been wildly inconsistent, but they’ve come through when they needed them to, especially in recent weeks. They also have what I think is the best defense in football. Their pass rush is great, their linebackers are great and they have one of the best cornerbacks in the league. A lot to like about Denver, but there are still some minor concerns over the consistency of their offense.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Week 8 Result: 38-20 win over Giants
PFF Rankings: Offense 7th, Defense 7th
Week 9 Matchup: Bye
The Philadelphia Eagles are finally starting to look like themselves again. Saquon Barkley had a big game, Jalen Hurts looked good again and their defense played pretty well against a solid Giants offense. I still want to see them do it one or two more times before I pout them in the top five, but for now, six feels like a good spot.
5. Los Angeles Rams (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense 1st, Defense 4th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 4:05 pm vs Saints
The Los Angeles Rams had a bye after their trip to London. I kept trying to find a way to put this team higher, because I think they have a real shot at winning the NFC, but the top four are so close, and I just couldn’t find another team to put them over. I love Matthew Stafford and I love their pass rush. If you have a good QB and can get after the other team’s quarterback, you’re going to win a lot of games.
4. Seattle Seahawks (6-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense T-2nd, Defense 6th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 8:20 pm vs Commanders
I’ve been a big advocate for the Seattle Seahawks all year long, and after their bye, they stay at No. 4. I love what they’re doing offensively, and if they can get a consistent ground game going, they’re going to be very hard to stop. Defensively, Mike Macdonald has done an incredible job. They’re flying around and are one of the best units in the league. I know I have them higher than most, but I just think they’re a great team.
3. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Week 8 Result: Bye
PFF Rankings: Offense 5th, Defense 2nd
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Vikings
The Detroit Lions also had a bye this week, but fall one spot due to the Chiefs’ win over the Commanders. The Lions have one of the best offenses and defenses in football, but the Chiefs have proven they can hang with, and beat, the Lions. Still would love to see that game played on a neutral field, though.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Week 8 Result: 28-7 win over Commanders
PFF Rankings: Offense 10th, Defense 10th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm at Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs handled business on Monday night, knocking off the Commanders fairly easily. They’re playing like one of the best teams in the league right now, and I don’t see their run stopping anytime soon. If they played like this throughout the whole year, they could be No. 1, but the top spot belongs to the team who has been the most consistently dominant, and that is the…
1. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
Week 8 Result: 38-14 win over Titans
PFF Rankings: Offense T-2nd, Defense T-17th
Week 9 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Steelers
Commanders drop third straight game, lose Monday night showdown vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Washington Commanders played great for one half of football on Monday night in Kansas City. But that’s not good enough in the NFL. It takes two halves to win a game.
The Chiefs pulled away in the second half, beating Washington 28-7. It’s the third straight loss for the Commanders.
Washington got the ball first. It was a fantastic opening drive until Deebo Samuel let a short pass go right through his hands, bounced off his helmet and into the arms of a Kansas City defender.
On the Chiefs’ opening drive, Marshon Lattimore picked up his first interception since joining Washington last season.
READ MORE |
In the second quarter, still scoreless. A deflected pass and Bobby Wagner came down with an interception.
Next Kansas City drive, the Chiefs find the end zone for the first time in the game. Kareem Hunt scoring from a yard out. 7-0 Chiefs.
Washington would respond on their next possession. 3rd and 10 from the 11-yard line. Marcus Mariota with a great ball to Terry McLaurin. Toe tap and a touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 going into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Kansas City would get on the scoreboard again—4th and goal from the three-yard line. Patrick Mahomes found Hunt for the touchdown. The Chiefs retook the lead, 14-7.
One possession later, Mahomes capped off an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to put KC up 21-7.
In the fourth quarter, Mahomes did it again, this time finding Rashee Rice for a touchdown. Kansas City on top, 28-7.
And that’s how it would end up. The Commanders fell to the Chiefs, 28-7. Next up, another primetime game for Washington, hosting Seattle on Sunday night.
Caitlin Clark Drops 4-Word NFL Tease Amidst Offseason Trainer Decision
By now, Caitlin Clark’s love for the NFL is no secret to anybody. This love stemmed from her father’s passionate fandom of the Kansas City Chiefs. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, she lived just three hours away from Kansas City, so following them throughout her childhood was a natural choice. Even now, with her busy schedule, she doesn’t leave any opportunity to catch a game or even show support on social media. Recently, as the NFL side launched new gear in collaboration with Fanatics, our Fever ace wasn’t far behind with a four-word reaction.
Amid offseason uncertainty about Caitlin Clark’s training plans, she showed her support for the Chiefs. In fashion designer Doni Nahmias’ post announcing the release of the NFL X Miracle Academy Capsule Collection, the WNBA star had a four-word reaction. She commented on the post, “You know I’m rocking ❤️.”
The hoopster’s comment teased the possibility of her attending the Chiefs’ game against the Washington Commanders at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. While it is unclear how many games she has actually attended, in the 2025-26 NFL season, she has been spotted at least twice.
Clark’s presence during the Lions-Chiefs game went viral, as she sat alongside Travis Kelce’s fiancée, Taylor Swift. She also attended an Indianapolis Colts game with fellow Fever players and was handed a Colts jersey that she did not end up wearing! It caused a significant stir of emotions on social media.
On the above-mentioned Instagram post, though, the renowned fashion designer replied to Caitlin Clark’s comment. “@caitlinclark22 chiefs fit tomorrow 👀,” Nahmias responded.
However, tonight’s game might be her last one for a while if the reports are to be believed. According to recent reports, popular NBA trainer Chris Brickley is rumored to partner up with Caitlin Clark this offseason. Brickley has a notable resume among NBA stars. He has worked with players such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and others. In his appearance on The Line podcast, the trainer revealed that he and Caitlin Clark have been in discussions for a long time, and there were even plans to work together before the 2025 WNBA season!
However, it seems like the partnership may finally come to fruition this offseason.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
“So I’m hoping now, this offseason, I’m hoping that she’ll come to New York and we’ll get some work in. Man, she’s the reason why the WNBA has become so big. I’d love to work with her. She’s an amazing talent… and I love her competitiveness, too,” the hoops trainer said.
Although there are no confirmations yet, if the two can link up, it could be a massive boost for the Indiana Fever. As it is, there is significant concern about CC’s conditioning. However, if she is working with one of the best trainers out there, expect to see a more efficient front to her game soon!
What are Caitlin Clark’s plans for this offseason?
After witnessing her on the bench for most of the 2025 WNBA season, everyone was eager to see how Caitlin Clark recovered from her injury and what her plans were for the offseason. The majority of the time since then has been spent in recovery and rehab with the Indiana Fever’s medical staff. Recent reports have hinted that Clark may be ready to go full throttle in training soon.
There were even brief rumors that she planned to play in the second season of Unrivaled, but they were not true. League President Alex Bazzell made it clear that they would love to have her services in the newly built league, but they wouldn’t “pressure” her.
Many have also speculated whether she would commit to Team USA’s games. Even if she is healthy, given the time she has missed, it will be vital for her to have a sort of preseason or training camp before she can return to play competitive basketball again. Qualifying games for the 2026 FIBA World Cup run from March 11 to 17, and though the US qualified as a top-six team at Americup, it’s possible they will play in the upcoming fixtures anyway.
Whether Clark’s offseason fitness improves through scrimmages with Chris Brickley, Fever practice games, hooping with Team USA, or straight into the 2026 WNBA season remains to be seen.
For now, the focus should be on ensuring that, whenever she returns, the ramp-up is gradual so there are no setbacks in her recovery. Sure, the next season is far away, but with the kind of soft tissue injuries she had to deal with throughout the season, there is going to be an element of risk involved.
2026 NFL Draft order after Week 8: Updated picks, team needs and outlook
There were a few upsets across the NFL Sunday, including the New York Jets pulling off a last-minute comeback to secure their first win of the season. The Miami Dolphins were able to come together for a much-needed victory as well, which cost them position in the 2026 NFL Draft order. There is a new team at No. 1 overall this week.
As a reminder, there are three teams without a first-round pick in 2026 as a result of draft day trades, plus the Micah Parsons deal: Atlanta, Green Bay and Jacksonville.
Here is the current 2026 NFL Draft order, per Tankathon, as well as potential team needs:
1. New Orleans Saints (1-7)
Projected needs: CB, S, DL, RB, WR
New Orleans struggled to get anything going on offense against Tampa Bay and the team made the decision to install Tyler Shough as the new starting quarterback.
2. New York Jets (1-7)
Projected needs: QB, WR, DL, CB, TE
New York got its first win of the season as Justin Fields led the franchise to a comeback victory over the Bengals. It was a particularly strong performance on the ground for the Jets.
3. Tennessee Titans (1-7)
Projected needs: OT, IOL, WR, DL, EDGE
The Titans continue to struggle on both sides of the ball as Indianapolis delivered a decisive blow Sunday.
4. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Projected needs: OT, WR, QB, CB, IOL
Edge rusher Myles Garrett produced five sacks and a forced fumble. Cleveland played New England close for one half, but the Patriots eventually pulled away from Dillon Gabriel and the Browns.
5. Miami Dolphins (2-6)
Projected needs: CB, WR, TE, IOL, S
The vibes were bad in Miami after last weekend’s loss to Cleveland in blustery conditions. Coach Mike McDaniel was able to rally the troops for a definitive victory over the Falcons.
6. New York Giants (2-6)
Projected needs: IOL, OT, DL, CB, LB
New York was unable to pull off the regular-season sweep of the rival Eagles. The loss was even more costly as running back Cam Skattebo was lost for the season with an ankle injury.
7. Baltimore Ravens (2-5)
Projected needs: EDGE, DL, IOL, TE, CB
Pro Bowl quarterback Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a much-needed victory over Chicago in the absence of Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have an opportunity to gain ground in the AFC North.
8. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Projected needs: CB, LB, S, DL, OT
The Raiders were on a bye this week after dropping last week’s contest.
9. Arizona Cardinals (2-5)
Projected needs: OT, IOL, LB, DL, RB
Arizona was able to use its bye week to sulk over last weekend’s loss to the Packers. Coach Jonathan Gannon attempts to rally the troops in time for next week’s Monday night game against the Cowboys.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
Projected needs: IOL, CB, S, TE, EDGE
Joe Flacco provided Cincinnati with competent play at the game’s most important position once again. He threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, but the defense was unable to stop the Jets when it needed it most.
11. Washington Commanders (3-5)
Projected needs: EDGE, LB, CB, TE, WR
Another loss for the Commanders without Jayden Daniels. It’s getting late early for last season’s playoff darlings.
12. Los Angeles Rams via Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
Projected needs: CB, OT, LB, S, IOL
Atlanta’s loss to Miami was Los Angeles’ gain. The Rams possess the Falcons’ first-round pick after a draft night trade in April.
13. Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
Projected needs: LB, CB, S, DL, RB
The curtain may have dropped on Carson Wentz on Thursday night. Minnesota was nowhere near competitive as Max Brosmer was inserted into the lineup late.
14. Houston Texans (3-4)
Projected needs: IOL, OT, TE, DL, S
Houston has not had the season it had envisioned, but Sunday was a bright spot as the Texans overcame one of the league’s best teams: San Francisco.
15. Dallas Cowboys (3-4-1)
Projected needs: S, LB, EDGE, RB, CB
Dallas is a difficult team to pinpoint this year. The Cowboys are capable of outscoring teams, but the defense is not stopping much of anything. The Cowboys were nearly doubled up Sunday by the Broncos.
16. Carolina Panthers (4-4)
Projected needs: CB, S, IOL, WR, DL
Carolina’s three-game win streak ended Sunday against Buffalo. The Panthers were a complete no-show without Bryce Young.
17. Chicago Bears (4-3)
Projected needs: DL, S, IOL, RB, OT
Chicago’s win streak draws to a close as the Ravens pulled away Sunday. The Bears remain above .500 and alive in the NFC playoff hunt.
18. Cleveland Browns via Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)
Projected needs: OT, WR, QB, CB, IOL
Jacksonville was on its bye after losing to the Rams in London last weekend. The Browns retain the rights to the Jaguars’ first-round pick, following a draft day trade for Travis Hunter Jr.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
Projected needs: QB, DL, WR, CB, IOL
The Steelers lost the much-anticipated prime-time game against the Packers as Aaron Rodgers couldn’t beat his former team.
20. San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
Projected needs: OT, IOL, DL, WR, TE
Injuries continue to mount for San Francisco. The 49ers finally faltered against Houston on Sunday.
21. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
Projected needs: IOL, EDGE, CB, TE, DL
The Chargers crushed Minnesota on Thursday night. Justin Herbert threw for three touchdowns and Los Angeles’ defense limited the Vikings to 10 points.
22. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
Projected needs: DL, RB, CB, LB, TE
The Chiefs were locked in a 7-7 tie at halftime on Monday night before Patrick Mahomes’ flawless second half led them to a 28-7 victory.
23. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)
Projected needs: CB, OT, LB, S, IOL
The Rams were on a bye this week after toppling Jacksonville in London a week ago.
24. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Projected needs: EDGE, DL, LB, CB, OT
Detroit was on a bye this week. The Lions return next week against Minnesota.
25. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Projected needs: S, LB, EDGE, CB, WR
Buffalo, coming off its bye week, demolished Carolina. First-round cornerback selection Maxwell Hairston had a tackle in his professional debut.
26. Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
Projected needs: CB, DL, IOL, S, WR
Seattle is yet another team on a laundry list of bye teams this week.
27. Denver Broncos (6-2)
Projected needs: LB, TE, S, WR, OT
Dallas gave up big play after big play as the Broncos ran away in a romp. Wide receiver Troy Franklin (two) and running back RJ Harvey (three) combined for five scores.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)
Projected needs: LB, DL, EDGE, IOL, TE
Tampa Bay stifled the New Orleans offense to the point that second-round pick Tyler Shough replaced Spencer Rattler.
29. New England Patriots (6-2)
Projected needs: OT, TE, WR, LB, EDGE
New England and Cleveland played a tight game in the first half, but the Drake Maye hype train rolled as the Patriots pulled away in the second half.
30. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
Projected needs: TE, CB, EDGE, S, IOL
Philadelphia avoided a regular-season sweep at the hand of the Giants. Jalen Hurts threw for four touchdowns.
31. Dallas Cowboys via Green Bay Packers (5-1-1)
Projected needs: S, LB, EDGE, RB, CB
Dallas has the rights to Green Bay’s first-round pick as a result of the Micah Parsons trade.
32. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
Projected needs: LB, CB, EDGE, IOL, DL
Indianapolis’ magical season continues as the Colts put divisional foe Tennessee in its place. The Colts have scored 25+ points in each of their seven victories this season.
2025 NFL playoff picture, standings: Predicting who makes the playoffs after Week 8 in AFC, NFC
As the NFL is nearing the halfway point of the 2025 season, the league playoff races are starting to heat up. The Week 8 slate certainly had some pivotal games that impacted playoff races.
The New York Jets likely took the Cincinnati Bengals out of the AFC North hunt with their upset win. The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff chances took a massive hit with their loss to the Denver Broncos, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be cruising toward their fifth straight NFC South title.
The Indianapolis Colts have the best record in football and are atop the AFC, while the Green Bay Packers maintained their No. 1 spot in the NFC thanks to their big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The Kansas City Chiefs are also in the playoff picture after their win over the Washington Commanders on Monday night.
Below is a breakdown of the seven teams that are currently in the playoffs after Week 8. In addition to the seven playoff teams, let’s look at their schedules and predict if they’ll get in the playoffs or not — along with the contenders for a playoff spot.
AFC playoff picture
SeedTeamWLTPCT1
Colts
7
1
0
.875
2
Patriots
6
2
0
.750
3Broncos
6
2
0
.750
4Steelers
4
3
0
.571
5Bills520.7146Chargers530.6257Chiefs530.625
1. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
Remaining schedule: at Steelers, vs. Falcons, Bye, at Chiefs, vs. Texans, at Jaguars, at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans
The Colts are two games up in the loss column in the AFC South standings, which is their division to lose. Not only should Indianapolis have a playoff spot come January, but the Colts are a contender for home-field advantage. They also have wins over the Broncos, Rams and Chargers — all teams with winning records.
2. New England Patriots (6-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Buccaneers, vs. Jets, at Bengals, vs. Giants, Bye, vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins
The Patriots still have the lead over the Bills in the AFC East via the head-to-head tiebreaker and have taken advantage of a light schedule, which included Sunday’s win over the Browns. New England should challenge Buffalo for the division, with a favorable schedule until the bye week. At worst, the Patriots are a wild card based on how they’re playing.
3. Denver Broncos (6-2)
Remaining schedule: at Texans, vs. Raiders, vs. Chiefs, Bye, at Commanders, at Raiders, vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers
A dominant victory over the Cowboys solidifies the Broncos as contenders for the AFC West, as the division leaders will be in the mix all year. The schedule gets a little easier over the next month, but the Broncos still have to play the Chiefs twice. Denver is making its case for a return trip to the playoffs.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, at Chargers, vs. Bengals, at Bears, vs. Bills, at Ravens, vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens
The Steelers are trying to fall back to the field in the AFC North with two straight losses, but the Bengals helped by falling to the Jets. The schedule does get significantly tougher, and the Steelers play the Ravens twice. Pittsburgh leads the division by two games in the loss column, a sign how poor the AFC North is.
5. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Chiefs, at Dolphins, vs. Buccaneers, at Texans, at Steelers, vs. Bengals, at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets
The Bills got on the right track with a blowout win over the Panthers on Sunday, keeping pace with the Patriots in the AFC East. A win over the Chiefs in Week 9 will catapult the Bills’ season, as significant playoff implications for both teams are at stake.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
Remaining schedule: at Titans, vs. Steelers, at Jaguars, Bye, vs. Raiders, vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos
The Chargers had a convincing win over the Vikings on Thursday to get back on track, showcasing they are still in the AFC West race. Wins over the Chiefs and Broncos do help the Chargers in the division race, and are the early tiebreakers they can sit on. Los Angeles can make a run in November with two AFC South teams on the schedule.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
Remaining schedule: at Bills, Bye, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders
A win over the Commanders on Monday night allowed the Chiefs to leapfrog the Jaguars (4-3) for the No. 7 seed in the AFC. Kansas City is a game out of the AFC West race, with a loss to Los Angeles in hand. The Chiefs have won five of six and appear destined to make another Super Bowl run.
Who’s in and who’s out?
The Chiefs (5-3) appear primed to take a playoff spot, but Los Angeles and Denver deserve a lot of credit for holding serve and winning this week as well. Three AFC West teams look likely to make the playoffs.
The Patriots and Bills are still battling it out for the AFC East, and both of those teams should make the playoffs. The Ravens (2-5) had a big win over the Bears to stay alive in the AFC North race, especially with the Steelers falling to the Packers in Week 8. The Steelers still have a commanding lead in the division, but the Ravens are getting Lamar Jackson back and Pittsburgh has to play Baltimore twice. The Bengals (3-5) took a massive hit for their division chances by losing to the Jets.
The Colts have control of the AFC South, but the Texans (3-4) are lurking for a playoff spot as the No. 9 seed. Jacksonville (4-3) still have a shot at the wild card. There is a playoff spot up for grabs in the AFC, but it appears the AFC West is getting three teams in. Houston would likely have to win the AFC South to get in, but Denver and Los Angeles are on the schedule (Broncos next week).
Here are the early predictions for the AFC playoff teams though the Sunday slate of games in Week 8:
Colts (AFC North)
Chiefs (AFC West)
Bills (AFC East)
Steelers (AFC North)
Patriots (wild card)
Broncos (wild card)
Chargers (wild card)
NFC playoff picture
RankTeamWLTPCT1
Packers
5
1
1
.786
2Eagles620.7503Buccaneers620.7504
Seahawks
5
2
0
.714
5Lions520.7146Rams520.714749ers530.625
1. Green Bay Packers (5-1-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. Panthers, vs. Eagles, at Giants, vs. Vikings, at Lions, vs. Bears, at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings
The Packers took care of business against the Steelers in a matchup of division leaders, holding onto the No. 1 seed. The Eagles aren’t going anywhere in the NFC, so the Week 10 matchup could be for the top seed in the conference when all is said and done. Green Bay has a pretty easy schedule after Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
Remaining schedule: Bye, at Packers, vs. Lions, at Cowboys, vs. Bears, at Chargers, vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders
The Eagles go into their bye week with a two-game lead over the Cowboys in the loss column with a head-to-head victory in hand. They have control of the NFC East, but the Week 10 matchup with the Packers and Week 11 showdown with the Lions loom large for home-field advantage.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)
Remaining schedule: Bye, vs. Patriots, at Bills, at Rams, vs. Cardinals, vs. Saints, vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers
The Buccaneers are in control in the NFC South, and gained a bigger lead with everyone else in the division falling in Week 8. A loss to the Eagles hurts home-field advantage chances, but the Buccaneers do have an easy schedule after back-to-back games against the Patriots and Bills.
4. Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Cardinals, at Rams, at Titans, vs. Vikings, at Falcons, vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers
The Seahawks had their bye week and took over the division lead with the 49ers falling to the Texans. Two games against the Rams and a rematch with the 49ers will be fun, as the NFC West is a brutal division. Three teams from the NFC West may make the playoffs.
5. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, at Commanders, at Eagles, vs. Giants, vs. Packers, vs. Cowboys, at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears
The Lions retain the No. 5 seed with the Packers winning while they are on their bye. Detroit has losses to Green Bay and Kansas City, but the Lions are one of the more talented teams in the NFL. Their schedule looked rough on paper a week ago, but it got a bit easier.
6. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at 49ers, vs. Seahawks, vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Cardinals, vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals
A tough schedule in November could decide the NFC West, but the Rams are right in the mix for the division. Los Angeles remains the No. 6 seed as it was idle this week. The Rams should have a wild card spot (at least) if Matthew Stafford stays healthy, as Los Angeles is a Super Bowl contender in the NFC.
7. San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Rams, at Cardinals, vs. Panthers, at Browns, Bye, vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks
The 49ers have sustained injury after injury, and the injuries may have caught up with them after a Week 8 loss to the Texans. San Francisco lost the NFC West lead and fell to third in the division with that loss. The schedule is still very favorable, and the 49ers are 3-0 in the NFC West already. This is a still a playoff team, as no one outside the playoff picture seems to want a playoff spot.
Who’s in and who’s out?
The Packers remain in control of the NFC North, but Detroit is still within striking distance. This division may be settled by Thanksgiving, when Detroit faces Green Bay in the rematch. Both teams are in the playoffs regardless. Chicago (4-3) is also in the running for a playoff spot, currently possessing the No. 8 seed (half game out of the playoffs).
The Buccaneers have full control of the NFC South. They’ll win the division.
The Eagles have control of the NFC East, but have back-to-back games against the Packers and Lions off the bye. A split would be massive for Philadelphia. The Commanders (3-5) and Cowboys (3-4-1) continue to lose ground on a wild card spot in a loaded NFC.
The NFC West is loaded, as two teams (Seahawks, Rams) are 5-2 through eight weeks. The 49ers are right there at 5-3, currently occupying the last playoff spot. The NFC North and NFC West could cancel each other out in the playoff race, as the NFC West matchups could involve some playoff reshuffling. Even though the Bears lost this week, don’t count them out.
The seven teams in right now? They may be the seven teams in come January, but Chicago is trying to crash the party.
Here are the early predictions for the NFC playoff teams though the Sunday games in Week 8:
NFL Monday night: Kansas City pulls away from Washington
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw three second-half touchdown passes as the Chiefs pulled away to a 28-7 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday night.
After Washington intercepted Mahomes twice in the first half, the quarterback completed 17-of-19 passes for 210 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the second half.
Tying the score at 7-7 on a touchdown with 58 seconds left in the first half, the Commanders managed only 66 yards on 20 snaps after halftime.
Washington played without quarterback Jayden Daniels, who sustained a hamstring injury in the Commanders’ previous game. Marcus Mariota handled the QB duties for Washington against the Chiefs, and he completed 21-of-30 passes for 213 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
More stories on the NFL
Jalen Hurts’ milestone pass reaches NFL, Alabama firsts
Los Angeles Rams acquire former Alabama prep, Auburn standout in NFL trade
Former Auburn All-American pulls former Alabama All-American away from trouble after NFL game
Five players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Washington-Kansas City game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri:
Trey Amos (Alabama) started at cornerback for the Commanders. Amos made two tackles and broke up one pass.
Commanders wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt (Sidney Lanier, Alabama State) started at running back for the Commanders. Croskey-Merritt ran for 25 yards on nine carries.
Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones (Auburn) did not record any stats.
Commanders linebacker Ale Kaho (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Chiefs defensive lineman Brodric Martin (Northridge, North Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Daron Payne (Shades Valley, Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made one tackle. Payne played even though a toe injury prevented him from practicing for the game.
Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) made six tackles on defense, recorded two tackles for loss and had one tackle on special teams.
Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) was designated as a game-day inactive.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
After its third straight win, Kansas City (5-3) plays the Buffalo Bills at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
After its third straight loss, Washington (3-5) plays in prime time for the fourth time this season in Week 9. The Commanders take on the Seattle Seahawks at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. NBC will televise the game.
Cardinals to Make Immediate Move After Roster Decision on Monday
All football teams deal with injuries, but the Arizona Cardinals’ running back room has been ravaged this season.
Starting tailback James Conner suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3, and backup Trey Benson also landed on injured reserved with a knee ailment after Week 4, via ESPN. Additionally, veteran Emari Demercado hasn’t played since Week 6 due to an ankle injury, via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
That’s left fellow veteran backups Bam Knight and Michael Carter to get the majority of the carries recently, but Arizona cut Carter on Monday, via Weinfuss. However, the club will follow that up with another move soon, per Weinfuss.
The Cardinals intend to re-sign the former New York Jet. He has 95 rushing yards and a touchdown on 35 carries (2.8 yards per carry) along with nine catches for 77 receiving yards across four games played this season.
Knight has been more efficient, as he has 102 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries (3.5 yards per carry) to go with five catches for 40 receiving yards. However, Arizona needs all the running back depth it can get given its injuries, so cutting Carter was likely a temporary move while tinkering with the roster. The club also released defensive back Darren Hall on Monday.
Cardinals Falling Into Dangerous Territory
Arizona is 2-5 and has lost five straight games after winning its first two. The team was on bye in Week 8, and it will visit the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football” in Week 9 before facing the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 10.
The injury bug hasn’t only hit the running backs, as quarterback Kyler Murray is “questionable” for the Cowboys game with a foot injury, via ESPN. The 28-year-old has missed the last two contests.
Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett has moved the offense in Murray’s stead, totaling 599 passing yards with four touchdowns and one pick over those two games. Still, the Cardinals need Murray, as he adds another element to the offense with his legs. The 5-foot-10, 207-pounder has 173 rushing yards on 29 carries (six yards per carry) with one score this season and averages six yards per carry over 532 career rushes.
Simone Biles Receives High Honor While Attending Jonathan Owens’ NFL Game
Simone Biles’ latest game-day appearance for the Chicago Bears came with a surprising twist beyond the stands. The Olympic icon offered fans an unseen glimpse inside M&T Bank Stadium through her Instagram handle and revealed a unique post-game ritual that only a few have witnessed.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Biles shared a few visuals from the M&T Bank Stadium as the Chicago Bears took on the Baltimore Ravens on October 26, 2025. In one of the videos added to the carousel, the gymnast crouched down and signed a white wall. In the caption, she wrote, “signing the wall of fame.” It attributes to a behind-the-scenes tradition of signing the stadium’s private ‘Wall of Fame’. Unlike the public PSL Walls of Honor or the Ravens’ Ring of Honor, this wall is likely located near the locker rooms or player corridors, where athletes, VIP guests, and visiting celebrities drop off their signatures to commemorate their special visits. And Biles received that honor.
And even though the game ended in a miserable loss for Jonathan Owens’ team, Biles and others clanked their glasses at the end. It might have been a loss for the Bears, but they did fight a strong battle. The 11-time Olympic medalist wrote, “bear down 🤍,” as she raised her glass in the final IG Story. But one thing was evident – Simone Biles would never really miss out on cheering for Jonathan Owens by gracing the sidelines in a custom outfit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the first two stories, the gymnast flaunted her game day attire. She donned a white top, white full-length bottoms, white shoes, and a white varsity jacket, paired with a white handbag and pink goggles. Unlike the previous times when Biles’ outfits featured Owens’ name and number, this one had his image. At the back of the jacket, there was a figure of Owens wearing a #36 jersey, in a shell that shouted ‘CHICAGO’. Additionally, the jacket also had a sign from the Bears’ safety.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Simone Biles’ never-ending support for Jonathan Owens in his NFL journey
Not too long ago, in a TikTok video featuring herself and Owens, Biles stated, “This guy makes me feel like the prettiest girl in the world. He makes me feel extremely blessed and adored, like I’m the only girl in the world.” Needless to say, the sporting community has been witnessing Biles’ constant support for Owens. And the trend has continued through all the victories and defeats.
In fact, the NFL safety also paid homage to the gymnast with a cursive capital “S” in black ink on his ring finger. And for Owens, it’s way of keeping his wife close when he is playing on the field. But if I don’t have my ring on, though, like when I’m playing, that’s why I made sure I tattooed her initial right here. So, you know, she’s always with me,” he revealed.
That devotion often shines through in how the couple express their support for each other. While Owens tattooed his wife’s initals, Biles become known for her custom outfits. Be it the orange highlight on her shirt to mark Owens’ eighth year in the NFL, or custom apparel that shouts ‘OWENS’ in golden lettering, Biles has done it all.
Tyler Shough Announces Personal Update Away From NFL as Kellen Moore Stalls Saints QB1 Decision
Tyler Shough’s week didn’t end with a win, but it did bring an unexpected highlight. As the New Orleans Saints struggle and head coach Kellen Moore delays naming a starting quarterback, the rookie QB made headlines off the field. His quiet moment of recognition offered a rare bright spot in a tough stretch.
“Officially a Kentucky Colonel!” he wrote in his Instagram story. He also offered his thanks to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. “Thank you @andybeshearky #GoCards 🖤.” It was a surprising moment of gratitude and positivity coming from a player whose weekend had been otherwise difficult.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
So, what exactly does that title mean? A Kentucky Colonel certificate is the highest honor granted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Governor gives it to individuals who’ve made remarkable contributions or shown exceptional service to their community, state, or nation. The certificate signed by both the Governor and the Secretary of State serves as an official document of recognition. In simple terms, it’s a big deal.
In fact, a former governor once explained the honor perfectly. “The name Kentucky Colonel has become synonymous with strength of character, leadership and dedication to the welfare of others.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But how can someone become a Kentucky Colonel? The Governor must receive a nomination, and the nominee must be at least 18 years old. Once approved, they receive the official commission.
But now, let’s go back to the Saints with Kellen Moore still stalling on a QB1 decision.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Will Tyler Shough suit up next week?
Week 8 didn’t turn out the way the Saints had hoped. They looked out of sync in a rough 3-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Spencer Rattler started the game and completed 15 of 21 passes for 136 yards with one interception, a pick-six, before being benched late in the third quarter.
Rookie Tyler Shough was given another chance to prove himself, stepping in with 3:57 left in the third. It was his second NFL appearance, the first being a brief outing five weeks earlier against Seattle. Shough finished the game completing 17 of 30 passes for 128 yards with one interception and added just 12 yards on three carries. So, the energy among the fans is anything but cheerful.
Head coach Kellen addressed the team’s offensive struggles head-on. “We just needed to create something on offense,” he said. “It’s not just about Spencer; the whole offense isn’t playing up to standard. We have to move the ball, protect it, and score points. This was a full offensive evaluation,” he added.
Meanwhile, fans want something new. Some believe it’s time to give Shough a real chance over Rattler. The Saints drafted Shough in the second round, 40th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 26-year-old finished his college career with a 21-11 record as a starter. Last season, he threw for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while completing 62.7% of his passes. Those numbers are hard to ignore, especially for a team desperate for offensive rhythm.
Still, Moore is taking his time with the Week 9 call. “We’ll look at everything over the next 48 hours and figure out what gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “Tyler went in, looked the part, made some plays. His interception was unfortunate, but he gave us a spark. We’ll make that call soon.”
However, there are some other options Moore might look at. Hunter Dekkers, the strong-armed competitor who joined as an undrafted free agent, remains an option. He’s been bouncing between the practice squad and active roster since the summer. The other name in the mix is Jake Haener, who continues to work behind the scenes.
So, the real question for the Saints heading into Week 9 is simple: who will Kellen Moore trust to lead the offense next?
Pete Carroll Deploys Mind Games Against 31 NFL Teams Amid Jakobi Meyers Trade Talks
The NFL trade deadline is on November 4, and time is running out. Nothing is set in stone until the clock strikes the deadline, and the most intriguing story may be about Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Across the league, his trade has been intriguing. The trade rumor surrounding Jakobi Meyers remains continuous but indefinite, with no guarantee, as teams are unsure whether Pete Carroll’s Raiders are actually willing to trade the veteran receiver.
Across the league, the situation has become a guessing game — a series of “mind games” born from the NFL’s struggle to get a clear read on what Las Vegas intends to do. The other 31 teams are watching closely, even those not desperate for a wide receiver, knowing that one unexpected move could reshape trade dynamics across the league. In a market where leverage is everything, the Raiders’ silence has left rival general managers guessing, fueling the intrigue around Pete Carroll’s strategic restraint.
Teams have been at a loss to figure out whether the Raiders are serious about moving Meyers, with the organization still sounding optimistic about its foundation of offensive building blocks. The mindset in league circles is that it would take at least a Day 2 draft pick for Las Vegas even to consider a trade.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Raiders have stated they will only trade Meyers for fair value. None of what’s on the board today is that high, and the consensus is the demand price, a second or third-round selection. Each scenario is based mostly upon cost, and unless a team is going to ink Meyers to an extension beyond 2025, it’s too steep a price for something that may be a rental.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The veteran wideout first requested a trade during the offseason; however, the Raiders refused. “I’m a professional at the end of the day,” Meyers said earlier this week.
”I’m just trying to play good football. If I’m here, like I said, I’ll play good football. If I’m not here, I’ll go out there and play wherever I’m supposed to be.”
Even after the Raiders’ denial, his desire to play elsewhere has not changed. Before Week 8, Meyers reaffirmed that he still wants to be traded. Meyers is unable to find chemistry with new quarterback Geno Smith.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Potential landing spots for Jakobi Meyers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are genuine contenders in a volatile AFC. Depth remains an issue behind franchise wideout D.K. Metcalf, Rodgers’ top target with 406 yards and four scores. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and running back Jaylen Warren are waiting in the wings behind him in the target pursuit, with wideout Calvin Austin III still waiting to make his steady contribution.
Signing Jakobi Meyers would bring another experienced route-runner to join Rodgers, who can get through key-downs and possession situations, something Pittsburgh has to do to sustain its offense push and solidify its Super Bowl hopes.
The Washington Commanders started the season with hopes of building on last season’s NFC Championship push, but have been sidetracked by a 3-5 start. Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin’s injuries have left the team searching for receiving corps depth, leaving the offense too dependent on experienced tight end Zach Ertz.
Unreliable young pass-receivers Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey leave quarterback Jayden Daniels with no consistent receiver aside from the backfield.
Meyers can add the consistency and veteran leadership this offense needs to stay in the NFC contention.
The Carolina Panthers’ passing attack needs help. Without Bryce Young and with veteran Andy Dalton starting, it has not been easy to establish consistency at wide receiver. Meyers would provide a stabilizing influence to them.
His football IQ and precision would immediately enhance the short passing attack, keeping Dalton productive while giving coach Dave Canales another trusted option on crucial downs.
In an NFC South division as competitively charged as ever, Carolina could view Meyers as the missing component that enables them to sustain their second-half push.
Jakobi Meyers remains center stage in one of the NFL’s most mystifying storylines.
Crosby has goal, 2 assists to reach 1,700 points as Penguins beat Blues 6
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to become the ninth player in NHL history with 1,700 points and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Monday night.
Crosby, who accomplished the feat in the fourth-fewest games, is the fourth player in NHL history to reach the mark with one team. Crosby also had his 498th multi-point game, passing Mario Lemieux for the team record and sixth in NHL history on the all-time multi-point list.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games, while Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist. Parker Wotherspoon scored his first with Pittsburgh and Anthony Mantha added his fifth of the season.
Tristan Jarry made 22 saves to help the Penguins get their fifth win in six games. Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 and hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 14 at Anaheim.
Jordan Kyrou extended a seven-game point streak with a goal, while Nick Bjugstad and Mathieu Joseph also scored for St. Louis. Joel Hofer stopped 20 shots for the Blues, who lost their fourth straight game.
St. Louis has lost five of their last six games and allowed more than six goals in four of those defeats.
Crosby iced the game with a breakaway goal with 3:21 left in the third off a pass from Rust to make it 5-3. Crosby had the primary assist on Wortherspoon’s goal and the secondary helper on Rust’s second goal.
Both teams played without top forwards. Penguins forward Rickard Rakell will miss six-to-eight weeks after he was struck by a shot on Saturday against Columbus and underwent successful surgery on his left hand on Sunday. Robert Thomas (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body), both normally on the Blues’ top line, are day-to-day.
Up next
Blues: Host Detroit on Tuesday.
Penguins: Open a four-game road trip at Philadelphia on Tuesday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Crosby gets 1,700th point in Penguins win against Blues
Crosby (1,701 points; 632 goals, 1,069 assists) is the ninth player in League history to hit the milestone, joining Wayne Gretzky (2,857), Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Mark Messier (1,887), Gordie Howe (1,850), Ron Francis (1,798), Marcel Dionne (1,771), Steve Yzerman (1,755) and Mario Lemieux (1,723). He is second in Penguins’ history behind Lemieux, who ranks eighth all-time with 690 goals and 1,033 assists.
Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, and Erik Karlsson had three assists for the Penguins (7-2-1), who are 5-0-1 in their past six games. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.
Nick Bjugstad had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Kyrou and Mathieu Joseph each scored for the Blues (3-5-1), who have lost four straight (0-3-1). Joel Hofer made 19 saves.
After St. Louis scored two straight goals to tie it, Crosby set up Parker Wotherspoon with a cross-ice pass for a snap shot that put Pittsburgh back on top 3-2 at 6:37 of the second period.
Rust deflected a point shot from Karlsson, extending the lead to 4-2, 42 seconds into the third period. Crosby had the secondary assist on the goal with a set up to Karlsson for his 1,700th point.
Joseph cut it to 4-3 at 4:35 with a snap shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1.
Crosby made it 5-3 on a breakaway at 16:39, following his own rebound with a wrist shot, before Malkin scored an empty-net goal at 16:59 for the 6-3 final.
Pittsburgh scored on each of the first two shots on goal of the game 16 seconds apart.
Rust put the Penguins ahead 1-0 by taking a backhand pass from Karlsson for a snap shot from the right face-off circle 39 seconds into the first period.
Anthony Mantha then made it 2-0 at 55 seconds, finishing a pass from Malkin at the right post.
Bjugstad chipped in a pass from Nathan Walker, cutting it to 2-1 at 4:15.
Crosby reaches 1,700 points with Penguins
Sidney Crosby became the ninth player in NHL history to reach 1,700 points by getting a goal and two assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 6-3 win against the St. Louis Blues at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Monday.
The 38-year-old center entered the game with 1,698 points and reached the milestone with an assist on Bryan Rust’s goal 42 seconds into the third period. Crosby got his first point of the night when he set up Parker Wotherspoon’s goal on a delayed penalty at 6:37 of the second period.
After setting the milestone, Crosby sealed the win for the Penguins by scoring on a breakaway to make it 5-3 at 16:39.
In his 21st season, he is the only active player with at least 1,700 points.
Crosby joined Wayne Gretzky (2,857), Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Mark Messier (1,887), Gordie Howe (1,850), Ron Francis (1,798), Marcel Dionne (1,771), Steve Yzerman (1,755) and Mario Lemieux (1,723). Jagr was the last to get there with a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win for the New Jersey Devils against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 10, 2013.
“I think they’re in a whole other category of their own,” Crosby told NHL.com on Oct. 22. “The points for a game doesn’t change the way I think about that. I just have so much appreciation and respect for what they did and just what they accomplished. I don’t look at it the same way.”
Selected No. 1 by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Draft, Crosby has the most games played (1,362) and assists (1,069) in their history. He trails Lemieux (1,723) by 22 points and has 632 goals, also second to Lemieux (690).
“Coming in, there’s so many new things and the expectations and everything that comes with it as a young player,” Crosby said after a 5-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 21. “So, having someone like Mario and his family there to just keep things as normal as possible, to be there for anything that I needed, any questions I had, just to keep things as normal as they could possibly be given the situation … and just his family as a whole, is so important.
“I don’t know if I can put into words how much it means, but it’s meant a lot, and I really cherish that. That relationship and his family and everything that they’ve done for me.”
The Pittsburgh captain has 1,902 points (703 goals, 1,199 assists) in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs combined, ahead of Lemieux (1,895 points; 766 goals, 1,129 assists) for the most in Penguins history.
“Now there’s nothing more to beat on our team, pretty much,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said after Crosby passed Lemieux with a goal on Oct. 21. “But that’s the type of player that he is. He’s always looking to be better and thrive even more.”
Crosby passed Lemieux (497) for the most multipoint games for the Penguins at 498.
“So many stats, I feel like, I don’t really think about that, but it’s great to be in that company,” Crosby said after that game.
Named to the 100 Greatest NHL Players in January 2017, Crosby has won the Stanley Cup three times. At the age of 21, he became the youngest captain of a championship team when Pittsburgh defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. He then won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
Crosby also won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as the League leader in points in 2007 and 2014, the Maurice
Ex-NHLer Ryan Kesler facing criminal sexual conduct charges in Michigan
Ex-NHL star and two-time Olympian Ryan Kesler is facing two misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in Michigan court.
Court records showed that Kesler was arraigned on Monday in the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and pleaded not guilty to the charges, which seem to stem from an incident that occurred on Jan. 1.
The alleged incident occured in Orchard Lake, Michigan.
The charges were filed on Oct. 23 and Kesler posted $50,000 bond.
Little more is known about the charges, which were first reported by The Athletic.
Kesler will next appear in court for a probable cause conference on Nov. 6.
“Ryan emphatically denies the allegations and is completely innocent of the charges. The charges are baseless and he is prepared to fight them vigorously in court,” Robert Morad, Kesler’s attorney, told The Athletic. “As the legal process begins, we ask for respect for his privacy and for the integrity of the judicial system. We are confident, when all the facts and circumstances are presented, that he will be fully exonerated.”
Kesler spent 15 seasons in the NHL, 10 with the Canucks and five with the Ducks, and was a member of the 2010 and 2014 U.S. Olympic squads, helping the Americans to win silver in 2010.
He appeared in 1,001 games during his NHL career and scored 258 goals and recorded 573 points.
The 41-year-old won the Selke Trophy in 2011 as the league’s top defensive forward and helped the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final that year, which they eventually lost to the Bruins.
Kesler last played in the NHL in 2019.
Sidney Crosby makes NHL history while leading surprising Penguins to another early season win
Monday was another big night for Sidney Crosby and the surprising Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition to leading the Penguins to their sixth win in their last seven games, Crosby made NHL history by becoming the ninth player to register 1,700 career points and is the fourth-fastest player to reach that number.
Only Wayne Gretzky, fellow Penguins icon Mario Lemieux and Marcel Dionne tallied 1,700 points in fewer games than Crosby, who reached that milestone in his 1,362nd game. Crosby surpassed another Penguins great Jaromir Jagr, who recorded his 1,700th career point in his 1,408th game.
Crosby, who is also only the fourth player to score 1,700 points with one team, tallied three points during Monday’s 6-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. He had two assists before getting scoring his seventh goal of the season early in the third period.
The 38-year-old also made franchise history by surpassing Lemieux for the most multi-point games in franchise history. Monday was the 498th multi-point game of Crosby’s decorated career.
Crosby isn’t the only Penguins veteran who is enjoying a strong start to the 2025-26 season. Evgeni Malkin, who recently made history with Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang by becoming the longest-tenured teammates in American sports history, currently leads the NHL with 13 assists and is tied for the league lead with 16 points. The 39-year-old Malkin had a goal and an assist on Monday as the Penguins improved to 7-2-1.
Malkin and Crosby have been two reasons for the Penguins’ surprising success this season. Led by first year head coach Dan Muse, Pittsburgh is off to its best 10-game start since the 2014-15 season. The Penguins are ultimately hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.
NHL fan falls from upper concourse during Penguins game
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A hockey fan was hospitalized on Monday night after he fell from the upper concourse of the PPG Paints Arena during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game against the St. Louis Blues.
The incident occurred in the first period of the Penguins’ 6-3 win over the Blues. The unidentified man was taken to Mercy Hospital, located a few blocks away from the arena.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The game was not halted at any time while the man was being treated. Pittsburgh police told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the man was in critical condition.
Crosby reaches another career milestone as Penguins beat Blues 6
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to become the ninth player in NHL history with 1,700 points and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Monday night.
Crosby, who accomplished the feat in the fourth-fewest games, is the fourth player in NHL history to reach the mark with one team. Crosby also had his 498th multi-point game, passing Mario Lemieux for the team record and sixth in NHL history on the all-time multi-point list.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games, while Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist. Parker Wotherspoon scored his first with Pittsburgh and Anthony Mantha added his fifth of the season.
Tristan Jarry made 22 saves to help the Penguins get their fifth win in six games. Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 and hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 14 at Anaheim.
Jordan Kyrou extended a seven-game point streak with a goal, while Nick Bjugstad and Mathieu Joseph also scored for St. Louis. Joel Hofer stopped 20 shots for the Blues, who lost their fourth straight game.
St. Louis has lost five of their last six games and allowed more than six goals in four of those defeats.
Crosby iced the game with a breakaway goal with 3:21 left in the third off a pass from Rust to make it 5-3. Crosby had the primary assist on Wortherspoon’s goal and the secondary helper on Rust’s second goal.
SENATORS 7, BRUINS 2
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle each had two goals and an assist to lead Ottawa over Boston for its third straight win.
Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Fabian Zetterlund also scored, and Leevi Merilainen made 26 saves. It was a redemption effort of sorts for the 23-year-old goalie who allowed seven goals to the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 15 in his only other start this season.
Morgan Geekie scored on Boston’s first shot of the night after a defensive-zone turnover by the Senators. It was all the offense the Bruins could muster until their final shot of the game when Viktor Arvidsson scored with less than 10 seconds left.
Jeremy Swayman made 17 saves for the Bruins, who are in last place in the Atlantic Division.
Batherson’s first goal of the night, scored on the power play, tied the game 1-1 at the midpoint of the first period.
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Sidney Crosby ninth player in NHL to reach 1,700 points
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to become the ninth player in NHL history with 1,700 points and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Monday night.
Crosby, who accomplished the feat in the fourth-fewest games, is the fourth player in NHL history to reach the mark with one team. Crosby also had his 498th multi-point game, passing Mario Lemieux for the team record and sixth in NHL history on the all-time multi-point list.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games, while Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist. Parker Wotherspoon scored his first with Pittsburgh and Anthony Mantha added his fifth of the season.
Tristan Jarry made 22 saves to help the Penguins get their fifth win in six games. Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 and hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 14 at Anaheim.
Jordan Kyrou extended a seven-game point streak with a goal, while Nick Bjugstad and Mathieu Joseph also scored for St. Louis. Joel Hofer stopped 20 shots for the Blues, who lost their fourth straight game.
St. Louis has lost five of their last six games and allowed more than six goals in four of those defeats.
Crosby iced the game with a breakaway goal with 3:21 left in the third off a pass from Rust to make it 5-3. Crosby had the primary assist on Wortherspoon’s goal and the secondary helper on Rust’s second goal.
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby becomes ninth player to reach 1,700 points
It wasn’t until the midway point of the second period that Crosby first got on the board to get to the milestone. While on the power play, Erik Karlsson passed the puck to Crosby on the half wall, and Crosby then made a cross-ice pass to Parker Wotherspoon, who snapped the puck top corner past Joel Hofer to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead in the game.
Crosby then hit the milestone with an assist that added to that lead. After being given the puck behind the net, Crosby set up Karlsson at the point for a one-timer, which Bryan Rust deflected home to make it 4-2 for Pittsburgh.
After the Blues had drawn within one, Crosby capped off the night with a breakaway goal late in the third to regain the two goal lead, with Evgeni Malkin’s empty net goal 20 seconds later putting the game away for the 6-3 win.
With his performance, Crosby becomes the ninth player in NHL history to hit the 1,700 point mark, joining Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Ron Francis, Marcel Dionne, Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux. He joins Lemieux as the only player to hit the milestone entirely as a Penguin, while Jagr and Francis are the only other players to do so while playing for the Penguins at some point in their career.
While Crosby has held down ninth in all-time scoring for several months now, he does continue to creep his way up the list. He is now just 22 points behind Lemieux for eighth, as well as the Penguins franchise scoring record, and should he have another point-per-game season and be healthy, he could finish the season as high as sixth to pass Yzerman (1,755) and Dionne (1,771).
Crosby has had another excellent start to the season, seemingly turning back time with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 10 games.
Alleged NBA poker scammer ‘Pookie’ painted portraits for celebrities and singers
The only woman charged in the sprawling New York City mafia and NBA-linked poker scam spent years cavorting with celebrities and musicians before her stunning arrest, high-flying photos from her Instagram show.
Sophia Wei — a 40-year-old known as “Pookie” — painted portraits for celebrities like comedian Kevin Hart, and enjoyed hanging out with hip hop stars and athletes, according to her social media posts.
She notably painted Hart a massive portrait of his late mother around 2020, writing on Instagram how it was her first commission after she picked up the brush during the pandemic lockdowns.
“Here it all started, prior to this piece, I was painting as a hobby, to pass time during quarantine!! My very first commission!!” she wrote on her now-private Instagram, alongside a photo of Hart holding her painting.
And the comedian was just one of many.
Musicians like Drake, Ne-Yo, Jadakiss, Mary J. Blige and members of the Fugees appeared on her Instagram, while Shaquille O’Neal’s sons also appear to have bought art from Pookie.
None of those celebs, however, were implicated in any way in the massive indictment handed down by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Pookie was one one of 31 people charged in the scheme, which allegedly saw mobsters from New York’s Five Families use ex-NBA stars to lure high rollers into backroom poker games — and then cheat them out of millions with an elaborate system of ruses.
The targets were often the only people at the poker game who weren’t in on the scam, which allegedly used electric shufflers rigged with card readers that would tell an off-site handler who at the table had the best hand.
Handlers would then communicate to the team of cheaters in the room who would covertly advise the players how to behave in the game to draw as much money out of their target as they could.
Other tactics included X-ray poker tables that could read cards through the felt, computerized card analyzers hidden in phones — and even specialized contact lenses that could read secret card markings visible only to the wearer.
The games were mostly run out of New York City, but also reached the Hamptons, Miami and Las Vegas.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was linked to the scheme as one of the NBA stars allegedly used to lure victims in — and Pookie was even photographed alongside him at a poker game in 2019, around the time the scheme first started.
Pookie was arrested Thursday and then let loose on home detention after posting $100,000 bail, and pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges — all while wearing a “World Series of Poker” sweatshirt in court.
Pookie notably trashed her longtime Queens apartment, with her ex-landlord telling The Post that she skipped out on rent and left a giant nude portrait of herself painted on the wall.
She previously declined to comment when approached by The Post.
Golden State Warriors Continue to Look Bad After Latest NBA Move
It’s a good thing Stephen Curry defies age well into his age-37 season. The Golden State Warriors have insulated him with veteran talent like Buddy Hield, Al Horford, and Jimmy Butler.
In recent years, the Warriors drafted Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. All three are solid, if not excellent, supporting players.
However, Curry won’t play forever. The Warriors had a chance to draft a franchise cornerstone in 2020, after an injury-riddled season gave them a prime lottery position. With the second overall pick, they selected James Wiseman.
On October 27, Wiseman was waived by his third team, the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers inked Mac McClung to his first multi-season contract, possibly ending Wiseman’s NBA career.
Golden State Warriors Drafted Bust in 2020
Drafted second out of Memphis, Wiseman was expected to be an athletic, mobile running mate for Curry before eventually taking over as the Warriors’ centerpiece.
Instead, injuries and generally disappointing play held him back. In two and a half seasons with Golden State, he averaged 9.9 points and five rebounds in 60 games before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.
With the Pistons, he would play on the utterly putrid early 2020s teams, although he was unable to make much of a name for himself. In 2024, he signed a deal with the Pacers, but tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener.
This summer, Indiana brought him back. He scored four points in his lone appearance and was waived in favor of McClung, a G League MVP and three-time Dunk Champion. McClung is an exciting player, to be sure, although he only has six NBA appearances to his name.
In the middle of Curry’s prime, the Warriors were gifted a chance to add high-value talent on a team-friendly deal. They swung for the fences with Wiseman and missed terribly.
Warriors Could Have Landed Elite Talent
Wiseman played only three NCAA games for the Memphis Tigers before suspension ended his career. Head coach Penny Hardaway allegedly paid for his family’s moving expenses.
Wiseman was touted as a versatile scorer who could move up and down the court and dominate on defense. The draft, more often than not, is a crapshoot, and the Warriors missed out.
It’s easy to ask “what if.”
LaMelo Ball was far from a sure thing, but he’s an elite scorer and All-Star who could have been a franchise centerpiece, provided he bought into Steve Kerr and Dryamond Green’s mentality. Behind him, the Dubs could have picked Tyrese Haliburton or Tyrese Maxey, also All-Stars.
Also near the top of the draft were Isaac Okoro, Obi Toppin, Devin Vassell, and Aaron Nesmith. None of those players is a superstar. However, they are reliable in their role and would have given the Warriors and Curry a steady hand to lean on.
Ever since the draft, Wiseman’s career has showcased the Warriors’ ineptitude at the time. This latest move only adds insult to injury.
Mac McClung Breaks Silence After Pacers Sign 3-Time Dunk Contest Champion
Getting waived within three hours of signing is meme material only when you’re on the outside/ For Mac McClung, it was another day he had to grit his teeth and stay hopeful. And it paid off! The Pacers made some bold moves to swoop up this point guard from the market. When the news reached the Dunk Contest superstar, he had the most emotional response.
Shams Charania confirmed, “The Indiana Pacers are signing guard Mac McClung to a multiyear contract, Greg Lawrence of Wasserman tells ESPN. The deal marks the first standard NBA contract for McClung, after the dunk contest’s first-ever three-peat champion spent time on camp and two-way deals since 2021.”
If there was any reason to believe this is a rumor, McClung himself requoted Charania’s tweet with a heartfelt addition. “Thank you God!!!” The emotions in those three words are palpable
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Pacers aren’t just signing him, they’re bringing him out of the G-League rut he’s been exiled too, leaving on the All Star Weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest to show his undeniable talent.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Is Todd Boehly the Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers? All You Need to Know About His NBA Ownership Links
A change in ownership can signal shifts in team strategy. In 2021, Dodgers co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter bought a 27% minority stake in the Lakers from Philip Anschutz. The deal, widely covered by ESPN and Los Angeles Times, valued the franchise at $5.14 billion ($1.38 billion for the stake) and was approved by the NBA in July 2021- one of the largest minority transactions in league history.
Fast forward to today, Mark Walter is bidding for controlling interest. ESPN reported that he’d present to the NBA’s Advisory Finance Committee on October 25, valuing the team at $10 billion- a U.S. sports record. The bid targets the Buss family’s ~66% stake, with Walter and Boehly (as a limited partner) acquiring 85%. The Buss family retains 15%, and Jeanie Buss stays as governor. The deal, announced in June 2025, awaits final NBA approval.
New reports by Front Office Sports reveal the role Todd Boehly is likely to play in the Lakers’ ownership future. So who is this perennial partner of Mark Walter?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Who is Todd Boehly?
Todd Boehly, is an American business magnate, investor, and sports executive. His influence now spans global markets and multiple sports leagues. He was born in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1973. After completing his early education in Maryland, Boehly attended the College of William & Mary, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He went to study Masters at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a move that helped shape his global investment perspective. His professional career began shortly after he came back to the US.
Boehly began his career at Citibank and CS First Boston. However, his major breakthrough came in 2001 when he joined Guggenheim Partners, a global investment and advisory firm. There, he established and led the company’s first credit investing division, playing a key role in transforming Guggenheim into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse. His leadership earned him the position of President at the firm.
In 2015, Boehly leveraged that success to launch Eldridge Industries. Today, Eldridge has investments across insurance, media, technology, entertainment, real estate, and sports. His portfolio exceeds 80 companies.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
As of October 27, 2025, Boehly’s net worth stands at $9.3 billion, ranking him #358 in the world, as per Forbes. Through Eldridge, he has maintained interests in a diverse range of ventures, from owning Bruce Springsteen’s song catalog rights to holding stakes in DraftKings, Security Benefit, and Cloud9 Esports.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The deal for which he is most renowned is his role as co-owner and chairman of Chelsea FC. He led the consortium that acquired the Premier League club from Roman Abramovich in 2022 in a landmark $3.1 billion transaction- the largest in the league’s history. As his portfolio continues to grow, this latest development further solidifies Boehly’s status as one of the most influential figures in contemporary sports business.
Does Todd Boehly own the Los Angeles Lakers?
No, Todd Boehly is not the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Not directly. Despite owning a 27% minority stake in the Lakers, the share which was previously held by Philip Anschutz and Anschutz Entertainment Group.
This transaction did make Boehly part of the Lakers’ ownership group but did not alter the team’s control structure, it remained with the Buss family. Well that is about to change.
As Mark Walter is in the process of acquiring a majority stake of 85% in the Lakers, valuing the team at a whopping $10 billion. Upon completion of the deal, Walter and Boehly are expected to own the jointly, though the exact division between their individual stakes is not yet disclosed.
Who actually owns the Los Angeles Lakers?
For over four decades, the Lakers have remained largely under the Buss family’s control. The late Jerry Buss purchased the team, the Kings, and the Los Angeles Forum for $67.5 million in 1979. After his passing in 2013, his daughter, Jeanie Buss, now 64, assumed the role of overseeing day-to-day operations.
She became the representative of the Lakers at NBA Board of Governors meetings. Not only that, she also became the first female owner of a champion NBA team, when LA won back in 2020. So the ownership from her cannot be taken away.
She will be retaining a 15% ownership stake, the minimum required to hold that position, and stay on as team governor. Even as the franchise enters a new era of ownership restructuring. And this decision has been accepted well by franchise legend Magic Johnson, who is also the co-owner and public face of the Dodgers.
“Mark Walter is the best choice and will be the best caretaker of the Laker brand,” Johnson posted on X. “”I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike — they are competitive people, have big hearts, love to give back, and both prefer to be behind the scenes. This makes all the sense in the world.””
Beyond the Buss family, several figures have held minority shares in the Lakers. Ed Roski Jr., the president of Majestic Realty, has held a 3% stake since 1998. While Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who is a billionaire physician and entrepreneur, owns approximately 4.5%.
What other sports teams does Todd Boehly own?
With the acquisition of the Lakers, Todd Boehly’s portfolio of owning iconic sports teams will be full. His most high-profile venture came in 2022, when a consortium led by Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired Chelsea FC from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich for $3.1 billion, setting a record for the most expensive sale of a sports team in history.
Boehly now serves as co-owner and chairman of the Premier League club. He oversees major financial and strategic decisions, including player signings and the expansion of Chelsea’s global brand.
Though the transition was turbulent. As happens with ownership changes, the club went through multiple managerial changes. But Boehly’s leadership helped position Chelsea as the central hub of a multi-club ownership model.
Now Chelsea has partner clubs and scouting networks expanding into France, Portugal, and South America.
Boehly’s influence in sports is just as notable in the United States. He has been a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012. His involvement extends to women’s basketball, where he is a part-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, a WNBA team featuring star players such as Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum, and Rickea Jackson. Beyond traditional sports, Boehly also holds an investment in Cloud9.
It is one of the most prominent esports organizations in North America, fielding teams in games like League of Legends, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2. Together, these ventures showcase Boehly’s expansive approach to sports ownership.
He really blends traditional leagues with emerging digital arenas. As this deal comes to a close, this November, it will be a monumental shift for the Lakers.
LeBron James Named the Four NBA Stars Who are Must-See TV – Snubbed Stephen Curry
LeBron James has begun an unprecedented 23rd season in the NBA, even though he’ll have to wait a few weeks before taking the floor for the first time.
The L.A. Lakers’ superstar is currently out with sciatica on his right side and will not make his season debut until mid-November.
But when he returns, James will likely still be one of the best players in the league, even at age 40. And the Los Angeles Lakers need their superstar forward to be sharp if they want to contend for an 18th championship.
Throughout his decorated career, LeBron has gone up against some of the greatest players of all time, virtually seeing it all. As he eventually passes down the torch, the veteran forward was recently asked about who are his favorite stars to watch in today’s NBA.
On an episode of
Brandon Miller hurt again for NBA’s Hornets
Former Alabama All-American Brandon Miller is dealing with another injury in the NBA.
The Charlotte Hornets announced on Monday that Miller will not play against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night after he sustained a left-shoulder subluxation on Saturday. A subluxation is a partial dislocation.
The Hornets said Miller will be “evaluated when the team returns from its current road trip.”
Charlotte tipped off the season with a 136-117 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, with Miller contributing 25 points and seven assists.
But after playing 9:14 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, Miller left the game, which the Hornets lost 125-121.
On Sunday, with first-round draft pick Kon Knueppel taking Miller’s spot in the starting lineup, Charlotte defeated the Washington Wizards 139-113.
The Hornets will complete a three-game road trip against the Miami Heat at 6:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Charlotte returns home to play the Orlando Magic at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Spectrum Center.
Miller missed 55 games last season after he sustained a torn scapholunate ligament on Jan. 15, 2025. Surgery to repair the wrist injury sidelined him for the remainder of his second season. Miller averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27 games in the 2024-25 campaign.
More stories on the NBA
Former Alabama guard scores on his first NBA shot
Rookie from Auburn scores his first NBA points
Collin Sexton hopes to lead young Hornets to the Promised Land
After averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds for Alabama in the 2022-23 season, Miller joined Charlotte as the second selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Miller averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in the 2023-24 season as he made the All-Rookie team and finished third in the balloting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Angel Reese Speaks Out on Baby Brother’s NBA Career
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has never been shy about celebrating her family’s success, and this week was no different.
On her Instagram Story, Angel Reese shared a picture of her brother, Julian Reese, standing with his Toronto Raptors 905 teammates during training. The photo came with a short but touching caption:
“Baby brother 🥹 ugh I’m so proud! & GREAT FEETS! 😍💜”
The WNBA All-Star sent the emotional message to her younger brother after the Raptors confirmed his signing ahead of the 2025–26 NBA season.
Julian Reese was spotted wearing a pair of Angel’s AR1 “Charm City” Reebok sneakers, a tribute to their hometown of Baltimore. Seeing her brother wear her signature shoe was clearly a proud full-circle moment for the Chicago Sky standout, who released the AR1 line in September. The sneakers sold out within minutes of their launch, a testament to her growing influence both on and off the court.
Julian Reese’s NBA Dream Begins
Julian Reese’s signing marks the beginning of a promising professional journey. After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old forward joined the Los Angeles Lakers for Summer League play, averaging modest numbers but showing enough potential to catch Toronto’s attention.
Earlier this month, the Raptors signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract, allowing him to compete for a roster spot while developing with their G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
At the University of Maryland, Julian Reese built a solid reputation as a hard-working big man. In his senior year, he averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting over 55.5 percent from the field. His name is now etched in the program’s history books; second all-time in total rebounds and 20th in points. His consistent performance helped lead Maryland to its first Sweet 16 appearance in nearly a decade.
Now, Julian Reese’s focus shifts to making an impression in Toronto. If he thrives in the G League, he could earn a standard NBA contract.
Meanwhile, Angel Reese has quickly risen to stardom in the WNBA. In just her second season with the Chicago Sky, she averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists, leading the league in rebounding for the second straight year. She also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds, earning her second consecutive All-Star selection.
Beyond her on-court success, Angel Reese has also become one of the most visible athletes in the sport. In 2025 alone, she released her own signature Reebok shoe line, the AR1, became the first athlete to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and starred in a cameo role for Kathryn Bigelow’s film “A House of Dynamite.”
Most recently, Angel Reese landed on the cover of NBA 2K26’s SLAM Edition alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Carmelo Anthony.
As Angel Reese continues to soar in the WNBA and Julian Reese begins his climb in the NBA, one thing is certain: the Reese family isn’t just making basketball history; they’re doing it together.
VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey Make NBA History After Powering 76ers to 3-0 Start
The Philadelphia 76ers have started their 2025-26 season on fire, rolling to a 3-0 start with tonight’s win against the Orlando Magic. Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe have injected a youthful energy and confidence into the team and have sparked offensive fireworks that have everyone paying attention. Three games in, and there’s a buzz in Philly, something that hasn’t been felt since the early Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons era.
Together, Maxey and Edgecombe have put together a synergy statistic that’s almost unheard of to start a season. According to ESPN‘s Tim Bontemps, “Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have combined for 186 points this season. That’s the most points by any starting backcourt through any team’s first 3 games of a season since starters were first tracked in 1970-71.” A record half a century old, shattered before October ends.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Giannis Antetokounmpo Urged to Replicate Prime Shaquille O’Neal After Historic Outing vs Cavs
The anticipation around a potential trade hasn’t quieted down yet. Teams are still trying to lure him away from Milwaukee, but after his recent trip to Cleveland, that seems unlikely. Staying with the Bucks has always been about one thing for Giannis: winning. “I want to be in a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” he said while addressing the trade talk. And while the Bucks look like strong title contenders, NBA insiders hint there are still a few roadblocks ahead.
On The Zach Lowe podcast, analyst Kirk Goldsberry drew a powerful comparison while discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominant start. He suggested that for the Bucks to reach championship glory, Giannis needs to channel a Lakers legend. “[He’s] playing at an MVP level and this is what he has to do to get the Bucks to where they want to go as a team,” Goldsberry said.
“He has to be prime Shaq essentially to get them there, and he’s playing like it on the glass, in the paint, as a leader.” Goldsberry reminded everyone that it wasn’t too long ago when Giannis dropped 50 points in a closeout game of the NBA Finals. Remember Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
And the proof is already written across the stat sheet. It’s barely been a week into the new NBA season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is already rewriting history. The Bucks star has been crowned the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the opening stretch (Oct. 21–26) and honestly, the numbers say it all.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Leading Milwaukee to a 2-1 record, Giannis put up video-game stats that only he could pull off:
36.0 points per game: second-best in the entire league
16.0 rebounds per game: the highest in the NBA
7.0 assists per game: good for 14th overall
68.3% shooting from the field: pure efficiency. The only player to top him in similar circumstances? None other than Shaquille O’Neal, who shot 72.1 percent back in the 1993-94 season.
He kicked things off with a 37-point double-double in the opener against Washington, followed that with a monstrous 31-point, 20-rebound performance in Toronto, and wrapped up the week with a 40-point, 14-rebound, 9-assist night in Cleveland, his 55th career 40-point game, tying the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the Bucks’ all-time record.
Even Shaquille O’Neal himself once admitted that if he played in today’s NBA, he’d see a lot of himself in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Shaq said in 2019, “I would’ve been the ‘Greek Freak’. A guy that can dribble, can handle, can go to the hole with force, do that, kick it to guards.” And honestly, we all remember what prime Shaq looked like: three straight championships with the Lakers, pure dominance, pure legend.
Doc Rivers also echoed the same after the game against the Cavaliers: “He gets hit, grabbed and held, it’s amazing how many times he gets hit on the arms, and that’s what we’re supposed to be looking for. It’s like Shaq.”
But here’s the catch. The challenge might not be Giannis himself, but the team around him. As Goldsberry pointed out, “Ultimately I think he has to do this in part because the roster around him is diminished and he doesn’t have the kind of support that you’d want to have… They haven’t surrounded him with all these complimentary pieces.”
During the offseason, Milwaukee underwent a major transformation aimed at keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo content and competitive. The Bucks moved on from Damian Lillard as well as longtime cornerstones Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton, indicating the end of an era in Milwaukee.
In their place, general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers reshaped the roster with a new supporting cast- headlined by Myles Turner, the returning Kevin Porter Jr., and fresh faces like Gary Harris, Cole Anthony, and Amir Coffey. The vision is clear: build a balanced, younger, athletic, hungry team capable of carrying Giannis back into title contention.
Whether this revamped lineup elevates Giannis and the Bucks to championship heights or proves to be a misstep remains to be seen.
Can the Greek Freak sustain this pace?
On the podcast, Zach Lowe voiced a concern that’s been on his mind since the Bucks’ 2-1 start. Praising Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brilliance, Lowe admitted he’s still uneasy about how much the Greek Freak is carrying on his shoulders. “I’m just worried that there’s too much on his plate,” he said.
“I know some people within the Cavs were asking this among themselves after last night’s game—can he possibly keep up? He’s playing, his defense is really good, super engaged, super active, the rebounding I mentioned. Can he actually do this for, forget 82, 65 or 70, or is some fatigue, an injury or something going to come? Because he’s doing everything for the team.”
The worries about Giannis’ workload are starting to feel very real. He kicked off the season already dealing with lower back soreness, and during the matchup against the Wizards, he took a scary tumble on his right hand and wrist in the fourth quarter, yet refused to leave the court. The Bucks’ roster depth isn’t helping either.
With key players sidelined, Giannis is carrying a massive load. Before the game, the team reported that two of their point guards, Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle sprain) and Cole Anthony (non-COVID illness), along with Kyle Kuzma, will sit out.
That left Antetokounmpo handling almost all of the team’s playmaking, a strain that could lead to fatigue or limit his minutes on the floor.
Even after 13 seasons in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to play a full 82-game slate. His closest runs came in 2014-15, when he suited up for 81 games, and in 2017-18, logging 75 contests. Most recently, in the 2023-24 season, he appeared in 73 games.
NBA Analyst Voices Concern Over Magic as Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe Star in 76ers Win
Four straight seasons of improvement seem like a trend upward, but not for the Orlando Magic. Between 2020-21 and 2023-24, the Orlando Magic enjoyed an increase in their win totals from 21 to 47. That momentum stalled last season, as injuries to rising stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, along with key players Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner, disrupted their promising start. The struggles seem to be continuing into this season, with the Magic currently at 1-3, a situation that has caught the attention of NBA insiders.
On the Zach Lowe podcast, Kirk Goldsberry shared his growing concerns about the Orlando Magic. While acknowledging that the team has a plan and a young roster, he warned that some trends from last season are resurfacing. “They’re clearly trying to get up the Eastern Conference. They have a plan. They have a young group of dudes, but dude, there are some alarming stats with the Orlando Magic that are not just small sample theaters, Zach. They track back with their fatal flaw of last year that make me very concerned,” he said, pointing to a weakness that could derail their progress.
Goldsberry highlighted a particularly alarming stat from a recent loss to the Chicago Bulls. That night, the Magic scored just 15 points on jump shots, the lowest in that category since December 2023. They made only six of 35 attempts from distance. “This is not small sample size. This tracks with their biggest weakness last year,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
On their more recent trip to face the 76ers, Orlando’s defensive struggles were on full display. While the Magic entered Monday with the sixth-best defensive rating in the league, their execution has been patchy. Philadelphia’s dynamic backcourt, led by Tyrese Maxey and third overall pick VJ Edgecombe, took full advantage. A defense that can usually disrupt opponents managed to force only six turnovers, with just one coming in the first half.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Magic showed glimpses of their potential, tightening up in stretches during the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn’t enough. The bigger issue is that Orlando still hasn’t found the formula to sustain elite defense for a full 48 minutes.
And obviously, the Magic are not unaware of their weaknesses. Offense has been a problem for years, which is why the team brought in Desmond Bane this season. But Goldsberry is pointing to another player as a bigger concern. He said, “It’s not fair to expect Desmond Bane, who makes about three jump shots per game throughout his career, to come in and fix all of this. This team has a clear red flag and it’s more associated with Paolo Banchero than Desmond Bane. They can’t shoot.”
However, against the 76ers, Orlando’s offense leaned heavily on Paolo Banchero, who delivered a standout performance with 32 points, shooting 10 of 18 from the field and hitting all 11 of his free throws. While Banchero screamed perfection, the others on the roster grappled, combining for just 15 of 27 free throws.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Desmond Bane added 24 points, and Franz Wagner chipped in 22, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Bench contributions came from Anthony Black with 14 points, Jalen Suggs with 12, and Wendell Carter Jr. with 10, but even with these efforts, the team’s shooting struggles lingered.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Orlando Magic connected on only 8 of 25 three-pointers, falling six behind the 76ers. In a game decided by 12 points, that gap from long range was telling and reinforced Kirk Goldsberry’s earlier warning: the Magic’s offensive red flags.
Orlando’s shooting woes remain evident, especially from deep, even with Banchero and Wagner carrying the load. In the second half, the duo scored nearly half the team’s points, lifting the Magic to 55.3 percent shooting. Better ball movement and forcing the 76ers to rotate created higher-quality looks, but consistency beyond their stars is still missing.
Zach Lowe even shared his candid wish for the Magic’s future. He said, “I’m just going to say this. If they can’t crack a top 20 off, you know, this is my favorite stat in the NBA, that they have not even been in the top 20, I think since 2012. Like they’ve been bottom 10 every year in a league in which, by the by, March six teams are not even gonna be trying to win…If they can’t get in the top 20, we just might have to take a break. Just take a break. Move the team to Lakeland or Tampa or something because like this is not working.”
And it’s true, because their matchup against the 76ers only proves that.
Maxey and Edgecombe shine as Sixers dominate Magic
The Philadelphia 76ers extended their unbeaten start to the season with a 136-124 victory over the Orlando Magic, even without Joel Embiid on the floor. The game belonged to Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe, who turned in spectacular performances that kept the Sixers in control from start to finish.
Notably, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps cited Matt Williams for this historical stat the 76ers’ young backcourt achieved: “Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have combined for 186 points this season. That’s the most points by any starting backcourt through any team’s first 3 games of a season since starters were first tracked in 1970-71.”
Edgecombe’s early stardom adds a new dimension- when a rookie can step into high output immediately, it alters how opponents plan and how the team allocates its offensive resources. Such a start means you can’t treat either Maxey or Edgecombe as a secondary threat.
Their combined volume forces defenses to adjust differently—perhaps more attention to ball-screens, more traps, or more help defense- and that opens other parts of the 76ers’ roster.
Maxey was unstoppable, scoring 43 points, including eight straight during a critical fourth-quarter stretch, while Edgecombe added 26 points and seven assists, showing poise beyond his first three NBA games.
Philadelphia started strong, putting up 12 points in the first three minutes, and Maxey dominated the second quarter with 17 points in under three minutes, giving the Sixers a 72-60 halftime lead.
Orlando fought back late in the fourth, with Wendell Carter Jr.’s three-pointer and Anthony Black’s layup cutting the gap to two, but Maxey scored on three straight possessions to seal the win. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Magic battled hard, cutting into Philadelphia’s lead at times, but Maxey and Edgecombe were too strong. Their scoring and playmaking kept the Sixers ahead, and even when Orlando got close at 101-94, Philadelphia pulled away for a comfortable win.
Gilbert Arenas Denies Snitching on Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier
The Gilbert Arenas Show
Gilbert Arenas is setting the record straight — insisting he did not snitch on Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier before their arrests … saying their situation is on a
Denny Hamlin Questions Spire Motorsports’ HMS Loyalty After Carson Hocevar’s Martinsville Mayhem
The spotlight of last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race was meant to be on the playoff grid. It marked the penultimate race of the 2025 season, with 6 drivers locked in a fierce battle. William Byron emerged victorious, as he led for 304 out of 500 laps to win in Martinsville. But while the Hendrick Motorsports driver was punching his ticket to the Final Four, a certain incident stole attention from his domination. Notably, it also posed a risk, as Denny Hamlin observed.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran had already locked himself into the Championship 4. Denny Hamlin wanted to avoid entering any of the headlines for Martinsville, although he crashed out due to engine issues. Yet the long mishap that Carson Hocevar faced made Hamlin’s jaw drop more.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Reckless moves baffle Denny Hamlin
Carson Hocevar stayed true to his well-renowned rabble-rouser attitude. Yet, contrary to earlier incidents, the Martinsville chaos may end up doing the No. 77 Spire Motorsports driver himself more harm. Hocevar landed in not one, but three cautions. First, Hocevar made contact with his future teammate, Daniel Suarez, on lap 217, and issued an expletive at the Mexican speedster. Then the duo wrangled again, nearly 200 laps later. Finally, Hocevar made contact with his current teammate, Michael McDowell, which brought out the final caution of the Xfinity 500 race. “I don’t know what they were doing back there, but it’s pretty wild,” Denny Hamlin said in an ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode.
This in-house sparring went on inside Spire, which is affiliated with HMS. In fact, the final caution left William Byron, an HMS star, vulnerable to an attack from Ryan Blaney. So Denny Hamlin observed the risk that Carson Hocevar exposed himself to. “You’re willing to risk being in the headline for being responsible for the final caution when it’s your manufacturer leading and your associate cars that you have a tight alliance with, and you’re back there playing grabass for 20-something? …Spire, you have an affiliation with Hendrick, and you surely know that the 24 is leading the race, and you’re back there wrecking each other.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In fact, Hendrick’s top brass has already addressed the chaotic situation. Jeff Gordon, HMS vice-chairman, initially poked fun at the sheer number of mishaps. “I lost count,” he said. But then he struck a serious note: “I know for those of us who have been in these meetings, we’re all thinking, ‘Wow, that Monday morning meeting is going to be a tough one over there at Spire’ because there was a lot of contact, not just with their current drivers, but one of their future ones, too.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Denny Hamlin took note of Carson Hocevar‘s misfortune mid-race. “Every time they said…go high car low on turn two or stay low on turn four, there’s a car high, it was always the 77 up there,” he said. “But Martinsville is a test of patience, and if you’re not a patient person, you’re going to find yourself in bumper tag with everyone that you’re around constantly. So I don’t know what happened, but it seemed like people lost their patience with the 77 or…wrong place, wrong time.”
Well, Carson Hocevar managed to dominate the headlines again, albeit on a risky note. Despite the trouble he caused for HMS, an HMS star took a light-hearted jab at the incidents.
Joking after losing a potential win
William Byron was the indubitable high-flyer in Martinsville. Yet he had some solid playoff rivals hounding his read all through the race. Ryan Blaney was topmost, as the Team Penske driver led for 177 laps. Another competitor was Byron’s teammate, Kyle Larson. The No. 5 Chevrolet was on a mission – to topple Christopher Bell in points for a Championship 4 berth. He excelled at that job, running inside the top five for a large portion of the race. What is more, he could have won as well – but he needed long green flag runs, which were absent due to Carson Hocevar’s chaos.
Kyle Larson finished the race 7 points above the cutline and advanced to Phoenix. Yet he reflected on why he missed a potential victory. “You know, a couple of times I just wanted it to stay green. Then, you know, the 77 was in like, every caution tonight,” Larson joked. “I felt good about my car on restarts, but you just never know how the aggression is going to pick up, and everybody’s ‘give a s—’ factor goes out the window there. So, um, but we had good enough track position all day. We were kinda out of the, you know, mess, I guess. Yeah, that was good.”
Carson Hocevar may be the laughing stock of the garage right now. However, as Denny Hamlin observed, he needs to get along with his Spire Motorsports teammates to retain HMS’ trust.
João Fonseca Just Broke a 24-Year Drought in Men’s Tennis
João Fonseca leaves Basel with more than a first ATP 500 trophy. The 19-year-old Brazilian beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6–3, 6–4 to claim the Swiss Indoors, the biggest win of his young career.
The result lifts him into the ATP top 30 for the first time, placing him around No. 28, according to Tennis.com. This rise in the rankings changes his calendar and his seeding picture for 2026.
It is also a milestone for Brazilian men’s tennis. The country has not celebrated a title above ATP 250 since Gustavo Kuerten won Cincinnati in 2001. Fonseca thanked his family on court after a last-minute trip to Switzerland and talked about growing up inspired by Roger Federer, Basel’s most famous champion.
Fonseca’s Impressive Gameplay Against Fokina
Fonseca broke early in both sets, and closed in 1 hour 25 minutes. He hit seven aces, won roughly three quarters of his first-serve points, and kept Davidovich Fokina from dictating with the forehand.
Altogether, the performance felt steady rather than streaky. He played percentage patterns, took the short forehand when it was there, and stayed composed in longer exchanges.
This Ranking Leap Changes His Schedule
A top-30 ranking improves entry and likely seeding at Masters 1000 events, which raises his chances of avoiding top seeds in opening rounds. It also signals a step beyond a one-week surge.
This is Fonseca’s second tour-level title and his first above 250 level, the tier where week-to-week consistency gets rewarded. Among 500-level champions since the series began, the youngest names often include Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Add Fonseca to that conversation and you get a clearer picture of his ascent.
Up next for the rising tennis star is sustaining that level during the late-season run, where he will see more seasoned returners in the middle rounds. Basel showed his serve and first-strike patterns hold up against established top-50 players. However, the next test is maintaining momentum against the tier above.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Dubbed “Ambassador for the Sport” in Bold Claim by Ex-Pro
For Mark Philippoussis, the magic of tennis never truly fades; it only changes hands. The Australian came agonisingly close to winning a Grand Slam title during his career but never quite managed to cross the final hurdle. Though he reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals, but was beaten by Roger Federer at the All England Club and Pat Rafter at Flushing Meadows. After retiring in 2008, Philippoussis became a keen observer of the sport he once dominated. For years, he enjoyed watching legends like Federer and Rafael Nadal. When both retired, he feared tennis had lost its magic. Yet to his delight, a new spark has arrived — and the credit, he says, goes to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Recently, in an interview shared by We Love Tennis and recorded on the Australian Open podcast, Philippoussis spoke about how the new generation has rekindled his excitement for the sport. “Exactly. There’s Sinner and Alcaraz, and every time these two clash, I feel like they’re amazing ambassadors for the sport,” he said. His admiration comes as no surprise; their rivalry has already defined the modern era. The battle between Alcaraz and Sinner, often nicknamed Sincaraz by fans, has captivated audiences since the early 2020s.
Philippoussis added, “We are lucky to have them, as I think we got a little worried when Rafa and Federer (retired) and Djokovic, hopefully we have got him for another year, but to have two figures like that in incredible roles for the game of tennis is amazing. I enjoy watching the games. I sat and watched Davis Cup over the weekend and unfortunately, it wasn’t the result we wanted but I was glued to my TV watching that, so I definitely do enjoy it, especially if it’s certain players going at it.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Since 2021, the two have had 15 encounters, and Alcaraz is 10-5, 4-2 at majors and 5-2 in finals. Between them, they are the winners of the past eight Grand Slam championships, with Sinner winning four and Carlos Alcaraz winning six overall. Because both of them have attained the number-one position on the world list, they have been called The New Two, a modern-day tribute to the legendary Big Three in tennis.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
His remarks came just as Jannik Sinner announced that he will skip the 2025 Davis Cup Finals in Bologna to prepare for the next season, while Carlos Alcaraz confirmed he will represent Spain at the event. Despite the Davis Cup drama, one thing is clear: with Sinner and Alcaraz leading the charge, tennis’s future is in extraordinary hands. But it’s not just men’s tennis that interests him!
Mark Philippoussis shares why women’s tennis has captured his attention like never before
For a man once known for his thunderous serves on court, Mark Philippoussis now seems to find his greatest joy from the sidelines. But it isn’t just the men’s game that keeps him hooked. When asked if he enjoys watching women’s tennis, his answer came without hesitation: yes, and perhaps even more than the men’s.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
“The women I have been really enjoying. I have been watching just as much women’s as the men’s and I feel like the tennis has just been incredible from the women, they have taken it to another level,” he shared, sounding every bit the fan he once inspired.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He was unable to stop lauding the strength that characterizes today’s women’s circuit.“The power these players have, like Sabalenka. She has been dominating and I think her average hitting speed is higher than men’s at the US Open, which is incredible…So I have just been enjoying watching both. There have been some good matches lately and it’s been great to watch.”
Fast, bold, and intensely entertaining, it reflects the progress made in women’s tennis. Philippoussis feels that tennis is at its peak as the women prepare for the WTA Finals and the men get ready for Paris and Turin.
Tennis pro Jannik Sinner debuts new relationship after Brooks Nader tryst
Jannik Sinner is back on the court, but he’s officially off the market.
The pro tennis player debuted his relationship with Danish model Laila Hasanovic, despite recent rumblings of a romance between him and Brooks Nader.
“Everyone here, my family, girlfriend, friends, and my whole team also watching at home, thank you so much for your support,” Sinner, 24, said in his speech after winning the Vienna Open on Sunday.
As he said thank you on the court, the camera panned to a smiling Hasanovic, 24, who sat alongside the athlete’s family.
Sinner’s last public relationship was with fellow tennis star Anna Kalinskaya. They debuted their relationship in May 2024, but a year later, he confirmed he was single.
Hasanovic, for her part, reportedly dated Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher for three years before they broke up in April.
Sinner’s relationship debut comes after Nader, 28, and her sisters hinted that she was dating the four-time Grand Slam winner during their August appearance on “Page Six Radio.”
“I always have good ones,” Brooks confessed of her “roster” of suitors when co-host Evan Real noted that her DMs “must be popping.”
“Every field and court,” her sister Grace Ann exclusively revealed as Brooks’ jaw dropped.
Although the sisters remained coy as the “Dancing With the Stars” alum got visibly annoyed that they were exposing her dating life, Grace Ann continued to spill the tea, noting, “It rhymes with winner.”
Co-host Danny Murphy guessed again, asking whether the person in question was Sinner and her other sister Mary Holland said “No comment,” with a smile as Brooks cursed.
Last month, Grace Ann claimed that Brooks was actually dating Sinner’s rival, Carlos Alcaraz, adding that the 2025 US Open champ had met her other two sisters, Mary Holland and Sarah Jane, and how she was “dying” to as well.
“Dating is such a loose term, but I do know he’s the man of the hour,” she dished just days after Brooks was spotted sitting front row when Alcaraz, 22, played Arthur Rinderknech at the Open on Aug. 31.
In another surprising twist, a source exclusively told Page Six that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model was dating the two tennis pros at the same time during the tournament — where they went head to head in the finals.
When confronted about her alleged love triangle, Brooks playfully alluded to the rumors being true.
“I would just say, a lady never kisses and tells, especially twice,” she responded on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” on Sept.17, seemingly confirming the flings.
The “Love Thy Nader” star previously dated her “DWTS” pro partner, Gleb Savchenko. The pair shared a steamy on-again, off-again relationship before their split in April.
Brooks was also married to advertising exec Billy Haire from 2019 to 2024.
Preps: Runners shine at regionals; Rams lone soccer team to make playoffs
The fall high school prep season is quickly coming to a close, if it hasn’t already for your sport of choice. Here’s the latest updates, with golf, tennis, and softball seasons already put to rest.
Scott repeats at XC regionals
Basalt High School senior Towler Scott again led the local contingent at the Class 3A Region 1 cross country meet on Friday. Held at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig, Scott won the regional title, winning the boys race in 16 minutes, 16.57 seconds. Moffat senior Haven Carr was second in 16:43, and Coal Ridge sophomore Lucas Von was third in 16:46.2.
The BHS boys came up a little short as a team, finishing fifth with 109 points. Only the top four teams and any individuals in the top 15 qualify for state. BHS sophomore Levi Friday was 11th at regionals in 17:46.38, so he also qualifies for state.
“The last five minutes I was thinking I might as well enjoy this, my last regionals,” Scott told the Craig Press after repeating as regional champion. “I feel like I’ve brought a pretty good mindset to the group and for some of the guys to look up to. I don’t know if it was our best race today as a team, but I think the rest of the guys are pretty happy with how they did.”
The Aspen boys did finish fourth as a team (98 points) and will qualify their whole group for state. Moffat defended its home soil, winning the boys regional title with 47 points. Coal Ridge was second with 57 and D’Evelyn third with 61.
AHS junior Jack Diaz led the Skiers by finishing seventh in 17:00.5. Sophomore Boston Jennings was 18th in 18:13.18.
Both girls teams will compete at state. Coal Ridge won the girls regional title with 34 points, followed by Aspen in second (52), Basalt in third (73), and D’Evelyn in fourth (104).
Coal Ridge junior Effie Fletcher won the girls regional title in 18:19.95. Basalt freshman Scarlett Jones was second (19:15.74), Moffat sophomore Sydney Wattles was third (19:56.95), and AHS junior Annabelle Case was fourth (20:10.01). Other notable finishes include AHS freshman Livia Wesner (sixth, 20:26.91), AHS junior Edyn Roy (10th, 20:52.34), and AHS freshman Molly McPhee (11th, 21:04.91).
The CHSAA state meet is Saturday, Nov. 1, in Colorado Springs.
Rams to host soccer playoff game
Roaring Fork boys soccer was named to the postseason field on Monday, when CHSAA announced the brackets for the Class 3A state tournament.
The Rams, who went 9-4-2 in the regular season and finished third in the 3A Western Slope League, will be the No. 16 seed and host No. 17 Rocky Mountain Prep SMART in the first round of the 32-team bracket. All first-round games are scheduled for Wednesday (times were still being determined on Monday afternoon).
The winner would face either No. 1 Colorado Academy or No. 32 Rifle in the second round.
Neither Aspen nor Basalt made the playoffs. The Longhorns finish their first season under coach Chris McDermand with a 5-8-2 overall record, going 2-4-1 in league play. BHS beat Grand Valley in the finale on Thursday, 7-1, but finished No. 35 in the CHSAA seeding index, making the Longhorns among the first left out of the state bracket.
Aspen finished the fall 4-5-6 overall and 0-4-3 in league play under coach Oren Schragger. Like Basalt, the Skiers ended the year with a 1-0 win over Grand Valley on Saturday. AHS finished ranked No. 39 in the seeding index.
Other regional teams to make the postseason include No. 29 Delta playing at No. 4 Kent Denver in the first round; WSL champion and No. 3 seed Steamboat Springs hosting No. 30 Berthoud; and No. 7 Coal Ridge hosting No. 26 Holy Family.
Football season down to final game
The football season is down to one regular-season game for Aspen and Basalt, with the two going head-to-head on Friday night. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on the AHS turf.
The Skiers haven’t beaten the Longhorns since a 21-10 victory in 2013, meaning the Longhorns are going for their 12th straight win in the rivalry this week.
Also at stake for Basalt is an undefeated league season. After a rough 2-3 start to the fall, the Longhorns have won three straight over league foes Delta (14-0), Coal Ridge (37-25), and Moffat County (47-6). BHS has already locked up the league title and the automatic playoff spot that comes with it.
Aspen’s playoff hopes likely evaporated on Friday with a 55-6 loss at Coal Ridge. The Skiers are 2-5 overall and 1-2 in league but are only ranked No. 29 as of Monday afternoon in the CHSAA seeding index. Only 16 teams will make the playoff field.
Basalt is only No. 20, but the WSL champion does get an automatic playoff spot. This could still lead to a lower seed and likely road playoff game in the first round, however. Delta (No. 14) and Coal Ridge (No. 18) are both sitting higher in the index, despite head-to-head losses to the Longhorns.
The state brackets will be announced following this weekend’s games.
Tennis season ends at state
Aspen’s boys tennis season came to a close last weekend at the 4A state tournament in Colorado Springs. The Skiers had three doubles teams — Nos. 2, 3, and 4 — qualify, but all three teams lost in the first round. Basalt did not have any players qualify for state.
University wins softball title
The state softball season ended over the weekend, with No. 1 University winning the 3A championship 5-4 over No. 2 Eaton. Neither Aspen nor Basalt made the postseason. Softball joins golf and tennis as fall prep seasons that have officially come to a close.
AHS volleyball chasing regionals
Aspen volleyball, now 17-5 overall following last week’s win over Basalt, has only a game Saturday at Moffat County remaining in the regular season. A win likely secures a top 12 seed for regional play, which would allow the Skiers to host the regional games.
Basalt (5-9 overall) has some ground to make up to if it wants to join AHS in the postseason. The Longhorns will have a chance with four games still scheduled for this week; this includes Monday’s late game against Grand Junction.
Taylor Fritz Exposes a Hidden Rule That’s Holding Tennis Back: “Kind of Absurd”
Have you ever wondered why tennis players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff almost never post their own match highlights on social media? They are not uploading their videos, but they are often reposting the videos of the sports networks or the pages of the tournaments. It is because it is an easy yet aggravating reason. Players are not free to share videos of matches that they played in reality because the organizers of the tournaments hold a tight grip on broadcasting rights. When they post without authorization, the content they post can be removed due to copyright violations. So even the world’s best athletes are left with still photos or short, carefully edited clips long after the moment has passed. That’s exactly the kind of system America’s Taylor Fritz finds “kind of absurd.”
In a recent interview with GQ, Fritz, currently ranked world No. 4 by the ATP, revealed something that goes way beyond tennis. It exposed the ways in which contemporary athletes are supposed to behave as content producers while maintaining their peak performance. The majority of players can relate to Fritz’s admission that developing a personal brand is more difficult than it seems. “The social media part is something that causes me a good amount of stress,” he said. He knows how important it is for a player’s image and sponsorships, but he’s honest about how draining it can be. His Instagram has about 874k followers, although, as he mentions, it might have been considerably more, had it not been one of the key obstacles, which is the nature of the tennis tour itself.
“A lot of the tournaments are saying, ‘You either have to have won a Slam or have 1 or 2 million followers to even be allowed a videographer on tour,’ which I think is absurd,” Fritz explained. Perhaps absurd would be an understatement. To be permitted to film your journey, you must have followers; however, you cannot acquire followers unless you are granted permission to film. A Catch-22.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
For the majority of players, social media growth is hampered due to those rules. Full access is only granted to a select few well-known figures, such as Carlos Alcaraz, who currently has 7.9 million followers. In addition to winning the Grand Slam at the age of 21, Alcaraz also secured his own Netflix documentary, “Carlos Alcaraz: My Way,” which debuted on April 23, 2025.
“How are you ever going to have a million followers if you don’t have someone capturing decent content to build your brand?” is the simple and logical outburst of frustrations expressed by Taylor Fritz. They participate in one of the world’s most international sports, but they are frequently prohibited from showing fans what that world is like. Control, not effort or inventiveness, is the problem. And the same burden has been placed on those closest to him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Even Taylor Fritz’s partner, influencer Morgan Riddle, who manages much of his online presence, has faced the same headache. “I’ve gotten multiple copyright strikes against my account when I post videos of him,” she said. “In the last three years, the tournaments and the tour have gotten really strict with where you can film and where you can’t. I’m not allowed to have a camera in the box anymore, whereas a couple of years ago, none of those rules were in place.”
Therefore, tennis appears to be holding its stars back, whereas other sports are flourishing behind-the-scenes storytelling. The irony? The ATP wants its athletes to be globally marketable, but the sport’s very structure prevents them from doing so. Not only do current players recognize the issue, but legends have also voiced their opinions.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Tennis is “missing the boat” on social media
Andy Roddick just a few months back, gave a reality check for tennis. On the Served podcast, Roddick said what many players quietly feel: it’s ridiculous that athletes can’t post even short clips of themselves playing in their own matches. He asked, “Why shouldn’t you be able to post your own clips? What’s the downside?” His point was simple.
Players like Daria Kasatkina, who runs her YouTube vlog What The Vlog, should be allowed to show the world their own moments on court. As she said, “I’m the one out there working, I’m the one sweating. How come I can’t put one clip of me hitting a tennis ball in my own vlog?” Roddick’s message, however, went further and called for reform.
According to Roddick, allowing athletes to share their own highlights would benefit broadcasters and tournaments rather than harm them. New tennis fans are immediately attracted to the sport when celebrities like Coco Gauff or Carlos Alcaraz share an incredible rally or match point with their millions of followers. More interest, more excitement, more eyes.
He concurred with journalist Jon Wertheim that by keeping everything behind closed doors, tennis is “missing the boat.” These days, short, viral videos that are shared in a matter of seconds are what attract new fans rather than lengthy TV replays. Tennis hasn’t taken off, though, for some reason.
Players like Taylor Fritz, Roddick, and Kasatkina have made it very evident that tennis cannot advance by remaining silent on the internet. The sport must restore the voices of its stars if it hopes to attract new followers.
Court orders Concordia University Irvine to reinstate women’s sports teams
A U.S. District Court judge has barred Concordia University Irvine from eliminating the school’s women’s swimming and diving, and women’s tennis programs or any other women’s varsity team during the 2025-26 academic year.
Judge Fred W. Slaughter granted a preliminary injunction on Friday preventing the Irvine Division II university from dropping the women’s programs. The injunction came five months after Concordia announced it was dropping its men’s and women’s tennis and swimming programs at the end of the 2024-25 academic year as part of what the school characterized as a “strategic restructuring.”
In granting the injunction, Slaughter also ordered that “To the extent that those teams have already been eliminated, CUI shall immediately reinstate them, and provide the teams with funding, staffing, and all other benefits commensurate with their status as varsity intercollegiate teams.”
The injunction, Slaughter ordered, will remain in place “for the duration of this case or until further order of this court.”
Nine female Concordia athletes, seven members of the swimming and diving program and two tennis players, are suing the university in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that by dropping the women’s sports programs, the school is “violating Title IX by depriving women of equal opportunities to participate in intercollegiate athletics.”
Women made up 59% of Concordia’s undergraduates in 2024-25, but received only 51.2% of the opportunities to participate in varsity sports, according to Arthur Bryant, an attorney for the Concordia athletes, citing what he described as publicly available information.
“The court’s thorough, compelling decision confirms what we said from the start: CUI’s decision to eliminate the women’s swimming and diving and tennis teams was a flagrant violation of Title IX,” Bryant said.
Ann M. Ashmon, the school’s associate vice president of strategic communications, said in a statement, “Concordia University Irvine will comply with the judge’s ruling while the litigation is in process.”
Concordia announced on May 20 that it was dropping the four sports.
“The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the university’s academic and athletic offerings, resource allocation, and long-term strategic priorities,” Concordia said in a statement released at the time of the announcement. “University leadership, in partnership with the Department of Athletics, determined that the current model is not sustainable in the midst of increasing operational costs, facility limitations, and significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape.”
Crystal Rosenthal, associate vice president and director of athletics, at the time estimated the move would save the university $550,000.
“This decision is in no way a reflection of their performance or commitment. It is a necessary step to address broader challenges and to ensure a sustainable future for the university,” Rosenthal said in a statement at the time.
Rosenthal did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
But the program cuts came at a time when Concordia was committed to investing in a $25.5 million plan to upgrade the university’s athletic infrastructure.
The Concordia athletes allege in their lawsuit that the move was a violation of Title IX and “sadly, consistent with CUI’s history of sex discrimination in its intercollegiate athletic program … since at least 2004.”
Rosenthal has testified, according to court documents, that Concordia’s Title IX analysis was done “only (by) (her) self.” When asked by an attorney, “[a]t the end of the day when it was decided swimming, diving, and tennis were going to be eliminated” from among all of the teams considered for elimination, “did you do any formal Title IX analysis?” Rosenthal testified, “No.”
In a follow-up question, Rosenthal was asked, “Okay. So just sort of your back-of-the-envelope analysis based on your understanding of the numbers?”
“Yeah — yes,” Rosenthal answered.
“This decision shows why women have to fight for the equality the law requires – and what they can accomplish when they do,” said Alexandra Grant, a sophomore on the women’s swimming and diving team and a plaintiff in the case. “We are devoted to enforcing Title IX and grateful for the Court’s decision. My teammates and I are eager to get back in the water as soon as possible.”
Jannik Sinner Reveals He’s Dating Model Laila Hasanovic During Vienna Open
Jannik Sinner and Laila Hasanovic are dating!
On Sunday, Oct. 26, the Italian tennis pro, 24, debuted his relationship with the Danish model, also 24, during his victory speech at the Vienna Open.
The four-time Grand Slam winner had just won the prize at the Austrian tennis competition when he thanked his family and girlfriend, with Hasanovic sitting next to his parents in the crowd.
Staten Island’s Best Dressed: St. George Theatre Golf, Tennis, Bocce and Pickleball Outing awards dinner
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The St. George Theatre hosted its ninth annual “Laughs on the Links” Golf, Bocce, Tennis and Pickleball Outing on Oct. 6 at the Richmond County Country Club in Dongan Hills.
Hundreds of guests spent the day participating in sporting events before gathering for an evening dinner and open bar. Proceeds benefited St. George Theatre Restoration Inc., the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing Staten Island’s historic St. George Theatre.
The evening program began with a welcome from theater co-founders and event organizers Doreen Cugno and Luanne Sorrentino.
This year’s honorees included A.F. Bennett Salon & Wellness Spa, Lynne Persing, and Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, represented by Iphigenia Romanos and Albert C. Corhan Sr., recognized for their contributions to Staten Island’s arts and culture community.
Event chairs included Ron J. Scimone, John Tardy, and Vincent Tardy for golf; Katherine Conners, Celeste Holmes-Bute, and Dr. Thomas Petrone for tennis and pickleball; and Diana Boland, Joanne Caridi, Linda Clemenza, and Leslie Kasegrande, for bocce.
“We’re deeply grateful to our dedicated board of directors, led by Brian Laline, our incredible A Team staff, and the outstanding outing chairpersons and committee members across golf, bocce, tennis and pickleball,” Cugno said. “Your hard work has made this principal fundraiser a true success.”
“Since our last outing, we’ve accomplished so much — presenting outstanding educational shows, exciting headline performances, and expanding one of our proudest initiatives, the Sensory Friendly Series,” Sorrentino said.
“This program creates a welcoming space for children and adults on the autism spectrum to enjoy the magic of live theater with their families,” she added. “We’ve also partnered with more than 50 nonprofit organizations to offer a growing array of enriching programs.”
Major sponsors included the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Lynne Persing, Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, Empire Bank, the Staten Island Advance, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, and the Law Office of Victoria Wickman.
“At the heart of it all is our mission to deliver impactful education to our community,” said Sorrentino. “Just this summer, we taught 65 students through our ‘Dancing Around the World’ theme.”
How to watch Rolex Paris Masters tennis matches today: TV schedule for Day 2
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton highlight Tuesday play at the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters. Day 2 of the tournament is set to start at 6 a.m. ET with TV coverage on Tennis Channel and streaming on-demand.
How to watch Day 2 at the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters and top current offers to live stream on Tennis Channel:
When: Tuesday, Oct. 28 starting at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. local)
Where: Paris La Défense Arena, Paris, France
TV channel: Tennis Channel
Streaming on: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | Sling (low intro rate)
FuboTV (free trial) – FuboTV scores high marks for viewer experience with a huge library of live sports; length of the free trial varies; the monthly rate after trial starts at $54.99 with a current $30 off promotional offer.
DirecTV (free trial) – DirecTV has the longest free trial in streaming with five days to try before you buy; first month after the free trial starts as low as $54.99 with current $35 off promotion.
SlingTV (low intro rate) – Sling’s half-price offer is perfect for those in the market for 1+ month of TV;.monthly plans start at just $29.99 with the introductory rate. A comparison of plans, including daily and weekly passes, can be found here.
The full 2025 Rolex Paris Masters tennis schedule for Day 1 can be found below:
ROLEX PARIS MASTERS TENNIS 2025
TV & STREAMING SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY
Times listed in ET and subject to change
MEN’S SINGLES
FIRST ROUND
6:00 AM: Tallon Griekspoor vs. Gabriel Diallo – Court 2
6:00 AM: Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Camilo Ugo Carabelli – Court 3
6:00 AM: #9 Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Francisco Comesana – Court 1
6:00 AM: Valentin Vacherot vs. #14 Jiri Lehecka – Court Central
7:30 AM: Denis Shapovalov vs. Joao Fonseca – Court 1
7:30 AM: Corentin Moutet vs. Reilly Opelka – Court Central
9:00 AM: Jaume Munar vs. #11 Daniil Medvedev – Court Central
9:00 AM: #15 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Valentin Royer – Court 1
10:30 AM: #5 Ben Shelton vs. Flavio Cobolli – Court 1
12:00 PM: Learner Tien vs. #12 Andrey Rublev – Court 1
2:00 PM: #1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Cameron Norrie – Court Central
3:30 PM: #4 Taylor Fritz vs. Aleksandar Vukic – Court Central
MEN’S DOUBLES
FIRST ROUND
7:30 AM: Francisco Cerundolo/Luciano Darderi vs. #8 Christian Harrison/Evan King – Court 3
8:00 AM: #5
Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz vs. Marcelo Melo/Alexander Zverev – Court 2
9:00 AM: Santiago Gonzalez/David Pel vs. #7 Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori – Court 3
9:30 AM: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard/Arthur Rinderknech vs. Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni – Court 2
11:00 AM: John Peers/JJ Tracy vs. Rohan Bopanna/Alexander Bublik – Court 3
11:00 AM: Hugo Nys/Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. Grigor Dimitrov/Nicolas Mahut – Court 2
12:30 PM: #6 Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski vs. Theo Arribage/Albano Olivetti – Court 3
12:30 PM: Sadio Doumbia/Fabien Reboul vs. Quentin Halys/Pierre-Hugues Herbert – Court 2
Dimitrov marks return from pectoral injury with win in Paris
Oct 28 (Reuters) – Grigor Dimitrov said he was still adjusting to the rigours of competitive tennis after three months out with a pectoral injury but the former world number three was delighted to mark his return with a victory at the Paris Masters on Monday.
Dimitrov suffered the injury in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July when he was leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets to love, the 34-year-old Bulgarian retiring from the match in tears.
Sign up here.
Barstool Sports Golf Creator Cody ‘Beef’ Franke Dies at 31; Golf World Mourns
Barstool Sports personality and “Foreplay” contributor Cody “Beef” Franke died suddenly over the weekend, the company announced Oct. 27. He was 31.
Shortly after news of Franke’s death surfaced, golf influencers, creators and analysts reacted with shock and offered touching tributes to the former PGA professional.
Barstool Sports hired Franke in early 2025 as the newest member of the company’s golf brand “Fore Play.” As he noted in his Instagram bio, Franke served the role as “head golf professional” for the brand, which is wildly popular thanks to its podcast and YouTube content.
“Cody truly loved the game of golf. He selflessly spent much of his life helping others improve and enjoy the game. Watching golf bring people happiness brought him happiness, and that infectious personality was felt by everyone who met him. He was universally known as the nicest guy in the world.”
He previously worked as the head pro at Berry Creek Country Club in Onida, Wisc., where he occasionally went viral for his teaching tips.
Barstool Sports’ ‘Beef’ Dies at 31; Tributes Pour In From Golf World
Barstool Sports personality and “Fore Play” contributor Cody “Beef” Franke, who was widely known across the golf world, died suddenly over the weekend, the company announced Oct. 27. He was 31.
Shortly after news of Franke’s death surfaced, golf influencers, creators and analysts reacted with shock and offered touching tributes to the former PGA professional.
Barstool Sports hired Franke in early 2025 as the newest member of the company’s golf brand “Fore Play.” As he noted in his Instagram bio, Franke served the role as “head golf professional” for the brand, which is wildly popular thanks to its podcast and YouTube content.
Fore Play’s ‘Beef’ Dies at 31, Barstool Sports Announces
“Cody truly loved the game of golf. He selflessly spent much of his life helping others improve and enjoy the game. Watching golf bring people happiness brought him happiness, and that infectious personality was felt by everyone who met him. He was universally known as the nicest guy in the world.”
Before Barstool, Franke was a PGA of America golf pro who graduated from the PGA golf management program at Ferris State. He worked at Desert Willow in California before holding jobs at both Thornberry Creek in Wisconsin. He occasionally went viral with his Tuesday teaching tips videos.
“From his time as a PGA professional to his time at Barstool Sports, Cody made so many people laugh, he made so many people smile, and he simply made so many people better,” the Fore Play statement continued.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Cody’s entire family and loved ones.
“We’ll be removing our hats for Cody today and every day. Rest in peace to the classiest man we knew.”
Franke’s “Fore Play” cohorts all weighed in with social media posts shortly after the news.
Sam “Riggs” Bozoian: “Thinking of Cody’s family today. One of the nicest guys you can come across. He made our brand so much better and we’re going to miss him dearly.”
Trent Ryan: Devastated. Just devastated. Thinking of his family and anybody who ever had the pleasure of meeting him.”
Frankie Borrelli: “Beef made everyone else’s life better. The nicest man I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. Impossible to process the heartbreaking news.”
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy also shared a tribute of his own.
“Barstool lost a member of our family this weekend,” Portnoy posted to X. “Just tragic news. You will never find a nicer, more genuine person than Beef. It’s hard to even process it right now. Just another cruel reminder that tomorrow is never promised and to live each day to its fullest.”
Golf World Reacts to Tragic Passing of Cody ‘Beef’ Franke
Perhaps one of the greatest testaments to the impact Franke had in his life was the outpouring of condolences and tributes from outside the sizable Barstool bubble. The PGA of America, of which Franke was a member, remembered him for his “kind, genuine and warm personality was what made him so great to be around. We were lucky to have worked with him on countless projects this year and will miss his terribly.”
This ‘game-improvement’ fairway wood has multiple PGA Tour wins
The Titleist “1” metalwood platform has always been a product designed for higher-handicappers and slower swingers to help them get the ball in the air.
But after this past week, Titleist GT1 fairway woods have now won multiple PGA Tour titles in just the past few months and have seen a big uptick in usage.
Michael Brennan just became the newest PGA Tour winner with the GT1 3Tour variant for his 3-wood. The 23-year-old pro, who only held status on the PGA Tour Americas before this week, put on a clinic off the tee at the Bank of Utah Championship, gaining more than 7.5 shots, the most of any player all season.
Titleist GT1 Custom Fairway Wood
View Product
ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist
Brennan added the GT1 3Tour to his bag this past week after working with Titleist Tour rep Nick Geyer in Utah to replace his previous GT3 fairway. Geyer said Brennan loved the shallower face of the GT1 compared to the GT3, and it was easier for him to get the ball up in the air off the turf without losing any off-the-tee performance.
That was evident in the final round, when Brennan used the 3-wood to drive the green on the 312-yard par-4 14th to set up his final birdie of the week.
The GT1 fairway wood, like all other Titleist “1” products (ie, TSi1, TSr1), was designed as an ultralight product with a super deep center of gravity to help players get the ball in the air. But with the addition of forward and aft adjustable weighting, throwing the heavyweight forward in a standard weight spec creates a high-launching, low-spin fairway wood that even better players are drawn to.
“During GT1 fairway testing, we found some tour players really loved the shaping and face height, but we knew that many of them would need a little less loft and lower CG for a stronger flight,” J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s senior director of club promotions, said.
Titleist GT1 3Tour Custom Fairway Wood
Lift your launch window with GT1 3Tour Fairway. Featuring a Tour-inspired player profile, shallow face, low CG, and a stronger “Tour Loft,” this fairway is designed to launch higher and fly farther without over-spinning. New adjustable fore/aft weights enable further optimization of ball speed, launch, and spin to achieve effortless fairway performance. Features High Launch and Exceptional Forgiveness Stronger Loft Adjustable Fore-Aft Spin Control Refined, Tour-Inspired Shaping Enhanced Sound and Feel
View Product
ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist
The GT1 3Tour that Brennan uses takes the design and gives it a slightly stronger loft and even lower CG to help players with speed produce a flatter trajectory, but still take advantage of the wide and shallow profile.
New Contender Emerges at Bank of Utah Championship
When Michael Brennan walked off the 18th green at the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort, a new star in the world of professional golf was firmly established. The 23-year-old, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, captured his first-ever win on the PGA Tour with a commanding performance, earning a coveted two-year exemption and a ticket to life on golf’s biggest stage.
Coming fresh off a collegiate career at Wake Forest University and a rapid ascent through the lower tiers of professional golf, Brennan seized his moment with poise, power and a maturity beyond his years.
The Road to Victory
Brennan’s journey to his breakout performance was anything but typical. Born in Leesburg, Virginia and turning professional in 2024, he quickly made his mark on the PGA Tour Americas tour, picking up multiple victories and positioning himself for promotion.
This week, he arrived at Black Desert Resort as a sponsor’s invite and was surely not expected by many to contend–yet by the third round, he had surged into the lead. A 67 in the opening round, followed by 65 and 64, set the tone for a dominant performance.
“He’s really good,” friend and new pro David Ford said. “He hits the ball maybe the longest in the field this week. … He’s hitting it straight, so he’s ripping driver everywhere. When he gets the putter going, he’s going to be hard to beat any week. … To see him have success is not a surprise to me.”
Brennan’s final round 66 wasn’t just about maintaining the lead; it was about asserting it. He birdied five of his first nine holes Sunday to stretch the margin and never looked back, finishing four strokes clear of Rico Hoey.
“It feels amazing,” Brennan said. “I get that belief from my family and friends, my team. I mean, Jeff Kirkpatrick, my caddie, believes in me I think more than anyone, maybe other than my parents. He told me ever since we played a great year, ‘We’re not going to the Korn Ferry Tour.’ Whether it was, I don’t know, through something like this or Q-School. I can’t believe he’s right.”
Odds Heading Into the Championship
Brennan was nowhere near the top of the favorites list before the start of the Bank of Utah Championship. Most sportsbooks placed him at around 70-to-1 odds (+7000) to win, a number that reflected his lack of PGA Tour experience and the perception that he was more of a developmental prospect than a contender. In a field packed with established professionals, Brennan was considered a long-shot–a player capable of making the cut, perhaps, but not one expected to lift the trophy come Sunday.
That narrative began to change midway through the tournament. By Saturday, as Michael surged into contention, his live odds had tightened dramatically, dropping to around +600. What started as a speculative bet suddenly became one of the most compelling storylines of the week. His steady play and composed demeanor forced the betting markets to take notice, turning a rank outsider into a legitimate favorite as the final round began.
“We would give him–if he did certain milestones, or whatever it was in golf–we would buy him another club, like his 7-iron,” Mike Brennan said. “I remember when we bought him his 7-iron, he slept with it for a week. Who sleeps with a 7-iron?”
Before the tournament began, Michael sat roughly 451st in the Official World Golf Ranking, a position befitting a player fresh from the college ranks and newly embarked on a professional career. His statistical record on the PGA Tour was modest–across his prior five starts, he had gained little ground, posting an average Strokes Gained: Total figure of nearly two strokes below the field. On paper, there was little to suggest a breakthrough was imminent.
“We’ve been really looking forward to this day. We didn’t know it would happen this quickly,” Shannon Brennan said. “We’re just beyond happy.”
Max Homa Seen With Limp In Utah
Although not a part of the PGA Tour regular season, the Bank of Utah Championship saw quite a bit. The star rookie of 2025, Aldrich Potgieter, had to pull out due to illness after the first round, as well as two others. In this fall tournament, fans took note of one player’s limp, as well as the medical attention he was getting. It seems that Max Homa was powering his way through an injury during the tournament.
Max Homa In Utah
During the Bank of Utah Championship, Max Homa was actually doing quite well for himself. During the second round, he went bogey-free and scored a 66. He easily, but painfully, slid his way into the third and fourth rounds and eventually found himself T9 for the tournament. This is on top of him having a bit of a comeback for the year since the John Deere Classic in July. However, according to him, this was all with the same injury that is plaguing him right now.
The Injury
During the Bank of Utah Championship, Max Homa was seen in visible discomfort. At one point, when making his way down a slope, he didn’t limp but hopped down on one leg. He avoided using the leg at all. In between holes, he was found getting some first aid when his injury was visibly acting up. What is this injury? According to Homa, it is a bone spur, and one that he has had for some time now. Homa explained in an interview after the second round:
“I’ve had it for a little while. I had planned on getting it taken out when we have a little bit of time off, so it was just kind of ironic,” Homa Said. “It almost never gets inflamed, but I think this place is pretty hard to walk. Walking down just a small hill on 12, like I didn’t feel anything, but as we were walking down the fairway on 12, I could feel it getting swollen. Then, when we were done on 12, it was very, very tender. Then I don’t know, just not a good golf course to walk. Walking uphill is really hard because I can’t flex it, so that sucked.”
Strangely enough, Homa said in the same interview that this injury helps him. He explained this by saying that his thought process wasn’t on hitting the perfect shot, but just getting it to the hole as quickly as possible. It is far from the best strategy, but it worked out really well for him in the second round. Although his pediatrician may have some concerns about that.
Homa And His Injury
1x Major Winner Takes a Stand for Keegan Bradley After PGA Tour Pro Shared Defeating Ryder Cup Feelings
Keegan Bradley was everything Team U.S. needed at Bethpage to win as a captain and a player. The 39-year-old was in the form of his life leading up to the Ryder Cup. Yet, he believed that others deserved to be in the squad more than him. Hence, he didn’t pick himself as a Captain’s Pick. Today, weeks after Team U.S.’s loss, he is still upset that he couldn’t help the squad turn things around in New York. And J.J. Spaun believes that Bradley is not the reason the team lost at Bethpage
Spaun joined Trey Wingo for a conversation on his YouTube channel. During the podcast, the host asked him if he also felt that Bradley was extremely unfortunate to miss out on the Ryder Cup in 2023 and then lose as captain in 2025. Spaun told Wingo, “Yeah. He was put in a tough spot. The whole team believed he should have been on the team, and we almost talked him into it. But he didn’t accept the role.”
Turns out, it wasn’t just the fans who were rooting for Bradley to choose himself as the playing captain. Spaun confessed that he and the rest of the team also wanted the 2025 Travelers Championship winner to join the field. However, things didn’t go as they had hoped, as Keegan didn’t pick himself in the end. Wingo even inquired how close Team U.S. was to convincing pick himself. And it turns out, they had nearly made him do it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“It got down to literally before he had to make picks. He thought about it for that long before he had to finalize the lineup. We all said, if you weren’t the captain and you are sitting here, number 10 in the world, is that captain going to take you? Of course! 100% of the time. With your experience, nonetheless. It was tough.” Bradley was undoubtedly one of the best players Team U.S. could have had in their 12-man squad. Had he not been the captain, he would have been a guaranteed Captain’s Pick. He had a tough choice to make, picking between his team and his personal goals. In the end, he chose to do what was best for the team, earning everyone’s respect.
“I have so much respect for Keegan because not only did he handle all this Ryder Cup responsibility, captaincy responsibility, he played great, he won an elevated event, he’s a father, a husband. He’s dealing with triple the amount of work that the normal guy has to deal with, taking on this Ryder Cup captaincy role. I didn’t really know him very well before this whole Ryder Cup experience. He fairly keeps to himself. He had to come out of his shell to be a captain. I think it took a lot out of him.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Before becoming the captain, Bradley wasn’t known for being that expressive. However, over the last two years, he went through a range of emotions while dealing with the leadership role. Whether it was during the Full Swing documentary, strategizing for the Ryder Cup, making the Captain’s Picks, or leading the team, fans saw a different side of him that they had never seen before. And Spaun perfectly described it; he really came out of his shell to be a captain. And Bradley made sure everyone knew.
“He made us aware that this has been life-changing for him. Being part of the team as a captain and being the leader and having to be the one to initiate and to interact… Before he could hang around as a player and be in the mix. But now, he was the leader. That’s not really his personality. Now he’s grown a brotherhood with us, 12 guys on the team.” Over the course of 2 years, Keegan Bradley was able to not only build a team but also develop a great bond with everyone he led. And that showed with the kind of effort everyone put in for him on Sunday. But Spaun confessed that the result didn’t reflect that, and he wished they could have done more.
“Going into Sunday, I really felt for him. Because he put so much effort into giving us everything we needed to succeed and showing us how important it was to play for our country. It almost felt like I wanted to play more for him because I knew he had sacrificed so much. Also, with him being forced out of playing, in a sense. It was just tough. He handled it so great. I just wish we had won for him and our country.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
While losing the tournament was upsetting enough, Spaun felt that it was even more sad because of how much effort Bradley had put in to try and push the squad for a win. Even on the last day, when they were 7 points down, the Team U.S. captain still had faith that his team could make a comeback. That is how much he believed in them. And they nearly proved him right for a moment by pulling it off. Maybe that’s why he was so infuriated that they couldn’t take those last few steps to cross the line. Maybe that’s why he was frustrated about the envelope rule when, in reality, it wouldn’t have changed the result.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Either way, what’s done is done, and the 2025 Ryder Cup is over. It’s time to look ahead to the next challenge, and that will be in 2027. With Team U.S. heading to Europe now, does J.J. Spaun think Keegan Bradley should return to the squad again? Let’s see what he had to say about that.
Does J.J. Spaun think Keegan Bradley should be a part of the 2027 Ryder Cup team?
Trey Wingo also questioned J.J. Spaun about what he thought of Keegan Bradley returning as a Ryder Cup captain. He wanted to know if the 2025 U.S. Open Champion would support him should he decide to return to the role. Spaun imagined an entire timeline of redemption for Bradley.
“I do. I think it will be ultimate redemption if he plays his way on, and then maybe two years later, captains and wins, that would be the ultimate comeback. I think he deserves another chance. It was almost like they were trying to usher in this new wave of tradition. He did a cool thing, bringing in a lot of vice captains that we all know. GDub, Kiz, Sneds, and Web, guys that we still see week in and week out. They are older and there for us in a mentoring way, to be our vice captains.”
Commending Bradley’s strategy at Bethpage, Spaun still had faith in his abilities as a player. However, he believed that Keegan would be a great captain in the 2029 Ryder Cup when it is played in the United States again. He also enjoyed working with the team of vice captains Bradley had assembled: “It felt like a tight-knit squad bringing guys that we see more often around as vice captains. Obviously, with Keegan being a younger face, it’s been refreshing for the PGA of America. Hopefully, they continue going down that route, because ultimately, that will pay off.”
Who leads Team U.S. in 2027 is still a mystery. But if you ask J.J. Spaun, he seems to be in favor of Keegan Bradley taking over the captaincy in the 2029 Ryder Cup.
LIV Golf faces 5 fascinating offseason questions | Monday Finish
Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we’re declining all high-stakes super-secret private poker invitations until further notice. To the golf news!
GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Holing out.
By now you may have seen several replays of what is a strong contender for golf shot of the year — American Jordan Gumberg holing out for eagle on his 72nd hole at the Genesis Championship to keep his DP World Tour card by a single shot. But what strikes me about that shot is just how much of professional golf is just about refusing to give up.
Gumberg, who turned pro in 2017, didn’t give up when he missed his first 17 cuts across the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours in the first five years of his career. Instead he headed to Europe and tried to find an opening there.
He didn’t give up when his first year in Europe went sideways, missing eight of 10 cuts and failing to finish better than T51. Instead he put his head down, came back the next season, turned a Monday qualifier into a runner-up finish, turned that into a full card, turned that into a DP World Tour win and claim full status for 2024 and 2025.
He didn’t give up when things went sideways again midway through this season, not even when he missed 13 of 16 cuts and headed to his final event of the year knowing it was likely his final event with any real status. He was showing no form and he needed to contend just to keep his card. But then he rose to the occasion.
And it’s because Gumberg didn’t give up that he was in position to hit that wedge shot on No. 18 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Korea. It actually falling in the hole was a nice reward from the golf gods.
And because Gumberg hasn’t given up yet, I’m excited for what he does next.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
Michael Brennan skipped a step. After winning three times on the PGA Tour Americas this summer he earned Korn Ferry Tour status for the 2026 season — but he won’t use it. Instead he took full advantage of a sponsor exemption into the Bank of Utah Championship, going on to win by four shots over a solid fall Tour field. His entire week was eye-popping, but this eye-popped the most:
Brennan averaged 351.1 yards off the tee and hit 89 percent of his fairways. That yielded the best driving performance of the entire PGA Tour season by strokes gained (+7.6 SG). Black Desert has wide fairways but it aggressively punishes big misses. Sean Martin called that a “driving clinic,” which seems right. It’s appropriate that Martin’s analysis came attached to a clip of Brennan actually missing one of his six fairways all week — because this missed fairway was right down the middle and went 418 yards, trickling into the rough by the green and leaving him with an up-and-down for birdie.
Team Australia won the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, the LPGA team event that occurs every two years and features country-based teams in a week’s-worth of match-play competition. The event may have skipped your radar because a lot of it happened overnight (New Korea Country Club is very much not on ET) but the Aussies took it to the U.S. team in the final, with Minjee Lee and Hannah Green each winning their singles matches. (More here.)
Junghwan Lee won for the first time on the DP World Tour — and did so on home soil, by three shots. Lee immediately takes up DPWT status with the win, which is also the first on the tour by a Korean player since Ben An at this same tournament last year. (More here.)
Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee punched his ticket to the Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Emirates Golf Club, rallying from six shots back with birdies at 10, 13, 15, 17 and 18. Then he birdied all three playoff holes to win by a shot. One fun fact about the Arizona State junior from Evin Priest, who was on site this week: the Thai 20-year-old sings to himself when he’s nervous, an idea he borrowed from Jeeno Thitikul.
Steven Alker won on the PGA Tour Champions by a full touchdown (and extra point!) firing 20 under par at the Simmons Bank Championship to blow away two runners-up at 13 under. It’s his 10th win on the senior circuit and he moves to No. 1 as they head to their playoff finale. (More here.)
And Yani Tseng re-entered the winner’s circle on the Ladiest European Tour, the latest step in an improbable comeback that featured some remarkably low lows but now serves as some small triumph of the human spirit; Tseng has overcome the putting yips by switching to lefty on the greens. Golf is endlessly hard but endlessly fascinating, even if you reach No. 1 in the world.
SHORT HITTERS
5 unanswered questions LIV faces this offseason.
If you’re saying to yourself, hey Dylan, isn’t your job to answer these questions? I would say, y’know, that’s fair enough. Consider this an interesting list for you and a to-do list for me. Here are five questions surrounding LIV that affect the rest of the professional golf ecosystem, too:
1. Who will LIV sign?
Since LIV’s inception this has continually been the most intriguing question surrounding the league — who will they recruit from elsewhere in golf’s ecosystem? The first wave-and-a-half in 2022 was eye-popping, everybody from Phil Mickelson to Bryson DeChambeau to Brooks Koepka to Joaquin Niemann to Cam Smith and more. The 2023 signing of Jon Rahm was a shocker, too, particularly when accompanied by Tyrrell Hatton. So who will LIV claim this offseason? Which PGA Tour players will defect? Who will be the biggest name?
2. Who will LIV re-sign?
News came over the weekend via Flushing It that LIV had re-upped Dustin Johnson’s contract, which had been set to expire after the 2025 season. The 4 Aces captain will be back, which means LIV presumably made it worth his while to do so.
Some of LIV’s big names are now in an interesting position; on the one hand LIV needs them to stay on to keep any momentum going. On the other hand, their leverage in negotiating with LIV is hampered by the fact that they may have nowhere else to go.
The biggest negotiation by far won’t come this offseason and will involve Bryson DeChambeau, whose contract extends through 2026. He’s a full-time content creator and something of a media mogul in his own right, now — it’ll be interesting to see how his relationship with LIV and with his Crushers evolves as he thinks about re-upping while also balancing his side quests.
3. Will LIV get OWGR points?
Included in a terrific and all-encompassing Global Golf Post profile by John Hopkins (which you should read here) of now-retired OWGR chairman Peter Dawson were two interesting nuggets:
-He’s unclear on why LIV is pressing on.
“I really don’t understand why the PIF [Public Investment Fund] and Saudi Arabia are persisting with it,” Dawson continued. “They are doing wonderful things for the women’s game with the PIF Global Series and they have terrific plans inside Saudi for expanding golf for their own people and for tourism. These initiatives deserve our applause but LIV seems to be the odd man out.”
-and he’s disappointed they didn’t reach an OWGR resolution.
“I was very disappointed that we could not do so with LIV,” he said. “It is self-evident that players on the LIV tour are good enough to be ranked because they were before. But OWGR has a duty to ensure that all of the thousands of players in the system are ranked equitably. Some aspects of the LIV format made that impossible. In my opinion OWGR made the only decision it could at the time.“
That OWGR failure was in part due to LIV taking its toys and going home, withdrawing its application rather than working with the powers-that-be on acceptable standards for points-getting. Now, though, with new leadership in place on each side of the relationship and a new application on the way, it’ll be interesting to see how the OWGR board and LIV find common ground — and potential points.
4. What will happen to Henrik Stenson?
Henrik Stenson is the most high-profile LIV golfer to finish in its “Drop Zone,” outside the top 48, which per LIV’s regulations meant he is automatically relegated. (This is true with Anthony Kim, too, plus Mito Pereira, among others.) But we haven’t really seen LIV abandon any of its stars to this point, never mind a co-captain of a team (the Majesticks) like Stenson.
5. How will promotion and relegation look, exactly?
LIV has staged a Promotions event each of the last two offseasons. They’d be due for another this December, and presumably Stenson, Kim and Pereira could enter — but if it’s happening LIV has made no announcements on the subject as of yet. The answer to this question is intertwined with Nos. 3 and 4 (and, perhaps, 1 and 2, too) because questions of promotion and relegation are crucial to what makes this an open versus closed shop with new players earning their places. Perhaps they’re consulting with the OWGR on this very matter. Perhaps there’s another route they could build through the Asian Tour or its International Series. Again, we have mostly questions.
Time to work on the answers…
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
It’s an unseasonably sunny Monday after a turbulent weekend; Saturday night the lights flickered throughout the night thanks to pouring rain and 50 mph winds, and Sunday I got pictures of a hailstorm at Chambers Bay. But this is inspiring weather, the kind that’ll make you hit a medium bucket on the way home from work, that’ll have you taking the dog for an extra-long walk, that’ll have the evening hours feeling precious rather than dark and abridged. I hope it’s the same where you are.
We’ll see you next week!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
Kapalua GM acknowledges Plantation Course not ready for PGA Tour
As Kapalua prepares to reopen its Plantation Course in two weeks, general manager Alex Nakajima acknowledged it is not in condition to play host to a PGA Tour event.
Questions were raised when the PGA Tour announced last week that its traditional season-opening The Sentry tournament in January has been canceled, a month after making the decision that it would not be held at the Plantation Course on Maui. However, Kapalua announced the following day that the Plantation Course will re-open for guest play on Nov. 10.
That is two months before the The Sentry would have taken place, but Nakajima said there is a big difference between guest play and being in condition for PGA Tour players.
Ex-PGA Tour Executive Launches Key Strategic PR Firm After 23-Year Career in Golf Industry
Joel Schuchmann, ex-senior VP of Communications of the PGA Tour, ended his tenure in May. Following over 23 years of service, expanding golf’s reach to mainstream media, he has launched his own personal firm. Joel will bring his expertise from the sports industry to bring enhanced brand visibility to his clients. Here’s everything you need to know about the Schuchmann Communications Group.
Based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the SCG will operate from the PGA Tour’s HQ state. At present, Schuchman is the sole service provider in the group. However, the tour insider has plans to add more staff to the team as the organization expands.
The SCG offers a wide array of services for its clients, ranging from media and public relations to crisis management and editorial services. It also specializes in brand building and brand identity, with Schuchmann drawing experience from his PGA Tour role. Being a newer communications group with limited quality clients, the SCG ensures individual attention and a customized PR strategy.
Schuchmann has ensured that the group’s focus will range beyond the traditional PR lens. “The world’s gotten so much bigger in terms of what a communications or PR group does,” he said. “There’s just a lot more to it these days.” As per the group’s official LinkedIn profile, one of its biggest aims includes “building authentic and lasting connections with the audiences important to you.”
Joel Schuchman is the principal of Schuchmann Communications Group and is at the forefront of the business’s operations. As of now, the group has four clients. Given his undeniable expertise in the golf industry, all his clients are from the golf space. However, the SCG plans on expanding and diversifying its client base.
The communications group is already looking to grow its global reach with strategic partnerships. The SCG has recently struck a partnership with the DKC communications and media group. The groups will share resources and leverage media connections to establish themselves as the marketing forefront. Established back in 1991 by Dan Klores, the DKC has just the credibility and caliber to propel SCG’s success in its founding year.
Moreover, Schuchmann has also struck a deal with Caitlin Moyer of the MLB. With 18+ years of industry experience working as a marketing and communications chief, Moyer will bring the sports edge Schuchmann is known for.
As Schuchmann continues to evolve the group into the media and PR atmosphere, it’s worth taking a look at what his career has promised until now.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Joel Shuchmann: The PGA Tour’s media powerhouse
Joel Schuchmann steadily rose to one of the Tour’s most important roles. He began his tenure at the PGA Tour in 2001 as a Media Official. After 5+ years of dedicated service to the Tour, he rose to the Senior Manager of Communications role, first bringing his PR expertise to the Tour. Rising to Director and Senior Director, Schuchmann’s services only get clearer, with his influence deeply impacting Tour’s reputation. Schuchmann began his term as the Senior VP in 2022, after he helped navigate the pandemic crisis.
When COVID-19 halted play in 2020, the Tour faced one of its most complex logistical nightmares. After a 12-week hiatus put the Tour under threat of massive financial losses, Schuchmann took matters into his own hands. Joel Schuchmann was at the center of the TOUR’s “Return to Golf,” orchestrating the messaging that helped restore confidence among players, partners, and fans.
“It included a revised schedule and a host of additional changes,” Schuchmann said. “The most significant being the health and safety portion of the plan. This was developed over the better part of three months with input from PGA TOUR medical adviser Dr. Tom Hospel, an expert in infectious diseases from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Federal Coronavirus Task Force, as well as other specialists and laboratory directors, and in consultation with the other professional sports leagues. And, of course, we depended heavily on the support and cooperation of local and state governments in the markets where we invite guests each week.”
Schuchmann’s steady leadership and transparent approach turned a potential crisis into a blueprint for how elite sports could resume responsibly. He kept media engagement active even under restrictions. The initiative reinforced the PGA TOUR’s reputation for professionalism and trust. And through his personal firm now, Schuchmann is looking to replicate just that.
NASCAR championship: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing rekindle friendly rivalry
Jeff Gordon was in the thick of dissecting Hendrick Motorsports’ prospects for the NASCAR championship when he was interrupted by a text message from his team’s chief rival.
This wasn’t any typical trash talk about the title.
Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern instead was contacting the Hendrick vice chairman to convey how privileged JGR felt in facing a longtime adversary.
“He just beat me to the punch; I would have done the same thing,” Gordon said Sunday night at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick locked up the final two berths in the title round of NASCAR’s premier series. “It just goes to show you the respect we have for one another. We’re honored as well. I’m really proud to have the relationship that we have with Gibbs. Off the track, we say we’re teammates, but on the track, we’re fierce competitors.”
For the second time in four years, the Championship 4 in the Cup Series is an even split between the two winningest playoff teams in NASCAR history. The best finisher of four drivers in the Nov. 2 season finale at Phoenix Raceway will claim the crown.
Hendrick will be represented by 2021 champion Kyle Larson and William Byron, who beat Ryan Blaney at Martinsville for the team’s record-extending 62nd playoff victory.
Ranking second with 42 playoff victories (including wins in five of the first nine playoff races this season), Gibbs has Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
It’s the third time that Hendrick has owned half the title field, and the fourth time with at least two Championship 4 drivers for JGR, which had a record three in 2019 (winning the title with Kyle Busch).
The powerhouses have combined for 547 Cup wins in a friendly rivalry dating back more than three decades, when Joe Gibbs consulted Rick Hendrick about starting a NASCAR team after winning three Super Bowls as a Hall of Fame football coach.
“I didn’t have anything,” Gibbs said during a news conference Monday. “Everybody referred me to Rick. He helped us a lot and gave advice. It was a huge deal for us to be able to get off the ground. Rick played a huge role in that. I just really appreciate that.”
In addition to supplying engines for JGR’s Cup debut in 1992, Hendrick also invited Gibbs to high-level meetings with executives. Gibbs laughs about trying to return the favor by bringing Hendrick to a Washington football game. “His shoes came apart on the sideline,” Gibbs said. “He almost lost his toes it was so cold. That was a story.”
With five Cup championships, Gibbs eventually became a NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner in 2020, three years after Hendrick was inducted into the stock-car racing shrine.
Hendrick Motorsports captured its record 14th Cup championship in 2021 after Larson beat Hamlin on a final pit stop at Phoenix. That title race also included 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott for Hendrick and 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr. for JGR.
This year’s title field is nearly as deep, featuring the regular-season champion (Byron) and the leaders in wins (Hamlin with six) and top-five finishes (Briscoe with 15).
Toss in Larson, the only former champ in the bunch who ranked second in laps led and top fives, and it’s a wide-open championship without a clear favorite because there is no driver from Team Penske, which won the past three championships with Blaney and Joey Logano.
“I think the door is wide open,” Larson said after taking fifth at Martinsville to beat out JGR’s Christopher Bell on points for the last Championship 4 spot. “I really couldn’t tell you who would be the favorite now. Where if Blaney had won, we all would say he’s the favorite. It’s going to be a fun week trying to be the best prepared for it. You could make a case for any of us. We’re all four deserving teams, so may the best man win.”
Gordon, who won four Cup championships in his driving career while battling with former Gibbs stars Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, is expecting an “epic battle” between two team owners who maintain an “incredible relationship” with regular conversations.
“They don’t talk racing,” Gordon said. “They don’t talk about what happened on Sunday unless they’re congratulating one another on something.”
Gibbs jokes he’d like to avoid racing his longtime friend Hendrick.
“I would prefer to go against somebody that’s not very good,” he said with a laugh. “The problem is that doesn’t happen in NASCAR. We know what we’re up against somebody that’s really, really good. Two cars for them. Two for us. Hopefully, this will be good for the fans and the excitement. Probably won’t be good for me. I’ll be so nervous and uptight about it.”
___
A look at who is racing for a NASCAR championship in Cup, Xfinity, Trucks at Phoenix
The Championship 4 is set for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series and a champion will be crowned in each series this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
The Cup season comes to a close Sunday on NBC and Peacock. An expanded Countdown to Green begins at 2 p.m. ET. followed by race coverage.
The Xfinity title race will be at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on the CW Network. The Craftsman Truck Series championship race will be at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS1.
Here is a look at the four drivers racing for a championship in Cup, Xfinity and Trucks.
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Denny Hamlin
Age: 44
Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia
Cup championships: 0
Best points finish: 2nd (2010)
Crew chief: Chris Gayle
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
2025 wins: 6 (Martinsville I, Darlington I, Michigan, Dover, Gateway, Las Vegas II)
2025 top-five finishes: 14
2025 top-10 finishes: 17
Championship 4 appearances: Fifth (2014, ’19, ’20, ’21, 25)
Outlook: Is this the year Denny Hamlin, who will turn 45 shortly after the season, claims his first Cup championship? Could it come in a year when 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan is in a lawsuit against NASCAR that is headed for trial Dec. 1? Hamlin’s runner-up finish at Phoenix in the spring was the best result among the four championship contenders. He and his team have had two extra weeks to prepare for this race after winning the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas. Three times in the last four years the winner of the Round of 8 opener has taken advantage of that extra time to win the Cup championship.
Chase Briscoe
Age: 30
Hometown: Mitchell, IN
Cup championships: 0
Best points finish: 9th (2022)
Crew chief: James Small
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
2025 wins: 3 (Pocono, Southern 500, Talladega II)
2025 top-five finishes: 15
2025 top-10 finishes: 19
Championship 4 appearances: First
Outlook: Makes title race in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, taking over the No. 19 ride from Martin Truex Jr., who retired from full-time racing after last season. Briscoe has been fast all season, scoring a seres-high seven poles. He scored two wins, five top-five finishes and seven top-10 results in the playoffs.
William Byron
Age: 27
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Cup championships: 0
Best points finish: 3rd (2023, ‘24)
Crew chief: Rudy Fugle
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
2025 wins: 3 (Daytona 500, Iowa, Martinsville II)
2025 top-five finishes: 11
2025 top-10 finishes: 16
Championship 4 appearances: 3rd (2023, ’24, ’25)
Outlook: Byron won the regular season and makes his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance after his dominating Martinsville victory last weekend. Byron has won the past two Daytona 500s. He has led a series-high 1,278 laps this season. He finished sixth at Phoenix in the spring, leading 83 laps. He looks to give the No. 24 car at Hendrick Motorsports its first Cup title since Jeff Gordon won his fourth and final crown in 2001.
Kyle Larson
Age: 33
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Cup championships: 1 (2021)
Best points finish: 1st (2021)
Crew chief: Cliff Daniels
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
2025 wins: 3 (Homestead, Bristol I, Kansas I)
2025 top-five finishes: 14
2025 top-10 finishes: 21
Championship 4 appearances: 3 (2021, ’23, 25)
Outlook: Larson is the only former champion left. He won three of the first 12 races of the season, had a dip in performance in the summer and has scored five top-10 finishes in the past six races, including a pair of runner-up results.
XFINITY SERIES
Connor Zilisch
Age: 19
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Xfinity championships: 0
Best points finish: Rookie season
Crew chief: Mardy Lindley
Team: JR Motorsports
2025 wins: 10 (Circuit of the Americas, Pocono, Sonoma, Dover, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, Daytona II, Portland, Gateway, Charlotte Roval)
2025 Top-five finishes: 19
2025 Top-10 finishes: 22
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2025)
Justin Allgaier
Age: 39
Hometown: Riverton, Illinois
Xfinity championships: 1 (2024)
Best points finish: 1st (2024)
Crew chief: Jim Pohlman
Team: JR Motorsports
2025 wins: 3 (Las Vegas, Homestead, Nashville)
2025 Top-five finishes: 14
2025 Top-10 finishes: 19
Championship 4 appearances: 8 (2016, ’17, ’19, ’20, ’22, ’23, ’24, ’25)
Jesse Love
Age: 20
Hometown: Menlo Park, California
Xfinity championships: 0
Best points finish: 8th (2024)
Crew chief: Danny Stockman
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2025 wins: 1 (Daytona I)
2025 Top-five finishes: 8
2025 Top-10 finishes: 21
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2025)
Carson Kvapil
Age: 22
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Xfinity championships: 0
Best points finish: Rookie season
Crew chief: Andrew Overstreet
Team: JR Motorsports
2025 wins: 0
2025 Top-five finishes: 7
2025 Top-10 finishes: 14
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2025)
CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Corey Heim
Age: 23
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Truck championships: 0
Best points finish: 2nd (2024)
Crew chief: Scott Zipadelli
Team: Tricon Garage
2025 wins: 11 (Daytona, Las Vegas, Texas, Charlotte, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, Richmond, Darlington, New Hampshire, Charlotte Roval, Martinsville)
2025 Top-five finishes: 18
2025 Top-10 finishes: 20
Championship 4 appearances: 3 (2023, ’24, ’25)
Tyler Ankrum
Age: 24
Hometown: San Bernardino, California
Truck championships: 0
Best points finish: 8th (2019, ‘24)
Crew chief: Mark Hillman
Team: McAnally Hilgemann Racing
2025 wins: 1 (Rockingham)
2025 Top-five finishes: 8
2025 Top-10 finishes: 15
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2025)
Ty Majeski
Age: 31
Hometown: Seymour, Wisconsin
Truck championships: 1 (2024)
Best points finish: 1st (2024)
Crew chief: Joe Shear Jr.
Team: ThorSport Racing
2025 wins: 0
2025 Top-five finishes: 9
2025 Top-10 finishes: 17
Championship 4 appearances: 3 (2022, ’24, ’25)
Kaden Honeycutt
Age: 22
Hometown: Willow Park, Texas
Truck championships: 0
Best points finish: 19th (2024)
Crew chief: James Villeneuve
Team: Halmar Friesen Racing
2025 wins: 0
2025 Top-five finishes: 3
2025 Top-10 finishes: 13
Joe Gibbs Comes Clean Over Toyota’s Mechanical Disaster at Martinsville
Since 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing has leaned on Toyota’s engines to win two Cup Series championships with them. But that partnership hit a rough patch at Martinsville’s Xfinity 500, where engine woes sidelined playoff JGR drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. Joe Gibbs, a no-nonsense man, didn’t dodge the fallout and faced the engine woes head-on. But these mechanical failures aren’t new in the Toyota garage.
Take the 23XI Racing squad at Pocono back in June, where brake failures affected all three of their drivers: Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and Tyler Reddick. Just the same way how at Martinsville, the three Toyota engines blew up, including Herbst’s in the No. 35. That kind of synchronized heartbreak raises eyebrows, especially with the finale coming next weekend at Phoenix. Gibbs faced this issue head-on, owning the mess the way a true team owner should.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Joe Gibbs spills on the engine breakdown
As the X post of Jonathan Fjeld read, “After three engine failures at Martinsville, including two with JGR entries, Toyota laid out all of the parts and pieces Monday to see what went wrong and to get ready for Phoenix.”
After three engine failures at Martinsville, including two with JGR entries, Joe Gibbs said Toyota laid out all of the parts and pieces Monday to see what went wrong and to get ready for Phoenix. Gibbs said he believes they “made the right decisions” for Phoenix. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/cZcyWa3SnX
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
— Jonathan Fjeld (@Jonathan_Fjeld) October 27, 2025
Gibbs owned the disaster with no excuses. He talked about the mechanical fixing work that’s in progress in the JGR garage. Martinsville’s mechanical issue is not isolated; it shows a pattern that gave Hamlin his fourth DNF this year, echoing his Talladega throttle issue and Kansas power steering glitch. This is turning his dominant season into a reliability nightmare now as that long-awaited title date is just one race away.
Hamlin didn’t sugarcoat his emotions after the race. He said, “Obviously something major, mechanical. I don’t know, just because the engine simply shut all the way off. If it was a blowup, it’d be the first one that was like that, where, no noises or anything; just the engine actually cut off. But I don’t know. Way too early to speculate.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
These words show Hamlin’s helplessness about what he felt on lap 335, when his engines shut off suddenly. A race should be won or lost by a driver’s skill alone, but the recent mechanical problems show a different pattern. These types of problems show the luck side of the game, where anything can derail the hunt for that elusive title.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
With his Las Vegas win that locked him into Phoenix, where he’s averaged 8.8 in the next-gen era. Hamlin held onto his optimism for Phoenix, but these mechanical issues should be fixed once and for all before the finale. And with JGR engineers and Toyota Racing Development working together, a fix must not be very far.
Briscoe, who also registered a DNF at Martinsville, echoed the frustration. “No indication. I was just running around there. I felt really good about coming here and where we were at and racing with [Kyle] Larson there, and went to upshift and something happened. I’m not really sure; it’s unfortunate. We’ll go on to next week, and that [issue] won’t matter anyway.”
Running 14th in Stage 2, his engine quit on Lap 296, a gut punch for him too, who is hoping to win his first title after the Talladega win that locked him in for Phoenix. Luckily, Briscoe’s Phoenix history shines, as he won his first Cup there in 2022 with Stewart-Haas.
Gibbs wrapped up by showing confidence in his decision. “We made the right decisions” for the finale, doing tweaks in the Toyota cars to chase durability and a clean run throughout the race. It’s about admitting a problem and working on the solution rather than ignoring it, and that can only come from raw honesty.
But as Phoenix arrives next week, it’s finally come down to two heavyweight teams against each other.
Gordon eyes HMS vs JGR in Championship 4
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick’s vice chairman and four-time champ, sees the title fight boiling down to a classic between heavyweight teams. With two drivers each from Hendrick (William Byron, Kyle Larson) and JGR (Hamlin, Briscoe), he laid it straight: “Yeah, it’s Penske, Gibbs, and Hendrick that were in this round. You narrow it down to two, which it was going to be. Either one of them was going to be a heavyweight battle, right?”
No matter which two camps out of the Big Three ended up facing each other, the championship fight was going to be intense and high-level, according to Gordon. The Martinsville race saw Byron‘s win revive the No. 24’s legacy, last victorious under Gordon a decade ago, while Larson’s prior title makes him a strong contender as well. But JGR’s duo, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, who have been in red-hot form in the playoffs, cannot be taken lightly either.
Gordon kept it real on the mutual passion, saying, “I mean, we have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. We’ve battled through some big events and championships in the past.” Think back to 2021’s Phoenix thriller, where Larson edged Hamlin for the crown, or the ’90s clashes that defined eras.
Now, Byron’s 10.8 average finish at Phoenix with one win paired with Larson’s 10 top-fives puts HMS‘s duo at an edge against JGR’s speed. Gordon’s take? It’s no cakewalk, as he expects zero room for error in those 312 laps.
He favored his own team in the win prediction, stating, “I feel like our chances are extremely good.” But with Hamlin’s motivation to win his first title and Briscoe’s hunger in the line, this rivalry could crown a new king or hand Larson a repeat glory. Whatever it is, Phoenix never fails to deliver the drama.
Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing rekindle friendly rivalry for NASCAR championship
By NATE RYAN
Associated Press
Jeff Gordon was in the thick of dissecting Hendrick Motorsports’ prospects for the NASCAR championship when he was interrupted by a text message from his team’s chief rival.
This wasn’t any typical trash talk about the title.
Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern instead was contacting the Hendrick vice chairman to convey how privileged JGR felt in facing a longtime adversary.
“He just beat me to the punch; I would have done the same thing,” Gordon said Sunday night at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick locked up the final two berths in the title round of NASCAR’s premier series. “It just goes to show you the respect we have for one another. We’re honored as well. I’m really proud to have the relationship that we have with Gibbs. Off the track, we say we’re teammates, but on the track, we’re fierce competitors.”
For the second time in four years, the Championship 4 in the Cup Series is an even split between the two winningest playoff teams in NASCAR history. The best finisher of four drivers in the Nov. 2 season finale at Phoenix Raceway will claim the crown.
Hendrick will be represented by 2021 champion Kyle Larson and William Byron, who beat Ryan Blaney at Martinsville for the team’s record-extending 62nd playoff victory.
Ranking second with 42 playoff victories (including wins in five of the first nine playoff races this season), Gibbs has Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
It’s the third time that Hendrick has owned half the title field, and the fourth time with at least two Championship 4 drivers for JGR, which had a record three in 2019 (winning the title with Kyle Busch).
The powerhouses have combined for 547 Cup wins in a friendly rivalry dating back more than three decades, when Joe Gibbs consulted Rick Hendrick about starting a NASCAR team after winning three Super Bowls as a Hall of Fame football coach.
“I didn’t have anything,” Gibbs said during a news conference Monday. “Everybody referred me to Rick. He helped us a lot and gave advice. It was a huge deal for us to be able to get off the ground. Rick played a huge role in that. I just really appreciate that.”
In addition to supplying engines for JGR’s Cup debut in 1992, Hendrick also invited Gibbs to high-level meetings with executives. Gibbs laughs about trying to return the favor by bringing Hendrick to a Washington football game. “His shoes came apart on the sideline,” Gibbs said. “He almost lost his toes it was so cold. That was a story.”
With five Cup championships, Gibbs eventually became a NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner in 2020, three years after Hendrick was inducted into the stock-car racing shrine.
Hendrick Motorsports captured its record 14th Cup championship in 2021 after Larson beat Hamlin on a final pit stop at Phoenix. That title race also included 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott for Hendrick and 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr. for JGR.
This year’s title field is nearly as deep, featuring the regular-season champion (Byron) and the leaders in wins (Hamlin with six) and top-five finishes (Briscoe with 15).
Toss in Larson, the only former champ in the bunch who ranked second in laps led and top fives, and it’s a wide-open championship without a clear favorite because there is no driver from Team Penske, which won the past three championships with Blaney and Joey Logano.
“I think the door is wide open,” Larson said after taking fifth at Martinsville to beat out JGR’s Christopher Bell on points for the last Championship 4 spot. “I really couldn’t tell you who would be the favorite now. Where if Blaney had won, we all would say he’s the favorite. It’s going to be a fun week trying to be the best prepared for it. You could make a case for any of us. We’re all four deserving teams, so may the best man win.”
Gordon, who won four Cup championships in his driving career while battling with former Gibbs stars Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, is expecting an “epic battle” between two team owners who maintain an “incredible relationship” with regular conversations.
“They don’t talk racing,” Gordon said. “They don’t talk about what happened on Sunday unless they’re congratulating one another on something.”
Gibbs jokes he’d like to avoid racing his longtime friend Hendrick.
“I would prefer to go against somebody that’s not very good,” he said with a laugh. “The problem is that doesn’t happen in NASCAR. We know what we’re up against somebody that’s really, really good. Two cars for them. Two for us. Hopefully, this will be good for the fans and the excitement. Probably won’t be good for me. I’ll be so nervous and uptight about it.”
___
Six-year title drought for Joe Gibbs Racing has felt like ‘forever’
Joe Gibbs is quite used to winning championships. He did so thrice in the NFL, winning three Super Bowls as the head coach in Washington. He’s won five NASCAR Cup Series championships as a car owner.
But Gibbs’ NASCAR team hasn’t won a Cup Series title in six years, with Kyle Busch’s 2019 title being the last time JGR was on top of the pile. That could change on Nov. 2, with JGR drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe making up half of NASCAR’s Championship 4 field.
Lawsuit Update: NASCAR Alleges Michael Jordan & Co. Are Pushing for “Millions of Dollars” in Charter Fight
Just recently, NASCAR and two teams involved in the ongoing antitrust lawsuit walked out of a two-day mediation in Charlotte with no deal in sight. Overseen by Judge Kenneth Bell and mediator Jeffrey Mishkin, the high-stakes talks were supposed to find common ground before the December 1 trial. Instead, both sides left the table tight-lipped, their silence hinting at the deep divide that remains.
The failed negotiation now sets the stage for one of the most significant legal battles in NASCAR history – a case that could not only redefine team ownership and revenue sharing across the sport but also NASCAR’s core. And as new court filings emerge, NASCAR’s stance is growing louder and, importantly, costlier by the day. Here’s the latest update:
NASCAR fires back at 23XI and Front Row Motorsports
The NASCAR lawsuit battle took another interesting turn today. As you are aware, both parties haven’t held back from attacking each other. And now, with trial briefs officially filed, NASCAR isn’t holding back in its response to the ongoing antitrust lawsuit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
According to a report from Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, the sanctioning body accuses teams of seeking “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages that they intend to keep for themselves,” insisting that “there is no evidence to support such an award.” In its preliminary statement, NASCAR lays out its defense by reminding the court of its long-standing history of collaboration with teams, manufacturers, and partners over eight decades. The organization argues that its success has been “built on hard work, investments, and innovation and not anticompetitive conduct,” as claimed by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports.
At the heart of the NASCAR lawsuit, 23XI and FRM allege that NASCAR has maintained a monopoly over what they call the “premier stock car racing team market,” violating federal antitrust laws under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The teams claim NASCAR’s track sanctioning and IP licensing agreements tied to the Next-Gen car structure create unfair restraints of trade and limit competition.
NASCAR, however, flatly rejects those accusations. The filing emphasizes that the Sherman Act “protects competition, not competitors,” and that the governing body has the right to choose “with whom it will deal.” In simpler terms, NASCAR argues it hasn’t broken any laws, it’s just operating within its rights as a business. They can say “no” to deals they don’t like, just like any company can.
The statement also takes a jab at the plaintiffs’ damages claim. NASCAR points out that the teams signed contracts with them, got paid what they were owed, and now, after the contracts ended, the teams are trying to ask for more money. With the December 1 trial fast approaching, this battle over money, power, and control within NASCAR’s structure is about to hit full speed in court.
Trial ground rules set for NASCAR lawsuit
In an unexpected moment of cooperation, attorneys for NASCAR, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports have agreed on several stipulations ahead of their high-profile NASCAR lawsuit trial. One of the key agreements prohibits personal attacks during proceedings.
Earlier this month, discovery leaked text messages showed highly charged exchanges where Michael Jordan referred to rival teams as “p—–” for signing NASCAR’s charter deal. On the other hand, Denny Hamlin expressed deep disdain for the France family.
Similarly, NASCAR has accused both teams of manipulating others and their conduct as “classic cartel behavior, ultimately because they received less than they would have.” This restraint aims to keep the focus strictly on legal arguments rather than personal animosities.
Another critical stipulation in the NASCAR lawsuit bars any discussion or reference to other legal cases where they have opposed each other. NASCAR and the teams have long histories of litigation on various matters. Preventing references to these prior cases ensures the jury will assess only the current antitrust claims without preconceived notions formed by earlier conflicts.
Perhaps most notably, all parties have agreed not to mention or speculate on the circumstances surrounding Brian France’s departure from NASCAR leadership. Brian France, who took over from his father Bill France Jr., served as NASCAR’s CEO and chairman until 2018, stepping down following multiple controversies, including a 2018 DUI arrest. His exit ushered in a new era under Jim France. However, his tumultuous tenure remains a sensitive topic that could detract from the case’s legal focus.
With these ground rules established, the trial scheduled for December 1, 2025, promises to be a tightly controlled battle of legal strategy and not personal grievances.
Will Salt Lake City get a Major League Baseball team?
While the pursuit of an MLB team is still very much in play, Monday saw the official start of construction for a gleaming 10-story office building, the future new headquarters of Rocky Mountain Power, on an expansive site just west of downtown Salt Lake City that may someday also play host to a “field of dreams” for Utah pro baseball fans.
Rocky Mountain power officials along with Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and other local leaders turned ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt at the 100-acre plot just south of North Temple near 1500 West as the first phase of the Power District project, unveiled two-and-a-half years ago, gets under way.
RMP President Dick Garlish noted the power company’s current facility on the property is beyond overdue for an upgrade.
“It was built when Harry Truman was president,” Garlish said. “Four years before Disneyland was built. Then we had a remodel in 1978 when Carter was president. And the last time we had an addition on to our facilities here was in 1991 when George Bush was president.”
The new RMP facility represents the start of construction of the Larry H. Miller Company’s $3.5 billion Power District development, which includes the Utah State Fairpark and improvements to the Jordan River. The company is working with the Fairpark board, Salt Lake City, the Jordan River Commission and the state to incorporate various community master and land-use plans into the project.
The planned multifunction, mixed-use development will feature green space and trails, a beautified Jordan Riverwalk, innovative residential options, a focus on local dining and retail and, if the Millers’ pursuit of a big league expansion team is successful, a ballpark. It will be walkable, bicycle-friendly and transit-connected, according to the company.
The site sits between the Salt Lake City International Airport and downtown and is bordered by I-80 and a light rail, as well as the Fairpark and Jordan River. A $10 million investment for infrastructure improvements and site cleanup is moving forward.
Starks said breaking ground for the new 300,000 square-foot RMP facility is a milestone for the Power District.
“This is our first headquarter building here and I think it changes the profile of this whole west side community … and starts to form an extension to downtown Salt Lake,” he said. “This is coming alive, this is happening.”
The first of many phases
Starks said the pause between the Power District unveiling and Monday’s groundbreaking has been a very busy time as the Miller Company works with its array of partners to move things forward on a variety of fronts. Those include other potential corporate headquarters projects, residential buildouts and remediation of the Jordan River, which runs along the south east border of the development site.
Starks said the company is getting close to announcing the next building project and working on remediation plans for the Jordan which is set to play a feature role in the Power District’s future.
“It will be clean, it will be a place for people to walk along and enjoy,” Starks said. “It’s a great amenity and will be a signature part of everything we’re doing here.”
The district’s plan includes 1.3 million square feet of office space, 4,700 housing units and 320,000 square feet of retail space.
Big League chase is ongoing
The Millers are pursuing a major league expansion team for Salt Lake City. A group called Big League Utah, made up of prominent state, community and business leaders, is supporting the effort.
While a potential future ballpark was not the focus of Monday’s event, nearly every speaker made note of their hopes for a future MLB presence in the Power District. Big League Utah has said it envisions a year-round, multiuse stadium for all kinds of events from sports to concerts to community celebrations.
“There is great momentum in this community, and we are grateful for our many partners who share our commitment to developing this world-class sports and entertainment anchored mixed-use project,” Starks said.
Construction of a ballpark would likely involve a public-private partnership. Utah lawmakers passed legislation last year that would divert a rental car tax increase and other taxes to a stadium project, totaling as much as $900 million.
Last week, veteran sports executive and Utah native Dave Checketts joined a litany of national sports writers and other industry watchers in characterizing Big League Utah’s franchise pursuit at or near the front of the pack for expansion locations, which is expected to include one new team in the East and another in the West.
“The Miller family who I brought into the Jazz in 1985 has sold not only their team but sold all of their auto dealerships. They’re sitting on billions of cash and they’ve bought land just west of downtown Salt Lake. They have a beautiful stadium plan and they’ve got $900 million from the state legislature,” Checketts said on a Front Office Sports panel discussion earlier this month.
“They’re by far No. 1 in the West.”
Checketts built a wide-ranging career as a top sports executive and investor. His tenure as Jazz president/CEO ran through 1990 before he moved on to take over as the New York Knicks chief executive and later became the president/CEO of Madison Square Garden from 1994-2001.
Along the way he founded the New York Liberty, one of the original WNBA franchises, and founded Real Salt Lake, Utah’s Major League Soccer franchise. In 2005, the same year RSL began play, Checketts bought the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code NEWSWK20X: Double Winnings For Sports Equinox
With the Washington Commanders visiting the Kansas City Chiefs for Monday Night Football, now is a great time to activate the latest Caesars Sportsbook promo code NEWSWK20X offer. Place a $1 bet on tonight’s game to instantly unlock 20 100 percent profit boost tokens.
Click here and register to claim this offer.
The outcome of your $1 bet does not matter, and you will receive the tokens before that bet settles. Once you get your profit boost tokens, you will have 14 days to put them to use before they expire. Bet up to $25 on any game with each of them.
Tonight’s Commanders-Chiefs game features two teams that are tending in opposite directions. The Commanders have fallen to 3-4, and they are going to be without Jayden Daniels tonight. The Chiefs have rebounded from a slow start to the season and look like the Super Bowl contender that many expected them to be.
We have more intriguing betting options outside of Monday Night Football, too. The World Series continues with Game 3 tonight. The Dodgers tied the series at 1-1 with a Game 2 win as Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominated the Blue Jays’ lineup. We also have 11 NBA games to consider along with two NHL games.
Bet just $1 on any of these games to instantly unleash your profit boost tokens.
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code NEWSWK20X: Claim 20 Profit Boosts
You can use any market to activate your offer, but your initial bet is a good chance to take advantage of unique aspects of the Caesars Sportsbook app. Pre-made parlays like the ones below might appeal to you:
Commanders lead at halftime, Chiefs win (+425)
Patrick Mahomes over 275.5 passing yards, Rashee Rice over 66.5 receiving yards, Isiah Pacheco over 49.5 rushing yards (+345)
Chiefs -10.5, over 48 total points (+270)
Commanders +10.5, over 48 total points (+265)
Bet Boosts For MNF, World Series
We have a sports equinox today with the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL all in action. Bet boosts are available for all of these games. With Monday Night Football and the World Series taking most of the attention, let’s take a look at some examples for those games:
Commanders +12.5, Marcus Mariota over 1.5 passing touchdowns (+310)
Rashee Rice and Terry McLaurin EACH over 59.5 receiving yards (+325)
Jacory Croskey-Merritt over 69.5 rushing + receiving yards and a touchdown (+380)
Dodgers over 4.5 runs and Will Smith over 1.5 total bases (+275)
Teoscar Hernandez and George Springer EACH over 1.5 total bases (+460)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Freddie Freeman EACH hit a home run (+2150)
Redeem Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code NEWSWK20X
Follow the steps listed below to get started with this offer:
Click here to go to the registration page
Enter the promo code NEWSWK20X
Provide basic identifying information (Name, birth date, address, phone number, email, etc.)
Complete an initial deposit with a secure payment method (Credit card, debit card, online banking, etc.)
Place your initial $1 bet on any game to instantly unlock your 20 100 percent profit boost tokens
Put your tokens to use within two weeks before they expire from your account
Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator’s terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Desert Surge Puts Bronx Native on New York Mets’ Radar
Before he was even old enough to drive, Chris Suero moved far from home in pursuit of his dream. Ironically enough, that pursuit could soon bring him back home.
The Bronx native, now one of the New York Mets’ most intriguing young prospects, has spent the fall making noise in the desert. Playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, Suero has shown the kind of multi-dimensional game that gets people leaning forward.
Through his first week of action, he already had three home runs, eight RBIs, and four stolen bases while going 8-for-29 with an OPS above .960. Every swing seems measured but violent, each stolen base calculated, the product of a player who is both instinctive and deliberate.
Chris Suero Left Home at 15 to Pursue Baseball Dreams in the Dominican Republic
Suero’s path has been anything but conventional. At just 15, he left the Bronx for the Dominican Republic, trading familiar streets for the sun-soaked fields of the Academia Carlos Paulino in Nizao. Because his parents were Dominican, he was eligible to sign as an international free agent—and the Mets signed him in March 2022.
From that early decision, Suero treated every rep as a step closer to proving he belonged, embracing the grind of year-round competition and the cultural leap that came with living halfway across the world from home.
In 2025, the progress was unmistakable. Across 378 at-bats between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, he hit .233 with 16 home runs and 35 stolen bases, posting a .379 on-base percentage, and his stretch in Brooklyn earned Suero a spot on the South Atlantic League All-Star team.
What stands out isn’t just the raw numbers—it’s how they were built. Walk rates climbed, strikeouts remained under control, and stolen bases weren’t just speed on display—they were smart, anticipatory decisions. Suero wasn’t running for the highlight; he was running for the team and for the opportunity to shape every inning.
This fall, he looks less like a prospect and more like a player ready to arrive. Currently ranked No. 15 in the Mets system, Suero rotates between catcher, first base, and left field, showing a versatility that increases his value exponentially.
In the AFL, one home run came on a 106-mph opposite-field shot; another landed 356 feet to left. The bat speed is undeniable, and the approach is disciplined. Every plate appearance has the sense of a player testing himself, of someone who understands the stakes but refuses to let them weigh him down.
Chris Suero Impresses Mets With Blend of Power, Speed, Defensive Flexibility
The Mets likely see both the player and the story. A South Bronx kid who left home to chase his dream is now flashing skills that could bring him back to Queens.
Defensively, questions remain — can he stick behind the plate? But in a game increasingly defined by multi-dimensionality, Suero’s blend of bat, speed, and defensive flexibility gives the Mets options. He can force his way into a lineup and stay in it while still providing positional versatility across the field.
Off the field, Suero’s demeanor reflects his upbringing: a quiet competitiveness, a focus on work over words. He’s not flashy for the sake of attention, but his presence is felt in every part of the game. Coaches and teammates alike have noticed it, describing him as a natural leader who inspires through example, not pronouncement.
In Scottsdale, Suero is writing the next chapters of his story. In the Mets system, he’s inching toward meaningful roles that could impact the big league club sooner than expected. And for the Bronx kid who once boarded a plane halfway across the world just to play more baseball, the destination is coming into view.
The spotlight in the desert may be brief, but the future he’s building is anything but.
How to Watch Dodgers vs Blue Jays Game 3: Live Stream MLB World Series, TV Channel
Tyler Glasnow and the Los Angeles Dodgers face Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday at Dodger Stadium.
How to Watch Dodgers vs Blue Jays: Game 3
Date: Monday, October 27, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Channel: FOX
Stream: Fubo (TRY FOR FREE)
The Dodgers tied the series at one game apiece by beating the Blue Jays 5-1 in Game 2. Toronto came out on fire, taking Game 1, 11-4, but the defending champions showed they are not going down without a fight.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto put on a dominant performance, going the distance while only giving up 1 run. The Dodgers will now turn to another one of their frontline starters, Tyler Glasnow, as they look to take control of the series.
Former Dodger Max Scherzer gets the starting nod for Toronto. The veteran pitcher was great in the ALCS, his lone postseason appearance this year, after struggling to end the regular season.
The superstars Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will look to insert themselves into the boxscore early and put their team on top with one swing on he bat.
This is a great World Series matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
Live stream Dodgers vs Blue Jays on FOX for free with Fubo: Start your free trial now!
Subscribe to Fubo to watch every game during the World Series, including pre- and postgame coverage.
Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Use FanDuel promo code, get $300 bonus bets by targeting Chiefs-Commanders, Blue Jays-Dodgers, Lakers-Blazers
Monday’s sports calendar is packed with matchups across all four major sports, providing a great opportunity to take advantage of the latest FanDuel promo code, which offers new users $300 in bonus bets if their first wager of $5 or more wins. The Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET, while Game 3 of the 2025 World Series gets underway at 8 p.m. ET. According to the latest NFL odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, Kansas City is favored by 11.5-points, while the over/under for total points scored is 47.5. In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers (2-1) will host the Portland Trail Blazers (1-2) at 10:30 p.m. ET as part of an 11-game slate.
SportsLine’s model has Washington covering the spread (+11.5) vs. the Chiefs in 54% of simulations. The model’s best bets also include the over (8.5) in Blue Jays vs. Dodgers. In addition, SportsLine’s model is backing Los Angeles to cover (+2.5) in the Lakers vs. Trail Blazers in 56% of simulations. Claim the latest FanDuel promo code here:
Check out our FanDuel promo code review for full details.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model is on a sizzling 43-28 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Best Monday picks
Commanders (+11.5) vs. Chiefs (-112)
Blue Jays vs. Dodgers: Over 8.5 total runs (-102)
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers (+2.5) (-105)
Combining the model’s three picks into a three-leg parlay at FanDuel would result in a payout of +631 (risk $100 to win $631). Bet it at FanDuel here:
Commanders (+11.5) vs. Chiefs (-112)
The Commanders are going to be without Jayden Daniels, but still have veteran Marcus Mariota to lean on. Washington goes into this game 2-0 ATS in non-conference games and 2-1 ATS following a loss. They will have Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel both active, giving the offense a boost. SportsLine’s model has the Commanders covering the spread in 54% of simulations. Bet the Commanders to cover at FanDuel Sportsbook:
Blue Jays vs. Dodgers: Over 8.5 total points (-102)
The Blue Jays have four players who are batting over .300 this postseason. As a team, they have compiled 23 team home runs and 78 RBI in the playoffs as well. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to be the main force, ranking first on the team in home runs (6) and RBI (12). On Los Angeles’ side, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has belted six homers, followed by Teoscar Hernandez’s four homers. SportsLine’s model projects these teams to combine for 8.7 total runs. Bet the Blue Jays vs. Dodgers over at FanDuel Sportsbook:
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers (+2.5) (-105)
The Lakers will be without both LeBron James (sciatica) and Luka Doncic (finger/leg). In the first game without these two, Los Angeles beat the Kings 127-120 last night, led by Austin Reaves’ career-high 51 points. The Lakers also had four other players in double figures. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has won six of the last seven games against Portland, with each win coming by at least six points. SportsLine’s model has the Lakers covering the spread in 54% of simulations. Bet the Lakers to cover at FanDuel Sportsbook:
Want more NBA picks?
BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS: Claim $150 in bonus bets at MGM for Chiefs-Commanders on Monday Night Football
The Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs are set to collide on Monday Night Football, providing sports fans with an opportunity to use the latest BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS, which gives users $150 in bonus bets if their bet wins or up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their bet loses, depending on the state they live in. In addition to Commanders vs. Chiefs, Game 3 of the 2025 World Series gets underway at 8 p.m. ET when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Toronto Blue Jays. Sign up for BetMGM to wager on Monday’s games here:
Visit the BetMGM bonus code review page for the terms and conditions of both offers.
Best bets on Monday, Oct. 27
Marcus Mariota will be the starting quarterback for the Commanders as Jayden Daniels deals with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Cowboys. Mariota finished the Week 7 game for Daniels, and went 1-1 as the starter for Washington this season while Daniels was recovering from a knee issue. The Chiefs started the season 0-2 but have looked like juggernauts since then, winning four of their last five contests. Patrick Mahomes is putting up MVP-like numbers, and the offense is more fluid with the return of Rashee Rice. Mahomes’ over/under for total passing yards on Monday night is 275.5. The Chiefs are 10.5-point favorites in the latest SportsLine consensus odds, but the model likes Washington on the spread. The Commanders cover in 54% of simulations.
The Blue Jays lost home-field advantage with L.A.’s Game 2 win, and they’ll try to get it back on Monday when they send Max Scherzer (5-5, 5.19 ERA) to the bump. Scherzer is making his fifth career World Series start, and he is 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA over the previous four outings. The Dodgers are rolling with Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.19 ERA), who was excellent in his last appearance in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers. The SportsLine Projection Model is backing the Blue Jays +1.5 for Monday’s game, as Toronto covers in 64% of simulations for an
Mookie Betts a deserving winner of the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award
“We regard this to be the highest award that can be given to a major league player,” commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Betts and his wife, Brianna, founded the 5050 Foundation in 2021. They work helping children with emotional and physical issues. They’ve also continued to support the homeless and most recently victims of the fires in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Betts also works with high school athletes on improving their grades and has partnered with the Obama Foundation to provide equipment to young athletes in his home state of Tennessee.
The “Betts On Us Fund” at UCLA Children’s Hospital supports families of pediatric patients who need financial assistance.
They’ve sponsored AAU basketball teams, charity bowling tournaments and even refurbished the baseball field at John Muir High School, Jackie Robinson’s alma mater.
“Mookie has been an unbelievable ambassador for our game,” Manfred said.
The Red Sox traded Betts to the Dodgers before the 2020 season. Betts has been a centerpiece for two World Series winners since and is playing for his fourth ring this week.
All he’s done this season is make the full-timeswitch from right field to shortstop and become a Gold Glove finalist.
Luis Clemente was at Dodger Stadium representing his family when Betts received his award. As a Clemente Award winner, Betts will wear Clemente’s retired No. 21 on the back of his cap.
Betts had a rough first half of the season at the plate this year. But his work with the foundation kept it in perspective.
“My on-the-field things are irrelevant to [helping others],” he said. “You can still be successful and maybe not in a way that you didn’t know. It’s just really cool to be able to hold up this award and to know that this had nothing to do with baseball.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who grew up hearing stories about Clemente’s legacy from his father, texted Betts to congratulate him.
“He told me I’m a ‘Rican now,” Betts said, laughing.
Betts is an eight-time All-Star with a Most Valuable Player award, six Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers in his trophy case.
But the players will tell you the Clemente Award is special.
“It means a lot. Life is about more than kind of what you do, I think, as far as work. It’s about how you affect people,” Betts said.
“People always remember how you make them feel. So I know we live by that. So when we come across people, we always make them smile, do what you can to help them, and the Lord blesses you.”
Previous Clemente Award winners include Lou Brock, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr., and Brooks Robinson along with Red Sox players David Ortiz and Tim Wakefield.
When Betts received his award on the field before Game 3 of the World Series, he was introduced as “our guy, Mookie Betts” to the cheering crowd at Dodger Stadium.
It’s a painful reminder to Red Sox fans of the foolish trade that sent their guy to Los Angeles. That the Sox ultimately got little back in the trade is secondary to the idea that he was traded in the first place.
Even now, six years later, it’s hard to understand the Sox didn’t realize they were making a franchise-altering mistake, that nobody in the room stood up and said they had to find a way to make it work.
It’s no coincidence the Sox have had only two winning seasons since trading Betts and haven’t come close to winning the division.
The Sox chose instead to build their team around Rafael Devers, giving him a $313.5 million contract then trading him to the Giants less than three years later based on character issues.
They’re on a better path now and have grasped the importance of keeping good players — and good people — with the extensions for Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet.
It shouldn’t have taken trading a player who was recognized on Monday for representing all that’s good about the game.
Bill Murphy to be Pirates’ new pitching coach (source)
The Pirates are hiring Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy as their new pitching coach, sources told MLB.com. The club has yet to confirm the story.
Murphy, 36, has spent the past decade in the Astros’ organization, starting as a Rookie Ball pitching coach in 2016 before rising to their pitching coordinator in ‘19 and assistant pitching coach in ‘21. He was elevated to one of Houston’s two Major League pitching coaches after the ‘21 campaign, and the Astros have boasted some of the best pitching in baseball since then, leading the Majors in team ERA (3.61) since the start of the ‘22 season.
This year, the Astros finished eighth in team pitching WAR (18.0) in MLB per FanGraphs and were tied for 11th in ERA (3.86).
Murphy started his coaching career in the collegiate ranks with Georgetown and Brown. His background in player development has also been a commonality in many Pirates coaching hires.
Murphy worked under Brent Strom early in his coaching career. Strom was the Pirates’ assistant pitching coach in 2025, but he declined to return amid a shakeup on the coaching staff. While his stint was short, he did make an impact, focusing on teaching.
The Pirates opted not to renew Oscar Marin’s contract at the end of this season after getting input from pitchers believing they could reach another level. The 2025 staff was one of the best in the National League, finishing seventh in baseball in ERA (3.76) and fourth in WAR, according to FanGraphs (19.1).
NL Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes anchored that group, but the organization has one of the best collections of young pitchers in baseball. Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Mike Burrows all made strong leaps to the Majors in their rookie campaigns, Mitch Keller has been a steady force in the rotation, Johan Oviedo made his return from Tommy John surgery and Jared Jones should return from his elbow surgery in 2026.
MLB Umpires Suspected of ‘Rigging’ World Series After Bizarre Call Stuns Vladdy Jr. and Blue Jays Fans
Just a few minutes after the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and the Dodgers, things got heated. “Everybody is confused,” the announcer said in the second inning, and they were right to be. Mark Wegner, the home plate umpire, decided for a strike that was so late and uncertain that Blue Jays supporters quickly accused him of being biased. The choice startled everyone and cost Toronto a baserunner and a chance to score. Leaving both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and fans shocked!
The chaos happened in the top of the second inning. Bo Bichette got things going with a crisp single to center field, putting a runner on base with no outs. What occurred next turned a normal at-bat into a big deal.
Daulton Varsho faced Tyler Glasnow and thought a high pitch was ball four, beginning to walk to first base. Bo Bichette, seeing Varsho’s reaction, also started toward second. Everyone in the stadium believed it was a walk, but umpire Mark Wegner called it a strike instead. Glasnow quickly threw to Freddie Freeman at first base, catching Bichette in between bases, resulting in a crucial out that ended the inning before it began. That left everyone scratching their head, especially the Jays!
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
FOX Sports: MLB captured the aftermath perfectly, posting a clip that instantly went viral. The clip showed Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s stunned reaction to Wegner’s strike call. “Vladimir Guerrero Jr couldn’t believe the strike call,” the caption read. The post ignited Blue Jays fans immediately, who flooded the comments questioning the Umpire’s reliability.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
For Toronto and Bichette in particular, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Bo Bichette, who missed seven weeks because of a sprained left knee, came back for the World Series in a completely different capacity. In today’s Game, he was playing at second base. Well, this was his first time there since 2019 in the Minor Leagues.
The Blue Jays made a strategic change to get him back in the lineup, and now Mark Wegener’s bad call had turned Bichette’s mental adjustment into a baserunning mistake that wasn’t even his fault. The Blue Jays lost a chance, and the Dodgers made them pay for it. Max Muncy hit a solo home run to right field, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.
Even Jack Harris, who writes for the Dodgers, thought what just happened was weird. He wrote on X, “Oh boy. Daulton Varsho thought he’d walked, but HP ump Mark Wegner gave it a late strike call.” “At first base, Bo Bichette didn’t see that—and got caught walking to second for a huge first out of this inning.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Between innings, Blue Jays manager John Schneider marched over to the home plate umpire for a conversation, clearly unhappy with what he’d witnessed and needing answers his team and fanbase deserved.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Home plate umpire’s delay triggers online fury
The outrage online was immediate and unfiltered. Fans watching couldn’t process how such a critical moment got butchered by one man’s incompetence. One fan’s assessment cut straight to the point: “What a do—– umpire omg.” The comment captured the raw frustration of watching Mark Wegner blow a call in the World Series—baseball’s biggest stage—where any misjudgment can cost the game.
Another viewer echoed the same sentiment with pure bewilderment. “wtf is wrong with this umpire,” they wrote, expressing what millions were thinking at that moment. This wasn’t just about one bad call—it was about a delayed call creating chaos in the game, which should have been a clean call. Well, it’s not the first time Wegener’s call has been questioned. Back in the regular series in the game involving the Yankees and the Mariners, a call in the ninth inning: Jasson Dominguez was called out on a low fastball that looked well below the strike zone. Mark Wegner, the umpire, made the call, which made Domínguez visibly angry and prompted manager Aaron Boone to come onto the field; Boone was later ejected.
The pitch location itself became central to the controversy brewing online. “What a bad call from the umpire. That pitch was a ball,” one fan argued. Many depend on strike-zone tracking and think that the human factor lets them down, which makes them wonder about how accurate and consistent high-stakes games are. And that led to thinking about the Robot Umpire!
The comment read with sarcasm, “The owner of a Robot Umpire company just made a million dollars.” Every blown call like this one strengthens the case for introducing a Robot Umpire. Major League Baseball has tested them in the minors with promising results. Moments like Wegener’s disaster in Game 3 don’t just embarrass the umpire—they accelerate the timeline for technology replacing humans behind home plate entirely.
This wasn’t any regular game; it was Game 3 of the Fall Classic, where every small factor mattered. And one fan highlighted that, “An umpire cannot call that a strike in game 3 of the f—–g World Series LMFAO.” Regular-season mistakes get buried in 162 games. Postseason blunders become defining moments that fans remember forever.
The conversation has now shifted into a new direction. Will MLB talk about late calls or zone accuracy during the World Series? How will teams get ready for calls that aren’t clear, especially when the stakes are so high?
Manfred optimistic about MLB player participation in ’28 Olympics
LOS ANGELES — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred called major league player involvement in the 2028 Olympics
Adrian Peterson, former NFL star, arrested on DWI and gun charges in Texas
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been arrested in Sugar Land, Texas, on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to jail records.
Peterson, 40, was taken into custody Sunday morning at around 9:30 a.m., Sugar Land police told CNN affiliate KHOU.
This is the second time Peterson has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving this year.
In April, the former NFL MVP was booked in Minnesota on a charge of driving while impaired after police pulled him over for speeding, the Associated Press reported. The arrest happened after Peterson had attended an NFL draft event for Vikings fans.
CNN reached out to police for further details about Peterson’s arrest in Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston.
Peterson has lived in the Houston area and was a star high school football player in East Texas, according to the AP. He played in the NFL for 15 seasons, earning league MVP honors in 2012, when he became one of only nine running backs in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
Former NFL player Adrian Peterson arrested on DWI and gun charges in Texas
By Karina Tsui, Isaac Yee, CNN
(CNN) — Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been arrested in Sugar Land, Texas, on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to jail records.
Peterson, 40, was taken into custody Sunday morning at around 9:30 a.m., Sugar Land police told CNN affiliate KHOU.
This is the second time Peterson has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving this year.
In April, the former NFL MVP was booked in Minnesota on a charge of driving while impaired after police pulled him over for speeding, the Associated Press reported. The arrest happened after Peterson had attended an NFL draft event for Vikings fans.
CNN reached out to police for further details about Peterson’s arrest in Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston.
Peterson has lived in the Houston area and was a star high school football player in East Texas, according to the AP. He played in the NFL for 15 seasons, earning league MVP honors in 2012, when he became one of only nine running backs in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
The NFL suspended Peterson in 2014 after he was charged with felony child abuse over allegations he had disciplined his 4-year-old son too harshly with a switch. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault, and the NFL reinstated him the following year.
The Winners and Losers of the NFL Week 8
Every week this NFL season, we will break down the highs and lows—and everything in between—from the most recent slate of pro football. This week, the slate was defined by blowouts, Jordan Love had a near-perfect fourth quarter to ruin Aaron Rodgers’s revenge bid, Sean Payton called a brilliant game to exploit the Cowboys’ defensive weaknesses, Jonathan Taylor is building an unlikely MVP case, the Jets finally got their first win, and more. Welcome to Winners and Losers.
Winner: Jordan Love
On Sunday night, Love confirmed what the Packers believed three years ago when they moved on from Aaron Rodgers: that Rodgers’s former mentee had passed the veteran by. If that wasn’t apparent in the very first year of the Love era in Green Bay, when he led the Packers to a playoff win over Dallas, it definitely is now. On Sunday, Love threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Rodgers’s Steelers that kept the Packers atop the NFC standings at 5-1-1. And if there were any Packers fans who still weren’t over Rodgers and hadn’t fully accepted Love as the team’s franchise quarterback, I’m not sure there was anything more they needed to see.
Love put his entire skill set on display against Pittsburgh. He threw with good timing, averaging just under 2.5 seconds per attempt. He wasn’t sacked, despite being pressured on nearly a fourth of his dropbacks. Love faced plenty of pressure but often beat it with his signature fadeaway. And Love was accurate, completing 20 passes in a row at one point.
There were a handful of layups mixed in there, but Love kept the streak going with some truly outrageous throws. This cross-body heave to Christian Watson on third down had no business being completed.
Packers receivers made some unreal catches and helped Love by getting open all night. Pittsburgh tried to play man coverage against Green Bay’s deep group of pass catchers but found little success. Tight end Tucker Kraft looked like a Rob Gronkowski–Travis Kelce hybrid in the open field, catching all seven of his targets against man coverage for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns, per Next Gen Stats. Watson, in his first game back since suffering an ACL tear in 2024, caught four passes for 85 yards, with 52 of those yards coming against man coverage. In all, Love averaged over 13 yards per attempt and threw all three of his touchdowns against Pittsburgh’s man coverage.
This is a continuation of a positive trend for Love, who’s been dicing up man coverage after struggling against it in 2024. He’s made significant jumps in EPA per dropback, yards per dropback, and success rate.
Love is scrambling more often when he sees man coverage, which makes sense. Coverage defenders are chasing their matchups, and because their backs are turned, there’s more room for Love to scramble. Last season, Love hardly took advantage, scrambling on just 1.6 percent of his dropbacks against man. In 2025, that’s up to 8.3 percent, per TruMedia. He’s finally putting his mobility to use when Packers receivers aren’t getting open, and it’s unlocked another level for the passing game.
Love is playing at a level that Rodgers, in his 40s and two years removed from a major Achilles tendon injury, can no longer reach. As we saw on Sunday in the loss to the Packers, the Steelers quarterback can still deliver beautiful passes when he has time and space in the pocket, but he’s pretty much useless when put under any pressure. Rodgers averaged 0.4 yards on six pressured dropbacks, per TruMedia. That would be impressive if it were his EPA average, but that was –0.43 per dropback. (And that’s actually an improvement on his full-season average of –0.50 EPA per dropback, which ranks 28th in the NFL.)
As Rodgers has learned since losing his mobility a few years back, playing quarterback today is a lot harder when you can’t move or throw off-platform. It’s a problem the Packers haven’t been concerned with going back to the early 1990s, when Brett Favre took over as the starter. Rodgers could always throw on the move during his time in green and gold, and now Love has added that ability to his game.
Winner: Jonathan Taylor’s MVP Campaign
It’s time for our weekly check-in on the NFL’s most dominant offense. The Colts ran over the Titans, 38-14, on their way to a 7-1 start. I’ve already spent plenty of time talking about the resurgence of Daniel Jones and the ingenious play calling of Shane Steichen this season, so it’s probably past time for me to finally give the team’s best player his flowers. That’s running back Jonathan Taylor, who was already the betting favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year before racking up 153 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries against Tennessee. I know we don’t give the MVP award to running backs anymore, but if we weren’t so quarterback-obsessed, Taylor would be the leader in the race for the league’s biggest individual award.
Taylor leads the league in yards from scrimmage (1,056) and total touchdowns (14), which puts him on pace for a 2,244-yard, 28-touchdown season. Adrian Peterson had 2,314 scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns during his MVP-winning season in 2012, which was the last time we saw a non-quarterback win the award.
Look, I get why a quarterback always wins MVP and why running backs no longer do: The success of a team’s run game is typically more influenced by the performance of the offensive line and play calling. But we have advanced metrics that can account for the degree of difficulty a runner faces, and those stats say Taylor is having an exceptional season. He leads the NFL with 366 rushing yards after missed tackles, and he’s forcing a missed tackle on 34 percent of his rush attempts. And he’s currently ranked second with 203 rushing yards over expected per Next Gen Stats. Against the Titans on Sunday, he averaged 8.4 yards after contact and generated 131 rushing yards after forcing missed tackles.
The Colts’ offensive line may be blocking its collective ass off, but how many running backs are deleting this defender’s tackling angle and taking this run to the house?
How many backs are making this play?
Or this one?
If we gave Josh Allen a “here, damn” MVP award last year, can’t we do the same for a running back? This would be the season to do it because there isn’t a truly dominant quarterback. Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are hurt, the Bills have Allen playing like a game manager, and Patrick Mahomes isn’t putting up top-five passing stats (yet). And while I love Drake Maye’s game, he’ll have plenty of time to win MVP over the next decade.
Even after Taylor’s historic start to the season, there are still seven players with better odds to win the award, including his teammate Jones. Taylor is just ahead of Jalen Hurts, who’s thrown for at least 300 yards only once all season. Taylor has no margin for error in the MVP race. He’ll have to keep up this ridiculous pace just to keep his name in the conversation. He may have to improve on his current pace—and get over 2,000 rushing yards—to actually win it. Based on his performance through two months, I wouldn’t rule that out completely.
Loser: Sean Payton’s Impulse Control
Just when you think Payton might have lost his fastball as a play caller, the Broncos coach goes and pitches a gem. After a week of hearing questions about the offense’s early-game struggles, Payton had Denver firing early in a 44-22 win over the Cowboys. Bo Nix threw four touchdown passes and finally found some downfield accuracy after a shaky start to the game and an opening-drive interception. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey combined for 157 yards on the ground, which helped keep Nix out of obvious passing situations. Nix took just six of his 29 dropbacks on third down—only Tua Tagovailoa and Daniel Jones had fewer in Week 8, per TruMedia. It was a low-stress game for the Broncos quarterback against a hapless Dallas defense, thanks to Payton and the run game.
“We wanted to keep them in last,” Payton coldly said of the Cowboys’ last-ranked defense after the win, continuing his string of spicy press conferences after pissing off Russell Wilson last Sunday. Whether or not it was meant as a sign of disrespect, Payton insinuated that he built his game plan around the Cowboys defense being both bad and injured—and Payton showed little remorse for doing so. He set up mismatches for Nix to attack through the air, including one against cornerback Trikweze Bridges, a college teammate of both Nix and Denver receiver Troy Franklin, in what had to feel like a real-life re-creation of the crying Wesley Snipes meme for Denver’s Oregon alums.
Nix targeted Bridges 13 times throughout the game and burned him for 102 yards, two touchdowns, and five first downs, per Pro Football Focus. A recurring theme was a Broncos receiver running past Bridges, who looked like he was playing in quicksand. Rookie Pat Bryant ran right past him for his first career touchdown.
Courtland Sutton did the same for a big gain in the fourth quarter.
Denver’s offensive line also won its matchup in the trenches. Despite Jerry Jones’s preseason hopes, swapping out Micah Parsons for Kenny Clark has not fixed the Cowboys’ run defense. The Broncos got whatever they wanted on the ground on Sunday. Their ballcarriers averaged 1.3 yards before contact, a sign the offensive line was doing its job, and 5.1 yards after contact, showing how poorly Dallas tackled.
“Offensively, I felt like we did a great job with the line of scrimmage, so our run numbers, pass numbers, all of it was kind of lopsided,” Payton said of Denver’s dominant day. It was the second consecutive week that the Broncos have been able to run the ball efficiently, which makes things easier for Nix. We’ve seen that in stretches throughout the season, but Sunday’s performance was a full 60-minute production and a show of how much potential Payton’s offense carries when operating as designed. The operation has run smoothly the last five quarters against shoddy Cowboys and Giants defenses. Next week, the Broncos offense will attempt to do it against an elite Texans defense. If Payton can pull this off against them, he’ll have earned the right to talk as much shit as he’d like.
Winner: Tush Push Discourse
The game wasn’t all that interesting from a competitive standpoint, but there was a lot going on in the Eagles’ 38-20 win over the Giants. New York’s rookie running back, Cam Skattebo, was carted off after suffering a gruesome ankle injury that you should avoid watching at all costs. The Giants also lost one of their few healthy cornerbacks when Cor’Dale Flott caught a stray punch from his own teammate and was ruled out with a concussion. And the Giants took a metaphorical blow to the gut when the refs blew an early whistle and wiped out what should have been a fumble on an Eagles tush push.
Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball out of Jalen Hurts’s hands as the Eagles quarterback reached it out beyond the first-down marker. Though you don’t hear a whistle until a few seconds after possession changed hands, the refs had apparently decided that Hurts’s forward progress had been stopped (it hadn’t) and the play was over before the fumble (it wasn’t). Giants coach Brian Daboll was able to eventually challenge the play after the officials initially denied his request. Daboll lost the challenge, the Eagles kept the ball, and Saquon Barkley found the end zone a play later.
Thibodeaux astutely called the ruling “some bullshit” after the game, which is a fitting way to describe the overall performance of the referee crew led by Brad Rogers. The refs blew an errant whistle after the snap on a missed field goal attempt by Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott. By rule, the down should have been replayed, but it was not.
And the Eagles were on the wrong end of a questionable fumble ruling when this Jaxson Dart fumble was overturned.
Most of the bad refereeing went against the Giants, though. There were missed false starts and questionable pass interference calls on both sides of the ball, including a soft offensive pass interference call that wiped out a long Darius Slayton touchdown on fourth-and-11.
That call sent Daboll into a fit of rage on the sideline and turned him a shade of red that matched the accents on the Giants uniforms.
To his credit, after the game, Daboll didn’t blame the result on the refs and admitted his team was outplayed in all three phases. It’s true: New York didn’t play well enough to win—even if the officiating had been a bit more equitable. The Eagles dominated in the run game; Barkley went off for 150 yards before injuring his hamstring on his 14th carry of the game. Barkley opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown on the second play of the day.
You’ll notice the Eagles had Hurts lined up under center on that play. First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been doing more of that in recent weeks, and it’s helped set up Hurts for success in the passing game. Philadelphia has mostly operated out of shotgun throughout the Nick Sirianni era, so this could be a new wrinkle that gives the offense a much-needed boost down the stretch of the season.
The Eagles defense also enjoyed a bounce-back performance on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio dared Dart to go through his progressions in the pocket. The rookie looked uncomfortable doing that and dropped his eyes from downfield to look for exit lanes on a number of dropbacks. Fangio’s coverages and pressures had Dart seemingly doing TikTok dances in the pocket on his way to taking five sacks.
It’s too early to say definitively that Philadelphia’s pass rush and running game are back, but in Sunday’s game, both performed in a way that we haven’t seen since the Super Bowl run last season. Unfortunately, thanks to the refereeing crew that was off its game all afternoon, that may be overshadowed by yet another round of tush push discourse. If the refs’ inability to properly officiate the play isn’t enough to get it banned next offseason, the prospect of never having to debate the play again should be enough to secure the votes.
Losers: Washed-up Backups
All right, I’ll admit it. I was a little excited to see whether Kirk Cousins or Andy Dalton had anything left when the 30-something backups were tapped to start for the Falcons and Panthers, respectively, in Week 8, a little more than a week before the trade deadline. It took about a quarter of play from both quarterbacks for that excitement to turn into existential boredom. Cousins and Dalton both looked like guys who didn’t want to be playing.
Let’s start with Cousins, who drew some interest on the offseason trade market and may have drummed up more over the next week had he lit up a bad Dolphins defense on Sunday. I guess we’ll never know. If this was Cousins’s last stand, he went out sad, throwing for just 173 yards on 31 attempts in a 34-10 loss to a broken Miami team. Despite being behind for most of the game, Cousins attempted just one pass over 20 air yards, and that was incomplete.
The 37-year-old passer has little mobility left and rarely tries to use it. He looked like he was just trying to survive Sunday’s game rather than trying to win it, knowing that the direct deposit would still hit in a few days either way. The prospect of Cousins getting traded to a QB-needy team was already a long shot before Sunday’s stinker—he’s due a $10 million roster bonus next offseason that will scare off teams—and now it feels like a nonstarter after seeing his work against the Dolphins. If Cousins is going to launch the final chapter of his career out of Atlanta, he may have to wait until 2026 for his chance.
And yet, Dalton’s Sunday was even worse. His Panthers lost 40-9 to the Bills, and Dalton may have been the worst player on the field. He turned the ball over twice and took an inexcusable sack that cost Carolina a chance at a field goal before the half.
That was one of seven sacks taken by Dalton, who was playing behind a line that lost three starters throughout the day. Brady Christensen was carted off with an Achilles injury, Taylor Moton was ruled out with a knee injury, and Cade Mays didn’t return from a second-quarter ankle injury. Still, not all of Carolina’s issues in pass protection could be pinned on the offensive line. Dalton contributed to the mess with his indecision and inability to escape Buffalo’s rush. Avoiding sacks had been an underrated aspect of Dalton’s game during his prime years in Cincinnati, but his ability to do so now seems diminished.
Of course, Dalton isn’t solely to blame for the blowout loss. He didn’t get any help from his defense, which allowed Buffalo running back James Cook to rush for 216 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries But Dalton’s early mistakes put Buffalo’s offense in a positive game script, and Carolina’s defense was unable to pull the Bills out of it.
Sundays can have a way of reminding anyone in their late 30s that they don’t have it like they used to. For Cousins and Dalton, their wake-up call wasn’t a debilitating hangover—they just played like they had one—but rather a punishing and ineffective day on the field.
Winner: Breece Hall
Joe Flacco nearly got one back for the old quarterback gang, but a predictable defensive implosion by the Bengals wasted the 40-year-old quarterback’s effort. The Jets erased Cincinnati’s 31-16 lead in the fourth quarter and gave Aaron Glenn his first win as head coach. It was a Sunday of redemption for both Glenn and his quarterback, Justin Fields, whom team owner Woody Johnson publicly blamed for the team’s 0-7 record earlier in the week—but I’m hesitant to give either of them too much credit for New York’s win. Glenn, a defensive-minded head coach, watched his defense give up 38 points to Flacco. Fields had a solid day no matter how you spin it, but the comeback was mostly sparked by New York’s effective run game. Even with the Jets trailing by two scores for most of the second half, they still maintained a near-50/50 split in run and pass rates. You don’t often see an offense stick with its run game after falling behind by multiple scores, but when New York got desperate, the ball remained in Breece Hall’s hands—even on the game-winning touchdown pass, which came on a trick play.
Cue the obligatory “Breece Hall might be the best quarterback on the roster” jokes. He was certainly the best player on the field in Cincinnati. When he wasn’t throwing touchdowns, Hall was running for 133 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries. Per TruMedia, 112 of those yards came in the second half, when Hall averaged 0.92 EPA per rush attempt with a success rate of 80 percent.
Fields was an efficient passer during the comeback but completed just one pass that traveled more than 5 air yards. If a receiver didn’t pop open immediately, Fields either threw the ball away or looked to scramble. A few of his short passes turned into longer gains after the catch thanks to a generous Bengals defense.
As Glenn pointed out during his postgame news conference, Fields has been unfairly blamed for all of the issues on offense—even by the team owner—so maybe Fields has earned an outsize share of the credit for hanging in there on Sunday. And Glenn also deserves credit for tightening up his defense in the final two quarters and making the correct decision to go for two after a touchdown that cut Cincinnati’s lead to eight in the fourth quarter, which allowed New York to win the game in regulation. But Hall was the star, and he got just enough support from his coach and quarterback to win the game.
Winner: Baltimore’s Playoff Hopes
With Cincinnati blowing its game, Cleveland getting blown out (despite a Tungsten Arm O’Doyle–like, five-sack outing from Myles Garrett), and Pittsburgh losing in prime time, Baltimore was a clear winner this week. It pulled within two games of the AFC North lead and will face the Steelers and Bengals four times total in the remainder of the season.
But the Ravens’ status as winners is pending after the team erroneously listed quarterback Lamar Jackson as a full participant at Friday’s practice. Jackson did take all of the scout team reps during practice, but he should have been designated as “limited” according to the league’s injury reporting guidelines. On Saturday, Baltimore updated Jackson’s Friday practice designation from “full” to “limited” and ruled him out for the game against Chicago. Head coach John Harbaugh’s explanation for the mix-up was essentially “We made an oopsie.” According to Pro Football Talk, the Ravens could be fined or stripped of a draft pick if the league office doesn’t accept that explanation. The strict injury reporting rules are set up to curb shady gambling activity—which is a growing problem throughout the sports world—but that erroneous injury report may have provided Baltimore with a competitive advantage if Chicago saw Jackson as a full participant and prepared to play against a two-time MVP rather than Tyler Huntley.
It turns out that the Bears defense didn’t look prepared for either quarterback. Huntley wasn’t asked to do too much in the 30-16 win in Baltimore. He logged just 25 dropbacks but averaged 8.5 yards on those plays and didn’t turn the ball over. Huntley also did a solid Lamar impression in the run game, adding 53 yards on five designed carries. The Ravens’ run game powered the win. Derrick Henry ran for 71 yards on 21 attempts but found the end zone twice, while Keaton Mitchell ran for 43 yards on four attempts off the bench.
This seems like a missed opportunity for the Bears, who have to be feeling some déjà vu. While this wasn’t nearly as dramatic as last year’s loss to Washington on a Hail Mary, Chicago once again blew a winnable Week 8 game and a chance to start the season 5-2. Both losses even took place in Maryland. That devastating loss to the Commanders sparked a losing streak that stretched to the final week of the season. Another Bears losing streak seems unlikely, with games against the Bengals, Giants, and Vikings up next on the schedule, but the vibes would have been much better if Chicago were heading into that stretch at 5-2 rather than 4-3.
And Sunday’s game felt like a setback for Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, who had gotten off to a solid start to the season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Williams was mostly fine for the first three quarters, but he threw an interception early in the fourth quarter that set Baltimore up for a short touchdown drive.
Williams called that pass a “good read,” and while I’m inclined to agree with that analysis—he had Rome Odunze on a crossing route against man coverage—he didn’t need to publicly say that about a throw that ultimately lost Chicago the game. Later, Williams missed a chance to pad his stats when he sprayed a pass to an open DJ Moore on fourth-and-goal with under a minute remaining. Williams made the throw harder than it had to be. Rather than an over-the-top delivery to get the ball past the defensive line, he went with a sidearm technique that caused him to be high and wide on the throw. The Bears would have lost even if Williams had hit the throw, but it’s another bad look for a quarterback who’s been struggling with his accuracy since entering the league in 2024.
A playoff run is starting to feel like a long shot for a 4-3 Bears team with a porous defense, an inconsistent quarterback, and an unreliable run game. The opposite feels true for Baltimore. Even if the Ravens are 2-5, first place in the division is within reach, the defense is improving, the running game is showing signs of life, and Jackson should be a full participant at practice this week. For real this time.
Alabama NFL roundup: Derrick Henry lifts Ravens with 2 TDs
The Baltimore Ravens played their third game in a row without quarterback Lamar Jackson on Sunday. But Baltimore didn’t come away with its fifth consecutive loss. Instead, the Ravens posted a 30-16 victory over the Chicago Bears.
In ending Chicago’s four-game winning streak, Baltimore got 71 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries from running back Derrick Henry.
“It feels better than a loss, I’ll tell you that,” Henry said. “I am just proud of everybody and for all of the hard work. Like I said in preparation for this week, it was great to put all the work in and let it pay off with the victory.”
Henry scored on a 2-yard run as the Ravens took a 7-6 lead with 8:15 left in the first half and a 2-yard run with 2:09 left in the game.
Henry broke his tie with Walter Payton for fifth place in NFL history in rushing touchdowns by reaching 112. The only players with more rushing TDs than Henry are Emmitt Smith with 164, LaDainian Tomlinson with 145, Marcus Allen with 123 and Adrian Peterson with 120.
“I’m always going to give homage and pay homage to the ones that came before me,” Henry said. “It’s such a cool thing. I’ve been blessed with the teammates and coaches I had throughout the years to reach that milestone. But still more to do, and looking forward to being better.”
Henry also recorded his 29th regular-season game with at least two rushing touchdowns. Only Tomlinson with 38 and Smith with 36 have had more.
Henry was among the 41 former Alabama players who got on the field on the eighth Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
One other former Alabama player was involved in the Chicago-Baltimore game:
Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) started at cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey had five tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
More stories on the NFL
Auburn NFL roundup: Tank Bigsby flies again with Philadelphia Eagles
Broncos QB Bo Nix throws for 4 touchdowns: ‘He was magnificent’
49ers QB Mac Jones on loss to Texans: ‘I just didn’t feel like we had a chance’
In the other Sunday games:
Miami Dolphins 34, Atlanta Falcons 10
Minkah Fitzpatrick started at safety for the Dolphins. Fitzpatrick made three tackles before leaving with a thumb injury.
Falcons inside linebacker Ronnie Harrison made two tackles in his first appearance of the 2025 season. Until Saturday, Harrison had been on Atlanta’s practice squad.
Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams did not record any stats.
Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Dolphins. Tagovailoa completed 20-of-26 passes for 205 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Tagovailoa threw TD passes of 3 yards to running back De’Von Achane, 9 yards to wide receiver Malik Washington, 43 yards to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and 20 yards to running back Ollie Gordon. Tagovailoa has four games with four touchdown passes and one with six in his NFL career.
RELATED: TUA TAGOVAILOA GOES FROM 1 EYE TO 4 TOUCHDOWNS
Jaylen Waddle started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Waddle had five receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown. Waddle took a pass across the middle and outran the Atlanta defense over the final 32 yards of a 43-yard touchdown reception as Miami took a 24-3 lead with 4:18 left in the third quarter.
Buffalo Bills 40, Carolina Panthers 9
Bills defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Panthers defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) did not record any stats.
A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive end for the Panthers. Robinson made three tackles and shared one sack. After the game, Robinson and Buffalo offensive tackle Dion Dawkins got nose to nose, and Robinson shoved Dawkins. The two linemen were separated, with Carolina defensive end Derrick Brown pulling Robinson away from the skirmish.
Tyrell Shavers started at wide receiver for the Bills. Shavers did not record any stats.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury sustained in last week’s game kept the QB out of Carolina’s lineup.
New York Jets 39, Cincinnati Bengals 38
Jordan Battle started at safety for the Bengals. Battle made eight tackles and broke up one pass.
Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was designated as a game-day inactive.
Bengals center Seth McLauglin is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Malachi Moore (Hewitt-Trussville) started at safety for the Jets. The rookie reached a career high with eight tackles to lead New York.
Jets running back Keilan Robinson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made one tackle.
Houston Texans 26, San Francisco 49ers 15
Will Anderson Jr. started at defensive end for the Texans. Anderson recorded one sack, registered three quarterback hits and broke up one pass. Anderson has five sacks this season.
Texans linebacker Christian Harris did not record any stats.
Mac Jones started at quarterback for the 49ers. Jones completed 19-of-32 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and ran twice for 23 yards. Jones threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle as San Francisco cut Houston’s lead to 16-7 with 25 seconds left in the first half and a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Tonges as the 49ers reduced their deficit to 23-15 with 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Jones completed a 2-point conversion pass after the second touchdown.
RELATED: MAC JONES ON LOSS TO TEXANS: ‘I JUST DIDN’T FEEL LIKE WE HAD A CHANCE’
Forty-Niners running back Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) returned three kickoffs for 99 yards, including a 46-yarder that set up San Francisco’s first touchdown.
Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o made four tackles and broke up one pass.
New England Patriots 32, Cleveland Browns 13
Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore made one tackle.
Isaiah Bond started at wide receiver for the Browns. Bond was targeted four times but did not have a reception.
Patriots tight end CJ Dippre is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Browns running back Jerome Ford had one reception that lost 1 yard.
Jerry Jeudy started at wide receiver for the Browns. Jeudy was targeted twice but did not have a reception.
Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) recorded his first sack of the season. Jennings has 6.5 sacks in his NFL career.
Cam Robinson started at left offensive tackle for the Browns.
Philadelphia Eagles 38, New York Giants 20
Jihaad Campbell started at linebacker for the Eagles. Campbell made two tackles.
Landon Dickerson started at left guard for the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts started at quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 15-of-20 passes for 179 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and ran four times for 22 yards. Hurts’ touchdown passes went 9 yards to Barkley with 11:38 left in the first half to break a 7-7 tie, 6 yards to tight end Dallas Goedert as the Eagles went ahead 21-10 with 21 seconds left in the first half, 17 yards to Goedert for a 31-13 lead with 11:17 left to play and 40 yards to wide receiver Jahan Dotson for a 38-13 lead with 5:59 remaining.
RELATED: JALEN HURTS THROWS 4 TD PASSES AS EAGLES RUN OVER GIANTS
Eagles tight end Cameron Latu made one tackle on special teams.
Eagles wide receiver John Metchie III did not record any stats.
Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal was designated as a game-day inactive.
DeVonta Smith started at wide receiver for the Eagles. Smith had six receptions for 84 yards.
Tyler Steen started at right guard for the Eagles.
Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young made two tackles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, New Orleans Saints 3
Buccaneers outside linebacker Chris Braswell registered one quarterback hit and made one tackle on special teams.
Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry (Pinson Valley) started at cornerback for the Saints. McKinstry made four tackles and broke up two passes.
Denver Broncos 44, Dallas Cowboys 22
Tyler Booker started at right guard for the Cowboys.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Cowboys wide receiver Traeshon Holden is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Broncos outside linebacker Que Robinson (Jackson-Olin) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Patrick Surtain II started at cornerback for the Broncos. Surtain made five tackles and broke up one pass before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.
Indianapolis Colts 38, Tennessee Titans 14
Jalyn Armour-Davis (St. Paul’s Episcopal) started at cornerback for the Titans. Armour-Davis made one tackle.
J.C. Latham started at right offensive tackle for the Titans.
Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley was designated as a game-day inactive. A hamstring injury kept Ridley out of Tennessee’s lineup for the second game in a row.
Colts defensive tackle Tim Smith is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Green Bay Packers 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
Josh Jacobs started at running back for the Packers. Jacobs ran for 33 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and caught three passes for 12 yards. Jacobs scored on a 3-yard run as Green Bay took a 22-19 lead with 14:55 remaining in the game.
Xavier McKinney started at safety for the Packers. McKinney led Green Bay with seven tackles.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Week 8 started on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 37-10.
Week 8 concludes on Monday, when the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
Who has scored the most points in a single NBA game?
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA’s single-game scoring record with 100 points in the Philadelphia Warriors’ 169-147 win over the New York Knicks. The NBA didn’t add the 3-point line until 1979, making this performance even more remarkable.
In October 2025, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves scored a career-high 51 points versus the Sacramento Kings.Reaves became just the fourth player in the past 40 years with at least 50 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in a game, joining Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook (twice) and James Harden (twice).
Though Reaves’ game was impressive, it doesn’t crack the list of top-scoring single-game performances of all time. Take a look at the best all-time individual scoring efforts in NBA history below:
100 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. New York, March 2, 1962
During the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain was unstoppable, averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game. The Knicks experienced this firsthand, allowing him to score 100 points while shooting 36-of-63 (57.1%) from the field and 28-of-32 (87.5%) from the free throw line. At halftime, Chamberlain had 41 points. The Warriors decided to get Wilt the ball and see how many points he could score. The game wasn’t televised, and only 4,124 fans were in attendance at the Hershey Sports Arena. Throughout Chamberlain’s career, he had six games with at least 70 points and 15 contests with at least 65 points.
81 – Kobe Bryant, Lakers vs. Toronto, Jan. 22, 2006
Bryant came the closest to Chamberlain’s record, erupting for 81 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-104 comeback win over the Toronto Raptors. Bryant shot 28-of-46 (60.9%) from the field, 7-of-13 (53.8% from 3-point range) and 18-of-20 (90%) from the free throw line. Bryant scored the majority of his points in the second half. With the Lakers trailing by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, Bryant took over, dropping 27 points in the third and 28 in the fourth (scoring all but three of the Lakers’ 31 fourth-quarter points). That season, Bryant averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game, leading the league in scoring.
78 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. Lakers, Dec. 8, 1961 (3 OT)
Chamberlain was virtually unstoppable, finishing with 78 points and 43 rebounds while shooting 31-of-62 (50%) from the field and 16-of-31 (51.6%) from the free throw line. Chamberlain played every second of the tilt, logging 63 minutes in the triple-overtime thriller. In the end, the Warriors lost to Los Angeles 151-147. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West had phenomenal performances of their own to lead L.A. to victory. Baylor finished with 63 points, 31 rebounds and 7 assists, while West chipped in 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
73 – Luka Doncic, Dallas vs. Atlanta, Jan. 26, 2024
On Jan. 26, 2024, Doncic recorded the highest-scoring game since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance, dropping 73 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 148-143 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic was extremely efficient, shooting 25-of-33 (75.7%) from the field, 8-of-13 (61.5%) from three-point range and 15-of-16 (93.8%) from the free throw line. Doncic also chipped in 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. This 73-point scoring outburst also carried extra meaning because it occurred on the fourth anniversary of Bryant’s passing.
73 – Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. Chicago, Jan. 13, 1962
Less than two months before his 100-point performance, Chamberlain finished with 73 points and 36 rebounds in the Warriors’ 135-117 win over the Packers. Chamberlain scored in double figures every quarter but shined brightest in the fourth, when he put up 23 points. He shot 29-of-48 (60.4%) from the field and 15-of-25 (60%) from the foul line.
73 – Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco at New York, Nov. 16, 1962
Chamberlain fueled the Warriors to a 127-111 win over the Knicks with 73 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 29-of-43 (67.4%) from the field and 15-of-19 (78.9%) from the free throw line. This came less than two weeks after his 72-point performance against the Lakers that appears lower on this list. In late 1961 and 1962, Chamberlain was a dominant force, registering five historic scoring outings — including his 100-point masterpiece — in less than a year, each noted here.
73 – David Thompson, Denver at Detroit, April 9, 1978
Thompson entered this game with a specific goal: score as many points as possible in hopes of claiming the NBA’s scoring title over George Gervin. After erupting for 32 points in the first quarter (which is still an NBA record), Thompson continued to score at will. He finished with 73 points while shooting 28-of-38 (73.7%) from the field and 17-of-20 (85%) from the free throw line. However, Thompson’sDenver Nuggets ultimately lost 139-137 to the Detroit Pistons. Thompson also lost the scoring title, as Gervin dropped 63 points later that day to give the Spurs star a scoring average of 27.22 points per game (versus Thompson’s 27.15 PPG).
72 – Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco at Lakers, Nov. 3, 1962
Similar to Chamberlain’s 78-point performance against the Lakers, the Warriors lost this game versus L.A., 127-115. Chamberlain finished with 72 points and 18 rebounds on 29-of-48 (60.4%) from the field and 14-of-18 (77.8%) from the foul line. For the Lakers, Jerry West recorded 49 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 21-of-35 (60%) from the field. Elgin Baylor contributed 30 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists. Six years later, Chamberlain would join the Lakers and team up with West and Baylor.
Eliminated From NASCAR Round of 8 Playoffs: What Went Wrong for Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott & Christopher Bell
William Byron soared to glory at Martinsville Speedway. Despite being mired below the elimination cutline, he led three times for 304 laps at the Xfinity 500 and reversed his situation. This dominating performance left the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers in a fix. And four could not get through to the Final Four – Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott. Let us take a deep dive into why things spiraled for all these otherwise stellar drivers.
Ryan Blaney was dangerously close to winning
Ever since the 2025 Cup Series season started, Team Penske was on a mission. The team aimed to pick up its fourth consecutive championship – and Ryan Blaney was thoroughly invested. While William Byron dominated, Blaney was right behind him and led the second-most laps – 177. What is more, he charged ferociously from a 31st-place starting spot and went down swinging with a runner-up finish.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the end, Ryan Blaney felt that a lack of rear drive cost him the race victory. As he approached lapped traffic with 44 laps to go, he could not maneuver the No. 12 Ford as well as William Byron wheeled the No. 24 Chevy. Blaney reflected, “I just kind of lost rear drive on exit, and his car held on pretty good. And it made it tougher for me to kind of work through lapped cars as I was losing the rear. I couldn’t really fade up and come down across, and he could do that pretty well. That’s kind of how I lost the lead, I slipped, kind of got caught behind a lapper, and he took an opportunity to get underneath me.”
Even after missing the Championship 4 berth by a whopping 57 points, Ryan Blaney felt grateful. “I mean, it stinks, but at the same time, I’m really proud of the effort we put in,” Blaney explained. “I mean, from starting where we did, picking our way through the field as fast as we did earlier was really great.” So what went wrong with his teammate?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Joey Logano admitted to a slow pace
At this time last season, the No. 22 Ford was on fire. Joey Logano had turned the reversal of his elimination into a legitimate NASCAR championship shot – and he won the title too! That is why a lot of eyes were on the clutch-winning racer to shock everybody again. Logano started the Martinsville event strong, rolling off from 4th place. By lap 100, both Logano and Blaney were dominating the front. Logano finished Stage 1 in 2nd place.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Yet soon after, Joey Logano dropped off – after multiple cautions wreaked havoc in stage 2, he was nowhere to be seen in the top ten. “We just weren’t fast enough,” he said. “We pitted in the middle of the second stage there coming to the end when everyone was flipping and all that stuff to the end of the second stage and, I don’t know, I feel like I lost control when the Hendrick cars pulled the okie dokie in front of me and I chose the inside lane, which put me third and that’s what let the 12 get up there and then you just kind of get stuck in dirty air.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Joey Logano ended up 49 points below the cutline by the end of the race. “There’s no Ford. There’s no Team Penske car in the Championship 4,” he lamented. Meanwhile, even a driver who has two of his fellow OEM teammates locked in was left feeling sad.
Christopher Bell fought tooth and nail
Probably the most exciting face-off at Martinsville was between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. The latter had 37 points above the cutline, while Larson had 36. And from the very start, Bell was disadvantaged, as he started in 12th place while Larson started in 3rd. The No. 20 Toyota also slipped back and forth between being too loose and too tight at the tight turns of ‘The Paperclip’. The car also experienced looseness and handling issues. Crew chief Adam Stevens attempted to tighten it up, but in vain.
Christopher Bell reflected on the trouble he faced: “Just seemed like we were lacking a little bit of long run pace. I felt whenever we got the balance close at times, I could take off on tires and do okay and make some passes, maintain my position. Then the consistent theme of the day was just falling backward as the tires got old. We just weren’t strong enough at Martinsville this weekend.” Yet he hailed the four competitors who got into Phoenix.
Christopher Bell finished in 7th place, 7 points below the cutline. He missed the Championship 4 again, while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have locked themselves in.
Chase Elliott could not finish what he started
The Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 team was on an encouraging ride this year. Chase Elliott picked up multiple wins for the first time since 2022. However, he was mired deep below the NASCAR Cup Series cutline entering Martinsville and desperately needed a third victory. He started well, climbing up to the top five quickly from an 8th-place starting spot. Elliott worked well in the corners and was audibly happy with how his car was responding. He clung to the top five through most of Stages 1 and 2.
The multiple wrecks, caused by drivers like Erik Jones and Carson Hocevar, shuffled his track position. Eventually, Chase Elliott could finish in 3rd place, not being able to outsmart William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Elliott reflected on the race: “Obviously, those final laps get tough when the guys out front have a big advantage when the track cleans off like that…I was just hoping, in my position, to get to a spot where I could maybe capitalize if something crazy happened. Outside of that, we just got a little too far behind at the three-quarter mark. We got caught a lap down in the cycle, and then from there, we were just kind of playing catch-up.”
Chase Elliott finished last among all four eliminated drivers, 63 points outslide the cutoff line.
With the playoff grid axed down to the final four, it is time to enter the final leg of excitement. Let’s see what unfolds at Phoenix Raceway!
NFL Playoff Picture: The Field for NFL Playoffs After Week 8
With six teams on a bye and eight of 13 games on the schedule being interconference games, Week 8 might be one of the least consequential weeks on the 2025 NFL season. Still, every game is important and the results we’ve seen so far have impacted the current playoff picture (early as it may be).
The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills both won Sunday to remain in the same playoff seeding they had last week — Patriots at No. 2 and Bills at No. 5. New England has the edge based on its Week 5 upset of Buffalo. Until they meet again in Week 15, these teams will likely continue to battle it out for supremacy in the AFC East. That Week 15 game could be critical, since it might help decide which of these teams will have at least one home playoff game and which will have to hit the road.
Another key race to watch is in the NFC West, a division that currently has three teams lined up to play in the postseason. And while the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks both had a bye in Week 8, they both moved up a notch in the seeding thanks to the San Francisco 49ers getting knocked off by the Houston Texans. When they were all 5-2, it was the 49ers who were on pace to win the West and host a wild-card game. With the 49ers falling to 5-3, it’s currently the Seahawks who control their own destiny in the division.
AFC Playoff Seeding
Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Chargers
Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC Wild Card Round (Colts get bye):
Jaguars at Patriots
Chargers at Broncos
Bills at Steelers
NFC Playoff Seeding
Green Bay Packers
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seattle Seahawks
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card Round (Packers get bye):
49ers at Eagles
Rams at Buccaneers
Lions at Seahawks
Bills & Packers Dominant Performances, Saints QB Change Drive Key Takeaways From NFL Week 8
Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season is officially in the books. It was a weekend filled with blowouts, and while it might not be the most entertaining thing to watch, these types of weekends can really tell you a lot about the state of the league.
It may not have made for great TV, but we learned a lot this weekend. Here were some of my key takeaways from Week 8.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
If the Chargers get healthy, watch out
The Los Angeles Chargers could be a dangerous team if they can get healthy. They have injuries all over the place. Rashawn Slater and Najee Harris are out for the year, but they need guys like Omarion Hampton, Mekhi Becton, and Derwin James to get healthy sooner rather than later.
If they can stay in the playoff hunt while those guys get healthy, which they’re doing a great job of right now, they could be a real threat in the AFC. Justin Herbert has been very impressive this season, and when everyone’s playing, that offense can keep up with anybody.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Justin Fields might’ve just saved his job
Last week, Justin Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor just last week. While Aaron Glenn kept who would start this week close to the vest, he was saved from making that decision when Taylor was ruled out with a knee injury. Many felt it likely would’ve been Taylor, but Fields got the start, and he may have just saved his job.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Fields played his best game of the season, completing 21 of his 32 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 31 yards. He looked sharp, and while Breece Hall was the main catalyst for the New York Jets’ first win, Fields played his part well. It will be interesting to see how Glenn handles this moving forward.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It’s hard to judge Dillon Gabriel until he gets some real weapons
I feel bad for Dillon Gabriel. I think he’s eventually going to end up losing his job, and it might not really be his fault. The Cleveland Browns just have absolutely no weapons on the outside. Yes, they have two very good tight ends in Harold Fannin and David Njoku, but a quarterback needs some help at receiver to showcase their real talents.
On Sunday, the Browns had one receiver catch a pass, and that was Jamari Thrash, who finished the game with two catches for 31 yards. Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond were the only two receivers who were targeted, and neither of them caught a single ball.
I’m afraid Gabriel is going to lose his job before ever getting a real chance to showcase his true skills. According to Kevin Stefanski, Gabriel will keep the job through the bye week, but who knows what’ll happen after that? Maybe Shedeur Sanders is actually their quarterback of the future, but I don’t think they’ll ever know what Gabriel has unless they give him better weapons.
Is it finally time for TreVeyon Henderson to take over as RB1?
When the New England Patriots drafted TreVeyon Henderson, everyone was ready for him to take over as RB1 right away. He was an electric player in college, but it’s taken a bit longer than fans (and fantasy players) hoped.
Rhamondre Stevenson has been RB1 this year, and he’s played well, but it might be time for the young buck to take over. This week, Stevenson carried it 14 times for just 34 yards, but Henderson totaled 75 yards on just 10 carries. Add in the fact that I think Henderson’s receiving upside is much higher than Stevenson’s, and I think it’s a matter of time before Henderson is RB1.
Will it happen this week? Maybe not, but he should only continue to see more and more carries as the season wanes on.
It’s going to be hard to replace Cam Skattebo
What happened to Cam Skattebo today was just horrible, man. If you didn’t see it, consider yourself lucky. He suffered a pretty nasty ankle dislocation, and his foot was turned in the wrong direction after getting rolled up on. He was taken to the hospital and is having surgery tonight.
Not only will it be hard to replace his production on the field – coming into tonight, he’d had five straight games of 50+ yards and had four touchdowns over that span – but it will be hard to replace his leadership. Despite being a rookie, his teammates love him and look up to him, so losing him is really going to hurt morale.
I just feel so bad for him and the New York Giants. Wish him a speedy recovery!
What is happening in Atlanta?
The Atlanta Falcons got off to a pretty good start to the year. They were 3-2 with a win over the Buffalo Bills heading into Week 7, but have since dropped back-to-back games, and this Sunday, it wasn’t even close.
The Miami Dolphins – yes, the Dolphins – chewed them up, spit them out, then stomped on them, winning 34-10. Tua Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns, and Bijan Robinson averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. I know Michael Penix was out, but Kirk Cousins isn’t some horrible quarterback. They should not have lost this game, much less by 24 points.
This game just shows the parity in the NFL this year. The Dolphins looked dead in the water a week ago, and now they have some momentum behind them. I think it’s safe to say the Falcons are no longer playoff contenders.
Saints pulling Spencer Rattler was the right move
The New Orleans Saints made a pretty surprising decision, benching starting quarterback Spencer Rattler in favor of second-round rookie Tyler Shough. Rattler threw for 136 yards in the first half, but threw an interception and lost a fumble as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
The Saints felt like it was time to make a change, and Shough came in for the second half, completing 17 of his 30 attempts for 128 yards and an interception while rushing for 12 yards.
I think this was the right move. Spencer Rattler is now 1-13 as a starter, and after 14 games in the NFL and 48 college games, you kind of know what you have in a guy. They spent premium draft capital on Shough, and they’d be doing themselves a disservice by not trying to find out what they have in him before the end of the year. They could have a top-three pick, and if he’s not the guy, they need to know now.
We’ll see if they move forward with Shough as a starter, but I think you have to. You don’t pull your starter at halftime for a rookie and then just give him the job back. Then again, this could’ve just been a lesson; if you turn the ball over, you’re going to get benched.
We’ll see what decisions they make, but as a Saints fan, I think you move forward with Shough.
The Bills are back and better than ever
The Bills were kind of forgotten. They lost two straight games before going on their bye, and everyone started talking about Kansas City and Indianapolis as the only contenders in the AFC. I know they still have their issues, but you cannot talk about AFC contenders without mentioning Josh Allen and the Bills.
The Bills came out and absolutely dominated the Carolina Panthers, winning 40-9. Josh Allen only threw for 163 yards and a touchdown, but rushed for two more scores. James Cook added 216 yards and two more scores on the ground. Defensively, they looked great, too. Andy Dalton was sacked seven times, and they forced three turnovers.
I know the Carolina Panthers are worse than their record and were without Bryce Young, but this was still a big win for the Bills. They’ve got some of their swagger back, and next Sunday’s showdown against the Chiefs will be a great litmus test for where this team is through nine weeks.
Yeah, the Cowboys are not playoff contenders
After last week, when it looked like their defense made some strides, I thought the Dallas Cowboys were going to be serious playoff contenders. It looked like their defense turned a corner, and with that offense, they were going to be a tough out. However, after this week, I just don’t see that happening anymore.
Their defense is still a massive issue. They just gave up 44 points to the Denver Broncos, whose offense has struggled greatly at times this season. They have an offense that can keep up with anyone, but if they’re even slightly off, like they were today, their defense can’t do them any favors.
Sorry, Cowboys fans, but just like the last 29 seasons, this is not your year.
Okay, maybe I was wrong about the Packers
I have not been the Green Bay Packers‘ biggest fan this year. Outside of their season-opening win over the Detroit Lions, I had not been impressed with them, but tonight, they showed just how good they can be at their peak.
The Packers fell behind early, but their offense got rolling in the second half, scoring 28 points in the final 30 minutes to erase a nine-point deficit and earn a big road win. Their defense also spoiled Aaron Rodgers’ revenge game. They were all over Rodgers in the second half, recording three sacks and shutting down everything the Steelers’ offense tried to do in the second half.
I still don’t think they’re quite in the same class as the Lions, Rams, and Eagles, but when they’re playing their best, they can beat anyone on any given Sunday. If they can be just a bit more consistent, I’ll feel much better about this team.
Also, minor takeaway: those Steelers uniforms might be the worst of all time. The jerseys aren’t impressive, but don’t even get me started on the helmets. I mean, is it that hard to center the logo? Just awful.
NFL Announces Team History for Packers TE During Steelers Game
The Green Bay Packers don’t have a star-studded receiving core, but tight end Tucker Kraft is one of the reasons why they lead the NFC North at 5-1-1.
The third-year veteran entered Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a team-high 326 receiving yards over six contests. He was also tied with wide receiver Romeo Doubs for the most touchdown catches (four), and his 23 receptions were one behind Doubs for the team lead.
Kraft then stole the show against the Steelers, catching seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets. During the game, the NFL announced franchise history that the 24-year-old made through the first six contests, via the NFL+ social media account.
“Tucker Kraft is the only TE in GB history w/ 300+ rec yds & 4+ rec TD through first 6 games,” it announced.
Kraft hauled in a 16-yard touchdown grab to give Green Bay a 7-3 lead in the first quarter before catching a 24-yard scoring strike to give the club a 29-19 lead in the fourth. The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder also notched a 59-yard reception in the third quarter, which was part of a nine-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that cut the deficit to 16-14. The Packers later won 35-25.
Tucker Kraft Emerging As Elite Tight End
Kraft now has 469 yards on the season and is on pace to break his career-high of 707. The South Dakota State University product also has six touchdowns, which is just one below his career-best mark from last season.
Kraft is now second in receiving yards only to Indianapolis Colts rookie Tyler Warren among tight ends, per FantasyPros. He’s also tied for second in touchdowns with Philadelphia Eagles veteran Dallas Goedert.
Kraft’s ascenscion has helped the Packers’ offense produce without wideout Jayden Reed (collarbone/foot), who led the squad with 857 receiving yards last season. The 25-year-old is on injured reserve and hasn’t played since Week 2, via ESPN.
Kraft’s performance on Sunday was also timely given that Pittsburgh contained star running back Josh Jacobs. The 2019 first-round pick rushed for just 33 yards on 13 carries, although he did have a three-yard scoring run to give Green Bay a 22-19 lead in the fourth quarter. The game exemplified how the offense has multiple cards to play, which could keep defenses from selling out to stop the run.
Bad NFL News For John Mateer as Oklahoma Shows Multiple Flaws in Ole Miss Game
Once viewed as the Sooners’ next star quarterback and a potential NFL first-rounder, Mateer’s recent struggles have raised serious doubts about his draft future. The Sooners’ 34-26 loss to Ole Miss exposed every weakness that’s been creeping into Mateer’s game. The truth is, Mateer currently lacks the single trait that separates college quarterbacks from true NFL prospects: accuracy under pressure. Since injuring his throwing hand against Auburn, he hasn’t looked the same. His completion rate has dropped from 67.4% in his first four outings to just 58% since returning from surgery. The Ole Miss matchup only reinforced the concern.
17 completions on 31 attempts for 223 yards and a touchdown, no interceptions, but little rhythm or command. His usually dynamic rushing attack, a key part of his dual-threat identity, also vanished, producing just 17 yards on 13 carries. That decline is eroding Mateer’s NFL draft stock. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid went as far as to say that the hand injury and uneven play could push Mateer “outside the top 50 picks.”
After the Ole Miss game, in a 26th October episode of The Ruffino & Joe Show‘ betting host and draftnik Joe Deleone further highlights it: “Mateer clearly is not accurate at the current moment; he has gone backward, whether it’s the thumb injury or it’s other outside factors, and, from what I understand, the NFL has cooled on him because they also don’t think his decision-making has been great recently as well.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Pocket accuracy is the devil’s lair for Mateer. Against Ole Miss, he went 17 of 31 passes for 223 yards with a TD and no interceptions, but his run game took a major hit, finishing with just 17 yards on 13 carries. That’s affecting his NFL projections, too. Throwing for 1,417 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions and a 64.6% completion rate doesn’t exactly scream first-round buzz. Reid added that missing nearly a month of action only worsens the situation, though a late-season rebound against ranked programs like Alabama, Missouri, and LSU could still help him claw back into Round 1 conversations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Mateer’s ability to spot open receivers was also a major concern in the Ole Miss game. Mateer made some risky throws into tight coverages, which almost took the game away from them. That pass during the fourth-and-5 play to Javonnie Gibson was too far to catch. Even Brent Venables didn’t mince words before saying it loud. “We probably chose the wrong guy to throw it to,” Venables said. “Not where we need to be from a consistency standpoint and a cleanliness standpoint. That’s a position that needs to play well in order to win, and we could have played a little better there.”
But the same guy’s performance in the first four games of the season earned him the ninth-highest PFSN QB impact grade in the country, which is 89.6, which shows he isn’t completely ruled out of the NFL conversation. “Evaluators are taking a wait-and-see approach,” Reid noted, emphasizing that Mateer still has another year of eligibility to rebuild his reputation if he chooses. It will be interesting to see if Mateer pulls a Carson Beck move to raise his stock.
With Mateer’s inconsistencies, Brent Venables’s entire performance went down.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Against Ole Miss, Brent Venables’ squad struggled on both sides of the ball
Having a strong defense is Oklahoma’s strength this season. They made things extremely difficult for Auburn QB Jackson Arnold, sacking him 9 times and making 14 tackles for loss. They have held their opponents to one TD or less in three of their 4 games this season. But against Ole Miss? They gave up 9 of their 3rd down conversions and were on the field for 87 Rebels snaps. Even the offense was a big mess, as Joe Deleone points straight at it.
Ole Miss just allowed 99 yards over 23 plays across Oklahoma’s final three drives. Those inconsistencies ended Oklahoma’s game against the Rebels. “You have an overrated coaching staff, and an overrated defense, all of these things, like, I’m not pulling punches. The most embarrassing performance by the Oklahoma team at home. It was the best offense that you faced. And you got put into a locker. You got out-coached Pete Golding, Coach Ben Arbuckle. Four rushing attempts at halftime for play lock. They didn’t run the ball until the second half, and then they didn’t get back to running the ball because they had a couple of big plays, and they thought that was enough,” Deleone said.
Broncos’ Nix may finally be living up to Payton’s preseason hype
Before the start of the 2025 NFL season, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made a bold claim about his quarterback, Bo Nix.
During training camp, Payton told Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson,
Daniel Jones Earns New Nickname From NFL After 8 Games Played
Daniel Jones’ rebirth in Indianapolis has caught the attention of the entire NFL and now, he’s got a nickname to prove it.
After the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 8 win over the Tennessee Titans, the NFL’s official X account shared a post highlighting Jones’ record-setting start, showing him as the leader for “Most Points in the First 8 Games in Franchise History.”
“Indiana Dimes,” the NFL captioned as a new moniker for Jones.
Through eight games, Jones has guided the Colts to a league-best 7–1 record, throwing for 2,062 yards and 13 touchdowns and adding four scores on the ground. His 80.4 QBR ranks second in the NFL, a stat that underscores his dominance in Shane Steichen’s high-octane offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones now holds a 91.8 QBR when pressured, the highest ever recorded since the metric began in 2006. That number surpasses Josh Allen’s previous record of 83.5 from his 2024 MVP season.
“Daniel is playing with total command,” one Colts insider said. “He’s calm when things break down, he’s decisive, and he’s delivering strikes in big moments.”
That composure was on full display against the Titans. Jones completed 21 of 29 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball efficiently among his receivers Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor, who also added a touchdown catch.
His play has not only lifted the Colts to the top of the AFC standings but has also revived his career narrative. Once labeled a draft disappointment for the New York Giants, Jones is now a symbol of resilience and adaptation.
Colts’ Offense Clicking Behind Jones and Taylor
Running back Jonathan Taylor has been the perfect partner in crime. Against Tennessee, Taylor needed just 12 carries to rush for 153 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching one from Jones.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Indianapolis plans to keep Jones beyond his current one-year deal.
“The Colts want this [Jones era] to continue beyond this year,” Rapoport reported. “They have interest in bringing Daniel Jones back on a long-term deal after the 2025 season.”
It’s a dramatic shift from where Jones stood just a year ago. After being released by the Giants and spending a short stint in Minnesota, few expected him to headline MVP conversations again. But with the Colts, Jones has rewritten his story and the scoreboard.
Former NFL star Adrian Peterson arrested in Houston suburb on DWI and gun charges
SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) — Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson has been arrested in a Houston suburb on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon, records show.
Peterson was taken into custody Sunday in Sugar Land, according to Houston television station KHOU. It’s the second DWI arrest in seven months for the 2012 NFL MVP and three-time league rushing champion.
The 40-year-old Peterson was a high school football star in East Texas and has lived in the Houston area. He played at Oklahoma before spending the first 10 years of his NFL career with Minnesota, which drafted him No. 7 overall in 2007.
Peterson was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Minneapolis in April after appearing at an NFL draft party for Vikings fans.
Peterson was pulled over for speeding before his arrest in Minnesota. There were no further details about his arrest in Texas, and there was no information on an attorney for him.
Advertisement
Peterson is one of nine running backs to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He had 2,097 yards for the Vikings in his MVP season of 2012 and finished with 14,918 yards and 120 touchdowns over 15 seasons. He played for six teams during his final five seasons.
With loss to Packers, Aaron Rodgers misses chance to join rare QB club
Aaron Rodgers stands among the all-time greats in pretty much every single career accomplishment.
His four MVPs are second all-time, one behind Peyton Manning. He’s top five in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He won a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP. But in Sunday night’s 35-25 loss to the Packers, he missed out on adding one more accolade. With a win, he would have been just the fifth quarterback to defeat all 32 current NFL franchises.
Considering the Packers and the Steelers are in different conferences — and more crucially that Rodgers is 41 years old and has said that this will be his final season — it will likely remain that way.
This was Rodgers’ first game against his former longtime franchise. He played and beat his other former franchise, the Jets, in Week 1. Though Rodgers didn’t play poorly Sunday (219 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions), Pittsburgh’s offense managed just one touchdown in the second half, and the defense fell off significantly against Jordan Love (360 passing yards, three touchdowns) after a strong start.
Though we’ll never say never with Rodgers, it appears the four-quarterback group to beat all 32 teams — Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning — is safe for now. It should also be noted that Fran Tarkenton and Joe Montana beat all 28 teams when the league only had 28 teams.
Rodgers remains on the slightly less-impressive (but still very impressive) list of quarterbacks to beat 31 teams.
Auburn NFL roundup: Tank Bigsby flies again with Philadelphia Eagles
After rushing for 766 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2024 season, running back Tank Bigsby had all but disappeared in the 2025 season – until Sunday.
In Philadelphia’s 38-20 victory over the New York Giants, Bigsby ran for 104 yards on nine carries for the Eagles.
Since joining Philadelphia in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars after the first game of the 2025 season, Bigsby had one carry for 11 yards, one reception for minus-1 yards and nine kickoff returns for a 20.8-yard average.
But against New York, which beat Philadelphia 34-17 two weeks ago, starting running back Saquon Barkley ran for 150 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, and Bigsby helped the Eagles push their rushing total to 276 yards in Sunday’s game.
The third 100-yard game of Bigsby’s career came after he had played 18 offensive snaps in the first seven games of the 2025 season.
“Obviously, there’s a reason we traded for him,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said. “Really, really explosive runner, and we see that all the time in practice. And as he’s caught up to our system and everything that we do and learning it, he’s gotten more opportunities, and it’s been it’s been fun to see him run with the football. But I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise with how he looked today because we obviously saw that in Jacksonville reason, why how we went and got him, and then we see it in practice every day, where you’re like, ‘Hey, we got to get this guy some touches.’
“And he’s made the most of these opportunities. I mean I think he’s averaging over 10 yards a carry in two games now. Not a ton of carries as of yet, but we know we can count on him because he can run violently, he can make you miss, he’s explosive, he can hit a home run, so I’m excited about what he brings to the table.”
The game was the first for Philadelphia with two 100-yard running backs since LeSean McCoy ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries and Bryce Brown ran for 115 yards and one touchdown on nine carries in a 54-11 victory over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22, 2013.
In 2020 and 2022, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Miles Sanders had games in which each reached 100 rushing yards.
Barkley and Bigsby became the first running-back duo to turn in two 100-yard performances in the same game in the NFL since D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in the Carolina Panthers’ 37-23 victory over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 24, 2022.
Bigsby was among the 14 former Auburn players who got on the field on the eighth Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
One other former Auburn player was involved in the New York-Philadelphia game:
Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had two receptions for 26 yards as he returned from a two-game injury absence. Slayton lost a touchdown catch to an offensive pass interference penalty.
More stories on the NFL
Broncos QB Bo Nix throws for 4 touchdowns: ‘He was magnificent’
49ers QB Mac Jones on loss to Texans: ‘I just didn’t feel like we had a chance’
Jalen Hurts throws 4 TD passes as Eagles run over Giants
In the other Sunday games:
Miami Dolphins 34, Atlanta Falcons 10
Dolphins linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) made one tackle.
Baltimore Ravens 30, Chicago Bears 16
Ravens defensive end Carl Lawson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Buffalo Bills 40, Carolina Panthers 9
Derrick Brown started at defensive end for the Panthers. Brown made one tackle. Brown dealt with a knee problem during the game.
New York Jets 39, Cincinnati Bengals 38
Jets defensive tackle Byron Cowart is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood made five tackles and broke up one pass. Sherwood had started 22 consecutive games for New York and had 32 more tackles this season than any other player for the Jets. But he did not play in the first quarter against Cincinnati.
Houston Texans 26, San Francisco 49ers 15
Texans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
New England Patriots 32, Cleveland Browns 13
Brown linebacker Eugene Asante is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Browns tight end Sal Cannella is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made three tackles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, New Orleans Saints 3
Jamel Dean started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made six tackles, registered one quarterback hit and forced one fumble. New Orleans recovered the fumble.
Buccaneers defensive tackle Jayson Jones (Calera) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Saints linebacker Eku Leota did not record any stats. New Orleans elevated Leota from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
Denver Broncos 44, Dallas Cowboys 22
Cowboys tight end Rivaldo Fairweather is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Bo Nix (Pinson Valley) started at quarterback for the Broncos. Nix completed 19-of-29 passes for 247 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Nix threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to wide receiver Troy Franklin as Denver took a 14-3 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter, 24 yards to rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant to extend the advantage to 27-10 with 39 seconds left in the first half, 7 yards to Franklin for a 37-17 lead with 12:48 remaining and 5 yards to rookie running back RJ Harvey to push the margin to 44-17 with 7:14 to play.
RELATED: BO NIX THROWS FOR 4 TOUCHDOWNS: ‘HE WAS MAGNIFICENT’
Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham handled Denver’s offense for the final two possessions. He had a kneel-down that lost 1 yard to close the game.
Indianapolis Colts 38, Tennessee Titans 14
Titans linebacker Dorian Mausi did not record any stats.
Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary made three tackles and recorded his first sack of the season and fourth of his career.
Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
Green Bay Packers 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
Packers safety Jaylin Simpson is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Packers quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play.
Colby Wooden started at defensive tackle for the Packers. Wooden made three tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Week 8 started on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 37-10.
Week 8 concludes on Monday, when the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
Blue Jays’ Heartfelt Gesture Pushes Canadian NHL Star To Finally Reveal Truth About Seattle Fandom
It began as a lighthearted interaction between sports worlds. After the Blue Jays defeated the Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS, they took the celebration on social media, poking fun at Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright and extending their heartfelt invitation. “Between us, we know how much it hurt you to put that jersey on. Consider this an open invitation to throw the first pitch at a game next season.”
The post quoted Seattle Kraken’s X handle, where players were seen in Mariners jerseys in Toronto before their game against the Maple Leafs on October 18. But that story has now taken a different narrative with Shane Wright’s message. In an interview with Sportsnet, he clarified that, “I chose not to wear it.”
Sportnet also posted, “Shane Wright sets the record straight that he didn’t join his teammates in wearing Mariners jerseys in Toronto during the ALCS.” Kraken added more.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t wear the jersey in.” He then continued, “There’s guys in the room who can vouch for that. I think me, Karts, and Wentz are the only guys who didn’t wear the Mariners jersey.” Then he was also asked whether not wearing the Mariners jersey was a conscious choice.
“Yes, because I’m an Ontario boy. I did. I chose not to wear it. It was tough because I haven’t really been the biggest baseball guy, but I think I’ve definitely been more of a Jays fan in my life than a Mariners fan, so I wanted to stick to that and support the Jays,” the NHL star continued with a smile. Wright’s statement drew laughter and respect.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
That answer cleared the debate and softened the confusion.
Following that wholesome cross-sport moment, the conversation in Seattle quickly shifted back to baseball — and specifically, to one of the city’s newest fan favorites whose future remains uncertain.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Seattle Mariners GM gives telling statement on Josh Naylor’s free agency
With the offseason on the horizon for the Mariners, Josh Naylor’s future has become one of the major talking points in Seattle. Following an exceptional two-and-a-half-month stretch and a strong postseason run, the 28-year-old first baseman is approaching his first foray into free agency, and the Mariners’ front office is making it clear that they want Josh Naylor back.
Recently, General Manager Justin Hollander told The Seattle Times, “He fits in great. Josh just got two months, plus the playoffs, of what Seattle was like as a sports town… We’ll try and figure it out.”
The comment by Hollander echoes the true sentiments of Mariners president Jerry Dipoto, who also expressed interest in keeping him in Seattle.
The franchise has $30-40 million to work with this winter, and Naylor is expected to land a minimum four-year contract. While he might not rank among the top first basemen in MLB, his athleticism and 19 stolen bases in only 54 games demonstrate his potential.
For both sides, a reunion seems logical, but it will finally depend on how far Seattle’s top management is willing to make it happen.
In the end, both Shane Wright’s sincere acknowledgment and Josh Naylor’s forthcoming deal decision show the heart of what makes Seattle sports so captivating – loyalty, community, and emotion. From rinks to diamonds, the tales mix with a shared sense of pride.
Warren’s friends concoct cheer, go wild for Islanders rookie’s assists
You can get a puck by a goalie with a little help from your friends.
New York Islanders rookie defenseman Marshall Warren made his NHL debut on Saturday and some of his childhood buddies were in the crowd at UBS Arena. Warren grew up on Long Island’s Laurel Hollow neighborhood.
Their reaction to his first NHL points – both assists – went about as you would expect.
But the reaction of Warren’s friends was only half the story.
Warren had already notched an assist on a pretty pass to Anthony Duclair for a goal, but with the game tied 2-2, cameras caught the fellas planning a big cheer just ahead of the big goal, which came after Warren’s second assist, a shot from the point deflected in by Maxim Tsyplakov .
The group had planned out a special cheer for their lifelong pal as a faceoff was just about to commence in the Flyers zone.
Michael Misa scores first NHL goal as San Jose Sharks near league record
Michael Misa, the San Jose Sharks’ top forward prospect, scored his first NHL goal on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
In the first period, Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren took the puck toward the Wild net, but his shot from close range was saved by Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt. But with Wallstedt out of position, a nearby Misa calmly scored at the 13:35 mark to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead.
Misa, the second overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, is playing in his fifth NHL game Sunday and now has three points this season, collecting assists in Sharks games against the New York Islanders and New York Rangers earlier on this road trip.
Misa re-entered the lineup for Sunday’s game after he was scratched Friday when the Sharks played the New Jersey Devils and lost 3-1.
With the goal, Misa became just the sixth player in Sharks history to score as an 18-year-old, joining Patrick Marleau, Macklin Celebrini, Vlastimil Kroupa, Jeff Friesen, and Milan Michalek. Marleau was the youngest to do it at 18 years and 34 days old.
Celebrini assisted on the Sharks’ first goal on Sunday, as William Eklund scored on the power play at the 5:28 mark. With that assist, and Misa’s goal, a teenager has figured into the Sharks’ last 11 goals, two shy of the NHL record held by the 1090-81 Edmonton Oilers.
With the assist, Celebrini became the fifth teenager in NHL history to record 10 points through his team’s first five road games of the season, joining Sidney Crosby (13 in 2006-07), Phil Housley (10 in 1983-84), Dale Hawerchuk (10 in 1982-83) and Wayne Gretzky, (10 in 1980-81).
The Wild came back to tie the game 2-2 before the end of the first intermission, as Marcus Johansson scored a power play goal at 17:02, and Marco Rossi scored just 32 seconds later at even strength after a Sharks turnover.
NHL suspends coach Mitch Love for the season, Capitals fire him from his assistant job
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has suspended Mitch Love for the remainder of the season after an investigation into allegations that arose while he was interviewing for multiple head-coaching jobs around the league.
The Washington Capitals simultaneously fired Love, who served as an assistant coach on Spencer Carbery’s staff the past two years and was placed on leave last month pending the investigation. No details have been provided about the nature of the investigation.
“The organization is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and accountability,” the Capitals said in announcing Love was relieved of his duties effective immediately. He had not been around the team dating to development camp in July.
The NHL said Love was suspended for conduct detrimental to the league, pending what it called a thorough investigation. Love is eligible to apply for reinstatement for the 2026-27 season subject to certain conditions.
Love, who turned 41 in June, was believed to be a serious candidate for at least vacancies in Pittsburgh and Seattle, if not more. He was head coach for Calgary’s American Hockey League affiliate from 2021-23 before joining Washington.
___
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Celebrini’s overtime goal leads Sharks to crazy win over Minnesota Wild
Macklin Celebrini scored at the 3:47 mark of overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a thrilling 6-5 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday at Grand Casino Arena.
The Sharks held a 5-3 lead after a third-period goal by Tyler Toffoli at the 7:52 mark of the third period, but allowed goals to Zeev Buium and Joel Eriksson Ek as the Minnesota Wild forced overtime.
In overtime, the Sharks trio of William Eklund, Alexander Wennberg, and Timothy Liljegren could not get off the ice as the Wild controlled play and changed their skaters multiple times. But Eklund was able to get off, Celebrini came on, and beat Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt for his sixth goal of the season.
Please check back for updates to this story.
Noah Laba Shines Amid New York Rangers’ Mediocre Start
The New York Rangers have struggled through the early weeks of the Mike Sullivan Era.
No one said turning around the 3-5-2 Blueshirts would be a quick or easy task. Sullivan will be given the necessary time to put his imprint on this team and get them to play his way.
There’s going to be growing pains, but there’s also going to be opportunities. One youngster who has grabbed his chance with both hands is 22-year-old rookie center Noah Laba.
If Sullivan could bottle up the energy, competitiveness and assertiveness that Laba brings across 200 feet of ice and spread it across his roster, the Rangers would be one of the toughest teams to play against in the entire National Hockey League.
Though the Rangers lost 5-1 to the Calgary Flames, Laba’s confidence and offense-driving stood out. He demanded the puck on his stick throughout the contest.
If Laba continues to provide reliability and grows into a core player, no one will remember that the Rangers dropped an October game to the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.
It would be impossible to put a positive spin on the Blueshirts losing heavily to the lottery-bound Flames, who entered the night without a win since their season opener. There’s going to be brighter days ahead for the Blueshirts – and Laba is going to play a big role in his franchise’s turnaround.
Laba Scores First Career NHL Goal
Near the midway point of the first period, Laba collected the puck along the wall before cutting toward the slot. He beat Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf with a snap shot at 9:31 into regulation.
It was the rookie center’s first career NHL goal. The goal was assisted by Will Cuylle and Vladislav Gavrikov. He scored one goal, registered two shots, recorded two hits, made two takeaways and blocked one shot in the defeat.
Laba was asked about the thrill of scoring his first career NHL goal by MSG Network reporter John Giannone during the first intermission.
“(It was) a little bit of shock,” Laba said. “I didn’t know whether to celebrate or kinda what to do. I was a little bit in shock, but obviously a dream come true and a special moment. Just a face-off play, we knew being down two (goals), we just had to play north. Cuylle made a really good play to me, kinda slipped through his feet there to get it to me. Kinda walked down and saw Conor (Sheary) on the back side. He slid and I was able to put it in.”
Rangers’ head equipment manager Acacio Marques grabbed a marker to tag the puck as Laba’s first career goal.
Not long into the second period, Laba created a turnover before turning on the jets and nearly beating Wolf on a backhander.
In the third period, his speed and strength forced the Flames into taking a penalty. Moments later, the Rangers would surrender a shorthanded goal. It was that kind of night for the bungling Blueshirts.
Laba has impressed early in his young career with his strong skating ability, defensive awareness and hard-nosed play.
Through his first 10 career NHL games, the Northville, Michigan native has recorded one goal and two assists. He was clearly the Rangers’ most effective player on Sunday.
When watching Laba, you get the sense that he’s going to be a Ranger for a very long time and eventually have a letter sewn above his heart.
Rangers hand over victory to NHL-worst Flames for third straight loss
CALGARY, Alberta — Another desperate opponent, another disappointing defeat.
For the second straight game, the Rangers handed over a victory their challengers badly needed. After falling in overtime to the previously winless Sharks earlier this week, the Blueshirts lost 5-1 to a Flames team that hadn’t won since their first game of the season entering Sunday night’s contest at Scotiabank Saddledome.
With the win, the Flames snapped a losing skid of eight consecutive games.
The Rangers, on the other hand, dropped their third contest in a row for the second time this season.
The worst reputation an NHL team can have is an easy game on the schedule. Twice now, the Rangers have allowed teams struggling even more than they are to come in and get what they need against them.
San Jose and the Flames — both ranked 32nd in the NHL at one point this week — looked confident coming into a matchup with the Rangers. Each game played out accordingly.
Calgary carried a league-worst average of 1.67 goals per game into Sunday’s meeting, but within the first 10 minutes of the game, they had posted two goals on the Rangers. The Flames eventually set a new season high of five goals in regulation.
The defensive discipline the Rangers played with the first handful of games has all but evaporated.
The offensive struggles have only continued, with the team registering only one goal or zero for the sixth time through their first 10 games.
The Rangers gave up the first goal of the game inside the two-minute mark for the second time in as many games, when Nazem Kadri sniped one past Blueshirts goalie Igor Shesterkin from the slot for the early 1-0 lead.
Controlling the puck for a good portion of the opening frame, the Flames made it a 2-0 game after Kevin Bahl connected on a shot from the top of the zone. Calgary dumped 12 shots on Shesterkin through the first 20 minutes, but the Rangers managed to get on the board before the end of the period.
CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS
Noah Laba registered his first career NHL goal to cut the Flames lead in half, driving to the net and burying the puck on Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf.
Despite outshooting the home team 13-11 in the middle frame, the Rangers couldn’t break through. Yegor Sharangovich gave the Flames a 3-1 lead with a goal off the rush, which Shesterkin only got a piece of before it found twine.
The Flames’ shorthanded goal in the third period only twisted the knife into this already suffering Rangers team.
After Mika Zibanejad whiffed on a shot on the power play, Calgary jumped out on a two-on-one rush that ended with a Blake Coleman goal.
Rangers’ Noah Laba: Pots first NHL goal
Laba scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Flames.
Laba got in the zone quickly and converted on a pass from Will Cuylle just 10 seconds after Kevin Bahl put the Flames ahead 2-0. The 22-year-old Laba earned his first goal on the play, and he’s added two helpers, nine shots on net, nine hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through his first 10 appearances. The rookie forward has held down a bottom-six spot in the lineup, keeping Jonny Brodzinski in the press box most of the time. Laba’s playing style is more defensive in nature, so he won’t be a big fantasy presence unless his offense grows by leaps and bounds.
NBA Trainer Awaits Caitlin Clark’s New York Decision Amid Sophie Cunningham Announcement
For Caitlin Clark, her offseason is as happening as her regular season—and this time is no exception. She’s already attracted major buzz with her attendance at an NFL game as a guest alongside Taylor Swift, and now her next chapter might unfold in New York.
Well, that’s because the Indiana Fever star, who missed much of the 2025 regular season due to injuries, is reportedly eyeing a potential collaboration with Chris Brickley. He’s known for working with NBA greats like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and as per his recent conversation on The Line podcast, he and Clark have “been talking for a few years” about training together.
Though their 2024 workout didn’t happen due to team restrictions, he hopes to finally train with her in New York this offseason. “So I’m hoping now, this offseason, I’m hoping that she’ll come to New York and we’ll get some work in…. Man, she’s the reason why the WNBA has become so big. I’d love to work with her. She’s an amazing talent… and I love her competitiveness, too,” Brickley said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
This is a developing story.
Eli Manning Named the Two NBA Legends Who Could’ve Been NFL Stars
Eli Manning is one of the most decorated quarterbacks of his generation. The 16-year pro was the ultimate Iron Man with the New York Giants, playing 210 consecutive regular-season games, the third-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.
During this time, Manning made four Pro Bowls and finished his career ranked 7th all-time in completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
Despite the regular season success, the postseason was where Eli cemented his legacy, leading the Giants to two almost improbable Super Bowl titles.
New York had to beat several incredible teams on the path to these two Lombardi trophies in 2008 and 2012, including the New England Patriots.
The Giants’ 17-14 victory over the 18–0 Patriots is considered among the greatest upsets in professional sports history. And in both of these title clashes, Eli Manning was named Super Bowl MVP.
The New Orleans native ultimately is more qualified than anyone to talk about the sport of football, and he was recently asked about which NBA stars could’ve been NFL stars. For this topic, two basketball immortals immediately came to Eli’s mind.
Eli Manning named the two NBA legends who would’ve been successful in the NFL
During an interview on the “Roommates” podcast with New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Manning was asked to name five basketball players who could succeed in the NFL.
Eli only mentioned two NBA legends in his response, but Allen Iverson and LeBron James are fantastic picks considering their athletic backgrounds.
“I saw LeBron play a little high school football. I think when you…have a 6’7, 260-pound guy, like, you’ll probably find a spot for him to play the receiver or put him at free safety or something, he’s got some range…Just going old school, like an Allen Iverson…I remember seeing Allen Iverson playing some high school football. You don’t have to have a very specific skill. It’s not like you have to run a thousand routes. Like, if you can run and if you can jump or you have some physicality to you, we can find a spot for you on a football field somewhere. You’ve got to have a little toughness to you, and if you have the work mentality, we can work those things out.”
Allen Iverson and LeBron James are two of the NBA’s most transcendent athletes of all time. Despite being only 6 feet tall and 165 pounds, the Philadelphia 76ers’ legendary guard was renowned for his exceptional speed, fearlessness, and trademark crossover.
And Iverson, himself, was a decorated high school football player at Bethel High School. The Hampton, Virginia native was a quarterback, cornerback, and kick returner in high school, leading his team to a Division AAA Virginia State Championship.
Iverson was subsequently named Associated Press High School Player of the Year and recruited by the likes of Notre Dame and Maryland before a high school incident caused him to focus directly on basketball.
Meanwhile, James played just two years of high school football at St. Vincent-St. Mary, earning first-team All-Ohio honors as a wide receiver in both his sophomore and junior years.
As Manning states, LeBron certainly has the physical traits to be a successful NFL wide receiver and tight end, similar to players like Jimmy Graham or Antonio Gates.
Nonetheless, both James and Iverson certainly made the right career decisions, especially when considering their long-term health.
There are other stars who might hear Manning’s take and have a thing or two to say, such as Jimmy Butler III and Anthony Edwards, based on comments these two NBA stars have made in the past.
But even with those guys in mind, James and Iverson are certainly the two first names that should come to mind, considering their football backgrounds.
Why Did Caitlin Clark Turn Down NBA Trainer Chris Brickley Last Summer?
If you’ve heard about Chris Brickley, chances are you know him for training the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. Now he might be known as the trainer Caitlin Clark turned down. Well, not technically Caitlin herself. But something kept her from going to New York to train with her idol, LeBron’s, workout guy. Especially after injury-ridden season when conditioning tips from James’ circle would be a blessing.
Chris Brickley himself provided the answer to why this never happened. During a sit-down interview on The Line with Dr Kristen Holmes he revealed that he had an offer for Clark after she played only a dozen games in 2025. After her RoTY season, Clark took a break from playing (she went from the NCAA finals to the draft to the 2024 WNBA season without a break) basketball by skipping Unrivaled and overseas. Her offseason gained attention since then.
However, 2025 drew interest to her recovery and W/NBA trainers wanted to work with her this offseason. Unfortunately, front office business is getting in the way. “Some teams are like, ‘No, you need to be with me for the first three years.’ This is happening with me and Caitlin Clark,” Brickley told Dr. Holmes.
CC on the other hand was apparently keen on working out with Brickley. But the Indiana Fever expected him to come to Indianapolis for that. “So, Caitlin Clark finished her rookie season. We’ve been talking for a few years. So we were going to work last summer, but I was gonna have to go to Indianapolis. And I respect it. When you’re young on your team, you work out at your practice facility,”
In the end, Brickley hinted that he’s positively working out the possibility of training her. “So I’m hoping now, this off season, I’m hoping that she’ll come to New York and we’ll get some work in.”
To conclude, he gave his reasoning to want to help Clark. “Man, she’s the reason why the WNBA has become so big. I’d love to work with her. She’s an amazing talent… and I love her competitiveness, too.”
Tyronn Lue Responds to Chauncey Billups’ Arrest in Gambling Investigation
The NBA world was recently shaken up by a gambling scandal involving multiple players and coaches. Among those arrested was Portland Trail Blazers‘ head coach Chauncey Billups. Billups allegedly used numerous different tools to illegally rig poker games. Organized crime families backed these poker games.
The 49-year-old was entering his fifth season as the Trail Blazers’ head coach before the arrest. With his head-coaching tenure and time in the NBA, Billups made many friends. One of his best friends is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyronn Lue.
Tyronn Lue Says Chauncey Billups Will Be Okay
Before Sunday’s game against Portland, Lue addressed Billups’ arrest.
“When you’ve known somebody so long, you can just tell by their voice— if he’s okay. Like I said, he’s confident in what’s going on. The toughest part just for him is just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he’s really confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can just see that he’s okay. So that was good to hear,” Lue said, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Lue is not only Billups’ best friend but also the godfather of his daughters. It is not easy to see a good friend go through a situation like this, but Lue will continue to give Billups his love and support.
“I’ve been with him since I was 17 years old. So it’s just hard to see something like this happen. So he has my love and support always,” Lue said, per Shelburne.
This investigation is definitely going to take a while. Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the NBA are going to make sure they get every piece of this right. Everyone will be under a microscope, so it is important that nothing slips through the cracks. Billups will most likely not make a return to the NBA anytime soon, so Portland will be under new leadership for the time being.
Los Angeles takes on Portland Sunday night in the first matchup between the two teams this year.
Gambling Remains a Problem in the NBA
These arrests highlight a larger problem the NBA faces. They are sponsored by multiple gambling sites, including FanDuel and DraftKings, and ESPN even has its own sportsbook. With sports betting growing, the NBA has to be more careful about how it handles these situations.
Earlier this year, Jontay Porter was arrested because of a gambling investigation, while another NBA player may have been involved, as well. Gambling is becoming a larger issue, and Adam Silver has to find a way to mitigate the problem.
Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff says gambling implications are scary for NBA players and coaches
Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said NBA players and coaches have to be mindful of conversations they have with people outside their organizations that may have gambling implications.
NBA Makes Giannis Antetokounmpo Announcement After Bucks Loss to Cavs
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 118-113. The Bucks were coming off two straight wins before losing to the Cavs, which left Milwaukee at 2-1 on the season.
Antetokounmpo was a dominant force in this one, registering a game-high 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting, to go along with 14 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, two blocks and one three-pointer in 33 minutes of action.
Antetokounmpo’s Herculean effort still wasn’t enough, though, with Mitchell (24 points, four assists) and Evan Mobley (23 points, eight rebounds, six assists) leading the charge for Cleveland.
Antetokounmpo kept his foot on the gas on Sunday night. He’s had a strong start to the new NBA season, and his performance against the Cavs proves that there are no signs of the two-time MVP slowing down anytime soon. In three games played so far, the Bucks superstar has averaged 36.0 points on 68.3% shooting, 16.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 blocks, while also connecting on 1.3 triples on a 66.7% clip.
Antetokounmpo made NBA history on Sunday amid his blistering start to the campaign. The NBA took to social media to announce the nine-time All-Star’s latest feat.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes the FIRST player in NBA history to open a season with 100+ points, 40+ rebounds & 15+ assists through his first three games!” NBA History posted on X.
Antetokounmpo, who is currently in the first season of his three-year, $186 million extension with the Bucks, will need to carry a heavier load this season. This is after Milwaukee waived Damian Lillard in the offseason following the veteran point guard’s Achilles injury.
Monday’s Sports Equinox: Your guide to all four major leagues (and more!) in action
Some days on the sports calendar merit circling. They come once a year: Super Bowl Sunday; the opening Thursday of March Madness. Take your pick. But did you know Monday is such a day on the sports calendar?
That’s right. Oct. 27, 2025, marks a
Mavericks’ Flagg earns first NBA win in best performance yet
After an up and down first two games, Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg enjoyed his best overall performance yet on Sunday. Flagg’s best outing led to the rookie experiencing his first taste of an NBA win.
Helping the Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors, 139-129, Flagg scored 22 points in 29 minutes, his single-game high to this point. Connecting on 8-of-14 shots, Flagg was also the most efficient he’s been at 57.1% from the field.
To top it all off, Flagg, starting his NBA career at just 18, added four rebounds, four assists and a block as well.
Knowing the pressure and hype the 2025 No. 1 overall pick is dealing with, one of Flagg’s veteran teammates couldn’t help but shower the rookie with a big compliment after the game.
Cooper Flagg ignites Mavericks’ offense in first NBA win
DALLAS — Rookie Cooper Flagg caught the look-ahead pass as he crossed the halfcourt line, took one dribble and a couple more long strides and launched for a spectacular, and-1 slam dunk.
The finish over Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili elicited a roar from the crowd at the American Airlines Center, a far cry from the scattered boos during the Dallas Mavericks’ 0-2 start. It was the highlight of an excellent all-around performance in the first NBA victory for Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick who finished with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Bucks HC Appeals for NBA Referees’ Protection as Giannis Antetokounmpo Reacts to Cavs’ Physicality
Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t go down easily. We’re all aware of that. But in Milwaukee’s loss to Cleveland, the two-time MVP spent more time on the hardwood than he’d like. For a player who’s built his career on stubborn force, the whistles, or lack thereof, became the real storyline. And when that kind of tension builds around a superstar, it usually means that the team’s patience with officiating is running out.
“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Rivers said post-game. “We knew this was going to be a hard game for him — physical game for him — because he’s going to have to be the majority of our ball. That’s taxing. And yet, he still was willing to go in the paint, get fouled… that’s who he is.”
The Bucks fell 118–113 to the Cavaliers, but the game was less about the score and more about survival. Cleveland, one of the league’s biggest and most physical teams, turned every Giannis drive. Still, Antetokounmpo didn’t flinch. He absorbed hits, scored 40 points, and had 14 rebounds, and even found Turner with a dime through contact that Rivers later called “amazing.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“He gets hit, grabbed, held,” Rivers continued. “It’s like Shaq — he doesn’t react to the hits, so there’s no call to it, you know, where if it’s a guard, a guard’s going to flail and get that call. So, it’s just not who he is. So, he’ll never really get it, you know, but still, to be able to make accurate passes through that contact. Um, just tells you how tough he is. ”
The conversation around Antetokounmpo’s physicality isn’t new, but Rivers gave it more urgency. When asked about Hunter’s two-handed foul on a Giannis gather, the Bucks coach didn’t hold back on his words.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“You should write that,” he told reporters. “It’s a dangerous play… I always worry about the shoulder. They wrap you up, you’re pulling up, and now you tear a shoulder, and there’s no flagrant to that.” It wasn’t a casual plea.
Rivers, who’s coached the likes of Paul Pierce and Chris Paul, knows superstar treatment, and he knows Giannis isn’t getting it. In 2025, with more pace and analytics, the league still doesn’t quite know how to officiate a player who breaks physics on every drive.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Antetokounmpo, for his part, wasn’t rattled. When asked about facing Cleveland, he offered the calm of someone who’s seen every possible defense known to man.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’ve seen it all,” Giannis said. “Two bigs guarding me, guys picking me full court, double teams in the post, three or four guys in the paint. I’m pretty much prepared for everything. I just let my instincts take over.”
How Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to stay unbothered against all odds
He continued, his tone grounded, almost analytical. “When I step on the court, I try to read the plays. If my teammate is open, I’m going to pass him the ball and I hope he makes the shot because that’s the right I play… I’ve worked so much in my life and I’ve seen everything all kind of defense. Uh, especially when you play FIBA, FIBA basketball, their defense are tougher than NBA basketball. Not in the playoffs. I’m talking about regular season.”
Giannis, now 30, is outsmarting teams. His timing and patience have turned him into something beyond the “Greek Freak” label. His start to the 2025–26 season proves it with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists per game while shooting over 68% from the field. Only Shaquille O’Neal in 1993–94 shot better through three games with that volume.
That efficiency doesn’t come from strength alone. It comes from control of the pace, space, and of himself. As Rivers hinted, Giannis’s biggest challenge isn’t the defense, but the officiating gap that comes with being too strong for his own good.
And yet, his durability defies logic. Through endless collisions, there are no frustration tantrums. “He doesn’t react,” Rivers said. “That’s who he is.” The Bucks’ season hinges on that same unshakable behavior.
With key guards sidelined, including Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony, and Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee’s offense runs entirely through Giannis. He’s both a point guard and a power forward.
Sunday’s game emphasized that reality. Even as the Cavs built an 18-point lead, Giannis dragged Milwaukee back into contention, tying it late in the third before fatigue finally caught up.
The question now, though, is not whether he can keep doing it, because history says he can. The question is whether the league can keep letting him take this kind of pounding.
How does FC Cincinnati match up with Columbus Crew in the MLS Playoffs
FC Cincinnati will play its archrival Columbus Crew in the first round of the MLS playoffs beginning Oct. 27.
FC Cincinnati would have two of the home games in the best of three game series.
FC Cincinnati is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while Columbus is No. 7.
The renewal of the “Hell is Real” derby rivalry is almost here.
FC Cincinnati hosts the Columbus Crew in Game 1 of their best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series 6:45 p.m. Oct. 27 at TQL Stadium. Cincy (20-9-5, 65 points) is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and Columbus (14-8-12, 54 points) is No. 7.
“We get a chance to enter the playoffs as a two seed and being in front of our fans for the first game we play,” said FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan. “For everybody involved, it’s a long season, and there are a lot of challenges throughout it, but the guys have handled it really well all year.”
They will play a best-of-three series, starting Oct. 27 at TQL Stadium. They play Game 2 in Columbus Nov. 2, then a deciding third game Nov. 8 at TQL, if necessary. Each game will be separate and finish with a winner. If the teams are tied after 90 minutes, they will go directly to a penalty-kick shootout with no extra time.
The club is encouraging fans attending the match to wear orange to ‘Orange Out’ TQL Stadium and to illuminate TQL Stadium during a synchronized light show on matchday.
Columbus has struggled at times this year, and has dipped from last year’s club-record 66 points which was second place in the conference. But their 54 points would have finished fourth in the East last year and is tied for their fourth-most in club history.
“When you look at the teams that qualified for the playoffs, just in the East, the difference from top to bottom is not a lot other than looking at the seed,” Noonan said. “There are a lot of strong teams that can go and win an MLS Cup.”
How have both teams fared in the MLS playoffs?
Columbus has three MLS Cup championships, in 2008, and recently in 2020 and 2023.
According to MLS statistics, Columbus has played 62 playoff games all-time, third in the league to the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls. They are 28-26-8 in playoff history.
In the playoffs, Columbus is 21-8-2 at home, and only 7-18-6 on the road. In their limited sample size over the previous three seasons, FC Cincinnati is 3-1-1 at home and 1-2-1 away.
Columbus has the league’s best winning percentage this season when conceding first, 5-5-4, with one fewer win than two other teams. Cincinnati has one of the best records when scoring first, 19-1-3, accounting for all but one of their wins this season.
However, two of the four exceptions when scoring first came against their in-state derby rivals, as the Crew won that stat in their two regular-season meetings. Cincinnati scored in the opening minutes in both matchups, but the Crew fought back both times. Cincinnati lost 4-2 to Columbus at home July 12 and drew 1-1 with the Crew May 17 at Lower.com Field.
On the other side of that equation, Cincinnati is only 1-8-2 when conceding first, but the Crew are 9-3-5 when scoring first, which ranks last among the teams still in the playoffs.
Cincy will have to overcome a relative lack of playoff experience compared to the Crew. Cincy winger Luca Orellano is the only player on the roster who has scored a goal for FC Cincinnati in a playoff game. Kei Kamara has five career playoff goals but has not scored for Cincy this year since coming in at midseason.
How did Cincinnati do against Columbus this year?
Cincy is 4-8-6 against the Crew all-time, including their win over the Crew in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup when Cincinnati was still in the USL.
On May 17 at Lower.com Field, the Orange and Blue scored six minutes in and settled for a 1-1 draw. On July 12, Cincinnati had one of its most disastrous results. They scored twice in the first five minutes on goals by Evander and Pavel Bucha. But they didn’t find the net the rest of the way, and the Crew came back for a 4-2 win which tied for the most goals Cincy has conceded in any game this year.
Gilbert Arenas Lied About LeBron James’ Gambling Truth, Ex
Recently, there has been scrutiny on gambling in the NBA, with the recent gambling-related arrests conducted by the FBI. Amidst this noise, a story from Gilbert Arenas about LeBron James resurfaced, and former Los Angeles Lakers player Kwame Brown had things to say.
The interview with Arenas was conducted on DJ Vlad’s show, where he was talking about the 2006 Wizards-Cavaliers series, during which Damon Jones hit a game-winning shot. Arenas said, “We’re gambling, during the series, right? Not LeBron, but, you know, me, Damon Jones, Larry Hughes. Like, we’re at LeBron’s place. We’re gambling, right?” He described the scene as casual. “He had a penthouse condo. He had all the floors, right? So we’re going there watching game tape, just vibing,” Arenas continued.
Kwame Brown reacted to this clip with skepticism, saying, “During the playoff series, they’re supposed to be at war,” Brown said. “This is supposed to be Sparta. They’re supposed to be real deal Holyfield. This for all the marbles. Why is there no war?”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He turned his attention to Arenas’ version of events, adding that the story didn’t add up, “Now, I can’t prove LeBron James was gambling. But, like, why would you lie about that?” Brown said. “Almost every player gambled. Especially if a player is going to allow that at their house. I’m going to allow gambling at my house, but I’m not going to gamble? That don’t even make sense.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Brown doubled down, adding that though he wasn’t directly accusing the Lakers forward, he questioned the logic behind the described scenario. “Why would I tell people to come to my house and gamble if I don’t gamble?” he said. “Come to my house and drink, everybody come get drunk, and I ain’t going to drink. That don’t even make sense.”
These comments come at a time when gambling in the NBA has become a sensitive topic following several league and even a federal investigation in 2024 and 2025. So far, there’s no evidence linking LeBron James to misconduct.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Gilbert Arenas Laughs Off Gambling Allegations, Calls Claims ‘Stupid’
Gilbert Arenas has never been one to shy away from controversy, and, apart from the LeBron James story, used his appearance on DJ Vlad’s show to address the gambling charges looming over him. He said, “Can I ask you something, Vlad? You live in Hollywood. You’ve heard of poker games. The Israelis – would they have someone like me in their group?” he said, laughing off the suggestion that he had been part of any organized operation.
The former All-Star took issue with how his name has been tied to the alleged operation. He told Vlad that he was considering whether these reports could be classified as defamation: “I’m wondering if there’s defamation because of how you’re making it seem. I don’t think that’s fair. You can’t use my name to put a case out there with these types of claims. At the end of this, I should be able to sue for defamation.” But even in frustration, he couldn’t resist a grin. “But it is the government. It is the government (and) they can do what the f— they want to do,” he added, shaking his head.
Letters to the Editor – ICE in Dallas, Dallas City Hall, sports arenas, Colombia
Keep your money, ICE
Re: “Council members oppose ICE program — Despite push from mayor, some say partnership will erode community’s trust,
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reflects on Jim Pohlman’s Departure RCR
Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about crew chief Jim Pohlman’s departure from JR Motorsports to Richard Childress Racing (RCR). This marks a major shake-up for both teams. Jim Pohlman, who guided Justin Allgaier to the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, will be joining Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2026, a move that signals the next big step in his career.
Jim Pohlman’s Impact at JR Motorsports
During his run with JR Motorsports, Pohlman proved himself to be a difference-maker. His leadership and technical precision helped Allgaier capture the 2024 Xfinity title and kept the team consistently competitive.
“It’s tough to replace him,” Dale Jr. said on The Dale Jr. Download podcast. “Are we better with him? Yes. We’re a much better race team with Jim in the building.”
Even as the team prepares for life without him, Dale Jr. made it clear that Pohlman’s legacy, and possibly another championship, depending on how things go at Phoenix, will leave a lasting mark.
Pohlman, on the other hand, was full of praise for Justin and JRM and pointed out his dream to race on Sunday.
“Justin is the guy who put me on the map,” Pohlman said. “Without JRM, this opportunity doesn’t exist. It’s very hard to leave Justin; he’s a great friend and has been a friend for a long time. We’ve won an ARCA championship, we’ve won an Xfinity championship – hopefully, we’re going to win two. To walk away from the possibility of winning three in a row was very heavy on my mind.
“The goal for me has always been to race on Sunday and make it to that level and have an opportunity to win Daytona 500s and win at the highest level. It’s a great opportunity and I’m certainly looking forward to it.”
Dale Earnhardt Excitement for Pohlman’s Future at RCR
Despite losing one of his best, Dale Jr. isn’t bitter about it. In fact, he’s genuinely happy for Pohlman.
“I told Jim I wanted him to stay, but I knew that he had this opportunity, and it was great for him to go and hear it out,” Dale Jr. said.
Kyle Busch, who’ll work with Pohlman at RCR, also had positive things to say about his new crew chief’s leadership and record of success. Dale Jr. added that he’s eager to see what the two can achieve together: “I can’t wait to see how Jim and Kyle do next year.”
Richard Childress Racing’s Approach and Pohlman’s Work Ethic
Dale Earnhardt also took a moment to praise how RCR handled the whole process. “I thought RCR handled it really well,” he said. “How they reached out to us to ask if they could discuss this with Jim, they did it all right.”
He described Pohlman as meticulous and relentless in his work, traits that will serve him well in the highly competitive Cup Series.NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400 Prize Money: What Is the Purse? “He’s detailed. He works his tail off,” Dale Jr. said. “Every thousandth of a fraction of a freaking inch in every little piece and part is what you’ve got to work for.”
A Bittersweet Goodbye
Pohlman’s move to RCR feels like the natural next chapter for a crew chief who’s earned his place among the sport’s best. For JR Motorsports, it’s a tough goodbye, but for NASCAR fans, it’s another exciting partnership to watch.
As Dale Jr. put it, the mix of pride and anticipation says it all: losing a great one always stings, but seeing them rise to new heights is what makes racing so rewarding.
Stronger than ever, No. 5 team sits on the precipice of another title shot
Cliff Daniels would argue that the version of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 team that will race Sunday at Martinsville Speedway is as strong or stronger than it’s ever been.
“It’s a very simple cliché statement, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Daniels said on Saturday. “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs this year.”
Martinsville is the site of the final elimination race in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, and Daniels has the task of guiding his team into the next round. They will begin race day with a 36-point advantage while sitting in the final transfer spot. The team last competed for the championship in 2023, two years after winning the series title.
Larson and Daniels have not won a Cup Series race since mid-May. However, their postseason performance has been on an upward trajectory, with four top-10 finishes in the last five races, including second-place finishes in two of the last three events.
“I think there has been a lot of really good character building for us, and to me, that’s as important as any race win,” Larson said. “To know that we have the team that’s as strong as we are, ready to fight and compete together every week, no matter the results, and certainly we have high expectations for ourselves the next two weeks.
“But what’s most important to me right now is how grounded we are, how connected we are, and we’re certainly up for the challenge.”
The No. 5 team’s performance was one of the biggest stories of the summer, particularly the stretch beginning after Larson made his Indianapolis-Charlotte double attempt and stretched into the postseason. Larson admitted in July the team was in a slump, but also cautioned that it wasn’t as bad as it could be considering the numbers they were posting.
In addition to going winless, he led just 51 laps in the 14 races beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and ending with the regular season finale at Daytona. The team posted seven top-10 finishes in that stretch.
He still began the postseason as the No. 1 seed, however, and is now the series leader in stage wins (10), laps led (1,106), the second-most top-10 finishes (20), and has the third-most playoff points (32).
“Something I would say as an overarching story for our team this year – and I want to start by saying this: I am very, very proud of everyone on the No. 5,” Daniels said. “The road crew, shop crew and pit crew for the resilience that we’ve shown through the season. Someday, I hope to get to tell the story of a lot of the details that we were experiencing at a personal level with individuals and a lot of different things on the team, and even professionally with how we had the new pit crew coming in, and a lot of what it takes to gel and form together as a team.
“Our conversations when we were in the slump were that some of it was a little misleading if you just look at the finishing position. Mexico, we had a great qualifying effort, a really strong car, and we got taken out in the rain on lap two, and I can think of a few other examples where our day just never really had a chance to materialize, and we were kind of playing from our heels.
Elliott leads Cup Series practice at Martinsville
Chase Elliott led practice for the NASCAR Cup Series elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, which he goes into needing to win to advance.
Elliott (P) put down a lap of 95.796mph (19.767s). The Hendrick Motorsports driver does have one prior win at Martinsville Speedway – the 2020 elimination race.
Denny Hamlin (P) was second fastest at 95.791mph and Ty Gibbs was third at 95.782mph. Bubba Wallace ran fourth at 95.738mph and Kyle Larson (P) completed the top five at 95.728mph. AJ Allmendinger was sixth fastest at 95.598mph.
William Byron (P) was seventh at 95.439mph, Ty Dillon eighth at 95.319mph, Joey Logano (P) ninth at 95.295mph and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10 at 95.285mph.
The defending winner at Martinsville, Ryan Blaney (P), was 11th fastest in practice. Blaney’s best lap was 95.276mph.
Christopher Bell (P) was 16th fastest with a lap of 95.180mph while the slowest playoff driver was Chase Briscoe (P) at 26th fastest (94.994mph).
There were no incidents in practice.
Larson was the fastest driver in the best 10 consecutive lap average over Elliott, Byron, Gibbs and Allmendinger. Blaney was sixth in the category and Hamlin was seventh.
There are 37 teams entered at Martinsville Speedway.
Can Richard Childress’ 20-YO Driver Overcome Dale Jr’s Triple Threat for NASCAR Xfinity Championship?
The stage is finally set for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4! And it’s shaping up to be a showdown between old rivals. JR Motorsports, powered by Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver development machine, has dominated the deck with top three contenders: Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, and Carson Kvapil. Each one carved out their own path to Phoenix: Zilisch’s dominance, Allgaier’s clutch wins, and Kvapil’s gritty fight at Martinsville.
But the outsider standing in their way is the 20-year-old sensation from Richard Childress Racing, Jesse Love, ready to ruin the JRM sweep. It’s a David vs. Goliath situation when team pride, experience, and youth clash. So, as all roads lead to the desert, the question is, when the lights go green, can the RCR’s young gun be able to overcome Dale Jr.’s triple threat?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Will Connor Zilisch be able to chase history?
Because of his quick ascent, Connor Zilisch has become one of the most-watched drivers in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series. His one-sided dominance this year with ten wins is convincing enough to picture him as the title winner. Just 18 months ago, Zilisch made headlines with late models and sports cars, and today, he is already the regular season champion and has guided JR Motorsports to three Championship 4 drivers.
His poise under playoff pressure is remarkable. Very few rookies excel in chaotic cut-off races like Charlotte and Daytona, yet Zilisch has proved resilient in every environment by clinching the top spot. The teenage star has a tactical advantage in the title decider since he is equally at ease on ovals as on road courses.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
With ten wins (including a record 17 consecutive top-five finishes), a series-leading average finish, and confident support from teammates Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil, Zilisch faces the biggest race of his life. It’s all about keeping the nerve amid the Phoenix intensity, and a championship title isn’t far away.
Can Justin Allgaier push for a second consecutive NASCAR Xfinity title?
While newbie Connor Zilisch chases history, on the opposite end of the JR Motorsports garage sits a man who’s been here before: Justin Allgaier, his team boss, Dale Jr.’s favorite to win the championship. Allgaier is no stranger to pressure, having thrived under playoff scrutiny last season to clinch the 2024 Xfinity championship title for JR Motorsports. Now, the seasoned pro is back as the defending champ in the spotlight, seeking a rare repeat as three of his teammates battle alongside him.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Allgaier’s strengths are experience and adaptability – qualities that have kept him consistently at the front throughout the 2025 campaign, especially on Phoenix’s distinctive, low-banked oval, where he has enjoyed two wins and multiple top-5 and top-10 finishes. With three wins this season and some crucial stage points earned in nearly every playoff round, he’s proven that raw speed isn’t his only weapon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The question at Phoenix: can Allgaier channel the grit and cool-headedness from his 2024 run once again, and fend off his hungry teammates and rookies for a landmark second title? History isn’t always kind to defending champions. But in Allgaier’s case, his blend of wisdom and pace could certainly make 2025 “the year of orange” for the #7 team one more time.
Can Jesse Love’s rookie season turn into a championship dream?
While Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s horsemen gear up to bring the trophy to Mooresville, there’s one driver standing in the way of the team’s dream sweep.
Richard Childress Racing’s 20-year-old phenom, Jesse Love, who’s been the wildcard all season long, has shown some remarkable versatility and fearless approach in his rookie year, even as the odds sometimes stacked against the No. 2 Chevrolet.
But Love’s campaign was far from flawless. Pit-road miscues, late-stage adversity, and penalties (seen as recently as Martinsville) have threatened to derail his charge. Yet he has consistently clawed back, culminating in a gritty advance to the Championship 4.
With a high-pressure win at the season opener at Daytona and a string of eight top-fives, Love has shown he belongs among the sport’s elite. His powerful adaptability and rebounding nature set him apart from his competitors.
He’s outperformed expectations in one of the most competitive rookie crops in years, and the Phoenix finale now gives him the chance to carve out a legacy as one of the youngest champions ever.
One thing is certain. If Love can manage the unique demands and nerves of Phoenix, Childress may have its first Xfinity title since Tyler Reddick’s 2019 run.
Will Carson Kvapil’s quiet consistency put him in the spotlight?
While Zilisch and Love have racked up headlines and Allgaier has muscled through tight playoff rounds, Carson Kvapil’s story is defined by relentless steadiness. Though winless, his second rank speaks for itself. Kvapil rarely dominated with flair, but he nearly always delivered top-10s and, importantly, finished races. A trait that finally paid off with advancement to this year’s Championship 4.
Martinsville exemplified his approach: a late spin, a rapid recovery, and just enough points to squeak past Brandon Jones into the title hunt. Kvapil’s JR Motorsports crew is laser-focused on execution, extracting stage points and avoiding DNFs, and that’s made him a true contender without a win in 2025.
Kvapil will need to rely on his clever racecraft when he enters Phoenix. He needs to avoid difficulties and find his place when it counts most, just like he has done all season. Kvapil’s goal in the finale is to seize the moment, not to show off. His calm consistency might end up being the difference in the Xfinity title race if he can hold his ground against his headline-grabbing opponents.
Parting thoughts
Hamlin on NASCAR lawsuit: ‘One of us is on a suicide mission’
NASCAR, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports have thus far failed to come to a settlement in their legal battle, and Denny Hamlin doesn’t seem optimistic that one will be found before the trial begins.
“Listen, I don’t know,” Hamlin said Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. “I think both sides probably feel strong about their case. … I think one of us is on a suicide mission.”
The parties participated in a court-ordered judicial settlement conference on Tuesday, which carried over into Wednesday. A previous settlement conference was held in August, but apparently didn’t last very long or make much progress.
A settlement, however, can be reached at any time. That includes the days leading up to the start of the trial and once it has begun.
“It was OK the first day, not great the second day,” said Hamlin of this week’s settlement meetings. “I don’t know. It didn’t end in any resolution, unfortunately.”
On Thursday, the day after the settlement conference, Judge Kenneth Bell heard arguments on the request for summary judgment from 23XI Racing and Front Row, as well as motions to exclude witness testimony during the trial. Dec. 1 is the scheduled start date of the trial. It will be held regarding the joint antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row against NASCAR in October 2024.
In March, NASCAR countersued the teams and 23XI Racing co-owner Curtis Polk. That litigation is on the same track as the original lawsuit.
So, what hurdles remain in reaching a settlement before the trial begins?
“Just days in the week,” Hamlin said. “That’s it. It’s just counting down at this point.”
NASCAR Title Contender’s Future in Question Amidst Financial Crisis
Carson Kvapil’s 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, culminating in a championship battle that could reshape his racing future. Despite a strong performance, including multiple top-five finishes, Kvapil’s 2026 plans with JR Motorsports were already set in motion before the season’s conclusion.
JR Motorsports announced that Kvapil would not return full-time in 2026. Instead, he would share the No. 1 Chevrolet with Connor Zilisch under the guidance of new crew chief Rodney Childers. This decision was primarily driven by financial considerations, as explained by team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Junior emphasized that Kvapil’s performance was not the issue, but rather the team’s need to adjust to changing financial circumstances. However, Kvapil’s unexpected success this season, including a strong playoff run, has sparked discussions about the potential impact on his 2026 plans.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
While a championship victory would undoubtedly elevate Kvapil’s profile and potentially attract additional sponsorship, it is uncertain whether it would influence JR Motorsports’ decision to alter its 2026 lineup.
The team’s commitment to a part-time schedule with two drivers sharing the No. 1 car suggests that financial constraints indeed are a significant factor in their planning. In the broader context of NASCAR, the trend of part-time schedules is becoming more prevalent.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Teams are increasingly adopting flexible driver lineups to manage costs and adapt to changing circumstances. This shift reflects a broader industry trend towards balancing performance with financial sustainability.
As the season concludes, Kvapil’s potential championship could catalyze future opportunities. Whether it leads to a full-time ride in 2027 or a continued part-time role with JR Motorsports, his performance this year has certainly put him on the radar of teams and sponsors alike.
The coming months will be crucial in determining how this success translates into his racing future. A title shine could open doors, but money talks loudest in the garage. Reddit’s Xfinity crowd is buzzing over Carson Kvapil’s title shot and shaky 2026 seat.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kvapil’s cupid or cash crunch?
One pointed back: “Not really. Brett Moffitt won a championship in the 16 truck and was still let go due to finances.” Brett Moffitt grabbed the 2018 Truck crown with Hattori Racing but got cut anyway. The team scraped by each week and needed a driver with cash. Moffitt walked even after the title, swapped for Austin Hill. It shows wins do not always pay the bills.
Another saw hope: “If a sponsor is so impressed by it they want to fund the remaining bill and have him in one car then yeah maybe. I mean it is just a funding deal at the end of the day I am pretty sure.” A championship can draw eyes and wallets. If a big backer steps up to cover the gap, Kvapil might lock full-time. Without that check, the seat stays shared.
A third figure: “Given how it sounds like Kvapil will still be in the #1 for a majority of the season, a championship would probably make it much easier for him to get a ride for the 5-7 races he isn’t slated for JRM.” Kvapil keeps most of the No. 1 dates in 2026, with Connor Zilisch splitting. A title makes the open races easy sells to other teams hungry for a champ.
The flip-flop got called: “Interesting how we’re shifting from ‘this guy sucks, he keeps lucking his way from round to round, he’s a nobody, f* this championship format’ to ‘why doesn’t this nobody who sucks have a ride for next year if he wins this fake championship tho?’” Early knocks on Kvapil’s luck turned to ride worries once he proved real. Wins change the talk fast, format gripes or not.
The backstory filled in: “Kvapil was supported by Penske in 25 because Cindric and Berry were both on team option years if they missed the playoffs so he was the insurance plan for the team if he stood out and they needed a driver. Kvapil looks like he needs way more time compared to CZ and then both Penske guys won races so Roger moved on. You cannot be mad at Roger for leaving because the kid would have never had this year without him. From what I hear Kvap has been friends of LW and Kelly for a long time and help teach Wyatt how to race.”
Penske kept Kvapil ready in case Cindric or Berry flopped. Both won, so Penske passed. Long ties to the Earnhardt family and mentoring Wyatt keep Kvapil in the JRM fold. Cash rules, but connections count.
“F*ck Him”: Carson Hocevar Triggers New Rivalry With Spire Teammate
The air at Martinsville crackled with tension during Sunday’s Xfinity 500, where a hard-fought battle turned raw in an instant. Carson Hocevar, hustling his No. 77 Spire Chevrolet through Turn 2, felt the sharp nudge from behind, Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Chevy tagging his bumper and sending him into a frustrating spin.
Over the radio, Hocevar’s voice cut through the static: “F–k him.” That unfiltered burst captured the heat of the moment. Check it out:
Carson Hocevar spins and the caution is out on Lap 216.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
📺: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/M0cI1rPq7x
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 26, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What started as a track contact quickly turned into something bigger. Hocevar‘s spin dropped him from his 25th position, fueling that radio rant amid a race. Suárez, meanwhile, moved on, but the bump wasn’t malicious—just aggressive racing at the paperclip. For Hocevar, though, it stung even more — little did he know, fate had a twist waiting for next season.
“F**k him” – Hocevar on the radio about Suarez#NASCAR #Xfinity500
— Dalton Hopkins (@PitLaneCPT) October 26, 2025
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
The real kicker? Suárez isn’t just a rival — they both are about to be teammates next year. Spire recently announced the Mexican star will pilot its No. 7 Chevrolet in 2026, slotting in alongside Hocevar and veteran Michael McDowell. That “F–k him” now echoes awkwardly, sparking whispers about a tense moment with someone he’ll be working alongside next season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
With Hocevar’s bold style clashing against Suárez’s fire, this could brew into Spire‘s next big intra-team saga. That raw edge didn’t stay contained to the track— fans lit up social media, dissecting the irony with sharp takes and knowing nods.
Echoes in the garage
“I’m sure his relationship with Suarez will be just as good as his relationship with McDowell because, as we’ve seen they’ve totally gotten along well with each other.” It’s a fair jab; back in August at Watkins Glen, McDowell spun Hocevar out on lap 52 while battling for position, leaving the rookie fuming and radio-silent since.
Hocevar later warned he’d retaliate if needed, but the duo’s silence speaks volumes in a sport where crew chiefs try to settle beefs over coffee. At Spire, where resources are tight, this pattern risks fracturing focus before 2026 even kicks off.
Diving deeper into the chatter, another voice cut straight: “Don’t worry, he’ll have the same attitude when they are teammates.” Hocevar’s reputation as a lone wolf backs it. Earlier this year at Atlanta, his career-best P2 came amid aggressive moves that annoyed a few drivers. That fearless drive landed him at Spire full-time in 2024, but it also means Suárez might walk into a shop where handshakes come slow.
“Let’s be honest, Hocevar is teammates with no one.” It’s harsh but rooted in his own words—on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, the 22-year-old admitted, “I don’t really talk to anybody,” leaving Junior surprised at the isolation in a garage that was built on bonds. From ARCA days to Cup, Hocevar has climbed solo, prioritizing speed over making friends in the sport, a trait that thrills fans but tests team chemistry.
Another fan commented about the history that these three about-to-be Spire teammates share. “So now all three future Spire drivers have history.” Spot on—Suárez and McDowell traded fists on pit road during 2019 Phoenix qualifying. Yet Suárez recently shared how they both have moved on from that fight and are now good friends. For Hocevar, joining that trio means navigating grudges that could either explode or evolve.
Daniel Suarez will be teammates with Michael McDowell at Spire Motorsports, years after they got in a fight on pit road during qualifying at Phoenix in 2019.
Suarez referenced that fight and said he and McDowell actually became very close afterwards. Says McDowell called him… pic.twitter.com/VVYsWMRa7M
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) October 22, 2025
Finally, a poetic nod summed the vibe: “Silence lay steadily against the roar and rattle of the NASCAR garage, and whenever he walked there, ‘he walked alone,’ Mah boi Carson ‘The Instigator’ Hocevar.” It echoes his Dale Jr. personality, where he was also unapologetic.
William Byron bumps Ryan Blaney aside for Martinsville victory, Championship 4 berth
With a Championship 4 spot on the line, William Byron put the bumper to Ryan Blaney to win at Martinsville Speedway in the third-round finale of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Byron made his winning move with 43 laps remaining, seizing the bottom lane in Turn 1 and moving Blaney up the track by tagging him in the left rear. The Hendrick Motorsports driver
Both drivers were in must-win situations to advance to the championship round
Blaney, who was trying to win his third consecutive playoff race at Martinsville, recovered quickly in second place but was unable to close the gap on Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet after getting within a car length on the 0.526-mile oval.
After qualifying 31st, Blaney methodically sliced through traffic to take his first lead just past the midpoint of the 500-lap race. The Team Penske star led a race-high XX laps.
Kyle Larson captured the final championship-eligible berth in the season finale with a XXth-place finish that put him XX points ahead of Christopher Bell, who was .
Byron and Larson advanced to face Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the title round Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway, where the championship will be awarded to the driver with the best finish of the four.
Along with Bell and Blaney, Chase Elliott and defending series champion Joey Logano also were eliminated from the playoffs.
With Blaney and Logano locked out of the Phoenix title race, Team Penske’s streak of three consecutive Cup championships was snapped.
The two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who already were locked into Championship 4 both suffered engine failures at Martinsville.
Hamlin, who opened the third round with a Las Vegas Motor Speedway victory to advance to the title race, was running second on the 334th lap when he pulled his sputtering No. 11 Toyota into the garage. Martinsville marked the third race during the playoffs with a mechanical problem for Hamlin, who also needed a push from team members Saturday when his car failed to start in qualifying.
“I felt like the car was coming to us and was just starting to close in on Blaney,” Hamlin said. “I didn’t feel anything. The engine was running and then not. We’ll work on it. I’m obviously concerned, but obviously nothing I can do about it. So we’re going to have to live with it and hopefully we get lucky next week. I’m confident on speed we’ll be good next week. We’ll bring our best and hopefully it lasts.”
Briscoe finished last when his No. 19 Toyota lost power after 295 laps, but the JGR driver already had locked into the Championship 4 with his Oct. 19 victory at Talladega Superspeedway.
“Went to upshift and something happened,” said Briscoe, who was running 12th before the failure. “Not really sure but next week is what it’s all about anyway.”
Stage 1 winner: Byron
Stage 2 winner: Byron
What Drivers Said after Martinsville playoff Cup win by William Byron
Denny Hamlin — 35th: “I felt like the car was coming to us, but I know what you are asking. I felt like we were in a good spot there where we just started to close back in on (Ryan) Blaney. We got the track position we needed. I didn’t feel anything, it was running and then it was just no noises, no sounds, no indication. I decelerated into Turn 1, and it just shut off. That was it. We’ll work on it I guess and try to get them next week. I’m obviously concerned (about the mechanical problems), but there obviously nothing I can do about it. We’ll live with it and hopefully we’ll get back next week and we are just going to have to see how it goes. I’m confident in the speed that we’ll have next week. I’m really confident in what this team is going to bring next week and we’ll bring our best, hopefully it lasts. Everything was fine and then it just lost power into turn one and that was it. No noises or anything, but just silence because it wasn’t running. I thought that the left side tire was a good change. It certainly makes you manage it, but also more cars have been on the track and the track is starting to rubber. It hasn’t wore as much as I would have expected and the lap time fall off was not quite as much. But a good experiment, I think it can put on good races.”
Chase Briscoe — 37th: “No indication. I was just running around there. I felt really good about coming here and where we were at and racing with (Kyle) Larson there and went to upshift and something happened. I’m not really sure, it’s unfortunate. We’ll go on to next week and that won’t matter anyways.”
WILL BE UPDATED
Results, points, Championship 4 field after Martinsville as Hendrick takes final two title spots
With his first victory in a playoff elimination race and his third at Martinsville Speedway, William Byron outdueled Ryan Blaney to earn a spot in the Championship 4.
Byron led three times for a career-best 304 of 500 laps, including the final 44, for his 16th career victory in the Cup Series. He has led a series-best 1,278 laps this year.
Blaney, who led a series-best 177 laps, finished second, followed by Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson, who locked up the final title-eligible spot in the Nov. 2 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
MORE: Click here for Martinsville results l Click here for the cumulative report l Click here for the penalty report l Click here for race notes
MORE: Click here for reseeded Cup driver points l Click here for reseeded Cup owner points l Click here for Cup driver points l Click here for Cup owner points
The championship will be a battle between Joe Gibbs Racing (with Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe) vs. Hendrick Motorsports (Byron and Larson).
With his third victory this season, Byron ended an 11-race winless streak dating to August at Iowa Speedway.
5 best romance movies on Prime Video to watch right now (October 2025)
The weather’s getting colder, and that means it’s the perfect excuse to spend a cozy night in with all the heart-warming twists and turns of your favorite romance movies. Thankfully, Prime Video has plenty of options to leave you swooning.
It’s easy (and entirely too common) to dismiss romance films as mindless popcorn fodder, the kind of feel-good stories meant to pass the time and not much else. But anyone who has ever ugly cried over a powerful love story knows the genre can be so much more than that. There’s something inherently human to stories about the ups and downs of love, and that vulnerability seems to bring out the best in filmmakers and actors alike.
On this list, you’ll find some of the best romance movies to watch on Prime Video, from a steamy tennis love story starring Zendaya to an Emma Stone-led romcom that’ll leave you in stitches and a Hollywood melodrama for the modern age. For even more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out everything new on Prime Video in October.
‘Challengers’ (2024)
Messy romance movies are some of my favorites, and
Novak Djokovic’s Brother Drops Hint on Comeback After Paris Withdrawal
Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic’s brother Djordje Djokovic revealed that the Serbian was working hard on his fitness after announcing his withdrawal from the ATP Paris Masters earlier this week. The 38-year-old withdrew from the final ATP Masters 1000 of the season after playing in hot and humid conditions in Shanghai and Saudi Arabia this month, where he experienced injury concerns.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has been selective with his choices of tournaments over the past couple of years in his bid to perform well at the highest level.
Despite achieving four semi-finals in the Grand Slams this year and claiming a title in Geneva, Djokovic has been unable to solve the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner puzzle in the 2025 season, coming out second-best in most of their matchups.
In the pre-tournament press conference of the Belgrade Open, Djokovic’s brother mentioned that he believed that the Serb was a “mastermind” when it came to preparing and recovery, expressing his confidence regarding his participation, saying:
“He withdrew from Paris, but he is working hard to recover. He has specific problems that worsened in Shanghai. He feels good now; he is doing everything in his power to be in the best possible condition and play in Athens. He has said how important it is for him to play in this competition, in front of the Greek fans. He is a mastermind when it comes to preparation and recovery, and that is why he is the best.”
The event usually takes place in Djokovic’s hometown in Belgrade, but had to be shifted to Athens following difficulties with the logistics.
Paris Masters Director Expresses Feelings on Novak Djokovic’s Withdrawal
Paris Masters Tournament Director Cédric Pioline was hopeful of seeing Novak Djokovic play at the event in the future following his withdrawal in the 2025 season.
In the press conference ahead of the event in Bercy, Pioline spoke about the Serb’s legacy with the event and the sport, saying:
“I hope we will see him again in our city. In any case, we are talking about a great champion who holds the record of wins in this tournament with seven triumphs. Time passes for him too, and 38 years is a long time, but he is still competitive at the highest level and has reached the semifinals in all the Majors this year.”
Djokovic has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next month despite playing limited events in the 2025 season. However, there is a cloud over his participation in Italy, owing to his injury concerns from the last couple of weeks.
How Peoria-area players fared at state
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — The Dunlap girls tennis team ended its season with a historic silver lining on Saturday.
Sophomore Anna Yu took second place statewide in Class 1A, losing the singles championship match to Addy Filipiak of Darien Hinsdale South, 6-7 (5), 2-6.
Dunlap also took second place as a team in Class 1A, earning its third consecutive state trophy after third-place finishes each of the last two seasons. It is the highest finish for a Journal Star-area girls team at state.
‘Body Was Bodying Before’: Serena Williams’ Jaw-Dropping New Look Has Fans Zooming In on Her Insane Transformation
When Serena Williams touched down in Spain for a prestigious awards ceremony this week, she brought more than just her legendary tennis record.
The 43-year-old champion brought her good looks and spontaneous dance moves that reminded everyone why she’s always been in a league of her own.
Williams arrived at Oviedo’s Hotel Reconquista on Oct. 23 ahead of receiving the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports and immediately had onlookers zooming in on her curves.
‘Where the Thighs Go?’: Serena Williams’ Gym Pics Go Viral as Fans Zoom In on Her Unrecognizable Appearance
Stepping out in a caramel-brown draped midi dress by Polish luxury designer Magda Butrym, Williams greeted the waiting crowd with unexpected flair.
When bagpipers began playing on the hotel steps, the mother of two broke into an impromptu dance, shimmying and moving to the traditional Spanish sounds with genuine enthusiasm that had guests reaching for their phones, according to El Confidential.
Still feeling herself, she posted a video of her dancing in a closet in the hotel, pairing the performance with Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” on Instagram.
“Gorgeousness, stunning … unbelievable body,” wrote one person, while another said, “The goat is enjoying that new body.”
Williams has been flaunting her new body all over Instagram since coming clean about taking weight-loss supplements since giving birth to her second daughter, and struggling to fit comfortably in a designer denim skirt.
Her dance moment quickly found its way to Fashion Bomb Daily’s social media page, where followers had more to say about Williams’ skintight dress. One wrote, “Her body was bodying before. This is not it, Boo!”
Shutting down critics, one fan hit back, “She looks great. Leave her be. Y’all want to hate for no reason. At least her makeup looks a lot better than it used to.”
The supportive sentiment reflected appreciation for Williams’ authentic joy at the international celebration.
Her choice of attire certainly warranted attention. The Magda Butrym creation, priced at approximately $2,475, featured a high closed neckline with a distinctive crossover cape-like detail flowing across the upper bodice into long fitted sleeves.
The stretchy fabric hugged her athletic physique, with a central seam releasing strategic draping that showcased her powerful build. Williams paired the form-fitting midi with classic pointed-toe pumps in a deeper chocolate shade. She kept accessories minimal, opting for oversized teardrop earrings that added sparkle, while wearing her hair loose with natural makeup that let her radiant smile take center stage.
However, eagle-eyed viewers noticed something during her enthusiastic dancing that sparked conversation.
“She did the armpit sniff. I learned from a belly dance instructor to be careful not to do that in photos/videos,” one commenter observed, referencing a moment when Williams appeared to check herself mid-movement. Another noticed the darker strip under her arm and wrote, “The patch.”
The champion has addressed the chatter before, but critics still push baseless claims about her look — accusing her of skin lightening and chasing Eurocentric beauty ideals through her hair choices and marriage to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Fans noticed the couple’s weight gain back in May, but by July, Williams unveiled a noticeably slimmer figure, one of her leanest looks yet. She consistently showed footage of herself working out but many still speculated she had assistance courtesy of GLP-1. She acquired a prescription from the telehealth company Ro that’s made from a class of drugs that can include well-known brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and others.
The scrutiny stands in stark contrast to the honor that brought Williams to Spain.
Considered one of the greatest athletes in history, her extraordinary record includes 73 individual titles, 23 Grand Slam championships, and four Olympic gold medals. The Princess of Asturias Award recognizes not only her athletic excellence but also her advocacy for gender equality and educational opportunities. At a news conference, Williams expressed, according to Marca, being “at a loss for words” over the recognition, calling it a “real honor” that made her feel “fulfilled.”
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, presided over the ceremony at Oviedo’s Campoamor Theater, where Williams received her award alongside other distinguished honorees from various disciplines.
Harvards boys soccer wins 3rd straight regional title: Saturday’s Northwest Herald roundup
Boys soccer
Harvard 4, Freeport 1: At Belvidere, the Hornets (17-8) captured the Class 2A Belvidere Regional championship with a win against the Pretzels, their third regional title in a row. Jesus Aquino had three assists and tallied Harvard’s fourth goal. Bryan Gorostieta had two goals and Eddie Fuentes scored one. Osvaldo Nova made four saves in goal.
Second-seeded Harvard moves on to play top-seeded Wheaton Academy in a Geneva Sectional semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Wheaton Academy 2, Crystal Lake South 1: At West Chicago, the Gators came just up short in a Class 2A Wheaton Academy Regional final loss. South ended the season 11-10-1.
Boylan 2, Burlington Central 0: At Burlington, the host Rockets’ season came to an end with a loss in the Class 2A Burlington Central Regional championship. Central finished the year 9-10-1.
Boys cross country
Class 3A Batavia Regional: At Batavia, Huntley won the regional championship with 34 points, only two points ahead of runner-up Batavia. Burlington Central (131) took fourth and Hampshire (139) was fifth to also advance.
Huntley’s Joseph Sittler (15:28.80) was runner-up to Batavia’s Edward Polaski (15:11.58). Huntley’s Andrew Raistrick (15:34.08) was fourth, Nathan Sauber (15:46.75) was eighth, Joseph Zawacki (15:55.30) was eighth and Mark Omoniyi (15:57.24) was 11th.
Class 2A Woodstock Regional: At Woodstock, Crystal Lake Central’s Amana Omale won the race in 16:06.74 as the Tigers captured the regional championship with 59 points. Prairie Ridge (85) was runner-up, Woodstock (90) was third, Crystal Lake South (107) was fourth and Cary-Grove (121) was fifth to all advance to sectionals.
Woodstock’s Ellery Shutt was runner-up in 16:12.28. Crystal Lake South’s Joseph Gonzalez (16:26.98) was fourth, Woodstock North’s Geo Kopulos (16:37.55) was fifth and C-G’s Jameson Tenopir (16:44.19) was sixth.
Crystal Lake Central’s Ethan McMahon (16:47.45) was seventh, Prairie Ridge’s Steven Randles (16:48.12) was eighth, Woodstock’s Josh Roth (16:48.38) was ninth and South’s Logan Aarseth (16:24.17) was 10th. South’s Chad Wehby (16:52.03) was 11th and C-G’s Aaron Milewski (16:56.33) was 12th.
Woodstock North’s John Hugger qualified as an individual.
Class 3A Palatine Regional: At Palatine, Jacobs (seventh place) and Dundee-Crown (eighth) just missed advancing to sectionals as teams.
Qualifying for sectionals as individuals were D-C’s Logan Grey (sixth place, 15:20.78) and Joshua Michalski (23rd, 16:06.10) and Jacobs’ Gavin Glosson (25th, 16:08.11) and Doyle Watson (31st, 16:14.89).
Class 3A Grant Regional: At Fox Lake, McHenry took sixth to advance to the sectional round. Myles Wagner (15:32.21) was sixth for the Warriors and Nate Martin (15:45.58) was eighth.
Class 1A Lisle Regional: At Lisle, Johnsburg finished runner-up, while Marian Central and Richmond-Burton took third and fourth, respectively, to advance to the sectional round. Johnsburg’s Grady Smith (16:13.21) was runner-up to Harvest Christian Academy’s Luca Bryja (16:00.54).
Johnsburg’s Micah Klos (16:53.69) was fifth, R-B’s Gavin McInnis (17:15.63) was sixth, Marian Central’s Oliver Ebel (17:36.62) was eighth and Johnsburg’s Cayden Moran (17:46.89) was ninth. R-B’s Ryan McClellan (18:19.55) was 11th.
Girls cross country
Class 2A Woodstock Regional: At Woodstock, Prairie Ridge’s Emmie Foster won the race with a time of 18:16.37. Cary-Grove’s Alexandra Santoyo (19:01.70) took fourth, Prairie Ridge’s Anneka Dam (19:17.47) was fifth, Crystal Lake South’s Caroline Lucas (19:22.52) was sixth and Prairie Ridge’s Maia Lancaster (19:30.00) was seventh. South’s Laynie Ripley (19:49.74) was ninth.
Prairie Ridge (second place), South (fourth), C-G (fifth) and Crystal Lake Central (sixth) all advanced to sectionals as teams.
Woodstock’s Sophia Sarabia and Susana Marti, Marengo’s Amy Smith and Woodstock North’s LouLou Splendoria advanced as individuals.
Class 3A Palatine Regional: At Palatine, Jacobs freshman Lennox Szymonik (17:22.46) won the regional title, beating Hersey’s Graceleen Mabry (17:42.26). Jacobs was second to Hersey in the team standings and advance to sectionals. Dundee-Crown took eighth.
Jacobs’ Mackenzie Cronin (18:32.25) was eighth. Dundee-Crown’s Delilah Kissane and Sarah Hillyer advanced as individuals.
Class 3A Batavia Regional: At Batavia, Huntley won the regional title with 40 points, just ahead of runner-up Batavia (45). Burlington Central (128 points) and Hampshire (144) also qualified for sectionals.
Huntley’s Isabella Ciesla (17:39.68) and Haley Rahman (17:44.17) took third and fourth, respectively. Cori Kilvinger (17:58.94) and Morgan Sauber (18:08.76) were seventh and eighth. Hampshire’s Reese Long (18:38.27) was 12th.
Class 3A Grant Regional: At Fox Lake, McHenry took the sixth and final spot to qualify for sectionals. Kennedy Harding (18:59.00) took 16th for the Warriors.
Class 1A Lisle Regional: At Lisle, Johnsburg’s Clara Nicoline placed fourth with a time of 19:40.17. Richmond-Burton’s Khloe Lundy (20:43.05) was seventh and Johnsburg’s Addison Klos (21:28.85) was 11th. R-B placed fourth and Johnsburg was fifth to advance to sectionals as a team.
Girls tennis
Class 1A state tournament: Marian Central’s Jenna Remke and Julia Lukey, playing on the third and final day of the tournament, finished 4-2. The Hurricanes’ No. 1 doubles team lost to Teutopolis’ Anna Probst and Abbie Lee 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (5) in their first match Friday, before defeating Mahomet-Seymour’s Adella Bird and Haley Reed 6-4, 7-5 to advance to Saturday’s final day of matches.
On Saturday, Lemke and Lukey lost their only match to Lake Forest’s Charlie Axus and Carm Ventura 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in the consolation semifinals.
Class 2A state tournament: Huntley’s Ainura Baidylaeva and Gulnura Baidylaeva finished the state tournament with a 3-2 record. After going 3-1 on the first day, the Red Raiders’ No. 1 doubles team dropped their fourth-round consolation match to Glenbrook North’s Harper Adelstein and Jenna Cheung 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Friday.
On Thursday to open the tournament, the Red Raiders’ duo defeated Maine South’s Lauren Geier and Emma Militaru 6-2, 6-4, before losing to Hinsdale Central’s Sydney Shuster and Anika Sarai 6-2, 6-0. They then won their next two matches against Richwoods’ Addison Sharpe and Leah Shaffer (6-2, 6-0) and Glenbard West’s Ella Gacek and Samantha Smith (6-1, 6-1).
SportScene 13 for Saturday, October 25th (Part 1)
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – At the WIAA state girls tennis meet, Altoona makes a run to the finals in division two, while Eau Claire Memorial’s season ends in the second round.
Plus, in cross country sectionals, Menomonie sends both teams to state, while Bloomer qualifies their girls team in division one.
In division two, Mondovi and Durand-Arkansaw boys qualify, while Cochrane-Fountain City and Aquinas send their girls teams.
Also, in division three, Cadott and Cameron advance their boys teams to state, while Cameron and Boyceville’s girls squads move on to Wisconsin Rapids.
On the volleyball court, Chippewa Falls hosts New Richmond in a division one regional final.
In division four, McDonell battles Columbus Catholic, Regis takes on Edgar, and Immanuel faces Owen-Withee in division five.
Finally, on the pitch, Eau Claire Memorial faces off with Holmen in WIAA boys soccer division one regional finals.
York’s Caroline Coan makes history, wins school’s first IHSA state tennis title
York junior tennis ace Caroline Coan received two phone calls before her Class 2A girls tennis state singles championship match Saturday at Hersey.
Older sister Josie Coan wished Caroline well from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Former York teammate Lizzie Isyanov — the Class 2A state singles runner-up last fall — sent encouragement from the University of Illinois.
Caroline Coan, seeded second, then hit the court and made an array of sensational shots against top-seeded Helena Klooster of Marist.
Made history, too.
Coan became the first Duke in program history to net a state championship after edging the RedHawk 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 in three hours, give or take a minute of dauntless shot-making from both athletes.
Coan (31-2) was down 3-0 in the third set, knotted it at 3-3 and broke Klooster in a 5-deuce game to tie at 4-4.
“I had to get locked in, for sure, to get back in the set, all while staying aggressive,” said Coan, who also played superb defense from the baseline by often catching up to Klooster’s hard, deep, well-placed groundstrokes to the corners. “Helena’s shots stay low, so I had to slice, lob, do anything I could to stay in the points.”
The Duke held serve and then broke Klooster on a 15-40 point with an overhead smash. An ecstatic Coan turned quickly to her vocal, green-clad supporters in the bleachers behind the baseline and shouted, “Come on!” before turning again to shake Klooster’s hand at the net.
“Caroline dug deep and stayed with her game plan after falling behind 3-0 in that third set,” said York coach Kara Dollaske. “She mixed up her shots well. What also helped her a lot was her reset routine after points.”
Added Coan, “I was hoping I’d end up with a top-four state finish in singles back in August.
Wheaton Warrenville South junior Riley Lepsi and sophomore Reese Lepsi aren’t just best friends.
They’re also sisters.
“Having a close friendship isn’t always the case with sisters,” said Tigers coach and Fremd graduate Patti Clousing after Lepsi-squared capped off a 29-0 season with a resounding 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Hinsdale Central’s Lauren Panveno/Sophia Virmani in the Class 2A doubles final.
“Riley and Reese are close and competitive and only need to make eye contact to know what the other is thinking,” the coach continued.
After match point, the sisters — fifth at state in doubles a year ago — shared a lengthy embrace in a service box and swayed together for a few fun seconds before shaking hands with the Red Devils.
Hinsdale South sophomore Addy Filipiak, meanwhile, topped Dunlap’s Anna Yu 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the Class 1A singles title match a year after taking third at state.
Filipiak was one game (5-6) away from losing the first and two points away (2-5) from dropping the tiebreaker. After winning 5 straight points to take the breaker, she went up 5-0 in the second set.
“I kept my shots deep and took chances when I got them,” said the Hornet. “I worked on becoming more aggressive in the offseason.
Yu made a mini run, claiming the second set’s sixth and seventh games.
“As soon as match point was over, I felt a mix of relief and happiness,” said Filipiak.
In the state’s team segment, New Trier won its third straight 2A title with a 33-point total. Stevenson — state runner a year ago — and Hinsdale Central tied for second with 28 points apiece.
Conant and Wheaton Warrenville South each earned 23 points to tie for fourth place — the best team finish in Conant’s program history. Conant, impressively, reached that height with only one seeded entrant (5-8 doubles seed Advita Deepak/Nidhi Karekar, the eventual sixth-place finisher).
Hinsdale Central’s other state runner-up members: Sydney Shuster/Anika Sarai (5-2 in doubles); Asha Sarai (3-2 in singles); and Julianna Radonjic (3-2 in singles).
“Our theme of the weekend was, ‘Prove it,’” Red Devils coach Shawna Zsinko said. “They all played well and did everything I wanted them to do. They left it all on the court.
“Illinois high school tennis is loaded,” she added. “So many amazing players.”
PHOTOS: Division 3 MHSAA Lower Peninsula boys tennis finals crowns champions
MIDLAND, MI— Players from across Michigan came together for the Division 3 MHSAA Lower Peninsula boys tennis finals at Midland Tennis Center on Saturday, October 25.
In singles, the number one seed in each flight won their brackets. The winners of each flight are as follows:
Flight 1) Ricky Jeong, Detroit Country Day
Flight 2) Samuel Kole-James, Detroit Country Day
Flight 3) Kenneth Hu, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Flight 4) Josh Day, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Doubles saw some of the most exciting games of the day, with crowds piling in to cheer on their favored team. The winners of each flight are as follows:
Flight 1) Charlie Khaghany and Preston Blum, Detroit Country Day
Flight 2) Rick Nie and Shiv Kumar, Detroit Country Day
Flight 3) Eli Whitmore and Evan Disselkoen, Holland Christian
Flight 4) Dylan Popat and Andy Yu, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
As players from each team finished out their final matches, team points were tallied and the state champions were crowned. The top two teams were separated by only one point. The top 5 teams and their points are as follows:
1st) Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood | 34
2nd) Detroit Country Day | 33
3rd) Holland Christian | 26
4th) Ann Arbor Greenhills | 23
5th) Chelsea | 12
MLive was there to document the action, both on and off of the field. Check out photos from the game in the gallery above. Click here for a direct link to the gallery.
You must be a subscriber to view the photo gallery. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link.
Martina Navratilova Weighs In on Iga Swiatek’s Comeback Chances at 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh
Just weeks ago, on October 10, Iga Swiatek faced a tough quarterfinal exit against Jasmine Paolini. She lost the match 6–1, 6–2 at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open in just a little over an hour in what was also her first defeat to Paolini in 6 matches. However, now Swiatek is gearing up for a comeback in the 2025 WTA Finals, which is set to unfold on November 1. As the season finale approaches, the Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova has shared her thoughts on Swiatek’s prospects in Saudi Arabia.
In her analysis of all 8 finalists, Navratilova said of Swiatek, “I feel like she’s a bit of an enigma this year based on the standards she set in recent seasons. She didn’t win the one everyone thought she would at Roland Garros, then she turned around and won the one no one expected her to win. Maybe the pressure was off, and she said, ‘I’m just going to go for it.’”
At the start of the season no one could have predicted Swiatek would crash out of Roland Garros, her most dominant Grand Slam, only to win Wimbledon, her weakest. “She’s been a bit up and down, but she won Wimbledon in an amazing way. She flattened out her shots and didn’t worry about missing here and there. That’s the kind of aggressive approach she needs to bring to Riyadh. That should give her some confidence,” continued Navratilova, advocating for a bolder approach from Swiatek in Riyadh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Polish star’s journey to the 2025 WTA Finals has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. While the recent defeat in Wuhan stung, it might also have made Swiatek even more determined to make her comeback in Riyadh. Already qualified, Swiatek knows the stakes are higher than ever.
Since April 2022, Iga Swiatek has ruled the WTA rankings. However, in October 2024, as Swiatek faced a few setbacks, including a coaching change, Aryna Sabalenka secured the top spot and has yet to relinquish her hold. And now, as the clock ticks towards unraveling the WTA Finals show in Riyadh this November, Swiatek has the opportunity to end her season on a high. While Swiatek failed to impress her fans in her last match in the Wuhan Open, it appears that the star was already struggling with a few issues.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Will Iga Swiatek’s rising confidence be the reason behind a WTA Finals comeback?
Recently, Iga Swiatek’s coach, Wim Fisette, sat down with the ‘The Inside-In Tennis Podcast’ and reflected on how they prepared before Wimbledon, where the Polish phenom managed to win with a scoreline that hadn’t been seen since 1911, an iconic 6-0, 6-0 win. Fisette shared, “We had like a week of training in Mallorca, which was really nice, like just combining the work but also some relaxation. And then the preparation tournament in Bad Homburg, and actually, I felt she was playing very well.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Reflecting further on what the coach believes made such a win possible for his charge, the Belgian coach added, “I felt like she had no belief or no confidence on the surface before, but that confidence and belief was growing day by day. And you know, if a player like Iga can grow her confidence day by day, like, there’s a lot possible.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Michael Brennan Delivers Cheeky Response to Fan as Golf World Erupts After His Long-Awaited PGA Tour Card Win
From a devastating collapse to PGA TOUR glory in just 13 months, Michael Brennan has authored one of professional golf’s most remarkable redemption stories. The 23-year-old just earned his first PGA TOUR victory at the Bank of Utah Championship, transitioning from a sponsor exemption to a fully exempt tour member in his professional debut.
Brennan dominated wire-to-wire, firing a crucial third-round 64 to seal his breakthrough. But this victory carries extraordinary weight given what happened just over a year ago. At the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas Championship, Brennan held a commanding 4-shot lead. Then disaster struck—a double bogey on 13 and a quad on 14 saw his dreams evaporate. He finished T3, missing out on a Korn Ferry Tour card.
“I was probably more nervous eating breakfast this morning,” Brennan admitted in his post-victory press conference. “It feels amazing. I get that belief from my family and friends, my team. Jeff, my caddie, believes in me, I think more than anyone, maybe other than my parents.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
That belief proved prophetic. “He told me ever since we played a great year, we’re not going to the Korn Ferry Tour,” Brennan revealed. “I can’t believe he’s right.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Rather than breaking him, the 2024 collapse fueled his dominance in 2025. Brennan won three times on the PGA TOUR Americas before earning his sponsor exemption. The Wake Forest alum, who posted a 71.46 career stroke average, learned from his mistakes and built the resilience that carried him to victory.
The golf world has taken notice, with fans celebrating his incredible journey and comparing him to Matt McCarty’s similar 2024 breakthrough.
Story to be continued..
Tour Confidential: Will Keegan Bradley get another Ryder Cup chance?
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup future, the PGA Tour’s future in Hawaii, Yani Tseng’s drought-snapping win and more.
The PGA Tour canceled its season-opening Sentry at Kapalua in Hawaii, citing course conditions due to the water restrictions on Maui and infrastructure complications that come with hosting a tournament on a remote island. Our Dylan Dethier laid out why this might not be good news for pro golf’s future prospects in Hawaii. Do you agree? Should the Tour continue its two-week January run in the future?
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Humpbacks breaching in the backdrop have been a January golf signature for so long that it’s hard to imagine the Tour without them. I hope Kapalua remains in the rota. But I thought Dylan made a compelling case for concern. As difficult as it may be to bring tournament infrastructure to Maui, it has been even more difficult to bring Rory McIlroy there, which is just another permutation of the same old challenge: how to get all the best players competing against each other in an era of fragmentation and outsized individual player power? The fact that the event has such a dedicated sponsor in Sentry and such deep roots at a distinctive venue in Maui makes me think it will stick around. But a shakeup wouldn’t come as a total shock. How’s that for a hedge?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): They should! If only because the PGA Tour’s ability to show great events at good golf courses in unique and beautiful places is a good pathway to its continued relevance. And right now, there aren’t that many places other than Hawaii that fit that bill.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer: For the record, my understanding is that this is all very much up in the air — I don’t think it’s been decided for sure one way or the other. I personally find Kapalua such an epic locale and Hawaii such a special place that the idea of the Tour leaving bums me out. But if you were looking for [winces at word I’m about to type] efficiencies, or if you were chasing profit maximization, a relatively small local market with limited financial upside and countless logistical challenges would come under pretty intense scrutiny. But if the Tour leaves, they’ll lose some character in the process.
Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): I can’t claim to be an expert on the ins and outs of PGA Tour scheduling, but I would venture to guess that the Sentry taking a hiatus won’t be great long-term for the event. If the tourney dates come and go in January and the event isn’t really missed, who’s to say the change won’t become permanent? The future could be grim for the historic tourney.
Keegan Bradley, in his first comments since the U.S. team’s Ryder Cup loss, opened up about the “brutal” experience at Bethpage and said he “really would enjoy playing in one more” before admitting: “I don’t know if I’ll get the chance.” Do you think Bradley has a better chance of being in Ireland in 2027 as a player or as a second stint as captain?
Sens: Neither. Maybe as an assistant captain to Tiger Woods? Bradley poured his heart into his captaincy, and I’m sure he’d do the same again, but passion for the event isn’t a qualification enough. He did a middling job. Why rehire him? Whatever happens, the fact that we are discussing this two years out is yet another example of the American gift for overthinking the Ryder Cup.
Colgan: I think he has a better chance of arriving as a player, but I don’t think his chances of either are very good. A vice captainship feels much more in line.
Dethier: Oh ye of little faith! In Keegan We Trust. One of the most passionate people in golf can channel another heaping dose of Ryder Cup frustration into a two-year triple-down and make this team. He’s never been much of a links golfer — but Adare Manor isn’t links. All good.
Melton: He can try to qualify for the team, but I think (hope) his days as a captain are behind him. Turns out that being obsessed with the Ryder Cup doesn’t automatically make someone a good captain.
YouTube stars Good Good Golf made two splashy announcements last week: it will serve as the title sponsor for a new PGA Tour event in Texas, and the group will also team with Golf Channel to produce a new edition of the longtime reality TV show, “The Big Break.” What bit of news piques your interest more?
Sens: Tough for me to get too excited over who is or isn’t sponsoring a tournament, though this news definitely underscores the broader ongoing cultural shift in golf. I’m more interested in checking out the reboot of “The Big Break.” Faster paced, I would think, given that attention spans haven’t gotten any longer. And probably crasser, given the drift of everything these days.
Colgan: The first. It costs a LOT of money to be the title-sponsor of a PGA Tour event (like $12-15 million, according to the latest reporting). The Fall series nature of the Good Good Championship might make that cost a little bit cheaper, but it’s still an outrageous amount of capital for a company of their size. I’m sure there’s a compelling business case, but I’m still fascinated.
Dethier: I’m mostly just fascinated by the identity shift that’s gone on here. We usually think of Good Good and its smaller-scale YouTube Golf peers as some sort of future of golf — an alternative to the PGA Tour and Golf Channel. Now they’re leaning into the PGA Tour AND Golf Channel, tapping into the past as they do. There’s power in being part of the establishment…
Melton: I’m fascinated by the entire spectacle. I knew Good Good was big, but I didn’t think they were sponsor-a-Tour-event big. If nothing else, I’m glad to see Big Break making a comeback. Was always one of my go-to watches as a kid and I’m pumped to see how the reboot turns out.
The aforementioned tournament (the Good Good Championship) will be played as a fall event beginning next year and take place in Austin, which not long ago hosted a regular PGA Tour stop. What does this move tell you about the future of the PGA Tour and how it plans to serve its audiences?
Sens: It’s no secret that the Tour, like golf itself, is bending over backwards to bring in a younger audience. This move is clearly in keeping with that effort. The September timing seems like a good (good) fit as well — during what used to be called the silly season, as opposed to the traditional heart of the season. It’s a smart, relatively low-risk way to try something new.
Colgan: It’s hard to make sense of the Maui event disappearance on the same week Austin returns to the schedule, but I’m glad to see one of the coolest towns in pro golf is back.
Dethier: The Tour has been telegraphing its plans for a smaller, more meaningful main schedule. But it’s also been extending some fall events and now incorporating another. Something has to give for these visions to mesh together — and soon.
Melton: Bringing on Good Good as a title sponsor certainly signals that the Tour is looking to cater to a younger audience, but does the sponsor of an event really matter all that much? I’m not sure that the name of the event will do much to drum up interest among the younger demographic.
Former World No. 1 and five-time major champion Yani Tseng won a weather-shortened Wistron Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour on Sunday in Taiwan to claim her first victory in over a decade. Tseng has been open about her battle with the yips but a move to left-handed putting helped resurrect her career. Given where Tseng was years ago, how improbable was this victory?
Sens: I interviewed Tseng at her home in Florida years ago, when she was at the peak of her powers. She seemed so at ease with her life both on and off the course that I was shocked to see her go off the rails. But this comeback is even more surprising. Ten years is a long, long time to continue the struggle. It’s amazing that she kept at it, and even more amazing that she nabbed another win.
Colgan: Improbable? I don’t know. But inspiring? Yes! As someone who recently started staring at my putt’s intended destination to overcome a bad habit of yippiness, I’m pumped to learn there’s hope … even if it arrives on the other side of the ball.
Dethier: I’ve heard stories of Tseng’s darkest times, grinding through practice sessions and rounds at home where the idea of breaking 80 wasn’t realistic. To see her emerge and win? This is bigger than a story of golf resilience — it’s a small but remarkable triumph of the human spirit.
Melton: Everyone loves a comeback story, and this is no exception. The yips can be career-ending, so to see her overcome them and get back in the winner’s circle is incredible. She may never get back to where she once was as the game’s biggest star, but the achievement is impressive nonetheless. Well done to her.
Michael Brennan wins Utah Championship for 1st PGA Tour title
IVINS, Utah — Michael Brennan was just as dominant at Black Desert as he was on the PGA Tour Americas. He closed with a 5-under 66 to go from a sponsor exemption to a PGA Tour winner Sunday with his four-shot victory in the Bank of Utah Championship.
In his first PGA Tour start as a professional, Brennan became the first sponsor exemption to win since Nick Dunlap took The American Express in January 2024 as an amateur.
The victory means Brennan, a 23-year-old who starred at Wake Forest, gets to skip the Korn Ferry Tour next year and go straight to the big leagues. He earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, along with a spot in the PGA Championship and the $20 million RBC Heritage.
Brennan was No. 451 in the world when he left the South America portion of the PGA Tour Americas. But he was dominant in Canada (with one win in Minnesota), winning three times in a four-tournament stretch and posting eight top 10s in 10 starts.
Winning the Fortinet Cup season points race gave him a fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour card. Now he’s going straight to the PGA Tour to compete alongside Scottie Scheffler and the rest of golf’s best.
Pro’s first PGA Tour win features white-knuckle lava finish
The euphoria outside the ropes for soon-to-be PGA Tour winner Michael Brennan was understandable, to say the least.
Brennan held a five-shot lead as he strode up the 72nd fairway at Black Desert Golf Course in Irvins, Utah. None of his fellow competitors were within striking (or even shouting) distance. The victory that Brennan had spent a lifetime working toward — from a career as a decorated amateur and college golfer through to a see-sawing stretch as a pro — was well within reach.
And so, when a patron yelled out his congratulations to Brennan in the 18th fairway, it seemed like the kind of action that ought not raise an eyebrow. Except for the fact that it did raise an eyebrow … from the player it was intended for.
“It’s not over yet,” Brennan shot back, no doubt catching the audience by surprise.
The truth was that Michael Brennan could not help himself as the congratulations poured in during that long walk up the 18th fairway. He might look like a PGA Tour winner during that 18th hole coronation, but he knew better than to take an outcome for granted before he’d signed a scorecard. Nothing in pro golf is guaranteed — not until the final putt drops.
That much was especially true of Brennan’s forthcoming third shot on the par-5 18th, a gnarled par-5 cut into the desert landscape featuring an enormous, sloping green guarded by a pit of lava rock. What Brennan knew but the crowd didn’t was that his second shot on the 18th had landed in the lava-pit, which was technically a “general area” but effectively a penalty area — playable only if the ball was resting in a safe space between the rocks, and necessitating a penalty for a lost ball or unplayable if not.
Thankfully, Brennan reached his ball to find his margin of victory was still secure. His ball was resting in an unplayable spot in the lava pit, but it was his ball, meaning Brennan could take an unplayable and drop no nearer to the hole. Also fortunate: Neither of Brennan’s final-trio counterparts was in danger of making an eagle three, which might shrink the comfortable five-shot lead to a suddenly tricky three, with Brennan hitting his fourth shot from the safe tuft of grass behind the greenside lava pit.
Armed with that knowledge, Brennan white-knuckled a pitch shot high in the air, landing safely long and left of the flag and settling neatly against the back edge of the green. It was the kind of defensive swing Brennan had gone the entire week without making, but now he could afford it. He would have 25 feet for a scoring record-clinching par, two putts for a record-tying bogey, and up to four putts for a victory in case he intended to keep things interesting.
Brennan, ever the pragmatist, did not, two-putting neatly for the four-shot victory and the first PGA Tour win of his life. The win capped off an improbable week for Brennan, who was playing in his first PGA Tour start as a pro in Utah (his two previous major championship starts had come during his amateur career). It ended a season that saw Brennan win thrice on the PGA Tour Americas, and pressed the accelerator button on a career that, until this week, appeared destined for the Korn Ferry Tour in 2026.
Michael Brennan’s clubs: Inside his Bank of Utah Championship-winning bag
PGA Tour Americas player Michael Brennan is a PGA Tour member after earning a two-year exemption to the big stage by winning the Bank of Utah Championship.
Brennan handled the unique Black Desert Resort Golf Course this week with a similarly unique all-Titleist equipment setup.
The newest addition to the bag was a new GT1 3Tour fairway wood that debuted in the 23-year-old’s bag this week. Brennan was playing the popular low-spinning GT3 for his 3-wood, but ended up in the Tour version of GT1, which was originally designed as a game improvement club during testing this week.
Titleist Tour rep Nick Geyer said Brennan was drawn to the shallow and large profile of the GT1 and found he could launch it high off the turf without sacrificing off-the-tee performance.
The other unique club in Brennan’s bag is a new 2025 Titleist T150 3-iron in a utility build with a Project HZRDUS Black 105 hybrid shaft. While many players on Titleist’s Tour staff (and non-contracted players, too) game the hollow-bodied T250 or U505 utility irons, Brennan is one of the few on Tour who has a T150, a larger cavity-back iron, in a utility build.
The rest of his setup is more standard, including his GT3 driver, which he used to uncork consecutive 400-yard bombs on 11 and 12 on Sunday to help him pull away. For the week, he led the field in strokes gained: off the tee, picking up more than 7.6 shots, and missed just six fairways all week.
Geyer said Brennan uses the GT3 model because it gives him a lot of workability without sacrificing forgiveness. He likes to work the ball and hit different shot shapes and trajectories off the tee, rather than stick to a stock shot.
Brennan is also a user of the Vokey K*-grind lob wedge, which marks the 10th PGA Tour victory in the last 11 events for Vokey, with seven of those being a variant of the wide-soled K-grind.
Keep reading below for all of Michael Brennan’s specs.
Michael Brennan’s winning clubs at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship
Driver: Titleist GT3 9.0˚
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 70 TX
Titleist GT3 Custom Driver
GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your most frequent contact location, you can make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping. For players with a relatively consistent impact location, GT3 offers a precisely adjustable CG Track to max out distance and directional control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in internal weighting unlocks longer drives and enhanced directional control in GT3. The Adjustable CG Track now sits closer to the face for more dynamic CG control, while additional discretionary mass is pushed to the back of the club to maintain optimal stability through impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 features a new raised tail contour that represents a dramatic shift in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible to execute due to design constraints, this advanced shaping results in a driver that swings faster while still providing optimal CG control.
View Product
ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist
Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX Wood Shaft
To make the best, you have to use the best. Project X has teamed up with Hexcel®, a global leader in composites technology for aerospace and military operations, to utilize their HexTow® carbon fibers. Hexcel’s HexTow® carbon fiber represents the highest quality aerospace-grade carbon fiber delivering superior performance on some of the world’s most advanced aircraft Players are always chasing that perfect balance of feel and stability from a golf shaft. Something not too boardy, but not too whippy; the ideal amount of smooth yet stable is the holy grail. With a unique bend profile that strategically changes per flex for player optimization, and the use of Hexcel’s HexTow® carbon fibers, Smoke Blue RDX is a shaft that ticks all these boxes. Smoke Blue RDX is a counterbalanced design that features a soft midsection to maximize shaft load and feel while maintaining a stout butt and tip section to keep up with all swing speeds and provide a stable feel through impact
View Product
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour 14.5˚
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Yellow 80 OC
Titleist GT1 3Tour Custom Fairway Wood
Lift your launch window with GT1 3Tour Fairway. Featuring a Tour-inspired player profile, shallow face, low CG, and a stronger “Tour Loft,” this fairway is designed to launch higher and fly farther without over-spinning. New adjustable fore/aft weights enable further optimization of ball speed, launch, and spin to achieve effortless fairway performance. Features High Launch and Exceptional Forgiveness Stronger Loft Adjustable Fore-Aft Spin Control Refined, Tour-Inspired Shaping Enhanced Sound and Feel
View Product
Irons: Titleist T150 (3), T100 (4-5), 620 CB (6-9)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Black 105 HY TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-9)
Titleist 620 MB Custom Irons
Read more about the Titleist 620 MB Custom Irons at Golf.com Designed for low handicaps, the MB is the modern choice for those desiring a traditional forged blade look and feel. The new Titleist 620 MB is the definition of a true forged player’s blade. The muscle-back design is perfect for players that are seeking total shot-making capabilities and an incredibly soft feel. Strategically designed CG locations deliver responsive feedback, allowing you to hit any shot you desire.
View Product
Titleist 2025 T100 Custom Irons
Unmatched precision meets unrivaled feel with T100 Irons. Fully forged with more aggressive grooves in the mid/short irons, T100 offers pure player’s feel with improved consistency in variable conditions. Now with higher long-iron launch for optimal trajectory control in every club. Forged Player’s Design Masterfully forged into a pure player’s design that offers precision control and buttery feel. Superior Flight and Stability Split High-Density Tungsten produces optimal CG with remarkable stability for precise shotmaking. Consistent Speed & Spin New VFT technology and progressive groove design for consistent spin and speed across the face in variable conditions. Elevated Long-Iron Launch Lower CG and a new muscle channel help improve peak height and carry.
View Product
Alker runs away with Simmons Bank Championship victory
Steven Alker of New Zealand turned the Simmons Bank Championship into more of a coronation than competition.
Alker completed his obliteration of Little Rock’s Pleasant Valley County Club with a final-round, 3-under-par 69 on an overcast Sunday afternoon, coasting to a wire-to-wire, seven-shot victory in the $2.3 million PGA Tour Champions event.
Alker finished the three-day, 54-hole tournament at 20-under 196. Tag Ridings, a former University of Arkansas golfer, and Richard Green of Australia tied for second at 13 under.
“This is special,” Alker said. “Any time you go wire to wire, it’s great. Like those seven-shot leads coming down the last. That’s a nice feeling to have. To sum up the week, I think just that start and knowing that I played well here last year in the first round, knowing that there’s a score out there. I’m familiar with the golf course and I feel comfortable. That’s huge when you’re trying to win a golf tournament.”
Alker had a headlock on the Simmons Bank Championship — the second of three events in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs — from the start. He broke his own course record with an 11-under 61 in Friday’s first round. Alker’s five-shot lead matched the largest after the first round in PGA Tour Champions history.
Alker entered Sunday with a five-stroke lead over Ridings after each shot 6-under 66 on Saturday, the low scores of the second round.
Alker birdied Nos. 3 and 8 on Sunday and made the turn 18 under. Alker’s lead ballooned to nine shots after going 4 under in a three-hole stretch to begin the back nine.
The flurry began with an eagle on No. 10, a 520-yard par 5, and continued with a tap-in birdie on No. 11 and concluded with another birdie on No. 12.
Alker’s eagle came on the heels of his first bogey of the tournament — a span of 44 holes — when he was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker on No. 9.
Alker got that shot back and then some on No. 10, when he holed his third shot from approximately 78 yards with a 60-degree wedge.
“It felt good off the face,” Alker said. “I knew after the bogey at 9 — I don’t know if my lead was five or six (shots) — I knew some birdie holes were coming up. I’m just trying to make some birdies.”
Alker moved to 22 under with a downhill birdie putt from about 13 feet on No. 12. Ridings, at that point, was 13 under. Ridings finished with a 1-under 71 en route to his best PGA Tour Champions finish. Green shot a final-round 66.
Ridings said he began playing for second after Alker “hooped it from the fairway” on No. 10.
“I hit it close on 10, but he makes it,” Ridings said. “Then he birdies 11. It was over at that point. He’s not the kind of guy that hits loose shots and hasn’t been for five years out here. You know at that point, it was me versus the field and trying to maintain second place, for sure.”
The Simmons Bank Championship marked the 10th victory on the PGA Tour Champions (players 50 and over) for Alker, 54, the defending Charles Schwab Cup champion. He’s projected to move from fourth to first in the latest standings. The top 36 players after the Simmons Bank Championship advance to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Nov. 13-16 in Phoenix.
Alker tied for 12th in last year’s Simmons Bank Championship after a course-record 62 in the first round. He finished 11 under.
Alker birdied 15 of his first 26 holes this year to lap the 52-man field.
“A lot of tee shots actually kind of fit my eye,” Alker said of Pleasant Valley. “You don’t have to hit driver everywhere, so there’s a lot of 3-woods, even 5-woods. Just placement golf. I’m kind of pretty efficient hitting the ball in the fairway and going from there. Obviously, my iron game was great. Sets up well for good iron play and the greens are so good here that it’s easier if you get the putter going.”
The start of the final round was delayed one hour because of dense fog. Players teed off on holes 1 and 10 Sunday because of the threat of rain, which fell intermittently in the afternoon. They were allowed to lift, clean and place from out of the fairways.
The Simmons Bank Championship debuted in 2024 at Pleasant Valley after previously being played as the TimberTech Championship in Florida.
Zac Blair finishes strong in final round of PGA Tour’s Black Desert event
Former BYU star Zac Blair made five birdies as part of his 3-under par final round 68 to finish among the top 20 in the Bank of Utah Black Desert Championship PGA Tour event in Ivins on Sunday.
Blair finished 13-under par, some nine strokes behind the victor, Michael Brennan, at 22-under par. Brennan finished four shots ahead of second-place Rico Hoey.
“I have a few more events to have a couple of more weeks like that,” said Blair, who will play in Bermuda and Seattle in coming weeks.
“This is how I’ve played this year, especially when I’ve made cuts. I’ve just had too many mistakes. It was nice to make some putts. I still missed way too many but it was nice to make a lot of 15 to 20 footers.”
Blair birdied holes 4, 5, 7, 14 and 15 with great chances to make birdie putts on the 9th and 10th heading home. He bogeyed No. 1 to start the day and quickly climbed to 13-under par after 15.
Blair made bogey on No. 16, and before that mistake, his 4-under par final round was just under the performances of Brandt Snedeker (8-under), Kurt Kitayama (7-under) and Mex McGreevy’s 6-under par rounds.
In his previous round Saturday, Blair had eight birdies, 18 for the tournament. He finished with 23 birdies, five during his final round. For the tournament, Blair had rounds of 68-69-67-68 for a top 20 finish.
Ogden’s Connor Howe struggled in Saturday and Sunday’s rounds, firing an even par 71 on Sunday for rounds of 68-66-74-71, five-under par and T50.
Brennan wins at Black Desert on an invitation. Australia beats US to win International Crown
IVINS, Utah (AP) — Michael Brennan was just as dominant at Black Desert as he was on the PGA Tour Americas. He closed with a 5-under 66 to go from a sponsor exemption to a PGA Tour winner Sunday with his four-shot victory in the Bank of Utah Championship.
In his first PGA Tour start as a professional, Brennan became the first sponsor exemption to win since Nick Dunlap took The American Express in January 2024 as an amateur.
The victory means Brennan, a 23-year-old who starred at Wake Forest, gets to skip the Korn Ferry Tour next year and go straight to the big leagues. He earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, along with a spot in the PGA Championship and the $20 million RBC Heritage.
Brennan was No. 451 in the world when he left the South America portion of the PGA Tour Americas. But he was dominant in Canada (with one win in Minnesota), winning three times in a four-tournament stretch and posting eight top 10s in 10 starts.
Winning the Fortinet Cup season points race gave him a fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour card. Now he’s going straight to the PGA Tour to compete alongside Scottie Scheffler and the rest of golf’s best.
It wasn’t the perfect finish to an otherwise ideal week. He put his second shot into a deep pit with lava rocks, smartly took a penalty shot for an unplayable lie and closed with a bogey. He finished at 22-under 262, four shots clear of Rico Hoey (67).
Brennan was a combination of power and poise at Black Desert Resort, the scenic Tom Weiskopf design framed by the red-rock cliffs and black lava.
Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Brennan ran off three birdies in his opening five holes to stretch his lead to five shots and he was never seriously challenged.
LPGA Tour
GOYANG, South Korea (AP) — Australia beat the United States Team to win LPGA’s International Crown, taking the title after Minjee Lee and Hannah Green won their singles matches, each on the 17th hole.
The foursomes match between Australians Stephanie Kyriacou and Grace Kim and Americans Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin finished in a tie, but was inconsequential when Green secured her 2-and-1 win over Yealimi Noh at the New Korea Country Club. Lee beat Angel Yin, 2 and 1.
It’s the first win for Australia at the match-play tournament, which eluded them in 2023 when current No. 1 ranked Jeeno Thitikul and Thailand beat them in the final at Harding Park.
The World team finished in third place after Charley Hull and Lydia Ko both had impressive victories in their singles matches against Japan.
European Tour
CHEONAN, South Korea (AP) — Jungwhan Lee rallied from a four-shot deficit with a 7-under 64 for a two-shot victory in the Genesis Championship for his first European Tour title.
The victory gives the 34-year-old Lee a two-year exemption on the European Tour, and it sends him to the Abu Dhabi Dhabi HSBC Championship in two weeks, the first of two DP World Tour playoff events.
Lee won by two shots over Laurie Canter and Nacho Elvira. The South Korean birdied five straight holes on the front nine and took the lead with a birdie at 14th. He finished at 11-under 273.
Jordan Gumberg, who played his college golf at Arizona, holed out from 58 yards for eagle on the par-5 18th that moved him into a tie for seventh, and shot him up to No. 110 in the Race to Dubai to keep his card for next year.
PGA Tour Champions
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Steven Alker took over the top ranking in the Charles Schwab Cup when he capped off a wire-to-wire win in the Simmons Bank Championships with a 3-under 69 for a seven-shot victory.
Alker, who opened the tournament with a 61, won for the second time this year on the PGA Tour Champions. Miguel Angel Jimenez has four wins this year, but he has only three top 10s in his last eight starts on the senior circuit.
Alker was never seriously threatened at Pleasant Valley Country Club, and he started the back nine with an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch to pull away.
The top 36 advance to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship next month in Arizona. Tommy Gainey held down the 36th spot and there was no other movement in the standings.
Augusta National and R&A
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee rallied from a six-shot deficit with a 4-under 68 and beat 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan on the third playoff to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur, sending him to the Masters and British Open next year.
Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State, became the first player from Thailand to win the championship that began in 2010.
Nagasaki, who started the final round with a five-shot lead over Rintaro Nakano, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th in regulation and closed with a 74. Both players birdied the 18th and 17th in the playoff until Nagasaki missed the green left on the 18th and made par.
Other tours
Yani Tseng closed with a 5-under 67 for a four-shot victory in the rain-shortened Wistron Ladies Open in her native Taiwan, her first victory in 11 years. The former No. 1 player won for the seventh time on the Ladies European Tour. … Miguel Tabuena shot a third consecutive 7-under 65 for a three-shot victory in the International Series Philippines on the Asian Tour. … Matias Sanchez capped off his wire-to-wire win with a 1-under 71 for a two-shot victory in the Webex Players Series-South Australia on the PGA Tour of Australasia. … Hennie du Plessis needed only eight points in the modified Stableford scoring system for a 14-point win in the Blu Label Unlimited Challenge on the Sunshine Tour. … Andrew Marshall captured his first Legends Tour title with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the Senior Italian Open. … Shuri Sakuma closed with a 5-under 67 for an 11-shot victory over Miyuu Abe in the Nobuta Group Masters on the Japan LPGA. … Shuying Li closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Gwangnamilbo-Happiness Open on the Korea LPGA.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
The Dream Fulfilled: Why Michael Brennan’s Victory Matters More Than You Think
When Unknown Becomes Unforgettable
While the golf world rightfully obsesses over Scottie Scheffler’s next major championship or Rory McIlroy’s quest for career redemption, something far more profound unfolded Sunday afternoon at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah. Michael Brennan, a 23-year-old sponsor’s exemption who was ranked 451st in the world just months ago, closed with a 5-under 66 to capture the Bank of Utah Championship by four shots at 22-under par.
This wasn’t just a win. This was the entire architecture of a young man’s life being rebuilt in 72 holes.
Brennan became the first sponsor exemption to win on the PGA TOUR since Nick Dunlap at The American Express in January 2024, and the first to do so as a professional. In his third career PGA TOUR start and first as a pro, he earned a two-year exemption on TOUR, entry into the 2026 PGA Championship, a spot at RBC Heritage, and $1.08 million. Most importantly, he gets to skip the Korn Ferry Tour gauntlet entirely and compete against the best players in the world immediately.
This is the stuff of dreams. And golf remains the most democratically compelling sport in the world because of it.
The Beauty of the Grind
What makes Brennan’s story so captivating isn’t just the victory. It’s the journey that preceded it. After finishing 12th in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Rankings, Brennan earned membership on PGA TOUR Americas, golf’s developmental circuit where futures are forged and broken in equal measure. He was ranked No. 681 in the World at the end of the 2024 calendar year. He started 2025 grinding through South American and Canadian stops, posting respectable but unremarkable finishes.
Then something clicked.
In a four-tournament stretch across Canada and Minnesota, Brennan won three times. He posted eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts and captured the Fortinet Cup season-long points race. He came out of that stretch ranked 451 in the OWGR, a significant drop from the start of the year, and momentum was building. His caddie, Jeff Kirkpatrick, told him during that hot summer run that they’d bypass the Korn Ferry Tour entirely and jump straight to the PGA TOUR.
“I can’t believe he’s right,” Brennan said with a laugh after Sunday’s win.
That’s the moment we’re watching. When belief meets execution. When confidence transforms into reality. Brennan is the seventh player since 1970 to win within his first three starts on the PGA TOUR, and the fifth to win in exactly his third start.
Domination in the Desert
Brennan didn’t just win at Black Desert Resort; he controlled the tournament with surgical precision. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee at 7.616, a staggering number that showcased both his power and accuracy on Tom Weiskopf’s scenic design framed by red-rock cliffs and black lava.
Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Brennan birdied three of his first five holes to stretch his advantage to five shots. When second-place finisher Rico Hoey briefly cut the deficit to three shots at the 10th, Brennan responded with a 411-yard drive on the 12th that rolled near the green, setting up an easy birdie. On the par-4 14th, he drove the green with a 3-wood for a two-putt birdie that effectively sealed the championship.
It was the performance of a veteran, delivered by someone who had never won as a professional on any significant tour until last summer.
Why This Matters as Much as Scottie’s Dominance
Golf is at its most compelling when it offers transcendence. We watch Scheffler and McIlroy because we want to witness greatness. But we need stories like Michael Brennan’s because they remind us that greatness isn’t always reserved for those players who are household names when still playing U.S. Kids Tour events.
There is ample talent out there coming from all corners of the world. These names are known in local circles, murmured among those who follow college and amateur golf closely, but rarely become known to golf’s broader universe until breakout weekends like the one we saw in the Utah desert.
Brennan was a Wake Forest star who earned eight individual collegiate victories. He wasn’t given anything. He earned a spot through PGA TOUR University, then dominated a developmental circuit, then received a sponsor’s exemption, then delivered when the lights were brightest.
That’s not just a win. That’s validation of the entire meritocratic structure that makes golf unique.
With his victory, Brennan is projected to move from 111th to as high as 47th in the Official World Golf Ranking. If he finishes in the top 50 by year’s end, he’ll earn a Masters invitation. Suddenly, Augusta National isn’t a fantasy. It’s a legitimate possibility.
The Point
Golf doesn’t need another think piece about Scottie Scheffler’s dominance or Rory’s major drought. Those stories write themselves. What golf needs is to remember that the most compelling narrative in sports is the one where someone unknown becomes unforgettable.
Michael Brennan just did that. And we should care as much about his Sunday as we do about any major championship.
Leesburg native Michael Brennan wins PGA’s Utah Championship on an invitation
Michael Brennan was just as dominant at Black Desert as he was on the PGA Tour Americas. He closed with a 5-under 66 to go from a sponsor exemption to a PGA Tour winner Sunday with his four-shot victory in the Bank of Utah Championship.
In his first PGA Tour start as a professional, Brennan became the first sponsor exemption to win since Nick Dunlap took The American Express in January 2024 as an amateur.
“Been my dream for a very long time to play on the PGA Tour and win on the PGA Tour,” Brennan said. “So, yeah, it feels amazing to do it. Just very thankful to even be in the field this week. I mean, ended up pretty good.”
The victory means Brennan, a 23-year-old who starred at Wake Forest, gets to skip the Korn Ferry Tour next year and go straight to the big leagues. He earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, along with a spot in the PGA Championship and the $20 million RBC Heritage.
Brennan was No. 451 in the world when he left the South America portion of the PGA Tour Americas. But he was dominant in Canada (with one win in Minnesota), winning three times in a four-tournament stretch and posting eight top 10s in 10 starts.
Winning the Fortinet Cup season points race gave him a fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour card. Now he’s going straight to the PGA Tour to compete alongside Scottie Scheffler and the rest of golf’s best.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Brennan said. “Winning golf tournaments is one of the better feelings in the world. It takes a lot to play professional golf, and I have such a great team behind me.”
It wasn’t the perfect finish to an otherwise ideal week. He put his second shot into a deep pit with lava rocks, smartly took a penalty shot for an unplayable lie and closed with a bogey. He finished at 22-under 262, four shots clear of Rico Hoey (67).
Brennan was a combination of power and poise at Black Desert Resort, the scenic Tom Weiskopf design framed by the red-rock cliffs and black lava.
Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Brennan ran off three birdies in his opening five holes to stretch his lead to five shots and he was never seriously challenged.
“Just had one of those weeks where my driver went pretty straight and was able to send it and let it go and felt very confident over the driver all week,” Brennan said.
Hoey got within three shots after a two-shot swing at the 10th — a rare bogey by Brennan and Hoey making birdie. But then Brennan hammered a drive that rolled out 411 yards on the 12th hole down by the green, setting up a pitch-and-putt birdie. And he drove the par-4 14th green with a 3-wood to set up a two-putt birdie to keep everyone at bay.
“Michael played great from the start so for me I was just trying to keep up with him,” Hoey said. “He kept pushing me to hit great shots and make good putts. That’s all I could do.”
Winning in the FedEx Cup Fall portion of the schedule no longer comes with an invitation to the Masters, but now that is in range for Brennan. That big summer in Canada, along with his victory Sunday, moves him just inside the top 50 in the world.
He has access to three PGA Tour events remaining on the schedule. The top 50 in the world at the end of the year get to Augusta National.
Hoey’s chances all but ended when he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 13th to close within two shots, and a 10-foot birdie chance on the 14th that put him four shots behind. Even so, he went from No. 91 in the FedEx Cup to No. 61, securing his card for 2026.
Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark (68) and defending champion Matt McCarty (70) were in the large group that tied for third at 16-under 268. That moved up Olesen 19 spots to No. 97 in his bid to keep full status next year.
Brennan said his caddie, Jeff Kirkpatrick, told him during his hot summer run that they would bypass the Korn Ferry Tour and make it straight to the PGA Tour.
“I can’t believe he’s right,” Brennan said with a laugh.
NASCAR race at Martinsville puts William Byron in final playoff spot
William Byron won the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway to secure a spot in the NASCAR championship race.
The championship race will feature William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson at Phoenix Raceway.
William Byron shoved his way into the NASCAR title race.
With 44 laps to go in the Round of 8 finale, the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Byron got inside of leader Ryan Blaney and pushed him up the track, swapping positions. Both needed a victory to crack the final four.
Byron got it.
The driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet led the last 44 laps Sunday, Oct. 26, capping a career day in which he began on the pole, captured the first two stages and fronted the pack for 304 go-arounds. He even held off Blaney on a restart with 11 to go.
“Things have a way of working out,” Byron said on the NBC broadcast. “God really tests your resilience a lot of times, and we’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. I’m out of breath.”
Blaney, along with third-place finisher Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell, joined the ranks of the eliminated.
Byron will compete against Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson for the Cup Series championship next weekend. Before then, let’s break down the happenings at Martinsville.
1. William Byron keeps Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell out of NASCAR playoff final 4
Entering Martinsville, the drivers in position to advance to the final four were Hamlin, Briscoe, Bell and Larson.
Hamlin and Briscoe were locked in via previous Round of 8 wins. Bell and Larson were separated by one point, with Larson 36 points above the cutline.
And 36 points above Byron in fifth.
Byron charged his way to his third career win at Martinsville and 15th career triumph overall. His other two victories at Martinsville came in 2022 and 2024. Sunday marked the 27-year-old’s 284th Cup Series start.
Larson erased his one-point deficit behind Bell. He crossed the stripe fifth while Bell followed in seventh.
2. Team Penske shut out of NASCAR championship
There will be a new Cup champ this year.
Logano, the 2024 winner, was one of the four drivers kicked from the remaining playoff field at Martinsville. He began the afternoon 38 points below the cutline and placed eighth.
With Blaney also eliminated Sunday and Austin Cindric bounced at the end of the Round of 12, Team Penske will not have a driver in the final four.
That will end its three-year streak of champions, as Blaney claimed the title in 2023 and Logano did in ’22.
Only Hendrick and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers advanced to Phoenix intact.
3. When is NASCAR championship race?
So it all comes down to this.
The last race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, a campaign that ignited with the Daytona 500 all the way back on Feb. 16, will take place Sunday, Nov. 2, at Phoenix Raceway.
Green flag time is set for just after 3 p.m. The 312 laps will air on NBC.
It will be the seventh straight year that Phoenix hosts the final. The one-mile dogleg oval opened in 1961. It has welcomed Cup Series drivers at least once a year since 1988.
During the circuit’s first trip there this season on March 9, Bell won.
He won’t matter next weekend, though. Only Hamlin, Briscoe, Larson and Byron will.
Whoever finishes first among the four will receive a big ol’ trophy.
Team Penske shut out of NASCAR’s Championship 4
The fourth year of NASCAR’s Next-Gen car will be the first year that Team Penske does not win the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
With a pair of titles from Joey Logano in 2022 and 2024 and one from Ryan Blaney in 2023, Penske had won the last three NASCAR Cup Series championships, the first three in the Next-Gen era. But Sunday’s cut-off race at Martinsville ensured that their streak will carry on no longer. It’s also the first year that Ford as a whole will be shut out of the Championship 4 in the Next-Gen era.
Both Logano, who finished eighth, and Blaney, who finished second, were eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday after entering Sunday’s race in a must-win position.
Penske’s reign is over — for now
Instead, the Championship 4 is made up of two drivers from arguably NASCAR’s two best teams — Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Larson and William Byron will represent HMS at Phoenix on Nov. 2, with Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin carrying the torch for JGR.
While Penske failed to make the Championship 4 this year, it would not be surprising if one or two Penske Fords are battling for the 2026 championship.
While the 2026 postseason format is not yet known, Logano has a knack for showing up in big-time moments, while Blaney has become one of the all-around best drivers in the sport in recent years.
2025 NASCAR championship race will be a true heavyweight battle
In a year where the NASCAR Cup Series saw arguably the strongest Round of 8 field in NASCAR playoffs history, the 2025 Championship 4 followed suit.
2025 will likely be the final year in the foreseeable future that NASCAR uses a one-race, winner-take-all finale to determine its champion, and what could be the final Championship 4 in history is made up of two legendary organizations and four great drivers.
Leading the charge is 44-year-old Denny Hamlin, a grizzled veteran who has ridden a six-win season to his first Championship 4 appearance since 2021. Hamlin’s career has bore much fruit, but he’s without a championship with his 21st full-time season nearing. A title in Year 20 would put to bed any notion that his name can’t be spoken in the same room as the legends he’ll one day share the NASCAR Hall of Fame with.
Joining Hamlin from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable is Chase Briscoe, who has had his breakout season in his fifth year of Cup Series competition. Briscoe has three wins and leads the Cup Series with 15 top-five finishes this season.
Hendrick Motorsports — the winningest team in NASCAR history — makes up the other half of the Championship 4 field with drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Larson, the 2021 champion, has three wins this season but hasn’t won since May. He did, however, endure a relatively long
NASCAR Xfinity 500 takeaways: William Byron advances to Championship 4
Needing a win to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix, William Byron put together a career performance and defeated Ryan Blaney late to pick up his third career win at Martinsville.
Here are three takeaways from the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series season:
William Byron overcomes frustrating Round of 8 with Martinsville win
It was a flawless weekend for Byron, who swept the stages on Sunday after claiming Saturday’s pole and moving Blaney out of the way with 43 laps remaining before pulling away after a late restart with 11 laps to go. The 304 laps led are a career-high for Byron, who entered Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race 36 points below the cutline and essentially in a must-win situation.
A bizarre incident with Ty Dillon at Las Vegas and a last-lap spin through the tri-oval at Talladega put Byron in the precarious position, but the speed has been there the last few weeks. He scored the second-most stage points at Las Vegas and restarted on the front row for the overtime finish at Talladega, but had nothing to show for the speed.
In his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance, Byron appears to be hitting his stride at the right time. As a past winner at Phoenix (spring 2023), Byron knows his way around the one-mile track and could be on his way to his first Cup Series title.
Team Penske will not win four consecutive titles
Since the Next Gen Car’s inception in 2022, Team Penske has won the championship each season with Joey Logano (2022, 2024) and Blaney (2023). Despite a 31st-place starting spot, it looked like Blaney, who led the second-most laps in the race (177), would have a shot at keeping that streak alive with a third straight win in the Martinsville cutoff race.
Once Byron made the winning move around him with 43 laps remaining, he could not get back around him and had to settle for a disappointing runner-up finish. Logano was strong early, but came home eighth after trying a different strategy with 101 laps remaining.
Both drivers entered Martinsville needing a miracle to keep their title hopes alive after blowing a huge opportunity at Talladega. Considering the organization’s strength on shorter, flat tracks like Phoenix, the Championship 4 drivers can breathe a sigh of relief that neither of them will be racing for the title next Sunday.
Kyle Larson claims final Championship 4 berth
With their wins at Las Vegas and Talladega, respectively, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe already secured their shot at a title coming into Martinsville. With Byron’s impressive showing to claim the third spot, that left one more position to be filled on points between Larson and Christopher Bell.
Bell was one point to the good before the race started, but with six more stage points, a fifth-place finish was enough for Larson to advance by seven points over Bell, who finished seventh and missed out on the title race in heartbreaking fashion for the second season in a row.
Blaney comes up short of another Martinsville walkoff
Ryan Blaney had one word to summarize his Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, where he and his Team Penske team were eliminated from championship contention, but not without a valiant fight.
“Bummer,” he said.
A victory was the only path forward to have the opportunity to race for a second NASCAR Cup Series championship. Blaney entered the weekend as the two-time and defending winner of the elimination race at Martinsville, and despite qualifying 31st, looked primed for a third win. Instead, he was bested by William Byron.
“We couldn’t get it done,” Blaney said. “At the end of the day, I’m super proud of the whole effort by everybody and coming from where we did – where we started – and making a bunch of ground early and contending for the win. It’s all you can ask for, and I said that all week. When everyone asked, ‘What are your goals this weekend?’ It was to go try to contend for it, and we did.
“Had a shot, and just the [No.] 24 was a little bit better than us at the end and was able to pass us on the long green flag and then hold us off on the restart. Props to them for doing good. It was fun racing with them. On our side, we gave 100 percent of what we had, and you can’t be too upset about that part. Obviously, it’s a bummer, like I said, to not go to Phoenix and race for a championship, but I know we gave it all we had.”
The pace with which Blaney drove through the field quickly got the attention of the competition. He started 31st, the worst of the playoff drivers and the only one to start outside the top 20, but was inside the top 15 by lap 77. He was inside the top 10 by lap 106.
Blaney finished seventh in the first stage, not that the points mattered, but he had track position and was in contention for the race win.
“Honestly, I thought it was impossible to win this race from 31st,” said Jeff Gordon. “We were chatting among ourselves, going, ‘The No. 12 just showed up.’ Once [Byron] got the lead, I thought, ‘Man, I don’t know how we’re going to get away from him.’”
Byron made the winning pass on lap 457 and did so with contact to his rival. Blaney had been dominating the second half of the race when Byron caught him as they navigated traffic, and Byron used that to get underneath Blaney in Turn 1 as the No. 12 tried to clear Ty Dillon. The two playoff contenders came together, knocking Blaney up the track.
The pass was the beginning of the end of Blaney’s title hopes. He never led again and was never able to mount a charge back on Byron.
“We’re both trying to win,” Blaney said of the contact. “I don’t think there is anything foul about it whatsoever. I kind of got [stuck] behind some lapped traffic and he had a little bit of momentum. I tried to protect and he took the chance, and I would do the same thing. I knew it was going to be tight getting in there three-wide, so I think that’s part of it with two guys going for it.”
Blaney was given one last shot at Byron when the caution flew with 18 laps to go. The leaders pitted with both drivers remaining in the top two spots. NASCAR restarted the race with 11 laps to go with the two on the front row.
“I thought I got a pretty good restart and kind of entered [Turn 1] maybe a foot behind his nose, and I thought I could roll a little momentum to maybe contend, but gosh, he just rolled through [Turns] 1 and 2 really fast and was already clear by a couple of car lengths before we got to 3,
Larson snatches final Championship 4 spot at Martinsville
Kyle Larson took the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series title race in a battle for the bubble with Christopher Bell.
William Byron, who was below a transfer spot entering Sunday’s race, won at Martinsville Speedway, leaving the bubble battle to the No. 5 and No. 20. Just a single point separated the two entering the day, with Bell sitting third on the playoff grid and Larson fourth.
Larson finished fifth and earned 49 points. He finished third and second in the two stages.
Bell finished seventh and earned 41 points. He finished eighth and third in the stages.
The final margin between the two drivers was seven points.
“I think it was a little less stressful because I recognized that we were better than Christopher in car performance, and we were in front of him all night,” Larson said. “I knew when we got a good first stage that it was not going to be easy, but the math was going to be much easier. I just had to keep him within my sights at that point.
“Our team did a great job. We didn’t have any hiccups, really. I definitely could have had some better restarts, but like I said, when I outscored Christopher, I was just playing it a little bit easy and wanting to just tuck in line and go from there. We had a good long run car.”
Larson last made the Championship 4 in 2023 when he finished second to Joey Logano in the title fight. He is the only driver advancing this season having won a championship before, doing so in 2021.
“I’m happy to be in the final four,” Larson said. “I’m really proud of William; that was a [heck] of a drive. We’ve got two Hendrick cars going for a championship and hopefully we can do it for Rick (Hendrick).”
The championship will come down to Larson and Byron from Hendrick Motorsports against Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Of the five previous champions who have been crowned at Phoenix Raceway, two have come from the Hendrick stable with Chase Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021). Joe Gibbs has never won a title in a Phoenix finale, as the last three years went to Team Penske, who were locked out of the final four when Byron and Larson prevailed Sunday.
Larson’s early preview was this: “Denny was good there earlier this year. [Briscoe] has gotten way better as they’ve become comfortable with each other, and all that. I’m sure he’ll be really strong, and he’s tough. He’s just a gamer. He can figure out how to get to the front at any point.
“And William, I think with a performance like that tonight, he’s going to carry a lot of confidence. We have confidence ourselves. I felt like we were decent there earlier this year, and I think our short track package has gotten way better. I felt like at Gateway we were really strong, and then Loudon we were probably a little bit better than the Gibbs cars, and maybe even my teammates for a lot of the race. We’ll see. I’m just glad we have an opportunity to go out there and race for a championship.”
Byron outduels Blaney for victory at Martinsville and NASCAR Championship 4 berth
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — With a Championship 4 spot on the line Sunday, William Byron put the bumper to Ryan Blaney to win at Martinsville Speedway in the third-round finale of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Byron made his winning move with 43 laps remaining, seizing the bottom lane in Turn 1 and moving Blaney up the track by tagging him in the left rear.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver led the rest of the way and fended off Blaney on a restart with 11 laps remaining. Starting from the pole position, Byron led a race-high 304 of 500 laps for his third victory this season in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
“I thought William drove the race of his life,” said Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion and nine-time winner at Martinsville himself.
It was the first win in 11 races since August at Iowa Speedway for Byron, who won the regular-season championship despite a six-month drought after opening the year with his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory.
He had one top-five finish (a third at New Hampshire Motor Speedway) in the previous eight playoff races and opened the third round with a 36th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a 25th at Talladega Superspeedway that left him in a win-or-else position to make his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance.
Byron delivered with his 16th career Cup victory — his first in a playoff elimination race and third at Martinsville.
“Damn, I got a lot to say,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out. God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. We just worked so hard, and you put everything into Sundays. Sometimes you don’t get anything in return. That’s been the last couple of weeks and honestly throughout the year. But sometimes life is that way. You just got to keep being resilient. We were. Just feels damn good.”
Blaney also was in a must-win situation to advance to the championship round. Trying to win his third consecutive playoff race at Martinsville, came up one spot short despite qualifying 31st and leading 177 laps on the 0.526-mile oval.
There were no hard feelings afterward as Blaney congratulated Byron in victory lane.
“That’s just two guys going for it, I don’t blame him for taking that,” Blaney said about the contact with Byron on the pass for the lead. “I would have done the same thing. I knew it was going to be tight. I tried to crowd him as much as I could. Just proud of the effort from the team. They gave 100% of what they had, and that’s all you can ask. Wasn’t quite enough.”
Kyle Larson, Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, captured the final championship-eligible berth in the season finale with a fourth-place finish that put him seven points ahead of Christopher Bell, who was seventh.
“What a performance by William,” Larson said. “Happy for Hendrick Motorsports. This win is as good as it could have been for us to score more points than Christopher then have William win, too. Hopefully one of us can win it.”
Bell again was the first driver left out of the Championship 4, but he could live with the outcome more than last year’s race when he was bounced by Byron in a finish tainted by manipulation.
“I feel content with the results,” Bell said. “The four are legitimate contenders. Whoever the champion is, it’s going to be well-deserving.”
Byron and Larson advanced to face Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the title round Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship will be awarded to the driver with the best finish of the four drivers who are split evenly between Joe Gibbs Racing (Briscoe and Hamlin) and Hendrick Motorsports (Byron and Larson).
Along with Bell and Blaney, third-place finisher Chase Elliott and defending series champion Joey Logano (eighth) also were eliminated from the playoffs.
With Blaney and Logano locked out of the Phoenix title race, Team Penske’s streak of three consecutive Cup championships was snapped.
Mechanical woes
The two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who already were locked into the Championship 4 both suffered engine failures.
Hamlin, who opened the third round with a Las Vegas Motor Speedway victory to advance to the title race, was running second on the 334th lap when he pulled his sputtering No. 11 Toyota into the garage. Martinsville marked the third race during the playoffs with a mechanical problem for Hamlin, who also needed a push from team members Saturday when his car failed to start in qualifying.
“I felt like the car was coming to us and was just starting to close in on Blaney,” said Hamlin, who finished 35th after winning at Martinsville in March. “I didn’t feel anything. The engine was running and then not. We’ll work on it. I’m obviously concerned, but obviously nothing I can do about it. So we’re going to have to live with it and hopefully we get lucky next week. I’m confident on speed we’ll be good next week. We’ll bring our best and hopefully it lasts.”
Briscoe finished last when his No. 19 Toyota lost power after 295 laps, but the JGR driver already had locked into the Championship 4 with his Oct. 19 victory at Talladega Superspeedway.
“Went to upshift and something happened,” said Briscoe, who was running 12th before the failure. “Not really sure but next week is what it’s all about anyway.”
Courtside update
Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, said the team’s antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR won’t be a distraction to pursuing his first Cup championship.
Hamlin spent Tuesday through Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina, courtrooms for mediation sessions and a summary judgment hearing, and he worked nightly at Joe Gibbs Racing until as late as 10 p.m.
“I’m tired, but I didn’t stop working,” Hamlin said Saturday. “I go from court to the shop. We don’t stop. I’m prepared.”
Hamlin said the settlement talks went “OK the first day, not great the second day” and seems resigned to a trial that is scheduled to begin Dec. 1. “I think both sides probably feel strong about their case,” he said. “You heard the arguments. I’ll let you form your own opinion, but I think one of us is on a suicide mission.”
Up next
The Championship 4 season finale of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be held Sunday, Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway. Joey Logano won at the mile oval in Avondale, Arizona, last November to claim his third Cup championship. Christopher Bell won the March 9 race at Phoenix with a last-lap pass of teammate Denny Hamlin.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
NASCAR playoffs at Martinsville results: William Byron earns walk-off win to make the Championship 4
RIDGEWAY, Va. — In a situation where he had to win in order to earn the right to race for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, William Byron outmuscled Ryan Blaney in the final laps at Martinsville to cap off a dominant day and win the Xfinity 500. Byron, who earned his third win of the season, third at Martinsville and the 16th of his Cup career, overcame a 36 point deficit to the Championship 4 cut line to join Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in next week’s championship race at Phoenix.
After two previous potential winning efforts in the Round of 8 went awry late in those races — colliding with a lapped car coming to pit road at Las Vegas and spinning out of the pack coming to the finish line at Talladega — Byron made a statement by winning the pole at Martinsville, then leading 304 of 500 laps. But in order to make the Championship 4, Byron had to run down Ryan Blaney in a run to the finish that amounted to a head-to-head fight between drivers who had to win in order to make it to Phoenix.
NASCAR playoffs 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks
Steven Taranto
Byron made his move with 43 laps to go, moving Blaney off of the bottom groove in turn 1 to take the lead. But when a spin by Carson Hocevar brought out the caution with less than 20 laps to go, Byron and his crew had to execute both on their final pit stop and the final restart. They did so, earning the right to try and become a championship team.
William Byron secures NASCAR Championship 4 berth
William Byron powered his way to victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, earning a coveted spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field and eliminating pre-race favorite Christopher Bell.
Byron, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, led a career-best 304 laps and secured the emotional win by passing race leader Ryan Blaney late in the elimination event. The victory propels Byron into the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2 to compete for the Cup Series title.
The most critical moment came on Lap 457 during a long green-flag run. In a must-win scenario for both drivers, Byron charged to the inside of Blaney’s fading No. 12 Team Penske Ford entering Turn 1, making contact and knocking Blaney up the track to take the lead.
Blaney, who finished 0.717 seconds behind Byron after the final restart with 11 laps remaining, accepted the aggressive move.
“I look back on that long run before the last yellow where William got by me,” said Blaney, who led 177 laps after qualifying 31st. “I just got loose, trying to work through that. My rear drive was fading quick. I tried to manage a lot in the beginning. I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you. I knew it was going to be tight.”
With the win, Byron joins Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, who finished fifth, as the organization’s representatives in the title race. They will compete against Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, both of whom had already qualified with wins earlier in the Round of 8.
Byron’s win sealed a Championship 4 appearance and simultaneously dealt a major blow to Team Penske. For the first time since the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, the organization that won the last three championships will not have a driver competing for the title.
The elimination race also ended the championship hopes for Christopher Bell, who came into Martinsville above the elimination line. Bell’s seventh-place finish was not enough, as Larson outscored him on the day, claiming the final berth by seven points. Reigning series champion Joey Logano (eighth) and third-place finisher Chase Elliott were also eliminated.
“Damn, I’ve got a lot to say,” a smiling Byron said after climbing from his car. “Things have a way of working out. God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. We obviously go to Phoenix. Just go try to kick ass there.”
Byron’s day began with a dominant run, winning Stage 1 (leading 125 of 130 laps) and Stage 2 (leading all 130 laps). The complexion of the race changed during the Stage 2 caution on Lap 242 when Blaney pitted and gained track position. Blaney soon took the lead and controlled the field until Byron made his decisive pass on Lap 457.
After Carson Hocevar brought out the final caution, the ensuing restart was academic, with Byron pulling away cleanly.
Larson, who ran a problem-free race in the No. 5 Chevrolet, praised his teammate. “What a performance by William. That’s awesome,” Larson said. “I think when the 12 (Blaney) gained control of the race, it was going to be really hard for anybody to beat him. William did a great job on the restarts, just kept positioning himself.”
Non-Playoff drivers Ross Chastain and Ryan Preece ran fourth and sixth, respectively. Todd Gilliland and Josh Berry rounded out the Top 10.
Xfinity 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Sunday, October 26, 2025
(1) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(31) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 500.
(8) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(13) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 500.
(3) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(18) Ryan Preece, Ford, 500.
(12) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 500.
(4) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 500.
(16) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 500.
(27) Josh Berry, Ford, 500.
(14) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 500.
(2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 500.
(7) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 500.
(22) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 500.
(10) Austin Cindric, Ford, 500.
(20) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.
(6) Cole Custer, Ford, 500.
(21) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 500.
(34) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 499.
(19) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 499.
(24) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 499.
(30) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 499.
(17) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 499.
(11) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 499.
(23) Zane Smith, Ford, 498.
(26) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 498.
(32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 498.
(33) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 497.
(29) Chris Buescher, Ford, 497.
(35) Noah Gragson, Ford, 497.
(15) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 497.
(36) Cody Ware, Ford, 488.
(37) Casey Mears(i), Ford, Electrical, 478.
(28) Erik Jones, Toyota, Accident, 406.
(5) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, Engine, 334.
(25) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, Engine, 323.
(9) Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota, Engine, 295.
Kyle Larson Issues Confident Message on His Championship 4 Return
Kyle Larson is feeling bullish. For a driver in the middle of a 23-race winless streak, it’s not the kind of mindset one would typically expect. But ‘Yung Money’ is no ordinary driver. Widely hailed as a ‘generational talent’, the Hendrick Motorsports racer has proven time and again that he has what it takes to compete amongst NASCAR’s big boys. Only this time, he had Lady Luck on his side as well. A 5th-place finish at Martinsville was enough to secure a Championship 4 berth, and now it’s all for the taking.
And if history is anything to go by, momentum counts for little in the season finale. Thanks to the ‘win and in’ format, Larson has as much of a shot at the Bill France Cup as anyone else in the upcoming race, and the confidence is there for all to see. With teammate Byron also in the mix, Mr. H’s team is on the verge of making history once again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kyle Larson is determined to deliver a title for Hendrick Motorsports
Reflecting post-race, Larson was overjoyed. He said, “Happy for him, happy for our team, happy for Hendrick Motorsports. You know it says this win is as good as it you know could have for us. You know, for us to score more points to Christopher and then have you know, William or Chase win. Glad we can give Mr. H an opportunity next week, and hopefully, you know, one of us can win it. But I’m proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. I feel like we’ve just been progressing so much during the playoffs to put two cars into the championship 4.”
And Larson gains this confidence because of his remarkable run in 2021. The No. 5 driver had clinched his spot in the Championship 4 with a commanding victory at the Round of 8 race in Texas. He dominated the race by leading a race-high 257 laps and sweeping both stages. The California-native’s performances not only secured his fourth win of that season but also solidified his position, allowing his team to focus on preparations for the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
This experience gives Larson an edge over his 3 rivals (Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and William Byron), who haven’t won a title just yet. And as the other 3 look to claim their first title, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is aiming to lift his second championship.
In the title race at Phoenix in November 2021, Larson’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. Starting from the pole position, he led a race-high 108 laps and won stage 2. The turning point came during a late race pitstop when Larson’s crew executed a lightning-fast 11.8-second stop, allowing him to exit pit road ahead of his competitors. This strategic move prompted him to hold off challenges from fellow playoff competitors. And it can be said with much confidence that Larson is definitely chasing that same momentum this time around.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
While Denny Hamlin faced a turbulent race in Martinsville today, Larson’s spot was still uncertain, unlike the others. Only one point separated him and Christopher Bell heading into the Xfinity 500. While he didn’t win, Larson executed the race perfectly.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
At the end, Larson’s consistency and strategic decisions paid off. Crossing the finish line in fifth place, he secured the final Championship 4 spot, edging out Christopher Bell by just seven points. Sure, Victory Lane continues to elude him, but Larson’s performance at Martinsville highlighted his ability to balance aggression with prudence, a skill that ensured the 2021 series champion would get another shot at a second title in Phoenix.
But as Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney saw himself out of the Championship 4, it was a sad day for Kyle Larson’s teammate, Chase Elliott.
Chase Elliott fails to seal his spot in the Championship 4
Heading into the penultimate race, desperate for a win, Chase Elliott needed a Martinsville victory to keep his title hopes alive. The 2020 cup champion had short flashes of brilliance, finishing fourth in both opening stages, but it wasn’t enough to catch his teammate, William Byron, and his rival, Ryan Blaney, who zipped past him to claim first and second. Elliott did manage a late overtake on Ross Chastain for third, but with Chastain out of title contention, it was more a consolation than a lifeline.
Elliott’s heartbreak at Martinsville adds a third consecutive chapter to a familiar saga. He has now missed the Championship 4 three years in a row, despite having reached the finale from 2020 through 2022. More importantly, he won here in 2020 when it mattered most, but this year, the magic didn’t strike twice.
Still, not all is lost. While the 2025 campaign wraps without another title shot, the No. 9 driver’s season wasn’t without bright spots, including his first multi-win effort since 2022. His team has clearly made progress, and with momentum heading into the new season, Elliot is shaping up to be a serious championship favorite when February rolls around next year.
Dodgers’ Yamamoto enters rare MLB company with another complete game
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Yoshinobu Yamamoto watched a popout to third baseman Max Muncy end yet another incredible pitching performance, this time to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the World Series.
Yamamoto completed his second straight postseason complete game, and he joined some rare MLB company in doing so.
Yamamoto, who led the way for Los Angeles in the 5-1 victory to even the
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Net Worth 2025: Salary, Contract, and More
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is undoubtedly the player you built around, and it’s no surprise that the Toronto Blue Jays decided to bite the bullet and give him the eye-watering contract. A whopping $500 million deal, which makes him one of baseball’s richest stars in 2025. But this is not just about money, but power and legacy. And given that Guerrero Jr. just took the team to the Fall Classic, it all seems worth it. He is carrying the future of the Jays on his shoulders. His rise from a teenage prodigy to a half-billion-dollar superstar is not just historic but also defines what it’s like to be a generational player. Know more about his net worth, salary, career moments, and more here.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Net Worth in 2025
Now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not just one of baseball’s brightest stars; he is one of the richest. As of 2025, the Canadian Dominican slugger’s net worth sits around $40 million. But those numbers are about to explode thanks to the $500 million contract that he signed with the Blue Jays in April 2025. Since his debut in 2019, Guerrero Jr. has honestly lived up to the right of his last name.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He is the son of the Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr., after all. Vladdy had actually broken out into the spotlight with his 2021 season, where he batted .311 with 48 home runs and nearly snagged the AL MVP. His mix of contact hitting and raw power has made him one of the league’s most feared hitters. Now he is a five-time all-star at just 26, and his 14-year mega extension ranks as the third-largest deal in MLB history. It is only behind Juan Soto’s iconic deal and Shohei Ohtani, which is a huge deal.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Contract Breakdown
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s road to becoming the third-highest-paid player in the sport started way back in 2015. This was when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for a $3.9 million bonus. Then fast forward to 2025, and things have skyrocketed. Before his massive extension, he signed a one-year and $28.5 million deal in January of 2025 to avoid arbitration. It was the third-largest arbitration settlement in MLB history.
Then came April, when he joined baseball’s financial elite. The Blue Jays locked him in with the $500 contract—a deal so massive that it became the largest ever signed by any Canadian athlete. According to Sportac, Guerrero is earning $28.5 million in the 2025 season, but that’s just the beginning. Over the next ten and a half years, he is projected to take in over $550 million if all goes well. This would be counting his growing list of endorsements, bonuses, and media appearances.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Salary
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s earnings have grown just as quickly as his power numbers. Since making his debut in 2019, his salary has seen a huge rise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Terms and Conditions of His Historic Contract
Guerrero’s newest contract comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect him to have.
Signing Bonus: $325 million (to be paid across 2025–2039, structure TBD)
MVP Incentives:
1st place: $150,000
2nd place: $125,000
3rd place: $100,000
Performance Bonuses:
$50,000 each for All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, or World Series MVP honors
$25,000 for LCS MVP
Full No-Trade Clause—meaning Vladdy has a complete contract over his career and life.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Brand Endorsements
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not just making headlines on the field; he is cashing in big time through brand deals. His endorsements include brands like Smuckers, BiGS (Sunflower Seeds), VKTRY, Topps, Slugger Bats (VG27 Signature Bat), Jordan, and Xbox Canada, among others.
In 2021, Guerrero Jr. joined the Jordan Brand and became the ambassador for its baseball apparel line. “I never saw MJ play in real life, but as a kid, I watched his videos. He’s an inspiration,” Guerrero said after the signing.
Then, back in 2020, he signed with the BiGS Sunflower Seeds for a two-year sponsorship. And he featured fun promotions on social media and back in 2019. He had a deal with VKTRY.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Professional Career Overview
If baseball runs in your blood, then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. might be a living prodigy. Born on March 16, 1999, in Montreal, Canada, back when his dad, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., was starring for the Expos. So Vladdy just seemed destined for the big leagues. Though he grew up in the Dominican Republic, his connection to both countries shaped his identity.
By 16, the Toronto Blue Jays saw something special in him and signed him as an international free agent and gave him a good bonus. Then it didn’t take long for him to soar as the top prospect, and by 2018, he was the No. 1 prospect in baseball. And when he made his MLB debut in April 2019, the expectations were sky-high, and he didn’t disappoint. He crushed 15 home runs and, as a rookie, showed immense skill and power.
And now in 2025, he has already built quite a resume. Five All-Star appearances, two All-MLB First Team appearances, and won two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove Award. He has even graced the cover of MLB The Show 24!
George Springer Net Worth 2025: MLB Salary, Contract Details, and Career Highlights
George Chelston Springer, better known simply as George Springer, has spent over a decade turning baseball diamonds into personal highlight reels. From Houston’s Astrodome to Toronto’s Rogers Centre, he’s smashed records, dodged drama, and somehow convinced teams to pay him like he’s part superhero. Love him or hate him, Springer’s career is a masterclass in timing, talent, and the fine art of making millions look effortless.
What is George Springer’s Net Worth in 2025?
As of 2025, George Springer’s net worth is estimated at sixty million dollars. His Major League Baseball career has contributed over one hundred sixty-seven million dollars in total earnings. This includes salaries, signing bonuses, and guaranteed money from contracts with Houston and Toronto. Fans can visualize each postseason homer and every celebratory locker room moment behind these figures.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Beyond baseball, Springer’s income includes endorsements and partnerships with reputable organizations and brands. He has collaborated with Nike and Rawlings for athletic gear promotions and appearances. Springer also supports children with speech disorders through the Stuttering Association for the Young. This involvement adds depth to his public persona, blending philanthropic impact with personal achievement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
George Springer’s Current MLB Contract and Salary
George Springer is currently in the fifth year of a six-year, $150 million contract. His 2025 base salary with the Toronto Blue Jays is twenty-two million five hundred thousand dollars. The contract includes a ten-million-dollar signing bonus and guarantees the full amount over six years. Fans see him perform, knowing every swing and catch reflects a carefully negotiated, high-value agreement.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
George Springer’s Career Earnings and Achievements
George Springer has earned a total of $167,188,897 in twelve years playing Major League Baseball. His career earnings include a combination of base salaries and signing bonuses from every contract signed. From the Houston Astros to the Toronto Blue Jays, each season contributed to his substantial financial growth. Fans watching him play witness both skillful performance and the rewards of consistent professional excellence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Springer’s achievements include being a World Series Champion and earning the World Series MVP in 2017. He is also a four-time MLB All-Star and two-time AL Silver Slugger Award winner. His postseason performances and leadership have consistently elevated the teams he has represented on the field. Supporters feel the impact of his accomplishments, celebrating both statistical milestones and memorable game-winning moments.
Rob Manfred Speaks Out on the Return of 2 Guardians Star Caught Gambling Amid Ongoing Probe
In the past 2 years, MLB has had 2 of the biggest gambling scandals involving some of the biggest names. One was with Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, and the other was with the Cleveland Guardians and two of their superstars, allegedly. After that whole drama with the Guardians and their players, we might finally have an update from Rob Manfred.
In a recent interview, Commissioner Rob Manfred talked about how MLB protects itself from gambling. “Obviously, our No. 1 priority is to protect the integrity of the game… We think we have great systems in place that allow us to do that.” After this, he also talked about Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.
As reported by Jake Mintz, “Manfred shared no updates on that situation Saturday, only offering that the investigation is ‘ongoing.’”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the league’s stance on gambling before Game 2 of the World Series, defending partnerships with sportsbooks as necessary safeguards. He explained that legalized betting has created an unavoidable environment where “access to data” is crucial for spotting irregularities. Manfred said the league never asked for legalized betting, but now relies on sportsbooks to detect suspicious wagering patterns.
That vigilance is currently focused on Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both under investigation for alleged unusual betting activity flagged by an Ohio sportsbook. Reports indicate that these cases involve micro or proposition bets, where gamblers place wagers on isolated in-game events, such as a pitcher’s strikeout total.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Clase, a two-time All-Star with 44 saves this season, was barred from pitching in the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues as the inquiry continues.
Manfred’s defense comes as professional sports face renewed scrutiny following the NBA’s shocking gambling scandal. The commissioner said MLB’s priority remains protecting the integrity of the game, citing past punishments like lifetime bans for players caught betting. Fans now find themselves watching two leagues fight similar storms.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Beyond Manfred: MLB is in an awkward position because of one tweet, again
Major League Baseball finds itself squirming under a spotlight it didn’t choose, and the culprit isn’t a scandal this time; it’s a single, careless tweet.
Joez McFly, part of the MLB-affiliated Jomboy Media, managed to stir the pot in a way that has fans debating professionalism, league integrity, and boundaries in sports media. Even a giant like MLB can look small when the internet decides to roast it. Joez McFly, a content creator at MLB-affiliated Jomboy Media, posted a viral tweet referencing Ippei Mizuhara.
The message, “IPPEIIIIIIIIIII START TALKIN GOAT NO BETTER TIME THAN TODAY,” recalled Mizuhara’s gambling scandal. Fans immediately recognized the connection to Shohei Ohtani, whose former translator stole millions to pay off gambling debts.
The tweet reignited debate as the internet scrutinized McFly’s professional affiliation with MLB directly. Many followers questioned whether an official partner should publicly mock league controversies during sensitive situations.
The online reaction was intense, leaving fans feeling both shocked and uneasy about league media accountability.
Dodgers Star Sends Yoshinobu Yamamoto Warning to MLB
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1, on Saturday evening behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s four-hit complete game masterpiece. He added eight strikeouts, allowed one earned run, and walked no batters.
As the defending champions’ ace is now learning what it means to take things up to another level in October, Dodgers utility star Kiké Hernández, who is no stranger to elevating his performance during the postseason, spoke on his teammate’s brilliance.
More news: Phillies President Sends Clear Message to Bryce Harper on Trade Rumors
“It’s just not normal,” Hernández said. “You’re not supposed to keep getting better, and he’s finding a way to do it. Like, what’s his ceiling? Yeah, you don’t know if there’s a ceiling there. The sky could be the limit for him.”
Yamamotobecame the first pitcher to throw back-to-back complete games in the postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, the first pitcher to go the distance in the World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015, and the first Dodger to do so in the Fall Classic since Orel Hershiser in 1988.
Despite the World Series gem, Yamamoto still took the time to clean out all the trash in his team’s dugout before heading to the clubhouse.
Hernández had a message for his pitcher ahead of the eventual complete game, urging Yamamoto to have faith in his abilities.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MLB Future Sealed After Cubs President Hints at Major Offseason Move
Even though the Cubs fell short of making the postseason, there were still plenty of bright spots to take into next year. Pete Crow-Armstrong has clearly been one. Notably, PCA’s hot start earned him a spot as an All-Star starter, and a 40-40 season was around the corner.
Although he didn’t quite hit that mark, his numbers were still outstanding. A 30-30 season with 37 doubles, making him the first Cub ever to notch at least 30 doubles, home runs, and steals in the same year. Add in his elite defense, and he finished with a 6.0 bWAR, sixth-best in the NL. Given these stats at just 23 years old, many expected the Cubs to move quickly on a contract extension.
That hasn’t happened yet, but on the eve of the offseason, team president Jed Hoyer offered some insight into how the organization is approaching its young star’s future. “In totality, he had a great year,” Hoyer said about Armstrong after the Cubs crashed out of the NLDS. He further termed Armstrong as “the best defensive player in baseball,” while mentioning that “when he’s hitting, he’s a superstar.”
While Hoyer has acknowledged having extension conversations with several players on the team, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic emphasizes that locking up PCA “figures to be the top priority.”
While Pete Crow-Armstrong cooled off a bit after July, hitting just 10 home runs and posting a more modest slash line compared to his impressive .263/.299/.537 with 21 homers before the break, his first All-Star season was still elite by any measure.
At just 23, not many players can put up a .247/.287/.481 line while leading all of MLB with +24 OAA!
The Cubs actually tried to lock up PCA before the 2025 season started. Reportedly, the team offered him a deal that could’ve reached around $75 million if all the options kicked in. But Armstrong turned it down, understandably betting on himself for a bigger payday, something closer to the $130 million deal the Padres gave Jackson Merrill.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
For reference, Merrill’s 130 wRC+ was a bit stronger offensively. But PCA’s superior defense and baserunning make their overall value pretty similar.
Merrill finished with a 5.3 fWAR to Armstrong’s 6.0. Moreover, since both play the same position, Merrill’s contract sets a natural benchmark for what PCA could command down the line.
Now, it’ll be interesting to see how the Cubs handle it, especially since Armstrong is still under team control for five more seasons. But either way, they surely won’t want to risk losing one of the most exciting young stars in the game. Considering how Hoyer praised Armstrong, his future with the Cubs is more or less sealed!
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s newest recognition could alter the Cubs’ offseason plan
“He’s still 23 years old, he’s still learning. So I expect him to keep getting better and better… I have no question that he’ll continue to get better.” Hoyer further talked about Armstrong. However, there’s another reason behind putting such confidence in the young slugger.
His latest Silver Slugger nomination.
Armstrong was recently named an NL Silver Slugger finalist, a reminder of just how high his ceiling is, even if his bat cooled a bit during the Cubs’ playoff push. And this recognition alone should push the Cubs front office to make an extension a top priority this offseason.
Given that Pete Crow-Armstrong won’t even reach arbitration until after next season, it’s understandable if the Cubs decide to hold off and see another year before committing to a big long-term deal. Still, waiting too long could be a gamble.
If PCA bounces back at the plate the way many expect, his value will only climb with time. And with the uncertainty surrounding payroll rules after the 2026 season and the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, locking him in early could actually work in the Cubs’ favor.
All signs now point to this winter being the ideal time for Chicago to get something done with their young star.
“Diaper and Coffee Run” – Cubs Legend Opens Up on New Responsibilities After Emotional Retirement From MLB
The 36-year-old’s 14-year career started as a Boston Red Sox prospect, then he briefly struggled with the San Diego Padres, and finally became the heart and soul of the Chicago Cubs. Though the ending with the New York Yankees in his final seasons wasn’t a fairytale, Anthony Rizzo was all prepared. The former and legendary first baseman is now tackling a very different kind of lineup at home.
During his final playoff run, where the Yankees lost the 2024 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rizzo struggled in that Fall Classic, getting just two hits in 16 at-bats. “Enjoy this ride,” Rizzo said, then to his wife and family. “I don’t know how much longer I have to give to the game.”
The first baseman did not find the perfect team for the 2025 season, but a much bigger life event changed his perspective. His wife, Emily, gave birth to their very first child in late June. “That made it so much easier,” Rizzo said. “I gave everything I had on the field and off the field. So when the right opportunities didn’t arise, and we had the baby, just getting to spend so much more time at home and have this summer off, it’s been amazing, and it just all came naturally.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
And the Cubs legend recently shared an update on his new life via an Instagram story. The adorable picture showed his child, a diaper pack sitting right next to a coffee can, with a perfect caption that read: “Sunday morning hit a little different now, Diaper and coffee run.”
Many forget that Rizzo started with the Boston Red Sox when the team drafted him out of high school back in 2007. He spent a few years developing in their minor league system and was then traded to the Padres as part of the deal for Adrián González. Rizzo debuted in the majors with the Friars in 2011. But the first taste of the big leagues did not go as planned. The young first baseman struggled in 49 games and 153 plate appearances, where he managed just a .141 batting average and struck out 30.1% of the time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
So, the Padres acquired Yonder Alonso from the Reds to take over first base and sent Rizzo and Zach Cates to Chicago for pitcher Andrew Cashner.
This trade started a new era for the Cubs
Rizzo blossomed on the North Side. Over his 10 seasons with the Cubs, he batted .272/.372/.489 with 242 home runs and earned three All-Star nods, won four Gold Gloves, won a Silver Slugger, and earned MVP votes in five consecutive seasons that featured two consecutive fourth-place finishes in 2015 and 2016 when he posted a combined .285/.386/.528 slashline and belted more than 30 home runs.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
His biggest accomplishment was helping the Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. Rizzo struggled in the 2016 NLDS but then dominated in both the NLCS and the World Series, where he hit .320 in the NLCS against the Dodgers and .360 against Cleveland in that Fall Classic with three homers and five doubles and an OPS over 1.000.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
All good things must end, and it happened with Rizzo as well. The Cubs began rebuilding in 2021 and traded Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez as a part of that. Rizzo landed with the New York Yankees and hit 32 home runs in his first full season (2022) before having an average 2023 season and a struggling 2024 season when the Yankees played the World Series.
Following that World Series, the Yankees declined his $17 million club option for the 2025 season, which made Rizzo a free agent. The 36-year-old waited for a good opportunity that never came. Instead, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts invited Rizzo and his wife to dinner, where Ricketts personally asked Rizzo if he would officially retire as a Cub. He also offered him a role of club ambassador alongside Andre Dawson, Ryan Dempster, Fergie Jenkins, Lee Smith, Billy Williams, Kerry Wood, and Ben Zobrist.
Rizzo, who was “pretty much done,” happily accepted the offer and celebrated his retirement, throwing a ceremonial first pitch to one of his former teammates, Ian Happ, before joining the fans in left field, where he nearly caught in Moises Ballesteros’ first career homer for Chicago. “There’s no more stress,” Rizzo said. “I just get to enjoy a baseball game. I’ll have a hot dog, I’m gonna have a beer and I’m gonna really just take it all in.”
He will finally get to take it all in. A perfect ending for a true Chicago legend. What is your favorite Anthony Rizzo moment from his amazing career? Let us know in the comments!
Ex-Mets Scout Sounds the Alarm on Scary MLB Trend With a Harrowing Story
Contrary to what former NFL star Cam Newton said last year, baseball isn’t a “dying” sport, but this is definitely the moment to make sure it stays future-proof. And that starts with protecting the next generation of talent. But one worrying trend for MLB stands out… The growing number of young players undergoing Tommy John surgery!
Well, pitchers in MLB have always had to battle arm issues, as throwing 100 mph fastballs puts enormous stress on their elbows. Big names like Shohei Ohtani and Jacob deGrom have missed major time recovering from those injuries. But while injuries are part of the job at the professional level, it’s much more alarming to see these same problems showing up among high school and junior-level players. And a recent report from a former Mets scout shines a light on just how serious this problem is becoming!
“A friend of mine, 14-year-old son, who is a catcher, just had TJ surgery. They are from a warmer state where they play year-round baseball. He throws year-round & never shuts down & plays 100+ games a year. DR said this is from overuse & not giving the arm a break,” former Mets scout Coach Switala shared the story via X.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Now, don’t treat this incident as a one-off because it’s part of a much bigger, more troubling pattern. Dr. Christopher Ahmad, the Yankees’ head physician, points out that in 2023, more MLB-level pitchers had Tommy John surgery than in the entire 1990s combined. So, that’s a staggering sign of how the game has changed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He explains that UCL injuries used to mostly affect veteran pitchers, who had logged thousands of innings and simply wore their elbows out over time. But now, things are very different. These injuries are showing up everywhere, including high school freshmen, college aces, and young prospects chasing the big leagues.
While MLB pitchers do need to take more responsibility for managing their workload, the real concern is why these young players are breaking down so early.
The answer lies in today’s baseball culture… Kids are training like pros from the moment they pick up a ball. They’re pitching year-round, all to get a shot at the majors. And that nonstop push is leading to serious overuse and, for too many, an early trip to the operating table.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Now the question is, why are the rookies focusing more on velocity?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The modern MLB trend of increasing velocity is pushing the boundaries
Well, the modern-day MLB is defined by velocity! Reportedly, just a few years ago, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun was almost unheard of. But now, it’s become part of everyday baseball. For instance, in 2019, pitchers threw just over a thousand pitches that broke the 100 mph mark. By 2022, that number had tripled to more than 3,300. Thus, making 100 mph fastballs more common than double plays or stolen bases!
Now, this obsession with speed comes at a cost. The harder a pitcher throws, the more stress it puts on the elbow. And that’s directly tied to the surge in UCL injuries. What’s even more worrying is that this chase for velocity starts earlier than ever. With the young pitchers eventually targeting to get on the MLB scene, they are often motivated by radar gun numbers and the dream of standing out.
Hence, the school rookies are throwing more often and pushing their arms beyond what they’re built to handle. With scholarships, college spots, pro contracts, and endorsements all on the line, everyone feels the pressure to chase speed and performance.
With playing MLB being the dream, the future batch of stars might be facing an epidemic that could cause havoc for the league in the long term.
Bryce Harper Trade Would Aid Phillies Pursuit of ‘The Actual Prize’
During a time in American history when so many people seem to thrive on conspiracy theories, it’s only fitting that a new one might be brewing in baseball — and it centers on the Philadelphia Phillies.
There’s a growing belief that something drastic could be underfoot in Philadelphia, that the organization may finally be ready to shake loose a roster that has been both wildly successful and maddeningly predictable. Since 2022, the Phillies have enjoyed one of the most impressive sustained runs in the sport, posting a combined regular-season record of 368–280. And after a decade spent planning golf trips for October, they’ve made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons.
The 2025 team may have been their most complete yet. They went 96–66, captured a second straight NL East title, and finished 13 games ahead of the Mets. Led by the familiar core — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler — the Phillies even made a little history, becoming the first National League team ever to increase its regular-season win total in seven consecutive full seasons.
And yet, the deeper the numbers go, the shallower the results have become. The October arc has bent backward — from a World Series berth in 2022, to a Game 7 loss in the NLCS, to back-to-back Division Series exits. The trend line points in the wrong direction, and everyone in Philadelphia knows it.
Phillies Expected to Make Big Changes; Trading Bryce Harper Would Certainly Qualify
At some point, coming back with the same cast and expecting a different ending starts to look less like belief and more like denial — or, as some might say, the very definition of insanity. But with the offseason looming, changes are likely on the horizon.
Exactly what those changes could be, however, is yet to be determined. And therein lies the potential for unexpected happenings.
Namely, a trade of Harper.
A future Hall of Famer, Harper has arguably been the face of the Phillies franchise for seven seasons, following the 2019 signing of a 13-year, $330 million contract. But that face took a punch during the end-of-season press conference by Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, who raised a few eyebrows with a statement that seemed to question Harper’s status among baseball’s greats.
“He’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said. “He’s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”
Since then, the rumors have run wild over the possibility that Harper could be playing for a different team next season. While Dombrowski was quick to dispel those rumors – “That couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said on Foul Territory – the seed was planted.
MLB Analyst Suggests Trading Bryce Harper Would Enable Pursuit of Kyle Tucker
It will be interesting to see what grows from all of this, and with reports of Harper understandably “pissed off” by Dombrowski’s comments, the talk of a potential trade will only increase. Which had Kris Drew of the Fireside Yankees podcast wondering if the Phillies front office wanted this scenario all along.
“I know the Phillies are going to make a run or going to at least show a lot of interest in Kyle Tucker from kind of what I’ve been told,” Drew said. “Is this going to be a case where, ‘OK, if we trade for Bryce Harper and take a good amount of that money, is it going to open up the door for them to spend more on the guy who we really wanted, the actual prize?’”
Tucker is predicted to be the top free agent signed this winter, with recent speculation by Bleacher Report suggesting he could receive a 10-year deal for $350 million. The Phillies are among a handful of teams seen as “a good fit” for the 28-year-old outfielder.
Removing Harper’s contract from the books would make it an even easier fit.
Everything About Craig Albernaz: Bio, Wife, Parents, Net Worth, Contract and More
The Baltimore Orioles are looking to hand the keys to one of the most intriguing coaching minds in the league. Craig Albernaz’s rise from undrafted free agent to major league coach is a great example of how hard work pays off. He didn’t have five-star recruiting rankings or first-round draft picks to help him along the way. Instead, it was based on relationships, the catcher’s gut feeling, and the kind of honesty that draws guys to him. Reportedly, as Albernaz enters the AL East, let’s take a look at his journey so far.
Who is Craig Albernaz? Everything to know
Craig Francis Albernaz was born on October 30, 1982, in Fall River, Massachusetts. He went to Somerset Berkley Regional High School, where baseball became more than just a game for him; it became his way to get ahead. Albernaz played both as a pitcher and catcher at Eckerd College. He graduated in 2005 with a baseball IQ that scouts noted, even if they weren’t impressed by his athletic skills.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In 2006, the Tampa Bay Rays signed him as a free agent who had not been selected. Albernaz worked his way through the minor leagues for nine years, reaching Triple-A, but never got the call to the major leagues. With a lightning-fast 1.85-second release to second base, he threw out 61% of would-be base stealers behind the plate. His playing career ended in 2014 with the Detroit Tigers organization, and by the very next year, his future lay in shaping players, not just catching them.
But there is more to him than just baseball.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Who is Craig Albernaz’s wife? Everything to know
Craig Albernaz’s wife has quietly supported him as he has steadily climbed the unpredictable ladder of baseball. The couple has often stayed out of the public eye. He got married to Genevieve, and together they’ve built a life that centers on family values and shared priorities. Back in 2017, when discussing the unpredictable nature of his coaching career, Albernaz captured their dynamic perfectly: “She’s on board for anything. She understands this game is crazy at times.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
They both have a beautiful family with three children: two sons — C.J. and Norman — and a daughter, Genevieve Elizabeth. Craig Albernaz tweeted on July 15, 2023, that his daughter, Genevieve Elizabeth Albernaz, was born weighing 7.39 lbs at 35 weeks. He called his wife a “rockstar” and said that he was happy that their sons welcomed “Little Gigi.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Craig Albernaz’s net worth, MLB contract, salary, and bonuses
The financial details of Craig Albernaz’s reported deal with the Baltimore Orioles are not public information yet. According to the industry standards, it is said that new major league managers routinely sign contracts for more than one year, and their salaries usually vary from $1 million to $6 million a year, depending on their experience and the market.
Inside his professional career
Craig Albernaz’s coaching career started in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays, the same clubhouse where he’d spent eight playing seasons. He started with the rookie-level Princeton Rays before moving to the Low-A Hudson Valley Renegades in 2016. In 2017, he began as the third base and catching coach for Triple-A Durham Bulls before taking over as Hudson Valley’s manager mid-season. His leadership caught attention immediately.
The 2018 season brought Albernaz to the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods, where he earned Midwest League Manager of the Year honors. His ability to develop young talent while fostering winning environments made him a hot commodity. By 2019, the Rays promoted him to minor league field coordinator. His reputation for building genuine connections with players opened doors beyond the Tampa Bay ballclub.
In December 2019, the San Francisco Giants signed Albernaz as their bullpen and catching coach. He was there for four seasons and then came the Guardians. In 2023, the Cleveland Guardians were looking for a bench coach. They didn’t just want someone with tactical knowledge; they also needed someone who could match Stephen Vogt’s intensity. Albernaz became the top choice. Cleveland promoted him to assistant manager in 2024 after one season as a bench coach.
Now, Baltimore has that future. After Brandon Hyde was fired in May after the Orioles started the season 15-28, Tony Mansolino was named the team’s temporary manager. With the 2026 summer coming, Craig Albernaz might be key. Mansolino did his best to keep things on track, but Baltimore ended the 2025 season in last place in the AL East with a record of 75-87.
Now, with Albernaz likely taking over a team that didn’t do well, his first job as a manager is both risky and full of opportunities. Only 2026 will tell how it goes.
NFL Makes Historic Announcement After 7 Weeks Played
The current NFL season features a historic first in the final two minutes of games.
The Denver Broncos’ 33-point fourth-quarter comeback is the biggest in NFL history.
The season is praised for its unpredictability and heightened drama for fans.
There has been no shortage of action in the NFL over the first seven weeks of the season. Football fans wait seven months during the offseason only to be provided with five months of an action-packed NFL season. Based on what supporters have witnessed so far in the campaign, however, it would be safe to say that the wait has been absolutely worth it.
The league took to social media on Friday to announce a historic first — one not seen since the NFL was established in 1920. The feat speaks volumes about how exciting the season has been thus far, even before the mid-way point of the campaign.
A perfect example would be the unbelievable Week 7 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. Bo Nix and the Broncos put up 33 points on the board in the fourth quarter after being held scoreless in the first three quarters, marking one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history.
Denver got its first lead of the game with just 1:51 left on the clock. Nix rushed to the endzone for an 18-yard touchdown, which gave the Broncos a 30-26 lead after the extra point. The Giants battled back, though, reclaiming the lead with just 37 seconds left, 32-30. Denver, however, won it at the death with a 39-yard field goal. The game ended with the Broncos stealing away the victory, 33-32.
While no other game this season has matched the drama of the Broncos’ unprecedented comeback victory over the Giants, this contest is a good representation of how thrilling the NFL season has been thus far.
On Friday, the league announced that there have been no less than 26 games with a lead change in the final two minutes of regulation. This represents the most in NFL history through seven weeks.
“This season has been absolute cinema 🙌” the league captioned its post.
This development brings a whole lot of excitement and drama for the fans, making this era arguably the most unpredictable in decades.
This also has major implications for teams across the league. Now more than ever, the mantra that no lead is safe has become even more relevant. Extra attention must be given to defensive and special teams performances in the final minutes. On the offensive end, teams have to be on point with their execution in two-minute type scenarios, while also avoiding penalty disasters and managing field position.
Week 8 promises to be another exhilarating round of football. The Los Angeles Chargers kicked things off with a dominant 37-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings on “Thursday Night Football.”
Colts Urged To Trade For 500 Career Tackle Defender
In a surprise to many, the Indianapolis Colts currently hold the best record in the NFL with a 6-1 record.
Indy’s offense has been averaging 33.1 points per game this season, the best in the league. The team is being led by quarterback Daniel Jones, who is having a bounce-back season under head coach Shane Steichen.
Running back Jonathan Taylor leads the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, rookie Tyler Warren leads all tight ends in receiving yards and the offensive line has only let up six sacks through seven games this season.
The Colts’ defense should not go unrecognized, only allowing 20 points per game to opposing offenses this season, which ties them for the eighth-lowest in the league.
Indianapolis is starting to be taken as a serious Super Bowl contender, but one NFL writer believes the team should make one addition to help secure a chance at the Lombardi trophy.
Trading For Playing In The AFC North
Linebacker Zaire Franklin has been one of the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive players the past three seasons. Franklin has recorded three straight seasons with over 100 tackles before the start of 2025.
The linebacker currently has the second most tackles on the team, behind safety Nick Cross, with 42 tackles. The next three? Coming from the secondary.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline believes that if the Colts trade for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, it can help the team make a playoff run.
“The Indianapolis Colts’ offense is humming right now, flowing more seamlessly than any other group in the NFL. Where the Colts can really make some gains at the trade deadline is on defense, especially when it comes to the pass rush. The Bengals are about ready to throw in the towel. Logan Wilson is facing a demotion as Cincy embraces its youth movement and tries to reinvigorate a patchwork defense. That makes the 31-year-old, under salary at an affordable $5.4 million price tag in 2026, a logical target for Indy,” Kline wrote.
“Wilson has seen a decline in impact over the last couple years, in part due to injury, but he’s a versatile linebacker who notched four interceptions and 135 tackles in 2023. He can plug a lot of holes for the Colts and give their defense a better shot to hold down the fort for Daniel Jones and Indianapolis’ high-octane offense.”
Logan Wilson Reuniting With Familiar Face
If Logan Wilson were to be traded to the Indianapolis Colts, he would have the third-most tackles on the team and second-most at the linebacker spot with 41 tackles.
He would provide an immediate impact on the Colts’ defense.
Wilson knows the defensive scheme Indianapolis runs, as defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo used to hold the same position with Cincinnati and has been coached by him for five seasons.
The linebacker recorded four 100+ tackle seasons under Anarumo, with two of those seasons logging over 120.
If the Colts were to pull the trigger on acquiring the linebacker, he wouldn’t need too much time getting used to the defense and play, maybe as soon as the team asks of him.
Colts’ linebaacker room hasn’t been too productive this season, but a former Anarumo defender can make the switch happen.
NFL Rumors: Kyle Shanahan Targeting $96M Star to Ease 49ers’ Defensive Struggles
It’s really a wonder how the San Francisco 49ers are sitting at 5-2 and somehow leading the NFC West, especially with the avalanche of injuries they’ve had to deal with. But Kyle Shanahan knows that kind of luck doesn’t last forever. And if there’s one move that could help keep things steady, it might just involve a certain $96 million defensive lineman from the New York Jets, especially after Yetur Gross-Matos and Bryce Huff’s injuries.
We are all aware that the Jets are a complete mess this year. They’re winless at 0-7, and there may not be a better time for another team to start picking off their top talent. Word around the league is that Shanahan’s got his eyes on Quinnen Williams. And reports suggest the 49ers have already reached out to the Jets about a potential trade.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Williams signed a four-year, $96 million extension with New York that runs through 2027. When he inked that deal, it was one of the richest contracts ever given to an interior defensive lineman. It made him the second-highest-paid at his position behind Aaron Donald at the time.
This season, Williams has totaled 31 tackles, seven TFL, and a sack. Not eye-popping numbers, but considering the dysfunction around him, that’s still impressive. At 27 years old, he’s in his prime, already a three-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro, and one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
According to insider Connor Hughes, “Teams call/continue to call on guys like Breece Hall, Jermaine Johnson, Will McDoanld, Michael Carrer, Quinnen & Quincy Williams, but that’s the vibe they’re getting from conversations. Some league sources wonder if there will be more willingness from Jets to give in negotiations if they fall to 0-8 with a loss to the Bengals. That’s to be seen.”
So, yeah, it sounds like the 49ers could at least get New York on the phone. Hughes also mentioned that the Jets might be looking for a second-round pick for Quinnen Williams. But the fans would probably riot if they gave him up for anything less than a first.
Still, if there’s ever a time for San Francisco to be aggressive, it’s now. Because Shanahan’s patched-together defense won’t hold up forever.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
This trade is imperative amid the 49ers’ injury woes
The 49ers’ defensive struggles make this move almost a necessity. Every team in the league has had to deal with the injury bug. But few have been hit harder than San Francisco’s defense this season. During Sunday night’s 20-10 win over the Falcons, defensive end Bryce Huff went down with a hamstring injury, Shanahan confirmed Monday.
That’s just the latest blow. Nick Bosa, the five-time Pro Bowler, is already out for the year with a torn ACL. Tarron Jackson (neck) is on injured reserve, and Yetur Gross-Matos has not practiced since sustaining knee and hamstring injuries in Week 5.
Linebacker Fred Warner suffered a dislocated and broken ankle and is also done for the year. Second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune has stepped in admirably, but depth is running dangerously thin. If the 49ers want to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive, they need reinforcements. And that too, soon.
Yes, they’re still sitting at the top of the division, but that doesn’t mean everything’s fine. The defense is allowing 317.4 yards per game and has already given up 16 touchdowns. Their red zone defense isn’t great either, with opponents scoring touchdowns 60% of the time on 4th downs. It’s not quite panic mode yet, but with all these injuries, it’s not a formula that can last.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ Defender Warns About Finishing Strong
The Jacksonville Jaguars have slipped a bit after a hot 4-1 start to the 2025 season. They’ve lost the last two games and have looked alarmingly bad in doing so.
While both sides of the ball need to pick it up, defensive end Travon Walker knows that the Jaguars’ defense needs to right the ship and finish the season strong.
“Yeah, it’s not always about how you start, but it’s about how you finish,” Walker said this week. “Like we got 10 weeks left of the regular season and we’re going to go out there and make the best of all 10 of these games.”
The former first-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft didn’t play against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5 with a wrist injury and was thusly limited the following two games. In those three games, the defense has given up an alarming 83 points.
Travon Walker thinks the defense needs to just follow the game plan
Through seven weeks, the 4-3 Jaguars’ defense ranks 18th in the NFL in points per game and 23rd in yards per game. Considering the struggles of the offense, they’ll need to be better than that, even if they are in a forgiving division (minus the Indianapolis Colts right now).
“Personally like I say, just continuously stick together and buy into the plan as far as what the coaches give us throughout the game, throughout the week,” Walker said. “And just go out there and execute, do our job. Everybody has to look deep down inside and just continuously improve ourselves individually, and then come together collectively as a defense to execute the play calls.”
Walker, who has two sacks in six games this year, was asked if the players were getting frustrated.
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating, obviously, because the way I look at it’s still early in the season,” Walker said. “Like I say, we’re going into a bye Week now, so it’s time for us to just take a little step back and as we go into this bye Week and observe all the things that we potentially made those same mistakes on and just try our best not to make those same mistakes over again.”
Owner Shad Khan agrees with Travon Walker
Jaguars owner Shad Khan spoke to the media before the game in London against the Rams. He echoed much about Walker said when it comes to finishing the season.
“Not too long ago, a couple of years ago, we were 8-3 then we know what happened,” Khan said, referring to 2023. “There are many other precedents like that. nWe have to feel good. We have to be confident. [But] very important we don’t lose track of the next 11 games.
“Winning is fun. You win, you don’t want the week to be over. You lose, you want to just hit delete right now other than you want to learn from why you lost and the correction.
“So, winning is fabulous, but it’s like football: You have to play to the whistle and just don’t get tendinitis patting yourself on the back. We have to enjoy the moment, absolutely, but don’t get too happy and content with it.”
The Jaguars will use the bye week to start reducing mistakes and mental errors. Hopefully Walker can get healthy and start producing because they absolutely need him.
NFL Draft Analyst Has Surprising Take on Michigan Wolverines’ Receivers
Key Points:
An NFL draft analyst posed a surprising question
He hinted he would chose a current Ohio State receiver over Michigan’s all-time roster
The Wolverines’ receivers have improved this season
The Michigan Wolverines’ passing game has become part of a team-wide resurgence this season with Bryce Underwood leading the way at quarterback and newcomers Andrew Marsh, Donoven McCulley and others stepping up.
The Wolverines aren’t one of the top passing teams in the country but they have the ability to play like one against above average competition when Underwood has time in the pocket.
On Friday, a well known NFL draft analyst had a surprising take on Michigan’s receivers that he tied into a current Ohio State Buckeye’s ascension with Ryan Day’s program.
Carnell Tate – Better Than Any Michigan Receiver, Ever?
Breer posed the question as to whether current Buckeyes wideout Carnell Tate would be the best receiver in Michigan history if he played in Ann Arbor.
Tate, the number two receiver behind Jeremiah Smith for the Buckeyes, has 34 catches for 587 yards and six touchdowns with Ryan Day’s team this season.
Two sports talk radio hosts from Cleveland appeared to choose Michigan legend Braylon Edwards over Tate before Breer shared his take.
“You guys can clip that if you want, I think Carnell Tate if he was playing there (Ann Arbor) might become the best receiver in Michigan history, and he’s not even number one on his own team,” Breer said.
McCulley, Marsh, and Morgan Lead 2025-26 Wolverines
The 2025 Wolverines have been led by newcomers Donaven McCulley and Andrew Marsh in the receiving department along with Semaj Morgan, whose time with the team dates back to the 2023-24 National Championship.
McCulley leads with 369 yards, Marsh has come on strong of late to compile 297 yards total and Morgan has 214 yards despite numerous dropped passes.
The all-time Wolverines boast one Heisman Trophy winner who played the position, Desmond Howard, along with Edwards, David Terrell, Anthony Carter and other former stars.
Breer’s assertion seems odd considering the long history of great names who played lights out football in Ann Arbor in a maize and blue helmet, but it shows his faith in Tate, who led the Buckeyes with six receptions for 58 yards in a losing effort last season vs. the Wolverines.
The Buckeyes’ receivers were stopped cold in Columbus last season but holding them down could prove tougher this year with Julian Sayin starring as a former five-star quarterback who could eclipse Will Howard’s disappointing effort last year at the Horseshoe.
Ravens Star Makes Surprising Confession After John Harbaugh Applauds Unbelievable Progress
Just a few weeks ago, John Harbaugh decided to shuffle things a bit. The Baltimore Ravens waived undrafted rookie safety Reuben Lowery and gave that 53-man roster spot to nose tackle C.J. Okoye. And now Harbaugh couldn’t hide his excitement about Okoye’s progress. However, the real twist is that the first time Okoye played in an NFL game, he didn’t even know what a “sack” was.
“I played my first NFL game, I still didn’t know the rules. When coach talked about I had a sack, I didn’t know it was a sack that was true,” he said on The Lounge Podcast.
“I didn’t know it was a sack, I didn’t know what was going on, I thought it was a tackle for loss or something. It was my teammate that was like you got a sack, I didn’t even know. Like, what’s a sack? I didn’t know, I swear to God I didn’t know it was a sack. Yeah, so the first tryout I didn’t know nothing.” But here’s what makes it even better.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Okoye’s story started far from Baltimore, in Agbogugu, Nigeria. He came to America in 2023 through the NFL’s International Pathway Program. So, his first real game was a preseason matchup on August 13, 2023, when the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Rams. That night he sacked quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Interestingly, his journey began with a nudge from a friend and Nigerian legend Osi Umenyiora, a two-time Super Bowl champ.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Okoye joined the Uprise football camp, impressed scouts, and then earned a spot among 38 players at the NFL International Combine in London. So, from there, he was one of just 13 athletes who completed 10 intense weeks at IMG Academy in Florida.
By May 2023, his persistence paid off. Okoye was one of only eight players to make the final cut and was assigned to the Chargers. So, he got that first sack without knowing what it meant. After two years on the practice squad, the Ravens signed him in January. Now, under John Harbaugh, he’s finally showing why that decision was worth it.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
John Harbaugh is happy with CJ Okoye’s development
No player on the Baltimore Ravens’ defense has climbed faster than C.J. Okoye. From his roots in Nigeria to lining up in front of the Flock at M&T Bank Stadium, his growth has been wild to watch. And the Ravens’ coaching staff sees something special in him.
“I think C.J. Okoye has come a long way,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s come a long way. To see him where he is at right now compared to where he was when he got here is just unbelievable. It’s night and day. He’s really done a great job. I got to give him credit.”
Even though Okoye has been in the league for three seasons, his real debut came this year. When the Ravens faced the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, Okoye finally got his shot. And he made it count. In 3 games, he got eight total tackles, including five solo stops and a hit on the quarterback.
Now with Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season and Broderick Washington sidelined, Baltimore needed someone to step up. Okoye did just that.
“I think, for him, coming through for us the way he did has been kind of a real blessing; [it’s] not something we really expected to have happen,” Harbaugh said.
So now it’s on Harbaugh to figure out how to keep his emerging star in the mix.
Tyron Smith Development Emerges During Cowboys Season
Jerry Jones watched on as his Dallas Cowboys jumped to 3-3-1 under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer, defeating Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders 44-22 in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. Now, the Cowboys turn their focus to Week 8, hitting the road to take on Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
Dak Prescott has been one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks through seven games despite multiple injuries along the offensive line. Even left tackle Tyler Guyton was forced to miss a game after suffering a concussion. The 2024 first-round pick has shown promise at the left tackle position, with many hoping he can eventually live up to the future Hall of Famer he replaced.
Tyron Smith established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history during his 13 seasons with the Cowboys. A five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, he anchored the line while protecting quarterbacks such as Prescott and Tony Romo. After a string of injuries hampered his final years in Dallas, Smith signed with the Jets for the 2024 season before retiring in April 2025.
And on Friday, Smith made his return to football, joining the East-West Shrine Bowl as an offensive line coaching advisor. The college all-star game, showcasing some of the NFL’s top prospects, will notably be held at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the home of the Cowboys.
“BIG NEWS,” East-West Shrine Bowl wrote on X. “Tyron Smith, 5x All-Pro and 8x Pro Bowler, is joining the East-West Shrine Bowl as an Offensive Line Coaching Advisor this year! We’re excited to have our offensive linemen working with a future hall of famer all week long 💪 #ShrineBowlWHOSNEXT”
While Smith prepares for the upcoming Shrine Bowl on Jan. 27, 2026, the Cowboys get ready for their Week 8 matchup against the Broncos on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Rams Urged To Acquire Athletic and Aggressive Cornerback
The Los Angeles Rams wanted to acquire an elite cornerback this offseason to cover the opposing team’s primary receiver.
One of the players the team was interested in bringing was former LA Rams Jalen Ramsey in a trade. Ramsey was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the Rams without a proper CB1.
Even without Ramsey or another notable cornerback in the secondary room, the Rams have one of the better defenses in the league. The LA defense is only allowing 16.7 points per game after seven games and heading into their bye week.
The Rams are still considered one of the contenders to make the Super Bowl, but one NFL writer believes the team needs to acquire a cornerback to do so.
Trading For A Young Cornerback
The Los Angeles Rams defense is allowing 208.3 passing yards per game, placing them at the 13th fewest in the league, even without a CB1 on the team.
LA is without cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who suffered a broken collarbone early in the season in Week 2 of the 2025 season. The corner was set to play a key part of the Rams’ defense, but will now return to the field near the end of the season.
Christopher Kline of FanSided believes the Rams should trade for New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor to help the team in the regular season and a postseason run.
“The Saints are in full-blown tank mode, which puts 26-year-old Alontae Taylor squarely on the trade block. It would take a lot for the Los Angeles Rams to pry him out of New Orleans, but Taylor is a soon-to-be free agent with a high price tag. New Orleans might see the writing on the wall. The Los Angeles Rams’ offense continues to pull out the necessary stops to compete every week, but injuries have put their defense in a compromised state. Taylor helps a ton in the secondary,” Kline wrote.
“With a sack and 35 tackles on the season to date, Taylor has proven his capacity to defend all over the field and impact the game in myriad ways. His athleticism and aggression are infectious, and he’s sure to embrace the chance to compete for a Super Bowl on a talented L.A. roster.”
The average age of the cornerbacks on the Rams’ 53-man roster, including nickel backs, is 27 years old. While Taylor is just a year younger than the average age, a trade with the Saints gives the team a bit more youth.
When Witherspoon returns to the team, it will increase the average age, as the player is 30 years of age.
Alontae Taylor In LA
When Jalen Ramsey was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, one draft analyst used the words aggressive and versatile to describe his game, words Kline used to describe Alontae Taylor.
Ramsey went on to be one of the, if not the best, cornerbacks in the league in the following years of his career, with some of his best years on the Los Angeles Rams defense.
If head coach Sean McVay can get his hands on another player of similar qualities, it brings up the question of whether he can do the same.
Taylor has let up 218 receiving yards this season and 27 completed passes this season for the 1-7 Saints.
If the cornerback can get some help in the secondary and defensive front, it could decrease his completion percentage, which currently stands at 67.5%, something the Rams have.
Bills Trade Idea Pairs Josh Allen With Explosive $85 Million Wideout
The Buffalo Bills have been knocking on the door of Super Bowl Sunday for years, but have yet to receive an answer.
The franchise may finally be able to kick that door in this postseason if it is able to acquire a big-time playmaker ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4.
Shilo Sanders Announces Move Away From NFL While Awaiting Final Offer to Play in the League
Three days after safety Shilo Sanders was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he dropped a heartfelt message about the next steps when an athlete is away from the game. Well, seems like it did not take long for Shilo to take that step, with his next big move already making waves.
Sanders will be taking part in the ‘GOAT TALK‘ organized by ComplexCon, where he’ll be side by side with basketball player DeMarcus Amir Cousins. And it’s actually a pretty big deal for the NFL ‘hopeful.’
For those who don’t know, ComplexCon is one of the biggest pop culture events in the U.S., pulling together everything from music, streetwear, sneakers, and art to food and tech innovation. It’s basically a weekend-long celebration of creativity, and a hotspot for exclusive drops and appearances from some of the biggest names in the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Among all the wild things happening at ComplexCon, ‘GOAT TALK’ is easily one of its crown jewels. Past editions have featured legends like Roger Federer, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt, and John Cena. So yeah, Shilo sharing that stage? Well, good for him.
Still, you can’t help but wonder, what’s next if the NFL dream doesn’t come back around? Shilo seems at peace with whatever comes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’m not saying that’s what it is now. I’m just saying mentally I’m good because I know that I got a lot of talents and I’ve been blessed,” he said in the video.
The 25-year-old safety mentioned being into music, acting, and modeling. So don’t be surprised if you see him popping up on screens or red carpets soon. However, for people who watched him play his final season at Colorado, it won’t be easy to see their favorite star away from football for too long.
He wrapped up his senior year in 2024 with 67 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries. Solid numbers that had fans thinking he’d make an easy jump to the pros. Seeing him step away from football just doesn’t feel right.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
But if Shilo had it his way, he’d still be in the NFL. And he’d give anything for it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Shilo Sanders awaits an NFL opportunity
It’s been about two months since Tampa Bay waived him. Safe to say, his preseason stint didn’t do much to help his case. He recorded four total tackles (all solo) across three preseason games, with no tackles for loss, no interceptions, and no pass breakups. Well, he did pick up two penalties and even got ejected in the last game. Not exactly highlight material.
And given the demand is not too high for a safety in the league right now, Shilo is unlikely to get an opportunity anytime soon. The NFL trade deadline is just days away, and things have been unusually quiet compared to past years. It’s ironic, the Sanders brothers are two of the most talked-about players who haven’t yet made a big splash in the league. So for Shilo, that silence around his name isn’t a great sign.
Carter Hart signing two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas Golden Knights
LAS VEGAS — Carter Hart is signing a two-year, $4 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hart agreed to the deal last week, becoming the first of the five 2018 Canada world junior hockey players to land an NHL contract since they were acquitted of sexual assault in a high-profile case.
Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton are not eligible to play in games until Dec. 1 as part of the league’s reinstatement process.
Hart is resuming his career at age 27 after spending his first six seasons in Philadelphia. The Flyers last month ruled out bringing back Hart, whose camp communicated to general manager Danny Briere that a fresh start was a better option.
That turned out to be Vegas, where Adin Hill and Akira Schmid serve as the goalies.
Hart went 96-93-29 with the Flyers, posting a 2.94 goals-against average.
Hart and the others were charged in 2024 in connection with an incident in London, Ontario, in 2018. The judge overseeing the trial said the prosecution could not meet the onus of proof to convict them and that the complainant’s allegations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges.
The league conducted its own investigation beginning in 2022 when the allegations came to light.
How to watch every 2025 NHL Frozen Frenzy game
NHL Frozen Frenzy returns Tuesday with a night of continuous hockey action. The night features all 32 teams on the ice, including a tripleheader — Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks — exclusively on ESPN. The other 13 games will be available on NHL Power Play in the ESPN App. ESPN2 will provide a whip-around show with live look-ins on every game, showcasing the night’s best plays, hits and goals.
Here are key facts about NHL Frozen Frenzy:
What is the schedule?
*All times Eastern
Tuesday, Oct. 28
6 p.m.: Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers on ESPN
6:15 p.m.: Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs
6:30 p.m.: Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes
6:45 p.m.: Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres
7 p.m.: Anaheim Ducks at Florida Panthers
7:15 p.m.: New York Islanders at Boston Bruins
7:45 p.m.: Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators
8 p.m.: Winnipeg Jets at Minnesota Wild
8:15 p.m.: Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues
8:30 p.m.: Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars on ESPN
8:45 p.m.: Ottawa Senators at Chicago Blackhawks
9 p.m.: New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche
9:30 p.m.: Utah Mammoth at Edmonton Oilers
10 p.m.: New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks
10:30 p.m.: Montreal Canadiens at Seattle Kraken
11 p.m.: Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks on ESPN
How can fans watch?
Fans can catch all of the action in the ESPN App and in the NHL streaming hub.
How can fans access more NHL content from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN NHL hub page for the latest news, analysis, scores, stats, schedules and more.
How to Watch Maple Leafs vs Sabres: Live Stream NHL, TV Channel
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres face off Friday night in a marquee Atlantic Division showdown at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN as both teams look to gain early momentum in the 2025-26 NHL season.
How to Watch Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres
When: Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Live Stream: ESPN, Hulu, Disney+ Bundle (Watch on ESPN)
The Maple Leafs enter Friday’s matchup looking to build on a strong offensive start to their season. Led by captain Auston Matthews, Toronto continues to rank among the league leaders in goals per game, while William Nylander and Mitch Marner have each tallied multiple multi-point outings through the opening weeks.
Goaltender Joseph Woll has shown promise early, stabilizing the crease with a .915 save percentage. The Leafs’ blue line, bolstered by Morgan Rielly and Simon Benoit, has improved puck movement and defensive coverage under head coach Craig Berube, who took over during the offseason.
A win in Buffalo would not only boost Toronto’s divisional standing but also mark a key test of composure away from Scotiabank Arena, an area that has challenged the Leafs in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Sabres, matchup offers a chance to assert themselves against one of the East’s perennial contenders. The Sabres have hovered around .500 to start the season, showing flashes of potential behind young stars Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Thompson, who posted a 47-goal campaign two years ago, remains Buffalo’s biggest offensive threat, while Dahlin continues to log heavy minutes on the back end.
Live stream Maple Leafs vs Sabres in NHL action on ESPN: Start your subscription now!
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code WTOP20X: Double Winnings on World Series, NBA, NHL Games
New players can create an account and place a $1 bet on any game. This will unlock 20 100% profit boosts for players to use on any game this weekend.
Caesars Sportsbook provides new players with tons of different ways to get in on the action. Grab odds boosts and other unique offers throughout the weekend.
Click here , input Caesars Sportsbook promo code WTOP20X and place a $1 bet on any game. This will unlock 20 100% profit boosts.
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code WTOP20X Unlocks 20 Profit Boosts
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code WTOP20X New User Offer Bet $1, Get (20) 100% Profit Boost Tokens In-App Promos NFL Flips, Million Dollar Parlay Payday, Fastball Fortune, Daily Odds Boosts, Caesars Rewards, etc. Terms and Conditions New Customers – 21+ in Eligible States Bonus Last Verified On October 24, 2025 Information Confirmed By WTOP
While most sportsbooks provide players with a one-time bonus, this Caesars Sportsbook promo offers 20 chances to win cash. Remember, all it takes is a $1 bet to secure the 20 100% profit boosts.
From there, start using these profit boosts to double your winnings on $25 wagers. Between the World Series, college football, NBA, NHL, UFC 321 and NFL, there should be something for every sports fan. This is a great way for new users to test out the Caesars Sportsbook app.
World Series Odds Boosts
Caesars Sportsbook is among the best of the best when it comes to daily odds boosts. There are options throughout the weekend in the NFL, college football, NBA, NHL and UFC 321. With that said, we expect to see a lot of interest in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night:
Daulton Varsho and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each to record a hit (+225)
Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each to record over 1.5 total bases (+325)
Freedie Freeman, Will Smith and Tommy Edman each to record a hit (+225)
Dodgers under 3.5 runs and Trey Yesavage over 5.5 strikeouts (+375)
Dodgers over 4.5 runs and Teoscar Hernandez to hit a home run (+800)
Blue Jays to win and George Springer to hit a home run (+950)
How to Register With Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code WTOP20X
It won’t take long for players to sign up and start reaping the rewards on Caesars Sportsbook. Here is a full breakdown of the registration process for new users:
Click here , choose the state you are located in and apply promo code WTOP20X.
Answer the necessary information sections to set up a new account.
Deposit $10 or more in cash using any of the available payment methods.
Bet $1 on the World Series, NFL, NBA, NHL or any other sport.
Players will receive 20 100% profit boosts to use throughout the weekend.
STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Participating states only. 21+ . Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
New Jersey Devils’ Dougie Hamilton scores twice in win over San Jose Sharks
Goalie Yaroslav Askarov had his best game of the season Friday, but the San Jose Sharks could not stay out of the penalty box in a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.
The Sharks were on the penalty kill five times in the first two periods and allowed two power play goals to Dougie Hamilton in the second period, with the second goal giving the Devils a 2-1 lead at the 9:08 mark.
Askarov finished with 27 saves, but the Sharks lost for the seventh time in eight games and fell to 1-2-0 on this four-game road trip that ends Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
Devils goaltender Jake Allen finished with 16 saves, including 10 in the third period when the Sharks pressed for the equalizer. Adam Gaudette’s chance from point-blank range midway through the period was stopped by Allen, who also denied Collin Graf’s shot on a breakaway.
The Sharks (1-5-2) pulled Askarov with just over two minutes left in the third period for the extra skater, and managed a shot on goal by Celebrini, before Connor Brown scored an empty net goal with 47 seconds left to seal the Devils’ win.
William Eklund scored an even-strength goal in the first period for a 1-0 Sharks lead. But the Sharks also had two goals called back, one for a high stick on Philipp Kurashev in the first period and another in the second period after Alexander Wennberg was determined to be offside following a Devils challenge, nullifying a Jeff Skinner goal.
The Sharks took three penalties in the second period when they were outshot 12-0. It marked the fifth time in franchise history, and the second time this month, that San Jose has been held without a shot in a period. It also happened in the Sharks’ 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 14, when San Jose was outshot 10-0.
The Sharks opened the scoring with a power play goal at the 2:25 mark of the first period.
Dmitry Orlov helped create a Devils turnover in the neutral to start a Sharks rush the other way. In the Devils’ zone, Macklin Celebrini, 19, directed it ahead to Eklund, who quickly snapped a shot past goalie Jake Allen for his second goal of the season.
It was the ninth straight goal in which a Sharks teenager has earned a point — the third-longest such streak in NHL history. Celebrini was coming off a five-point game against the New York Rangers on Thursday, which included an assist on Smith’s overtime winner that gave San Jose a 6-5 victory.
Askarov made eight saves in the first period, with four of them coming during the Devils’ power plays. His biggest save came midway through the first, as Dawson Mercer, stationed to Askarov’s right, sent a pass to the middle of the ice that was redirected slightly by Jack Hughes to Nico Hischier, whose one-timer was stopped by a sliding Askarov.
Askarov, 23, came into Friday with a 0-2-1 record and an .838 save percentage through his first three games. Friday, though, only marked Askarov’s 20th NHL game, and Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky preached perspective.
“He’s right up there with (Celebrini and Smith) as a young player in this league that’s learning what we’re asking,” Warsofsky said. “I think maybe it’s the outside perspective that needs to carry the world on his shoulders, and he’s probably feeling that pressure a little bit.
“He’s hitting a little speed bump early in his NHL career. The world’s not coming to an end. He’s going to be just fine. He’s an extremely talented goaltender. We’ve got to work on some things technically, but we still have (a lot) confidence in this young man.”
LEDDY OUT
Defenseman Nick Leddy is out indefinitely after he sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of the team’s game against the Rangers.
Leddy was injured on a hit by Rangers forward Will Cuylle behind the Sharks’ net just over three minutes into the game at Madison Square Garden. Leddy left the ice shortly afterward, went back to the Sharks’ dressing room, and did not return.
Warsofsky said Leddy will be reevaluated after the team returns to San Jose following Sunday’s game, adding that he was not “totally sure” whether the veteran defenseman would be out long term. The Sharks face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday to begin a four-game homestand.
DICKINSON RETURNS
Without Leddy, Warsofsky reinserted Sam Dickinson, the team’s only other healthy defenseman, into the lineup for Friday’s game. The Sharks are only carrying six healthy defensemen right now as John Klingberg remains out with a lower-body injury, and Shakir Mukhamadullin (upper body) will be on injured reserve until at least early next week.
Warsofsky said there’s a chance Klingberg, who was injured in the Sharks’ game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 14, could return for Sunday’s game. It’s unknown when Mukhamadullin might return.
Alex Ovechkin goals tracker: Capitals star only one away from becoming first to reach 900 career goals
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is one of the most accomplished players in NHL history. The legendary forward has already etched his name in history after passing Wayne Gretzky atop the league’s all-time goals list last season when he reached 895.
‘Ovi’ entered the new season three shy of a milestone nobody had reached: 900 goals. He picked up his first of the season on Oct. 17 when he scored against the Wild. He added his second on Friday in a blowout win over the Blue Jackets to get to No. 899.
Ovechkin has 1,630 total points (899 goals, 731 assists) in his professional career.
NHL Power Rankings: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas lift Avalanche to top spot with brilliant chemistry
Austin Nivison
Ovechkin has had a knack for making history throughout his two-decade career. The Capitals winger has scored 50 goals on nine different occasions. Ovechkin has also won the Maurice
NHL On Tap: Hutson, Canadiens visit Hughes, Canucks
Hutson-Hughes show in Vancouver
Two award-winning defensemen will go head-to-head when Lane Hutson and the Montreal Canadiens (6-3-0) visit Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks (4-4-0) at Rogers Arena (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, NHLN). Hutson, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie last season, is off to a strong start to his second season in the League with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in nine games. Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2023-24 and was a finalist again last season, has five points (one goal, four assists) in eight games and leads the League in ice time per game (26:39). Montreal is 1-1-0 on its four-game road trip after splitting games against the Calgary Flames (2-1 overtime win) and the Edmonton Oilers (6-5 loss). Vancouver returns home after going 3-2-0 on a five-game road trip.
Kucherov one point from 1,000
Nikita Kucherov can become the second player to get 1,000 points with the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-4-2) when they host the Anaheim Ducks (4-2-1) at Benchmark International Arena (5 p.m. ET; The Spot, Victory+, KCOP-13). Kucherov is up to 999 points (359 goals, 640 assists) in 808 games with Tampa Bay after getting two assists in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. He can join Steven Stamkos, who had 1,137 points (555 goals, 582 assists) in 1,082 games with Tampa Bay, in the 1,000-point club. The Lightning will try to get back on the winning track after losing their past four games (0-2-2). The Ducks are 2-0-1 on their five-game road trip, including wins in their past two. Anaheim rookie forward Beckett Sennecke, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has five points (three goals, two assists) in his first seven NHL games.
Sabres, Maple Leafs complete home-and-home
The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs head north to complete their home-and-home set at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (5 p.m. ET; SN1, MSG-B). This is the ninth time Maple Leafs (3-4-1) and Sabres (4-4-0) have played a home-and-home series on consecutive days and the first since Nov. 29 and 30, 2019. Buffalo was the last team to sweep one on Oct. 30 and 31, 1998. Toronto won all three games between the teams last season, but Buffalo picked up a 5-3 win on Friday behind a two-goal performance by Mattias Samuelsson.
Ovechkin’s 1,500th game
Alex Ovechkin is expected to become the eighth player to play in 1,500 NHL games with one franchise when the Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, SN360). Ovechkin will join Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings), Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks), Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Alex Delvecchio (Detroit), Shane Doan (Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes), Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit) as the only players to play 1,500 games with one franchise. The Capitals captain is also one goal away from becoming the first player to reach 900 in the NHL. He scored No. 899 in a 5-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. Ottawa is 2-2-1 in five games without captain Brady Tkachuk, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
McDavid eyeing 1,100 points
Connor McDavid can move closer to becoming the second player to get 1,100 with the Edmonton Oilers (4-3-1) when they visit the Seattle Kraken (4-2-2) at Climate Pledge Arena (10 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, SN1, CBC). McDavid, who has 1,093 points (362 goals, 731 assists) in 720 games, including 11 (one goal, 10 assists) in eight games this season, would join Wayne Gretzky as the only players with 1,100 points with Edmonton. Gretzky holds the Oilers record with 1,669 points (583 goals, 1086 assists) in 696 games. Edmonton will look to win three in a row for the first time this season, following victories against Ottawa (3-2 in overtime) and Montreal (6-5). Seattle returns home after going 2-2-2 on a six-game road trip.
The schedule
New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers (12:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSP, SN)
Colorado Avalanche at Boston Bruins (3 p.m. ET: NHLN, NESN, ALT)
Anaheim Ducks at Tampa Bay Lightning (5 p.m. ET; The Spot, Victory+, KCOP-13)
Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs (5 p.m. ET; SN1, MSG-B)
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers (6 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SCRIPPS)
Utah Mammoth at Minnesota Wild (6 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Utah16)
St. Lois Blues at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, FDSNDET)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SN-PIT)
Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, SN360)
Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, NHLN)
Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; FDSNW, FDSNSO)
Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, Victory+)
Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, SN1, CBC)
NHL Makes Scoring Change After Devils-Sharks Game
The NHL announced a scoring correction following the New Jersey Devils’ 3–1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night at Prudential Center.
The update was posted by the official NHL Public Relations account on X.
“OFFICIAL SCORING CHANGE: Game 124 @SanJoseSharks at @NJDevils. Goal at 19:13 of the third period now reads Connor Brown from Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier. #NHLStats.”
The correction updated the assists on Brown’s empty-net goal, officially crediting both Hamilton and Hischier for their roles in the late-game insurance marker. The change gave Hamilton a three-point night, adding to his pair of power-play goals that powered the Devils to their seventh straight victory.
Brown’s goal capped another dominant night for New Jersey, which outshot San Jose 27–17 and held the Sharks without a shot in the second period. The 30-year-old winger sealed the win by firing the puck into the empty net after getting the puck from Hamilton in the defensive zone.
“He’s a tremendous asset. I’ve been so thrilled with what he’s brought to our team,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said about Brown before the game. “He’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing here to start the season.”
Hamilton, however, was the difference throughout the night, scoring twice with the man advantage. He netted his first on a rebound early in the second period, and scored again with a one-timer from the high slot midway through the frame.
Hischier, who also earned two assists, said the team’s confidence continues to build during the winning streak, now spanning seven games.
Devils goaltender Jake Allen made 16 saves for his fourth start in five games, keeping New Jersey in control through a quiet throughout Friday’s matchup. The win extended New Jersey’s record to 7–1–0, their best start since the 2022–23 season.
“Obviously, the team did so well in the second, I didn’t have to do anything for them,” Allen said after the win.
San Jose dropped to 1–5–2 despite an early goal from William Eklund and 27 saves by Yaroslav Askarov.
NHL Referees Face Growing Backlash as Habs Star Raises Officiating Concerns After Oilers Clash
There are hardly any sports where the match officials don’t draw the players’ or the fans’ ire from time to time. From Daniil Medvedev slamming the match umpire over a questionable call to the Pierluigi Collina debating players on the soccer pitch, referees aren’t always the most favorite figures within their respective communities. For the NHL, it is no different, and today’s game between the Canadiens and the Oilers proved it once again.
On Thursday, Edmonton picked up a marginal 6-5 victory over Montreal at Rogers Place. And yet, even head coach Kris Knoblauch had to admit that the Oilers barely looked like the back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists they are. “Maybe the last 10 minutes of the game, it looked like we were a team. But the first 50, it was disorganized, it was a lack of work,” Knoblauch said. So how come the hosts still managed to wriggle out a win? The NHL referees, many fans wail.
The Sick Podcast‘s Tony Marinaro was livid talking about the Oilers-Canadiens game. In a post on X from October 24, the seasoned NHL analyst noted his displeasure over how referees Garrett Rank and Chris Schlenker officiated the Thursday game. The Canadiens were on top of things even in the third period, leading the Oilers 5-3. But soon, things got controversial. A phantom boarding penalty against Juraj Slafkovsky, a call against Mike Matheson for tripping Connor McDavid, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Josh Anderson helped Montreal tie the score within minutes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Marinaro couldn’t help but complain. Talking to Pierre McGuire, Tony grumbled, “My prediction, I don’t know that they’re not going to do anything, Pierre. What are they going to do? They’re not going to do anything. They’re not going to take these refs away from a game or whatever. But having said that, there is a big problem in tonight’s hockey game.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, while the podcast’s hosts admitted that the NHL wasn’t going to take any strict actions against the refs, that didn’t stop the hockey fans from slamming the league over its poor personnel choice. “The @NHL is rigged,” fumed one fan, who just couldn’t digest the fact that the Oilers ran away with the game despite looking like the worse team of the night.
Luka Doncic scores 49 to extend his sizzling season start in Lakers’ 128-110 win over Timberwolves
LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic scored 49 points and became the fourth player in NBA history to begin a season with back-to-back 40-point performances, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Doncic followed his 43-point game in an opening-night loss to Golden State with his highest-scoring effort yet in a Lakers jersey, going 14 for 23 with five 3-pointers while adding 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The Slovenian superstar also made 16 of his 19 free throws, yet he missed his final two field goal attempts and a late free throw to fall just short of his eighth career 50-point game.
Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis have also started NBA seasons with a pair of 40-point games. Doncic was traded to LA for Davis last winter.
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Julius Randle had 26 for Minnesota, which couldn’t slow the Lakers’ offense in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series won in five games by the Wolves.
Austin Reaves added 25 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Rui Hachimura scored 23 and Deandre Ayton had 15 for the Lakers.
LeBron James watched from the Lakers’ bench while wearing the Arizona Wildcats jersey of his younger son, Bryce. The top scorer in NBA history is out until at least mid-November with sciatica.
Doncic mildly injured his groin in the Lakers’ opener, and he hurt his left hand in the opening moments against Minnesota, grabbing at it repeatedly while bent over in pain.
He still scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers in the first quarter, matching Kobe Bryant and Kyle Kuzma for the Lakers’ most prolific opening quarter in the past 30 years.
Doncic had 32 points by halftime, and he added seven quick points early in the fourth quarter as the Lakers pulled away by 20.
Bronny James made his season debut for the Lakers, playing the final 3:14.
Up next
Timberwolves: Host Indiana on Sunday night.
Lakers: At Sacramento on Sunday night.
___
Celtics-Knicks: 4 takeaways from a gritty home win in New York
NEW YORK – This is the Knicks’ series now.
Midway through the third quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals back in May, the defending champion Boston Celtics had a 20-point lead over the New York Knicks, having won eight of the last nine head-to-head meetings. But then came a miraculous Knicks comeback, which was followed by another two nights later in Game 2. Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in Game 4 and the Knicks won the series in six. Boston broke up its championship roster over the summer and here we are.
Suddenly, the Knicks are one of the favorites and the Celtics are on a lower tier in the Eastern Conference. Things went according to (the new) script on Friday, when New York cruised to a 105-95 victory on in the second game of the season for both teams.
It’s kind of amazing how this rivalry turned on a dime.
Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and film as the Knicks improved to 2-0 and the Celtics fell to 0-2 on the season:
1. Knicks win the possession game
Prior to the game, both teams’ coaches spoke to the importance of getting more shots than your opponent, primarily with the pursuit of offensive rebounds.
“[Teams] understand that it’s about the possession game,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown. “Because everybody is so talented offensively. You just got to try to find ways to generate more possessions.”
“How can we find different ways to win the shot margin?” asked Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “Get more possessions, get more shots.”
And with both teams weathering below-average shooting nights, the Knicks were the team dominating the glass, despite the absence of Mitchell Robinson, their best offensive rebounder.
New York grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, the most for any team in a game this season. In total, the Knicks grabbed 60.4% of available rebounds, what would have been their fourth-best mark in 100 total games (regular season + playoffs) last season. In a 10-point game, second chance points were 21-7 in favor of the Knicks, who have now had eight more shooting opportunities than their opponent in each of their first two games.
The Celtics still have some talent on their roster, but almost all of that talent is on the perimeter, and interior play may continue to be an issue throughout the season. There was also a huge discrepancy (22-10) at the free throw line on Friday.
2. Hart begins potential Sixth Man of the Year campaign
With the 7-foot Robinson out, the Knicks’ best offensive rebounder is 6-foot-sd5 Josh Hart, who made his season debut on Friday.
While New York made a change to its starting lineup, it wasn’t Hart who replaced Ariel Hukporti and moved Karl-Anthony Towns to center. It was Miles McBride, with Hart coming off the bench in a regular-season game for the first time since January 2024.
With the assumption that Robinson (who’s missed both games) will be a regular starter when healthy, Hart has been a fashionable pick to win the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, even though that’s typically reserved for scorers, like new teammate Jordan Clarkson. Hart has averaged only 11.3 points per game during his 2 1/2 seasons with the Knicks.
Hart scored just two points on 1-for-8 shooting off the bench on Friday, and the Knicks were outscored by two points in his 19 minutes. But he grabbed 14 rebounds, with six of them coming on the offensive glass. When the Knicks weren’t shooting well, Hart kept possessions alive with his typical, relentless pursuit of the ball.
“A monster, monster, monster,” Brown said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this before, 14 rebounds in 19 minutes. Just a phenomenal, phenomenal game, doing the dirty stuff.”
At the end of the first half, he grabbed an offensive board and found OG Anunoby for a wide-open 3-pointer to cap off the Knicks’ 42-14 second quarter.
Midway through the fourth, when the Knicks’ 24-point lead had been cut to 10, Hart checked in after a timeout. And on the very next possession, he grabbed two offensive boards, with the second leading to a Brunson layup that put the Knicks back up 12.
Later in the fourth, Hart airballed a wide-open corner 3-pointer and then appeared to reinjure his surgically-repaired right hand when he tried to block a shot on the ensuing transition sequence.
Opponents will give him open shots all season long, and there will be big possessions when the ball is in his hands with the shot clock winding down.
There will also be big possessions when he gives the Knicks multiple chances to score. If it comes down to the possession game, Hart is an asset.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns: Domantas Sabonis with 3-point range?
One of the changes Brown is bringing to the Knicks’ offense is Karl-Anthony Towns handling the ball more in the high post. We saw some of that on Friday, with Towns kinda, sorta in the role of Domantas Sabonis, the hub of Brown’s offense in Sacramento.
Towns had just three assists, but one (on the first possession of the second quarter) was a nice dime to a cutting OG Anunoby, who didn’t know the ball was coming until it was in his chest. On the next possession, we how Towns has a hub can get side-to-side movement. Tyler Kolek came from the right side off the floor, took a handoff, drew a weak-side defender, and found Anunoby for an open 3 in the left corner.
Earlier in the game, a slick pass from Towns to Anunoby resulted in an open 3 for Towns himself:
It’s early, but we can already see how the Knicks’ offense has more variety, which should make it much tougher to guard in the long run.
“He’s a threat from anywhere on the court,” Brunson said of Towns. “When you’re able to pop with someone with so much gravity, you’re playing off of it. He can read and react, if the defense overplays or not, he’s able to make plays like that.”
4. Hauser gets good looks in Spain
Overall, the Celtics scored just 95 points on 94 possessions, what would have been their sixth-worst offensive performance last season.
But one thing that worked multiple times was “Spain” or “stack” pick-and-roll, a standard high pick-and-roll action with an extra back-screen on the the defender of the initial screener. The Celtics ran the action early and often on Friday, and it resulted in some of their best offensive possessions of the day.
The Celtics ran it on their first possession of the night, though they disguised it a bit, first running something for Jaylen Brown on the side of the floor. The ball eventually got back to Payton Pritchard at the top, where Neemias Queta set a ball-screen. Sam Hauser then came up from the baseline to set a back-screen on Towns.
Towns was able to recover to Queta’s roll, but two Knicks went to the ball, leaving Hauser open beyond the arc:
The Celtics ran it again on the next possession and, this time, Queta was open under the basket.
When the game started to get away from them early in the second quarter, the Celtics were able to regain the lead briefly by running Spain two more times. The first time, Hauser popped open for another 3 near the top of the arc. Then, Anfernee Simons was able to get downhill, collapse the defense, and find Derrick White wide open in the left corner.
Spain is a pretty common action around the league these days, but it can still be difficult to defend.
Luka Doncic scores 49 as Lakers top Timberwolves for 1st win
LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick, emulating Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, knew that his team’s best defense was going to stem from “good offense” against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
And Redick got more than just “good offense” from his team on Friday night – he got a great offense led by a historic performance from Luka Doncic in the Lakers’ first win of the season.
Doncic scored 49 points in the Lakers’ 128-110 victory over the Timberwolves, becoming the first player in franchise history and the fourth in NBA history to open a season with back-to-back 40-point games after scoring 43 in Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors.
He shot 14 for 23 from the field, including 5 for 12 from 3-point range, and 16 for 19 on free throws, to go along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Doncic was serenaded by “M-V-P” chants throughout the entire game after scoring 23 points in the opening quarter – tying late franchise legend Kobe Bryant and Kyle Kuzma for the most points in a first quarter in Lakers history since the 1996-97 season.
The 26-year-old Slovenian star joined Anthony Davis (2016-17), Michael Jordan (1986-87) and Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62 and 1962-63) as the only players in league history to score at least 40 points in consecutive games to open a season.
Doncic’s combined 92 points in the season’s first two games are a franchise record, besting the 81 points late franchise icon Jerry West scored in the first two games of the 1969-70 season, and the fourth-most in league history behind Chamberlain (106 – 1962-63; 105 – 1961-62) and Davis (95 – 2016-17).
Doncic’s scoring total on Friday was the most since the Lakers acquired him from the Mavericks in early February.
But unlike Tuesday, when Doncic and Austin Reaves carried the offense, the Lakers’ offense hummed in a way that they showed flashes of during the preseason but never sustained for prolonged stretches.
Reaves not only added 25 points (9-for-15 shooting), 11 assists and seven rebounds, but Rui Hachimura bounced back from a quiet offensive performance on Tuesday.
Hachimura finished with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, throwing down multiple alley-oops during a third quarter the Laker won 40-31, turning around their woes coming out of halftime.
Deandre Ayton scored 15 points (7-of-11 shooting) and grabbed eight rebounds for a Lakers team that shot 59.2% from the field (45 for 76) and 41.4% from behind the arc (12 for 29).
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Julius Randle had 26 for Minnesota in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series won in five games by the Wolves.
More to come on this story.
Luka Doncic anota 49 puntos en la victoria de los Lakers sobre Timberwolves
Luka Doncic anotó 49 puntos y se convirtió en el cuarto jugador en la historia de la NBA en comenzar una temporada con actuaciones consecutivas de 40 puntos, liderando a los Lakers de Los Ángeles a una victoria de 128-110 sobre los Timberwolves de Minnesota el viernes por la noche.
Doncic siguió su juego de 43 puntos en la derrota de la noche inaugural contra Golden State con su esfuerzo de mayor puntuación hasta ahora con la camiseta de los Lakers, acertando 14 de 23 con cinco triples, además de sumar 11 rebotes y ocho asistencias.
La superestrella eslovena también encestó 16 de sus 19 tiros libres, aunque falló sus dos últimos intentos de campo y un tiro libre tardío, quedándose a las puertas de su octavo juego de 50 unidades en su carrera.
Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain y Anthony Davis también han comenzado temporadas de la NBA con un par de juegos de 40 puntos. Doncic fue traspasado a Los Ángeles por Davis el invierno pasado.
Anthony Edwards anotó 31 puntos y Julius Randle tuvo 26 para Minnesota, que no pudo frenar la ofensiva de los Lakers en una revancha de la serie de primera ronda de los playoffs de la temporada pasada, ganada en cinco juegos por los Wolves.
Austin Reaves añadió 25 unidades, 11 asistencias y siete rebotes, mientras que Rui Hachimura anotó 23 y Deandre Ayton tuvo 15 para los Lakers.
LeBron James observó desde la banca de los Lakers mientras vestía la camiseta de los Arizona Wildcats de su hijo menor, Bryce. El máximo anotador en la historia de la NBA estará fuera hasta al menos mediados de noviembre debido a una ciática.
Doncic se lesionó levemente la ingle en el partido inaugural de los Lakers, y se lastimó la mano izquierda en los primeros momentos contra Minnesota, agarrándola repetidamente mientras se doblaba de dolor.
Aun así, anotó 23 puntos con ocho de 12 tiros y cuatro triples en el primer cuarto, igualando a Kobe Bryant y Kyle Kuzma en el cuarto de apertura más prolífico de los Lakers en los últimos 30 años.
Doncic tenía 32 puntos al descanso, y añadió siete unidades rápidas al inicio del cuarto período mientras los Lakers se alejaban por 20.
Bronny James hizo su debut de temporada para los Lakers, jugando los últimos 3:14.
___
The 40-40 club: Luka Doncic begins the Lakers’ new season with a pair of prolific performances
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic has begun his first full season with the Lakers on a serious heater.
The Slovenian superstar is off to one of the greatest starts to a season in NBA history, following up his 43-point effort on opening night against Golden State with a 49-point spree in Los Angeles’ victory over Minnesota on Friday night.
After a summer spent getting into top shape, excelling at EuroBasket and settling into Los Angeles, Doncic has become the fourth player in NBA history to begin a season with back-to-back 40-point performances — and he barely missed a triple-double twice, too.
His game has been superb, even if he’s still working out some early-season problems with his celebrations.
After Doncic leaned in, stepped back and buried a beautiful 26-footer over Jaden McDaniels to put the Lakers up by 19 in the fourth quarter, he did a shoulder shimmy that embarrassed him, but delighted a building full of fans who love to see him shine.
“It’s honestly because I don’t know what to do at those moments,” Doncic said with a grin. “I just do some stupid thing, and I don’t know what to do, and that just came out. It’s got to be better. I’ve got to work on it.”
Almost everything else Doncic does for the Lakers has been phenomenal out of the gate.
His 92 points are the most to start a season in the history of a team that has employed many of the greatest players ever to pick up a basketball over the past eight decades. It’s also the fourth-most points scored through two games by any player in NBA history.
Only three players had ever started a season with back-to-back 40-point efforts: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Anthony Davis, who did it in New Orleans in 2016.
Doncic even has 23 rebounds and 17 assists in two games.
“It’s felt great,” Doncic said. “I wish we would have won the first game, but obviously it’s a good comeback. I think Minnesota is a great team. We had to do a lot to win today, but myself, I feel great.”
With LeBron James sidelined by sciatica for at least the first few weeks, Doncic knew a scoring burden would be on his shoulders. That’s nothing new for Doncic, who carried less-talented Dallas teams for long stretches over the past half-decade — but he’s determined to combine his scoring with a strong all-around floor game reflecting the next step in his evolution as a player.
Doncic’s teammates were just as wowed as Lakers fans by this 49-point effort — although they weren’t impressed by his dunk in the fourth quarter, with Austin Reaves grinningly saying that Doncic “ain’t very explosive.”
“He’s obviously one of the best players in the league,” Reaves said. “He’s been that since he got in the league, so the stuff he does isn’t a surprise to anybody. It’s not like it’s crazy, because you look at the numbers he’s putting up, but he does it within a way that everybody is involved. He’s such a good passer. And that’s enough compliments for him.”
The Lakers were aware Doncic was on the brink of his eighth career 50-point game in the final minutes, and coach JJ Redick kept him in the blowout a bit longer than usual. Unfortunately, Doncic missed his final two shots — including a layup — and then bricked a free throw that would have put him over the top.
Redick finally exercised prudence and pulled his franchise player.
“I’m trying to get the guy 50, and I’d already given him three chances,” Redick said with mock exasperation. “I gave him a fourth chance, he gets fouled, and he blows that, too. Nah, he was awesome.”
Doncic said he felt no special motivation to beat the Timberwolves, who blasted the Lakers out of the playoffs in the first round last spring to end Doncic’s long season of upheaval.
“Last year was really tough for me,” Doncic said. “I just want to forget about last season and just try to move on. I didn’t really think about that, because it’s just the second game.”
___
Watch Luka Doncic drop 49, lifting Lakers past Timberwolves for win
“Just a complete game for him.”
J.J. Redick may have undersold what he just saw. The Lakers and their coach needed a game like this from Luka Doncic, where he dropped an efficient 49 points and came up two assists short of a triple-double.
With that, the Lakers got a comfortable home win over the Timberwolves, 128-110. Doncic saves his best games for the Timberwolves, and he did his best work against their best defenders — Doncic shot 10-of-12 and had 24 of his points when guarded by either Jaden McDaniels or Rudy Gobert.
Doncic got help from Austin Reaves, who scored 25 and dished out 11 assists, and from Rui Hachimura, who added 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 31 points, while Julius Randle added 26 points and nine rebounds.
Extraordinary circumstances give Trail Blazers’ interim Tiago Splitter an incredible opportunity | Bill Oram
Before Tiago Splitter stepped onto the court for the first time as an NBA head coach, a reporter attempted to get him to share his perspective on the gambling scandal that had unexpectedly thrust him into this interim role with the Trail Blazers.
Splitter had, after all, played eight years in the NBA. He won a championship with San Antonio in 2012. Though only 40, in league circles he qualifies as something of an old head, especially among the young Blazers.
What did he believe this week’s revelations and federal indictments would mean for the league?
He squinted as he considered his answer.
“I would like,” the Brazilian said, “not to talk about that. You put me in a tough position.”
Splitter has found himself in a tough position, indeed. If not an impossible one.
How can anyone be expected to navigate such an unprecedented situation?
After Chauncey Billups was indicted Thursday on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges and implicated as a co-conspirator in the league’s betting scandal, Splitter was elevated to the interim position. On Friday night, he became the first member of the Trail Blazers’ organization to publicly address the remarkable developments.
“We all had a great experience with Chauncey and how he coached and we are thinking of him and his family,” Splitter said. “But we’ve got a job to do. We’ve got a job to do and move forward.”
There is almost no historical comparison to the circumstances by which Splitter became the Blazers’ head coach.
Stories by Bill Oram
Chauncey Billups was the cornerstone of the Trail Blazers’ culture. What now? | Bill Oram
If allegations prove true, we are all victims of Chauncey Billups’ fraud | Bill Oram
Tom Dundon watched the Trail Blazers lose their opener, but he also saw the future of his new team | Bill Oram
His predecessor was not fired. He did not resign, die or become ill. He was placed in handcuffs and arraigned in federal court as part of a conspiracy that touches both the NBA and the world of organized crime.
And it was Splitter, whose only previous head coaching experience came last year with Paris Basketball in the French league, who the franchise tasked with helping this promising but young roster navigate the shock of that.
If a small sample size is to be believed, Splitter’s ascent may prove to be the silver lining of this whole sordid situation.
The Blazers rocked the Golden State Warriors on Friday night in Splitter’s debut, winning 139-119 and overcoming a 35-point night from Stephen Curry. Yes, the Warriors are old and were playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
But Friday felt like a culture win for the Blazers. A statement of intent. And that matters going forward.
The hallmarks of the Billups’ blueprint were on full display, with the Blazers forcing 25 turnovers (13 of them steals) and nearly doubling up the Warriors in fast break points.
“That’s going to be the identity of this team and I’m not going to change it,” Splitter said. “I’m part of the process of putting this together and we’ve been working for two months or more on our identity and how we’re going to play this season.”
Whether Splitter deserves credit for it carrying over without the architect of that vision will come into sharper focus in the weeks and certainly months ahead as this slowly transitions from being a Billups-led team to one with Splitter at the helm.
But Splitter passed his first test in spectacular fashion.
He was composed and direct in his public comments. It was far from ideal that the interim coach would be the first person from the organization to address the situation while the team’s executives were muzzled due to the legal implications of the situation.
The team blocked out the noise of being at the nexus of the biggest story in basketball, and one of the biggest news events in the country, to play a complete and dazzling game, with eight players scoring in double figures.
Splitter cut an impressive figure on the sideline and was poised despite being thrown into an unfamiliar situation.
“He definitely has maturity to him,” Blazers guard Jrue Holiday said, “and the demeanor to balance us out. I think the way that he carries himself is very stoic. So coming in here, we definitely have confidence when he talks and everybody listens.”
Players seem to have quickly embraced Splitter.
They doused him with cold water after his first win and players joked about playing hard for Splitter because he promised them a day off from practice if they blew out the Warriors.
“He understands the players,” Deni Avdija said. “He understands basketball at the highest levels.”
Splitter was a coveted candidate for assistant coaching jobs last summer before landing in Portland. But he was on nobody’s radar to become a head coach this season.
Extraordinary circumstances have led him to an incredible opportunity.
Could he turn this unexpected interim tag into the full-time gig?
That is several steps down the road. But Friday night’s win over the Warriors in the season’s second game was an impressive validation of the system Billups and the Trail Blazers spent the summer implementing and of Splitter’s ability to see it through.
Adversity has a way of bonding teams and these Blazers are now working through a singular situation in NBA history, with Splitter suddenly their leader.
Golden State had defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets to open the season, and the Blazers ran the Warriors off the court.
More games like that, and Portland will be in the thick of the postseason hunt.
Talk about finding yourself in an unexpected position.
Minnesota’s defense one of NBA’s worst
To place an obituary, please include the information from the obituary checklist below in an email to obits@pioneerpress.com. There is no option to place them through our website. Feel free to contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263 with any questions.
General Information:
Your full name,
Address (City, State, Zip Code),
Phone number,
And an alternate phone number (if any)
Obituary Specification:
Name of Deceased,
Obituary Text,
A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable, TIF and other files are accepted, we will contact you if there are any issues with the photo.
Ad Run dates
There is a discount for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply.
If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply, contact us for more information.
Policies:
Verification of Death:
In order to publish obituaries a name and phone number of funeral home/cremation society is required. We must contact the funeral home/cremation society handling the arrangements during their business hours to verify the death. If the body of the deceased has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, or a similar program, their phone number is required for verification.
Please allow enough time to contact them especially during their limited weekend hours.
A death certificate is also acceptable for this purpose but only one of these two options are necessary.
Guestbook and Outside Websites:
We are not allowed to reference other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere when placing an obituary in print and online. We may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead; contact us with any questions regarding this matter.
Obituary Process:
Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication in the newspaper. This proof includes price and days the notice is scheduled to appear.
Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press based on each day’s deadlines.
After publication, we will not be responsible for errors that may occur after final proofing.
Online:
Changes to an online obituary can be handled through the obituary desk. Call us with further questions.
Payment Procedure:
Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication by the deadline specified below in our deadline schedule. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents.
Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI (Payment Card Industry) regulations
EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number.
Cash: Accepted at our FRONT COUNTER Monday – Friday from 8:00AM – 3:30PM
Rates:
The minimum charge is $162 for the first 10 lines.
Every line after the first 10 is $12.20.
If the ad is under 10 lines it will be charged the minimum rate of $162.
On a second run date, the lines are $8.20 per line, starting w/ the first line.
For example: if first run date was 20 lines the cost would be $164.
Each photo published is $125 per day.
For example: 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500.
Deadlines:
Please follow deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the day requested.
Hours
Deadline (no exceptions)
Ad
Photos
MEMORIAM (NON-OBITUARY) REQUEST
Unlike an obituary, Memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries.
Please call or email us for more memoriam information
Please call 651-228-5280 for more information.
HOURS: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 5:00PM (CLOSED WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS)
Please submit your memoriam ad to memoriams@pioneerpress.com or call 651-228-5280.
Minnesota knew its ceiling would be determined by its defense at the outset of training camp last month.
In order to be a championship team – the Wolves’ stated goal after finishing as the Western Conference runnerup in each of the last two seasons – Minnesota had to be elite at producing stops. The Wolves had to be within the top two or three teams in the NBA.
It felt doable. The Wolves were that the league’s best defensive team during the 2023-24 season.
And this time around, Minnesota featured a near repeat roster flush with familiar faces who would allow the team to hit the ground running.
“For me, the most important thing for our group is to really build the right habits from Day 1 and decide what our pillars are going to be. When it comes to defense, really decide,” Rudy Gobert said back on the team’s media day. “Make sure (that) no matter what, no matter who is on the floor, we stay dedicated to those things. And if we do that, and we do it together, I think we’re going to be a top defense this year.”
Two games into the season, the Timberwolves sport the NBA’s fourth-worst defense after falling 128-110 to the Lakers on Friday in Los Angeles.
Minnesota radio voice Alan Horton posted on X.Com that the Wolves’ defensive rating of 139.6 on Friday marked the team’s second-worst in the last 16 seasons.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch aptly summed it up as “one of the worst defensive performances we’ve had in a long time.”
Luka Doncic finished with 49 points. He and Austin Reaves generated one easy look for another for themselves and their teammates as the Wolves defenders ushered the playmakers to their preferred spots on the floor.
In the third frame Friday, Minnesota shot 59% from the field and went 9 for 10 from the charity stripe. It still lost the quarter by nine points, 40-31.
Minnesota made Reaves’ life hell in last year’s playoffs. He dissected Minnesota’s once-sturdy defense to the tune of 25 points and 11 assists on Friday.
Ball contain, rotations, closeouts – they’re all bad at the moment for Minnesota. Finch told reporters his team never discussed going “under” ball screens against Doncic, yet players did that multiple times early in the game to free up the superstar for wide-open triples.
The Timberwolves have played eight quarters of basketball this season. They’ve allowed more than 130 points per 100 possessions – a sky-high defensive rating – in five of them.
Their “best” defensive quarter to date came in the final frame Friday in Portland, in which the Wolves held the Blazers to 4 for 19 shooting to rally to victory. But it should be noted Portland went 1 for 10 from deep in that fourth quarter, and all of those shots were “wide open,” per NBA.Com tracking data.
There were no such bailouts in Friday’s affair. The Lakers executed at a high level, punishing every mental lapse the Wolves made.
The Wolves knew they likely couldn’t finish sixth in defensive rating – like they did a year ago – and contend for a championship this season.
At this rate, they’d be fortunate to finish 20th.
“The defense is certainly not where it needs to be. Just nothing, not dictating at the point of attack, no aggressiveness to it at all. The fly around mentality behind it is just not quite there,” Finch told reporters. ““We have to get back to everybody buying into guarding. … We’ve just got to be better at the point of attack. That’s where it all starts.”
In fairness, it has only been two games. There are 80 to play in the regular season. Perhaps Sunday’s home opener against Indiana in front of a raucous Target Center crowd will revive Minnesota’s defensive intensity and the Wolves won’t relinquish it again from there.
The Wolves sure better hope so. Because it’s rare for a team to suddenly get great on the defensive end after showing signs of the opposite early in the campaign.
A team with a roster that brought back so many familiar faces figured to quickly establish an identity and chart a viable path toward a championship.
The best teams are at least a version of who they want to be by the time camp breaks.
“Everything that you know you are in January, you would have had to have already been coming into training camp or in training camp,” Wolves guard Mike Conley said early in camp. “We expect to be a tough-minded defensive team.”
It was a nice thought. But through two games, the Wolves have no identity. They’ve set no tone. The Lakers – who don’t sport a physical roster – were the clear aggressors Friday in Los Angeles.
Their first true punch landed Friday in the latter stages of the first quarter put Minnesota’s defense on its heels, and the Wolves spent the rest of the evening in the corner, anxiously awaiting the bell.
There was no fight on that end of the floor. And, thus, no chance altogether.
Whether Minnesota still has the players willing and able to flip the early script is to be determined.
Because this much is already known – if the Wolves can’t get stops, they cannot contend for anything of consequence.
Originally Published: October 25, 2025 at 2:18 AM CDT
These are the players and teams to watch in the 2025 MLS playoffs
The pressure is on.
Sixteen teams will vie for the 2025 MLS Cup trophy, and there will be a new winner this season.
With the LA Galaxy suffering a dreadful season following its record-extending triumph last year, the path is open for history to be made. Last season’s runner-up, the New York Red Bulls, did not qualify for the playoffs.
Entering the action, the two No. 1 seeds from each conference are teams not many would’ve predicted when the league opened in February.
From the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union grabbed the top seed — and Supporters’ Shield — following an offseason of change and roster criticism. Out West, debutants San Diego FC claimed the No. 1 seed, though there is some drama ahead of the team’s run.
So, who are the players and teams to watch in this postseason? Let’s dive in:
Players to watch in 2025 MLS playoffs
RW/CF Lionel Messi, Inter Miami
The Golden Boot winner predictably leads the pack. Messi scored a league-high 29 goals to go with 17 assists, a total of 46 goal contributions in league play. Miami, which is the No. 3 seed out East, will only go as far as Messi can take them in the club’s pursuit for a first Cup title. The Argentine will need his minutes managed, but there’s no doubt he has the quality to get the job done.
RW Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC
San Diego isn’t the first MLS debutant to claim the top seed in its conference, but it will also need to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Leading the way has been Danish right winger Anders Dreyer. The 27-year-old recorded 19 goals and 16 assists, starting all 34 league matches. The speedy, left-footed forward can do just about everything in MLS despite entering as a possible risky buy for a new team. He can also play anywhere across the front line, as this highlight exemplifies:
LW/ST Heung-min Son, LAFC
Olivier Giroud didn’t work out in Southern California as some would’ve hoped, but his departure cleared the path for an upgrade. Son has predictably torn up MLS, serving as the needle mover LAFC needed to win its second Cup. He scored nine goals in 10 league games to go with two assists, taking almost no time to get settled in after leaving Tottenham in the summer. He and Denis Bouanga rival Messi and Luis Suarez for the best attacking duo.
CM/AM Evander, FC Cincinnati
Who’s the best midfielder in MLS? Whichever players come to mind, Evander has to be near the top. The 27-year-old Brazilian is essentially a striker in a midfielder’s body. He scored 18 goals to go with 15 assists (third in MLS behind Messi and Dreyer) in league play in his second season with Cincinnati after leaving Portland, where he first blew up. He can attack, defend and create something out of nothing; he’s a dream player for MLS managers, with the potential to succeed in Europe. Cincinnati’s search for a first Cup title relies on him and striker Kevin Denkey.
ST Tai Baribo, Philadelphia Union
Like San Diego, the Union will need to prove their No. 1 seed isn’t a fluke — as well as avoiding the Supporters’ Shield curse that can plague some teams. A lot of pressure will fall on Tai Baribo to consistently score, as the Union ranked No. 10 in league goals. If not, Philly will have to be careful to avoid an upset at the hands of the Chicago Fire.
Honorable mentions: ST Sam Surridge and AM Hany Mukhtar (Nashville), CF Brian White (Vancouver), LW Denis Bouanga and GK Hugo Lloris (LAFC), ST Petar Musa (Dallas)
MORE MLS COVERAGE
Teams to watch in 2025 MLS playoffs
Inter Miami
Of course, all the eyes will be on Inter Miami in Messi’s attempt to bring home the Cup. He’ll be aided by Suarez, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul and ex-Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Both of the latter are retiring at the end of Miami’s playoff run. They’ll hope that’s after the Cup Final. Miami’s weaknesses are defense and goalie, but it has usually scored enough to not make that matter too much. But playoffs don’t provide many second chances if and when things go wrong.
LAFC
While Son is the most known player on the team despite signing recently, Bouanga is just as imperative with his 24 league goals. Together, they form a formidable duo and have midfielders in Mark Delgado and Timothy Tillman in support. Hugo Lloris is also the star goalie between the sticks, but he can be error prone in high-stakes games, as can center-back Aaron Long. But that might not matter, too, if Son and Bouanga are scoring as they usually do.
San Diego FC
In the middle of a historic pursuit, San Diego will not be without drama, as star Mexican winger Hirving Lozano may not be available following a reported verbal altercation in the locker room. Lozano may have to prove and show how committed he is to the team with the playoff run about to begin, per The Athletic. San Diego still has Dreyer with Amahl Pellegrino also arriving via trade from the San Jose Earthquakes, but the team cannot win the Cup without someone of Lozano’s quality. San Diego’s possession-based style and robust defense despite not employing any stars will make them a tough out.
Seattle Sounders
While Seattle is the No. 5 team out West, don’t rule out a possible Cup run. The Sounders routed Miami 3-0 to win the Leagues Cup in August and deploy key players all across the pitch. Albert Rusnak, Danny Musovski, Paul Rothrock, Pedro de la Vega and Jesus Ferreira are among the forwards who get involved, while Jordan Morris is back from a multiple-month injury. Rising midfielder Obed Vargas and veteran Cristian Roldan are in midfield, while 39-year-old Stefan Frei remains one of the league’s best goalies. Seattle will need everything to click, but it has the players and prior success to make it happen.
Vancouver Whitecaps
The No. 2 seed out West, Vancouver finished the regular season third in goals (66) while conceding just 38 (second best besides Philadelphia’s 35). It has done so without key winger Ryan Gauld, who likely won’t return for the playoffs. The Whitecaps still need to manage striker White and center-back Tristan Blackmon, but German star Thomas Muller has adjusted just fine while Emmanuel Sabbi has been electric on the flanks. Japanese goalie Yohei Takaoka also recorded the most clean sheets with 13, with seven on the road. Vancouver can win in any setting, but it’ll need to stay composed and injury free to win its first title since entering the league in 2011.
Inside Apple’s Big Major League Soccer Bet
Anyone walking through the halls of The Studios at WWE in Stamford, Connecticut on Oct. 18 would have been forgiven for thinking it was a national holiday.
The greeting of the moment was “Happy Decision Day,” and you would hear it walking through the halls as producers, graphics designers and crew made their way across the sprawling facility. Decorations were abound in cubicles, offices and green rooms, and snack carts were set up around almost every quarter.
There was a lot of soccer still to play.
For Major League Soccer, Decision Day is one of the most important days of the season, aside from the MLS Cup championship match. Technically the final day of the regular season, it is when all the MLS teams play games simultaneously, the final spots for the playoffs are decided, home field advantage is determined, and players get one last chance to make their case for award recognition.
And the MLS facility in Stamford is the hub, with control rooms and studios not only delivering all the games to fans, but MLS 360, the league’s whip-around studio show, as well. And Decision Day is when MLS 360 really shines.
“It’s organized chaos, like this is a chaotic show, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, because we can’t predict what’s going to happen,” says Kevin Egan, one of the show’s hosts. “It’s eight games, 90 minutes throughout, a lot on the line, and we’ve got to be traffic cops while editorializing throughout.”
The WWE’s new Stamford headquarters is in a building that once housed a UBS trading floor. Conveniently, says Seth Bacon, executive vp of media for MLS, the same pipes that allowed for lightning-fast trades are perfect for delivering ultra high-definition video. When the WWE decided to open its studios to outside programming, the facility was turnkey. The only thing MLS needed to do was coordinate schedules.
“If we can coordinate schedules and get staff in, we have the facilities that we need, and then it’s a long term deal, it’s three years,” Bacon says, walking through the halls of the facility toward the MLS 360 studio. “That gives us a lot more stability and sort of certainty in what we need to produce. So that gives us the ability to produce, not only on the weekends but mid-weeks, more content.”
MLS, alongside their partners IMG (which, like the WWE are now part of TKO Group Holdings), have built what IMG senior vp Stephen Cook calls a “football factory in America.”
“One of the challenges we face is that football, or soccer as it’s known over here, isn’t always at the top of people’s CVs in terms of what they know,” Cook says, sitting in a balloon-clad green room. “So to be able to create a young team starting from the bottom up, and be able to develop their skill sets and give them all of the tools they need in a fantastic facility like this, is what really convinced me that this was the place I needed to be.”
“Getting that virtual studio going and into that building in Stamford has made our jobs much easier to do,” says Royce Dickerson, the head of sports production for Apple TV. “We’ve become a lot more efficient in the way we produce our content, but working with them every day, my team with Seth’s team, it’s been a fun partnership, and we’ve learned a lot about our customers and their customers along the way, and we’re going to continue to iterate and innovate around our learnings.”
The MLS 360 studio is not exactly what it seems on TV. As has become increasingly common for TV production, the studio itself is something of a mirage: Walls and floors are green screen, only the desk, the anchors and analysts are real.
As Decision Day kicked off and MLS 360 showed live coverage of a match, former MLS star turned analyst Dax McCarty pointed at one of the dozens of screens within view of the host desk: He spotted a goal from the Seattle Sounders, playing against NYC FC. Seconds later, a “key play alert” graphic appeared, Egan teed up the highlight, and the control room funneled the goal to viewers at home.
“I can sit here and have a conversation with you for an hour about MLS and about all my hottest takes and about all my beliefs, and it’s easy, it’s like we’re two guys at a bar having a conversation,” McCarty says of the pressure he faces as an analyst. “As soon as that light turns on with the camera, and you have a producer in your ear telling you you have 30 seconds, telling you to wrap your point up, telling you that you need to go to break or that you need to throw it to another analyst. It’s easy to get, for lack of a better word, discombobulated out there. I would equate it to a game, where you’re in these really high leverage, high pressure moments, and you have to be mentally at your sharpest and at your best.”
This year’s MLS Decision Day, as it happened, took place at a critical moment for Apple’s sports ambitions. The day before, Apple unveiled a long-term $750 million deal for U.S. rights to Formula 1, it’s most significant deal since the 10-year, $2.5 billion MLS agreement a few years earlier, and a signal that Apple is serious about sports, provided it can get the rights that it wants.
“One of the things that we wanted to do if we were going to offer some level of sports is to be able to do it in a way that is what I think sports fans want, which is easy access, available, same location, same place,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vp of services, when asked by The Hollywood Reporter about his company’s goals in the sports space. “You know exactly where to get it, where it’s coming from, all of the complexities that you deal with in sports and watching going away. And I think for fans that of F1 it’s going to be incredibly easy. It’s going to offer capabilities that they’ve never had before.”
This year all of the MLS playoff games will be in front of the paywall, a move “that’s going to only draw more eyes to the product, to help it grow a little bit more as we push to the end of the season,” Dickerson says.
“What we’ve learned is fans are loving having everything in one spot, being able to know where the matches are every Saturday, or if they play on a random Wednesday, like they do six times a year, having no blackouts are things that we’ve learned that fans really love,” Dickerson adds. “You can watch your team wherever you are, no matter what. There’s no RSN kind of blackouts. But on the the technical side, the innovation side, what I go back to constantly is what our video quality is on Apple TV, from Friday Night Baseball to MLS, we think it is second to none in that space, and providing the customers and fans.”
Apple recently used new iPhones to broadcast a Friday Night Baseball game, and Bacon says that he has had conversations about how best to use Apple tech in future MLS broadcasts (Apple Vision Pro also recently debuted its first ever live games in conjunction with the Los Angeles Lakers). Apple may be in the TV business, but it also wants to get its hardware some play too.
For MLS specifically, the playoffs come ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, giving enormous exposure to the game, and as MLS Spanish-language host Ramses Sandoval notes, “we’re in the era of Lionel Messi.” Messi, arguably the greatest player in the world, signed a new contract with Inter Miami this week that will keep him on the team through 2028.
“That helps us so much,” Sandoval says. “Anybody who tells you that it doesn’t, they’d be lying to you.”
As Decision Day progressed, the goals came fast and furious, playoff berths were clinched, and home field advantage was secured. But for MLS, and for Apple’s larger sports ambitions, it was also the start of something bigger. The new MLS facility will mean more programming and higher production quality, and the addition of F1 means a year-round sports schedule.
FC Cincinnati players ready for playoff intensity against Columbus
In a long season of 34 games over eight months, there are going to be ups and downs.
FC Cincinnati has had plenty of momentum swings, great stretches and bad performances. They have had very late goals to win games and given up late scores to lose or draw a game.
Over a long season, a soccer team hopes the good moments outshine the bad ones. For FC Cincinnati, it all added up to the second-best record in Major League Soccer this season, 20-9-5 (65 points) and only one point behind Philadelphia for the MLS Supporters’ Shield trophy.
Now there is only room for great stretches when Cincinnati takes on archrival Columbus in the first round of the MLS playoffs. They will play a best-of-three series, starting Oct. 27 at TQL Stadium. They play Game 2 in Columbus Nov. 2, then a deciding third game Nov. 8 at TQL, if necessary.
A single game can be decided by one great play or one big mistake. Cincinnati has won a lot of games this year with its star offensive players making an incredible play, but they have also lost points after crucial errors.
“It’s a different environment now,” said FCC’s Evander. “The playoff format, it’s different, because you cannot make those mistakes that you would make in the regular season. You don’t have time to recover anymore. You make a mistake, you’re out, so we have to bring more attention to the games.”
Columbus finished seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-8-12, but they have an all-time record in MLS play of 8-3-6 against Cincy. That includes a 4-2 win at TQL Stadium and a 1-1 draw at Lower.com Field.
“I think that we know how they play, we know how they like to have the ball and try to create chances on sharp passes and playing behind, but I think we are well prepared,” Evander said. “I think we have the experience against them during the regular season, one not so good, one was okay, but we always can do better. It’s playoff time. It’s going to be a different game than was in a regular season, and you need to be 100% prepared for those type of games.”
Cincinnati is 9-5-3 at home this season, and 11-4-2 on the road, so they know they have to be ready for the first game at TQL Stadium. Cincy lost three home games in a row by 1-0 scores in August that helped cost them the Shield trophy.
“We’ve been pretty solid throughout the season,’ Evander said. “I think our away games have been really solid. I think it could have been better at home. We’re going to have the home-field advantage so we need to use that, hopefully make the fans happy.”
“Them being a rival just adds that much pressure and more stakes to the games,” said FCC defender Miles Robinson. “Obviously having the first game at TQL is something that we’ve worked towards. Teams recognize that it’s do or die. You realize if you don’t perform well or you make a mistake, it’s the end of the season. So it brings a lot more focus but also a lot more intensity.”
In both games against the Crew this year, Cincy scored in the opening minutes of the game but couldn’t hold the lead. In the home loss, Cincy scored twice in the first five minutes before the Crew scored four unanswered goals.
Columbus had had its ups and downs, too, but finished six games over .500 and had one of its highest point totals in franchise history in the deep and competitive Eastern Conference.
“It’s a great talented group of players that like to play on the ball,” Robinson said. “Great coach. Obviously, MLS has a lot of great teams this year and just to be in the playoffs in general says a lot about the group. I think for us it’s just about focusing on ourselves.”
Cincinnati doesn’t have a lot of players who were on the Supporters’ Shield winners that lost to Columbus in the 2023 Eastern Conference final, but they have a lot of players who know how to win.
“It’s great that we have a veteran core to the group, a lot of leadership, a lot of experienced players,” Robinson said. “That definitely brings some ease to the tension, confidence in the overall group. This group has a lot of confidence. It’s just about maintaining our stride and recognizing that we are a good team.”
FC Cincinnati players keep focus on team goals
Evander was named a finalist for MLS Most Valuable Player Oct. 23 after posting 18 goals and 15 assists this season. Defender Nick Hagglund was named a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year after coming back from a serious ankle injury this season, as well as fractured ribs.
“I’m really happy. Really pleased for being nominated again,” Evander said. “Did a lot of work during the regular season. I always made it clear that my main goal was the Supporters’ Shield, but that didn’t happen. But still, we have the playoffs and we can go for the MLS Cup.”
Robinson, who plays alongside Hagglund, appreciated the hometown veteran’s leadership.
“He’s come back from a lot every year,” Robinson said. “It just shows you the type of person he is. He doesn’t let bumps in the road really slow him down. He’s just raring to go and always fighting through a lot of tough moments. He’s a veteran and he’s a great guy.”
Golden Boot winner Messi bags brace, sends Miami to playoff win
After raising the MLS Golden Boot trophy, Lionel Messi guided Inter Miami CF to a resounding 3-1 victory over Nashville SC, scoring two goals in the Major League Soccer playoffs opener on Friday night.
Before the match, MLS commissioner Don Garber presented the Argentina star with the 2025 Golden Boot award, declaring the forward had reset the trajectory for the league.
Messi clinched the Golden Boot by scoring 29 goals in 28 games, earning the award for the first time since joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Messi receives Golden Boot, Garber says he ‘reset MLS trajectory’
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber presented Lionel Messi with the 2025 Golden Boot award before the first game of the Round One series between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, declaring the forward had reset the trajectory for MLS.
Messi clinched the Golden Boot by scoring 29 goals in 28 games, earning the award for the first time since joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Messi gets trophy, then has two goals to lift Inter Miami past Nashville 3-1 in playoff opener
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Lionel Messi raised the Golden Boot. He then got Inter Miami started with his head.
Messi opened the scoring with a diving header in the first half, then capped the scoring in the 96th minute as Inter Miami opened the Major League Soccer playoffs with a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night.
Messi and Ian Fray had the assists on Tadeo Allende’s second-half tally for Inter Miami, which now gets two chances to advance out of the first round for the first time in Messi’s 2 1/2-year tenure with the team. Game 2 is at Nashville on Nov. 1. Game 3, if necessary, would in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8.
Hany Mukhtar got Nashville’s goal off a free kick in the 101st minute. It was the final play of the match.
The win capped a big couple of days for Inter Miami, which announced Messi’s three-year contract extension on Thursday.
“I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he has,
Messi’s two goals lead Inter Miami to playoff victory over Nashville
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi raised the Golden Boot. He then got Inter Miami started with his head.
Messi opened the scoring with a diving header in the first half, then capped the scoring in the 96th minute as Inter Miami opened the Major League Soccer playoffs with a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night.
Messi and Ian Fray had the assists on Tadeo Allende’s second-half tally for Inter Miami, which now gets two chances to advance out of the first round for the first time in Messi’s 2 1/2-year tenure with the team. Game 2 is at Nashville on Nov. 1. Game 3, if necessary, would in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8.
Hany Mukhtar got Nashville’s goal off a free kick in the 101st minute. It was the final play of the match.
The win capped a big couple of days for Inter Miami, which announced Messi’s three-year contract extension on Thursday.
“I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he has,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who presented Messi with the Golden Boot — the trophy presented to the league’s top goal scorer — in a pregame ceremony.
“You know, he has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer and we were already doing pretty well,” Garber added. “And I think having three more years is just going to be another gift. Hopefully it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
Messi ducked behind a line of defenders for the header that opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Allende scored off a header as well in the 62nd minute, with Messi starting that play with a pass to Fray on the right wing. Fray chipped the ball into the middle of the box and Allende made the rest look easy.
The capper came in stoppage time, when the ball deflected to an unmarked Messi in the goal mouth. He tapped it home for a 3-0 lead.
Messi was the league’s MVP last season and is the overwhelming choice to win the award again this year, which would make him only the second two-time winner in league history and the first to win it in back-to-back years. Preki won the MVP award in 1997 and 2003.
Messi scored 29 goals in the regular season, five more than LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge. He also had 19 assists, and his 48 total goal contributions was one shy of matching the MLS record of 49 set by Carlos Vela in 2019.
“You have to lean into this unique and special historic moment that I know I’ll look back on and say, ‘Boy, I can’t believe I was running a league that had the best player in the history of the game playing in it,’” Garber said. “Sometimes I find when things are happening … you’re just moving on to the next thing. I think we all need to take a step back and appreciate Leo Messi is playing in Major League Soccer.”
The new contract means Messi could remain with Inter Miami into his early 40s. He is still the biggest name in soccer; ticket revenue for MLS set a record this year, Inter Miami’s value has doubled by some estimates to about $1.2 billion since he arrived and he has led the league in jersey sales annually since his arrival midway through 2023.
“I think he’s the unicorn of unicorns,” Garber said. “You know, there’s something about the way he’s wired. He’s thinking about the game like nobody else ever has. His intensity and desire to win is what makes him the greatest of all time. There are a lot of really competitive players, but he has this special sauce, this dynamic that has him so focused on doing what he needs to do to win games.”
Garber also lauded Inter Miami for how it made the announcement of Messi’s signing. The team revealed it on social media with a video of Messi signing his contract, then the camera pulls out to show that he’s actually sitting where the field will be inside the team’s new stadium near Miami International Airport. The stadium is scheduled to open next year.
“It just shows how classy and smart they are,” Garber said.
___
Lionel Messi apareció como siempre y con dos goles ayudó a Inter Miami a pegarle a Nashville SC: 3
Lionel Messi, astro argentino de Inter Miami, estrenó su bota de oro con otra de sus actuaciones sobresalientes en la Major League Soccer al despacharse con un doblete para guiar a las Garzas a la primera victoria en los playoffs sobre Nashville SC 3-1.
Los dos goles de Messi y uno más de su compatriota Tadeo Allende fueron suficientes para dar el primer golpe en la serie contra el equipo del estado de Tennessee que hizo menos dolorosa la derrota con un agónico gol en el minuto 90+12 por conducto del alemán Hany Mukhtar en duelo celebrado en el Chase Stadium.
Empezó el camino del Inter Miami en los playoffs de la Major League Soccer (MLS) y este viernes el cuadro de Lionel Messi se impuso 3-1 al Nashville SC en la cancha del Chase Stadium.
Antes del juego existía cierta expectación sobre cuanto podría aguantar el equipo visitante los embates encabezados por Lionel Messi y eso duró apenas 18 minutos, cuando la famosa “Pulga” anotó el 1-0 en una combinación con el uruguayo Luis Suárez.
Bajo esa perspectiva, después Messi logró que Tadeo Allende pusiera el 2-0 al minuto 62 y posteriormente hizo más elocuente el resultado con su segundo gol para el 3-0 en el minuto 90+6 que pareció un rejón en la humanidad de los de Nashville que pudieron reducir la desventaja por conducto del alemán Hany Mukhtar para tener cierta esperanza de cambiar las cosas el próximo sábado 1 de noviembre en su casa.
La historia de la victoria de las Garzas
Inter Miami estaba consciente de que tenía que aprovechar la condición de local y por esa razón de la mano de Lionel Messi y con su arsenal conformado por Luis Suárez, Rodrigo de Paul, Tadeo Allende, Rodrigo De Paul y Sergio Busquets, fueron en busca del resultado y no tardaron más de 18 minutos para estrenar el marcador de la mano del talento de Messi.
Lionel combinó con Luis Suárez, cuando el argentino cedió al uruguayo y este observó el desmarque del 10 para ponerle un bombón que Leo mandó al fondo con un remate de palomita, generando con esto grandes expectativas en su afición que esperan que el famoso 10 de la selección de Argentina sea el motor para coronarse en el torneo 2025 de la MLS.
El rendimiento de Lionel Messi
Después Inter Miami intentó una y otra vez, pero fue hasta el minuto 62 cuando llegó el 2-0 por conducto de Tadeo Allende cuando Ian Fray mandó un centro al área y ahí llegó Allende para rematar de cabeza y aumentar el marcador 2-0.
Las Garzas siguieron presionando, pero las cosas no pudieron moverse sino hasta el minuto 90+6 en pleno alargue del encuentro, cuando Messi aprovechó un grave error del portero visitante Joe Willis que no pudo contener un centro y se lo dejó al argentino para el 3-0.
Y cuando parecía que era más fácil que Inter Miami pudiera aumentar con otro gol la ventaja, de pronto el alemán Hany Mukhtar, se hizo presente en el marcador para anotar un golazo de tiro libre que dejó sin opción al portero estadounidense Rocco Ríos Novo.
El guardameta de los locales, por más que quiso llegarle al balón no pudo detener el viaje a las redes de la meta de las Garzas de Florida, para hacer más decoroso el primer duelo de la serie 3-1, en donde seguirá adelante el ganador de dos de los tres juegos que consta esta fase eliminatoria.
Alineaciones en el Chase Stadium
Dana White in Pickle as Tom Aspinall’s Family Persuasion Could Cause Major UFC Loss
The world of combat sports has increasingly seen fighters explore opportunities beyond their primary discipline. This trend has prompted discussions about career longevity, financial incentives, and legacy within multiple fighting arenas. One fighter currently at the center of this conversation is UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who has risen rapidly through the ranks since his debut in 2020.
Aspinall has established himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC. Known for his combination of size, athleticism, and striking power, he has demonstrated the ability to compete against and knock out the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich, and Marcin Tybura. One of the most significant parts of the British champion’s mixed martial arts career is his father, Andy Aspinall.
Andy is a jiu-jitsu coach and has overseen his son’s training and career since he began venturing into MMA. He is known for his outspoken personality and recently spoke about a potential career move to boxing for Aspinall. Ahead of his son’s upcoming title defense at UFC 321, Andy recently reignited those discussions and believed that he would not extend the heavyweight kingpin’s contract.
Boxing for sure. The money is more money. He has three more fights on the contract, and I don’t want to sign a new contract personally. Tom will be a boxing champion by 2028.
Andy Aspinall via RMCSportsCombat
Aspinall’s potential departure from the UFC would have significant implications for the organization. As one of the division’s rare marketable stars, his departure could leave a gap in promotional opportunities and global visibility. For UFC CEO Dana White, retaining a fighter of Aspinall’s stature is crucial to sustaining the heavyweight division’s relevance and ensuring continued fan engagement.
Once one of the most entertaining divisions, the heavyweight division has lost its glory in recent years. This began when the former champion, Francis Ngannou, vacated the title and left the UFC after days of inactivity. When Jon Jones won the vacant title at UFC 285, the fans hoped to see an active champion. However, Jones remained inactive and held the title for 840 days before retiring in June 2025.
Tom Aspinall is set to fight Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, which is his first title defence after being promoted to heavyweight champion after Jones’ retirement. The 265-pound division’s future star power remains in a delicate balance. Aspinall’s decisions regarding re-signing or pursuing other combat sports opportunities will directly influence the division’s trajectory.
Dana White weighs in on Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane
UFC 321 has vast implications for the heavyweight division, as the title is on the line after almost a year. The last time the UFC heavyweight belt was on the line was at UFC 309 when Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic to retain the title. However, he remained inactive and was involved in an online rivalry with Tom Aspinall, the interim champion at the time. However, the matchup never materialized.
Ciryl Gane, on the other hand, is on a two-fight win streak heading into UFC 321. He recently defeated Alexander Volkov and Serghei Spivac to win his third shot at championship gold. However, Gane has not been able to win the title as he lost to Francis Ngannou in 2022 and Jones in 2023. UFC CEO Dana White recently spoke about why the UFC 321 bout is pivotal for both Aspinall and Gane’s career trajectories.
Saturday night is the big night for him and the big night for Ciryl. Ciryl was winning the entire fight with Francis and then went for that submission and got into a bad position. And then what Jon Jones did was unbelievable. Saturday is a big coming-out party for Aspinall if he goes in and does what people think he is capable of doing.
Dana White via UFC on TNT Sports
Gilbert Arenas feuds with ‘foul’ Rachel Nichols in NBA gambling scandal fallout
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas had jokes after the FBI arrests of Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier on Thursday morning as part of a years-long probe into illegal sports gambling and illegal poker games.
And those jokes led to a spat with “foul” ex-ESPNer Rachel Nichols.
During Thursday’s installment of the “Gil’s Arena” show, Arenas, clad in a No. 24 Huskies jersey, danced to the set carrying a brown paper bag labeled “Informant Lunch.”
Arenas was indicted on three federal charges on July 30 in connection with a federal indictment that alleges he hosted illegal high-stakes poker games at his mansion in Encino, Calif.
When his co-hosts asked about it, Arenas said, “Informant? Nah, nah, nah, this is lunch … This is my lunch, man. I didn’t get to eat it over there, man. I was talking too much.”
“Got that Informant Lunch special this morning 🕵️♂️,” Arenas, 43, wrote on Instagram, adding the hashtag, “Agent Zero,” referring to his nickname.
Arenas made it clear that he didn’t have any involvement with the FBI’s probe into the cases with Billups, Rozier and Damon Jones.
“Two of them n—-s is gambling on NBA, one is throwing poker games and robbing his friends — It ain’t got s–t to do with me,” Arenas said.
After Arenas’ arrest, he joked on a livestream that he was “snitching” before he walked back his comments and said he had “nothing to do” with it.
After the news of Thursday’s NBA gambling probe — which included the arrest of former NBA player and ex-Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones — a video resurfaced of Arenas celebrating his release from a Los Angeles jail following his July arrest for a separate gambling probe.
Arenas was released on a $50,000 bond after pleading not guilty.
Arenas was charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
Former ESPN host Rachel Nichols, who currently serves as an analyst for Fox Sports 1, was among those that reshared the video Thursday. She appears to have since deleted it.
Arenas saw it and called Nichols “foul” for reposting the video and suggesting he “possibly snitched” on Billups, Rozier and Jones.
“I’m good for all the trolling,” Arenas said Thursday. “That’s cool, but Rachel Nichols is foul. She used my video and she actually wrote that I possibly snitched.”
Arenas also joked that he wouldn’t go near the mafia, a nod to the FBI’s case into Billups — who is said to be the face of rigged poker games allegedly backed by the Mafia that defrauded victims of $7 million.
“I watch enough movies to know the last group you want to snitch on is the mafia,” Arenas said. “I watch ‘Dateline.’ They still ain’t found people since 1947. I like my YouTubing career.”
Follow The Post’s live updates on the bombshell NBA, Mafia gambling scandal
Nichols also reshared photos of Arenas holding his “Informant Lunch” bag.
“Well, you can’t say Gilbert Arenas doesn’t have a sense of humor,” she wrote, adding a crying-laughing emoji.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a press conference Thursday that more than 30 people had been arrested in a years-long illegal gambling and fraud probe spanning 11 states.
Follow The Post’s latest on the gambling scandal rocking the NBA:
NBA gambling scandal live updates: 4 teams, 4 Mafia families teamed up for $7M scheme, officials say
NBAers Chauncey Billups, ‘Scary Terry’ Rozier arrested in major gambling bust involving 4 Mafia families, LA Lakers and LeBron James
Who is Damon Jones? The other NBA player and LeBron James friend in middle of FBI betting, poker arrests
Lakers, Raptors, Hornets, Trail Blazers involved in NBA gambling scandal: DOJ
Rozier is accused of rigging games by informing bettors of information before games, specifically when he planned to pull himself out of a March 2023 contest with a foot injury.
He did exit that game with an injury and bettors allegedly profited on the information.
Jones is accused of selling information regarding players on the Lakers who would not be present to play, specifically LeBron James.
He was not employed by the Lakers at the time and was a private shooting coach for James.
The NBA Arenas Sports Fans Photograph the Most
The 2025-26 NBA season tipped off this week, and Covers.com dove into Instagram data to determine which NBA arena is the most frequently photographed.
“Some NBA arenas are built to echo,” writes Covers.com editor-in-chief James Bisson. “Others are built to be photographed.”
Although the NBA court size is the same across all 30 NBA arenas, each stadium has unique charms that make fans more excited to be there and more likely to break out their phones to capture a share-worthy photo.
Now, there is a potential caveat to consider. Bisson looked at which NBA arenas are most commonly shared on Instagram, which does a pretty good job of accounting for how often an arena is photographed, but does not necessarily determine how often an arena is photographed specifically because it is hosting an NBA game. Many of the arenas on the list, especially the ones near the top, host other sports, like the NHL, and live events. It stands to reason that hockey fans share photos of Madison Square Garden on Instagram, too, for example.
“The NBA arenas that top the list of ‘Most Instagrammed’ league venues do, indeed, benefit from being in more populous locations and/or hosting a wider range of events beyond NBA games,” Bisson tells PetaPixel. “So you’ll see venues that host multiple teams, concerts, etc., higher on the list, for sure.”
That said, Bisson adds that an NBA arena’s photographic popularity, particularly on Instagram, depends on many factors.
“With most NBA arenas now quite similar to one another, the difference in popularity from an Instagram standpoint is almost entirely connected to factors like ‘first-timer’ frequency and cultural proximity/density (the ‘I was there, too!’ factor). Location matters plenty in this regard, with arenas in popular tourist cities much more likely to produce Instagram moments than less-visited locales,” Bisson explains.
The Most Instagrammed NBA Arenas
Number one on the list is Madison Square Garden in New York City, home to the New York Knicks. Bisson says there are approximately 2.3 million posts from the arena, which is an absurdly high number nearly six times higher than number two on the list. He cites the arena’s history, signature marquee lights, and iconic ceiling dome as key factors in why the arena is so often photographed.
Number two on the list is Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the stomping grounds of the Brooklyn Nets. Although just across the East River, there are far fewer photos of the modern, bold Barclays Center — 401,000.
Landing in third spot is TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics’ historic parquet-patterned hard floor is popular on social media, as are the team’s NBA-record 18 championship banners. Given that Boston is a much smaller city than New York, the nearly 270,000 Instagram posts are pretty impressive.
Another historic team’s arena lands in fourth spot: the United Center in Chicago. The arena’s Michael Jordan statue is a common photo subject among the 219,000 tagged posts on Instagram.
The most surprising arena on the list might be the Moda Center at number five. Home of the Portland Trailblazers, Moda Center is more commonly photographed than arenas in Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Portland loves its Blazers.
For those who plan to take in an NBA game this season and want to capture nice photos of their experiences, Bisson says sports fans should “Prioritize snapping from the concourse entrance, if you’re able to access it. You’ll get some terrific views of the arena from floor level.”
It’s undoubtedly easier capturing NBA photos as a fan than as a professional sports photographer.
Bisson adds that stepping into the aisle is much better than shooting from your seats, and angling your phone downward can help show depth in the photo.
“Always shoot tall,” Bisson adds. “It’s more IG-friendly and appeals to typical NBA arena structure where there’s plenty of good stuff up high.”
The complete top 10 list of the Most Instagrammed NBA arenas is available on Covers.com.
Exatlón Estados Unidos regresará a las pantallas de Telemundo en diciembre con
Telemundo ha confirmado el regreso de su competencia más feroz. Las arenas de Exatlón están listas para recibir a los atletas que conformarán esta nueva temporada.
Al día de hoy, esta competencia cuenta con nueve temporadas en su haber, y como ya es tradición, el año no cierra sin que Exatlón Estados Unidos vuelva a Telemundo y todo está programado para el mes de diciembre. La cadena, mediante un comunicado de prensa, asegura que esta décima edición está “lista para recibir a nuevos contendientes que revitalizarán la competencia más feroz del planeta, llena de adrenalina, desafíos extremos y espíritu indomable”.
Con el anuncio se espera que además pronto la cadena también confirme la conducción del programa de Frederik Oldenburg, quien ha sabido dejarle su sello a esta competencia.
Hay que recordar que en la televisión hispana no hay nada como los circuitos de Exatlón Estados Unidos y ahora que se anuncia como “Arena de Campeones”, el público se hace una idea de la temporada que tendremos.
Obviamente, el inicio de esta competencia nos confirma que estamos a punto de entrar a la temporada final de “La Isla”. Desafío Extremo 2″, el reality que tiene a todo el mundo hablando.
Se desconocen los nombres de los nuevos atletas, pero se espera que al menos algunos de la primera edición de “La Isla: Desafío Extremo” puedan integrar esta temporada para el equipo de famosos. Hablamos de Guty Carrera, Danilo Carrera, Adrián Di Monte, entre otros.
Sigue Leyendo más de Exatlón USA Aquí:
Gilbert Arenas Reveals Truth of His Involvement in NBA Gambling Scandal
It’s no secret that Gilbert Arenas has a knack for inviting beef, but this time, he believes he’s been wrongly dragged into the case. You might already be aware of the recent NBA gambling scandal that’s been making rounds on social media, linked to the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones. But where does Gilbert Arenas fit into all of this?
Gilbert Arenas went on a 7-minute Instagram rant to set the record straight, saying, “I’m not worried about my case. I know the only thing I did. If you have my case in 900 pages, one line: I think this is Gilbert Arenas’ house, that’s my case.” He also made it clear that while he had been linked to a past illegal poker incident at his Encino home, it had nothing to do with the current sports betting scandal that has led to multiple arrests.
The 43-year-old didn’t hold back in addressing the rumors. He said, “The fact that some of y’all defamed me. I don’t know if I’m gonna be the bigger person and just let it go, or I’m gonna sue. I’ve won six, seven defamation lawsuits. So you know I know that.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Gilbert Arenas seemed genuinely confused about how his name got linked to the latest NBA gambling scandal. In a candid moment, he said, “I don’t know how that connects to someone hurting their foot and betting on bad games in 2023. I haven’t seen NBA players since we bounced that basketball. Not at lunch, dinner, nothing.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Ironically, the whole “snitching” chatter actually started with Arenas himself. He playfully posted a picture on Instagram showing a brown bag labeled “Informant Lunch,” captioned, “Got that Informant Lunch special this morning.” He didn’t stop there. He even brought the bag onto the set of his show, joking about the situation.
The clip went viral and reminded fans of a quote he made two months earlier when his name came up in a federal investigation tied to an illegal gambling ring. Back then, he had said, “Ain’t nothing wrong with snitching, man. It ain’t nothing wrong with just telling, man. Ain’t nothing wrong with telling, man.”
Whatever the full truth may be, Gilbert Arenas is making it clear that defaming him comes with consequences. In a video clip, he challenged anyone spreading false claims, writing in the caption: “Defamation Lawsuit against anyone who made it seem like I’m a part of this case will be SUED (If) I don’t score 20 points at the 2K rec TONIGHT when I go live #YT #GilsArenaBattlemode 🗣️ Im dead a*s serious! Your fate will be determined by my outcome in 2K 🏀😇🙏🏾”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
So, you might want to keep an eye on tonight’s game and think twice before trolling him or making any comments that could set him off. So, what exactly is the full case involving Gilbert Arenas?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What’s Gilbert Arenas’ side of the illegal poker scandal?
Gilbert Arenas sat down with Vlad TV on Tuesday, and as usual, he didn’t hold back. The NBA legend opened up about the gambling charges swirling around him, making it clear he thinks the whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. “Can I ask you something, Vlad? You live in Hollywood. You’ve heard of poker games. (The) Israelis would they have someone like me in their group?” he asked, sounding genuinely baffled.
The charges themselves? Serious stuff. Arenas, along with five others—including a suspected high-ranking member of an Israeli organized crime group — were indicted in July for running an illegal gambling operation. From September 2021 to July 2022, he allegedly rented out his Encino mansion to host high-stakes poker games.
At his direction, Arthur Kats staged the mansion, recruited co-conspirators, and collected rent from the games. Gershman, Tourevski, Austria, and Cohen reportedly ran the illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” games, collected a “rake” from each pot, and invited players to compete.
Arenas even toyed with the idea of suing the federal authorities for defamation. “I’m the mark at a table. Hence why I don’t know him because I’ve never been to one of their games. I don’t play poker like that. Like it’s weird,” he explained, adding, “I’m wondering if there’s defamation because of how you’re making it seem. I don’t think that’s fair. You can’t use my name to put a case out there with these types of claims. At the end of this, I should be able to sue for defamation.”
But Arenas wouldn’t leave it all serious; he quickly laughed off the thought of taking on the government. “But it is the government. It is the government (and) they can do what the f— they want to do,” he said with a grin. True to his style, he balanced frustration with humor, making the interview as entertaining as it was revealing.
Arenas faces three federal charges: conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, operating an illegal gambling business, and making false statements to investigators. But through it all, his Vlad TV segment made one thing clear: he’s not going quietly, and he’s not afraid to speak his truth, jokes and all.
NASCAR Faces Antitrust Showdown with 23XI and Front Row Motorsports
A tense day in Charlotte’s federal courthouse ended Thursday without a clear winner. After more than three hours of intense legal debate, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell wrapped up the much-anticipated NASCAR antitrust hearing without issuing a ruling, leaving both NASCAR and two of its race teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, waiting on a decision that could reshape the business of stock car racing.
Judge Bell now has to decide whether NASCAR’s business practices cross into monopoly territory. His upcoming ruling, expected within two weeks, will determine if the case heads to a high-stakes trial on December 1.
Monopoly Claims and NASCAR’s Defense
The suit initiated by 23XI Racing (Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin are the co-owners) and Front Row Motorsports accuses NASCAR of maintaining a “100% monopoly” on stock car racing.
The teams assert that the use of the NASCAR charter system, which defines the competitors and the way the money is shared, is a non-competition agreement that also ensures the teams remain in need of the sanctioning body’s consent for their financial survival.
NASCAR’s lawyers fired back, accusing the teams of trying to form an illegal cartel by collectively refusing to sign new charter agreements for 2025. They defended the charter model, introduced in 2016, as a system that provides structure, stability, and guaranteed payouts for teams.
According to Matt Weaver of Motorsport.com, both sides filed motions for summary judgment. NASCAR asked the court to dismiss the teams’ monopoly claims, arguing they lack evidence and fall outside the legal time limits.
Meanwhile, 23XI and Front Row filed their own motion seeking to toss out NASCAR’s counterclaims, which accuse investor Curtis Polk of coercing other teams into rejecting charter agreements.
Judge Bell also heard detailed arguments over how to define the “market” for stock car racing and who truly holds the power, NASCAR or the teams.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports Push Back
Adding to the drama, Jeff Gluck shared a strongly worded statement from attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who represents 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Kessler didn’t hold back, accusing NASCAR of using monopolistic and retaliatory tactics to dodge accountability in the dispute.
“My clients’ goal has always been to provide opportunities for growth and stability for every team, and they remain steadfast advocates for a fairer, stronger sport,” Kessler said. “Today’s hearing confirmed the facts of NASCAR’s monopolistic practices and showed NASCAR for who they are: retaliatory bullies who would rather focus on personal attacks and distract from the facts. My clients have never been more united and committed to ensuring a fair and competitive sport for all teams, partners, drivers, and fans. We’re going to trial to hold NASCAR accountable.”
Judge Bell’s main concern during the hearing was clear: What exactly is the market here? Is NASCAR the only one that can be considered a dominant force in stock car racing, or should we also consider the competition from IndyCar and Formula 1?
The plaintiffs maintain that NASCAR is the only one; however, the judge seemed to be skeptical about that by saying that he didn’t want to define the market too narrowly, and he didn’t give away much of a verdict.
What’s at Stake for the Future
At the heart of it all lies the issue of control, who gets to shape the sport’s financial and competitive future. The teams want permanent charters and a larger revenue share, while NASCAR wants to keep authority centralized.
A win for the teams could shake the sport’s foundation, redistributing millions and giving owners more leverage. But if NASCAR prevails, its grip tightens, possibly curbing future team unity.
Correa commits to Cusick for Indy NXT
Juan Manuel Correa’s first full season of Indy NXT will be conducted with Cusick Morgan Motorsports. The Ecuadorian-American spent a considerable amount of time pursuing Formula 1 as he worked his way up the European open-wheel ladder, but decided to shift his pursuit to IndyCar and joined HMD Motorsports shortly after the 2025 season got under way.
Thanks to the new union between Cusick/Morgan and HMD, the 26-year-old Correa will get to stay within the HMD family while representing Don Cusick and Billy Morgan.
“Last season fueled my desire to become a top competitor in the Indy NXT by Firestone series and ultimately make the climb to the IndyCar Series,” explained Correa. “Joining a team new to the series is an exciting challenge, giving me the chance to contribute my feedback and help build something we can all be proud of. Their technical alliance with HMD Motorsports, where I raced last year, gives me confidence that we can compete at the front, fight for wins, and be a real force on the grid.”
Correa will serve as the veteran to NXT rookie teammate Nicholas Stati, from Australia.
“Juan Manuel brings experience, resilience, and undeniable confidence in the Indy NXT car, making him a standout addition to our program,” said Cusick. “We are committed to giving him every tool necessary to succeed and are excited to see him push the team forward as we make our series debut.”
$108 Billion Partner Ends NASCAR Chapter with a Heartfelt Farewell Gesture
Sponsorship’s the lifeblood of NASCAR’s top tiers, stitching brands to the sport since the Winston days of 1971 to 2003. The Cup Series flipped to a multi-partner setup in 2020, roping in Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO, and Xfinity as Premier Partners.
Down in the Xfinity Series, the title sponsor carousel spun from Busch to Nationwide, landing on Xfinity in 2015, and now, after a decade, Xfinity’s peeling out for good. The exit’s bittersweet, but Xfinity’s bowing out with a bang, a heartfelt nod to fans that’s got the garage grinning.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Xfinity’s ad-free encore
Xfinity’s capping its 2015–2025 Xfinity Series title run with a gift that hits the heart: the final stage of the championship race on The CW goes completely commercial-free, no ads, no side-boxes, just pure racing rubber.
It’s a bold “thank you” to fans, turning the high-stakes closing laps, usually prime ad real estate, into an uninterrupted thrill ride. The CW’s on board, ditching breaks for the decisive 100-plus laps, a move that keeps eyes glued to the action.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Rewind to 2015, Xfinity slid in after Nationwide, branding the series as the ladder for Cup stars, a decade of drivers climbing from Xfinity to the big show. As O’Reilly Auto Parts takes the title in 2026, Xfinity’s ad-free stage is a mic-drop moment, a brand saying “we loved this ride” while gifting fans the best view of the finale. It’s savvy too, reminding everyone of their decade-long love affair with the series, boosting goodwill as they hand off the baton.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The gesture’s gold for viewers sick of missing restarts or wrecks to commercials. This uninterrupted stretch could spike satisfaction, keep remotes still, and cement Xfinity’s legacy as the sponsor that put fans first. It’s a farewell that feels less like a goodbye and more like a green-flag lap, the perfect punctuation on a sponsorship era that shaped the series’ soul.
Xfinity’s exit laps into fresh blood, with Rajah Caruth snagging a part-time 2026 Xfinity Series ride in JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevy, a nod to the series’ role as talent’s proving ground.
JRM’s part-time Xfinity bet
The 23-year-old Truck Series winner, fresh off Las Vegas 2024 and Nashville 2025 victories, brings 23 Xfinity starts, best of 12th at Martinsville in 2022 and 2023, with three top-15s and nine top-20s, averaging 23.1. His HendrickCars.com-backed Spire Truck run landed him seventh in 2024 points, and now he’s chasing a Championship 4 at Martinsville, eyeing his first final.
Caruth’s Xfinity hops with Hendrick, Alpha Prime, and Jordan Anderson show Chevy grit, and his ARCA days, third in 2022 with nine top-fives and 18 top-10s in 25 starts, scream potential.
JRM’s No. 88, a storied ride, gets a part-time spark as the series shifts to O’Reilly Auto Parts branding, a bridge from Xfinity’s fan-first farewell to the next era’s riser. Caruth’s not full-time yet, schedule TBD, but his Truck triumphs and Xfinity flashes make him the kind of talent Xfinity’s decade spotlighted, ready to carry the torch into 2026’s new chapter.
Daniel Suárez’s One-Year Spire Deal Sparks Kyle Busch Speculation
When the news broke about Daniel Suarez’s exit from Trackhouse Racing, the Mexican driver was left scrambling for options for the 2026 season. And very recently, Spire Motorsports came to his rescue. The 2016 Xfinity Champion still has a lot to prove and only signed with the team for one year, successfully taking over Justin Haley’s No. 7 car. However, the fixation on the one-year deal has led everyone to believe that Suárez may just be getting the No. 7 car and crew back in motion for two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch. And some NASCAR analysts aren’t letting that slide.
Speaking on Rubbin’ is Racing, co-host Large breaks down the idea of Kyle Busch potentially joining Spire Motorsports. He said, “I think common knowledge or whatever most people are thinking that if Daniel doesn’t really win this year, and with the history of how they treat drivers in the seven, it could be a one-and-done for Daniel, and people are saying that he’s keeping the seat warm for Kyle Busch.”
As things stand, Kyle Busch sold his Kyle Busch Motorsports assets to Spire Motorsports in September 2023 and has maintained an ongoing working relationship with the team since, driving selected NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for the team in both 2024 and a multi-race return this year he straps into the No. 7 Spire Silverado for a limited Truck Series program, and that is what makes him the choice.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As Spire has been gaining traction with its Cup-side footprint, media speculation occasionally surfaces about whether Busch’s ties to Spire will extend further, although there has been no announcement of a full-time Cup return to Spire for Busch; it cannot be ruled out. Especially with extending to a third charter and hosting 3 drivers, Spire has definitely been making some big moves.
In fact, Suarez couldn’t help but heap praise on Spire, calling it the “fastest growing team,” amid flashes of dominance shown by Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell this year. But with Suarez’s contract only until the end of 2026 and Busch’s RCR contract following the same suit, one cannot help but make these correlations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But currently, Busch is committed to staying with Richard Childress Racing until 2026; questions about his 2027 plans are already underway. Now, with Busch’s relations with Spire Motorsports, it very well could be a possibility. But only time will tell if Suarez is in it for the long run or merely a placeholder for ‘Rowdy.’
Despite the NASCAR community’s criticism of Suarez’s move to Spire, the Monterrey native still stands as their best option. Spire wanted someone who outscored Haley and found just the person for it. Despite ranking 28th in the standings, ahead of Haley’s 31st place, it is Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson who was more than ready to close down the deal.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jeff Dickerson shares the mutual benefits of signing Daniel Saurez
It is no secret that Dickerson believes Daniel Suarez’s arrival could mark the beginning of a powerful redemption story. In his view, both a 33-year-old and Spire have something to prove as they prepare for the upcoming season.
After months of speculation, the Mexican driver has officially secured his 2026 seat with the team, following his departure from Trackhouse Racing, a move that opens the way for 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch.
For Dickerson, this new chapter represents a chance to reset and rebuild. Speaking to NASCAR, he said, “It’s just the thing where I think we need each other. I think all of us love a good story of redemption and giving people a platform to prove doubters wrong. And so I think in this case, Daniel needs to show everybody that this year was an outlier, and we want to show everybody that the 7 car’s performance this year was an outlier as well.”
Remembering the Oct. 24, 2004 Hendrick Plane Crash: ‘Never, Ever Forget These Souls’
I experienced one of the most tragic in-person episodes of my longtime journalist career. Sunday, October 24, 2004, started as many October days do in Martinsville, south central Virginia: with a heavy cloud cover, occasional mist, heavy fog, slight winds, and a chilly temperature in the low 50s.
Around 10 a.m. ET and a little over 100 miles away, 10 individuals climbed aboard a Beechcraft King Air 200 team airplane owned by Hendrick Motorsports in Concord, North Carolina. Their destination: Martinsville Speedway, for NASCAR’s Subway 500, the 32nd race of that year’s 36-event Nextel Cup schedule.
Among them: Rick Hendrick’s younger brother, HMS President John Hendrick; John’s daughters Jennifer and Kimberly Hendrick; Rick Hendrick’s only son, Ricky; HMS Engine Director Randy Dorton; HMS General Manager Jeff Turner; Dupont Racing Director Joe Jackson; Tony Stewart’s helicopter pilot Scott Lathram; and the plane’s two pilots, Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison. One name, however, was absent from that day’s passenger list
Illness kept Rick Hendrick away from the trip
Rick Hendrick, that week, had a touch of the flu and decided to skip the flight – a decision that saved his life. The elder Hendrick had promised his son that he would inherit the organization when Rick eventually stepped down. Ricky had already shown the initiative and success inherited from his father, as the Busch Series team he owned, with Brian Vickers behind the wheel, won the 2023 Busch championship.
Vickers, who coincidentally celebrated his 21st birthday on that tragic October 24, often described Ricky as more than a mentor; he called him a brother.
And then there was Ricky’s ability to judge talent. Not only did he choose Vickers for his own team, Ricky, along with Jeff Gordon, convinced “Mr. H” to take a chance on a then relatively unknown young driver named Jimmie Johnson, who would go on to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most Cup championships (seven), as well as earn 83 Cup wins in his award-packed career.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
The Sunday morning flight, which was headed to Blue Ridge Regional Airport, just outside Martinsville, roughly 10 minutes west of the racetrack, was expected to take a little over an hour. The traveling party was supposed to land, hop in rented vehicles, and be at the track with plenty of time to spare before the green flag dropped. But fate had other plans.
The tragedy came only a few years after Dale Earnhardt’s death
The heavy fog that blanketed southern Virginia that morning soon turned the day into one of unimaginable sorrow. Exactly, three years and eight months after NASCAR’s worst-ever tragedy – the death of seven-time Cup champ Dale Earnhardt in a final-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500 – those 10 passengers and pilots aboard the Hendrick plane never made it to Martinsville. All 10 were killed when the flight crashed into the upper terrain of 1,800-foot-high Bull Mountain.
Because of the worsening weather conditions, the HMS plane was ordered by air traffic controllers to make another pass and attempt a landing again. Unfortunately, in just a few minutes, conditions became impossible.
According to the subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, the crash resulted from a combination of pilot error and the near-zero visibility caused by the thick fog. The plane struck the mountainside, just 150 to 200 feet short of clearing its peak.
By the time the green flag dropped to begin the race at Martinsville, a massive search and rescue effort began, covering roughly 50 square miles. NASCAR officials kept their concern quiet, with only team, speedway, and Nextel officials being clued in. By around 4 p.m. ET, just before Jimmie Johnson would claim the victory, word had begun to filter out that the wreckage of the plane had been found on the side of Bull Mountain.
And, sadly, there were no survivors.
Chaos after the race
Once he crossed the finish line, Johnson was quickly hustled out of his race car on pit road and put in seclusion in an infield garage along with teammates Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, and Vickers, while all post-race celebration activities were promptly canceled, leaving the estimated 91,000 fans in the stands wondering what was happening.
It was around the same time that NASCAR officials began to notify all teams that there had been a catastrophic tragedy and that it had involved Team Hendrick. The information was shared in person, both on pit boxes and in team garages. Teams were ordered not to discuss the situation on their radios because so many fans in the stands listened to those frequencies.
Leading NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter shared what he knew at the time to the national TV broadcast, and then shortly thereafter, revealed the horrible news on a live national radio broadcast that was also carried on the track’s public address system.
The crash ultimately led pretty much every TV newscast in the country that evening and into the following day, as well as being front-page news on virtually every daily newspaper. And the Hendrick organization’s website crashed for nearly 12 hours due to overloaded use.
Why the race finish was minimized?
Seemingly lost in everything was that Johnson defeated Jaime McMurray, Ryan Newman, Sterling Marlin, and Kurt Busch, who four races later would claim the 2004 Nextel Cup championship.
That day was unlike any I’ve ever experienced in my long career. I’ve probably covered well over 1,500 races in my time, primarily NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA, along with other series like Formula One and others.
Much like Earnhardt’s death, the Hendrick tragedy was an incident that cast a morose pall over the sport for weeks – if not months – to come. The 10 victims were memorialized six weeks later in the 2004 NASCAR Awards Banquet that December in New York City.
In search of where the tragedy occurred
One year later, on Monday, October 24, 2005, something pulled at my heart and sympathy strings. I know the damage and debris had long been cleaned up, but I wanted to see for myself where 10 innocent victims lost their lives. I had studied and read everything I could about the cause of the crash and the FAA’s report of what it believes happened.
No one was there to question the pilot’s judgment or error. I merely wanted to try and spiritually connect with the 10 souls who lost their lives on that fateful October day.
When I finally found Bull Mountain – and believe me, it was not the easiest place to locate – something happened that was one of the most eerie feelings I’ve ever experienced. Down a two-lane country road with a mountain on one side and farmland on the other, I pulled over onto a dirt road that led toward the mountain and exited my car.
With God as my witness, I still vividly recall that day just like I vividly recall the day of the actual incident. I got out of my rental car and walked maybe 100 feet toward the mountain. Darkness was beginning to close in, so I couldn’t see as clearly as I would have liked, but it was what I heard and felt – rather than what I saw – that ultimately shook me to my core.
The temperature unexpectedly dropped into the low 40s in what seemed like a matter of seconds, and the wind suddenly picked up to gusts of 25-plus mph, just like it did on that fateful day one year earlier. Clouds suddenly rolled in, as did fog. A light mist of rain began to fall as well. It was a typical, sharp autumnal early evening in the Martinsville area.
As I stood in silence, looking and listening, I suddenly heard a noise approaching from the west that continued to grow louder as each second passed. It honestly scared the bejesus out of me because I had to wonder if I was truly hearing what I thought I heard – an echo of the tragic plane – or was God and the atmosphere playing tricks on me.
Eventually, I could barely make out the taillight of a small plane – it appeared to be more of a two- or four-seater rather than the 12-seat capacity of the HMS Beechcraft 200 – and it flew by to the south side of Bull Mountain, inching closer to land at the airport that was supposed to also be Team Hendrick’s landing spot.
I stood in that area for a good 10 or 15 minutes, kind of afraid to move but also trying to help myself to understand somewhat of the same position that the 10 victims on the plane, totally unaware that their lives were about to end only seconds before the abrupt collision that sorrowfully ended their respective lives.
21 years later: Gone but never forgotten..
Sadly, this Friday marks the 21 anniversary of what is most commonly and simply known as “the Hendrick plane crash.”
Last year, Rick Hendrick and his wife Linda led a memorial marking 20 years since the terrible crash impacted so many families’ lives. The memorial was held in front of a ceremonial fountain that was erected shortly after the accident to remember the 10 victims.
“Never to be replaced and never to be forgotten but to always be loved and remembered,” Rick Hendrick said as part of his speech. He then somberly added, with a pain that still hurt deeply two decades later, “Never, ever forget these souls.”
College football fans pick their favorite stadiums, and Notre Dame is No. 1
What’s your favorite college football stadium?
The Athletic’s college football staff voted on a top 25, and it generated plenty of discussion. So what happens when readers vote?
Well, the results end up similar. Except at the very top.
Whereas LSU was a clear No. 1 in our staff list, the highest proportion of readers — who were asked to submit up to 10 favorites, in any order — chose Notre Dame Stadium, which just barely edged the Big House at Michigan and Death Valley at LSU.
Here is The Athletic readers’ top 10, with some notable commentary from our survey included for each. At the bottom, we’ve also included select cases for some other favorites around the country.
“If there’s any stadium that encompasses the spirit of college football over that of the corporate dollar, it’s Notre Dame Stadium.” — Jason Z.
“It encapsulates everything there is about attending a college football game in the fall — a cool chill in the air, traditions, iconic imagery, intensity and passion.” — Robert N.
“The house that Rockne Built. Modern because of the renovation, but still has that old-school charm. They attached a student center and classrooms to the stadium, so it feels like part of the campus. Touchdown Jesus, the Basilica and the Golden Dome in the background — you can’t top that!” — Anthony
“The thing that gets lost (but is probably intentional from suits) in building these massive new age stadiums is that the ‘nosebleeds’ have essentially no value. At Notre Dame, there is literally no bad seat in the house, with the traditional bowl structure they have. Touchdown Jesus in the background, a nice October wind, and the light bouncing off of the golden dome helmets is perfect stuff. The only argument against it is that they use turf instead of grass these days.” — Stephen
“It is more than a stadium. It is more than a venue in which to watch football. It is the entire vibe of college football rolled into one spot. It is an experience. The pageantry, the customs and the overall tone of gameday in South Bend is unlike anything else.” — Kyle
“Beautiful brick facades match the campus style. The stadium is tucked into a real neighborhood, which amps up the college (vs. pro) feel, and being dug into a hillside gives it a ‘bigger on the inside’ feel that, along with the always massive crowd, never fails to impress when you enter the bowl.” — Michael L.
“Massive stadium, great atmosphere and fans, located right in town with houses across the street. Doesn’t look gigantic from the outside, but when you walk in at row 78 and look down, you realize why it is called the Big House.” — Rick
“The tailgating scene on the golf course and around campus is unmatched. You can only really see the skyboxes and scoreboards from the outside. Once you actually enter the stadium, it just opens to a huge pit of humanity — just an awesome sight.” — Ronnie M.
“Nothing beats the Big House on a Saturday. You walk up to it and wonder what the fuss is about and then you get inside it and it’s heaven. The roar of the crowd and the biggest crowd in college football every week.” — Mike G.
“I’m an Alabama grad, but LSU’s Tiger Stadium is the best. Forget the wild tailgating; inside the stadium is a spectacle of sights and sounds, really loud sounds! Something about the shape of the stadium, all the cheers with the band — Saturday night in Death Valley is something all college football fans should witness in person.” — Matt L.
“It is not a stadium, it is a portal to another world. The smells, sounds, sensations and storied past all create an unforgettable experience.” — Mitch M.
“I have been pretty much everywhere in the SEC more than once, but your first experience at LSU under the lights is something you don’t forget.” — Glenn
“Nothing compares to a night game in Death Valley. Great food — friendly fans will give you a plate of jambalaya and a cold beer. Raucous, loud, rowdy game experience.” — Rich
“LSU is unique with Mike the Tiger, more noise than ears can take, the smell of great cooking in the air and intimidation of visiting teams and fans.” — Rudy Q.
“The bucolic location and setting on the edge of a town in the geographical center of Pennsylvania. A college town in the very sense of the word. A land grant university, the town is the college. The fans come from every direction to create a glorious gathering. The tailgating, the electricity and the singularity of purpose among a commonwealth.” — Mike S.
“Have attended games at 20 of the 25 selected by The Athletic’s staff. Been to many in the SEC multiple times, but my favorite would be Beaver Stadium. Size, friendly fans, pregame atmosphere and enthusiasm inside the stadium earn my top vote. Just wish they would find a way to get the traffic out postgame!” — Dwight
“I’ve only been once, but a home game at Beaver has to be seen to be believed. A small city appears almost overnight around the stadium, campers as far as you can see, students camping out for an entire week to get in. The fan support and interaction during the entire game is more on par with European football than American. Unbelievable place.” — Ryan S.
“Penn State has a vibe like no place else. It’s what college football utopia would look like if you asked AI to create it.” — Chris B.
“Perfect blend of history, architecture, environment, atmosphere, size, enthusiasm and success.” — John L.
“Yes it’s big, yes it’s loud, but it’s also incredibly beautiful. Over 100 years ago, when every large stadium was simply a hole in the ground (Yale Bowl, Michigan Stadium), the architect for the Horseshoe took his inspiration from classical architecture in Rome. Using concrete at the time was considered risky, but the design is gorgeous and is a modern marvel. The rotunda is beautiful, and the size looms over you as you approach it.” — Patrick
“It’s the cathedral of football, complete with stained glass in the rotunda. There are the traditions with the band and a timelessness about the place. Unlike the large stadiums in the South, it still pretty much looks as it did a hundred years ago.” — Steve
“Tennessee fans are crazy enough without an intimidating, chamber-of-horrors-designed stadium to amplify the craziness even further. But that’s what Neyland Stadium is — iconic, overwhelming, intense and just plain LOUD. Then you add in the setting, the river, the VOLS sign at the top and everything else — there’s nothing like it in the sport.” — Matt M.
“Tennessee in the fall is beautiful. The Volunteer Navy creates an interesting scene, and the bright orange pops in the fall foliage.” — Jared J.
“It just keeps going up and up and from the field all you can see is blue sky. And when the team is good and ‘Rocky Top’ is blaring, it feels like the best atmosphere. Respect from a rival SEC fan.” — Kyle A.
“Nothing like tailgating on a golf course enjoying great SoCal weather, but when you do enter the stadium you’re treated to beautiful views of the San Gabriel Mountains (especially in the evening around sunset).” — Tom H.
“The history and setting just can’t be touched.” — Cory B.
“If there’s a more beautiful setting, I’d like to see it.” — Ken C.
“Not a bad seat in the stadium, and there is nothing like tailgating on the golf course before kickoff. Plus, have you seen the view?” — Colt B.
“Husky Stadium is a one–of-a-kind setting where you can watch a great college game and at the same time look out on Lake Washington and all of the boats sailgating as well as the Cascades Range. Just beautiful.” — Mike D.
“Breakfast at Chinooks, riding the Dawg Boat through Lake Union and then The Cut, walking up the dock past the Big Dawg docked there and then up the ramps to your seat, stopping to look out over Lake Washington with Mt. Rainier in the distance — there’s nothing like a game at Husky Stadium.” — Terence
“Being right on Lake Washington, with views of Mt. Rainier, mixed with an electric and surprisingly loud crowd is a fun mixture.” — D Mac
“I am an Arizona State fan. I’ve been to games at 36 stadiums across nine conferences, including the entire former Pac-12. Autzen Stadium is my favorite stadium. I’ve been three times, and after my first time I knew I had to return for a game that didn’t involve my team so I could take in all its majesty. It starts with the walk from town to the stadium. There is no finer walk on an autumn day than through the woods and over a river before the stadium and tailgating spectacle is laid before your eyes. Inside the stadium the sight lines are flawless, the crowd is loud and I cannot stop myself (even when I’m there as a visiting fan) from yelling at the top of my lungs, ‘DUCK ON MOTORCYCLE!!’ It truly never rains at Autzen Stadium.
College Football Fans Rank Surprise Stadium No 1
College football stadiums are as unique as their fan bases. The structures of many stadiums promote and embody traditions that go back decades.
Some stadiums are harder for visiting teams to play at than others. While programs like Tennessee, Penn State and LSU can have crowds of 100,000-plus people, other schools like Notre Dame and UCLA tout the atmosphere of an iconic layout.
The Athletic’s staff recently ranked the top stadiums in college football, and their results were different than what their fan poll showed.
The Athletic ranked LSU’s
Serena Williams, Coco Gauff Receive Personal Honor Away From Tennis
Serena Williams and Coco Gauff have been two of the biggest names in US women’s tennis this century and have cultivated a massive following on their own.
While Williams retired at the end of the 2022 US Open, she continues to dominate the world of sport outside of on-court accolades. After hanging up her racquet, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has successfully ventured into entrepreneurship and business, while voicing her views on subjects like motherhood and equal pay for women in sport.
This week, she was also recognized on Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s Most Powerful Women in Sports, along with fellow US tennis star Coco Gauff.
The 44-year-old Williams came in at No. 11 on the list as she has flexed her muscles off the court by investing directly into women’s sports, holding stakes in both the NWSL’s Angel City FC and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
On the other hand, Gauff has followed in her idol’s footsteps and become the rising star of the sport on the WTA Tour, which includes winning two Grand Slams at the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open.
Boasting a massive fan following on social media, the 21-year-old came in at No. 13 in the list after she was announced as the world’s highest-paid female athlete, with total earnings of $37.2 million over the 12 months ending in August, including $12.2 million in prize money and $25 million off the court.
The list also featured former World No. 1 Billie Jean King, who came in at No. 23 and was celebrated for her portfolio in stakes in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, media company Just Women’s Sports, and the NWSL’s Angel City FC, which leads the league with a $280 million valuation.
Gauff is currently World No. 3 in the WTA Rankings and has gone as high as No. 2 last year.
Coco Gauff Reflects on Her Life Currently
Gauff stated that she was “living her dream” by being one of the top players on the WTA Tour currently and believed that she was “supposed to be” in her current place.
In an interview with the WTA website, she reflected on her first few years on the tour and her success.
“It feels like where I am now is where I’m supposed to be,” Gauff said. “I feel like this is the life that I wanted for myself and that I work for. I definitely feel like for the first like four years of my career, I couldn’t believe that I was actually on tour and living the dream. I’m usually always happy on the court. People don’t think so because I look so serious, but I am happy inside,”
Gauff recently claimed an eleventh title of her young career in Wuhan, getting the better of her compatriot Jessica Pegula in the finals in straight sets.
Staten Island HS girls’ tennis: Hill survives nail-biter vs. Susan Wagner
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — St. Joseph Hill defeated Susan Wagner in a non-league nail biter 3-2 in a match to honor breast cancer awareness Thursday.
The match, played on the Port Richmond HS courts, produced some really good tennis for both teams.
The match of the day belonged to SW freshman Ella Ehrlich verse Hill’s Cassandra Trinidad that went to a tiebreaker.
Both players were on top of their game, ripping forehands, in a see-saw battle. Neither player could gain much of an advantage as they remained deadlocked at 8-8. Once in the tiebreaker, the players again remained even going to 8-8 before Ehrlich connected on a forehand winner to win 10-8.
Each managed to approach the net a number of times and make some quality volleys.
However, it was the steady play of Hill’s second doubles that secured the victory as Mary Scarangello/Sara Demiri outlasted Sofia Dickerson/Basma Itani, 8-5.
Hill received its first two points via another impressive match by Emily Agushi and Hill’s first doubles team of Ryan Burke/Michela Conforte.
Isabella Borodin secured SW’s second point with a gutty 8-4 victory over Gabby Zagaja.
Hill concluded its season with an 11-8 record overall.
Susan Wagner has received a berth in the PSAL playoffs.
Results:
1S: Emily Agushi def Charlotte Carolan, 8-0
2S: Ella Ehrlich def Cassandra Trinidad, 9-8 (10-8)
3S: Isabella Borodin def Gabby Zagaja, 8-4
1D: Ryan Burke/Michela Conforte def Adeline Cheng/ Selene Yu, 8-4
2D: Mary Scarangello/Sara Demiri def Sofia Dickerson/Basma Itari, 8-5
N.J. girls tennis phenom & 3-time state singles champion makes her college choice
New Jersey’s top high school girls tennis player is headed to college.
Montclair Kimberley senior Aria Nina Abalos announced her commitment to Notre Dame on Friday morning.
The Bloomfield native captured her third-straight NJSIAA state singles tournament title this past weekend, becoming just the fourth girl in Garden State history to win three or more championships.
Abalos, who holds a 10.05 UTR, is rated as a Blue Chip 5-star recruit, per the Tennis Recruiting Network.
She is also ranked No. 2 overall in the New Jersey Class of 2026, No. 5 in the Mid-Atlantic and No. 20 nationally.
Abalos finished her senior season with a 21-0 record (or 21-1 including the forfeit in the Prep B first singles final). This brings her career record to 91-2 (or 91-3 including the forfeit).
Her only other losses came at the tail end of her freshman year.
Abalos also helped Montclair Kimberley win three-straight Prep B Tournament team titles and the Essex County Tournament championship in 2022.
Abalos was supposed to play in the first singles final at the Prep B Tournament on Wednesday, but a scheduling conflict forced her to miss the match. A person close to the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NJ.com that Abalos had a recruiting meeting with Notre Dame at the time.
That is when the star player pledged to the Fighting Irish. Abalos can officially sign to Notre Dame beginning on Nov. 12.
Notre Dame went 21-6 in 2024-25 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
“I am so honored to announce my verbal commitment to play D1 tennis for the University of Notre Dame!,” Abalos posted on her Instagram account. “Thank you to all those who supported me throughout this entire journey: God, my family, my Garden State Tennis and MKA community, and my friends!”
As always, please report scores to njschoolsports.com. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
High school girls’ tennis: City Section playoff pairings
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
(Matches at 12:30 p.m. unless noted)
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
First Round
DIVISION I
#1 LA Marshall, bye
#9 Cleveland at #8 Wilmington Banning
#12 LACES at #5 GALA
#4 Eagle Rock, bye
#3 North Hollywood, bye
#11 SOCES at #6 Van Nuys
#10 Taft at #7 San Pedro
#2 Chatsworth, bye
DIVISION II
#16 Fairfax at #1 Granada Hills Kennedy
#9 LA University at #8 New West
#12 Sylmar at #5 Franklin
#13 Verdugo Hills at #3 Bell
#14 LA Wilson at #3 Gardena
#11 Jefferson at #6 Downtown Magnet
#10 Legacy at #7 Grant
#15 Sun Valley Poly at #2 Carson
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Semifinals
OPEN DIVISION
#4 El Camino Real at #1 Palisades
#3 Venice at #2 Granada Hills
Pacifica Christian girls tennis shares league title with Fairmont Prep
First-year Pacifica Christian Orange County girls’ tennis coach Jennifer Jolin, pursuing her master’s degree in counseling at Concordia University, has been having the girls on her team journal before or after practices or matches.
“I think that’s helping them connect,” said Jolin, 24, who also played tennis at Concordia and earned her undergraduate degree there in 2023.
“We sit down and talk about what we’re feeling and what’s going on in the matches. In tennis, especially in singles, you can be all alone out there. To know that everyone’s feeling a certain way or having different stressors of school has been really good on the court, just knowing that they’re not alone in what they’re feeling.”
Her players could feel pride after Thursday’s match, even if the final result didn’t quite go their way.
Pacifica Christian lost to visiting Fairmont Prep, 9-9 and 72-70 on games, in a San Joaquin League finale at Orange Coast College.
Both the Tritons and Huskies finished 9-1 in league and shared the league title. Pacifica Christian had beaten Fairmont Prep, 71-67 on games, in the teams’ first league meeting on Oct. 2.
It’s the third league title in four years for Pacifica Christian.
“I’m proud of us,” senior singles player London Willhoit said. “We were scared about this season, because we lost a lot of seniors and we got new coaches. I love coach Jen so much, but we were just scared about a completely new environment.”
The Tritons stepped up to the challenge, making Thursday’s match a contrast between Fairmont’s strong singles players and Pacifica Christian’s strong doubles teams.
The Pacifica Christian doubles teams of Charlie Rogers and Bea Jeremias, fraternal twins Ali and Ava Hudy, as well as Tess Prichard and Liana Fite, each won twice. In singles, the Tritons’ Kamryn Giunta, Willhoit and Helena Butcher each beat Fairmont Prep’s No. 3 player.
The match was tied 3-3 after the first round and 6-6 after the second round, when the total game score was also tied at 50-50.
Third round singles wins of 6-0 by Cameron Kang and 6-1 by Camille Coulon, both of whom swept for Fairmont Prep, helped the visitors secure just enough games. Sophia Patel and Melo Jing also swept in doubles for Fairmont, as they did in the teams’ first meeting.
Willhoit won her third singles set 6-0 to finish out the match, but the math didn’t quite work out in the Tritons’ favor.
“Coming down to two games is so tough, obviously, but I’m proud of them no matter what,” Jolin said. “I’m happy that we got that league title. Pacifica is all about sharing, so we can share a league title.”
Pacifica Christian will participate in the league singles and doubles tournaments on Monday at Orange County Great Park. The Tritons are also headed to the postseason as a team; the CIF Southern Section will release the girls’ tennis playoff brackets on Nov. 1.
In 2022, Pacifica Christian advanced to the Division 4 title match before losing 13-5 to Alhambra Mark Keppel. Giunta, Willhoit and Rogers, all freshmen at the time, are the three remaining starters from that squad and would certainly appreciate another deep run as seniors.
“I feel like we’re definitely doing a lot better compared to last year,” Willhoit said, citing the team’s camaraderie.
The journaling can’t hurt, either.
State tennis: Hill-Murray tandem wins doubles title
To place an obituary, please include the information from the obituary checklist below in an email to obits@pioneerpress.com. There is no option to place them through our website. Feel free to contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263 with any questions.
General Information:
Your full name,
Address (City, State, Zip Code),
Phone number,
And an alternate phone number (if any)
Obituary Specification:
Name of Deceased,
Obituary Text,
A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable, TIF and other files are accepted, we will contact you if there are any issues with the photo.
Ad Run dates
There is a discount for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply.
If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply, contact us for more information.
Policies:
Verification of Death:
In order to publish obituaries a name and phone number of funeral home/cremation society is required. We must contact the funeral home/cremation society handling the arrangements during their business hours to verify the death. If the body of the deceased has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, or a similar program, their phone number is required for verification.
Please allow enough time to contact them especially during their limited weekend hours.
A death certificate is also acceptable for this purpose but only one of these two options are necessary.
Guestbook and Outside Websites:
We are not allowed to reference other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere when placing an obituary in print and online. We may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead; contact us with any questions regarding this matter.
Obituary Process:
Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication in the newspaper. This proof includes price and days the notice is scheduled to appear.
Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press based on each day’s deadlines.
After publication, we will not be responsible for errors that may occur after final proofing.
Online:
Changes to an online obituary can be handled through the obituary desk. Call us with further questions.
Payment Procedure:
Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication by the deadline specified below in our deadline schedule. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents.
Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI (Payment Card Industry) regulations
EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number.
Cash: Accepted at our FRONT COUNTER Monday – Friday from 8:00AM – 3:30PM
Rates:
The minimum charge is $162 for the first 10 lines.
Every line after the first 10 is $12.20.
If the ad is under 10 lines it will be charged the minimum rate of $162.
On a second run date, the lines are $8.20 per line, starting w/ the first line.
For example: if first run date was 20 lines the cost would be $164.
Each photo published is $125 per day.
For example: 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500.
Deadlines:
Please follow deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the day requested.
Hours
Deadline (no exceptions)
Ad
Photos
MEMORIAM (NON-OBITUARY) REQUEST
Unlike an obituary, Memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries.
Please call or email us for more memoriam information
Please call 651-228-5280 for more information.
HOURS: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 5:00PM (CLOSED WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS)
A volley for more tennis in Austin
Two years before World War II ended, Austinites made post-war plans for employing returning servicemen.
Austin Daily Herald sports columnist “Burgy” had something else in mind.
“Put it down in the book as a post-war ‘must’: MORE TENNIS,” Burgy wrote Aug. 20, 1943.
Burgy ranted about his “pet peeve” of Austin’s lack of interest in “one of the finest summer sports: tennis.” He blamed the growth of golf and people getting lazy.
A few years earlier, Austin finally got concrete tennis courts at Horace Austin State Park on Austin Mill Pond’s south side after decades of public complaints about earthen courts. These replaced courts removed for the city’s first pool in 1939.
Yet, tennis activity had been “nothing short of deplorable,” Burgy wrote. People used to crowd “old, dilapidated courts,” including clay courts at Lafayette Park, and “the dust always flew around in whirlpools to fill your nostrils and line your esophagus but plenty of people figured it was worth waiting to get on the court.”
This fall, Austin Public Schools opened its reconstructed tennis courts at Wescott Athletic Complex — a reminder of how far the game has come locally since locals started playing more than 130 years ago on empty lots.
In 1892, Austinites formed three tennis clubs and sanded grounds for courts while awaiting shipments of tennis sets. One was just east of Hormel Home; another next to First United Methodist Church.
By 1909, a group including Ben Hormel (George’s brother) formed the Austin Tennis Club, hoping it would lead to a country club (one formed in 1920 with tennis courts). This included two courts in a lot near the old Austin YMCA on 2nd St NW. Hormel offered his nearby home’s basement for showers.
This club, which sent a team in 1911 to Duluth for the state tournament, lost its lot to a home in 1913 and sold its 200 feet of 6-foot wire fencing.
At that time, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) had a court. High school girls could use it from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and “business girls” after 6 p.m.
Park tennis courts arrived in 1915 when the city opened two at Lafayette Park but they were plagued by poor conditions.
In 1921, a columnist scolded the city for balls getting lost in tall grass due to netting with holes.
“Continually chasing a ball that bounds so far and loses itself as easily as a tennis ball is very annoying. Why has the proper care of the courts been so neglected during this summer when tennis has been more popular and more widely played than ever before.”
The city wasn’t marking lines or providing new nets. Local players did that.
In 1924, the city added courts to the state park on Mill Pond’s west side but some still weren’t happy as noted in 1927 in the Herald:
“Wanted: Somebody with a million dollars or less who is willing to donate the price of a dozen cement tennis courts. There would be no maintenance cost and the courts would always be in shape.”
In 1928, the state park’s courts were removed for a flower garden. New courts planned for Mill Pond’s south side were delayed by the 1928 tornado.
That year — without those courts — locals argued Austin didn’t have a good tennis court and a few players were hogging what was available.
“Tennis Courts at Austin State Park Urged by Local Players,” read a March 1929 headline.
“Good courts mean more players. Poor courts mean that many will stay inside all summer and listen to radios, which will be injurious to their health.”
Weeks later, a columnist threatened “to organize an army to pay visits” if the state park didn’t get courts.
In May 1929, the state park opened “three, first-class tennis courts.” Players supplied nets as required in most cities. This was “good news to the languishing tennis fans who have almost forgotten how to hold a racquet because of the inactivity forced by the total absence of facilities for play.”
A month later, these courts were in “very poor condition with holes, ruts and soft spots,” and “only those of an extremely imaginative mind have the courage to use them.”
Most clay courts had a thin surfacing but Austin’s state park just had clay, requiring frequent rolling after rain but there was no roller.
Players in the city’s 1929 tennis championship had many balls hit holes and take “crazy bounces,” making “play at times somewhat ridiculous.”
In 1930, Austin had “5 3/8 tennis courts” as one at Lafayette was shrunk for a road. Local players were frustrated with bad courts; some left town on weekends to play tennis.
Lifeguards at the state park in 1932 even had to care for the courts, yelling at people to stay off when wet and fixing bicycle ruts.
In 1934, Galloway Park got courts — “finest in the city” — with a clay base and hard-packed sand surface. Galloway and the state park by 1936 were both “crowded from morning until night” in good weather.
By 1940, Driesner Park had courts but the main ones were at the state park (two), Galloway (two) and Athletic Field (six).
Courts later were added at Riverland Community College and Ellis Middle School but no longer are there.
Neveln School has hosted courts for years, including this fall’s Austin Packers girls tennis team while the main complex was redone.
York, Hinsdale S. singles players, WW South and Hinsdale C. doubles team advance to state championship matches
York’s Caroline Coan, Hinsdale South’s Addy Filipiak and Wheaton Warrenville South and Hinsdale Central doubles teams all advanced to Saturday’s state championship matches with quarterfinal and semifinal wins on Friday at the IHSA state tennis tournament.
Coan beat Waubonsie Valley’s 6-2, 6-4 in the Class 2A quarterfinals and Oak Park-River Forest’s Lucy Stein in the semifinals. She will face Marist’s Helena Klooster in the Class 2A final on Saturday.
Filipiak beat Deerfield’s Caroline Shi 6-2, 6-1 in the Class 1A quarterfinal and Urbana University’s Kruthi Ramanath 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinal. Filipiak will face Dunlap’s Anna Yu in Saturday’s final.
WW South’s doubles team of Riley Lepsi and Reese Lepsi beat Conant’s Nidhi Karekar & Advita Deepak 6-1, 6-0 in the Class 2A doubles quarterfinal and Stevenson’s Emma Blass & Ana Sukovic 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinal.
The Tigers’ team will face Hinsdale Central’s Lauren Panveno & Sophia Virmani in the Class 2A doubles final. The Red Devils team beat Edwardsville’s Katie Woods & Albina Selimi 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinal and New Trier’s Ava Katz & Lily Hermann 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinal.
Hinsdale Central (28 points) trails New Trier (31) in the Class 2A team race.
‘The Patch’: Serena Williams’ ‘Unbelievable Body’ in a Tight Dress Has Fans Losing It After Zooming In
When Serena Williams touched down in Spain for a prestigious awards ceremony this week, she brought more than just her legendary tennis record.
The 43-year-old champion brought her good looks and spontaneous dance moves that reminded everyone why she’s always been in a league of her own.
Williams arrived at Oviedo’s Hotel Reconquista on Oct. 23 ahead of receiving the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports and immediately had onlookers zooming in on her curves.
‘Where the Thighs Go?’: Serena Williams’ Gym Pics Go Viral as Fans Zoom In on Her Unrecognizable Appearance
Stepping out in a caramel-brown draped midi dress by Polish luxury designer Magda Butrym, Williams greeted the waiting crowd with unexpected flair.
When bagpipers began playing on the hotel steps, the mother of two broke into an impromptu dance, shimmying and moving to the traditional Spanish sounds with genuine enthusiasm that had guests reaching for their phones, according to El Confidential.
Still feeling herself, she posted a video of her dancing in a closet in the hotel, pairing the performance with Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” on Instagram.
“Gorgeousness, stunning … unbelievable body,” wrote one person, while another said, “The goat is enjoying that new body.”
Williams has been flaunting her new body all over Instagram since coming clean about taking weight-loss supplements since giving birth to her second daughter, and struggling to fit comfortably in a designer denim skirt.
Her dance moment quickly found its way to Fashion Bomb Daily’s social media page, where followers had more to say about Williams’ skintight dress. One wrote, “Her body was bodying before. This is not it, Boo!”
Shutting down critics, one fan hit back, “She looks great. Leave her be. Y’all want to hate for no reason. At least her makeup looks a lot better than it used to.”
The supportive sentiment reflected appreciation for Williams’ authentic joy at the international celebration.
Her choice of attire certainly warranted attention. The Magda Butrym creation, priced at approximately $2,475, featured a high closed neckline with a distinctive crossover cape-like detail flowing across the upper bodice into long fitted sleeves.
The stretchy fabric hugged her athletic physique, with a central seam releasing strategic draping that showcased her powerful build. Williams paired the form-fitting midi with classic pointed-toe pumps in a deeper chocolate shade. She kept accessories minimal, opting for oversized teardrop earrings that added sparkle, while wearing her hair loose with natural makeup that let her radiant smile take center stage.
However, eagle-eyed viewers noticed something during her enthusiastic dancing that sparked conversation.
“She did the armpit sniff. I learned from a belly dance instructor to be careful not to do that in photos/videos,” one commenter observed, referencing a moment when Williams appeared to check herself mid-movement. Another noticed the darker strip under her arm and wrote, “The patch.”
The champion has addressed the chatter before, but critics still push baseless claims about her look — accusing her of skin lightening and chasing Eurocentric beauty ideals through her hair choices and marriage to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Fans noticed the couple’s weight gain back in May, but by July, Williams unveiled a noticeably slimmer figure, one of her leanest looks yet. She consistently showed footage of herself working out but many still speculated she had assistance courtesy of GLP-1. She acquired a prescription from the telehealth company Ro that’s made from a class of drugs that can include well-known brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and others.
The scrutiny stands in stark contrast to the honor that brought Williams to Spain.
Considered one of the greatest athletes in history, her extraordinary record includes 73 individual titles, 23 Grand Slam championships, and four Olympic gold medals. The Princess of Asturias Award recognizes not only her athletic excellence but also her advocacy for gender equality and educational opportunities. At a news conference, Williams expressed, according to Marca, being “at a loss for words” over the recognition, calling it a “real honor” that made her feel “fulfilled.”
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, presided over the ceremony at Oviedo’s Campoamor Theater, where Williams received her award alongside other distinguished honorees from various disciplines.
Playoff bound Marquette and Seneca roll to wins to finish the regular season: The Times Friday Roundup
Football
Marquette 66, Morrison 23: At Morrison, the Crusaders (6-3) held a 36-10 lead at halftime in finishing off the regular season with a dominating victory over the Mustangs on Friday.
Seneca 48, Carlyle 13: At Maroa-Forsyth, the Fighting Irish (9-0) completed their unbeaten regular season after leading 14-0 after the opening quarter, 35-0 at halftime and 42-0 heading to the fourth.
Seneca rushed for 264 yards, led by Ethan Othon (3 carries, 88 yards, 2 TDs), Cam Shriey (9-73), Brayden Simek (2-44-1), Gunner Varland (3-25-1) and Matt Stach (2-25-1). Varland also was 2 of 3 passing for 88 yards, including scoring passes to Brady Sheedy (78 yards) and Shriey (10 yards), while Devon Daemicke completed his only pass for 22 yards.
The Irish, which allowed just 64 yards rushing and 172 total, was led by Joey Arnold (10 tackles), Griffin Hougas (5 tackles) and Breok Anderson (5 tackles).
“Our guys jumped out on Carlyle from the start and executed well,” Seneca coach Terry Maxwell said. “We made some nice plays in the passing game and got a lot of guys involved in the run game. Defensively the starting group swarmed to the ball and tackled well which was a point of emphasis this week. Looking forward to finding out our opponent for next week.”
Warrensburg-Latham 22, Fieldcrest 14: At Warrensburg, in a game that was tied at 8-8 at halftime, the Knights (1-8, 0-4) closed out the season with a Heart of Illinois Conference Medium Division loss to the Cardinals.
Fieldcrest’s Lucas Anson posted 207 yards on 27 carries and a pair of touchdowns and finished the season with 1,077 rushing yards.
Marengo 46, Sandwich 27: At Marengo, the Indians (2-7) closed the season with the road loss.
Dwight 41, Oregon 8: At Dwight, the Trojans (6-3) closed out the regular season with a solid victory over the Hawks.
Girls tennis
Moreland & Hernandez-Solis make it to Friday: At the IHSA Class 1A State Finals held in suburban Chicago, the Ottawa doubles team of Zulee Moreland and Yaquelin Hernandez-Solis won three matches Thursday against one defeat to advance to Friday’s second day of competition, where they were eliminated with an early-morning 6-2, 6-3 loss to Hinsdale South’s Hailey Goins and Teodora Savic.
Moreland and Hernandez-Solis opened their state tournament Thursday with a 6-2, 4-6, (10-3) first-round victory over a Wheaton Academy team. The Pirates fell in a second-round thriller, 6-3, 3-6 (10-8), to Alleman before rallying for a pair of victories to advance to Friday – 7-6 (3), 7-5 over a Normal U-High team and 3-6, 6-2 (10-5) over a Carbondale tandem.
Ottawa’s other state qualifiers, Rylee Harsted and Brooklyn Byone, went 0-2 Thursday to be eliminated, falling 6-0, 6-2 to Waterloo and 6-4, 6-3 to Carmel.
Boys soccer
PGA Tour of Americas star Michael Brennan leads the Bank of Utah Championship
IVINS, Utah (AP) — Michael Brennan earned a Korn Ferry Tour spot with a dominant late-summer burst on the PGA Tour Americas. In two days at Black Desert in the Bank of Utah Championship, he charged to the top of a PGA Tour leaderboard.
Brennan shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the darkness-suspended second round. Playing on a sponsor exemption, Brennan made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth.
“It’s very exciting to be in a tour event,” Brennan said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to be play any this fall, so to have the opportunity to play in one is awesome. I’m just very grateful to be here. It’s been a really fun week so far. Hopefully, it stays that way.”
The 23-year-old former Wake Forest player won three times in a four-event stretch on the PGA Tour Americas in August and September, and topped the season points list to take the first of 10 Korn Ferry Tour spots available on the tour.
“It’s given me so much great experience playing on the Americas Tour this year and having some success,” said Brennan, who won in Windsor, Ontario; Brainerd, Minnesota; and Sherwood Park, Alberta. “I feel like I’ll definitely be more prepared for this weekend after having those experiences. I know it’s not the same level, but I am going to try to treat them the exact same and see what happens.”
Brennan had a 10-under 132 total.
Pierceson Coody (64), Jackson Suber (67) and Justin Lower (67) were 9 under. In the FedEx Cup standings, Suber is 127th, Lower 129th and Coody 133rd.
After this week, only three tournaments remain in the season for players to finish among the top 100 in the FedEx Cup to keep full cards for the 2026 season. The top 100 has been reduced from 125 players keeping their cards a year ago.
Defending champion Matt McCarty played his opening nine — the back nine on the course — in 7-under 28, then was 1 over the rest of the way for a 65. He was 8 under, and entered the week 84th in the FedEx Cup.
David Ford was 8 under with six holes left. Play was suspended because of darkness for the second straight day.
First-round leader Thorbjorn Olesen was 7 under after a 70. He’s 116th in the FedEx Cup.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
PGA Tour Americas No. 1 Michael Brennan leads PGA Tour’s Bank of Utah Championship
IVINS, Utah — Michael Brennan earned a Korn Ferry Tour spot with a dominant late-summer burst on the PGA Tour Americas. In two days at Black Desert in the Bank of Utah Championship, he charged to the top of a PGA Tour leaderboard.
Brennan shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the darkness-suspended second round. Playing on a sponsor exemption, Brennan made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth.
“It’s very exciting to be in a Tour event,” Brennan said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to be play any this fall, so to have the opportunity to play in one is awesome. I’m just very grateful to be here. It’s been a really fun week so far. Hopefully, it stays that way.”
The 23-year-old former Wake Forest player won three times in a four-event stretch on the PGA Tour Americas in August and September, and topped the season points list to take the first of 10 Korn Ferry Tour spots available on the tour.
“It’s given me so much great experience playing on the Americas Tour this year and having some success,” said Brennan, who won in Windsor, Ontario; Brainerd, Minnesota; and Sherwood Park, Alberta. “I feel like I’ll definitely be more prepared for this weekend after having those experiences. I know it’s not the same level, but I am going to try to treat them the exact same and see what happens.”
Brennan had a 10-under 132 total.
Pierceson Coody (64), Jackson Suber (67) and Justin Lower (67) were 9 under. In the FedExCup standings, Suber is 127th, Lower 129th and Coody 133rd.
After this week, only three tournaments remain in the season for players to finish among the top 100 in the FedExCup to keep full cards for the 2026 season. The top 100 has been reduced from 125 players keeping their cards a year ago.
Defending champion Matt McCarty played his opening nine — the back nine on the course — in 7-under 28, then was 1 over the rest of the way for a 65. He was 8 under, and entered the week 84th in the FedExCup.
David Ford was 8 under with six holes left. Play was suspended because of darkness for the second straight day.
First-round leader Thorbjorn Olesen was 7 under after a 70. He’s 116th in the FedExCup.
Michael Brennan leads PGA Tour’s Bank of Utah Championship
IVINS, Utah — Michael Brennan earned a Korn Ferry Tour spot with a dominant late-summer burst on the PGA Tour Americas. In two days at Black Desert in the Bank of Utah Championship, he charged to the top of a PGA Tour leaderboard.
Brennan shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the darkness-suspended second round. Playing on a sponsor exemption, Brennan made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth.
Bank of Utah leader Michael Brennan making most of opportunity
Michael Brennan, in his first PGA Tour start as a professional, held a one-shot lead at the Bank of Utah Championship when play was suspended due to darkness Friday evening in Ivins, Utah.
Brennan shot a 6-under-par 65 in the second round, boosting him to 10-under 132, one ahead of Jackson Suber (67 on Friday), Justin Lower (67) and Pierceson Coody (64).
The first round on Thursday did not finish before darkness fell at Black Desert Resort, either, leading play to be backed up on Friday. More than 50 golfers will conclude their second rounds Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m. local time. The projected cut line currently stands at 1 under.
Brennan, 23, played this season on the PGA Tour Americas, which essentially feeds into the Korn Ferry Tour. Brennan finished No. 1 in the third-tier tour’s Fortinet Cup standings and will be fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2026.
However, he is playing the PGA Tour this week on a sponsor’s exemption, and he is making the most of it. His Friday round included five birdies, an eagle at the par-5 ninth hole and just one bogey.
Coody carded a bogey-free 64 that was the low round of the tournament thus far. The 25-year-old is a three-time Korn Ferry winner but is seeking his breakthrough win on the PGA Tour.
Matt McCarty (65) and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya (68) are tied at 8 under par along with David Ford, who had six holes to play in his second round.
Sahith Theegala (67) is tied for eighth at 7 under par as he continues to come back from a neck injury that robbed much of his summer. Max Homa shot a 66 on Friday to get to 6 under par and ensure he will reach the weekend.
2nd Round of PGA Tour Fall Event Suspended After Several Pros Exit the Tournament
Something’s not quite right at the Bank of Utah Championship. For the second consecutive day, play has ground to a halt at Black Desert Resort—but this time, Mother Nature can’t take the blame. With perfect conditions overhead and yet another suspension called, questions are mounting about what’s really causing the chaos in Ivins, Utah.
The second round of the Bank of Utah Championship was suspended due to darkness at 6:47 p.m. local time (MT) on Friday, October 25, 2025. According to PGA Tour Communications, play will resume Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The stoppage comes just one day after Thursday’s first-round suspension, which left 38 players across 14 groups unable to complete their rounds before sunset.
The thing to note here is that weather conditions were ideal on both days. Clear skies, calm winds under 10 mph, and zero natural disruptions. The problem? A 15-minute delay for Thursday’s afternoon wave cascaded into a scheduling nightmare that the tournament simply couldn’t overcome, even with flawless weather on Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Adding to the tournament’s troubles, three players have withdrawn from the event. Lanto Griffin pulled out during the first round, followed by Vince Covello after Round 1 and Aldrich Potgieter before the second round began. Potgieter’s exit has sparked particular interest, with rumor mills running to link the South African to a potential move to LIV Golf. That was later squashed by Potgieter, who released an official statement saying his stomach bug was the reason for the WD.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
PGA Tour Star Indirectly Addresses LIV Golf Rumors After His Exit from Utah Event Caused Chaos
When a 21-year-old rising star withdraws from a tournament, why does it instantly trigger a social media firestorm? Why do golf insiders go into overdrive with LIV Golf conspiracy theories? The October 23 chaos had it all—a cryptic withdrawal announcement, timing that seemed too convenient, whispers that had been building for weeks. Was this the smoking gun everyone was waiting for?
Aldrich Potgieter finally broke his silence, and the truth is far less dramatic than the rumor mill suggested. The South African star’s withdrawal from the Bank of Utah Championship wasn’t about Saudi money or secret contract negotiations. But a stomach bug. Severe food poisoning forced him out before the second round. But here’s what makes this story fascinating: the evidence that fueled weeks of speculation reveals far more about LIV Golf’s 2026 recruitment strategy and why Potgieter became target number one.
The PGA Tour confirmed the withdrawal on October 23, 2025. Flushing It Golf’s X post on October 25 clarified the situation: “Aldrich Potgieter had to WD from the Bank of Utah Championship on the PGA Tour due to serious food poisoning.” The post garnered 9,613 views and quote-tweeted PGA TOUR Communications’ official announcement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Yet the damage was already done. Rumors had been swirling since early October when Golf Digest reported that “representatives of two recent tour winners are in discussions with LIV.” Fans and industry insiders quickly identified Potgieter as one of the unnamed targets.
The speculation had plenty of fuel. Potgieter withdrew from the John Deere Classic in July after a frustrating third-round 76, exiting the six-million-dollar event without clear explanation. Then there’s his connection to Louis Oosthuizen, the Stinger GC captain who runs Louis57 Junior Golf Academy in Mossel Bay, where Potgieter trained. The two practiced together at Royal Portrush during The Open Championship week in July 2025.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But the biggest bombshell came on October 23. Sports Business Journal reported that Potgieter would leave GSE Worldwide and join Entertainment Sports Partners (ESP) in January 2026. This raised eyebrows because GSE Worldwide represents LIV’s most prominent names: Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, and Joaquin Niemann. The agency switch seemed to point in one direction—until you look at who runs ESP.
Rob Goulet leads Entertainment Sports Partners. His star client? Ernie Els, arguably LIV Golf’s most vocal critic. Els hasn’t held back his disdain for the Saudi league. In July 2023, he called LIV “circus golf” and declared that “team golf doesn’t work.” In May 2024, Els told Yellowhammer News: “The LIV current format is not proper golf… It wouldn’t have been for me, whatever stage of my career I was at.”
Sports Business Journal’s sources now say “it’s unlikely Potgieter would join LIV. Els, the most notable client at ESP, has been a vocal critic of LIV since its launch more than three years ago.” The timing tells another story, too. Just 55 minutes before his withdrawal announcement, the PGA Tour posted a video featuring Potgieter discussing his goals to qualify for the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational. He sits 52nd in the FedExCup Fall standings, where positions 51-60 earn spots in those prestigious signature events.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
LIV Golf’s 2026 roster crunch: Why young stars are prime targets
LIV Golf faces a recruiting challenge heading into 2026. The league relegated six players: Henrik Stenson, Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Yubin Jang, Frederik Kjettrup, and Anthony Kim. Those spots need filling, and LIV is actively courting PGA Tour and DP World Tour players.
Rising stars like Potgieter fit the profile perfectly. At 20 years and 9 months, he became the youngest South African PGA Tour winner when he claimed the Rocket Classic in June 2025, pocketing $1.62 million. He’s ranked 56th in the world. Young, successful, marketable—everything LIV wants for its long-term vision.
New recruits face stricter requirements, too. LIV now demands a minimum of two International Series events on the Asian Tour plus its 14 regular events. The league expects to finalize its 2026 roster by December before the season opener.
Despite weeks of speculation and circumstantial evidence, there’s no concrete proof Potgieter is joining LIV Golf. He’s just a young star recovering from food poisoning with his eyes firmly on PGA Tour success in 2026. As LIV continues its recruitment push and withdrawal announcements continue to fuel rumors, the question remains: how many rising stars will the Saudi-backed league actually land?
Jordan Spieth Is Joined by Justin Thomas for a Special Fundraiser Amid PGA Tour Hiatus
After the American team’s emotional loss at Bethpage, Justin Thomas indulged in two weeks of ” really nothing.” He was spotted at his favorite Tuscaloosa hangout, Innisfree Irish Pub, sipping beers with Bud Cauley, Nick Snead, and Brantley Blow. Posting a picture of his gang, Thomas wrote, “Thanks for always having us.” Now, JT’s next appearance comes at his friend Jordan Spieth’s charity party.
The Spieth & Friends charity night returned for its 11th edition, complete with live music from Chris Young, indoor golf at Topgolf, and a fancy guest list. Of course, one among them was Speith’s long-time bud, Justin Thomas.
“Another Spieth & Friends in the books… and what a night! From @chrisyoungmusic to the best @topgolf venue, @att partnership, and so much more. We truly were surrounded by the best friends! Thanks to so many people near and far that supported last night and this mission – it is so special to us,” read the caption of the carousel of photographs from the night, featuring Justin. The clips showed several people coming in and greeting Spieth and his wife, Annie Verret.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, now a decade old, has distributed more than $10 million in grants across its four pillars: Special Needs Youth, Junior Golf, Military Families, and Pediatric Cancer. The cause is quite close to Spieth’s heart, as it was inspired by his younger sister Ellie, who has autism. The foundation’s most recent initiatives include a $500,00 grant to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for leukemia research, the Crush It! Cup junior golf event, which raised $250,000 earlier this year. Scottie Scheffler, too, has time and time again helped Spieth quietly in raising funds.
As the clips from the reels rolled, Spieth himself appeared to share a few words. “It’s a huge fundraiser for our foundation that then gets distributed into our four pillars…It’s our 11th one, and it seems to get bigger and better.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Spieth has been having his own free time from golf. But unlike Thomas, who had a good season that demanded a break, Speith’s hiatus is more about navigating his long-run challenges. After undergoing wrist surgery in 2024 to repair a damaged ECU tendon and ulnar nerve, Spieth made a return earlier this year. But since then, he has been quite selective in his starts.
His last tournament was the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, where he finished T38. Before that, he was set to participate in the Travelers Championship, but had to withdraw – his first ever withdrawal in 297 PGA Tour starts.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Spieth and Thomas have been friends for a very long time. So, if a big event like this is organized, of course, Justin Thomas had to be there.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas’ 20-year friendship
If there’s one bond that defines modern golf, then it has to be Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas’s. A 20-year friendship that goes back to the time when the two were small boys, on the edge of their teenage years. The 13-year-old duo showed up at a junior tournament in Texas and ended up carding matching 68s. From then on, they were nearly inseparable.
Their path stayed connected. In college, Spieth’s University of Texas squad famously edged out Thomas’s Alabama team at the 2012 NCAA Championship. That year, Speith turned professional, racking up six wins, including two majors, becoming what we know today as the Golden Child. A year later, Thomas joined the pro club, with his first win coming in 2015.
As Thomas put it in Netflix’s Full Swing, “He’s one of my closest friends, and we’ll always root for each other. But at the same time, I want to beat him every single tournament we play for the rest of our lives.”
Their friendship continues. Spieth was the best man when Thomas put a ring on Jillian Wisniewski’s finger. The bond has since then only bloomed.
Anyways, JT’s casual downtime will soon be over, as he is set to appear in the new season of The Skins Game, alongside several other golf stars.
Justin Lower Net Worth in 2025: PGA Tour Pro’s Career Earnings and Endorsement Deals Explored
While most assume every PGA Tour player lives in luxury, Justin Lower’s financial journey tells a grittier story. The 36-year-old from Akron, Ohio, has built his wealth one grinding tournament at a time, transforming personal tragedy into professional triumph.
Justin Lower’s estimated net worth stands at $5 million as of 2025, according to Surprise Sports. However, this figure represents more than just prize money. It reflects years of developmental tour struggles, strategic sponsorship deals, and the kind of resilience that can’t be measured in dollars alone.
The Ohio native has banked $5,569,030 in official PGA Tour career earnings through October 2025. That places him 393rd on the all-time money list. Not exactly elite company, but it’s a remarkable achievement for someone who earned his tour card on the final hole of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
His 2025 season has been particularly solid. Lower earned $1,006,375 through October, keeping him safely inside the crucial top-125 threshold. His best payday came at the American Express, where a T3 finish netted him $519,200. Similarly, the 2024 Mexico Open delivered $429,300 for another third-place showing.
These consistent performances matter tremendously for Lower’s financial stability. The golfer broke down crying when asked what victory would mean during a post-round interview. That emotional moment reflected not just competitive hunger but financial reality. A first PGA Tour win would transform his earning power overnight.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Justin Lower’s sponsorship portfolio fuels financial growth
Lower has secured multiple strategic partnerships beyond tournament earnings. His most significant deal came in July 2025 with Society Brands, a Canton-based tech company. The multi-year agreement features prominent logo placement on his hat during all PGA Tour events.
The hometown connection adds personal meaning beyond financial compensation. Society Brands generates over $100 million in annual revenue, making Lower their first-ever athlete partnership. This relationship launched perfectly when Lower finished T3 at the American Express just days after the announcement.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Equipment deals also strengthen his financial foundation. Lower serves as a PXG brand ambassador, using their clubs throughout his bag except for a Ping G430 LST driver. The partnership likely includes both equipment provision and endorsement fees, though specific contract values remain undisclosed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Lower.com and Litehouse Foods round out his sponsorship lineup. The Lower.com deal, signed in May 2021, created natural marketing synergy given the perfect name alignment. Litehouse Foods selected him in June 2022 for embodying integrity and commitment to excellence.
Lower’s financial outlook remains promising. At 36, he remains in his prime competitive years with potentially 5-10 more seasons of peak earning potential. His consistent cut-making ability ensures a steady income beyond tournament volatility.
Who Is Michael Brennan? Lifestyle, Professional Career, & More About Golf Pro Explored
Newly turned pro, Michael Brennan, made the most of his sponsor exemption at the Bank of Utah Championship 2025. He claimed the solo lead at 10-under after two rounds, raising curiosity about him. Michael is from Virginia and turned pro in 2024. Currently, he plays on the PGA Tour Americas. Michael was born on February 9, 2002, in Leesburg to Mike and Shannon Brennan.
Brennan continues to compete out of Virginia, representing his state. Not much is known about the personal life and background of Brennan from his early childhood years. However, evidently, he picked up the golf clubs at a considerably young age, winning his first Middle Atlantic Amateur in 2017 at the age of 15. He went on to win the event yet again in 2018 and 2019. But this was just the beginning.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Michael Brennan’s early golf background and collegiate days
Michael soon began racking up titles and accolades even before his collegiate golf days. He became the 2019 Virginia State Amateur Champion, earning his way to the 2020 US Amateur. In the stroke-play leg of the event, the 23-year-old finished tied for 11th. Shortly after, the Virginia state golfer attended Wake Forest University, where he began his collegiate golfing stint.
Brennan’s freshman year was nothing short of breathtaking. He became the first freshman to record back-to-back wins, and he was named to the All-ACC First Team. The pro also received the PING All-East Region honors. Recording two top-5 finishes, Brennan carded in 2 other notable wins, at the Kiawah Invitational and the Wake Forest Invitational. Moreover, the college freshman also recorded a 71.74 stroke average, the team’s second-best.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Moving ahead, Brennan continued a strong streak of performances across his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Improving his stroke average to 70.30, he became the team’s best striker. In addition to the improvements in his game, the sophomore also made his PGA Tour debut at the Genesis Invitational, qualifying by winning the Genesis Collegiate Showcase.
Following this incredible spell, Brennan made his first major appearance at the US Open during his junior year. He also raked in the ACC Individual Championship, the first Wake Forest winner since Webb Simpson in 2008. Alongside receiving the GCAA All-America Scholar and the PING All-East Region and All-ACC, Brennan enjoyed his college-best season during his junior year.
His performance slightly dipped during his 2023-24 senior year. With his stroke average at 71.46 and a season low at 65, Brennan’s metrics only slightly declined. Despite this, the Wake Forest alumni managed to secure the ACC Individual Champion for the 2nd consecutive year. This etched his name in the history books among the five individuals who have ever achieved this milestone. Following shortly after his graduation, Michael Brennan secured his spot in the professional golfing scene in 2024.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Michael’s professional golfing saga
While Brennan mainly competes in the PGA Tour Americas circuit, he has also teed it up on both the KFT and the PGA Tour. However, all of his wins have come from the former circuit. The Wake Forest golfer has competed in 26 events on the said circuit, making cuts in 22 of them.
He has recorded remarkable success on the PGA Tour Americas, with 3 third-place finishes, 11 top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes. Brennan has also secured three titles in the circuit, all in 2025. His maiden victory came at the ATB Classic only a couple of months ago in September. Brennan followed it up with two more victories at the CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center and the BioSteel Championship. Across all his starts, the 23-year-old has collected total career earnings of $247,389. Following only a year since his pro stint, his accolades seem yet more profound.
In the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour, Brennan has yet to find success. He failed to make the cut at the only KFT event he played, the UNC Health Championship. Across the PGA Tour, the disappointment remains intact. While his earliest starts on the PGA Tour came during his college days, his most recent event on the Tour is the Bank of Utah Championship. Being his first PGA Tour event since turning pro, the tournament came with both first-time chills and room to make mistakes.
However, as it appears, Brennan looks right on his way to winning his maiden PGA Tour title in Utah. Draining 6 birdies on the first round and putting 5 more birdies and an eagle on the second round, Brennan’s driver is on a hot streak. Even in the darkness-suspended second round on Friday, Brennan showcased his golfing proficiency and poise with a 40-foot eagle on the par-5 9th.
“It’s very exciting to be in a Tour event,” Brennan said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to be playing any this fall, so to have the opportunity to play in one is awesome. I’m just very grateful to be here. It’s been a really fun week so far. Hopefully, it stays that way.”
Following a commendable collegiate career and soaring ranks in the PGA Tour Americas, it is only a matter of time until Brennan finds his name among the sport’s top competitors.
Former Razorback riding high after first-round 66 in Simmons Bank Championship
The first round of the Simmons Bank Championship couldn’t have gone much better Friday for PGA Tour Champions rookie Tag Ridings.
The former University of Arkansas standout was atop the leaderboard for most of the day in Little Rock, firing a 6-under 66 to settle in a four-way tie for second place. Like many others, he was overtaken by New Zealand’s Steven Alker and his scintillating tournament-record 11-under 61.
The only blemish on Ridings’ scorecard came at the par-5 14th when he made bogey. Before that, Ridings rode five birdies on the front nine and two more on the back, the last coming at the par-3 13th to reach 7 under.
Ridings, 51, was paired Friday with Tommy Gainey and Dicky Pride. He will be in the final grouping at 9:28 a.m. Saturday with Alker and Greg Chalmers, who he is tied for second place along with Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink and Billy Andrade.
Gainey’s birdie on the opening hole got Ridings’ attention.
Kevin Harvick’s Star Driver Opens Up on NASCAR Opportunity After Emotional Dale Jr Send-Off
Landen Lewis is the latest promising young talent in stock car racing right now. He started go-karting when he was just four, and after climbing the Dirt Modifieds, Legend cars, and ARCA steps, he joined Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) in 2024 for his late model stints.
After showing some good form since then, he finally clinched the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Championship on October 20, his first full-time title in the series for KHI. “These moments don’t come easily, so you just try and enjoy it while you can,” an emotional Lewis expressed from the winning stage. And his seeds bore fruit. The teen is now prepping to up his Truck game as he’s been signed by Niece Motorsports for a part-time opportunity next year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Lewis remembers his mentors
This won’t be his first Truck rodeo, as he’s had a few trysts with Roper Racing in 2023 and Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2024. Now, after a year’s gap, he will be back as an ‘anchor driver’ for his team. Speaking to Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour, Lewis said, “Yeah, so we actually just signed a contract two weeks ago to go Truck racing. So I’m going to go Truck racing with Niece Motorsports. I’ll have 15 races with them, and I get to share the Truck with two Cup guys, so I think that’ll be really cool for me to learn from those guys.”
“I think that’s really why I was just so emotional all day on Saturday. I’m kind of getting emotional right now, talking about it. I’m very happy, inside I’m happy but I think that was why I was so emotional at the race track. I knew that was kind of my last full-time season with you guys.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
These emotions of Lewis show how, more than the excitement of the upcoming journey, he’s emotional about cutting his past bridges. That bittersweet feeling of closing a chapter to start another.
His “you guys” shows he’s aware and appreciates the mentorship he received from his veteran mentors and CARS Tour co-owners Kevin Harvick and Dale Jr., as he expressed an emotional incident he faced with the latter.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Post the race, when Lewis got home in the wee hours, prepping to sleep, his phone went off. And just as sleep was about to take over, it vanished the moment he saw the name flash on his phone — Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lewis recalled how special that moment was for him, “He tells me ‘Good job’. I’m like ‘Man, this is so cool to live that moment because my mentor Ron, he got that phone call from Dale Sr. And I got a phone call from Dale Jr. And I’m like, ‘That’s freaking awesome to be a part of.’ I went to Ron yesterday and told him this story, and he started crying; he was so emotional.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He added what Dale Jr. told him, “‘Landen, I want to tell you now that it’s over with. You don’t understand how hard and bad I wanted to help you get through this moment….But there’s no words that I could have told you to help you. You don’t understand until you actually live it.’ And I lived it on Saturday night. It was stressful but it was pretty cool.”
His words show what that one call from Dale Jr. meant to him. A personal call from someone of Junior’s stature reinforced his confidence in what he does, making him realize how it is only after reaching that stage that he will realize the responsibility and the weight of that glory.
Lewis can’t wait for his new Truck stint
The 19-year-old, fresh off his CARS Tour championship, expressed his excitement about the new challenge, saying, “I’m super excited to join Niece Motorsports in 2026 and look forward to having a solid year learning all I can… I can’t wait to get there and start working alongside everyone.” For Lewis, it’s all about adapting to the trucks, connecting with his crew, and learning through experience.
“Try to learn something new, again. It’s a steady work and you have to keep working and I’m excited to get over to Niece Motorsports with Cody and all the guys. Just start learning as much as possible and next process is learn how to build a Truck. That’s my next thing, I want to learn how to do that because I want to be right there with all my guys throughout this next season, learn how to fix and work on them, so super excited for that,” he added.
Lewis’ 2025 campaign had already shown what he’s capable of. Despite mid-season dips, including a tough Langley run, he bounced back to clinch the title by 13 points over Connor Hall. His consistent performances and sponsor backings helped him to prove how he’s ready to take on the next Truck challenge.
Harvick, who has guided Lewis since his early days in Legends cars, praised his determination and character. “I just don’t think there are many kids that are left like Landen,” Harvick said after his title win. “His work ethic, determination, and sacrifices are contagious—it attracts people, sponsors, and everyone who wants to support him.”
With his humility, hunger to learn, and guidance from veterans like Harvick and Dale Jr., Lewis now stands poised to turn his next chapter into his biggest leap yet.
NASCAR Championship 4: Joey Logano to Outpace Ryan Blaney & Christopher Bell?
Joey Logano’s NASCAR late-season posture feels almost routine now. The confident grin, the calm defiance, and the unmistakable air of a man who thrives when the Cup field is at its most nervous. At this point in 2025, with tracks tightening and tempers simmering, he’s again in that familiar spotlight alongside teammate Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, each sharp, each certain they’ve figured something unique out.
The playoff intensity has trimmed to fine margins, and one thing’s clear: this year’s Champion 4 isn’t just about the fastest car. It’s about who can keep their edge longest when perfection is the minimum. And right now, that edge seems firmly in Logano’s corner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Joey Logano’s ruthless focus meets Blaney’s relentless drive
No driver embodies the cold efficiency of playoff survival quite like Joey Logano. The Team Penske veteran summed up his championship approach at Las Vegas bluntly: “Honestly, I don’t care how we move on… I don’t really care how we win the championship. I just want to win. I don’t care how we get there. It’s all about winning the trophy”.
That’s the same mindset that carried him to a third Cup Series title in 2024, and one he’s refused to temper as he barrels into another title showdown.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
And now, the latest stats show he’s beaten his peers, Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, for maintaining lap time consistency. While Blaney and Bell miss their optimal lap times by an average of 0.048 each, Logano misses it by just 0.045.
The assessment of short-track speeds shows how razor-close this championship battle is shaping up to be. The data offers an illuminating peek: Logano’s setups excel in long-run stability, while Blaney’s Menards Ford registers tighter consistency over short segments.
Check out the complete picture here:
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
If Logano manages to maintain this at The Paperclip, fans won’t be surprised to see the infamous late-surge of the No. 22 the way he’s been doing it lately. After eking his way into the semifinals by only a few points following the chaos at the Charlotte Roval, Logano’s social post, a photo of last year’s championship celebration captioned “Let’s do it again…”, said everything about his quiet confidence.
Ford’s internal notes reveal what makes that intensity formidable: meticulous attention to detail. “The pit stops have to be perfect. The restarts have to be perfect. The car has to be really, really good,” he said ahead of the Roval, highlighting NASCAR’s razor-thin margins in 2025.
“These days, you can’t have a mistake and expect to recover and drive through the field. The cars are just too close in speed”. Those words speak volumes about how far precision now outweighs aggression in the Cup Series’ playoff ecosystem, an area where Logano historically thrives.
But Ryan Blaney, the reigning 2023 champion, hasn’t exactly flinched. His own approach captures the ethos of controlled chaos. Entering the postseason, Blaney said, “It’s, what are you willing to push it to? …You can’t just keep doing the same thing. You refine what you think is fast and good”.
That mindset distills how Blaney has matured into NASCAR’s most composed high-pressure racer. When playoff narratives twist toward desperation, he sharpens his composure instead. Even when facing elimination pressure earlier this month at Talladega, Blaney leaned into an unlikely source of inspiration, WWE legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
“The cream will rise to the top,” he said, quoting Savage to describe his playoff stance. The line could have been lifted straight from his 2023 title run, which hinged on consistency and unshakable poise. As he aims for a third consecutive Final Four appearance, Blaney looks less like the Penske understudy and more like a master of mental balance, one who knows that endurance, not noise, often wins November’s last race.
Bell’s stat edge vs. the Ford machine
While the Penske stable represents poise and precision, Christopher Bell enters Phoenix as Toyota’s analytics bullet. His Joe Gibbs Racing #20 car has been both consistent and explosive, a balance few have matched all season. Leading the Cup field with an average finish of 12.48 and four wins in 2025, Bell ranks second in reliability behind William Byron in lap-to-lap consistency metrics. That translates to virtually no waste in track position over long runs, a goldmine in the championship finale’s clean-air premium.
Bell’s momentum traces back to his NASCAR early-season sweep through Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, then a gritty All-Star win at North Wilkesboro, where he famously passed Joey Logano on a late restart with fresher tires. That North Wilkesboro duel, months later, feels almost prophetic: Bell might not rattle opponents with bravado, but his quiet precision routinely forces them to overdrive just to stay even. His statistical edge shows in the numbers: twenty-one top-10s, thirteen top-5s, and 282 laps led across 34 races with only three DNFs .
That balance of aggression and control has transformed Bell into Toyota’s most complete playoff performer since Kyle Busch’s late-2010s dominance. Still, Bell’s ceiling depends heavily on conditions. The same Optimal Lap Model revealed how aerodynamic drag and tire wear subtly tilt the advantage toward Ford over Toyota during long-run momentum phases on short tracks like Martinsville and Phoenix.
And while Bell’s #20 thrives in cleaner air, his performance dips slightly when forced into turbulent pockets, a challenge magnified if Logano or Blaney capitalize on restarts. The matchup, then, becomes existential. Logano symbolizes unflinching playoff opportunism; Blaney, adaptive control under tension; Bell, engineering precision as a form of pace artistry. All three bring unique strengths, but the patterns of 2025 suggest a familiar curve.
Logano’s metrics on sustained long-run performance and his veteran knack for timing perfection in chaotic finales make him the destabilizer of trends, a quality that repeatedly delivers in NASCAR’s pressure cookers. Whether he actually “outpaces” Blaney and Bell may depend less on sheer speed and more on how well he maintains that surgical calm when the final pit window closes and the battle winds down to the last gallon.
At Phoenix, it won’t just be about who has the fastest setup sheet; it will be about who refuses to blink. And in that space, with chaos swirling and precision demanded, Joey Logano has built a career out of making the impossible feel inevitable.
Bubba Wallace Makes Huge Personal Announcement Ahead Of NASCAR Martinsville
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace has announced that he and his wife, Amanda, are expecting their second child, due in March 2026.
After tying the knot on 31 December 2022, the pair welcomed their first child together, Becks Hayden Wallace on 29 September 2024. And now, the 32-year-old driver has shared:
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title field set after dramatic Martinsville finish
Kaden Honeycutt’s runner-up finish Friday night at Martinsville Speedway was enough to secure the final spot in next week’s Championship 4 by a tiebreaker.
Corey Heim, who had already clinched a spot in the title race, claimed his 11th victory of the season but the drama was behind him for the final three spots in the title race, which will be held Oct. 31 at Phoenix Raceway.
MORE: Race results
Reigning series champion Ty Majeski earned a spot in the title race by one point. Tyler Ankrum also earned a spot in the Championship 4 by one point.
Honeycutt finished tied with Layne Riggs in points for the final transfer spot. Honeycutt will race for a championship at Phoenix and Riggs won’t because Honeycutt claimed the tiebreaker over Riggs. The tiebreaker is the best finish in the round. Honeycutt’s second-place finish Friday secured that.
Honeycutt took over Stewart Friesen’s ride in August after Friesen suffered a fractured right leg and pelvic fracture in a July 28 dirt modified race in Canada.
Riggs finished behind Honeycutt in third but it wasn’t enough. Majeski placed seventh. Ankrum was ninth.
Majeski is going after his second Truck championship at Phoenix. Heim, Ankrum and Honeycutt will be going for their first series crown.
Heim wins record 11th Truck race in dramatic Martinsville elimination event
While Corey Heim continued his propensity for sweeping stages and races, a missed shift Friday at Martinsville Speedway likely cost Layne Riggs a chance to race for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship.
Heim won both stages in the Slim Jim 200 on the way to his 11th victory of the season, extending his own series record. The driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota led a race-high 77 laps and beat Kaden Honeycutt to the finish line by 0.451s in overtime.
The real drama in the elimination race took place immediately behind the race winner. Honeycutt finished a career-best second, the position he needed to oust Riggs from the Playoffs on a tiebreaker that rewards the best finish in a given Playoff round.
Riggs came home third, followed by non-Playoff drivers Brent Crews and Corey LaJoie. Defending series champion Ty Majeski (seventh) and Tyler Ankrum (ninth) secured the remaining two berths in the Oct. 31 Championship 4 finale at Phoenix Raceway – by one point over Honeycutt and Riggs.
Fastest in practice, Riggs won the pole and led the first 27 laps, but after the second caution of the evening for fluid on the track, Riggs missed a shift on the ensuing lap 29 restart and fell to sixth in the running order.
As the race neared conclusion, Honeycutt engineered a masterful restart from the fifth position on lap 186, gained the front row when Crews chose to line up behind Heim, his teammate, for a restart on lap 192 and held the second spot – and the one critical point he needed – through the overtime finish.
Riggs beat Crews to the finish line but couldn’t catch Honeycutt in the wild two-lap overtime.
“Dejected even when I thought we were in [the Championship 4] at first,” said Riggs, a three-time winner this year. “I just don’t like racing that way, man. I’m hearing, ‘Gotta get one [position], gotta get one,’ and everybody knows how it is.
“If I’ve got the opportunity to get in for my team, I’m going to do it, even if I don’t want to do it … It all kind of started with that missed shift on that restart. I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve never missed a shift in a truck my whole career.
“We do have some new transmissions. I guess I’m just not quite used to them yet. I’m pretty upset about that. I think things could have been a lot different.”
Honeycutt, who took over the No. 52 Toyota from injured Stewart Friesen at Richmond in August, was elated to finish on the positive side a breathtakingly close battle for the final three Championship 4 spots.
“Oh, man, we get to go next week,” said Honeycutt, who was released from his ride at Niece Motorsports after his plans to change teams surfaced. “I very easily should have been at home watching this race…
“I get to go and carry this race team (Halmar-Friesen Racing) to Phoenix next week to have some fun and see if we can contend for that championship.”
Heim, who already qualified for the championship race, simply wanted to maintain momentum into the final week of the season.
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet,” Heim said of his title prospects. “We’ve got a big race next week…
“We wanted to capitalize on our day and make the best of it. Once we got out front, we showed that we really had something to work with here. We’ve got a big one next week to close it out. It’s going to be tough, but I’m confident we can do it.”
Two Playoff contenders saw their hopes of advancing to the Championship 4 evaporate long before the race ended. On lap 73, side-by-side contact with Honeycutt’s Toyota cut the left rear tire on Rajah Caruth’s Chevrolet.
Caruth slowed suddenly and spun in Turn 1, crashing into the outside wall with enough force to knock him out of the race. Having entered the elimination event 14 points above the cut line, Caruth was suddenly out of the running for the title.
“We were in a really good spot, but it is what it is,” said Caruth, who had finished ninth in the first stage. “We’ll keep pushing, and the sun will come up tomorrow. It sucks now, but that’s part of it.”
Daniel Hemric, who came to Martinsville realistically needing a victory to advance, sustained significant damage to both ends of his No. 19 Chevrolet when he was sandwiched on the on lap 29 restart when Riggs missed the shift.
Hemric’s truck began overheating, and after losing two laps under repairs, he failed to score points in either of the first two stages. The beneficiary under two cautions, Hemric regained the lead lap but his winning chances – and hopes for a Championship 4 berth – were gone.
On lap 166, Hemric took his truck to the garage, dropping out of the race in 31st place.
Also eliminated from Championship 4 eligibility was Grant Enfinger, who entered the race 40 points below the elimination line and finished 12th.
Corey Heim Stays Grounded in Championship Push After Dominant Martinsville Victory
It’s nearly impossible to be against Corey Heim for the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series title. The TRICON Garage driver heads into the season finale with a remarkable 11 wins in 24 races, a historic run capped off by another victory at Martinsville. Despite Heim’s dominance, the spotlight shifted to the fierce fight for a spot in the Championship 4.
Speaking post-race, the 23-year-old understands that nothing is set in stone: “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions yet, man. We got a big race next week, and like we talked about, I wanted the momentum going to Phoenix. Keep all our guys with heads held high, and you know what they’re working on going into Phoenix. And you know, I feel like it was, you know, definitely a rocky racer getting behind a track position, but we wanted to capitalize on our day and make the most of it.”
Despite starting fourth, Heim once again proved why he has been the dominant force in the Truck Series. He took control early and captured the Stage 1 win over Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, and Tyler Ankrum. Heim maintained his rhythm through Stage 2, leading comfortably over Majeski and Layne Riggs to secure another stage victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
His execution on pit road was flawless; he led the field in for service at lap 106 and maintained the lead on exit, setting himself up perfectly for the final stretch. Each restart seemed to fall in his favor, as he consistently chose the inside line and controlled the tempo of the race, even with the occasional caution breaking his momentum.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As the laps wound down, Heim found himself battling with Layne Riggs and Kaden Honeycutt, who derailed fellow playoff contender Rajah Caruth’s day, while Brent Crews briefly took the lead after a late-race surge. Despite Crews pulling ahead in the final 50 laps, Heim patiently waited for opportunities, reclaiming the top spot during a series of cautions and restarts. His ability to keep the truck clean amid multiple wrecks, including incidents involving Majeski, Jones, and Sutton, highlighted the composure that has defined his season.
In the end, Corey crossed the finish line 1st, earning his 11th win of the season and punching his ticket at the finale in Phoenix. It is also his second victory and fifth top 10 finish in six races at Martinsville Speedway.
Heim Wins NASCAR Truck Race at Martinsville, Championship Four Decided
Corey Heim did what he’s done best all year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by winning at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night, doing so for the 11th time this season in the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota. The race also decided the Championship Four drivers eligible to compete for the NCTS crown at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.
Those four drivers are Heim, reigning champion Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum and Kaden Honeycutt.
Heim Time Once Again
Heim had already punched his ticket to the Championship Four via his most recent win at the Charlotte Roval in early October. Despite that achievement, he and the No. 11 Team didn’t let up off the gas knowing they were good to go for Phoenix.
He started fourth and took the lead from Tricon teammate Brent Crews with 20 laps remaining for the victory. It was a NCTS season record for most wins and his 22nd overall. Heim has made the Championship Four the last three seasons.
“We’ve got a big race next week and a lot of momentum heading into Phoenix and keep our guys with their heads held high and you know what they are working on going to Phoenix,” Heim said. “I feel like it was a rocky race there getting behind on track position. We wanted to capitalize on our day and make the most of it.
“I really think we had the truck we had in the spring, but once we got out front it really showed that we had something to work with here. Just really grateful to everyone at TRICON Garage, Toyota, Safelite, Mobil 1, Celsius, and just everyone that’s gotten me to this point so far.
“It’s going to be tough, but I’m confident we can do it.”
Majeski Looking to Repeat
Ty Majeski and the No. 98 Ford started third and finished seventh. He raced for every point possible to solidify his championship.
“Obviously, I have mixed emotions,” Majeski said. “We come to a short track and we expect to be a little bit more competitive than that. But we qualified good, got good stage points and that was the difference tonight. I knew once we got back in traffic we were in pretty big trouble.
“I kind of knew from when we unloaded this thing today that it wasn’t quite right, but we persevered and got good stage points. The crew guys had a hell of a pit stop and kept our track position, I was just kind of playing defense at the end. It was just good enough.”
Honeycutt Makes it the Hard Way
Kayden Honeycutt and the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota made it in with a great late race charge and valuable stage points. This will be his first bid for a championship, which he did racing for three different teams this season.
“It’s awesome, I could have easily been on the couch after July.” Honeycutt said. “It looks like I just won the super bowl, but I don’t come from a lot. I worked my ass off with my dad in my garage and worked all night on racecars to get to this point. It means a lot that I even had a chance.
“I hate that I didn’t execute that last restart very well to beat Corey, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m glad that he got the win and we get to go fight for a championship now next week. It’s pretty incredible.
“Thanks to Stewart (Friesen), Toyota and HFR for the opportunity to step in this seat for him and do a good job for them. I wanted to do it so damn bad for Stewart and this race team and this playoff run was for them more than it was myself. I’m so grateful and we get to go to Phoenix next week and get to fight for it. ”
Tyler Ankrum rounds out the four finalists with his ninth-place finish in the No. 18 Chevrolet.
NASCAR Insider Drops 3-Word Bold Verdict on Chase Elliott’s Championship Push
For the second straight year, Chase Elliott enters Martinsville Speedway with his championship hopes dangling by a thread. The reminders of 2024’s heartbreaker are fresh on his mind. Twelve months ago, Elliott’s playoff run came to a crashing halt in the Round of 8, leaving a void for one of NASCAR’s most popular and accomplished drivers.
Fast-forward to 2025, and here he is again, standing on the brink of elimination with everything on the line at Martinsville. The No. 9 team has shown flashes of the old magic. However, the math isn’t kind; Elliott’s deep in the hole. Still, if there’s one driver who knows how to thrive under pressure, it’s him. And as the playoff drama heats up, one NASCAR insider summed up Elliott’s entire championship push in just three bold words.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Six playoff titans set the stage for a Martinsville clash
Martinsville Speedway is bracing for one of the most intense NASCAR Cup Series elimination battles ever as the penultimate race promises high drama, fierce rivalries, and the heartbreak of last-chance desperation. Scheduled for Sunday, the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville marks the deciding showdown for the final two spots in the Championship 4.
With Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe already locked into Phoenix, six elite playoff contenders will fight for survival in front of a packed crowd and national TV audience. Only the best will advance. Ken Schrader’s assessment rings true.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“We’re down to the top 8. Six cars that have a chance to get into two spots. Those are six of the best cars. It’s going to be exciting.”
The contenders fighting include Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott.
Every one of these six drivers has won at Martinsville before, making this a field of proven short-track masters. Blaney stands as the two-time defending Xfinity 500 winner. And of all the drivers, for Elliott, this race is a test of total resolve. Kenny Wallace summed up the challenge: “Martinsville is going to be exciting, and Chase Elliott is 62 points out. So no doubt, he’s gotta win.”
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Mathematically, Elliott’s path is clear. Being in the last spot in the playoff standings, only a win can save his championship dreams. Despite tough luck and early setbacks this season, Elliott’s track stats showcase his knack for surging at the right time (something he will need to do at Sunday’s race).
Numberwise, the Hendrick Motorsports driver looks decent with 1 win, 8 top fives, 13 top tens, and an average finish of 11.7 in 20 Martinsville starts.
With spectacular comebacks and fan support fueling his effort, the #9 team faces the pressure not of points but the weight of a legacy on the line. As the laps wind down in Ridgeway, Virginia, all eyes will turn to see which of these playoff titans grasps glory and which succumb to heartbreak.
Will it be another Elliott miracle, or will one of his rivals seize the moment? The stakes have rarely been higher at Martinsville.
Kyle Petty doesn’t hold back on Chase Elliott’s Martinsville chances
Chase Elliott arrives at Martinsville facing one of the most challenging assignments of his Cup Series career, and veteran NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty is not sugarcoating the challenge.
Elliott, after a costly wreck at Talladega and a string of playoff frustrations, has only one route to Phoenix. Either win at Martinsville or watch the championship battle unfold from the sidelines.
Petty assessed Elliott’s predicament by saying, “We know that the Hendrick organization can do it. The problem is right now, Joe Gibbs Racing is as hot as they’ve ever been.”
Indeed, JGR’s dominance has put two drivers – Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe – in the Championship 4 spots. Plus, with Christopher Bell too in the mix, Hamlin and Briscoe will work to ensure that Bell too qualifies for the championship race.
Petty pointed out the odds stacked against Elliott. To seize a win, the #9 team must overcome not just fierce Penske rivals like Logano and Blaney but also a squadron of JGR Toyotas seemingly unbeatable in high-stakes moments.
The stats paint a sobering picture. Elliott has logged just one win since 2023 and his lone Martinsville victory came in the 2020 playoff race, along with eight top-5 finishes and an average result near 11th after 20 starts.
“You’re going to have to go through three Gibbs cars to win the race,” Petty emphasized, referencing JGR’s relentless defense of their playoff turf. Yet Petty, who knows a thing about dramatic racing, leaves an open window for surprise. “This is the cream of the crop. But it’s going to be incredibly hard… I’m not going to rule it out because these are top-tier teams.”