Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 👋 Good morning! Happy Jackie Robinson Day. In today's edition: MLB power rankings, Hornets and Blazers advance, NBA mock draft 2.0, celebrating Rachel Robinson, Japan blanks USWNT, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ Two spots secured: Atlético Madrid held off Barcelona, 3-2 on aggregate, to reach their first Champions League semifinal since 2017, while defending champion PSG dominated Liverpool again, winning 4-0 on aggregate to reach their third straight semifinal. ⚾️ Kenley climbs to third: Tigers closer Kenley Jansen recorded his 479th career save in Tuesday's win over the Royals, passing Lee Smith for the third-most in MLB history. Only Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601) have more. ⛳️ Masters scores big ratings: Sunday's final round at Augusta averaged 14 million viewers on CBS, including a peak of 20 million, making it the most-watched final round of the Masters since 2015. ⚽️ Two surprise departures: Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano is stepping down due to personal reasons just four months after leading Miami to its first MLS title. U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker is stepping down to work for the Saudi Arabian federation. 🏈 Moore avoids jail: Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore avoided jail time for the actions that led to him being fired in December. He was instead sentenced to 18 months of probation following his previously agreed upon plea deal. ⚾️ 1-30 MLB POWER RANKINGS (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) Three weeks into the season, we don't know much. But we're confident enough in the early returns to say that the two-time defending champion Dodgers, who have the best record in baseball, belong at the top of our first power rankings. Top 5: Here's where each team ranks, plus their top performer so far, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman. Dodgers (13-4): L.A. has a hitter who is at or near the top of nearly every offensive category, but it's not Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Kyle Tucker. Rather, it's young CF Andy Pages, who's back to mashing (5 HR, 1.131 OPS) after falling into a deep slump last October. Braves (11-7): Reigning ROY Drake Baldwin has picked up right where he left off, leading Atlanta with five home runs and catching the lion's share of innings for a team that boasts the lowest ERA in MLB. Yankees (9-8): Much like the Dodgers, New York's early MVP isn't who you'd expect. 1B Ben Rice leads the majors with a 1.245 OPS and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Brewers (8-8): 2B Brice Turang was one of the lesser-known names on the USA's World Baseball Classic superteam, but the unheralded star looks poised to take another leap after last year's breakout. Padres (11-6): No relief pitcher has won the Cy Young since Éric Gagné in 2003, but San Diego closer Mason Miller is throwing his hat in the ring to be the next. Consider this: He's faced 27 batters so far, and he's struck out 20 of them. Absurd. 6-10: Guardians (RF Chase DeLauter, CF Angel Martínez); Mariners (RHP Emerson Hancock); Rangers (LF Brandon Nimmo, LHP MacKenzie Gore); Phillies (1B Bryce Harper); Tigers (SS Kevin McGonigle) And as for 11-30… (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 11-15: Pirates (2B Brandon Lowe); Orioles (LF Taylor Ward); Reds (3B Sal Stewart); Cubs (SP Shōta Imanaga); Diamondbacks (RF Corbin Carroll) 16-20: Twins (RHP Taj Bradley); Mets (C Francisco Alvarez); Blue Jays (SP Dylan Cease, SP Kevin Gausman); Red Sox (1B Willson Contreras, RF Wilyer Abreu); Rays (CF Chandler Simpson) 21-25: Royals (3B Maikel Garcia); Athletics (3B Max Muncy); Angels (SP José Soriano); Marlins (2B Otto Lopez, SS Xavier Edwards); Cardinals (RF Jordan Walker) 26-30: Astros (LF Yordan Alvarez); Nationals (LF James Wood, SS CJ Abrams); Giants (SS Willy Adames); Rockies (SP Antonio Senzatela); White Sox (RP Grant Taylor) 📸 SNAPSHOTS AMERICA IN PHOTOS (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) Charlotte — The Hornets beat the Heat, 127-126 (OT), in one of the wildest games of the NBA season. Not a bad way to kick off the play-in. LaMelo Ball was ice cold from deep (2-for-16) but scored the game-winning bucket in the final seconds. Technical difficulties: The Prime Video feed cut out for over a minute during the overtime period, causing viewers to miss at least one key possession. Not ideal! (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Phoenix — Deni Avdija scored 41 points — including a go-ahead 3-point play with 16.1 seconds left — and the Blazers erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns, 114-110, and advance to the playoffs. What's next: While Charlotte still needs to win another game to earn the East's No. 8 seed, Portland has secured the No. 7 seed in the West and will face the Spurs. (Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos via Getty Images) Seattle — Japan blanked the USWNT, 1-0, in a friendly to snap the Americans' 10-game winning streak and get instant revenge from Saturday's 2-1 defeat. Rubber match: These two teams will close out their three-game series on Friday in Commerce City, Colorado. ⚾️ BASEBALL ROYALTY RACHEL ROBINSON DESERVES A CELEBRATION, TOO Rachel Robinson at the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City in 2022. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo) While preserving Jackie Robinson's legacy, his wife, now 103 years old, has accomplished a great deal in her own right. Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports: Jackie Robinson died young. Weakened by heart disease and diabetes, the retired ballplayer and civil rights titan died on Oct. 24, 1972, at the age of 53. Robinson was survived by his two living children, Sharon and David, and his wife, Rachel, to whom he'd been married since 1946. As a sport, a people and a nation mourned the loss of an icon, the Robinson family faced the absence of a father, a husband, a friend. Sharon, David and especially Rachel were simultaneously handed a weighty responsibility: the preservation of a legend's legacy. As the inscription on Jackie's tombstone at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, so powerfully reads, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." In the 53 years since Jackie's death, Rachel Robinson has carried out that mantra to the absolute fullest. In July, she will turn a remarkable 104 years old. That means Rachel has lived longer — decades longer — in the afterglow of Jackie's life than she did by his side. In that time, she has kept his flame burning, in the vivid retellings of Jackie's trials and triumphs, in the heartfelt recollections of their marriage and in the community work she has overseen as part of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Rachel Robinson's story is intrinsically linked to that of her husband. It is also a story all her own. "I know that every successful man is supposed to say that without his wife he could never have accomplished success," Jackie wrote in the preface of his autobiography, "I Never Had It Made." "It is gospel in my case. Rachel shared those difficult years that led to this moment and helped me through all the days thereafter. She has been strong, loving, gentle, and brave, never afraid to either criticize or comfort me." 🏀 CLASS OF 2026 NBA MOCK DRAFT 2.0 (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) With the NBA Draft order mostly set, let's take a look at how both the first and second rounds could play out. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 Either Kawhi or Steph is going home tonight. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Play-In Tournament The 76ers host the Magic in the East's 7-8 game (7:30pm ET, Prime), followed by Warriors at Clippers in the West's 9-10 game (10pm, Prime). What's at stake: The 76ers-Magic winner gets the East's No. 7 seed, while the loser will face the Hornets on Friday for the 8 seed. The Warriors-Clippers loser is eliminated, while the winner will face the Suns on Friday for the 8 seed. ⚽️ Champions League, Quarterfinals The second legs conclude today in England and Germany, where Arsenal (up 1-0) host Sporting CP (3pm, Paramount+) and Bayern Munich (up 2-1) host Real Madrid (3pm, Paramount+) for spots in the semifinals. What's at stake: Sporting CP are trying to reach the semifinals for the first time ever, and snap an 0-9 quarterfinal drought for Portuguese clubs dating back to Porto in 2004. Arsenal seek their second straight trip, while Bayern and Madrid both last made it to the semis in 2024. ⚾️ Jackie Robinson Day All 30 teams will wear Jackie Robinson's Dodger blue No. 42 on their backs today to celebrate the 79th anniversary of when he broke MLB's color barrier. NY vs. LA: Tonight's nationally-televised games, appropriately, pit New York's teams against those from Los Angeles, as Jackie played for the Dodgers in Brooklyn just before they moved out West. First up is Angels at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime), followed by Mets at Dodgers (10pm, ESPN). More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Stars at Sabres (7pm, TNT) … Second in the West vs. second in the East in a potential Stanley Cup Final preview. 🎾 Tennis: Barcelona Open and Stuttgart Open (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 16 action in Spain and Germany. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now! ⚾ NO. 42 MLB TRIVIA Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson before Game 2 of the 1952 World Series. (Bettman Archive/Getty Images) MLB retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42 universally in 1997, but any players already wearing it were permitted to keep doing so until they retired. Question: Who was the last MLB player ever to wear No. 42? Hint: Retired in 2013. Answer at the bottom. 🏒 THE GREAT 8 FULL CIRCLE Game 1 vs. Game 1,573. (NHL) Alexander Ovechkin made his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005, scoring two goals in a 3-2 Capitals win. Nearly 21 years later, he faced the Blue Jackets again — in the final game of what could be his final season (though he certainly isn't acting like it!). Trivia answer: Mariano Rivera Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 👋 Good morning! I'm in Las Vegas this week for work. Anybody wanna grab a coffee? Developing story: Saudi Arabia's wealth fund is reportedly on the verge of cutting funding for LIV Golf. But the breakaway tour, which tees off in Mexico today, says "operations will continue as scheduled." We'll dive deeper tomorrow. In today's edition: The magic of the U.S. Open Cup, Sixers and Warriors advance, top 75 NFL prospects, Jackie Robinson Day, Champions League final four, cartoon of the day, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Warriors, Sixers advance: The Warriors beat the Clippers, 126-121, behind a vintage performance from Steph Curry (35 points, 7-12 3PT) to reach tomorrow's 8-seed game against the Suns. The 76ers beat the Magic, 109-97, to earn the East's 7-seed. 🏀 A'ja gets paid: Four-time MVP A'ja Wilson is signing a three-year, $5 million supermax contract to return to the Aces. It's the largest deal in WNBA history and is fully guaranteed. Live free agency updates. 💯 Time 100 athletes: Six athletes made Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world: Scottie Scheffler (golf), Noah Lyles (track), Hilary Knight (hockey), Lando Norris (F1), Alysa Liu (figure skating) and Chloe Kim (snowboarding). ⚾️ Another rookie extension: Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle signed an eight-year, $150 million extension just 17 games into his MLB career. That follows similar recent mega-extensions for Mariners SS Colt Emerson (8 years, $95M) and Pirates SS Konnor Griffin (9 years, $140M). 🏀 NBA viewership spike: 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games this season — Year 1 of the league's new TV deals — marking an 86% increase over last season and the highest regular-season viewership in 24 years. That's thanks in large part to so many games moving from cable (TNT) to broadcast (NBC). ⚽️ SOCCER'S SOUL THE MAGIC OF THE U.S. OPEN CUP One Knoxville SC players celebrate after scoring the game-winning goal against D.C. United in a shootout. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images) Before the World Cup arrives this summer — and FIFA's gluttony devours North America — a different version of soccer quietly unfolded this week. Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports: The World Cup is less than two months away and, while it is undeniably a spectacle like no other, riveting most of the planet for five weeks and celebrating both the game and its apostles, there is an over-the-top impurity to it all. It's always excessive, this year more than ever with increases in teams, matches, host countries and commercial opportunities in America. Your bank account — and patience for fan shuttles — may never be the same. For all its wonders, the World Cup will not accurately reflect the pulse of the sport on these shores. Soccer's essence is found in municipal parks and on small stages. At the pro level, it lives inside small clubs yearning for an indelible moment that makes all the lower-division hardships — and, rest assured, there have been countless over the course of the sport's patchy growth — worth it. Wednesday night brought a shining example. One Knoxville SC, a third-division club in just its fifth year of existence, defeated Major League Soccer's D.C. United in a shootout, 6-5, following a 3-3 draw through 120 imperfect minutes. A deserved celebration. (One Knoxville Sporting Club) It occurred in the U.S. Open Cup, a tournament dating back to 1914 and involving teams from all levels of the sport. Knoxville is the only third-flight team still alive this year. Before the galactic superstars arrive this summer, there are matches like these — flawed and fun, marked by great goals and strange goals, witnessed by fans who sat almost anywhere they wanted and by about a dozen visiting supporters watching their club play an MLS side for the first time. Without U.S. promotion and relegation — the worldwide system that makes soccer unique and facilitates ambitious clubs driven to climb the league ladders — small teams here fantasize about striking gold in the Open Cup. Most of the year, they operate in the shadows, in small markets before small crowds. In the Open Cup, they are allowed to dream. Before FIFA's behemoth crashes onto the continent, before fans from around the world descend on 16 venues and a global TV audience in the billions tunes in, unadulterated soccer was played this week in Naples, Florida; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It unfolded in Richmond, Louisville and Colorado Springs, as well as in a renovated park with almost 100 years of history and sitting a half-hour — and what seems like a million miles — from MetLife Stadium, site of the World Cup final. Louisville City FC players take the field before their win over MLS club Austin FC. (Louisville City FC) The Round of 32 marked the first stage in which MLS teams tangled with lower-tiered romantics. A draw determines the host team, and while MLS supporters typically ignore the early rounds, lower-division patrons embrace upset opportunities. It's modeled after cup competitions throughout Europe, where, for instance, Premier League clubs often hit the road to play opponents multiple tiers below them. The Open Cup can't match the lore and interest of the FA Cup, but it does motivate upset hunters. A win over an MLS side can prove to be the highlight of the year. Taking advantage of home support Tuesday, two teams from the second-division USL Championship surprised MLS opponents: Louisville City edged Austin FC, 2-1, and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks crushed Sporting Kansas City, 3-0. 🏈 BIG BOARD NFL DRAFT: TOP 75 PROSPECTS (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off one week from today, so it's time to lock in prospect rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports draft expert Nate Tice. Top 10 prospects: Fernando Mendoza, QB (Indiana) Arvell Reese, Edge/LB (Ohio State) Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) Sonny Styles, LB (Ohio State) Caleb Downs, S (Ohio State) Monroe Freeling, OT (Georgia) Rueben Bain Jr., Edge (Miami) Mansoor Delane, CB (LSU) David Bailey, Edge (Texas Tech) Carnell Tate, WR (Ohio State) Big Board: Top 75 prospects 📸 SNAPSHOTS IN PHOTOS: JACKIE ROBINSON DAY (Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Baltimore — MLB celebrated its annual Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, as all 30 teams took the field wearing Jackie's No. 42 to honor the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Origin story: The first such day was held in 2004, and in 2007 Ken Griffey Jr. asked commissioner Bud Selig for permission to wear No. 42. He ultimately got the go-ahead from Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, and it soon became a league-wide practice every April 15. (Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Los Angeles — The Dodgers and Mets convened next to Robinson's statue before their game, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed the players. "You look at New York, you look at Los Angeles, probably the two most diverse cities in the world. Jackie would look back and be very proud that the guys that are suiting up tonight reflect his dream, his vision on what equality, unity look like." On the field: Shohei Ohtani, in his first pitcher-only game since 2021, struck out 10 and allowed just one run in an 8-2 win, handing the Mets their eighth straight loss. Ohtani is now 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA while also maintaining a 48-game on-base streak, the longest in the majors. Merrill is mobbed by teammates after playing the hero. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) San Diego — Two of the day's biggest highlights came courtesy of Padres CF Jackson Merrill, who robbed Julio Rodríguez of a third-inning homer and then delivered a walk-off double to cap a five-run ninth in San Diego's 7-6 win over the Mariners. Another walk-off: Earlier in the evening, the Yankees also won on a walk-off double from SS José Caballero to beat the Angels, 5-4. This in a game where Mike Trout became the fourth player ever to hit at least four home runs in a series against the Yankees. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Philadelphia — Just an immaculate outfit from this fan, dressed in a full, vintage Jackie Robinson uniform. Bravo, sir. Full scoreboard: Rays 8, White Sox 3 | Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5 (F/10) | Cardinals 5, Guardians 3 | Red Sox 9, Twins 5 | Tigers 2, Royals 1 | Reds 8, Giants 3 | Cubs 11, Phillies 2 | Pirates 2, Nationals 0 | Yankees 5, Angels 4 | Braves 6, Marlins 3 | Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1 | Astros 3, Rockies 1 | Athletics 6, Rangers 5 | Padres 7, Mariners 6 | Dodgers 8, Mets 2 ⚽️ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The Champions League semifinals are set, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich advancing in Wednesday's quarterfinals to join PSG and Atlético Madrid in the final four. Meet the semifinalists: Clubs from France, England, Germany and Spain will continue their quest for European supremacy. 🇫🇷 PSG: The defending champions have reached three straight semifinals, and five of the last seven, despite nearly missing the knockouts entirely. They went a modest 4-2-2 in the league phase and eked past Monaco in the playoff before crushing Chelsea, 8-2, in the Round of 16 and blanking Liverpool, 4-0, in the quarterfinals. 🏴 Arsenal: The Gunners, in their second straight semifinal and fourth overall, took the opposite approach from PSG. After going undefeated in the league phase, they snuck past Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1, in the Round of 16 and Sporting CP, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich: The German giants took down Real Madrid in the quarterfinals with a thrilling 6-4 aggregate victory, capped by an absolutely gorgeous strike from Michael Olise on the final touch in Wednesday's clincher. Bayern now heads to their 22nd semifinal, trailing only Madrid (33) for the most ever. 🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid: Atleti, in their first semifinal since 2017 and seventh overall, have scraped and clawed their way into the final four. They went a mediocre 4-1-3 in the league phase, then beat Club Brugge, 7-4, in the playoff and Tottenham, 7-5, in the Round of 16 before holding off mighty Barcelona, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. What's next: The two-legged semifinals — PSG vs. Bayern and Atlético vs. Arsenal — will be played in late April and early May, with the winners advancing to the title game on May 30 in Budapest, Hungary. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, APRIL 16 The top-seeded Avalanche get one last tune-up before the playoffs begin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) 🏒 NHL Finale The playoff field is set, but seeding — specifically in the Pacific Division — is still up for grabs on the final day of the regular season, which features six games including a doubleheader on ESPN: Blues at Mammoth (7:30pm ET) and Kraken at Avalanche (10pm). Full slate: Ducks at Predators (8pm, ESPN+); Sharks at Jets (8pm, ESPN+); Kings at Flames (9pm, ESPN+); Canucks at Oilers (9pm, ESPN+). 🤸 NCAA Gymnastics Semifinals The final eight NCAA women's gymnastics teams take the floor today in Fort Worth in a pair of semifinals, with the top two teams from each session advancing to Saturday's championship. Schedule: No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Stanford are in the first session (4:30pm, ESPN2), followed by defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Arkansas and No. 13 Minnesota in the second (9pm, ESPN2). ⛳️ RBC Heritage The PGA Tour's swing through the Southeast continues with this $20 million signature event at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina (7am, ESPN+; 2pm, Golf). Seven in a row? The stacked field this tournament attracts has yielded a who's who of winners, with the past six editions all being won by a former major champion: Justin Thomas (2025), Scottie Scheffler (2024), Matt Fitzpatrick (2023), Jordan Spieth (2022), Stewart Cink (2021) and Webb Simpson (2020). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Padres (8:40pm, MLB) … San Diego (12-6) has won seven straight, including last night's walk-off victory over Seattle (8-11). 🎾 Tennis: Barcelona Open and Stuttgart Open (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 16 action in Spain and Germany. ⛳️ LIV Golf: Mexico City (6pm, FS1) … Club de Golf Chapultepec hosts the sixth event of the season. ⛳️ LPGA: LA Championship (6pm, Golf) … 15 of the world's top 25 golfers headline the field at El Caballero Country Club just north of Los Angeles. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 PLAY-IN NBA TRIVIA (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) 24 of 30 NBA teams have participated in the Play-In Tournament since its inception in 2021, meaning they've finished between 7th and 10th in their conference at least once. Question: Can you name the only six teams that haven't? Hint: Three East, three West. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ THE FUNNY PAGES CARTOON OF THE DAY (The New Yorker) A cartoon by Ken Levine. Trivia answer: Pistons, Knicks, Bucks, Nuggets, Rockets, Jazz Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 Blocking hockey injuries Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler attempts to block a shot in a January game. Photo: Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images University of St. Thomas engineering students spent their spring break designing better hockey pads alongside the NHL's Minnesota Wild, Axios Twin Cities' Kyle Stokes reports. 🤕 They're helping with a growing problem for pro hockey: blocked-shot injuries. 🏍️ The winning students reinforced shin guards with the same foam used in motorcycle gear. The Buffalo Sabres' Zach Benson and Rasmus Dahlin celebrate a goal in March. Photo: Ric Tapia/Getty Images 🏆 What's next: The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs start Saturday. 🦬 The defending champion Florida Panthers missed the postseason, while the Buffalo Sabres went on a late-season tear to end a 14-year playoff drought. Go deeper ... Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Umpires in the ABS era, NHL postseason is set, dueling MVPs in the Bronx, Weekend Watchlist, the playoff experience debate, Photo Finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Dueling MVPs: Mike Trout homered again on Thursday, making him the first visiting player ever to go yard on four consecutive days at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge also homered again, as the three-time MVPs combined for nine home runs in their four-game series in the Bronx. 🏀 Cade, Luka ruled eligible: Cade Cunningham and Luka Dončić have both been ruled eligible for year-end awards despite falling just shy of the 65-game threshold after the NBA and NBPA ruled in their favor on their Extraordinary Circumstances Challenges. Cunningham (63 games) missed 12 games for a collapsed lung and Dončić (64) missed two for the birth of his second child. ⚾️ No-hit bid spoiled: Guardians rookie Parker Messick came three outs away from a no-hitter against the Orioles before allowing a pair of singles in the ninth. He still earned the win, improving to 3-0 with a sterling 1.05 ERA. 📺 Bill to end blackouts: U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is expected to introduce the "For the Fans" act, a bill that will make local games easier to watch while ending most sports blackouts. 🏀 Jones to plead guilty: Former NBA player Damon Jones is set to plead guilty to sports gambling charges stemming from last year's FBI case that resulted in more than 30 arrests. He is the first defendant in the case to signal he'll plead guilty. ⚾️ ABS THE UMPS ARE ALRIGHT Royals 3B Maikel Garcia initiates an ABS challenge. (Mikayla Schlosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Griping about umpires is a tradition nearly as old as baseball itself. But for all the ire directed their way, both in the game's long history and in the nascent days of ABS, it turns out the boys in blue are remarkably good at their job — and only getting better. A new era: As you no doubt already know, MLB introduced the ABS challenge system this season, giving each team two challenges per game on the home-plate umpire’s ball/strike calls. It's a monumental change, but its impact is probably smaller than you think. There have been 1,143 challenges through the first three weeks of the season, or just over four per game. Put another way, there have been roughly 80,000 pitches thrown, and roughly 1% have been challenged. 54% of challenged pitches have been overturned, with fielders (60%) having more success than batters (47%). And while there have been a few egregious errors, over half of all umpires (49 of 83) are missing calls by an average of less than one inch, according to the website Tap To Challenge. What they're saying: "I don't think people realize 0.2, 0.3 inches off the plate — they're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe you missed that call. Go get a ruler out, please, and realize how much they just missed it by," Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt told The Athletic ($), sticking up for the umpires who are being judged more harshly than ever in the age of the robots. Between the lines: Baseball umpires are much better than you probably realize, especially these days. Just check out their improvement over the past two decades… (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) Trending up: The strike zone has evolved over the years, but remained constant since 1996. In that time, umpires have honed their skill and locked in on the zone, improving from 84.1% accuracy in the first year of the pitch-tracking era (2008) to 92.8% last year, per MLB. This year, of course, things changed. Not just with the introduction of ABS, but also with another evolution of the strike zone, which is now two-dimensional (a vertical plane across the center of home plate) instead of three-dimensional (the whole depth of home plate). That means, for example, that the same pitch called a strike last year (say, a slider that caught the front left corner of the 3-D plate) could be called a ball this year. One result of that smaller strike zone? This year's walk rate of 9.9% would be the highest since 1950. But the good news is that umpires, outfitted with earpieces, can now get real-time feedback on any pitch (challenged or not) by asking the ABS operator, "Did I miss that?" Those data points should add up to continually improve their accuracy moving forward. Big picture: When you add it all up, we're currently looking at the most accurately called strike zone in MLB history. And though some umpires would prefer not to be judged on such fine margins, and some players would tweak a few things here and there (e.g. more challenges), it's ultimately been a pretty smooth transition. 🏒 CHASING THE CUP THE NHL PLAYOFFS ARE SET (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) The NHL regular season came to a close on Thursday night, marking the end of the road for half the league's teams. For the other 16, the road to the Stanley Cup now begins. Quick links: Bracket | Stats 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) 🏀 NBA Playoffs The Play-In Tournament concludes tonight with a pair of games to determine each conference's No. 8 seed before the playoffs begin in earnest this weekend. Friday: Hornets at Magic (7:30pm ET, Prime); Warriors at Suns (10pm, Prime) Saturday: Raptors at Cavaliers (1pm, Prime); Timberwolves at Nuggets (3:30pm, Prime); Hawks at Knicks (6pm, Prime); Rockets at Lakers (8:30pm, ABC) Sunday: 76ers at Celtics (1pm, ABC); Warriors/Suns at Thunder (3:30pm, ABC); Hornets/Magic at Pistons (6:30pm, NBC); Trail Blazers at Spurs (9pm, NBC) Playoff X-factors: The players who can swing a series on every team 🏒 NHL Playoffs No rest for the weary. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tomorrow, two days after the conclusion of the regular season. Saturday: Senators at Hurricanes (3pm, ESPN); Wild at Stars (5:30pm, ESPN); Flyers at Penguins (8pm, ESPN) Sunday: Kings at Avalanche (3pm, TNT); Canadiens at Lightning (5:45pm, TNT); Bruins at Sabres (7:30pm, ESPN); Mammoth at Golden Knights (10pm, ESPN) ⚽️ Manchester City vs. Arsenal The Premier League's top two teams meet in a monumental clash with title implications on Sunday at the Etihad (11:30am, NBC). Where it stands: Arsenal (70 points) lead City (64) by six points, but they also have one fewer game remaining. If City win this weekend, and win their game in hand next week against relegation-bound Burnley, the two clubs will be tied on points with five matches left. 🤸 NCAA Gymnastics Championships The women's champion will be crowned tomorrow when Oklahoma, Florida, LSU and Minnesota take the floor in Fort Worth (4pm, ABC). Meanwhile, on the men's side: The 12-team qualifiers are today in Champaign, Illinois (2pm, ESPN+; 8pm, ESPN+), where the top three teams and top three individuals in each event will advance to Saturday's championship (7pm, ESPN2). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Rays at Pirates (Fri. 6:40pm, Apple); Tigers at Red Sox (Fri. 7:15pm, Apple); Braves at Phillies (Sun. 7:20pm, Peacock) ⛳️ Golf: RBC Heritage (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS); LA Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf); LIV Mexico (Fri-Sun, FS1) ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Japan (Fri. 9pm, TNT) … Colorado hosts the rubber match in this three-game series. ⚽️ MLS: LAFC vs. San Jose (Sun. 7pm, Apple) … Second vs. third in the West. 🎾 Tennis: Barcelona Open and Stuttgart Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Finals on Sunday in Spain (ATP) and Germany (WTA). 🏁 Motorsport: NASCAR at Kansas Speedway (Sun. 2pm, Fox); IndyCar's Grand Prix of Long Beach (Sun. 5:30pm, Fox) 🏉 Women's Six Nations: Week 2 of 5 (Sat. 8:30am, Peacock) … France, England and Scotland look to start 2-0. 👊 WWE: Wrestlemania 42 (Sat-Sun, ESPN+) … Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas hosts the two-night, 13-bout melee. Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 POSTSEASON NO PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE? NO PROBLEM (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Postseason experience has long been seen as a prerequisite to playoff success, but the Spurs — one of the least-experienced teams in this year's field — are out to prove that in the modern NBA, young legs may rule the day. Tom Haberstroh, Yahoo Sports: For a guy who is the tallest player in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama doesn't seem to care much about ceilings. Many doubted Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs' legitimacy before the season. Vegas projections gave them just the 17th-best odds to win the championship and an over/under win total of 44.5. With Wembanyama leading the way with an impressive MVP case, they smashed that figure with 20 games remaining in the schedule. The team finished 62-20, the second-best record in the NBA. They're way ahead of schedule, and it's clear they're setting their sights higher: They want a championship. Despite the Spurs outpacing their win projection by more than any other team in the league, the oddsmakers still aren't totally sold on their title makeup. According to BetMGM, the team is +450 to win the NBA title, giving them implied odds of 18%, which is worlds better than the preseason prognostication, but still not a gushing review. They remain a distant second behind the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who currently show implied odds of 44%, more than double the Spurs' figure. A confidence gap that large, one would assume the Thunder have dominated the Spurs this season, but the complete opposite has happened. The Spurs have soundly overwhelmed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's club, winning four of the five matchups, three by double-digits. So what's holding the Spurs back from a rosier outlook? Ah, playoff experience. (Tom Haberstroh/Yahoo Sports) Speaking to ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after a 40-point performance earlier this month, Victor Wembanyama wasn't on board with the idea that the Spurs' inexperience will hurt them. "We don't have experience, right?" Wembanyama said. "Screw it." The 22-year-old is on to something. In an injury-riddled NBA where young teams are flourishing in an increasingly uptempo playoff environment, the Spurs are closer to a championship than it appears. In today's NBA, the most-experienced playoff teams seem to be the ones getting screwed in the postseason. And the Spurs can use that to their advantage. After LeBron James and Stephen Curry dominated the NBA Finals for nearly a decade, the league has seen a revolving door at the top. The league has crowned a new champion in each of the last seven years, the longest stretch of championship parity the league has ever seen. Why can't Wemby’s Spurs be the next in line? 🏆 TITLE TOWN NBA TRIVIA (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) Question: Can you name the past five NBA champions? Hint: Three West, two East. Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Getty Images) One fan from each of the 48 national teams competing in the 2026 World Cup. Trivia answer: Thunder (2025), Celtics (2024), Nuggets (2023), Warriors (2022), Bucks (2021) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 21 Author Members Posted April 21 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: NCAA winter champs, Magic stun Pistons, NBA awards finalists, Man City gains ground, Ohtani's streak continues, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Magic stun Pistons: The Magic came into Detroit on Sunday and stunned the top-seeded Pistons, 112-101, for a wire-to-wire Game 1 victory. The defeat extended Detroit's home playoff losing streak to 11 straight games, the longest in league history. 🏒 The drought is over: Speaking of stunners, the Sabres scored four goals in the third period on Sunday to come back and beat the Bruins, 4-3, in their first playoff game since 2011. 🏁 Reddick wins again: Tyler Reddick took advantage of a late caution on Sunday at Kansas Speedway for yet another victory, becoming the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win five of the first nine races in a season. "This kid is on fire," said team owner Michael Jordan. ⛳️ Fitz holds off Scottie: Matt Fitzpatrick blew a three-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, but held on to win in a playoff for this second victory of the season, and his second RBC Heritage title (2023). 🏈 Pre-draft trade: The Giants traded Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in exchange for a package that includes the No. 10 pick in this week's draft. There are now six teams with multiple first-round picks, with the Giants joining the Jets, Browns, Chiefs, Dolphins and Cowboys. ⚾️ Mets skid continues: The Mets fell to the Cubs in the 10th inning on Sunday, extending their losing streak to 11 straight games, the franchise's longest since 2004. At 7-15, they're tied with the Royals for the worst record in baseball. 🏆 TROPHY CASE EVERY NCAA WINTER CHAMPION The Sooners celebrate their gymnastics title on Saturday. (Aric Becker/ISI Photos via Getty Images) The NCAA crowned its final winter champions over the weekend, with Oklahoma (women) and Stanford (men) extending their gymnastics dynasties.* Division I: Basketball: Michigan (men); UCLA (women) Men's Ice Hockey: Denver Swimming & Diving: Texas (men); Virginia** (women) Indoor Track & Field: Arkansas (men); Georgia (women) Men's Wrestling: Penn State Division II: Basketball: Gannon (men); Grand Valley State (women) Swimming & Diving: Tampa (men); Nova Southeastern (women) Indoor Track & Field: Pittsburg State (men and women) Men's Wrestling: Nebraska-Kearney Division III: Basketball: Mary Washington (men); Denison*** (women) Men's Ice Hockey: Hamilton Swimming & Diving: Denison (men); NYU (women) Indoor Track & Field: Rowan (men); Wash U (women) Men's Wrestling: Wartburg National Collegiate (NC): Seven winter sports are designated NC, with championships open to multiple divisions. Women's Ice Hockey: Wisconsin Gymnastics: Stanford (men); Oklahoma (women) Fencing: Notre Dame (men and women) Women’s Wrestling: McKendree Skiing: Utah (co-ed) Rifle: West Virginia (co-ed) Women's Bowling: Jacksonville State *Gymnastics dominance: Stanford has won six of the last seven men's gymnastics titles, while Oklahoma has won four of the last five (and eight of the last 12) women's titles. **Six in a row: Virginia had never won a women's swimming and diving title until 2021. Now, the Cavaliers have won six in a row behind Olympic medalists such as Gretchen and Alex Walsh, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske. ***Unranked to champs: Denison's women's basketball championship was the first in D-III history by a team that started the season unranked. To make it even sweeter, the school also won the men's swimming and diving title just four hours later. 🏀 CREAM OF THE CROP NBA AWARDS FINALISTS (NBA) The NBA revealed the three finalists for each of its seven end-of-season awards on Sunday night. MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Nikola Jokić (Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) DPOY: Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Ausar Thompson (Pistons) COY: Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Mitch Johnson (Spurs) ROY: Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), V.J. Edgecombe (76ers) MIP: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks) Sixth Man: Keldon Johnson (Spurs), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat), Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets) Clutch Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) Who ya got? There are some incredibly tight races this season, especially for MVP and Rookie of the Year. 🌎 AROUND THE GLOBE THROUGH THE LENS (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Phoenix, Arizona — Is it finally time for a new era in Golden State? The Warriors were eliminated from the postseason on Friday by the Suns, starting the clock on a potentially eventful offseason. Uncertain future: Draymond Green, who exited the game via double ejection (naturally), only has a player option remaining, while head coach Steve Kerr's contract is expiring. After the game, both men acknowledged that an exit from the franchise is possible after a decade of working together alongside Steph Curry. (Michael Regan/Getty Images) 🏴 Manchester, England — Manchester City beat Arsenal, 2-1, on Sunday to move within three points of the first-place Gunners in the Premier League title race. Where it stands: If City beat Burnley on Wednesday, they'll be tied on points with five games left. (VCG via Getty Images) 🇨🇳 Beijing, China — A humanoid robot named "Lightning" won a half-marathon for robots on Sunday with a significantly faity beat Arsenal, 2-1, oster time (50 minutes, 26 seconds) than the human world record set last month (57 minutes, 20 seconds). Technological leap: The performance by the remote-controlled robot marked a huge step forward from last year's inaugural race, when the winning robot finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images) 🇪🇸 Seville, Spain — New Jersey native Pellegrino Matarazzo became the first U.S.-born coach to win a major European trophy on Sunday when Real Sociedad beat Atlético Madrid on penalties to claim Spain's Copa del Rey. The right man for the job: The Columbia University-educated Matarazzo, 48, was hired in December when Sociedad were two points above the relegation zone. He guided the club back to safety in LaLiga (currently seventh) and to its Copa title run in what he called "an unbelievable journey." 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 🏒 19 years old Flyers rookie Porter Martone found the back of the net late in Philly's Game 1 win over the Penguins, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score in his playoff debut (19 years, 174 days) and the only teenager this century to score a game-winning goal in his playoff debut. Prep to pros: It's been a whirlwind three weeks for Martone, who wrapped up his freshman season at Michigan State on March 28, made his NHL debut on March 31 and scored 10 points in the Flyers' final nine games to help them clinch their first playoff berth since 2020. ⚽️ 75,824 fans That's how many were on hand to watch Inter Miami's 3-2 victory over Colorado on Saturday in Denver, making it the second-largest crowd in MLS history. Only 2023's El Tráfico (LA Galaxy vs. LAFC) at the Rose Bowl drew more fans (82,110). The Messi effect: Three of the five biggest crowds in MLS history, and four of the top 10, have been for games featuring Lionel Messi. As is usually the case, Saturday's fans got what they paid for as Messi scored twice, including the game-winning strike in the 79th minute. Ohtani celebrates after hitting an RBI double on Sunday. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) ⚾️ 51 games Shohei Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 51 straight games on Sunday, breaking a tie with "Wee" Willie Keeler (1900-01) for the third-longest in Dodgers history. He now trails only Duke Snider (58 straight in 1954) and Shawn Green (53 straight in 2000). Rare feat: Ohtani's 51-game streak is the fourth-longest in MLB over the past 20 years, trailing only Kevin Millar (52 in 2007), Shin-Soo Choo (52 in 2018) and Orlando Cabrera (63 in 2006). He's still got a ways to go before catching Ted Williams' all-time record of 84 straight, set in 1949. 🥎 100 RBIs UCLA infielder Jordan Woolery went 6-for-6 with four home runs (!!) and 10 RBIs on Saturday, making her just the fifth player in NCAA softball history to reach 100 RBIs in a season. Those four long balls also brought her total to 30 on the year for an extra bit of history… 30-HR club: Woolery and fellow Bruin Megan Grant (31 HR) are the only teammates in D-I history to both hit 30 homers in the same season. They're also joined by Oklahoma’s Kendall Wells (34 HR), making this the first season ever to have a trio of hitters reach 30 home runs. They're all chasing Laura Espinoza's single-season record of 37, set with Arizona in 1995. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, APRIL 20 Runners make their way down Boylston Street during last year's marathon. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Marathon Monday The 130th Boston Marathon (9am ET, ESPN2) coincides with a late-morning Red Sox game — today's is against the Tigers (11:10am, MLB) — just as it has every year since 1968. The place to be: Roughly half-a-million spectators are expected to line the 26.2-mile course, with the highest concentration coming in the one-mile stretch between Fenway Park and the finish line on Boylston Street. The Sox game should end around 1:45pm, by which time the 30,000 non-elite men and women running the marathon will begin crossing the finish line. 🏀 NBA Playoffs The first round continues tonight as the Cavaliers (up 1-0) host the Raptors (7pm, Peacock), the Knicks (up 1-0) host the Hawks (8pm, NBC) and the Nuggets (up 1-0) host the Timberwolves (10:30pm, NBC). Denver's dynamic duo: Saturday's Game 1 victory marked the eighth playoff game in which both Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray recorded at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. That ties Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the most such instances by a duo in NBA history. 🏒 NHL Playoffs We've got Flyers (up 1-0) at Penguins (7pm, ESPN), Senators (down 1-0) at Hurricanes (7:30pm, ESPN2) and Wild (up 1-0) at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN). Plus the series opener in Edmonton, where the Oilers host the Ducks (10pm, ESPN2). Here we go again: The Oilers — who have lost back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals — again look like Canada's best shot at snapping the country's 33-year title drought. They have the fifth-best odds to hoist the Cup (+1100 at BetMGM), ahead of Canada's other contenders in Montreal (+1400) and Ottawa (+2800). Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 DYNAMIC DUO NBA TRIVIA The Celtics crushed the 76ers in Game 1 on Sunday. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images) Jaylen Brown (26 points) and Jayson Tatum (25) led Boston's rout of the 76ers on Sunday as both scored 20+ points in the same playoff game for the 50th time, the second most by a duo in Celtics history. Question: Which Celtics duo is ahead of them, with 58 such games? Hint: 1980s. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND 🏒 Unbelievable save ⛳️ Gary Woodland! ⛳️ Rahm ridiculousness 🏈 Catch of the year ⚾️ Gonzaga robbery ⚽️ Goal from way out 🥍 BTB to BTB ⚾️ Over the wall! 🏒 Freddie says no ⚾️ Miami robbery 🏀 Banchero slam 🏀 Oubre slam ⚾️ Hoerner lays out Watch all 13. Trivia answer: Larry Bird and Kevin McHale Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 22 Author Members Posted April 22 👟 1 run thing: Double repeats in Boston John Korir crosses the Boston Marathon finish line today. Photo: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images Kenya's John Korir and Sharon Lokedi both repeated today as Boston Marathon champions. Korir broke the course record, winning the men's race in 2:01:52. Sharon Lokedi crosses the Boston Marathon finish line today. Photo: Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images ⏱️ Lokedi came in at 2:18:51 — a bit behind her record-setting 2025 performance, but enough to break the women's tape. Marcel Hug and Eden Rainbow-Cooper of Great Britain after winning the men's and women's wheelchair races during today's Boston Marathon. Photo: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images 🇨🇭 Switzerland's Marcel Hug won his ninth Boston Marathon men's wheelchair title in 1:16:06, while Britain's Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women's wheelchair race in 1:30:51. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 22 Author Members Posted April 22 Boston's Defending Champions Kenya’s John Korir won yesterday’s Boston Marathon for the second year in a row, finishing the men’s race in 2 hours, 1 minute, 52 seconds—a course record. Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi won the women’s side, also for the second consecutive year, in 2:18:51. See photos here. This year, runners passed a 5-foot-6-inch bronze statue of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1966. Gibb had defied rules against women’s participation and hid in the bushes near the starting line, finishing her race in 3:21:40 and unofficially running the next two races (women were allowed to race the marathon beginning in 1972). Now 83, Gibb made the sculpture herself; see here. The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, inspired by the first modern Olympic marathon in 1896. It is held every year on Patriots' Day, the state holiday commemorating Paul Revere’s 1775 midnight ride and the inaugural battles of the American Revolution. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 23 Author Members Posted April 23 👋 Good morning! Your daily dose of sports news has arrived. What we're hearing: If Steve Kerr doesn't return to the Warriors (which seems likely), the team plans to pursue Florida head coach Todd Golden, sources tell Yahoo Sports. In today's edition: Welcome to the big leagues, Stanford's stupendous streak, Wemby wins DPOY, Hawks rally at MSG, Boston's repeat champs, Mason Miller's dominance, cell phone ban, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Wemby wins DPOY: Victor Wembanyama ran away with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, earning all 100 first-place votes to become the first unanimous winner since the award's inception in 1982-83. 🎾 Alcaraz injury watch: Two-time defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is in danger of missing next month's tournament in Paris with a wrist injury. He's already pulled out of this week's Madrid Open, and is awaiting more tests before deciding on Roland Garros. 🏈 NFL stars get paid: The Cowboys gave Brandon Aubrey a four-year, $28 million extension, making him the league's highest-paid kicker. The 49ers gave All-Pro tackle Trent Williams a two-year, $50 million extension, making him the first non-QB to exceed $400 million in contracts. 🏀 Draft lottery odds set: The Wizards, Pacers and Nets all have a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick after the NBA set its draft lottery odds by breaking six ties among teams with the same records. The Jazz (11.5%), Kings (11.5%) and Grizzlies (9%) have the next-best odds. ⛳️ Farewell, Hawaii: The PGA Tour will not travel to Hawaii in 2027 for the first time in 56 years as it moves towards a revamped schedule that will shift the season-opening Tournament of Champions and Sony Open away from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. ⚾️ THE BIG LEAGUES LEARNING HOW TO LOSE (Tony Avelar/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) With the Giants off to a 9-13 start, rookie manager Tony Vitello is finding his way through the ups and, perhaps more importantly, the downs of the MLB regular season. Because in this business, sometimes learning how to lose can be just as hard as figuring out how to win. Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports: For the folks actually living it — players, staff, coaches — Major League Baseball is a binary endeavor. The sun rises. A game happens. You win or lose. Either way, the sun sets. Yes, there can be silver linings in defeats or sour tastes after victories, but more often than not, one's happiness (or lack thereof) is defined by the result. That's the case for all professional sports, but MLB's near-daily regular-season schedule takes the dynamic to the extreme. There are 162 opportunities to revel in the ups or wallow in the downs. Few professions operate this way, with such constant, tangible feedback. Each night, as heads hit pillows, the joys of that day's W or the frustrations of that day's L can often be the last thing to pass through a coach's or player's weary mind. And so, the most reasonable approach becomes to smooth it all down, to avoid getting too high or too low, to focus instead on the bigger picture. Over the years, this has turned into a well-worn, eye-roll-inducing cliché in the baseball world. But like many clichés, it is rooted in truth. Really, it's a survival mechanism, this performative even-keeled-ness. Ride the roller coaster at your own risk; better to flush it and move on. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) New Giants manager Tony Vitello is learning this very crucial lesson on the job. A college baseball lifer best known for turning the University of Tennessee into a Division I powerhouse, the 47-year-old is accustomed to winning at a preposterous rate. In Knoxville, Vitello went 341-131 across eight seasons at the helm. That's a .722 clip, which, converted to a big-league campaign, would be a 117-45 season. He was even more prolific in the years preceding his surprise departure to San Francisco, running a 257-70 record over his final four seasons at Tennessee, good for a .785 winning percentage (127-35). But things are different now. In part, that's because his 9-13 Giants have stumbled out of the gate, but it's mostly because MLB teams simply don't go 127-35. Vitello has never won more than 60 games or lost more than 27 in a single season. He will, barring enormous catastrophe, surpass both those marks this season. For the top college programs, a typical regular season features 56 games. So each individual showdown quite literally means more within the context of an entire year. If MLB's regular season is about quality emerging over a large sample, SEC ball is about complete and total domination. Blink, and you've lost. That means Vitello is used to acting aggressively and weaponizing his unshakable enthusiasm to animate his ballclub. But while that strategy worked wonders, won championships and turned him into a coaching icon, it's not easily replicable at the big-league level. "To make a drastic move in college, when there's fewer games, might make sense," Vitello explained before a recent game. "With this, it's not necessarily do or die. We can maybe make this change, but let's not go crazy with this or that. It damn sure is a challenge." The last word: "It's been very difficult [learning how to lose]," Vitello admitted when asked about this aspect of his transition. "It's something that I was warned about from some of my friends. You have to deal with it the right way. Otherwise it'll sink you." 🎓 TROPHY CASE STANFORD'S STUPENDOUS STREAK (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Sports are filled with stats that stretch the bounds of one's imagination. But even in that context, Stanford's latest achievement stands as one of the most remarkable feats in the history of college athletics. 50 in a row: The Cardinal — buoyed by the men's gymnastics title from this past weekend — have now won at least one NCAA team national championship in 50 consecutive academic years, a mind-boggling streak that (as you might imagine) is completely without peer. The second-longest streak belongs to D-III Kenyon, which won 31 consecutive titles in men's swimming and diving (1980-2010). The third-longest is a tie between USC (1959-78) and D-III Methodist (1993-2012), at 19 years each. Consider this: The second-longest active national championship streak in Division I belongs to North Carolina, at seven consecutive academic years (2018-25). That's only 14% of the way to Stanford's. By the numbers: Stanford has claimed 126 national championships during the streak, which began on Nov. 28, 1976, when the men's water polo team beat UCLA. 19 teams have contributed, including six who've won at least 10 titles: Women's tennis (20), men's tennis (15), men's gymnastics (11), men's water polo (11), women's swimming and diving (11) and women's water polo (10). The most titles the Cardinal have won in a year is six, doing so twice (1996-97 and 2018-19). And on three separate occasions, they won championships in two different sports on the very same day (1996, 2003, 2019). 14-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky (swimming titles in 2017 and 2018), seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe (tennis in 1978) and Hall of Famer Mike Mussina (baseball in 1988) are among the notable athletes that have left their mark on the streak. Between the lines: Despite the school's wide-ranging athletic success, none of Stanford's titles during the streak came from the "big two" of football and men's basketball. In fact, the only national championship for either of those programs came in men's hoops in 1942. Zoom out: It's not just the streak where Stanford has set itself apart. The Cardinal also have the most overall national championships, with 138. Fellow California institutions UCLA (126) and USC (115) are the only other schools with more than 100, while Texas (65) and Penn State (56) round out the top five in Division I. Bottom line: "At most schools, a single national title at any point in time is a historic event," writes SI's Pat Forde. "At Stanford, it has been an annual happening since shortly after Jimmy Carter won the 1976 presidential election. Nobody has ever done it better, for longer, with greater consistency." 🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS Anthony Edwards and the Wolves evened up the series against the Nuggets. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Denver, Colorado — Anthony Edwards (30 points) and the Timberwolves erased an early 19-point deficit to beat Jamal Murray (30 points) and the Nuggets, 119-114, and even the series before it heads to Minneapolis. More NBA Playoffs: The Knicks blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter as C.J. McCollum (32 points) and the Hawks rallied for a series-tying 107-106 victory; The Cavaliers beat the Raptors, 115-105, to take a 2-0 series lead behind their "Big 3" of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley (83 combined points). Kasperi Kapanen celebrates his game-winning goal. (Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 🇨🇦 Edmonton, Alberta — The Oilers beat the Ducks, 4-3, in their series opener behind two goals each from Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson. For the first time all season, Edmonton won a game without Connor McDavid recording a point. More NHL Playoffs: The Hurricanes went up 2-0 on the Senators thanks to Jordan Martinook's 2OT game-winner; The Flyers blanked the Penguins, 3-0, to take a 2-0 lead in the Battle for Pennsylvania; The Stars beat the Wild, 4-2, to even the series. Novak Djokovic poses for a photo with fans. (Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images for Laureus) 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain — Some of the world's best athletes converged on Spain's capital on Monday for the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, which celebrated the standout achievements and performances of the past year. Among the winners: Carlos Alcaraz (Sportsman of the Year), Aryna Sabalenka (Sportswoman of the Year), Lamine Yamal (Young Sportsperson of the Year), Paris Saint-Germain (Team of the Year) and Lando Norris (Breakthrough of the Year). 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images) 👟 2:01:52 Kenya's John Korir won his second straight Boston Marathon on Monday with a time of 2:01:52, shattering the previous course record by over a minute (2:03:02 by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011). He earned a cool $200,000 for his efforts — $150k for first and a $50k bonus for the record. Repeat winners: Korir wasn't the only runner who went back-to-back on Monday. Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi won the women's division with a time of 2:18:51 for her second straight victory, though it wasn't quite as fast as the course record she set last year (2:17:22). ⚽️ 10 games, 10 goals Monaco striker Folarin Balogun — the USMNT's undeniable No. 1 option up top — is on an absolute heater right now, scoring 10 goals in his past 10 games for Monaco across all competitions. That includes eight straight Ligue 1 games with a goal, tied for the second longest streak in the league this century. The flip side: Fellow USMNT star Christian Pulisic is in the midst of a worrying drought, as the AC Milan winger has gone 17 games without a goal for club and country in 2026. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) ⚾️ 71.1% strikeout rate Padres closer Mason Miller is the most dominant pitcher in baseball right now… and there's no close second. The flame-throwing righty has struck out 27 of the 38 batters (71.1%) he's faced in 2026, which is the highest strikeout rate by any pitcher in his first 11 appearances of a season since at least 1900. Seems good. Scoreless streak: Miller (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 saves) hasn't allowed a run since last August, a span of 32 2/3 innings. In that time — beginning with his third appearance after being acquired from the Athletics — he's faced 112 batters and allowed just six hits, all singles. He's struck out 69 and walked 11. It's completely ridiculous. 🎾 24 years later Ben Shelton defeated Flavio Cobolli on Sunday to win the Munich ATP 500 title, becoming the first American man to win a clay-court event above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi in 2002. What's next: "I have big ambitions for the clay courts," said Shelton, who's ranked No. 6 in the world after winning twice already this year. He'll be among the favorites at the upcoming Madrid and Rome Masters 1000 events, and could be a name to watch at next month's French Open. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, APRIL 21 Caption 🏀 NBA Playoffs Three home teams look to go up 2-0 tonight, with the Celtics hosting the 76ers in New York (7pm ET, Peacock), the Spurs hosting the Trail Blazers in San Antonio (8pm, NBC) and the Lakers hosting the Rockets in Los Angeles (10:30pm, NBC). Beware the 0-2 hole: It might not seem that daunting to go down 0-2 in a seven-game series, but just 7.8% of NBA teams who've fallen into that hole have ever come back to win the series (28 of 359). 🏒 NHL Playoffs There are four Game 2's in the NHL, with the visiting Canadiens up 1-0 at the Lightning (7pm, ESPN2) and the other three away teams down 1-0: Bruins at Sabres (7:30pm, ESPN); Mammoth at Golden Knights (9:30pm, ESPN2); Kings at Avalanche (10pm, ESPN). So you're saying there's a chance? Going down 0-2 isn't quite as dire in the NHL, where teams have erased that deficit and come back to win the series 13.9% of the time (58 of 418). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Red Sox (6:45pm, TBS) … The first game of the season between the sport's biggest rivals. 🏒 PWHL: New York Sirens at Toronto Sceptres (7pm, Prime) … Two of the three teams fighting for the last playoff spot. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 DPOY NBA TRIVIA (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) Victor Wembanyama is the fourth Spur to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the most of any franchise. Question: Can you name the other three Spurs who won DPOY? Hint: 1986, 1992, 2015-2016. Answer at the bottom. 🚫 NO PHONES FEWER SCREENS, BETTER SCENES (The Masters) Above: Patrons watch Rory McIlroy during the Masters. No cell phones permitted. Below: Fans watch Scottie Scheffler during the RBC Heritage. Cell phones permitted. (Screenshot via CBS) Conclusion: More sporting events should ban cell phones. Trivia answer: Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, Kawhi Leonard (2x) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 23 Author Members Posted April 23 🏈 Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is joining NBC as a studio analyst for "Football Night in America," The Athletic reports. Gift link. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 24 Author Members Posted April 24 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Spurs lose Wemby, Avs take 2-0 lead, Mets skid continues, 50 days out from the World Cup, Pittsburgh's playoff slump, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏒 NHL Playoffs: The top-seeded Avalanche beat the Kings, 2-1 (OT), to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Mammoth knotted things up against the Golden Knights, the Bruins rebounded against the Sabres and the Lightning drew even with the Canadiens. 🏀 SGA wins Clutch POY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year after leading the league with 175 points in clutch situations (final five minutes of fourth quarter/overtime when the score is within five points). ⚽️ NWSL expansion: The NWSL is adding an 18th team in Columbus, Ohio, which will join the league for a record $205 million expansion fee. The new franchise will be owned by Haslam Sports Group (Browns, Crew) and begin play in 2028. 🏀 Donovan steps away: Billy Donovan is leaving the Bulls after spending the last six seasons as their head coach, opting to step away following a major shakeup to the team's front office earlier this month. 🐎 Churchill buys Preakness: Churchill Downs Inc. has acquired the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes for $85 million. The move sets the stage for Churchill, which owns and operates the Kentucky Derby, to link the first two legs of the Triple Crown and potentially move the date of the Preakness. 🏀 FIRST ROUND NBA PLAYOFFS: TUESDAY RECAP (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images) San Antonio — The Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama — and control of the series — on Tuesday as the Trail Blazers took Game 2, 106-103, behind a 31-point outburst from Scoot Henderson. What once appeared to be a breeze of a first-round matchup now has all the makings of a grueling marathon. Scary injury: Wemby exited early after he took a hard, awkward fall and smacked his face directly into the floor, appearing to briefly knock himself out. He was quickly placed into concussion protocol and could miss multiple games. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) Boston — The 76ers rebounded from a 32-point Game 1 loss to beat the Celtics, 111-97, behind a breakout game from rookie VJ Edgecombe, who passed Magic Johnson as the youngest player in playoff history (20 years, 265 days) to tally 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game. Top seeds struggling: Home teams are just 9-5 so far this postseason, with the second-seeded Celtics (1-1) and second-seeded Spurs (1-1) joining the top-seeded Pistons (0-1), third-seeded Knicks (1-1) and third-seeded Nuggets (1-1) in the loss column. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Los Angeles — LeBron James (28-8-7) and the shorthanded Lakers beat the Rockets, 101-94, to take a 2-0 series lead (without their top two scorers) and hand Kevin Durant his seventh straight postseason loss. All hail the King: 41-year-old LeBron James became the oldest player in NBA playoff history to lead a team in scoring. He's averaging a near triple-double this series. It's completely insane what he’s doing. Reverse windmill in Year 23! 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Elsa/Getty Images) ⚾️ 12 straight losses The Mets lost again on Tuesday, 5-3 to the Twins, dropping their 12th straight game for the franchise's longest losing streak since 2002. At 7-16, they have the worst record in baseball — not quite what they were hoping for when they spent $381.7 million on their roster. Can they climb out of this hole? It's still early, but only four teams in MLB history have made the playoffs after enduring a 10-game losing streak (2025 Guardians, 2017 Dodgers, 1982 Braves, 1951 Giants), and no team has ever made it after losing 12 straight. The good news? Juan Soto is expected to return today after missing the last 15 games with a calf injury. 🏈 57 Heinz is teaming up with Devin Hester (No. 57 pick by the Bears in 2006) to welcome the first "Mr. 57" at this year's NFL Draft, honoring the number that has graced the Pittsburgh-based company's condiment bottles for well over a century. Mr. 57: Whoever is drafted with the 57th pick this week (currently owned by the Bears) will get a custom jacket, a lifetime supply of Heinz ketchup and the opportunity to work with the company. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ⛳️ 4 in a row Nelly Korda is just the third LPGA golfer since 1980 to start a season with four consecutive top-two finishes. She won January's Tournament of Champions and has finished second in each of her three events since then. Good omen? The other two women who accomplished that feat — Karrie Webb in 2000 and Annika Sorenstam in 2001 — went on to win the first major of the year. Korda's next start is this week's Chevron Championship… the first major of the year. ⚽️ 282 days The Wolverhampton Wanderers, whose relegation fate was sealed on Monday, will have spent all 282 days of their Premier League campaign in the relegation zone once the season concludes. The last team to spend a full top-flight season in the drop zone? Also Wolverhampton, in 1964-65. Relegation watch: Burnley (20 points) could be relegated as soon as today, while the third spot is currently held by Tottenham (31), who haven't been sent down since 1977. With five games left, they're chasing West Ham (33), Nottingham Forest (36) and Leeds (39). ⚽️ COMING SOON WORLD CUP: 50 DAYS OUT (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The 2026 World Cup could supercharge soccer in the U.S. — or slow its rise. It all hinges on how the tournament unfolds, and whether the current wave of skepticism and negative press gives way to a more positive, lasting narrative. Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports: With the zeal of an old-fashioned Southern preacher, soccer evangelists have been shouting to the heavens about this summer's World Cup launching the sport into new horizons in the United States. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber calls it "rocket fuel for our entire ecosystem." There is substance behind that belief. Starting June 11, the World Cup will descend on North America for more than five weeks, showcasing international soccer and its colorful cast of characters on and off the pitch at a time when the sports landscape is relatively quiet. (Presley Ann/Getty Images for The Coca-Cola Company) Indeed, the stage belongs to the beautiful game. There is at least one match — and as many as six — scheduled each of the first 27 days, with just five off-days following the Round of 16. From grocery store displays and watch parties to flag-lined streets and team jerseys, soccer will be omnipresent this summer. There should, however, be genuine concern that growing negativity around the World Cup could not only temper the sport's growth here but cause damage to its broader image. This summer's mission is to further raise soccer's profile and accelerate its growth to where it's part of the daily sports conversation, inspires a generation and sheds its niche image. But what if the general public, largely unfamiliar with the game, can't differentiate between the sport and who is running it and allows all the many negative elements of hosting the World Cup to shroud the beauty and pageantry? 😩 STEEL CITY WOES PITTSBURGH'S PLAYOFF SLUMP A Penguins fan holds up a rally towel before Game 1. (Justin Berl/Getty Images) The Penguins have fallen into an 0-2 hole against the Flyers in the Battle of Pennsylvania, putting the city of Pittsburgh in grave danger* of extending its long streak of postseason futility. Seven years and counting: No Pittsburgh team has won a playoff round in one of North America's "Big Four" sports leagues since 2018, marking the city's longest such drought since before the Penguins were formed in 1967. The Penguins are responsible for the most recent victory, winning a first-round series in 2018 against none other than the Flyers. Since then, they've lost five straight series, and must now win four of their next five games to avoid making it six in a row. The Steelers, famously, always finish at .500 or better. But that hasn't helped them in the postseason, where they've lost seven consecutive games since beating Alex Smith and the Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round. The Pirates haven't even reached the playoffs since 2015, the longest drought in the NL. Before that, their last series win came in 2013's single-game wild card round. And before that their last win came in the 1979 World Series. So, yeah, it's been a while. How bad is it? Pittsburgh is one of 20 metropolitan areas with at least three "Big Four" teams, and its seven-year playoff victory drought is by far the longest. 15 of those 20 metro areas saw their teams win at least one playoff round in the last year, and the other four saw their teams win at least once in the last five years. Won in the last year (15): New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Houston, Toronto, Seattle and Cleveland. Won in the last five years (4): Philadelphia (most recently in 2024), Phoenix (2023), Tampa (2023), Atlanta (2021). Looking ahead: The Penguins could of course still storm back to beat the Flyers and end the drought next week. If not, the baton will be passed to the Pirates, who are off to a strong start (13-10) and are thus far making good on their preseason hype as a dark horse contender. *History favors Philly: The Flyers are 18-0 all-time when leading 2-0 in a best-of-7 postseason series, the most series wins without a loss in Stanley Cup playoff history. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 Cade Cunningham will try to get Detroit back on track after losing Game 1. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs Both No. 1 seeds take the floor at home tonight. The Pistons will try to regroup after losing Game 1 to the Magic (7pm ET, ESPN) and the Thunder will look to go up 2-0 against the Suns (9:30pm, ESPN). Dueling droughts: Detroit has lost 11 straight home playoff games dating back to the 2008 East Finals, while Orlando has lost seven straight playoff series dating back to the 2010 East Finals. 🏒 NHL Playoffs The Penguins hit the road against the Flyers after dropping the first two games at home (7pm, TNT), the Wild host the Stars with the series tied at one game apiece (9:30pm, TNT), and the Oilers host the Ducks after taking Game 1 in Edmonton (10pm, TBS). Hot start: Flyers rookie Porter Martone — the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft who was playing for Michigan State less than a month ago — has scored both game-winning goals so far, becoming the 12th teenager in NHL history to find the back of the net in each of his first two postseason games. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Red Sox (6:45pm, Prime) … Max Fried (2-1, 2.97 ERA) vs. Ranger Suárez (1-1, 3.22 ERA). ⚽️ Premier League: Burnley vs. Manchester City (3pm, USA) … If City win, they'll leapfrog Arsenal atop the table with five matches left. ⚽️ MLS: Real Salt Lake vs. Inter Miami (9:30pm, Apple) … Salt Lake is 4-0-0 at home; Miami is 4-1-1 on the road. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7:30am, Tennis) … First-round action for the men and women in this Masters 1000 event. 🏒 PWHL: Ottawa Charge at Boston Fleet (7pm, YouTube) … Ottawa is fighting for the final playoff spot, while Boston is trying to catch Montréal for the No. 1 seed. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏈 DRAFT DAY NFL TRIVIA (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Question: Can you name the three current NFL franchises that have never had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft? Hint: AFC West, AFC North, NFC West. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 CLASS OF 2026 DRAFT DAY EVE (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) One more sleep until the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in Pittsburgh. The Raiders have the first pick, followed by the Jets, Cardinals, Titans and Giants (full draft order). Trivia answer: Broncos, Ravens, Seahawks Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 24 Author Members Posted April 24 👋 Good morning! The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock. In today's edition: The NFL's traveling circus, Angels pitcher makes history, Stars win in 2OT, Pistons bounce back, Chart of the Day, Buttons Gilbert, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Best start ever: Angels righty José Soriano put up another sterling start on Wednesday (5 IP, 4 K, 0 R), lowering his ERA to a microscopic 0.24 — the best by any pitcher in MLB history through his first six starts of the season (min. 30 innings). 🏀 Johnson wins Sixth Man: Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, beating out Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. The seventh-year pro averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while playing just 23 minutes a night. ⚽️ City leapfrog Arsenal: Manchester City beat Burnley, 1-0, to climb past Arsenal into first place on the Premier League table. The two clubs are even on points (70) and goal differential (37) with five matches left, but City's advantage in both goals scored and head-to-head gives them the tiebreaker. ⚾️ Mets end skid: The Mets narrowly defeated the Twins, 3-2, to snap their 12-game losing streak in Juan Soto's return to the lineup. Still, at 8-16 they're tied for the worst record in the NL with… the Phillies, another underperforming NL East club who've now lost eight straight. 🏈 DeBoer extension: Alabama has given head coach Kalen DeBoer a seven-year contract extension that will pay him $12.5 million per season, making him one of the highest paid coaches in college football. 🏈 STEEL CITY SCHOOL'S OUT FOR DRAFT DAY (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo) Just how popular is the NFL? Its marquee offseason event is such a spectacle and so well-attended that the host city opted to keep kids home from school this week. When the NFL comes to town: Pittsburgh's public schools shifted to remote learning this week (Wednesday to Friday) to avoid contending with the disruptive logistics that come with hosting the NFL Draft, including road closures and heightened security. While some parents probably aren't thrilled, it's an understandable decision considering upwards of 700,000 people are expected to descend on a city with a population of roughly 300,000. It's also a less extreme step than last year's host took. Green Bay, a city of 100,000, closed its schools entirely. What they're saying: "It kind of shows you where the draft is today," Jon Barker, the NFL's global head of major events production, told NBC News. "That an entire community is going to stop and, for those three days, they're going to focus on football. Closing public schools has just become part of what the draft is." 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Dallas Stars) Minneapolis — Wyatt Johnston scored a power-play goal in the second overtime to lift the Stars past the Wild, 4-3 (2OT), and give Dallas a 2-1 lead in the series. More NHL Playoffs: The Flyers beat the Penguins, 5-2, to go up 3-0 in the Battle of Pennsylvania; The Ducks beat the Oilers, 6-4, in Edmonton to even the series. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Detroit — A suffocating 30-3 run to open the second half powered Cade Cunningham (27 points, 11 assists) and the Pistons to a 98-83 win over the Magic. The victory evened the series and snapped Detroit's 11-game home playoff losing skid. In the nightcap: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37 points, 9 assists) and the top-seeded Thunder rolled past the Suns, 120-107, to take a 2-0 series lead. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) San Francisco — The Giants beat the Dodgers, 3-0, courtesy of Patrick Bailey's three-run blast in the seventh inning. Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak ended at 53 games, but he did pitch six shutout innings to lower his ERA to 0.38. Advantage, Bay Area: The Giants now lead the Dodgers head-to-head all-time in the regular season, 1,290 wins to 1,288 wins (with 19 ties). Now that's what you call a closely contested rivalry. (Michael Chisholm/Getty Images) Toronto — Goalkeeper Luke Gavran scored on a header in the closing seconds of stoppage time to give Toronto FC a 3-3 draw against the Philadelphia Union. Rare feat: Gavran is the third goalkeeper in MLS history to score a goal and the first since William Hesmer on Oct. 16, 2010. 🏈 DRAFT DAY THE STUNNING RISE OF FERNANDO MENDOZA (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) From growing up idolizing Tom Brady, to nearly quitting football, to now likely being the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft — and joining the team Brady partially owns — Fernando Mendoza's life has come full circle. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: A few weeks into his first season playing tackle football, Fernando Mendoza told his parents that he wanted to quit. The 10-year-old Cuban-American boy who occasionally stuttered when he spoke was struggling to make friends with his new teammates or to elbow his way into the competition to earn playing time at quarterback "In fourth grade, I was a new kid on the park football team," Mendoza recalled in December while delivering his acceptance speech after winning the Heisman Trophy. "Didn't know a single teammate, and was fourth on the depth chart. By midseason, I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to quit." Thankfully for Mendoza, his mom and dad aren't the type of parents who would let one of their boys quit without finishing what he started. Fernando and Elsa Mendoza insisted that their eldest son return to the South Miami Grey Ghosts and prove what he could do, a decision that helped him learn to overcome the obstacles he would face throughout his teenage years and paved the way for one of football's most remarkable underdog stories. The same kid who began his tackle football career buried on his team's quarterback depth chart blossomed into college football's best player. The same kid whose first coaches envisioned him as a run-stuffing defensive end went on to quarterback long-struggling Indiana to its first national title. The same kid who once begged his parents to let him walk away from football is now the overwhelming favorite to be the first player taken in tonight's NFL Draft. "He made up his mind that he was not going to quit and he became a fierce competitor and a leader," Grey Ghosts head coach Johnny Zeigler told Yahoo Sports. "You could see it in him before he left this park. That kid was going to be someone special." 🏀 KING JAMES CHART OF THE DAY (Kirk Goldsberry) Ladies and gentlemen, LeBron James. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, APRIL 23 (Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP Photo) 🏈 NFL Draft The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is tonight in Pittsburgh (8pm ET, ABC/ESPN/NFL), where 32 former college stars will take the next step in their journey to the pros. Two picks, no picks: The Jets (2, 16), Giants (5, 10), Browns (6, 24), Chiefs (9, 29), Dolphins (11, 30) and Cowboys (12, 20) all have two picks tonight, while the Bengals, Colts, Falcons, Packers, Jaguars and Broncos have none. 🏀 NBA Playoffs The higher seeds are on the road tonight for a trio of Game 3s on Prime. Knicks (tied 1-1) at Hawks (7pm); Cavaliers (up 2-0) at Raptors (8pm); Nuggets (tied 1-1) at Timberwolves (9:30pm). Historic dominance: The Cavs have 12 straight playoff victories over the Raptors. One more and they'll set the NBA record for consecutive postseason wins against a single opponent. 🏒 NHL Playoffs The top-seeded Avalanche (title favorites) and Hurricanes (second-best odds) will both look to take commanding 3-0 series leads tonight on the road. But first: Boston welcomes Buffalo to Beantown. Tonight’s slate: Sabres (tied 1-1) at Bruins (7pm, TNT); Hurricanes (up 2-0) at Senators (7:30pm, TBS); Avalanche (up 2-0) at Kings (10pm, TNT). More to watch: ⛳️ LPGA: Chevron Championship (11am, Golf/Peacock) … The first major of the year tees off at Houston's Memorial Park Golf Course. ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Red Sox (6:10pm, FS1) … Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (2-1, 1.95 ERA), a Boston-area native who grew up a Sox fan, makes his Fenway Park debut. ⛳️ PGA: Zurich Classic (8am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … 80 pairs tee it up at TPC Louisiana in the Tour's lone team event. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7:30am, Tennis) … The men's first round continues and the women's second round begins. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏟️ THE K BALLPARK TRIVIA (Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) The Royals announced plans on Wednesday to build a $2 billion ballpark in downtown Kansas City, which will replace Kauffman Stadium after its lease expires in 2030. Question: Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973, making it MLB's fifth-oldest ballpark. Which four ballparks are older? Hint: 2 AL, 2 NL. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ BLOOPER BUTTONS GILBERT (MLB) Mariners starter Logan Gilbert caught a line drive inside his jersey during Wednesday's game against the Athletics. Is that a catch? Actually, no. You can use only your hand or your glove to catch the ball, so the batter was credited with a single. From the MLB rulebook: A CATCH is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any other part of his uniform in getting possession. This made me laugh: "If this happened 100 years ago we wouldn't have this video, but everyone would've called him Buttons Gilbert until it was engraved on his eventual tombstone," wrote one X user. Hilarious. Trivia answer: Fenway Park (1912), Wrigley Field (1914), Dodger Stadium (1962), Angel Stadium (1966) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 24 Author Members Posted April 24 Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount’s $81 billion takeover of the Hollywood giant NEW YORK (AP) — An $81 billion Warner-Paramount mega merger has received shareholders’ stamp of approval, propelling a deal that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape closer to the finish line. https://apnews.com/article/warner-brothers-paramount-skydance-netflix-david-ellison-d52e8730ba894adf2ebb9a69646d323b? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 25 Author Members Posted April 25 Faces of the nation's beloved marathon Bill Kole at last weekend's Boston Marathon expo. Photo: Bill Kole/Axios You can learn a lot about the indomitable nature of the human spirit by training for and tackling a marathon. 📣 Why it matters: It's a tremendous physical feat. But standing at the finish line — watching thousands of people arrive after 26.2 miles of pain, doubt and persistence — might be even more gratifying, writes Axios' Bill Kole, a Massachusetts native and former AP foreign correspondent. I witnessed it myself this week at the atmospheric end of the Boston Marathon. I've spent years chasing finish lines myself: I ran track and cross-country at Boston University. And I'm a nationally certified distance-running coach who has run 18 marathons, including three Bostons. In 2014, one year after bombs placed near the finish line killed three people and wounded 260 others, I live-tweeted each mile of the race for AP. That was the last Boston Marathon I ran. 🖼️ The big picture: Now, I watch. And from the sidelines, the view is somehow bigger. 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♂️ Monday's 130th edition of America's oldest footrace was a tableau of 30,000 sweaty success stories — often further from the spotlight than the elite runners and celebrity athletes. An inspiring scene I've seen at so many big-city marathons played out again in Boston: A few dozen yards from the finish, a runner's legs gave out, and two fellow competitors stopped to help him the rest of the way. 📣 Race announcer and self-described "hype girl" Ali Feller, who's being treated for Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, spent hours shouting out midpack runners from the footbridge above the finish line. Another runner — barefoot — trained by running on Lego bricks and stabbing his feet with a fork. Terrence Concannon raised $13,000 for a charity. 💭 The bottom line: "If you're ever losing faith in humanity, go watch a marathon," coach, athlete and writer Mario Fraioli wrote on his blog. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 25 Author Members Posted April 25 🏈 Record NFL draft turnout Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images Pittsburgh broke the all-time NFL Draft Round 1 attendance record last night with 320,000 fans on hand at Acrisure Stadium, topping Detroit's 275,000 in 2024, per the NFL. The Las Vegas Raiders picked Heisman Trophy-winning, national-champion quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University with the first pick. Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images Above: Wide receiver Carnell Tate of Ohio State crosses the stage to greet commissioner Roger Goodell after being drafted 4th by the Tennessee Titans. The surprise pick gives QB Cam Ward — last year's No. 1 overall pick — a top target. Full list of first-round picks. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 25 Author Members Posted April 25 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Round 1 recap, Hawks hold off Knicks, away teams sweep NHL slate, Cubs win ninth straight, richest soccer clubs, the Vrabel saga expands, NBA mock draft, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏈 CLASS OF 2026 NFL DRAFT: ROUND 1 RECAP (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) The 2026 NFL Draft began as expected, with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Raiders. Alabama's Ty Simpson was the next QB off the board, going to the Rams at No. 13 in the most surprising pick of the night. Historic crowd: 320,000 fans were present in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, shattering the Round 1 attendance record, per the NFL. That tops the 275,000+ fans who attended in Detroit in 2024. Notes: Big boys up front: A whopping nine offensive linemen flew off the board in Round 1, underscoring the NFL's growing need at the position. This year's draft class also lacked the usual flashy, top-tier talent at other positions. RB1 and RB2: For the first time in the Common Draft era, the first two running backs selected (Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 and Jadarian Price at No. 32) came from the same school (Notre Dame). Ball in the family: Jordyn Tyson (No. 8 pick by the Saints) and Jaylon Tyson (No. 20 pick by the Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA Draft) are the first siblings to be drafted in the first round of two major North American sports. Still available: Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy (No. 16 on our Big Board), Washington WR Denzel Boston (23), Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker (24) and Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald (26) are among the best players still available. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Atlanta — "After trailing for most of Thursday's Game 3, the Knicks had a chance to win it in the closing seconds, with the ball in the hands of Jalen Brunson — their captain, their closer, last season's Clutch Player of the Year. But it's not last year." — Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports NBA scoreboard: Hawks 109, Knicks 108 (Atlanta leads 2-1); Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104 (Cleveland leads 2-1); Timberwolves 113, Nuggets 96 (Minnesota leads 2-1) (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Boston — All three road teams won on Thursday, with the Sabres taking a 2-1 series lead over the Bruins while the Hurricanes (3-0 over Senators) and Avalanche (3-0 over Kings) both inched closer to a sweep. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Chicago — The Cubs walked off the Phillies, 8-7, in extra innings on Thursday as Chicago (16-9) won its ninth straight game and Philadelphia (8-17) lost its ninth straight, both the longest active streaks in baseball. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Houston — A dog relaxes in a golf cart as grounds crew prepare the course ahead of Thursday's opening round of The Chevron Championship. Over $9 million is up for grabs in the first LPGA major of the year. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS ⏱️ 4 minutes The Knicks lost, the Mets blew a four-run lead and the Jets made a questionable draft pick during a wild 4-minute span for New York sports on Thursday night. Tabloid fodder: The Mets went on to win, the Knicks could still win the series and Kenyon Sadiq could end up being a star tight end, "but let's just say the tabloids weren't hurting for material for today's issues," writes Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer. ⚾️ 73-50 The NL Central is on fire to open the season, with a combined record of 73-50 on the strength of all five teams being over .500. The NL West has the second-best record (69-57), followed by the AL East (60-63), AL West (59-69), NL East (58-69) and AL Central (58-69). Consider this: The NL Central alone has nearly as many teams over .500 (five) as the entire American League (six), and its last place team (13-11 Brewers) would be in first place in both the AL Central and AL West. (A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 216 games A record 216 WNBA games will be broadcast this season in the first year of the league's new 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal. Those games will air on ION (50), USA Network (48), Prime Video (31), ABC/ESPN (30), NBC/Peacock (22), CBS/Paramount+ (20) and NBA TV (15). The main draws: Caitlin Clark's Fever lead the way with all 44 of their games being broadcast nationally. The Wings, led by Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, are next on that list (36), followed by the Liberty (35) and defending champion Aces (33). ⚽️ $95.5 billion That's the combined worth of the 50 most valuable soccer teams in the world, according to Sportico's latest ranking. Real Madrid are by far the richest club, at $7.7 billion, while MLS side St. Louis City FC and the Premier League's Sunderland are tied for the final slot at $675 million. By league: The top 15 clubs are all in Europe, but MLS has the most teams in the top 50, with 18. The Premier League is a close second (16), followed by Italy's Serie A (5), Spain's LaLiga (3), Germany's Bundesliga (3), Mexico's Liga MX (2) and one each in France's Ligue 1, Portugal's Primeira Liga and the Netherlands' Eredivisie. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST LeBron James and the Lakers are up 2-0 on Kevin Durant and the Rockets. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs All eight first-round series continue this weekend. Just one could be over by Sunday night as the Lakers are the only team that has yet to drop a game. Friday: Celtics (tied 1-1) at 76ers (7pm, Prime); Lakers (up 2-0) at Rockets (8pm, Prime); Spurs (tied 1-1) at Trail Blazers (10:30pm, Prime) Saturday: Pistons (tied 1-1) at Magic (1pm, NBC); Thunder (up 2-0) at Suns (3:30pm, NBC); Knicks (down 2-1) at Hawks (6pm, NBC); Nuggets (down 2-1) at Timberwolves (8:30pm, ABC) Sunday: Cavaliers (up 2-1) at Raptors (1pm, ESPN); Spurs at Trail Blazers (3:30pm, ESPN); Celtics at 76ers (7pm, NBC); Lakers at Rockets (9:30pm, NBC) Injury watch: Leading neuroscientist weighs in on Victor Wembanyama's 'ugly concussion' and NBA protocols 🏒 NHL Playoffs Likewise in the NHL, all eight series continue this weekend. Can the Hurricanes, Flyers and Avalanche complete the sweeps? Friday: Lightning (tied 1-1) at Canadiens (7pm, TNT); Golden Knights (tied 1-1) at Mammoth (9:30pm, TBS); Oilers (tied 1-1) at Ducks (10pm, TNT) Saturday: Hurricanes (up 3-0) at Senators (3pm, TBS); Stars (up 2-1) at Wild (5:30pm, TBS); Penguins (down 3-0) at Flyers (8pm, TBS) Sunday: Sabres (up 2-1) at Bruins (2pm, TNT); Avalanche (3-0) at Kings (4:30pm, TNT); Lightning at Canadiens (7pm, ESPN); Oilers at Ducks (9:30pm, ESPN) Slow start for Connor: "Worst five periods of playoff hockey I've ever seen McDavid play," wrote Sportsnet's Mark Spector regarding the curiously lackluster play thus far of Edmonton's three-time MVP. ⛳️ Chevron Championship The first LPGA major of the season continues at Houston's Memorial Park Golf Course (Fri-Sun, Golf/NBC/Peacock). Leaderboard: Nelly Korda shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead into today's round. The world No. 2 has played in the final group in each of her first four starts this season. If she keeps this up, she'll make it a perfect five-for-five on Sunday. ⚾️ Mexico City Series MLB's only international series of the year is this weekend at Mexico City's Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, where the Diamondbacks will "host" the Padres in games on Saturday (6pm ET, MLB) and Sunday (4pm, MLB.TV). Expect a slugfest: The ball should fly this weekend considering the altitude in Mexico City (7,350 feet) is more than 2,000 feet higher than even Coors Field. Indeed, 22 homers were hit across the first four MLB games played here in 2023 and 2024. More to watch: 🏈 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3 (Fri. 7pm, ABC/ESPN/NFL); Rounds 4-7 (Sat. 12pm, ABC/ESPN/NFL) ⚽️ FA Cup: Manchester City vs. Southampton (Sat. 12:15pm, ESPN+); Chelsea vs. Leeds United (Sun. 10am, ESPN2) … Semifinals. ⛳️ PGA: Zurich Classic (Fri-Sun, Golf/CBS) … Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer (-14) are the leaders at the team event in Louisiana. 🏁 NASCAR: Talladega (Sun. 3pm, Fox) … The Alabama circuit is NASCAR's biggest and fastest track. 👟 Track & Field: Penn Relays (Fri-Sat, FloTrack) … The 130th running of the nation's oldest track and field event. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Action continues over the weekend through the Round of 32. 🚴 Cycling: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Sun. 6:20am, Peacock) … The season's penultimate Monument. Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks to the media on Thursday. (Kyle Hightower/AP Photo) 🏈 Charles Robinson: Private matter or not, the Mike Vrabel saga now raises football questions for the Patriots A large part of this entire saga is clearly private and will be dealt with behind doors that we shouldn't feel anyone is obligated to open. But at least a small part of this isn't just personal anymore. And that's where this gets complicated for the Patriots. Vrabel will be missing on the third day of the Patriots' draft, not to mention potentially other parts of the offseason. This isn't a nothing reality. Not if you believe coaches and front offices that have told us for years how critical this process is when it comes to putting a franchise's best foot forward. Yordan Alvarez leads all MLB hitters in batting average (.347), HR (11) and RBI (26). (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ⚾️ Jordan Shusterman: How Yordan Alvarez, already one of the most feared hitters in MLB, has elevated his game in 2026 Off to a blistering start in his eighth major-league season with the Astros, Alvarez has spent his entire career defying the notion that facing left-handed hurlers should be something of a struggle. It's not just that the lefty-swinging Alvarez has fared better against southpaws than he has against right-handed pitchers. It's also that by some measures, he has performed better in those matchups than any left-handed hitter in MLB history. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (L) and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey hold the keys to any future CFP format changes. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports via Reuters) 🏈 Ross Dellenger: With push for 24-team CFP field ramping up, Greg Sankey and SEC holding fast against it The CFP's annual two-day spring meetings paved the way for a more intense holistic examination and financial evaluation of a 24-team postseason — support for which emerged last week during a presidential committee call that involved several high-profile CFP decision-makers. However, there is one person who continues to support a 16-team field: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who re-emphasized his past comments about expansion and outlined potential issues with any 24-team format. 🏈 TOP PICK NFL DRAFT TRIVIA (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo) Fernando Mendoza is the eighth QB to be selected No. 1 overall in the past nine NFL drafts. Question: Can you name the other seven? Hint: Five won the Heisman. 🏀 CLASS OF 2026 NBA MOCK DRAFT 3.0 (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) This week is all about the NFL Draft, but the NBA Draft is just around the corner. Looking ahead: Here's our latest mock, courtesy of Kevin O'Connor. Trivia answer: Baker Mayfield (2018), Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), Cam Ward (2025) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 27 Author Members Posted April 27 Marathon milestone shattered: Sabastian Sawe breaks the fabled 2-hour barrier by 30 seconds LONDON (AP) — A pair of African distance runners took down what was once among the most unthinkable records in sports on Sunday, shattering the long-unapproachable two-hour barrier in the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) marathon. https://apnews.com/article/marathon-record-sawe-london-under-two-hours-8481a99809f19e0dd2cafca36bd3676a? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 28 Author Members Posted April 28 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: Sabastian Sawe and Adidas make history, Hurricanes and Avalanche sweep, NFL Draft grades, Wemby goes off in return, Korda wins third major, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏒 Sweeps complete: The Hurricanes and Avalanche are moving onto the conference semifinals after sweeping the Senators and Kings, respectively. The Flyers, up 3-1 on the Penguins, could join them in the second round as soon as tonight. 🏀 Wolves lose two starters: The good news for the Timberwolves is that they're up 3-1 on the Nuggets. The bad news? Superstar Anthony Edwards will miss multiple weeks (knee) after exiting Game 4, and starting guard Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) is out for the season. ⚾️ Red Sox clean house: The last-place Red Sox fired skipper Alex Cora and five other coaches on Saturday amid an abysmal start to the season. Former big leaguer Chad Tracy, who manages Boston's Triple-A team, will take over as interim manager. ⛳️ Captain Furyk: Jim Furyk has reportedly been named captain of the 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup team. The 17-time PGA Tour winner, who also led the squad in 2018, will be tasked with injecting new life into an American team that has lost two straight Ryder Cups, and nine of the last 12. 🎾 No Alcaraz in Paris: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will miss next month's French Open as he recovers from a wrist injury, leaving the door wide open for Jannik Sinner to complete the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros. 👟 LONDON MARATHON BARRIER BROKEN Sawe crosses the finish line in London. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images) Today's top story is written by Dylan Dittrich — one of the sharpest minds in sports business, and an expert in sneakers. You'll be hearing a lot more from him soon. On Sunday, Sabastian Sawe broke the most vaunted running barrier since Roger Bannister notched his sub-4 mile, clocking 1:59:30 at the London Marathon to become the first person to duck under the two-hour barrier in an official race. The second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha, also crossed the line in under two hours, running 1:59:41 in his marathon debut. Jacob Kiplimo rounded out the podium in 2:00:28, eclipsing the prior world record in a performance that would've been considered generational on any other day in history. The race within the race: Both Sawe and Kejelcha are Adidas athletes, and their achievements dealt a dual blow to Nike's marathon credentials. In addition to shattering the late Kelvin Kiptum's world record, they also relegated Eliud Kipchoge's unofficial sub-2 performance in the Nike-sponsored "Breaking2" to footnote status. Both runners wore Adidas' Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe, unveiled last week. You, too, can lace up the lightest racing shoe Adidas has ever produced for a mere $500 (it goes on sale at 10am ET today). Most hobby joggers will pass, but sponsorship at this level is less about the specific product itself, and more about the halo effect of demonstrating technological prowess and excellence in performance. Mission accomplished. The scoreboard: Of the 36 available podium places in the last six traditional marathon majors, athletes wearing Adidas sneakers account for 17, compared to seven for Asics, six for Nike, two for Under Armour, two for On and one each from Puma and Hoka. Sawe poses with his new world record time written on his Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images) Take that for data: Achievements of this magnitude invite skepticism in a sport too often marred by doping scandals. But Sawe has receipts. In the buildup to his 2025 Berlin victory, Adidas contributed $50,000 to the Athletics Integrity Unit to cover the cost of testing him as frequently as possible — an effort to strike a victory for clean sport. He was tested 25 times ahead of Berlin and reportedly followed a similar protocol ahead of London. Any disbelief in Sawe's performance, then, is the product of its sheer insanity rather than doping suspicions. $50,000, well spent. Bottom line: He came. He Sawe. He conquered. P.S. … Beyond supershoes, the biggest factor enabling recent leaps in marathon performance is fueling. Endurance athletes are training the gut to ingest insane amounts of carbs every hour, and advances from Maurten and other sports nutrition companies have made that easier. 🏈 REPORT CARDS NFL DRAFT: GRADES FOR EVERY TEAM (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the books. How did each team fare? Here are our official draft grades, courtesy of Nate Tice and Charles Robinson. NFC East Giants: A Commanders: B+ Cowboys: B+ Eagles: B+ NFC North Bears: B Vikings: B Lions: B- Packers: C+ NFC South Buccaneers: A Saints: A- Panthers: B Falcons: C+ NFC West Cardinals: B- 49ers: B- Seahawks: B- Rams: D+ AFC East Patriots: B Bills: C+ Dolphins: C Jets: C- AFC North Browns: B+ Ravens: B Steelers: B Bengals: D AFC South Titans: A Texans: B+ Colts: B Jaguars: D- AFC West Chiefs: B+ Raiders: B Broncos: C Chargers: D The NFL's traveling circus: The three-day event drew 805,000 fans to Pittsburgh's North Shore, smashing the previous attendance record held by Detroit (700,000 in 2024). Next up: The highly-anticipated 2027 NFL Draft on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Korda took a dip after winning the Chevron Championship, as is tradition. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Houston, Texas — Nelly Korda (-18) cruised to a wire-to-wire victory at the Chevron Championship, winning by five strokes to claim her third career major title and return to No. 1 in the world. Historic start: Not only is Korda just the second woman to win three majors this decade (Minjee Lee), she's also the third woman ever to open a season with five consecutive top-two finishes (Karrie Webb in 2000; Annika Sorenstam in 2001). One of Wemby's seven blocks in Sunday's victory. (Jenny Kane/AP Photo) Portland, Oregon — Victor Wembanyama filled up the stat sheet (27 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks, 4 steals) in his return from a concussion as the Spurs crushed the Trail Blazers in Sunday's rollercoaster Game 4, turning a 17-point halftime deficit into a 114-93 victory to take a 3-1 series lead. More NBA playoffs: The Rockets beat the Lakers, 115-96, to avoid a sweep; The Knicks rebounded to beat the Hawks and even the series; The Raptors tied things up against the Cavs despite shooting just 32%; The Celtics blew out the 76ers to go up 3-1. The Oilers look back at the Ducks' game-winning goal. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Anaheim, California — The Ducks took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Oilers on Sunday after Ryan Poehling's overtime game-winner just barely got over the line for a 4-3 victory, pushing the two-time defending Western Conference champions to the brink. More NHL playoffs: The Lightning came back to beat the Canadiens, 3-2, to even the series; The Wild beat the Stars, 3-2 (OT), to even the series; The Sabres manhandled the Bruins, 6-1, to take a 3-1 lead. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Avondale, Louisiana — Brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick held on to win the Zurich Classic by a stroke, birdieing the 72nd hole (thanks to Matt's clutch bunker shot) to finish a tournament-record 31-under par. Siblings on fire: Matt, the No. 3 golfer in the world, has won two straight events and three of his last four. Alex, No. 140 in the world, also won his previous start (on the DP World Tour), and Sunday's victory earned him his PGA Tour card through 2028. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) ⚾️ 34.2 scoreless innings Padres closer Mason Miller earned his MLB-leading 10th save on Saturday in Mexico City against the Diamondbacks, while also extending his scoreless streak to a franchise-record 34.2 innings. Record books: Miller is less than seven innings away from the all-time record for relievers (41 straight scoreless innings), set by Orioles closer Gregg Olson in 1989-90. But he's still a ways away from breaking the MLB record (59 innings), set by Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser in 1988. 🥎 169 home runs Oklahoma softball has blasted a record-shattering 167 home runs this season, eclipsing their own mark of 161 set in 2021 for the most in NCAA Division I history. The Sooners are currently 46-6 (!), with 32 of those wins coming via the mercy rule (!!). Freshman sensation: Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells is responsible for 36 of the Sooners' 169 long balls, putting her just one shy of matching Laura Espinoza's NCAA single-season record set with Arizona in 1995. Espinoza reached that mark in 72 games; Wells has played just 51. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates the game-winner. (Michael Regan/The FA via Getty Images) ⚽️ 4th straight final Manchester City scored two late goals in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday to become the first team ever to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals. Last two standing: Chelsea blanked Leeds, 1-0, in the other semifinal to clinch their first trip back to the title game since reaching three straight from 2020-22. 🎾 24 in a row Jannik Sinner cruised past Elmer Møller on Sunday at the Madrid Open for his 24th consecutive victory in a Masters 1000 event, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the fourth-longest streak ever. Who's he chasing? Take a wild guess. The only men with longer streaks than Sinner are Novak Djokovic (31 straight in 2011; 30 straight in 2014-15) and Roger Federer (29 straight in 2005-06). 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, APRIL 27 Rudy Gobert has held Nikola Jokić relatively in check so far. (Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) 🏀 NBA Playoffs The top-seeded Pistons get things started on the road against the Magic (8pm ET, NBC), who've taken a surprising 2-1 lead. Then the Thunder go for the sweep against the Suns in Phoenix (9:30pm, NBCSN), and the Timberwolves (up 3-1) will try to finish off the Nuggets in Denver (10:30pm, NBC). Right where they want 'em? Only 4% of NBA teams down 3-1 in a seven-game series have come back to win that series (13 of 298). But Denver is responsible for the last two instances (both in 2020), and they're suddenly facing a team that doesn't have its star player. 🏒 NHL Playoffs Tonight's slate begins in Pittsburgh (7pm, ESPN), where the Penguins (down 3-1) will try to extend the series against the Flyers. Then it's off to Salt Lake City, where the Mammoth hold a 2-1 lead against the Golden Knights (9:30pm, ESPN). So you're saying there's a chance? NHL teams facing 3-1 deficits have won the series 9% of the time (32 of 356), most recently in 2023. So while the Penguins aren't in great shape, history says they have a much better chance of advancing than the Nuggets. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Rays at Guardians (6:10pm, FS1) … Cleveland rookie Parker Messick (3-0, 1.76 ERA) has the third-best ERA in baseball. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 32 for the men, Round of 16 for the women. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. ⚾ STRIKE THREE MLB TRIVIA (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) Aroldis Chapman notched his 1,341st strikeout on Sunday, passing Goose Gossage for second all-time among relievers. Question: Who's the only reliever with more career strikeouts? A) Craig Kimbrel Billy Wagner C) Hoyt Wilhelm D) Mariano Rivera Answer at the bottom. 🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND ⚽️ Ridiculous solo goal ⚾️ O'Neill's cannon 🥍 Long pole goal ⚾️ Pitchers are athletes ⚽️ Gorgeous strike 🎾 Aryna Sabalenka! ⚾️ At the wall 🏀 Dylan Harper! 🏒 Save at the doorstep ⚾️ At the warning track ⚾️ Over the wall ⚽️ Man City rocket 🏀 McDaniels block Watch all 13. Trivia answer: Hoyt Wilhelm (1,363 strikeouts) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 29 Author Members Posted April 29 👋 Good morning! Happy Taco Tuesday. In today's edition: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup roster, Flagg wins ROY, Magic push Pistons to the brink, Penguins and Nuggets stave off elimination, Guinness World Records at the marathon, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Flagg wins ROY: Cooper Flagg was named NBA Rookie of the Year in a historically close race over former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, marking the second time players from the same college team finished first and second in voting (UConn's Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, 2005). ⚽️ Whitecaps on the move? MLS is reportedly looking closely into a potential move for the Vancouver Whitecaps, which would mark the league's first club relocation in two decades. The most likely potential landing spots include Las Vegas, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Sacramento. ⛳️ LIV event postponed: Just weeks after questions were raised about LIV Golf's financial status and future, the breakaway tour's June event in New Orleans has been postponed, per multiple reports. There are now no LIV events on the schedule between June 7 and July 23. 🇺🇸 Felix unretires: Allyson Felix, the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history, is coming out of retirement at age 40 in hopes of running in front of her hometown crowd at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. If she qualifies, it will be her sixth Olympics. ⚾️ Top prospect called up: The Guardians plan to call up former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana today. The Oregon State product will make his MLB debut less than two years after becoming the first second baseman ever drafted first overall. ⚽️ WORLD CUP USMNT ROSTER PROJECTION (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The USMNT's World Cup roster reveal is fast approaching. Who's in? Who's out? Who's on the bubble? Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports: We are about four weeks from the roster announcement on May 26, which will mark the end of Mauricio Pochettino's evaluation exercise after eight training camps and 24 matches across 19 months. Barring a significant injury or worrisome fitness issue in the coming weeks, most of the 26-man roster is settled. Is there a major surprise or two in the works? Eh, maybe. In all likelihood, the Argentine boss has known for some time who best fits into his plans — "the right 26," he says. Roster projection: Goff projects the roster to comprise players from nine leagues, with more than half coming from MLS (8), England's Premier League (4) and France's Ligue 1 (4). The rest hail from top-flight leagues in Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Scotland, and one player hails from England's second tier. Goalies (3): Matt Freese (NYC FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire) Defenders (8): Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew) Midfielders (11): Weston McKennie (Juventus), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Atlético Madrid), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders) Forwards (4): Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven) On the bubble: While the keepers and forwards appear all but locked in, there's some wiggle room in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) and Alex Zendejas (Club América) are still in the mix, as are defenders Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Tristian Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps). Notes: Hot and cold: Three of the American forwards are in excellent form, with Wright (17 goals), Pepi (13) and Balogun (12) all ranking among the top five in goals in their respective leagues. Pulisic, on the other hand, is mired in the worst drought of his career, going 16 games since his last goal for Milan and eight games since his last goal for the U.S. Injury to watch: Dest has been out for nearly two months with a hamstring injury, and though he's "almost back," that's a long layoff so close to the World Cup. If he regains full fitness and form, he could profoundly impact Pochettino's plans at right back or wing back. Tune in tomorrow: Cardoso, who sees regular minutes for Atlético Madrid, is the lone American still alive in the Champions League. You can watch him in tomorrow's first-leg semifinal match against Arsenal. 🏀🏒 POSTSEASON MAGIC PUSH PISTONS TO THE BRINK (John Raoux/AP Photo) The Magic beat the Pistons, 94-88, on Monday in a physical, defensive Game 4 to grab a 3-1 series lead against the Eastern Conference's top seed, whose scoring struggles continued in Orlando. Where it stands: The Magic are now one win away from becoming just the seventh No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since the format expanded in 1984. More NBA: Thunder 131, Suns 122: For the third straight year, Oklahoma City is moving on after a first-round sweep. Next up: The Lakers or the Rockets. Nuggets 125, Timberwolves 113: Nikola Jokić (27 pts, 12 reb, 16 ast) helped Denver stave off elimination and pull within a game of tying the series. Meanwhile, in the NHL: The Penguins beat the Flyers, 3-2, to keep their season alive and send the series back to Philly. The Golden Knights beat the Mammoth, 5-4 (OT), in Salt Lake City to even the series. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS A horse walks back to the barn area during morning workouts on Saturday at Churchill Downs. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) 🐎 4-1 Despite drawing the dreaded No. 1 post, Renegade is the 4-1 morning-line favorite for the 152nd Kentucky Derby. The next-best odds ahead of Saturday's race belong to Commandment (6-1), Further Ado (6-1) and Chief Wallabee (8-1). Beware the inside gate: The No. 1 post hasn't produced a Derby winner since 1986, as its position along the inside rail can produce heavy traffic early in the race that's difficult to emerge from. Better that than No. 17, though — it's the only post to never produce a winner. ⚾️ 10 homers, 20 walks Aaron Judge and Ben Rice both went yard in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Rangers on Monday, becoming the first set of teammates in MLB history to notch 10 homers and 20 walks before the end of April. Dynamic duo: Judge (11 HR) and Rice (10) have more home runs between them than four teams. The Mets and Red Sox have hit 20; the Giants and Brewers have hit 19. (Bernd Thissen/Picture Alliance via Getty Images) ⚽️ 16 years, 11 months, 5 days South Carolina native Albert Mathis made his debut for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, becoming the youngest American ever to play in the Bundesliga. Whose record did he break? The last two such record-holders have both since become USMNT mainstays; and both, like Mathis, also made their debuts for Dortmund. Most recently was Gio Reyna in 2020 (17 years, 2 months and 5 days), and before that was Christian Pulisic in 2016 (17 years, 4 months, 12 days old). 🎾 17 wins Speaking of talented youngsters, 19-year-old Rafael Jódar won 17 of his first 25 matches on the ATP Tour. That's more wins than the likes of Rafael Nadal (15), Carlos Alcaraz (14), Jannik Sinner (12), Novak Djokovic (12) and Roger Federer (11) had in the same span. Rapid rise: This time last year, Jódar was a freshman at Virginia ranked in the 900s. He turned pro at the start of 2026 and has risen to No. 42 after his hot start, which included a title earlier this month in Marrakech. He'll play in the Round of 16 at his hometown Madrid Open today after dispatching fellow phenom João Fonseca. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal stands for the national anthem in Anaheim. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) "It's not the critic who counts … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena." — Theodore Roosevelt Ben Shelton serves during the Madrid Open. (David Ramos/Getty Images) "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." — Leonard Cohen The peloton passes through a flowery landscape during the 90th La Fleche Wallonne in Belgium. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) "There are always flowers for those who want to see them." — Henri Matisse 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, APRIL 28 Bayern's Harry Kane is leading the best offense in Europe. (Pau Barrena/Getty Images) ⚽️ Champions League, Semifinal Reigning champion PSG host Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their semifinal (3pm ET, CBS). It's a rematch of the 2020 final, which ended in a 1-0 Bayern victory. Offensive machines: These are two of the most explosive teams in Europe, full stop. Bayern's 3.4 goals per game this season is by far the best mark among the continent's "Big Five" leagues, while PSG's 2.55 goals per game ranks third (Barcelona ranks second, at 2.61). 🏀 NBA Playoffs The Knicks (tied 2-2) host the Hawks (8pm, NBC) in a critical Game 5. Plus: The Celtics (up 3-1) can advance with a win over the 76ers (7pm, ESPN) and the Spurs (up 3-1) can advance with a win over the Trail Blazers (9:30pm, ESPN). The stakes in New York: The Game 5 winner in a seven-game NBA playoff series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 81.5% of the time. 🏒 NHL Playoffs The Stars (tied 2-2) welcome the Wild back to Dallas (8pm, ESPN2) for an all-important Game 5. Plus: The Sabres (up 3-1) try to close out the Bruins at home (7:30pm, TNT) and the Ducks (up 3-1) try to close out the Oilers on the road (10pm, TNT). The stakes in Dallas: The Game 5 winner in a seven-game NHL playoff series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 79.4% of the time. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Tigers at Braves (7:15pm, TBS); Yankees at Rangers (8:05pm, Prime) … Atlanta (20-9) is tied with the Dodgers for the NL's best record; New York (19-10) has the AL's best record. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 16 for the men, quarterfinals for the women. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 ROY NBA TRIVIA (Sam Hodde/Getty Images) Cooper Flagg beat out Kon Knueppel by just 26 points to win Rookie of the Year — the second-closest vote since the current voting format began in 2002-03. Question: Which vote was closer? Hint: 2021-22. Raptors and Cavaliers. Answer at the bottom. 👟 ACROSS THE POND MORE MARATHON RECORDS FALL Kenya's Sabastian Sawe broke the 2-hour barrier at the 2026 London Marathon. Turns out, that wasn't the only record to fall. History made: Guinness World Records recognized numerous achievements on Sunday, including the fastest marathon while wearing a suit and dress shoes (3:21:42) and the fastest marathon while dressed as a supervillain (2:48:15). Trivia answer: Scottie Barnes over Evan Mobley (15-point gap) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 30 Author Members Posted April 30 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: The NBA's plan to fix tanking, Spurs advance, Phillies fire skipper, MLB power rankings, how algorithms changed horse betting, photo finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Phils make a change: The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start, tied with the Mets for the worst in baseball. Bench coach Don Mattingly will take over as interim manager alongside his son, Preston, who is the team's GM. Former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora was reportedly offered the position but declined. 🏈 Steelers tag Rodgers: Aaron Rodgers still hasn't decided whether he's playing in the NFL this fall, but if he does it will likely be with Pittsburgh after the Steelers placed the right-of-first-refusal tender on him, a rare tag that allows them to match any offer he receives this offseason. 🏀 Jones pleads guilty: Damon Jones became the first defendant to plead guilty after the FBI's gambling probe that led to more than 30 arrests. The former NBA player and assistant coach admitted to selling insider information to sports bettors and participating in a poker scheme backed by the Mafia. ⚽️ PSG 5, Bayern 4: PSG and Bayern Munich's highly-anticipated Champions League semifinal clash did not disappoint, as the reigning champs outlasted the German giants in a nine-goal slugfest ahead of next week's second leg in Munich. 🏀 Exec of the Year: Celtics president Brad Stevens has been named the NBA's Executive of the Year after Boston earned the No. 2 seed despite missing Jayson Tatum for most of the season. Stevens also won the award in 2024, making him the 12th executive with multiple wins. 🏀 3-2-1 THE NBA'S PLAN TO FIX TANKING (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) After the most tanking-filled season in NBA history, the league seems to have settled on a plan to fight the scourge of racing to the bottom of the standings. The "3-2-1" lottery: The crux of the proposal is to expand the draft lottery from 14 to 16 teams and give each team either one, two or three ping-pong balls, significantly flattening the odds of landing the No. 1 pick and penalizing the teams with the worst records. 8.1% chance at the top pick: The teams with the 4th through 10th worst records (those who missed the play-in) would each get three ping-pong balls, giving them an 8.1% chance of winning the lottery. That's down from a maximum of 14% in the current system. 5.4% chance: The teams with the three worst records, as well as all four teams who play in the 9 vs. 10 play-in games, would get two ping-pong balls for a 5.4% chance. 2.7% chance: The two losing teams in each 7 vs. 8 play-in game would get just one ping-pong ball for a 2.7% chance. The winners of the 7-8 play-in would not be in the lottery. The relegation zone: Reiterating the middle bullet above, this system implements what the league is calling "draft relegation," wherein the bottom three teams do not have the best odds of landing the top pick. That should incentivize non-playoff teams to stay competitive late in the season, and would make the NBA the first of North America's "Big Four" leagues to officially penalize its worst teams in the standings. Other safeguards in the proposal include forbidding teams from winning the lottery in back-to-back seasons or winning a top-five pick in three consecutive seasons. Of note: That latter provision would have impacted a number of current playoff rosters, most notably in San Antonio where the Spurs would not have been able to draft all three of Victor Wembanyama (No. 1 in 2023), Stephon Castle (No. 4 in 2024) and Dylan Harper (No. 2 in 2025). Looking ahead: This framework reportedly has support from a majority of teams, though minor modifications could be made before an owners vote on May 28. If approved, it would take effect starting with the 2027 NBA Draft. 🏀🏒 SNAPSHOTS POSTSEASON ROUNDUP (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) San Antonio, Texas — The Spurs dominated early and held on late for a 114-95 series-clinching victory over the Trail Blazers, sending San Antonio to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017. What's next: Awaiting the Spurs in the conference semifinals are either the Timberwolves (up 3-2) or Nuggets, two teams who held rare winning records over San Antonio this season. Denver went 3-1 against them; Minnesota went 2-1. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) Boston, Massachusetts — Joel Embiid (33 pts), Tyrese Maxey (25-10-5) and the 76ers kept their season alive with a 113-97 comeback win over the Celtics to send the series back to Philadelphia down 3-2. Meanwhile, in New York: The Knicks bludgeoned the Hawks, 126-97, to take a 3-2 lead behind 39 points from Jalen Brunson and double-doubles from Karl-Anthony Towns (16-14) and OG Anunoby (17-10). (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) Buffalo, New York — The Bruins staved off elimination against the Sabres with a 2-1 victory on David Pastrňák's gorgeous overtime game-winner, sending the series back to Boston for Game 6. More NHL playoffs: The Oilers beat the Ducks, 4-1, in Edmonton to force Game 6; The Wild beat the Stars, 4-2, in Dallas and will now have a chance to clinch at home. ⚾️ 1-30 MLB POWER RANKINGS (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) With May just around the corner, a few teams have separated themselves as clear contenders atop our latest power rankings, while others have plummeted into shocking pits of struggle that won’t be easy to dig themselves out from. Top 5: Here’s the cream of the crop, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman. Dodgers (20-10): Los Angeles leads the majors in most offensive statistics thanks to Shohei Ohtani and Co. The starting rotation also ranks among the league's best thanks to, well, Shohei Ohtani and Co. Braves (21-9): Drake Baldwin is one of the best catchers in baseball, Ozzie Albies is enjoying a bounce-back season, Michael Harris II is on fire and Matt Olson looks like the elite 2023 version of himself. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. heats up, watch out. Yankees (20-10): As with the Dodgers, there's dominance on all sides of the ball in the Bronx. Aaron Judge and Ben Rice are pacing the offense, while Max Fried and budding ace Cam Schlittler lead a dynamite rotation that will only get stronger once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return in the next month or so. Padres (19-10): San Diego's pitching has powered its hot start. While all-world closer Mason Miller gets most of the attention, it's been a full team effort as the staff ranks near the top in several key metrics including whiff rate, chase rate and more. Cubs (18-12): Chicago's defense not only leads the majors in most metrics, but also routinely passes the eye test with Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzling in center, Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson manning the middle, Alex Bregman locking down the hot corner and Ian Happ pushing for his fifth consecutive Gold Glove in left field. 6-10: Reds (19-10), Pirates (16-14), Rays (18-11), Tigers (15-15), Diamondbacks (15-13) (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 🐎 SHARP MONEY HOW ALGORITHMS CHANGED HORSE BETTING For the casual bettor, wagers are placed at a track window. But behind the scenes, large bets are being made electronically. (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) Ahead of Saturday's Kentucky Derby, we dive into the world of horse betting syndicates, where algorithms are changing the game — and maybe ruining it. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: The sixth race at Del Mar on a random Saturday last July should not have been memorable in any way. Running for an $81,000 purse, a 4-year-old Thoroughbred named Nanci Griffith won the one-mile race and paid $14.80 to win on a $2 bet. But for many of those who backed the winner, the payout was a massive disappointment. As the gate opened, the tote board showed Nanci Griffith's odds at 18-1. When she crossed the wire, however, the odds had changed to 6-1, meaning those who held winning tickets collected less than half of what they might have expected at post time. Unlike sports wagering, where a bettor is playing against a bookmaker and locks in their odds at the time of the bet, American horse racing has long been based on a parimutuel system where the bettors are wagering against each other. Once all the money goes into a pool, the racetrack takes a fixed percentage off the top and what's left is divided up among the winning bets. As a result, the odds shown to the public on TV or computer screens are constantly shifting based on what percentage of total money is being bet on each horse. Gambling decisions at the racetrack, however, are often based on perceived value. Someone may be willing to bet on a horse at 7-1 but might think differently if the odds were 2-1. While odds changes are part of the game, someone who makes a bet 10 or 15 minutes before a race would typically not expect the final odds to be dramatically different from what they were at the time of the wager. That wasn't the case at Del Mar last July. Such a big drop in the blink of an eye — the result of a massive bet on Nanci Griffith right before the gate opened — was one of the more notable examples of a topic that has roiled horse racing and its most loyal gamblers in recent years. Known in horse racing circles as CAWs — or Computer-Assisted Wagering syndicates — these well-funded groups of professional gamblers have built algorithms to model horse races, track public betting patterns and make large wagers when they identify an inefficiency. Thanks both to technology and the special privileges some racetracks have given them, the CAWs are able to upload tranches of bets directly into the wagering pool at lightning speeds — far faster than any regular player could do it on a phone app or at a racetrack window. The ability to do it at the very last moment — sometimes significantly changing the odds for people who already made their bets — has become both the subject of a class-action federal lawsuit and a source of frustration for some high-profile voices who believe it has created too much inequity between the CAWs and the common fan. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 Can Cade Cunningham and the Pistons extend the series? (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs The Magic (up 3-1) look to complete a stunning series victory over the top-seeded Pistons in Detroit (7pm ET, Prime), and the Lakers (up 3-1) look to eliminate the Rockets in Los Angeles (10pm, ESPN). Plus: The Cavaliers (tied 2-2) host the Raptors in a critical Game 5 (7:30pm, ESPN). Pistons on the brink: Detroit is just the third 60-win team in NBA history to go down 3-1 in its opening playoff series. Each of the previous two (2007 Mavericks, 2011 Spurs) won Game 5 but lost the series in six. 🏒 NHL Playoffs The Penguins, who've won two straight since going down 3-0, hit the road against the Flyers (7:30pm, TNT) as they try to force a Game 7. Plus: The Lightning (tied 2-2) host the Canadiens (7pm, ESPN2) and the Golden Knights (tied 2-2) host the Mammoth (10pm, TNT). See-saw affair: The Lightning and Canadiens have alternated one-goal wins all series, with three of the four games requiring overtime. If the trend holds, Montreal will win by a goal tonight (possibly in OT) to take a 3-2 series lead. ⚽️ Champions League, Semifinal Atlético Madrid host Arsenal in the first leg of their semifinal matchup (3pm, CBS), six months after the Gunners thrashed Atlético, 4-0, in the league phase. Trying to break through: No clubs have played more Champions League matches without winning the title than Arsenal (223) and Atlético (190). More to watch: 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7am, Tennis) … Men's and women's quarterfinal action. ⚽️ NWSL: Portland vs. San Diego (10pm, CBSSN) … The top two teams in the league square off in Portland. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏆 STILL ALIVE PLAYOFFS TRIVIA Matt Boldy of the Wild celebrates his game-winning goal in Game 4. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) Minneapolis (Timberwolves, Wild) is one of four cities with teams currently alive in both the NBA and NHL playoffs. Question: Can you name the other three? Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH Hailey Baptiste demolishes her racket at the Madrid Open. (David Ramos/Getty Images) What a photo. Hailey Baptiste demolished her racket after losing six match points against Belinda Bencic on Monday at the Madrid Open. The American ultimately won the match and advanced to the quarterfinals, where she knocked off world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka after saving six match points. Trivia answer: Denver (Nuggets, Avalanche); Philadelphia (76ers, Flyers); Boston (Celtics, Bruins) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 2 Author Members Posted May 2 👋 Good morning! We're announcing our next newsletter tomorrow. Any guesses as to what it will be? In today's edition: Flyers advance, Pistons and Rockets stay alive, the latest on LIV Golf's future, World Cup ticket costs, "Space Jam" back in theaters, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⛳️ The end of LIV as we know it? After weeks of murmurs, the Saudi Public Investment Fund is indeed pulling its funding of LIV Golf at the end of this season. Rather than fold, the breakaway tour is reportedly seeking new long-term financial partners in a bid for survival. ⚽️ Arsenal 1, Atlético Madrid 1: The Gunners and Atleti emerged from their first-leg semifinal with a draw on a pair of penalty kicks, giving Arsenal the upper hand with home-field advantage coming in next week's second leg at Emirates Stadium. 🏈 Pickens signs tag: Cowboys WR George Pickens finally signed his franchise tag, guaranteeing him $27.3 million this season. Dallas could still trade the All-Pro receiver, but Jerry Jones said last month the franchise has "long-term plans" for him. 🎓 Big 12 lands PE deal: The Big 12 has struck its long-discussed private capital deal, the first such publicized agreement in major college sports. The five-year pact with RedBird and Weatherford Capital includes, among other things, an infusion of at least $12.5 million to drive commercial development and business growth. 🏀 The NBA's best teammate: Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan won the NBA's Teammate of the Year award over Portland's Jrue Holiday and Houston's Jeff Green, earning the honor based on "selfless play" and "leadership on and off the court." 🏒 CHASING THE CUP NHL PLAYOFFS: FLYERS ADVANCE (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) The Flyers are moving on to the second round after a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Penguins. Cam York scored the overtime game-winner to emerge triumphant in the Battle of Pennsylvania. York's goal came 17:30 into OT — the latest a first goal has been scored in a Stanley Cup playoff game in 22 years. But the game never would have gotten to that point if not for the heroics of goalkeeper Dan Vladar, whose 42 saves were the fourth-most in a series-clinching shutout over the past 70 years. More NHL Playoffs: East: The Canadiens beat the Lightning, 3-2, to take a 3-2 series lead. All five games have been decided by one goal, and four have ended 3-2, with Montreal and Tampa Bay alternating wins. West: Brett Howden scored in double overtime to give the Golden Knights a 5-4 (2OT) victory over the Mammoth in Las Vegas and a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to Salt Lake City. Stat du jour: In NHL history, there have been 29 instances of a team trailing in the third period in each of the first five games of a playoff series. Of those 29 teams, 28 were behind in the series or had already lost after five games. The lone exception? This year's Golden Knights, per Opta Stats. Three teams have advanced to Round 2, and two more could join them tonight. (Yahoo Sports) 🏀 NOT DEAD YET NBA PLAYOFFS: STAYIN' ALIVE A signature performance for Cade Cunningham in a must-win game. (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) The Pistons and Rockets needed to win on Wednesday night to keep their seasons alive, and that's exactly what they did. Detroit: Cade Cunningham (45 points) powered the Pistons past Paolo Banchero (45 points) and the Magic, 116-109, to force a Game 6. This was just the second time ever that two opposing players scored 45+ points in the same playoff game (Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray, 2020). Los Angeles: Jabari Smith and the Rockets roared back from an early deficit and held on for a 99-93 victory over the Lakers, forcing a Game 6 and handing LeBron James his first loss in a home closeout game since 2008. Meanwhile, in Cleveland: The Cavaliers defeated the Raptors, 125-120, to take a 3-2 series lead behind a balanced effort from James Harden (23 points), Evan Mobley (23), Donovan Mitchell (19) and Dennis Schröder (19). Stat du jour: All four Eastern Conference first-round series will last at least six games, which hasn't happened in the East since 2003 (start of best-of-seven first round), and last happened in the West in 2014. ⚽️ TICKET SALES WORLD CUP: WILL HIGH COSTS MEAN EMPTY SEATS? FIFA president Gianni Infantino. (Tasos Katopodis/FIFA via Getty Images) With the FIFA Men's World Cup six weeks away from kicking off in North America, soccer's global governing body potentially finds itself in a catch-22 of its own making. Shlomo Sprung, Yahoo Sports: FIFA, which is expected to bring in a record $11 billion in revenue from the tournament, has employed a type of dynamic pricing model for ticket sales it's calling "variable pricing," dramatically increasing prices for tickets in the 11 host venues based on demands from fans all over the world. It led to the average ticket price across FIFA's three category groups to increase by an average of 34% between October and April, per The Athletic, with costs increasing for at least 90 of the competition's 104 total matches. The average cost of the cheapest group stage ticket is nearly 50% higher than the previous World Cup record, adjusted for inflation. (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) The response: The sticker shock appears to have driven fans away. There are reportedly tens of thousands of tickets still available for the USMNT's opener in Los Angeles, and at least seven group stage matches have wide availability on FIFA's official ticketing website. The Athletic obtained a document dated April 10 reportedly sent to local organizers indicating that fewer than 41,000 tickets had been sold for the U.S. team's group stage opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12 despite a listed seating capacity of just under 70,000. FIFA disputed the report, stating the document "does not accurately reflect actual sales to date." And yet, as of this publication, seats remain available — at a get-in price of $1,120. This begs an essential question central to the World Cup's success here this summer: Will high prices lead to large swaths of empty seats at what is supposed to be one of the world's premier sporting events? 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) ⚾️ 0.60 ERA Shohei Ohtani, the guy with an .897 OPS and 286 career home runs, leads all qualified pitchers this season with a 0.60 ERA. That's two earned runs in 30 innings. For one of the best hitters in baseball. Historic start: Ohtani is the first pitcher since at least 1913 (when ER became official) to open the season with five consecutive starts of at least 6 IP with no home runs allowed and no more than five hits or one earned run allowed in each start. 🐎 5-foot-7 Edwin Maldonado is not a particularly tall man at 5-foot-7. But when he enters the starting gates on Saturday atop Pavlovian (50-1) for his first Kentucky Derby, he'll look like a giant next to his fellow jockeys, whose ideal height is closer to 5-foot-3. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: "In a sport where the riders need to weigh in at around 110-115 pounds with enough strength to control a 1,200-pound animal, nothing can kill a career quicker than height. But if you need a rider who can get a horse to start quickly, Maldonado is your guy." (Giphy) 🍿 30th anniversary The original "Space Jam" (1996) aired closer to the moon landing than present day. Is that upsetting to hear? Does it make you feel old? Well, you can now celebrate the unceasing flow of time by seeing the joint Michael Jordan-Looney Tunes production in theaters on May 20 as part of the film's 30th anniversary. More details: Warner Bros. and AMC Theatres announced the special event on Wednesday and will be offering either a collectible basketball cup or a Pop-A-Shot-styled popcorn bucket. ⛳️ 5.06 birdies Scottie Scheffler is averaging an astonishing 5.06 birdies per round this season through his first 32 rounds. No one in the history of the PGA Tour has ever averaged more than five per round across an entire season. Mr. Consistency: Scheffler will try to make his 73rd consecutive cut at this weekend's Cadillac Championship, which would break a tie for the fifth-longest streak in PGA Tour history. Only Tiger Woods (142), Byron Nelson (113), Jack Nicklaus (105) and Hale Irwin (86) made more consecutive cuts. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, APRIL 30 The Knicks have regained the momentum after a shaky start to the series. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs Three teams can advance to the second round tonight as the Knicks (up 3-2) visit the Hawks (7pm ET, ESPN), the Celtics (up 3-2) visit the 76ers (8pm, NBCSN) and the Timberwolves (up 3-2) host the Nuggets (9:30pm, ESPN). Familiar foes: No two NBA teams have met in the playoffs more often than the Celtics and 76ers, who are in the midst of their 23rd head-to-head series. Next on that list? The Celtics and Knicks, who'll meet for the 16th time if they both advance. 🏒 NHL Playoffs Two home teams can clinch spots in the second round tonight as the Wild (up 3-2) host the Stars (7:30pm, TNT) and the Ducks (up 3-2) host the Oilers (10pm, TNT). Backs against the wall: Edmonton is 6-2 in elimination games over the last three seasons, including Tuesday's Game 5 victory. Can the Oilers pull out another win in Anaheim to force Game 7? More to watch: ⛳️ PGA: Cadillac Championship (8:30am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … A loaded field competes for $20 million at Miami's Trump National Doral. ⛳️ LPGA: Riviera Maya Open (10am, Golf) … The LPGA heads to Mexico, where No. 1 Nelly Korda seeks her sixth straight top-two finish. ⚾️ MLB: Cardinals at Pirates (12:35pm, MLB) … Remember Paul Skenes' Opening Day blowup (0.2 IP, 5 ER)? He's allowed just three runs in five starts since then, lowering his ERA to 2.48. 🎾 Tennis: Madrid Open (7am, Tennis) … No. 2 Alexander Zverev headlines the men's quarterfinals; No. 9 Mirra Andreeva headlines the women's semis. 🏒 PWHL: Ottawa at Boston (7pm, YouTube) … The playoffs begin with top-seeded Boston hosting Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 TOP PICKS WNBA TRIVIA (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) The past four No. 1 overall picks will take the court tonight when the Fever host the Wings in WNBA preseason action. Question: Can you name all four? Answer at the bottom. 🏈 WAY-TOO-EARLY 2027 NFL DRAFT: TOP PROSPECTS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Texas QB Arch Manning headlines our way-too-early Top 25 Big Board for the 2027 NFL Draft class, which looks absolutely loaded. "There's a lot of hype with Manning," writes Yahoo Sports draft expert Nate Tice, "but I really believe it is, or is about to be, justified." (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Best represented: The Longhorns have four players on our Big Board, and they're all ranked among the top nine prospects. Oregon (3), Notre Dame (2), South Carolina (2) and Indiana (2) are the only other schools with multiple players in our Top 25. Trivia answer: Aliyah Boston (2023), Caitlin Clark (2024), Paige Bueckers (2025), Azzi Fudd (2026) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 4 Author Members Posted May 4 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Announcing our next product, Sixers force Game 7, Blue Devils on Prime, Kentucky Derby, Miami Grand Prix, LIV's lasting damage, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Blue Devils on Prime: Duke has inked a multi-year partnership with Amazon, which will stream three marquee games on Prime Video next season. Those matchups, against UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga, will mark Amazon's first foray into live college sports. ⚾️ Man on fire: Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas has gotten a hit in all 23 games this season, matching the second-longest season-opening hitting streak since 1940. Not bad for a 34-year-old journeyman who's never had more than 67 hits in any of his previous nine seasons. 🎾 Get to know the name: Unseeded 21-year-old Alexander Blockx reached the Madrid Open semifinals after knocking off defending champion Casper Ruud, marking the Belgian's third straight win over a top-20 opponent. Up next: No. 2 Alexander Zverev for a spot in the final. ⚾️ Two walk-offs, one day: The Phillies won both legs of their doubleheader on Thursday via walk-off, becoming the first team to do so since 2004. The same pitcher (reliever Chase Shugart) earned the win in both games, which last happened in 2013. 🏀 Wall's new role: Former Wizards All-Star John Wall is returning to the nation's capital to become president of basketball operations at Howard University, the top-ranked HBCU program in the country. 📣 ANNOUNCEMENT OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER: SPORTS BUSINESS I am thrilled to announce that we are officially expanding the Yahoo Sports AM universe. Our next newsletter: Sports Business. A new destination: Our soon-to-launch newsletter will be the flagship product for our Sports Business Hub (available now) — a partnership between Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Finance, with coverage powered by industry-leading partners. Launch partners: Sportico Sports Business Journal Awful Announcing Front Office Sports Barrett Media Sports Business Radio JohnWallStreet The 4th Quarter One-stop shop: All coverage in the hub is available for free — no subscriptions required — unlocking in-depth sports business coverage for the more than 100 million fans and investors in the U.S. who visit Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Finance each month, respectively. Meet our new hire: Our Sports Business newsletter will be led by Dylan Dittrich, a former Wall Street investment professional and the author of Sneakonomic Growth. Dylan has impressed me for years with his sports business knowledge and analysis, and I can't wait to show you what we've already started cooking up. What to expect: While Yahoo Sports AM covers primarily on-field dynamics, our Sports Business vertical will bring that same approach to off-field dynamics, which have never been more important than they are today. From the front office to the boardroom to the stock market, we'll have it all. And yes, there will be trivia. Want early access? Send an email to kendall.baker@yahooinc.com with the subject line, "I'm in." The first 500 people will get early access to our Sports Business newsletter, and we'll hook up some lucky winners with Yahoo Sports swag. 🏀🏒 SNAPSHOTS PLAYOFFS: 4 TEAMS ADVANCE (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Five NBA and NHL teams had a chance to advance to the second round on Thursday. The Knicks, Timberwolves, Wild and Ducks all got the job done; the Celtics still have some work to do. Atlanta — The Knicks administered a generational beatdown of the Hawks, winning 140-89 in a laugher. New York's 47-point halftime lead (83-36!) set an NBA playoff record, and at one point, they were leading by 61 points (101-40!). Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: "The box score will tell you that Game 6 of the Hawks-Knicks playoff series ended after 48 minutes of game play. The box score lies. This game was over in four minutes and 10 seconds, the exact length of time the Hawks could run with the Knicks." Jaden McDaniels celebrates during the victory. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) Minneapolis — The short-handed Timberwolves finished off the Nuggets with a 110-98 victory behind Jaden McDaniels (32 points, 10 rebounds) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (24 points). Next up: Wemby and the Spurs in Round 2. Minnesota's golden era: The Timberwolves, seeking their third straight trip to the conference finals, now have more playoff wins in the last three seasons (22) than they had in the previous 34 combined (21). (Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) St. Paul — The Wild beat the Stars, 5-2, to advance to the second round for the first time since 2015 and snap Dallas' streak of three straight conference finals appearances. Next up is a date with the top-seeded Avalanche. Sports town: For the first time ever, Minnesota has an NBA and NHL team in the second round in the same year. Wolves and Wild fans were celebrating just 10 miles apart last night in the Twin Cities. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Anaheim — The Ducks closed out the Oilers with a 5-2 victory, marking the end of an era. For the first time since 2023, Edmonton will not represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. What they're saying: "We were an average team all year," said a dejected Connor McDavid after the loss. "An average team with high expectations, you're going to be disappointed. We just never found it." (Elsa/Getty Images) Philadelphia — There's no quit in the 76ers, who kept their season alive with a 106-93 win over the Celtics behind 30 points from Tyrese Maxey (30 points) and a near triple-double from Joel Embiid (19-10-8). Game 7 is tomorrow night in Boston. Comeback kids: Only 13 teams have successfully overcome a 3-1 series deficit in NBA playoff history, and none since 2020. Can Philly make it 14? 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST The field heads towards the first turn during last year's Derby. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) 🐎 Kentucky Derby The 152nd Run for the Roses is on Saturday evening at Churchill Downs (6:57pm ET, NBC), where 20 horses will race for a $5 million purse in the nation's longest continuously held sporting event. Family affair: Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott seeks his second straight Derby victory with Chief Wallabee (12-1) after winning with Sovereignty last year. One man standing in his way? His son, Riley, making his Derby debut with longshots Albus (51-1) and Incredibolt (37-1). The Motts are the first father and son trainers with horses in the same Derby since 1964. 🏎️ Miami Grand Prix Sunday's Miami Grand Prix (4pm, Apple) will be Formula 1's first race since March, and just its fourth of the season, following the long and unexpected break caused by the cancellation of April's races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Where it stands: Mercedes has opened the season on a hot streak, with George Russell winning in Australia and overall leader Kimi Antonelli winning in China and Japan. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton sit behind them, followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. 🏀 NBA Playoffs The second round will be set by Sunday night following a trio of Game 6s tonight, one Game 7 tomorrow and as many as three more Game 7s on Sunday. Friday: Pistons (2-3) at Magic (7pm, Prime); Cavaliers (3-2) at Raptors (7:30, Prime); Lakers (3-2) at Rockets (Fri. 9:30pm, Prime) Saturday: 76ers (3-3) at Celtics (7:30pm, NBC) Sunday: Game 7s, if necessary, in Detroit, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Could the Lakers blow this? If you scratched the surface on L.A.'s early 3-0 lead over Houston, it didn't look quite as commanding as it seemed, writes Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine. And now with two straight losses behind a sputtering offense, LeBron James and Co. are in danger of becoming the first NBA team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after leading 3-0. 🏒 NHL Playoffs The second round could be set as early as tonight, with three Game 6s on tap. Friday: Lightning (2-3) at Canadiens (7pm, ESPN2); Sabres (3-2) at Bruins (7:30pm, ESPN); Golden Knights (3-2) at Mammoth (10pm, ESPN) Saturday: Flyers at Hurricanes (8pm, ABC) … Round 2. Sunday: Game 7, if necessary, in Tampa, Buffalo and Las Vegas. Canada's last chance: Just three Canadian teams reached the playoffs, and now that the Senators and Oilers have both been eliminated, the Canadiens, up 3-2 on Tampa, are the country's last hope of ending its 33-year Stanley Cup drought. 🎾 Madrid Open The Masters 1000 event comes to an end this weekend, with the men's semifinals today, the women's final tomorrow and the men's final on Sunday. Men: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 21 Arthur Fils (Fri. 10am); No. 2 Alexander Zverev vs. Alexander Blockx (Fri. 2pm) … Sinner is two victories away from becoming the first man to win five consecutive ATP 1000-level titles. Women: No. 9 Mirra Andreeva vs. No. 26 Marta Kostyuk (Sat. 11am) … Andreeva, 19, is the first teenager to reach three career WTA 1000-level finals. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Reds at Pirates (Fri. 6:40pm, Apple); Royals at Mariners (Fri. 9:45pm, Apple); Blue Jays at Twins (Sun. 12:35pm, Peacock); Rangers at Tigers (Sun. 7:20pm, Peacock) ⛳️ Golf: Cadillac Championship (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS); Riviera Maya Open (Fri-Sun, Golf/Paramount+) … Stacked fields in Miami and Mexico. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Lyon (1-2) vs. Arsenal (Sat. 9am, CBSSN); Barcelona (1-1) at Bayern (Sun. 10:30am, Paramount+) … Semifinals. ⚽️ MLS: Inter Miami vs. Orlando City (Sat. 7:15pm, Apple/FS1) … The Florida Derby comes to the newly-opened Nu Stadium for the first time. ⚽️ NWSL: Boston Legacy vs. Denver Summit (Sun. 3pm, CBSSN) … The league's two newest expansion teams face off for the first time. 🏁 NASCAR: Texas Motor Speedway (Sun. 3:30pm, FS1) … Can young Carson Hocevar follow up his inaugural victory — and unique celebration — with a second straight win? 🏒 PWHL: Minnesota at Montréal (Sat. 2pm, Prime); Ottawa (down 1-0) at Boston (Sat. 7pm, YouTube) … Best-of-five semifinals. 🏈 IFL: Green Bay Blizzard at Fishers Freight (Sat. 5pm, Yahoo Sports TV); Arizona Rattlers at Vegas Knight Hawks (Sun. 7:30pm, Yahoo Sports TV) … First place is on the line in both conferences. 🍌 Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas vs. Texas Tailgaters (Sat. 8pm, ESPN2) … Over 100,000 fans are expected at Texas A&M's Kyle Field. Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images) ⛳️ Joel Beall: LIV Golf is dying. The damage is permanent (Golf Digest) The most lasting damage may be the hardest to quantify, which is the goodwill of the audience. Golf as a participation sport was growing before LIV, lifted by a pandemic-era surge that had introduced millions of new players to the game and returned millions of lapsed ones to it. Rounds played hit a 40-year high. Equipment sales broke records. Junior participation climbed. The sport had momentum it had not felt in a generation. It then spent the next five years asking that audience to care about a labor dispute between multi-millionaires and a sovereign wealth fund. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) 🐎 Dan Wolken: Mike Repole, the maverick owner of favorite Renegade, is here to take on the establishment As Repole's profile has risen in horse racing, so has his frustration with the leadership of a sport he believes is either in denial about or has become accepting of its erosion in the American zeitgeist. Yes, the Kentucky Derby continues to grow as an Instagrammable cultural tentpole on every fan's bucket list and a television property that draws roughly 20 million viewers annually. But with wagering dollars declining, racetracks closing and a foal crop that has dropped from about 50,000 in the mid-1980s to fewer than 17,000, Repole's over-the-top brashness is in many ways the sport's only counterbalance to its fundamental lack of urgency in trying to stop the slide for the other 364 days a year. Archbishop Stepinac head coach Patrick Massaroni on the sidelines. (Gregory Payan/AP Photo) 🏀 Jeff Eisenberg: Banned for playing in a tournament? The power struggle that's rocked New York high school basketball On the morning of April 21, a high-ranking administrator in New York's Catholic High School Athletic Association sent a startling letter to the league's member schools. Kevin J. Pigott announced that the league's executive committee unanimously recommended harsh sanctions against Archbishop Stepinac's ballyhooed boy's basketball program, including a postseason ban, a lengthy suspension for the head coach and the prohibition of out-of-state travel. What were the salacious crimes that spurred this potential death-penalty-esque punishment? Stepinac had the audacity to participate in a basketball tournament. ⚾ SCHWARBOMB MLB TRIVIA (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) Kyle Schwarber hit his 350th career home run on Thursday, becoming the ninth active player to reach the milestone. Question: How many of the other eight players can you name? Hint: AL East (3), NL West (3), AL West (1), NL East (1). Answer at the bottom. 🏎️ MIAMI GRAND PRIX YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2026 marks the debut of Yahoo Sports' partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Today's practice (12pm ET) and tomorrow's qualifying (4pm) will both air for free on Yahoo Sports, while Sunday's race will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Trivia answer: Giancarlo Stanton (456), Mike Trout (414), Aaron Judge (380), Paul Goldschmidt (373), Manny Machado (373), Freddie Freeman (370), Bryce Harper (369), Nolan Arenado (358) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 5 Author Members Posted May 5 Summer Movie Guide 2026: Here’s what’s coming to theaters and streaming from May to August Hollywood’s summer movie season is shaping up to be epic. There are superheroes, franchises and thrillers galore with many of the regulars on the lineup: “Spider-Man,” “Minions,” “Star Wars” and “Toy Story.” But the most eagerly anticipated is not a superhero, toy or franchise: It’s Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey," out July 17. The AP spoke to over two dozen people involved in some of the summer’s biggest releases, from studio executives to filmmakers, writers and actors about their films and the industry. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Growing up with ‘Toy Story’: Andrew Stanton on 30+ years with Woody and Buzz 'Disclosure Day' answers questions from 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' Josh O’Connor says Milly Alcock’s ‘punk rock’ Supergirl takes flight as DC bets big on the Woman of Tomorrow Subscribe to Entertainment Wire, AP’s personalized newsletter delivering you entertainment news twice a week Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 6 Author Members Posted May 6 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. Sports biz signup: The response to our forthcoming Sports Business newsletter has been so amazing that we're expanding early access from 500 people to 5,000 people. If interested, send an email to kendall.baker@yahooinc.com with the subject line, "I'm in." In today's edition: NBA comebacks, Canadiens survive and advance, Derby Day in photos, Korda and Sinner keep winning, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏀 ROUND 2 NBA PLAYOFFS: COMEBACK KIDS (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) The NBA's opening round ended in style, featuring three do-or-die Game 7s (most in the first round since 2014) and multiple 3-1 comebacks (76ers and Pistons), the first time that's ever happened in any round. Game 7s: 76ers 109, Celtics 100: The Sixers upset the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics on Saturday night in Boston behind big games from Joel Embiid (34 pts, 12 reb) and Tyrese Maxey (30-11-7). Pistons 116, Magic 94: The East's top seed ousted the eighth seed on Sunday in a game that never would have happened if not for Detroit's wild 24-point comeback in Friday's Game 6. Cavaliers 114, Raptors 102: When these two teams entered halftime of Game 7 tied 49-49, they had each put up exactly 718 points in the series. Then, finally, Cleveland made its move and pulled away in the second half. Here's the East… (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) And here's the West… (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) 🏒 CHASING THE CUP NHL PLAYOFFS: THE FINAL EIGHT (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The Canadiens beat the Lightning, 2-1, on Sunday in a Game 7 like none other, punching the eighth and final ticket to the second round — and keeping Canada's title hopes alive for at least another week. Survive and advance: It's been 33 long years since a Canadian franchise hoisted the Stanley Cup. That drought could have easily been extended on Sunday when Montreal managed just nine shots on goal against Tampa Bay, the fewest ever (by any team) in a postseason victory. The Lightning, by comparison, had 29. With Edmonton and Ottawa eliminated, Montreal entered the weekend as Canada's lone survivor. A one-goal loss in Game 6 was followed by a one-goal win in Game 7 — a fitting end to a series that knew nothing else. This was the ultimate see-saw affair: Seven one-goal games, with each team alternating wins and losses. A few different bounces of the puck, and it could have been The Sunshine State in yet another final eight.* Where it stands: Round 2 began over the weekend, with the top-seeded Hurricanes blanking the Flyers, 3-0, and the top-seeded Avalanche overpowering the Wild, 9-6, in one of the highest-scoring playoff games in NHL history. Title odds (via BetMGM): Avalanche (+190) Hurricanes (+195) Golden Knights (+600) Canadiens (+900) Sabres (+1000) Wild (+1500) Ducks (+2000) Flyers (+4000) *End of an era: For the first time since 2019, the Panthers and Lightning will both miss the Stanley Cup Final. This snaps a six-year run of at least one Florida team making it to the final two. 🐎 THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: DERBY DAY (Rob Carr/Getty Images) Louisville — Long shot Golden Tempo made a stretch run for the ages on Saturday at Churchill Downs, coming from dead last to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby, which was the most-watched on record, averaging 19.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) First female champion: Prior to Saturday, only 17 female trainers had ever had a horse reach the Derby, and until Saturday, none had ever won. Cherie DeVaux, 44, became the first, bettering Shelley Riley's runner-up finish with Casual Lies in 1992. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) A family affair: Brothers Jose Ortiz (Golden Tempo) and Irad Ortiz Jr. (Renegade) crossed the finish line 1-2. You probably don't need us to tell you that's a first in Kentucky Derby history. (Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images) Who wore what: While the Thoroughbreds deservedly took center stage at the Run for the Roses, the hats and fashion at Churchill Downs ran a close second. 🔥 ALONE AT THE TOP KORDA AND SINNER: DUELING HOT STREAKS (Ishika Samant/Getty Images) Nelly Korda and Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 players in their respective sports, both notched victories on Sunday to continue their historically hot starts to the season. Nelly Korda (-17) ran away with the title at the Riviera Maya Open, beating the field in Mexico by four strokes to win her second straight tournament and third of the season. (Nearly) impossible to beat: Korda has yet to finish worse than second this season, joining Annika Sorenstam (2001) as the only women since 1980 to open an LPGA campaign with six consecutive top-two finishes. Only two women have bested her all year: world No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim (twice) and No. 12 Lauren Coughlin. Looking ahead: Despite being just 27 years old, Korda could earn induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame as soon as this year. It takes 27 points to qualify, and she currently sits at 23. A standard tournament win is worth one point, while a major is worth two. Being named Player of the Year or having the low scoring average for the season are also worth one point each. (Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) Jannik Sinner annihilated Alexander Zverev, 6-1, 6-2, in the Madrid Open final to become the first player ever to win five straight Masters 1000 titles. By the numbers: Sinner's victory took just 57 minutes, making it the fastest match of his career. Against the No. 3 player in the world! The Italian is now 30-2 on the season, winning 23 straight matches and four straight titles while dropping just two sets during that streak. Looking ahead: If Sinner wins the Rome Open (May 4-17), he'll join Novak Djokovic as the only men to complete the Career Golden Masters, with titles in all nine ATP 1000 events. If he wins the French Open (May 24-June 7), he'll achieve the Career Grand Slam. And with Carlos Alcaraz (wrist) out indefinitely, who's gonna stop him? 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Peter Fox/Getty Images) 🏎️ 100 points Kimi Antonelli picked up right where he left off before the break, winning Sunday's Miami Grand Prix for his third consecutive victory. The 19-year-old Italian sits atop the F1 standings with 100 points through four races, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell (80) and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (63). The prides of Italy: Antonelli's three victories have come on March 15 (Chinese GP), March 29 (Japanese GP) and May 3 (Miami GP) — the exact same days that fellow countryman Jannik Sinner won at Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid. ⛳️ $10.5 million Cameron Young (-19) ran away with the Cadillac Championship on Sunday, lapping the field in a six-stroke victory at Trump National Doral for his second win — and fourth top-three finish — in his last five starts. His total winnings during that two-month span? $10.5 million. Not bad. Runner-up (again): You'll never guess who finished second. That, of course, would be Scottie Scheffler, who still hasn't won since his season-opening victory at the American Express, but now has three consecutive runner-up finishes. (Savannah Bananas) 🍌 102,000 fans They say everything's bigger in Texas. That was certainly true on Saturday when 102,000 fans descended on Texas A&M's Kyle Field to watch the Savannah Bananas, making it the largest crowd in Banana Ball history. Biggest venues: Kyle Field (102,733 capacity) is the fourth-largest college football stadium, trailing only Michigan Stadium (107,601), Penn State's Beaver Stadium (106,572) and Ohio Stadium (102,780). Later this month, the Bananas will travel to Tennessee's Neyland Stadium, which is the sixth-largest (101,821). 🥍 24 years Maryland men's lacrosse did not hear its name called on Selection Sunday, marking the first time since 2002 that they will miss the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins were the preseason No. 1 team but finished a disappointing 7-6, their fewest wins in a season since 1994. Who's in? Princeton, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, Syracuse, Cornell and Penn State earned the top eight seeds in the 18-team tournament. The other 10 spots went to Duke, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Georgetown, Albany, Army, Jacksonville, Robert Morris, Marist and Stony Brook. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, MAY 4 (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs Welcome to Round 2. The Knicks and 76ers kick things off at Madison Square Garden (8pm ET, NBC) before the Spurs host the Timberwolves in the nightcap (9:30pm, NBCSN). Head-to-head: This will be the 11th playoff series between the Knicks and Sixers, but just the second since 1989 after New York won in the first round two years ago. The Spurs and Wolves have met just twice in the postseason, with San Antonio winning in both 1999 and 2001. 🏒 NHL Playoffs Tonight's action begins in Raleigh, where the top-seeded Hurricanes will look to go up 2-0 on the Flyers (7pm, ESPN). Then it's off to Las Vegas for Game 1 between the Golden Knights and Ducks (9:30pm, ESPN). Historic dominance: The Hurricanes are the first team to not trail for a single second in their first five postseason games since the Capitals in 1986. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Brewers at Cardinals (7:45pm, FS1); Braves at Mariners (9:40pm, MLB) … Atlanta (25-10) is the first team to 25 wins and is off to its best 35-game start in the Modern Era (since 1900). ⚽️ EPL: Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest (10am, USA); Everton vs. Manchester City (3pm, USA) … Second-place City (70 points) must win to keep pace with Arsenal (76). Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. ⚾ THE BIG UNIT MLB TRIVIA (Rod Mar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) The Mariners retired Randy Johnson's jersey on Saturday, making him the second No. 51 (Ichiro) to be retired by Seattle. Question: The Mariners were one of six teams that Johnson played for during his MLB career. Can you name the other five? Hint: Four NL (at that time), one AL. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND 🏀 Barrett at the buzzer ⚽️ Four straight saves 🏒 Filthy finish ⚽️ Reid saves the day 🏒 Somehow keeps it out ⚾️ HR robbery ⚾️ Another HR robbery 🥏 Ultimate frisbee catch ⚾️ Full extension dive 🏀 Behind-the-back pass ⚾️ Over the wall 🏀 Spin and slam 🥍 From way downtown Watch all 13. Trivia answer: Diamondbacks, Expos, Yankees, Giants, Astros Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 7 Author Members Posted May 7 🍿 1 film thing: "Interstellar" gets its flowers Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" is now the most-watched film on Letterboxd, the popular social movie platform. Over 7.4 million users say they've seen the 2014 sci-fi epic, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. 🎥 The film got mixed reviews on release. But many Nolan fans now consider it one of his best works — and a landmark achievement in filmmaking. See the rankings. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted May 7 Author Members Posted May 7 👋 Good morning! Happy Cinco de Mayo! In today's edition: Softball sees a power surge, Skubal needs surgery, Wolves win Wemby's block party, Canes stay perfect, 41 years old, Dog of the Day, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Surgery for Skubal: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, a procedure whose unclear recovery timeline could be the difference between a $250 million and $450 million contract this offseason for the two-time reigning Cy Young. 🏀 NBA coaching moves: The Magic fired head coach Jamahl Mosley after five seasons and a third straight first-round playoff loss. On the other side of that matchup, the Pistons gave head coach J.B. Bickerstaff an extension following Detroit's first playoff series victory since 2008. ⚽️ City drop points: Manchester City scored a brilliant equalizer in the 97th minute against Everton, but still managed just a 3-3 draw to drop points in their razor-thin Premier League title race against Arsenal. If the Gunners win their final three matches, they'll be crowned champions for the first time since 2004. 💔 Stabbing in St. Louis: A 27-year-old man was stabbed to death early Monday morning at Busch Stadium after an alleged dispute between members of a cleaning crew at the Cardinals' ballpark. Specifics are not yet known, but police took a 65-year-old man into custody. 🏈 Tyrod's next stop: The Packers are signing QB Tyrod Taylor to be Jordan Love's backup. This will be Taylor's eighth NFL team following stints with the Ravens (2011-14), Bills (2015-17), Browns (2018), Chargers (2019-20), Texans (2021), Giants (2022-23) and Jets (2024-25). 🥎 POWER SURGE SOFTBALL'S SLUGFEST (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) Records are meant to be broken, so it's not all that shocking that college softball's single-season home run mark — set 31 years ago — is likely to fall in the coming weeks. What is shocking is that three players could break it. Chasing 37: Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells (36 HR) and UCLA's duo of Megan Grant (35) and Jordan Woolery (33) already have three of the eight highest single-season home run totals in history, with conference and NCAA tournaments still to come. A few more blasts and all three will eclipse the record of 37 homers, set in 1995 by Arizona's Laura Espinoza. Wells: The only thing stopping the freshman sensation from having already broken the record is the Barry Bonds treatment she's been getting lately, drawing eight walks (and hitting no homers) in her last four games. But it's only a matter of time for the young catcher, who went yard once in every 4.1 at-bats before her current drought began. Grant: The senior utility player has had quite a year for the Bruins, and not just on the diamond. Yes, that's where she's most talented (her 1.315 slugging percentage leads the nation), but she also played 14 games for UCLA's title-winning basketball team. Woolery: The senior infielder is on pace to become the first player in Division I history to record 30+ home runs, 100+ RBI and a .500+ batting average in a single season. Her .513 mark ranks fourth in the nation. A nationwide slugfest: Wells, Grant and Woolery aren't the only ones making history this year. The Sooners and Bruins have both already shattered the single-season home run record with 173 home runs each (previous record: 161). And across the sport, Division I teams are averaging an all-time high of nearly 0.8 home runs per game. What's driving this power surge? It's rather simple, actually: The data revolution that transformed baseball has finally made its way to softball, as WSJ's Rachel Bachman and Laine Higgins explain below: Precise ball-tracking data, which has been available in pro and college baseball for years, has recently come into use at 45 top college softball teams, up from about 10 last year. A system called Trackman uses in-stadium, two-directional Doppler radar and synchronized high-speed cameras to quantify everything from a ball's rotation and velocity to location. That data trove has given batters a cheat code for pitchers' tendencies. It has also armed coaches and conferences with details about how umpires call games. The result is that softball's strike zone has shrunk. Sluggers are feasting on the new conditions. Walks are up 14% in two years. And in the Power 4 conferences, those with the widest Trackman adoption, home runs are up 51% from two years ago. What to watch: Wells, Grant and Woolery all take the field next on Thursday, as top-seeded Oklahoma and third-seeded UCLA enter the quarterfinals of the SEC and Big Ten tournaments ahead of Selection Sunday. 🇺🇸 SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) San Antonio — Victor Wembanyama set an NBA playoff record with 12 blocks, but it was the Timberwolves who got the 104-102 victory in Game 1. Anthony Edwards scored 18 points off the bench in his first game back since injuring his knee in Round 1. Meanwhile, in the East: The Knicks destroyed the 76ers, 137-98, in the series opener. They've now outscored their opponents by 135 points in their last four games, the largest margin in a four-game span in NBA playoff history. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) Raleigh, North Carolina — Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar in overtime to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the Flyers and a 2-0 series lead. Carolina still hasn't lost this postseason. Meanwhile, in the West: The Golden Knights beat the Ducks, 3-1, in the series opener behind a stellar night in net from Carter Hart (34 saves, .971 save percentage). (New York Yankees/Getty Images) New York — Yankees captain Aaron Judge and White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami each homered again on Monday to remain tied for the MLB lead with 14, putting both on an early pace to hit an AL-record 65. Elite company: This was Judge's 91st first-inning home run, which ranks third in Yankees history behind Mickey Mantle (103) and Babe Ruth (126). 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) 🏀 41 years old LeBron James is 41 years, 4 months and 6 days old, which is roughly the same age as both head coaches in his next series. He's six months younger than Los Angeles' JJ Redick (41 years, 10 months, 11 days) and two months older than OKC's Mark Daigneault (41 years, 2 months, 12 days). How is he doing this? James averaged 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists against the Rockets en route to winning his 42nd playoff series, which is more than all but six NBA teams. Ridiculous. ⚾️ 300 steals Guardians 3B José Ramírez stole his 300th career base over the weekend, joining Royals OF Starling Marte (361), Astros 2B Jose Altuve (326) and Phillies SS Trea Turner (318) as the only active players to reach the milestone. Dual threat: Ramírez (291 career HRs) is just nine home runs shy of becoming the ninth player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 300 steals, joining Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Andre Dawson, Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Bonds, Steve Finley and Reggie Sanders. Sterling in the booth before a game in 2009. (Bill Kostroun/AP Photo) 🎙️ 28.7% of games Legendary Yankees broadcaster John Sterling has passed away at age 87. He got his start with the team in 1989 and called 28.7% of all games in Yankees history (5,631 of 19,567) during his 36-year run. Perhaps even more mind-blowing? That means Sterling called nearly 3% of all games in MLB history. What they're saying: "John was the soundtrack of my entire career with the Yankees," said five-time All-Star Bernie Williams. "All those championships and all those amazing moments, he called them. I was truly proud to be the first one of his many famous home run calls — 'Bernie Goes Boom! Bern Baby Bern!'" Worth a watch: "Well, John, we thank you" 🚴 30,000 kilometers British father and son George and Josh Kohler completed an epic trip around the world on Saturday, biking nearly 30,000 kilometers (18,028 miles) across 30 countries in 400 days while raising $70,000 for charity. Wild stat: The Kohlers climbed 180,000 meters during their journey, which is the equivalent of ascending Mount Everest 20 times. The effort earned them three Guinness World Records. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, MAY 5 (Cooper Neill/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Playoffs A pair of second-round series begin tonight, with the top-seeded Pistons hosting the Cavaliers (7pm ET, NBSCN) and the top-seeded Thunder hosting the Lakers (8:30pm, NBC). Good luck, LA: The Thunder absolutely crushed the Lakers this season, winning all four matchups by an average of 29 points. Do LeBron James and Co. have a chance? 🏒 NHL Playoffs The Avalanche (up 1-0) host the Wild in tonight's lone NHL action (8pm, ESPN) following their historically high-scoring matchup in Game 1. That was wild: Colorado's 9-6 victory on Sunday was tied for the fifth highest-scoring game in NHL postseason history, and the 14 different goal-scorers were the most in a playoff game since 1993. ⚽️ Champions League, Semifinal Arsenal (tied 1-1) host Atlético Madrid in the second leg of their semifinal (3pm, CBS) with a spot in the championship on the line. Tall task: Arsenal have yet to lose a match in this year's Champions League (10 wins, 3 draws). Can Atleti accomplish what no other team has and take down the English giants? More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Dodgers at Astros (8:10pm, TBS) … Shohei Ohtani (MLB-best 0.60 ERA) takes the mound in Houston. 🏒 PWHL: Minnesota (up 1-0) at Montréal (7pm, Prime) … Best-of-five semifinal continues. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏆 TROPHY CASE STANLEY CUP TRIVIA Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard after winning the Stanley Cup in 1958. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) The Canadiens are seeking their 24th Stanley Cup title, by far the most of any franchise. Question: Who are the only other two franchises with double-digit Stanley Cups? Answer at the bottom. 🐶 GOOD BOY DOG OF THE DAY (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Tucker, the Mariners clubhouse dog, having the time of his life during batting practice. Trivia answer: Maple Leafs (13) and Red Wings (11) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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