Members phkrause Posted April 20, 2025 Author Members Posted April 20, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Sports moments of the century, playoff brackets, JT fires course record, Lee Corso's last dance, photo finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ⛳️ JT fires course record: Justin Thomas shot a 10-under 61 to take a three-stroke lead at the RBC Heritage. Now, he'll try to do what no other PGA Tour golfer has this season: go wire-to-wire for the victory. ? Dame nears return: Damian Lillard has been medically cleared after being sidelined for a month with blood clots in his calf. He'll still miss Game 1 tomorrow, but the Bucks star could be back for Game 2. ? Final Four: Utah, UCLA, Oklahoma and Missouri advanced to the NCAA gymnastics championships, where the Utes are seeking their record-extending ninth title, the Bruins are seeking their eighth, the Sooners are seeking their seventh and the Tigers are seeking their first. ? College football rule change: In an effort to curb players faking injuries, the NCAA has approved a rule change wherein teams will be charged a timeout if training staff enters the field to look at a player who went down after the ball was spotted. ? PWHL expansion: The Professional Women's Hockey League is reportedly set to announce new teams in Vancouver and Seattle, with those two expansion franchises joining the league's original six in New York, Boston, Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. ? OFFICIAL RANKING TOP 20 SPORTS MOMENTS OF THE CENTURY Rory McIlroy's triumph at Augusta was an instant classic, but was it one of the top sports moments of the 21st century? A reader posed that question this week, and I ran with it, starting with my Top 10 before expanding to my Top 20 because 10 was too stressful. Spoiler alert: Rory didn't make the list, but he did get an honorable mention! Preface: The definition of "top moment" is something I went back and forth on numerous times. Is it about historic significance? Whether it transcended sports? How vividly it lives in our minds? A famous play is obviously a "moment," but what about an improbable playoff run? Or a cultural phenomenon that plays out over weeks? Are those "moments" or something else? While revisiting the past 25 years in sports, I quickly realized that even the most significant events don't always translate to "moments," and that some of the best moments lack historical significance. I decided to embrace the nuance and take a case-by-case approach. After an alarming number of hours spent watching YouTube videos and reliving childhood memories, I landed on a list that includes singular moments (think: iconic plays), sequences of moments (think: unforgettable games) and culminating moments (think: legacy-defining achievements). I hope you enjoy. Note: I only considered moments that happened during competition, which eliminated seminal events (like "The Decision") and "bigger than sports" displays (like George W. Bush's post-9/11 first pitch) that would have otherwise been included. Top 20 moments: ? The Helmet Catch (Feb. 3, 2008): The greatest catch in Super Bowl history, and the single most improbable play of the 21st century, was made by a special teamer who caught four passes in the regular season and ran the wrong route on the previous play. This was also his final career reception. David Tyree, you absolute legend. ⚾️ Four Days In October (Oct. 17-20, 2004): When I think about the 2004 ALCS, I'm transported back to my childhood basement, where I spent four straight nights staying up past my bedtime to watch "The Comeback." A week later, the Red Sox put the infamous "Curse of the Bambino” to rest. ⛳️ The Return To Glory (April 14, 2019): 11 years after winning his last major, Tiger Woods overcome astronomical odds to claim his fifth green jacket at age 43. That scene on the 18th green at Augusta that day? Doesn't get much better. ? The Kick Six (Nov. 30, 2013): In the immortal words of Rod Bramblett: "Davis is gonna run it all the way back! Auburn's gonna win the football game! They're not gonna keep 'em off the field tonight! Holy cow! Oh, my God! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see! I cannot believe it! 34-28! Oh, my lord in heaven!" ? The Relay (Aug. 11, 2008): Michael Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics — none more memorable than the 4x100 freestyle relay. He went first, followed by Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak, who swam an anchor leg for the ages. ? The Block (June 19, 2016): If Andre Iguodala scores late in Game 7, there's a good chance the Warriors repeat as champions. Instead, LeBron James soared through the air in his sleeved black jersey (remember those?) and rejected him. "Cleveland! This is for you!" ⚾️ Cubs Break The Curse (Nov. 2, 2016): Multiple generations of Cubs fans dreamed of their team winning a World Series but never got to see it happen. Until finally, after 108 years of heartache, it did. ? The Shot (April 4, 2016): With five seconds on the clock and a national title up for grabs, UNC's Marcus Paige made the shot of his life. But Villanova's Kris Jenkins did one better, making the shot of his life to win it at the buzzer. "For the championship!" ? 28-3 Lead (Feb. 5, 2017): No team had ever come back from more than 10 down in a Super Bowl before the Patriots erased a 25-point deficit against the Falcons. Play of the game: Julian Edelman's catch. ⚽️ Messi's World Cup (Dec. 18, 2022): The GOAT finally reached the mountaintop and it couldn't have come in more thrilling fashion, with Argentina topping France in one of the best World Cup Finals ever. ? Nadal Dethrones Federer (July 6, 2008): Roger Federer entered the Wimbledon final having won 10 of the previous 16 Grand Slams. But this day belonged to Rafael Nadal, who bested him in what is widely considered the greatest tennis match ever played. ? Kobe's 81-Point Game (Jan. 22, 2006): "We were just watching him shoot," said Raptors forward Chris Bosh. Mamba forever. ? Malcom Butler's INT (Feb. 1, 2015): Just like the first two NFL moments on the list, this one also involves the Patriots in a Super Bowl. Still can't believe the Seahawks didn't run the ball. ⛳️ Tiger's Chip-In (April 10, 2005): Thanks to Verne Lundquist, a legendary golf shot will forever be accompanied by a legendary call. "Oh my goodness… OH WOW! In your LIFE have you seen anything like that?!" I have not, Verne. Doubt I ever will. ? A Rose Bowl To Remember (Jan. 4, 2006): The top two teams (No. 1 USC and No. 2 Texas) and top three Heisman candidates (Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart) took the field in Pasadena and played one of the best football games ever. The hero? Young. ⚽️ The Landon Donovan Goal (June 23, 2010): One of the ultimate "where were you when" moments… for Americans at least. USA 1, Algeria 0. ⚾️ Bonds passes Hank (Aug. 7, 2007): Yes, I heard about the steroids stuff. Yes, I know many don't recognize him as MLB's home run king. I'm including this historic blast anyway because it happened, and it mattered, and it's my list damn it. ? Ray Allen Saves The Heat (June 18, 2013): A Spurs title looked inevitable, but everything changed in the final seconds of Game 6 when a backpedaling Ray Allen caught a pass, tucked his feet behind the arc and let it fly. Bang!!! Two days later, the Heat were champs. ? Linsanity (February 2012): It's impossible to explain what this was like unless you lived through it. But we have to try. Future generations need to know. ? The Fastest Man Alive (Aug. 14, 2016): Ali standing over Liston. Jordan taking off from the free throw line. Rose diving into third. Usain Bolt smiling at the Olympic competition mid-race. I can't think of a more perfect image to encapsulate what he was all about. List breakdown: By sport: The NBA leads the way with four moments, followed by the NFL and MLB with three each. The Olympics, College Football, Soccer and Golf have two each, while College Basketball and Tennis have one. By decade/year: 2016 is the best-represented year with four moments, followed by 2008 with three. In terms of decades, 11 moments are from the 2010s, eight are from the 2000s and one is from the 2020s. No recency bias here! Honorable Mention, Tier 1: The Serena Slam (Jan. 25, 2003); App State Stuns Michigan (Sept. 1, 2007); Crosby's Golden Goal (Feb. 28, 2010); Wambach's Equalizer At The Death (July 10, 2011); The OBJ Catch (Nov. 23, 2014); American Pharaoh's Triple Crown (June 6, 2015); The Philly Special (Feb. 4, 2018); UMBC Stuns Virginia (March 16, 2018); Kawhi At The Buzzer (May 12, 2019) Honorable Mention, Tier 2: The Music City Miracle (Jan. 8, 2000); Luis Gonzalez's Walk-Off (Nov. 4, 2001); The Immaculate Interception (Feb. 1, 2009); The Minneapolis Miracle (Jan. 14, 2018); Clark's Logo 3 Breaks The Record (Feb. 14, 2024); Ovechkin Passes Gretzky (April 6, 2025); Rory's Triumph At Augusta (April 13, 2025) ?? BALLS AND PUCKS BRING ON THE POSTSEASON (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) The NBA and NHL's concurrent playoffs begin this weekend. All eight NHL matchups are set, while the NBA bracket will be finalized at the conclusion of tonight's play-in games. ? NBA Playoffs: Six series are set, and our experts have four of them going seven games: Knicks over Pistons, Nuggets over Clippers, Lakers over Timberwolves and Bucks over Pacers. As for the other two? Warriors over Rockets in six and Celtics over Magic in a sweep. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) ? Stanley Cup Playoffs: Maple Leafs vs. Senators (Battle of Ontario) and Lightning vs. Panthers (Battle of Florida) offer the most geographic intrigue, but Stars vs. Avalanche (The Mikko Rantanen Bowl) looks like the best first-round matchup on paper. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS Corso on the set of "College GameDay" in 2016. (Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) ?️ 1 more show Lee Corso, 89, will retire after Week 1 of the college football season, when he joins "College GameDay" for one final show after 38 years with ESPN. The location hasn't been announced yet, but Tallahassee would be a good bet: The former Seminoles QB picked his alma mater during GameDay's first road show in 1993, and FSU hosts Alabama in a marquee Week 1 matchup. ⚾️ 31st time The Pirates beat the Nationals, 1-0, on Oneil Cruz's leadoff blast — the 31st time in MLB's modern era (since 1900) that a leadoff homer accounted for a game's only run. ? 2.5 QBs How many QBs will go in the first round of next week's NFL draft? BetMGM's odds indicate that the betting market expects at least three. Over 2.5 QBs to be picked is -450 (bet $450 to win $100), which is implied odds of 81.8%. The under is +310. ? 24 in a row The USA and Canada have now made the semifinals in all 24 Women's Hockey World Championships dating back to 1990. If they both win tomorrow, they'll meet in the championship game, just as they have in 22 of the previous 23 editions. ⚽️ £12.75 Idiot of the week: A 62-year-old Everton fan has been slapped with a lifetime ban from the club's new stadium — before it officially opened. His crime: Stealing £12.75 ($14.50) worth of chicken strips during a U18 friendly test event. C'mon, man! ? ROUND 1 WATCHLIST: PLAYOFFS?? PLAYOFFS!! (Giphy) The NBA Play-In Tournament concludes tonight, with Heat at Hawks (7pm ET, TNT) followed by Mavericks at Grizzlies (9:30pm, ESPN). Then it's off to the races in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with six games on Saturday and seven more on Sunday. Saturday: Bucks at Pacers (1pm, ESPN); Clippers at Nuggets (3:30pm, ESPN); Pistons at Knicks (6pm, ESPN); Blues at Jets (6pm, TNT); Timberwolves at Lakers (8:30pm, ABC); Avalanche at Stars (8:30pm, TNT) Sunday: TBD at Thunder (1pm, ABC); Devils at Hurricanes (3pm, ESPN); Magic at Celtics (3:30pm, ABC); TBD at Cavaliers (7pm, TNT); Senators at Maple Leafs (7pm, ESPN2); Warriors at Rockets (9:30pm, TNT); Wild at Golden Knights (10pm, ESPN) More to watch: ? NCAA Gymnastics: National Championships (Fri-Sat, ESPN2/ABC) … The men's tournament begins today in Ann Arbor, while the women's concludes tomorrow in Fort Worth. ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Blue Jays (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Twins at Braves (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Padres at Astros (Sat. 7pm, FS1; Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⛳️ Golf: PGA's RBC Heritage (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS); LPGA's LA Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … Justin Thomas (-10) and Ashleigh Buhai/Yan Liu (-9) are the Round 1 leaders. ⚽️ Premier League: Ipswich Town vs. Arsenal (Sun. 9am, Peacock); Leicester vs. Liverpool (Sun. 11:30am, USA) … If Arsenal lose and Liverpool win, they win the league. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Arsenal vs. Lyon (Sat. 7:30am, YouTube); Barcelona vs. Chelsea (Sun. 12pm, YouTube) … Semifinals, first leg. ? F1: Saudi Arabian GP (1pm, ESPN2) … McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have won three of the season's first four races. ? Women's Hockey Worlds: USA vs. Czech Republic (Sat. 9am, NHL); Canada vs. Finland (Sat. 1pm, NHL) … Winners meet in Sunday's championship. Plus… UFL Week 4 (Fri-Sun, Fox/ABC); Pro Fighters League (Fri. 5pm, ESPN); 15 MLS games (Sat, Apple/Fox/FS1); Seven NWSL games (Fri-Sat, Ion/Prime/Paramount+); ATP's BMW Open and WTA's Stuttgart Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 21, 2025 ? Boston reassures visiting marathoners Workers paint the starting line for the 129th Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass., last week. Photo: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images The 30,000+ runners in today's Boston Marathon include entrants from 128 countries, despite slumping U.S. tourism numbers amid tariff anger and border fears, AP reports. Why it matters: The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest and most prestigious annual 26.2-mile race. It's staged on the Massachusetts holiday of Patriots' Day — commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, which sparked the American Revolution 250 years ago. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu insisted Friday that international runners and other international visitors remain welcome. She said there's no evidence marathon travel has fallen off in the face of increased border scrutiny. "Regardless of what's happening at other levels, and particularly now at the federal level, in Boston we welcome everyone," Wu said at a public-safety briefing near the finish line. "We seek to be a home for everyone." The 129th edition of the race is full — with thousands turned away, and no indication that those registered are staying home, Boston Athletic Association CEO Jack Fleming said. Paula Roberts-Banks, a writer and photographer from Rosseau, Ontario, who has run Boston 12 times, wrote in Canadian Running magazine that she earned a coveted bib for this year's race — but decided not to run because she has "soured" on the U.S.: "It feels like a breakup." More on the marathon. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 21, 2025 ? Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: The NBA's 4 generations, the NCAA winter champions, arenas pulling double duty, softball attendance mark, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? USA 4, Canada 3 (OT): The U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in dramatic fashion to win gold at the world championships. It's the 11th title for the Americans, who are closing in on Canada's haul of 13. ? Big-time blowouts: The Thunder became the sixth NBA team to win a playoff game by 50+ points with a 131-80 thrashing of the Grizzlies; the Reds destroyed the Orioles, 24-2, in the biggest beatdown of the MLB season. ⛳️ Back in the winner's circle: Justin Thomas sank a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole at the RBC Heritage to end a nearly three-year PGA Tour title drought. He also became the first wire-to-wire champion this season, holding the lead after the first round (-10) and the last (-17). ? Papa Ohtani: Reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed a new baby girl on Saturday. ⚽️ Rodman steps away: Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is taking an indefinite leave of absence to address her continuing back issues. Earlier this month, she said she doesn't think her back "will ever be 100%." ? NBA PLAYOFFS 4 GENERATIONS: WHO RUNS THE LEAGUE? (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The longevity of LeBron James and others his age has provided us with a never-before-seen NBA revelation: four generations of superstars, all playing at once, each with championship aspirations. From Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach: There used to be a pattern to these things. One generation would cede control as another seized it, and a third would rise behind them. Rinse and repeat forever. Or so we thought. There are two factions battling for control of today's NBA, and a generation on both sides of them looking to disrupt our expectations for this year's tournament. They are the legends among us, ages 22 to 40, spanning two decades of drafts. ❶ The Old Guys (2003-09 NBA Drafts): Nobody used to be this good for this long. If there is a fountain of youth, it runs through James' veins. He has altered what we thought possible, and Stephen Curry is following his lead. Nobody even thought James Harden could still do what he's doing at the age of 35. LeBron James: 40 (1st pick in 2003) Al Horford: 38 (3rd pick in 2007) Stephen Curry: 37 (7th pick in 2009) Russell Westbrook: 36 (4th pick in 2008) James Harden: 35 (3rd pick in 2009) ❷ The Getting Old Guys (2010-14 Drafts): The longevity of the generation before them and the rapid rise of the generation behind them has limited this generation's championship window to only a few years. Can this group of players, who are getting older themselves, reclaim their era? Jimmy Butler: 35 (30th pick in 2011) Kawhi Leonard: 33 (15th pick in 2011) Rudy Gobert: 32 (27th pick in 2013) Giannis Antetokounmpo: 30 (15th pick in 2013) Nikola Jokić: 30 (41st pick in 2014) ❸ The New Guys (2015-19 Drafts): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell are the best players on the three title favorites, while Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson lead two legit contenders. All five are between 26 and 28 years old — the precipice of a player's prime, traditionally speaking. Does the NBA belong to them now? Jalen Brunson: 28 (33rd pick in 2018) Donovan Mitchell: 28 (13th pick in 2017) Jayson Tatum: 27 (3rd pick in 2017) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 26 (11th pick in 2018) Luka Dončić: 26 (3rd pick in 2018) ❹ The Next Guys (2020-24 Drafts): Over the coming weeks, someone from the NBA's 25-and-under group will alter our opinion of their trajectory. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton did it last year when they led their teams to the conference finals. Who will be the story this time? Tyrese Haliburton: 25 (12th pick in 2020) Evan Mobley: 23 (3rd pick in 2021) Anthony Edwards: 23 (1st pick in 2020) Cade Cunningham: 23 (1st pick in 2021) Paolo Banchero: 22 (1st pick in 2022) ? TROPHY CASE THE NCAA WINTER CHAMPIONS Oklahoma celebrates winning the women's gymnastics championship on Saturday in Fort Worth. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) The NCAA's winter season concluded over the weekend, with gymnastics becoming the 10th and final sport to crown its Division I champions. Gymnastics: Michigan (men) won its first title since 2014 behind Olympic medalists Fred Richard and Paul Juda, while Oklahoma (women) won its third title in four years and seventh overall. Basketball: Florida (men) won its first championship since going back-to-back in 2006-07, while UConn (women) won its first since capturing four straight from 2013-16 and record 12th overall. Ice Hockey: Western Michigan (men) won its first-ever championship in its Frozen Four debut, while Wisconsin (women) won its record eighth title. Texas is back on top. (Mollie Handkins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) Swimming & Diving: Texas (men) won its record 16th title in its first season under Michael Phelps' longtime coach, Bob Bowman; Virginia (women) captured its fifth straight title behind Olympic medalists Alex and Gretchen Walsh. Wrestling (men only): Penn State's dynasty continues. The Nittany Lions have now won four straight championships and 12 of the last 14 overall. Indoor Track & Field: USC (men) won its first title since 1972, while Oregon (women) won its first title of the decade after winning seven in the 2010s. Notre Dame fencer Magda Skarbonkiewicz was crowned champion in women's saber. (Alysa Rubin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) Fencing (co-ed): Notre Dame won its fourth title in the past five years, and 10th since the championship became co-ed in 1990. Only Penn State (13) has more in that time. Skiing (co-ed): Utah won its fourth title in the last five years, and 15th since the championship became co-ed in 1983. No other school has more than 10 in that time. Rifle (co-ed): West Virginia is back in the winner's circle with its first title since 2017 and 20th overall. Alaska (11) is the only other school with more than four. Bowling (women only): Youngstown State beat defending champion Jacksonville State to win its first bowling title, which has been an NCAA sanctioned championship since 2004. ?️ CO-TENANTS DOUBLE DUTY: ONE ARENA, TWO PLAYOFF TEAMS (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) 11 venues are shared by NBA and NHL teams, but only two are hosting playoff games in both leagues this year: Crypto.com Arena* (Lakers, Kings) and Ball Arena (Nuggets, Avalanche). Madison Square Garden (Knicks), TD Garden (Celtics) and Little Caesars Arena (Pistons) will host NBA playoff games, but not NHL playoff games. American Airlines Center (Stars), Capital One Arena (Capitals) and Scotiabank Arena (Maple Leafs) will host NHL playoff games, but not NBA playoff games. 0-for-2: Wells Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers), United Center (Bulls and Blackhawks) and Delta Center (Jazz and Utah Hockey Club) won't host any playoff games after both co-tenants missed the postseason. *34 years later… The Lakers and Kings are hosting Game 1 playoff games in the same building for the first time since 1991, when Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky shared the spotlight at the Great Western Forum. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Eakin Howard/Getty Images) ? 13,207 spectators Stanford smashed the NCAA softball single-game attendance record on Saturday with 13,207 spectators at "The Big Swing" game against Cal. The Cardinal are playing in the university's football stadium this season while their new $50 million softball stadium is being built. ? 60 assists Colorado's Cale Makar became the third-fastest defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to reach 60 career assists (79 games), trailing only Bobby Orr (69) and Al MacInnis (71). Decent company, I guess. ? 0 counting stats Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma did a whole lot of nothing in Saturday's loss to the Pacers, recording 0 points (0-5 FG, 0-2 FT), 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals and 0 blocks in 21 minutes. Silver lining: He also had 0 turnovers! ?️ 99 points Oscar Piastri won Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to secure his third victory of the season and move into first place in the drivers' championship for the first time in his career. Piastri (99 points) is 10 points ahead of Mercedes teammate Lando Norris (89), who is two points ahead of Red Bull's four-time defending champion Max Verstappen (87). ⛳️ 3rd career start Ingrid Lindblad held off the field on Sunday to win the LA Championship in only her third career LPGA start. "I said, if I win, I'm gonna bump myself up to first class tomorrow," the former LSU star joked Saturday. "But there are no seats in first class tomorrow." ? BOSTON STRONG WATCHLIST: MARATHON MONDAY Runners cross the finish line during last year’s Marathon. (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) Today is the third Monday in April, which in Boston means just one thing (well, two, actually): a world-famous marathon and a late-morning Sox game. Double feature: Patriots' Day begins with the 129th running of the Boston Marathon* (9am ET, ESPN2), followed by Red Sox vs. White Sox in a rare pre-noon start (11:10am, MLB). The idea is that after the game, fans can walk across the street to watch the final mile of the race. More to watch: ? NBA Playoffs: Pistons (0-1) at Knicks (7:30pm, TNT); Clippers (0-1) at Nuggets (10pm, TNT) … Two of the best first-round matchups. ? NHL Playoffs: Canadiens at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Blues (0-1) at Jets (7:30pm, ESPN2); Avalanche (1-0) at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN); Oilers at Kings (10pm, ESPN2) ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Tigers (6:40pm, FS1) … San Diego (MLB-best 16-6) and Detroit (13-9) are both currently in first place. ⚽️ Premier League: Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest (3pm, USA) … A win would move Forest into third place. *Chasing history: Kenya's Hellen Obiri is attempting to become the first woman this century to three-peat in Boston. She won in 2023 with a time of 2:21:38 and repeated in 2024 with a time of 2:22:27. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 22, 2025 ? Good morning! Happy Earth Day. In today's edition: NL flips the script, Pistons snap the streak, Marathon brothers, Premier League race, photo finish, and more. ? ICYMI headlineS ? Detroit snaps streak: The Pistons beat the Knicks, 100-94, to snap their 15-game playoff losing streak (longest in NBA history) and record their first postseason win since 2008. ? OT game-winners: Alex Ovechkin scored his first career playoff OT goal to lift the Capitals past the Canadiens; Colin Blackwell played the hero in Dallas as the Stars beat the Avalanche to tie the series. ⏱️ Record time in Boston: Sharon Lokedi of Kenya won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:17:20, smashing the previous women's course record of 2:19:59. ? QB swap: Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UCLA a few months ago, is now transferring again to Tennessee to replace QB Nico Iamaleava, who just transferred to UCLA. ? Seattle cleans house: The Kraken fired head coach Dan Bylsma after one season and plan to replace GM Ron Francis. ⚾️ INTERLEAGUE RIVALRY THE NL HAS FLIPPED THE SCRIPT ON THE AL (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) The American League has historically been better than the National League. But early indications this season are that the Senior Circuit has flipped the script — in a big way, Jeff writes. The NL flexes its might: Five NL teams have already reached 14 wins this season, compared to just two in the AL. Run differential tells a similar story, with nine NL teams sporting a positive mark compared to just five in the AL. The top five teams in our latest power rankings all play in the NL, as do four of the five current favorites to win the World Series, according to BetMGM. It's not just the teams, either: NL players comprise nine of the top 12 batters and seven of the top 11 pitchers by fWAR (wins above replacement calculated by FanGraphs), prompting "lots of talk among execs about the enormous disparity between the two leagues, how the NL is markedly better," tweeted ESPN's Buster Olney. Changing of the guard: While this level of early-season dominance would have been tough to predict, there have been signs in recent years that the NL was catching up to its younger brother. The AL had a winning record in 17 of the first 21 years of interleague play, but the NL has come out on top in four of the past six non-shortened seasons, and leads 61-51 so far in 2025. The AL still holds a 68-52 lead all-time in the World Series tally (thank you, Yankees), but the NL has won four of the last six championships, and nine of the last 15. More money, more wins: The recent shift towards the NL could be attributed to the cyclical nature of this interleague rivalry, which has been fueled by a back-and-forth spending spree in recent decades. The Yankees unloaded their war chest in the '90s to immense success and the Red Sox soon followed suit, forcing the rest of the AL to field better teams in an effort to keep pace. That balance began shifting last decade with the Dodgers, whose success has in turn forced other NL teams up the ante. To wit, the NL boasts four of the sport's five highest payrolls — and the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies and Padres all look like early contenders. Looking ahead: For most of baseball history, disparities between the NL and AL weren't on display until the World Series. The advent of interleague play made those disparities more apparent, and they matter more than ever in the Balanced Schedule Era (2023-present), which includes 46 interleague games per team per year (up from 20). Moving forward, whichever league is in its bull cycle could really rack up the wins. Bottom line: The MLB season is less than a month old, so the "small sample size" caveat is a must. But the eye test and data have both been pretty overwhelming thus far: the NL is the superior league. ? BOSTON MARATHON IN PHOTOS: THE BROTHERS KORIR John Korir (L) poses with the winning trophy alongside brother, Wesley. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Kenyan runners John and Wesley Korir now share a special bond no other siblings have: Both are Boston Marathon champions. John crosses the finish line on Monday. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) John crossed the finish line on Monday at 2:04:45, recording the second-fastest winning time in the history of the men's race. Wesley crosses the finish line in 2012. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images) Wesley won the race in 2012 with a time of 2:12:40. That's nearly eight minutes slower than his younger brother, but John didn't have to battle near-record heat like Wesley did. ⚽️ PREMIER LEAGUE RACE TO WATCH: FIVE TEAMS, THREE SPOTS Nottingham Forest won on Monday to climb into third place. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) The Premier League title race is all but over, with Liverpool set to clinch their record-tying 20th championship. Relegation, too, is nearly a done deal. But with five games left, the race for the Champions League is just getting started. Where it stands: After Liverpool (79 points) and Arsenal (66) is a crowd of five teams separated by just three points, all fighting for the final three Champions League spots. Nottingham Forest (60 points) Newcastle United (59) Manchester City (58) Chelsea (57) Aston Villa (57) What to watch: Over the next five weeks, those clubs will engage in a live-action version of chutes and ladders, moving up or falling back by the smallest of margins with each result. The fun begins today when Manchester City hosts Aston Villa at the Etihad. ? ROAD SHOW NFL DRAFT: FROM NYC TO GREEN BAY (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) The 2025 NFL Draft will be held this week in Green Bay, Wisconsin — the ninth city to host the league's signature offseason event since it began touring the country in 2015. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: The millions of NFL fans who have enjoyed the league's traveling draft road show over the past decade can thank an unusual and unexpected source: the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Yes, really. For half a century, the NFL Draft called New York City home, and by 2014, the draft extravaganza was a key fixture at Radio City Music Hall. But the only organization with more juice at Radio City than the NFL was the world-famous Rockettes dance troupe, and in 2014, the Rockettes kicked — pun very much intended — the NFL out of its traditional late-April draft date into May. That didn't go over well with the Powers That Be in the NFL, and neither did the news later that year that the Rockettes would likely claim all of April and May at Radio City. Surely the NFL could push its draft to June…? Nope. The NFL decided to take its show on the road, and that has made all the difference in the 10 years since. What was once a televised job fair is now an extravaganza to rival the Super Bowl, traveling to cities that may not ever get the chance to host a big game of their own. Previous stops: 2015: Chicago 2016: Chicago 2017: Philadelphia 2018: Dallas 2019: Nashville 2021: Cleveland 2022: Las Vegas 2023: Kansas City 2024: Detroit ? GAME 2 WATCHLIST: ROUND 1 CONTINUES Can the Lakers even the series before they head to Minnesota? (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Round 1 of the playoffs continues tonight with three NBA games and four NHL games. ? NBA: Bucks (0-1) at Pacers (7pm ET, NBA); Grizzlies (0-1) at Thunder (7:30pm, TNT); Timberwolves (1-0) at Lakers (10pm, TNT) ? NHL: Devils (0-1) at Hurricanes (6pm, ESPN); Senators (0-1) at Maple Leafs (7:30pm, ESPN2); Panthers at Lightning* (8:30pm, ESPN); Wild (0-1) at Golden Knights (11pm, ESPN) More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Mets (7:10pm, TBS) … First vs. second in the NL East. ⚽️ NWSL: Portland vs. Gotham (10:30pm, CBSSN) … Ninth place vs. fourth place. ⚽️ Premier League: Man City vs. Aston Villa (3pm, USA) … Fifth place vs. seventh place. *We meet again: The fourth postseason "Battle of Florida" since 2021 begins tonight in Tampa. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 23, 2025 ? Good morning! One more sleep until Mel Kiper Jr. Day, otherwise known as the NFL Draft. Quote of the night: After the Phillies fell to 13-11 with a loss on Tuesday, John Kruk was asked on the postgame show if it's "time to sound the alarm." His response was perfect: "I don't know how you make up three games with 130-something games left. It's gonna be tough when the season's winding down like it is… My god, what are we talking about?" In today's edition: Final mock draft, NBA ratings way up, Portal Palooza, two sunset pics (a Yahoo Sports AM record!), Windy City Blues, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? NBA ratings way up: The NBA's eight playoff games on opening weekend averaged 4.4 million viewers, the highest number in 25 years and a 17% increase over last year, per the league. ESPN said it was the most-watched opening weekend ever on its platforms. ? Let's make a trade? All signs point to the Titans holding onto the No. 1 pick in tomorrow's NFL draft and selecting Miami QB Cam Ward. But the Browns (No. 2 pick) and Giants (No. 3 pick) are reportedly listening to trade offers. ? Back like he never left: Matthew Tkachuk returned to the ice for the first time in over two months and made an immediate impact, recording two goals and an assist in the Panthers' 6-2 win over the rival Lightning. ? Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard ran away with the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, receiving 82 of 100 first-place votes. He's the fourth Celtics player to earn that honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984-85), Bill Walton (1986) and Malcolm Brogdon (2023). ⚾️ Another goose egg: The Padres (17-7) blanked the Tigers, 2-0, to record their seventh shutout of the season, which is three more than anyone else. The last team to have this many shutouts in their first 24 games? The 1992 Braves. ? VERSION 9.0 OUR FINAL NFL MOCK DRAFT (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) Our ninth and final NFL mock draft has arrived, just in time for the real thing. Round 1: Here's how Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice and Charles McDonald see things shaking out tomorrow night in Green Bay. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Notes: The year of the transfer (again): A year after nine first-round picks played at multiple colleges, we're projecting 10 transfers in the first round. That includes the top two picks (Ward, Hunter) and four of the top 12 (Dart, Golden). Different look at the top: The top 14 picks in last year's draft included six QBs and zero defensive players. Our projected top 14 this year? Two QBs and 6 defensive players (including Hunter). By school/conference: Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss and Texas each have three players in our mock draft, while Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State each have two. Unsurprisingly, the SEC (10) and Big Ten (8) are the best-represented leagues. ? THROUGH THE LENS PHOTOS OF THE NIGHT (Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) Toronto — Max Domi's overtime game-winner lifted the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 victory over the Senators and a 2-0 series lead in the "Battle of Ontario." At risk of cursing them: Toronto is 10-0 all-time in playoff series when they win the first two games at home. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) Indianapolis — Tyrese Haliburton's peers voted him the NBA's most overrated player in an anonymous survey released Tuesday. His response to that slight: 21 points and 12 assists in the Pacers' 123-115 win over the Bucks. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Chicago — The Cubs have played 25 games so far this season, and they've scored 10+ runs in seven of them. Their latest offensive explosion came on Tuesday when they staged a dramatic comeback to beat the Dodgers, 11-10, in extras. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Boston — Sunset at Fenway Park. (And the first of two sunset pics in today's newsletter, a Yahoo Sports AM record!) ? APRIL MADNESS PORTAL PALOOZA (Giphy) 2,499 D-I men's basketball players entered the 2025 transfer portal, which opened on March 24 and closed on Tuesday, according to Verbal Commits. By the numbers: That number represents roughly 45% of the total players on rosters last season (5,607). It's also a 20% increase over last year's portal entries (2,083) and a whopping 161% increase over the 957 entries in 2019, the year the portal was introduced. Portal entries by year: 2025: 2,499 2024: 2,083 2023: 1,724 2022: 1,650 2021: 1,653 2020: 967 2019: 957 Behind the scenes: Part of the reason more players are entering the portal each year? The price for their services keeps going up. Three years ago, a $400,000 NIL deal got you the No. 1 transfer in the nation. Nowadays, that will get you "a mid-major guy who averaged fewer than 10 points on a non-NCAA Tournament team," notes CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. The $10 million club: According to Norlander, the following 10 programs are believed to be spending in the ballpark of $10 million on their rosters next season: Arkansas BYU Duke Indiana Kentucky Louisville Michigan North Carolina St. John's Texas Tech Meanwhile, on the women's side… 1,468 D-I players entered the portal this cycle, per On3, which represents 29% of the total women's players on rosters last season (5,048). ? GOLDEN HOUR ROSE BOWL SUNSET IN JEOPARDY? The Rose Bowl sunset in 2020. (Michael Heiman/2020 Getty Images) For decades, the iconic Rose Bowl sunset has happened late in the third quarter or early in the fourth. Now, one of the most picturesque scenes in sports will either (a) take place during the game's final minutes or (b) happen after the game concludes. Let's hope it's the first one. Why the change? The College Football Playoff is moving up New Year's Day kickoff times next season to accommodate its quarterfinal triple-header. The Rose Bowl will begin an hour earlier at 4pm ET (1pm PT), with the Orange Bowl starting at 12pm ET and the Sugar Bowl at 8pm ET. ? FIRST ROUND WATCHLIST: 6 PLAYOFF GAMES Steph scored 31 in Golden State's Game 1 win. What does he have in store for tonight? (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) The NBA and NHL playoffs continue tonight with three games in both leagues. ? NBA: Magic (0-1) at Celtics (7pm ET, TNT); Heat (0-1) at Cavaliers (7:30pm, NBA); Warriors (1-0) at Rockets (9:30pm, TNT) ? NHL: Canadiens (0-1) at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Stars (1-1) at Avalanche (9:30pm, ESPN); Oilers (0-1) at Kings (10pm, TBS) More to watch: ⚽️ Premier League: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace (3pm, USA) … The Gunners must win to keep their slim title hopes alive. ⚽️ Coppa Italia: Inter Milan (1-1) vs. AC Milan* (3pm, Paramount+) … Semifinals, second leg. Head-to-head: Inter (1st in Serie A) is having a much better campaign than AC Milan (9th), but they have yet to beat their rivals in four tries this season (two losses, two draws). 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 25, 2025 ? Good morning! The Tennessee Titans are on the clock. In today's edition: 51 rows of distraction, Draft Day buzz, Butler injured in Warriors loss, Cam Ward's unlikely journey, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ⚾️ Amazin' start: The Mets walked off the Phillies in extra innings to win their seventh straight game and improve to an MLB-best 18-7. They're 12-1 at Citi Field so far — the best 13-game home start in franchise history. ? Settlement on hold: The judge overseeing the landmark House vs. NCAA case is threatening to reject the settlement over the issue of roster limits. Attorneys have 14 days to implement a system to ensure that athletes currently on rosters don't lose their spots. ? RIP, Mongo: Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve "Mongo" McMichael died Wednesday after a yearslong battle with ALS. He was 67. ? Mr. Clutch: Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was named the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year for his league-best performance during "clutch time," defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. ? Titans sign Lockett: Former All-Pro WR Tyler Lockett is signing a one-year, $4 million deal with Tennessee, giving the Titans a proven weapon on the eve of the NFL draft, where they're expected to take Miami QB Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. ? PLAYOFF DEBUT "THE WALL" WORKS Magic G Anthony Black takes a free throw facing "The Wall." (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) The Clippers host the Nuggets tonight in the inaugural playoff game at the Intuit Dome, where Los Angeles will unleash its unique home-court advantage: The Wall, Jeff writes. 51 rows of distraction: When Steve Ballmer spent $2 billion on his team's new arena, he included an unusually steep section right behind one of the baskets featuring 51 rows of seats reserved only for pre-vetted super fans. One intent of "The Wall" was to be the league's best home-court advantage, distracting opponents at the free throw line. Turns out, it worked. By the numbers: Opponents shot just 73.4% from the line this season when facing The Wall, which would have ranked dead last in the NBA and was well below what they shot on the other end of the floor (76.1%), per Sportico. That 73.4% figure was also 4.7% worse than league average (78.1%), representing the second-largest gap this century* between one environment and the rest of the NBA. (Lev Akabas/Sportico) Perhaps most telling: The Clippers' advantage grew as the pressure mounted later in games, with opponents shooting an abysmal 67.7% against The Wall in the second half, per statistician Mike Beuoy. That might explain why twice as many teams chose to face The Wall in the first half rather than risk distraction in crunch time. What they're saying: "Yeah, it was crazy," said Kevin Durant after missing two fourth-quarter free throws in an October game. "I was just staring at it the whole time. You're not used to that." The Wall during a game earlier this month. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) How it came to be: The concept for The Wall came after the Clippers researched the world's most rabid fanbases, specifically those in college sports and European soccer, ultimately drawing inspiration from Borussia Dortmund's "Yellow Wall" in the Bundesliga. They couldn't quite replicate the sheer volume of 25,000 yellow-clad fans in a single section, but they've gotten as close as could be reasonably expected in their 18,000-seat arena. Only pre-certified fans can purchase tickets, cheering for the other team (or wearing their gear) is prohibited and diehards have a dedicated section right behind the basket. What to watch: In the small sample of a playoff series, it stands to reason that the teams most affected by The Wall would be the ones who usually make a living at the charity stripe. Well, the Nuggets just so happened to take the most free throws of any team this season. *Only the 2014 Thunder saw a larger gap, as opponents shot 5.8% below league average from the line. This was perhaps due to the OKC crowd's penchant for banging air-inflated "Thundersticks" while opponents were shooting free throws. The 2025 NFL Draft begins tonight (8pm ET), with separate broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network… and Yahoo Sports! Tune into our live show on the website/app, YouTube, X or Facebook. More to watch: ? NBA Playoffs: Knicks (1-1) at Pistons (7pm, TNT); Thunder* (2-0) at Grizzlies (9:30pm, TNT); Nuggets (1-1) at Clippers (10pm, NBA) ? NHL Playoffs: Panthers (1-0) at Lightning (6:30pm, TBS); Maple Leafs (2-0) at Senators (7pm, ESPN2); Golden Knights (1-1) at Wild (9pm, TBS); Jets (2-0) at Blues (9:30pm, ESPN2) ⛳️ LPGA: Chevron Championship (9am, ESPN+; 11am, Golf) … Nelly Korda looks to defend her title at the season's first major, teeing off at The Club at Carlton Woods near Houston. ⛳️ PGA: Zurich Classic of New Orleans (7:30am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … The Tour's lone team event features 80 teams of two. Reigning champs: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. ⚽️ Champions Cup: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Inter Miami (10:30pm, FS1) … MLS' two best teams face off in a first-leg semifinal match. ⚾️ NCAA Baseball: No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 10 Georgia (7pm, ESPNU) … Two of the 10 SEC teams in the Top 25. *Historic domination: Oklahoma City has outscored Memphis by a combined 70 points, the second-highest point differential through two games of a playoff series in NBA history. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 25, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Round 1 recap, historic comeback in Memphis, the stat that predicts MVP winners, the Premier League's expanding U.S. footprint, Landy returns 1,032 days later, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? Historic comeback: The Thunder overcame the largest halftime deficit in NBA playoff history (26 points) to stun the Grizzlies, 114-108, and take a 3-0 series lead. Memphis led by as many as 29 points in the second quarter but fell apart after Ja Morant exited with a hip injury. ? Another OT victory: Simon Benoit scored on a slap shot to give the Maple Leafs their second straight overtime win over the Senators and a 3-0 lead in the "Battle of Ontario." ? $7M jersey: Kobe Bryant's first game-worn NBA jersey sold at Sotheby's for $7 million, making it the second-most expensive piece of NBA memorabilia ever sold. The most expensive? Michael Jordan's jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals ($10.1 million). ? Mobley wins DPOY: Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, beating out Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Warriors forward Draymond Green. ⛳️ Golf leaderboard: PGA Tour rookies Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo shot a tournament-record 58 (-14) at the Zurich Classic, the Tour's lone team event; Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu (-7) are tied for the lead at the Chevron Championship, the season's first LPGA major. ? 32 PICKS NFL DRAFT: ROUND 1 RECAP (Yahoo Sports) The 2025 NFL Draft began as expected, with Miami QB Cam Ward going No. 1 overall to the Titans. Then the Jaguars made the first big move of the night, trading up to No. 2 to select Colorado's Travis Hunter, who they plan to use as both a wideout and cornerback. Draft notes: Seven of the first 12 picks were linemen (four offense, three defense), and only two QBs were selected (Ward and Jaxson Dart) a year after six were taken in the top 12. Analysis: Grading every pick Winners and Losers Still available: In a scenario that appeared to be shaping up over the last few weeks, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders went unselected. He's one of the best available players entering Round 2, along with Marshall EDGE Mike Green (No. 11 on our Big Board) and Michigan CB Will Johnson (No. 13). ? A beautiful sight: 205,000 fans flocked to Lambeau for the first-round festivities, which is almost double the population of Green Bay (~106,000). ? LEBRON THE STAT THAT PREDICTS MVP WINNERS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads all NBA players in LEBRON, a catch-all stat that measures a player's impact — and tends to predict who wins MVP, Jeff writes. LEBRON? The metric cooked up by BBall Index is named after King James with the help of a creative acronym: Luck-adjusted player Estimate using a Box prior Regularized ON-off. Put simply, it estimates how many points a player is worth per 100 possessions compared to league average, with average being zero. For reference: the top 25 this season (out of 565 players) ranged from SGA at 6.73 down to none other than LeBron at 2.27. LEBRON adjusts for a variety of factors to best reflect a player's true on-court/off-court impact, including their roles on the team. For example: SGA is a "Star" (rotation role), "Shot Creator" (offensive archetype) and "Helper" (defensive role). Nikola Jokić, who ranked second, is a "Star," "Post Scorer" and "Mobile Big." A telling metric: The league leader in LEBRON was named MVP in 13 of the past 15 seasons,* and all signs point to Gilgeous-Alexander making it 14 of the past 16 when the winner is revealed in the coming days. *The two exceptions: Derrick Rose ranked 11th in LEBRON when he won the 2011 MVP (Chris Paul was No. 1), and Joel Embiid ranked fourth when he won the 2023 MVP (Jokić was No. 1). ⚽️ AMERICANS ABROAD THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S EXPANDING U.S. FOOTPRINT Burnley supporters celebrate their club's promotion. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images) The Premier League is the world's richest collection of soccer clubs, the crown jewel of English sports. Next season, a majority of its teams (11 of 20) will be owned by Americans, Jeff writes. The newest members: Leeds United (owned by San Francisco-based 49ers Enterprises) and Burnley (owned by New York-based ALK Capital) have clinched promotion to the Premier League, where they'll join nine other American-owned clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester United. One more on the way? With two games left, nine Championship teams still have a chance to make the promotion playoff and earn the final Premier League spot. Four of those nine teams are also American-owned: Sheffield United, Millwall, West Brom and Swansea City. Go deeper: The Americanization of English soccer (Yahoo Sports AM) ? 1,032 DAYS LATER WELCOME BACK, CAP (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Gabriel Landeskog needed one glimpse of the homemade sign — "So proud of you, Daddy!" — to feel every mile of the 1,032-day journey back to the ice. Long road back: Colorado's captain returned to the lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday — his first NHL action since June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche lifted the Stanley Cup. In the nearly three years since, it's been mostly surgeries and rehab to treat his chronically injured right knee. Emotional moment: Fans roared "Landy! Landy!" as the 32-year-old Swede took the ice for warm-ups, and the roof nearly came off Ball Arena when he was announced in the starting lineup. But for Landeskog, nothing topped seeing his children, Linnea and Luke, holding up that sign. "That was as close as I got to losing it … when I looked over at that and [saw] their big, smiling faces. They've probably been thinking that I've been lying this whole time that I play hockey. They were 1 and 2 when I last played and now they're 5 and 4. They're growing up. We've got another one on the way. It just puts it in perspective how much time has passed. It's very special." How'd he play? The Stars spoiled Landy's return with a 2-1 overtime win, but he made an immediate impact with a team-best six hits. The Avalanche will have a chance to even the series tomorrow night in Denver. ? FIRST ROUND WATCHLIST: HOOPS AND HOCKEY Jalen Green takes flight in Houston's Game 2 win. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) The NBA and NHL playoffs continue this weekend with six games tonight, eight games on Saturday and eight games on Sunday. More to watch: ? NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3 (Fri. 7pm, ABC/ESPN2); Rounds 4-7 (Sat. 12pm, ABC/ESPN) ⛳️ Golf: LPGA's Chevron Championship (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/NBC); PGA's Zurich Classic (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS); LIV Mexico (Fri-Sun, FS1/FS2) ⚾️ MLB: Red Sox at Guardians (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Rangers at Giants (Fri. 10pm, Apple); Astros at Royals (Sat. 7pm, FS1); Phillies at Cubs (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ? Baseball: Savannah Bananas vs. Party Animals (Sat. 7pm, ESPN2) … A sellout crowd is expected at Clemson's 81,500-seat Memorial Stadium. ? NASCAR: Talladega (Sun. 3pm, Fox) … NASCAR's biggest track (2.66 miles) is also its most chaotic, coming off a playoff race last season that featured a record 28-car crash. ⚽️ Copa del Rey: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (Sat. 4pm, ESPN+) … A victory over their rival club would move Barça one step closer to a rare treble. ⚽️ FA Cup: Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa (Sat. 12:15pm, ESPN+); Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (Sun. 11:30am, ESPN+) … Semifinals. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Chelsea (1-4) vs. Barcelona (Sun. 9am, YouTube); Lyon (2-1) vs. Arsenal (Sun. 12pm, YouTube) … Semifinals, second leg. Plus: 14 MLS games (Sat-Sun, Apple); Seven NWSL games (Fri-Sun, Prime/CBS/ION); UFL Week 5 (Fri-Sun, Fox/ESPN); Three PWHL games (Sat-Sun, YouTube). 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 28, 2025 ? Plan to bring NFL back to District The rusting RFK Stadium is undergoing demolition. Photo: Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images At 11 a.m., D.C. and the Washington Commanders will unveil a $3 billion deal to build a new football stadium at the RFK Stadium site, Axios' Cuneyt Dil scooped. Why it matters: The megaproject would jumpstart construction of a new waterfront residential and entertainment hub. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reportedly wants to kick in around $800 million in taxpayer dollars. ⚡ Catch up quick: The franchise left RFK Stadium for the Maryland suburbs in 1996 after three Super Bowl wins. But it never caught the same magic at the current Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. Now the team is coming off its best regular season in 33 years with star quarterback Jayden Daniels. Owner Josh Harris wants to open the new stadium by 2030. What to watch: It's up to the D.C. Council to approve the deal. Many lawmakers oppose sinking public money into a stadium project. And the city's finances are in a funk due to federal job cuts and a Congressional-mandated budget cut. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 28, 2025 ? Good morning! Welcome back, friends. In today's edition: Lakers on the brink, Liverpool crowned champs, NFL draft grades, disaster averted at LPGA major, Little League home run wins Big League game, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? NFL back in DC: The Commanders have reached a $3 billion deal with the District of Columbia to build a new home at the site of their old home, RFK Stadium. A formal plan will be unveiled this morning, I'm told. ⚽️ Reds crowned champs: Liverpool clinched the Premier League title on Sunday following a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham, which put them 15 points ahead of second-place Arsenal with four matches left. Watch the title-winning moment. ⚾️ 4-homer game: Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez became the 19th MLB player to hit four home runs in a single game. And he only needed four plate appearances to do it. ? Prank caller revealed: Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, was behind the mean-spirited prank call Shedeur Sanders received during the NFL Draft. ? Photo finish: Austin Cindric edged out Ryan Preece in a photo finish at Talladega, winning by 0.022 seconds to snap a 30-race winless streak. ? ANT MAN ANTHONY EDWARDS: GIANT SLAYER (David Berding/Getty Images) Anthony Edwards scored 43 points on Sunday to lift the Timberwolves past the Lakers, 116-113, and put LeBron James and Luka Dončić on the brink of elimination. Final line: 43 points (12-23 FG, 5-10 3PT, 14-17 FT), 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover in 44 minutes. Cue the highlights! The giant slayer: A year after taking down Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić in the playoffs, Edwards is threatening to send home two more future Hall of Famers. (He's still only 23, by the way, three years younger than Dončić.) What he's saying: "Luka's probably the best young player in the game and Bron is the best player leaving the game, so I'm just trying to prove I belong," said Edwards, who has outplayed them both while leading Minnesota to a 3-1 series lead. Edwards wants his respect, as not just a top young player, but the guy — the standard. And who are we to deny him. There's this glimmer in his eye when he talks, almost as if he knows a secret he's not willing to share — but he knows it'll be revealed in due time anyways. Consider Edwards' approach here, seeing those two across the way. It was clear the Lakers stars were going for it, and the temptation, the urge to match them shot-for-shot had to be yearning inside those 23-year-old bones. Instead, he lulled them to sleep before he pounced in the final period. He picked his spots, continuing his trend of facilitating without turning the ball over (six turnovers in four games), chased Dončić around, bodied up on James and yet had enough down the stretch to dominate. ? More NBA Playoffs: Air Gordon stunned LA at the buzzer; Damian Lillard likely tore his Achilles; Refs missed a key call in Detroit's one-point loss to the Knicks; OKC completed the sweep; and more. ? 257 PICKS NFL DRAFT: GRADES FOR EVERY TEAM (Yahoo Sports) The 2025 NFL Draft will always be remembered for Shedeur Sanders' shocking slide. But 256 other picks were made during the three-day event. How'd your team do? ⛳️ VICTORY PLUNGE SAIGO WINS FIRST MAJOR, NEARLY DROWNS Saigo (C) jumps into the water. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship on Sunday in a historic five-way playoff to claim her first LPGA major title. Then things turned scary. Victory plunge gone wrong: It's tournament tradition for the champion to jump into the lake off the 18th green. So that's what Saigo did — only she can't swim and didn't realize the water was that deep. What they're saying: "I thought I was going to drown," said Saigo, who struggled to tread water. "It was scary," added her caddie, who was part of a second wave of jumpers. "Every time I broke the surface, I got pulled under again. They were trying to grab someone." (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) Disaster averted: Thankfully, everyone made it back to dry land and Saigo was able to celebrate her victory (and $1.2 million payday) in a white robe and slippers, as is also tradition. ?? THROUGH THE LENS AMERICA IN PHOTOS (Eakin Howard/Getty Images) San Francisco — A Little League home run to win a Big League game? It happened Sunday at Oracle Park, where Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos scored on an error-filled, inside-the-park home run to walk off the Rangers.* (Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images) Denver — Gabriel Landeskog's comeback story hit a new high note on Saturday when the Avalanche captain scored for the first time in nearly three years to help Colorado beat Dallas and even the series. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) Philadelphia — Thousands of athletes of all age ranges** descended on the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field this weekend for the 129th running of the Penn Relays. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Clemson, S.C. — The Savannah Bananas brought their traveling circus to Death Valley on Saturday, where they delighted a sold-out crowd of 81,000 people with their unique brand of baseball, entertainment and chaos. *What they're saying: "Tell me you've seen that one before," said Giants announcer Duane Kuiper after Ramos' soft grounder turned into a game-winning home run. "Well, not since my oldest son was 10 years old," replied broadcast partner Mike Krukow. **Must-see race: The Penn Relays had a 100m event for men ages 80 and older, and it was legitimately one of the best races of the weekend. ? FIRST ROUND WATCHLIST: 4 PLAYOFF GAMES Steph Curry and the Warriors look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) The NBA and NHL playoffs continue tonight with three tightly-contested series — and one on the verge of a sweep. ? NBA: Cavaliers (3-0) at Heat (7:30pm ET, TNT); Rockets (1-2) at Warriors (10pm, TNT) ? NHL: Lightning (1-2) at Panthers (7pm, ESPN); Avalanche (2-2) at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN) Pregame notes: The Warriors reportedly have "belief" that Jimmy Butler could return tonight … The away team has won all three games in the "Battle of Florida." Can Tampa make it four in a row? 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 29, 2025 Faith Kipyegon's moonshot mile Faith Kipyegon winning gold and setting a new Olympic record in the Women's 1500m at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images Kenya's Faith Kipyegon is already one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, with multiple world records (in the mile and 1,500 meters) and Olympic gold medals. But she wants to take it a step further, Avery Lotz writes. Why it matters: Kipyegon will try to make history this summer by becoming the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile. It's an audacious attempt to shave more than seven seconds off the 31-year-old's current record (4:07.64). But, to Kipyegon, pushing boundaries is the point. "I'm a three-time Olympic champion. I've achieved World Championship titles," she said in a statement. "I thought, What else? Why not dream outside the box?" ? Zoom in: Nike announced the "Breaking4" partnership between the brand and its track star last week, pledging "to create a holistic system of support that optimizes every aspect of her attempt." While Kipyegon trains in Kenya with her mentor and training partner, Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge, a team at Nike headquarters in Oregon is crafting her armor and analyzing her scans to enhance her performance, Nike contributing writer Maisie Skidmore reports. They'll produce custom shoes and apparel fitted to Kipyegon's body and optimized for her running stride. ? The location choice for her attempt — the rubber track of Stade Charléty in Paris — was also strategic: It's the same place she set new world records in the 5,000-meter in 2023 and the 1,500-meter in 2024. Kipyegon will stare down the historic finish line on June 26. Kipyegon running the 1500m race at the Athlos NYC track meet on Randall's Island in September. Photo: Bryan Banducci/Bloomberg via Getty Images ? Between the lines: If anyone can do it, it's Kipyegon. A study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science in February found that with "greatly improved" — yet "reasonable" — aerodynamic drafting off of pacesetters, Kipyegon could break the barrier. Rodger Kram, one of the authors of the February study, told The New York Times it's likely "lots of bros are going to say, 'No way a woman is ever going to run four minutes." He added, "But people have said women can't do a lot of things, and then they have." Flashback: Just within the last century, women in running have done just that, time and time again. In the early 1900s, running was considered "dangerous" for women, said Maggie Mertens — a journalist and author of "Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women." But women haven't stopped busting boundaries. ? Case in point: Kipyegon ran her world record times after giving birth to her daughter. Reality check: The gap between a 4:07.64 mile and less than four minutes can be sprawling — even for a once-in-a-generation talent. "It's a big goal to shave 8 seconds off the mile, but she feels ready," Seema Simmons, Nike's vice president of global women's running, told ESPN. "She's challenging decades of incremental progress in a very short span of time." 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 29, 2025 ? D.C.'s big stadium plans Rendering: D.C. government D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the NFL unveiled their plans yesterday for a new, 65,000-seat football stadium at the site of the crumbling RFK Stadium. The project is expected to add up to $3.7 billion, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil reports. The Commanders will pay $2.7 billion for the roofed, Super Bowl-ready stadium. Bowser wants D.C. to pitch in around $1 billion. ?️ The plan also calls for new mixed-use developments around the stadium, including 6,000 new housing units. 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 29, 2025 Author Members Posted April 29, 2025 ? ICYMI headlineS ? Sullivan out in Pittsburgh: The Penguins fired head coach Mike Sullivan after his first sub-.500 season with the team. He's the franchise's winningest coach (409 wins) and led them to two Stanley Cups (2016-17). ? NFL in DC: The Eagles visited the White House on Monday, and the Commanders unveiled plans for a new $4 billion stadium in the nation's capital. ⚾️ Nimmo explodes: Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo busted out of his slump with two home runs and a franchise record-tying 9 RBIs in a 19-5 win over the Nationals. ? Basketball's best teammate: Another year, another award for Stephen Curry, who was named the NBA's Teammate of the Year. ? Blackout in Madrid: Play was suspended at the Madrid Open on Monday after a sweeping outage left millions in Spain, Portugal and France without power. ⚾️ WORST TEAM EVER? THE ROCKIES ARE ON PACE FOR 23 WINS Mickey Moniak reacts after striking out looking. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) The 2024 White Sox were the worst team in MLB history. A year later, the 2025 Rockies are coming for their crown. Where it stands: The Rockies (4-24) are off to the worst start in modern NL history and are currently on pace to win just 23 games and lose 139. The record for losses, set by Chicago last year, is 121. 2024 White Sox: 41-121 2025 Rockies: 23-139 (pace) Consider this: If the Rockies maintain their current .143 winning percentage, they'll reach 20 wins around mid-September. The Mets have 20 wins right now. Dark days in Denver: No one could have predicted a 4-24 start, but the Rockies struggling to win baseball games is nothing new. Barring a miracle turnaround, this will be their seventh straight losing season, fourth straight season with 90+ losses and third straight with 100+ losses. Looking ahead: What if I told you that March and April were the easy part of Colorado's schedule? And that no team faces a more difficult road the rest of the way? It almost seems cruel, but it's true. To date, the Rockies rank 20th in strength of schedule as measured by opponent winning percentage (.490). But their future opponents have a winning percentage of .536, giving them the toughest remaining slate in all of MLB. Bottom line: The Rockies are off to one of the worst 28-game starts in baseball history, and only 45 of their 134 remaining contests (34%) are against teams that currently have losing records. This could get ugly, folks. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS: PLAYOFFS (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) ? 11 seconds The Lightning scored two goals in 11 seconds to take the lead against the Panthers in Game 4 of the "Battle of Florida." Then the Panthers did the same exact thing (!!), scoring twice in 11 seconds to take the lead for good. Final score: Panthers 4, Lightning 2 (FLA leads 3-1) ? +122 The Cavaliers outscored the Heat by 122 points during their Round 1 sweep, making it the most lopsided playoff series in history. Miami saved its worst for last, bowing out on Monday with an embarrassing 55-point loss.* Final score: Cavaliers 138, Heat 83 (CLE wins 4-0) ? 3-1 lead The Warriors took a commanding 3-1 lead against the Rockets behind a standout performance from Jimmy Butler, who scored 27 points and "got his joy back" on the same night his former team got humiliated. Final score: Warriors 109, Rockets 106 (GS leads 3-1) ? 1.22 points per playoff game Speaking of former teams, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists in Dallas' Game 5 win over Colorado. That pushed his career playoff points per game average to 1.22, good for sixth-best all-time (minimum 80 games). Final score: Stars 6, Avalanche 2 (DAL leads 3-2) ?️ *Halftime analysis: "This might be the worst game I've ever watched," said Ernie Johnson to open TNT's halftime show. The Cavs were up 72-33 at the time. "Turn it off now," said Shaquille O'Neal. "This is quitting at its finest right here," added Charles Barkley. ? THE BUCKS STOP HERE BUCKS SPOTLIGHT: LILLARD OUT, GIANNIS TRADE? Lillard reacts after rupturing his Achilles during Game 4 on Sunday. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The fears, it turns out, were founded: Damian Lillard ruptured his left Achilles tendon on Sunday night — an injury that dramatically alters his career and the direction of the Bucks franchise, writes Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine. The outlook: A ruptured Achilles is among the most devastating injuries in basketball. Kevin Durant didn't seem to think so when he made a full recovery earlier this decade, but that's the exception. Most players who experience this injury are never really the same. The Kobe comp: Kobe Bryant was roughly the same age as Lillard is now (~35) when he tore his Achilles in 2013. When he returned the following year, his production fell off a cliff. Is Lillard destined for a similar decline? Bryant did have his moments in the two seasons after his return. But for the most part, the version of Kobe we saw after the tear rarely resembled its superstar predecessor — as was the case for DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall, as has been the case for Klay Thompson, and as has long been the case for most who have experienced this particular injury. That's the challenge facing Lillard: a greater, more harrowing hurdle than any he's encountered over the course of a Springfield-bound career that has featured nine All-Star berths, seven All-NBA selections and five top-eight finishes in MVP voting. The embrace of the grind carried Lillard from Oakland and Weber State to the ranks of the immortals, one of just 11 players ever with 22,000 points and 6,000 assists. Now, it'll have to carry him even farther — on a journey that begins before he can even take a single step. Antetokounmpo reacts during Milwaukee's Game 4 loss. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) With Lillard out and the Bucks on the brink, Milwaukee must consider the unimaginable: trading their two-time MVP, writes Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach. Where it stands: The Bucks (down 3-1 to the Pacers) are facing a third consecutive first-round exit, their roster and cap space are trending in the wrong direction, and they don't control a single first-round pick until 2031. Time to blow it up? The Bucks are beyond any shadow of a doubt stuck in the NBA's dreaded middle. Which means Giannis Antetokounmpo is also stuck in the NBA's dreaded middle, or worse, and that is no spot for an in-his-prime legend. There were always excuses. When the Bucks lost to the Celtics in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals, Khris Middleton was injured. Antetokounmpo missed games in their first-round exits of 2023 and 2024. And this time? Lillard's blood clots and then his Achilles. Their absences have masked what has become apparent in the meantime: The Bucks, even when healthy, are no longer a serious contender. If anything, Lillard's injury laid bare: All hope is lost. No reinforcements are coming. The championship window is closed. ? GAME 5 WATCHLIST: SURVIVE OR ADVANCE The Garden is gonna be rockin' tonight. (Al Bello/Getty Images) Five playoff teams can advance tonight in front of their home crowds, with the Pacers, Knicks, Celtics, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes all one win away from clinching. The full eight-game slate: ? NBA: Bucks (1-3) at Pacers (6pm ET, NBA); Pistons (1-3) at Knicks (7:30pm, TNT); Magic (1-3) at Celtics (8:30pm, NBA); Clippers (2-2) at Nuggets (10pm, TNT) ? NHL: Senators (1-3) at Maple Leafs (7pm, ESPN); Devils (1-3) at Hurricanes (7:30pm, TBS); Wild (2-2) at Golden Knights (9:30pm, ESPN); Oilers (2-2) at Kings (10pm, TBS) More to watch: Arsenal hosts PSG (3pm, CBS) in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, with both clubs vying to win Europe's most prestigious tournament for the first time. Barcelona and Inter Milan face off in the other semifinal starting tomorrow. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 30, 2025 ? ICYMI headlineS ⚽️ PSG 1, Arsenal 0: Paris Saint-Germain topped Arsenal in London to take control of their two-leg Champions League semifinal. They'll meet again next week in Paris. ? Back-to-back: San Antonio guard Stephon Castle was named Rookie of the Year, joining Victor Wembanyama as the second straight Spur to win the award. ? Big number: The 2025 NFL Draft averaged 7.5 million viewers, making it the second-most watched draft ever behind 2020, which aired during the early days of the pandemic. ? USA vs. World: The NBA is exploring the idea of replacing its All-Star Game with a competition similar to the NHL's "4 Nations Face-Off." New broadcast partner NBC is pushing for the change. ? Eli eyes Giants stake: Eli Manning is putting together a group to buy a minority stake (up to 10%) in his former team. The Giants are currently valued at $7.3 billion. ⚽️ THREE STRAIGHT WREXHAM'S HOLLYWOOD STORY KEEPS GETTING BETTER Wrexham have earned promotion from League One (third tier) to the Championship (second tier). (Kya Banasko/Getty Images) When Wrexham first entered our collective consciousness, they were languishing in the fifth tier of English soccer. Four years later, the Red Dragons are one step away from the mighty Premier League, Jeff and I write. Meteoric rise: The 160-year-old Welsh club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney clinched promotion to the EFL Championship on Saturday, becoming the first team in England's top five divisions to ever earn back-to-back-to-back promotions. Wrexham spent much of the last century in the third and fourth divisions of English football* before dropping down to the fifth tier in 2008, where they finished behind Torquay United, Kidderminster, Kettering Town and other clubs you've never heard of. They finally returned to the fourth division in 2023, not too long after Reynolds and McElhenney took over control. A year later they earned promotion to the third division, and now they're heading to the second. *The English Soccer Pyramid: The top four divisions are the Premier League (first), Championship (second), League One (third) and League Two (fourth). The divisions below that are classed as "non-league football," beginning with the National League (fifth) and National League North and South (sixth). Regional leagues make up the bottom five tiers. Rob and Ryan pose with the League One trophy. (Kya Banasko/Getty Images) The playbook: European soccer's promotion and relegation system presents a unique investment opportunity that can be summed up in one word: "upside." Instead of buying a small stake in, say, an NBA team that has nowhere left to climb, you can buy a lower-division soccer team in England and commit to improving the club. Those improvements ideally lead to promotions, which lead to more revenue and a higher valuation. That's precisely how it's played out so far for Reynolds and McElhenney, who bought Wrexham in 2021 for $2.5 million with a plan to revolutionize one of the world's oldest soccer teams. Four years later, the club is valued at $134 million, an increase of 5,360%. What was once a little-known club is now a globally-recognized brand with millions of social media followers, an Emmy Award-winning docuseries, a thriving merchandise business, and lucrative brand deals (United Airlines, Meta) typically reserved for Premier League giants. The key ingredient: Wrexham's off-field success was almost inevitable given Ryan and Rob's celebrity and the instant success of "Welcome to Wrexham" (Season 4 coming soon). But the team's on-field success, which was far less certain, is what makes this all so compelling. What was already a fascinating business story is now a genuinely amazing sports story. Midfielder James McClean celebrates with fans following Wrexham's promotion. (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images) Looking ahead: The ultimate goal for Wrexham is to reach the Premier League, where even the last-place team earned $147 million last year. But before they can start dreaming about top-flight soccer, the Red Dragons will need to survive the Championship, which is no joke. If they're serious about contending, they'll need to spend serious money on serious talent this summer. ? Parting thought: What's Wrexham’s ceiling? The unprecedented rise dares you to dream. 'How far can Wrexham take this? Could they win the Premier League one day?' I am here to assure you that the Red Dragons will not be contending with Liverpool and the rest of the "Big Six" anytime soon. A far more reasonable goal for the up-and-coming club: (1) Make the Premier League and (2) Figure out how to stay there. That last part is the real test, as the vast majority of top-flight newcomers tumble back down to the Championship within a year or two. Last season, all three newly-promoted teams were relegated (Sheffield United, Burnley, Luton Town) and it happened again this year (Southampton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town). Wolverhampton are perhaps the best example of what Wrexham could realistically become in the not-too-distant future. While they never toiled in the depths that the Red Dragons called home, they did find themselves in the third division last decade. Wolves returned to the Premier League in 2018 and have stayed up ever since, finishing seventh in their first season before settling into the bottom half of the 20-team league (13th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 13th). P.S. … The other club that has earned promotion from League One is Birmingham City, which is co-owned by another American celebrity: Tom Brady. He only has a minority stake in Wrexham's rival (3.3%) and isn't nearly as involved as Reynolds and McElhenney, but he's a character in this Hollywood story nonetheless. ?? FIRST ROUND SURVIVE OR ADVANCE Cade Cunningham and the Pistons emerged victorious at The Garden. (Adam Hunger/AP Photo) Five elimination games took place on Tuesday night across the NBA and NHL. Two teams survived. Three teams advanced. Survived: Detroit won a slugfest at MSG that featured 14 lead changes and 51 personal fouls (NYK leads 3-2) … Linus Ullmark shut out Toronto to send the "Battle of Ontario" back to Ottawa (TOR leads 3-2) Pistons 106, Knicks 103 Senators 4, Maple Leafs 0 Advanced: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner lifted the Pacers past the Bucks in a heated contest (IND wins 4-1) … The reigning champs cruised to victory on the parquet (BOS wins 4-1) … The Hurricanes came back from 3-0 down to oust the Devils and put themselves in rare postseason company* (CAR wins 4-1) Pacers 119, Bucks 118 (OT) Celtics 120, Magic 89 Hurricanes 5, Devils 4 (2OT) Elsewhere: Jamal Murray exploded for 43 points against the Clippers (DEN leads 3-2) … The Golden Knights beat the Wild in OT for the second straight game (VGK leads 3-2) … The Oilers rallied for their third straight comeback win against the Kings (EDM leads 3-2) *Carolina's consistency: The Hurricanes are just the fifth team in NHL history to win at least one playoff round in seven consecutive postseasons, joining the 1951-60 Canadiens (10 straight), the 1973-81 Flyers (9 straight), the 1979-85 Islanders (7 straight) and the 1984-93 Canadiens (10 straight). ⚾️ EXCLUSIVE CLUB AT A GLANCE: RAREST BASEBALL FEATS (Norm Hall/Getty Images) Eugenio Suárez joined an exclusive club on Saturday when he became the 19th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game, Jeff writes. By the numbers: Where does the four-homer game rank in terms of baseball's rarest single-game feats? Here's a representative sample of other uncommon occurrences for comparison: 20 strikeouts (5x): Roger Clemens (1986, 1996), Kerry Wood (1998), Randy Johnson (2001) and, most recently, Max Scherzer (2016). That's it. 10 RBIs (16x): Shohei Ohtani's historic game last season in which he reached 50 homers and 50 steals was the 16th and most recent instance. Perfect Game (24x): Former Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán tossed the 24th perfecto in June of 2023, snapping an 11-year drought. No-Hitter (326x): Four pitchers (or groups of pitchers) threw a no-no last year, increasing the all-time total to 326. There have been only three in the postseason. Hit For Cycle (349x): Cubs catcher Carson Kelly's cycle last month was the 349th in MLB history, led by five players with a record three each. 3 Home Runs (696x): Suárez was the fourth player this season to mash at least three dingers in a game, which has happened 696 times. That includes a record six each by Mookie Betts, Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa. Other rare feats: Five players have collected three hits in a single inning, 11 have recorded three sacrifice flies in a game, and there have been 15 unassisted triple plays and 116 immaculate innings (three strikeouts on nine pitches). Of course, we can't not mention the rarest feat of all: Fernando Tatis hitting two Grand Slams in one inning. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Greg Fiume/Getty Images) ⚾️ 3 straight homers (again) For the second time this season, the Yankees led off a game with three straight home runs, which is something no MLB team has ever done before. The Bombers added three more long balls in a 15-3 rout of the Orioles, whose pitching staff is in shambles. ? 8 job openings After parting ways with head coach Rick Tocchet, the Canucks are now the eighth NHL team on the hunt for a new coach. They join the Ducks, Rangers, Penguins, Kraken, Blackhawks, Bruins and Flyers. ? 3 straight losses Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Italian Open as he struggles to find his form. He's just 12-7 this season and has lost his last three matches,* all in straight sets. His next event will be the French Open, where he'll try to win a record 25th Grand Slam and 100th ATP title. ? $76.4 million The 49ers signed George Kittle to a four-year extension worth $76.4 million ($40 million guaranteed), making him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. Not bad for a guy who was the ninth tight end taken in the 2017 draft. *Unfamiliar territory: Before this year, Djokovic hadn't lost three straight matches since 2018. He's now done so twice since March. ? 3-1 HOLE WATCHLIST: LAKERS ON THE BRINK Can Anthony Edwards and the Wolves close out the Lakers on the road? (David Berding/Getty Images) The Lakers host the Timberwolves tonight (10pm ET, TNT) in a must-win Game 5. Bad news, good news: The bad news for LA is that only 13 teams have ever erased a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. The good news is that LeBron James has experience doing it. As you'll recall, he spearheaded the most memorable of those comebacks in the 2016 NBA Finals. More to watch: ? NBA Playoffs: Warriors (3-1) at Rockets (7:30pm, TNT) … Golden State can become just the seventh No. 7 seed* to win a first-round series. ? NHL Playoffs: Canadiens (1-3) at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Panthers (3-1) at Lightning (7:30pm, ESPN2); Blues (2-2) at Jets (9:30pm, ESPN) ⚽️ Champions League: Barcelona vs. Inter Milan (3pm, CBS) … Semifinal, first leg. ⚽️ Champions Cup: Inter Miami (0-2) vs. Vancouver (8pm, FS1) … Semifinal, second leg. ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Orioles (6:35pm, Prime) … Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 5.26 ERA) vs. Cade Povich (1-2, 5.04 ERA). *Lucky No. 7: The 1987 SuperSonics were the NBA's first No. 7 seed to win a first-round series, followed by the 1989 Warriors, 1991 Warriors, 1998 Knicks, 2010 Spurs and 2023 Lakers. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted April 30, 2025 Luka Doncic donates entire cost of restoring vandalized Kobe Bryant mural in downtown Los Angeles EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic has stepped up to pay the entire expected cost of restoring a vandalized mural depicting Kobe and Gigi Bryant in downtown Los Angeles. https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-mural-luka-doncic-422ada821f8bf8fbd4aaec57079239f8? 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 1, 2025 Author Members Posted May 1, 2025 WNBA's historic waves Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images Fans from 29 countries purchased tickets on StubHub ahead of this WNBA season, up from 12 countries in 2024, Axios' Analis Bailey reports. Ticket sales are up 145% from last season, according to StubHub, and the number of first-time WNBA ticket buyers jumped 28% compared to the same time last year. ? Plus, for the first time, all preseason games will be available for broadcast or streaming. The preseason tips off tomorrow. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted May 2, 2025 ? Good morning! How is it May already? In today's edition: Wolves eliminate Lakers, Rockets stay alive, MLB's spending gap, a changing of the guard in global soccer, Agassi turns to pickleball, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ⚾️ Scary scene in Pittsburgh: A fan fell from the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park and landed on the field during the seventh inning of the Pirates-Cubs game. He was taken off on a stretcher and is in critical condition. ⚽️ Barça 3, Inter 3: Barcelona and Inter Milan traded stunning goals in a memorable first leg of their Champions League semifinal. The second leg is next week in Italy. ? Most Improved: Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, who led the league in steals, was named the NBA's Most Improved Player over Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Clippers center Ivica Zubac. ? Prank call saga: The NFL came down hard on the Falcons after defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's son prank called Shedeur Sanders during last weekend's draft, fining the team $250,000 and fining Ulbrich $100,000. ?? ELIMINATED CURTAINS CLOSE ON YEAR 1 OF LUKA-LEBRON (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) The Lakers' season came to a disappointing end on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, where Rudy Gobert (27 points, 24 rebounds) and the Timberwolves finished them off in five games. Franchise firsts: This is the first time the Lakers have ever lost a first-round series as a No. 3 seed or higher. This is the first time the Timberwolves have ever won playoff series in back-to-back years. Here's a startling fact: Los Angeles was outscored by its opponents this season when LeBron James and Luka Dončić shared the floor (+24 in the regular season, -29 against Minnesota). "The Lakers just couldn't make Luka and LeBron work in Year 1," writes Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh, who has five trade ideas the team should consider. Postgame sound: "Make that next step now. Come on," James told Anthony Edwards after an encouraging embrace at mid-court. That next step, should it happen, will come against either the Rockets or the Warriors. The Panthers are moving on. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images) Win or go home: The Lakers were one of four teams facing elimination on Wednesday. Only one survived the night. Rockets 131, Warriors 116: Steve Kerr waved the white flag in the third quarter, pulling his starters and resting them ahead of Game 6 tomorrow night in San Francisco. (Warriors lead 3-2) Capitals 4, Canadiens 1: Washington won its 11th postseason series of the Ovechkin era to set up a date with the Hurricanes in Round 2. (Capitals win 4-1) Panthers 6, Lightning 3: The reigning champions went 3-0 on the road to win the Battle of Florida and reach the second round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. (Panthers win 4-1) Plus: The Jets beat the Blues, 5-3, in the only non-elimination game of the evening. Winnipeg has the momentum and a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to St. Louis. ⚾️ MONEYBALL MLB'S SPENDING GAP HAS BECOME A CHASM (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Dodgers and Marlins, who played this week in Los Angeles, have a payroll gap of $414.6 million, the largest ever between opposing MLB teams, Jeff writes. Consider this: The average annual value of Shohei Ohtani's contract ($70 million) is more than Miami's entire payroll this season ($67.9 million). Or this: The Dodgers have 13 players making at least $10 million in 2025, while the Marlins have one. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Zoom out: While the gap between the Dodgers and Marlins is historic, the reigning champs are far outspending most other teams, too. They're on the hook for a record $482.5 million in 2025, calculated by adding their payroll ($331.7 million) and estimated luxury tax bill* ($150.8 million). That tax bill alone is larger than the total payroll of half of MLB teams. Parting shot: When "Moneyball" was written in 2003, A's GM Billy Beane lamented the insurmountable spending gap between his ballclub and the Yankees, which at the time was $85 million. 22 years later, that gap between the top and bottom of the league has become a chasm. *Luxury tax, explained: Teams who fall above a predetermined payroll threshold ($241 million this year) are subject to the Competitive Balance Tax on every dollar they go over. The Dodgers are one of seven teams estimated to exceed that threshold this year (official calculations come at the end of the season), alongside the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, Padres and Red Sox. ⚽️ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IN PHOTOS: CHANGING OF THE GUARD (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) On Wednesday night, across three continents, two of soccer's great icons slipped — and their heir announced himself to the world. Cristiano Ronaldo went first, slumping out of the AFC Champions League semifinal in Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi followed, losing in the Champions Cup semifinal in South Florida. (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) Meanwhile in Barcelona, their 17-year-old successor dazzled in the Champions League they've departed. His name is Lamine Yamal. He still wears braces. And he might already be the best soccer player in the world. (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images) In his 100th game for Barcelona, Yamal scored his 22nd goal to go with 33 assists, and the Messi comparisons accelerated into overdrive. At Yamal's age, Messi had scored just once for Barcelona; Ronaldo had scored five times for Sporting Clube de Portugal. He is doing things that nobody his age has ever done. Yamal regularly evokes the feeling that Messi did all those years ago; the sense that we are watching something we'll remember for the rest of our lives. And on Wednesday, more so than ever before, that something felt like a changing of the guard. What they're saying: "He is a phenomenon born every 50 years," Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said of Yamal after Wednesday's semifinal match. "He is a player I had not seen live before and we had to double up on him. He really impressed me today." ? ELIMINATION GAMES WATCHLIST: ROOTING FOR A GAME 7 Fans cheer on the Senators ahead of Game 4 in Ottawa. (André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) If you have no inherent rooting interest in tonight's NBA and NHL playoff games, then you might as well pull for as many Game 7s as possible, right? ? NBA: New York (3-2) at Detroit (7:30pm ET, TNT); Denver (3-2) at Los Angeles (10pm, TNT) … Go Pistons and Clippers! ? NHL: Toronto (3-2) at Ottawa (7pm, TBS); Vegas (3-2) at Minnesota (7:30pm, ESPN); Dallas (3-2) at Colorado (9pm, TBS); LA (2-3) at Edmonton (10pm, ESPN) … Go Senators, Wild, Avalanche and Kings! More to watch: ⚽️ Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford (2:30pm, USA) … With a win, Forest will leapfrog Chelsea, Man City and Newcastle and move into third place. ⛳️ Golf: PGA's CJ Cup (7:45am, ESPN+; 4pm, Golf); LPGA's Black Desert Championship (7pm, Golf); LIV Korea (10pm, FS1) … Round 1 in Texas, Utah and South Korea. ⚾️ NCAA Baseball: No. 1 Texas at No. 11 Arkansas (7pm, ESPN2) … The Longhorns are 19-2 in the SEC, which features seven of the nation's top 15 teams, per D1Baseball. ? Tennis: Madrid Open (10am, Tennis) … No 2. Iga Świątek faces No. 4 Coco Gauff in the women's semifinals. *Top 15 teams: (1) Texas, (2) LSU, (3) Clemson, (4) North Carolina, (5) Florida State, (6) Oregon, (7) Oregon State, (8) UC Irvine, (9) Georgia, (10) Auburn, (11) Arkansas, (12) Tennessee, (13) NC State, (14) UCLA, (15) Vanderbilt. 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 3, 2025 Author Members Posted May 3, 2025 ? 1 for the road: F1 sprints into U.S. Not your typical Axios event: Our venue in Miami last night. Photo: EdinStudios for Axios Axios dropped the flag on Formula One weekend in Miami last night with an event featuring Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports — manager of GM's historic Cadillac F1 team, which is joining the F1's global grid next year as the 11th team. Why it matters: Darren Cox, founder and CEO of The Race Media, told me F1's Cadillac expansion would have been "unthinkable" just a few years ago. "To have an overtly American brand launching in Miami is massive for the sport," said Cox, who joined Axios' Sara Fischer in co-hosting the event, "Miami Grand Prix: Fueling the City's Global Spotlight." Members of the McLaren Formula One team check the tires in the paddock ahead of the 2025 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images ?️ The big picture: Accelerated by Netflix's "Drive to Survive," F1 — with races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas — is finally cracking the U.S. market after decades of effort. "With a devoted stateside following and a genuine cultural toehold, the sport has gone far beyond simply cracking a U.S. market that former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone had all but given up on," The Wall Street Journal reports. "In 2025, Formula One has put America squarely at the center of its business." Keep reading (gift link) ... What to know about race weekend 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 3, 2025 Author Members Posted May 3, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Judge is on fire, Ledecky's on a roll, Brunson leads the Knicks to Round 2, the Avalanche force Game 7, the 151st Kentucky Derby, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ?♀️ Ledecky's on fire: A day after posting the second-best time ever in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle (15:24.51), Katie Ledecky posted her best 400-meter freestyle in nine years (3:56.46) to beat Canadian star Summer McIntosh at the Lauderdale Pro Swim Series. ? Coco routs Iga: World No. 4 Coco Gauff dominated No. 2 Iga Świątek (6-1, 6-1) on clay to reach the Madrid Open final, where she'll face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. ⛳️ Clubhouse leader: Scottie Scheffler fired a 10-under 61 at the CJ Cup, one stroke off the course record, to take the early lead at his hometown event outside Dallas. ? Sportsmanship Award: Celtics guard Jrue Holiday won his second Sportsmanship Award, becoming the fifth NBA player to earn the honor multiple times. ⚾️ Trout heads to IL: Mike Trout has been placed on the IL with a bone bruise in his knee. The Angels say it isn't serious, but it's fair to worry considering the three-time MVP has missed 383 games since 2021. ⚾️ ALL RISE THE YEAR OF AARON JUDGE (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) "He's playing a different game." That's how Yankees skipper Aaron Boone described Aaron Judge, who entered May leading the American League in batting average (.427), home runs (10) and RBIs (32). The Year of Judge: It's hard to have a better April than Judge just had. It's also hard to have a better year. Here are his stats over his last 162 games (the length of a full season), dating back to April 27, 2024: .369 BA .494 OBP .774 SLG 1.268 OPS How good is that? The only other players in baseball history besides Judge to post an OPS that high over a 162-game stretch are Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, arguably the three best hitters in baseball history. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: What Judge has accomplished, or rather, is accomplishing, can be described only as generational. He has elevated himself from a legend of his era to an all-time icon. Through it all, Judge, ever meticulous, has stayed grounded in his process. Even when he wavered during the first month of 2024, he never overcorrected or panicked. He has an unshakable, fundamental faith in his ability. He knows how good he is, which allows him to keep things simple. "Like I say, you just gotta go up there with confidence. No matter what." Judge told reporters after Wednesday's game when asked about how it felt to be hitting .427 this season. "I can't focus on results, you have to focus on the process." ? NBA PLAYOFFS BRUNSON COMES UP CLUTCH Brunson after hitting a dagger three. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Jalen Brunson showed exactly why he won the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year Award with a masterful performance in the Knicks' closeout victory on Thursday in Detroit, Jeff writes. Detroit had New York on the ropes after going on a 20-2 run in the fourth quarter, but Brunson saved the day with eight of his 40 points in the final 2:23 to give the Knicks a 116-113 win. His ankle-breaking, game-winning three with five seconds left earned a rare "double bang" from Mike Breen and sent the Knicks through to the second round, where the defending champion Celtics await. Head up, Detroit: This was just the second playoff series in NBA history to have four straight games decided by three points or fewer (Celtics-Sixers in the 1981 ECF). The Pistons may be going home, but for the first time in a long time the future looks bright. Meanwhile, out West… James Harden (28 points), Kawhi Leonard (27) and Norman Powell (24) led the Clippers to a 111-105 win over the Nuggets to force Game 7 tomorrow night in Denver. ? NHL PLAYOFFS AVALANCHE FORCE GAME 7 (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Four NHL teams entered Thursday with a chance to force Game 7. Only the Avalanche got the job done, scoring four goals in the third period of a 7-4 comeback victory over the Stars, Jeff writes. Dallas took control in the second period with four goals, as Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz became the first teammates in NHL playoff history to each score four points in a period. But Colorado's fortunes changed in the third when the Stars scored on themselves to give the Avs the lead before conceding two more goals that put the game on ice. Looking ahead: History favors Dallas on Saturday, as Stars coach Pete DeBoer is 8-0 all-time in Game 7s while the Avalanche have lost six Game 7s in a row. But if this series has taught us anything, after watching these two teams trade blows in a six-game, 39-goal slugfest, it's that nothing is decided until the final horn sounds. Elsewhere… The Maple Leafs, Golden Knights and Oilers closed things out in Game 6. Maple Leafs 4, Senators 2: The Leafs improved to 5-0 in the playoffs against their Ontario neighbors. Next up: the reigning champion Panthers. Golden Knights 3, Wild 2: Minnesota's nightmare continues, as the Wild have now lost nine straight playoff series* dating back to 2015. Next up for Vegas: the Oilers. Oilers 6, Kings 4: Speaking of nightmares, LA should try facing someone else for a change as they've now been knocked out by Edmonton in the first round four years in a row. *The Wild's last nine playoff series: Lost 4-0 to Chicago (2015, Second Round); lost 4-2 to Dallas (2016, First Round); lost 4-1 to St. Louis (2017, First Round); lost 4-1 to Winnipeg (2018, First Round); lost 3-1 to Vancouver (2020, Qualifying Round); lost 4-3 to Vegas (2021, First Round); lost 4-2 to St. Louis (2022, First Round); lost 4-2 to Dallas (2023, First Round); lost 4-2 to Vegas (2025, First Round). ?♂️ CYCLING CLASSICS IN PHOTOS: THE MONUMENTS The peloton climbs a narrow road during Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) Cycling's annual calendar features five so-called Monuments, considered the sport's most prestigious and challenging one-day races. Four of the five have been completed this season. Let's review. ?? Liège-Bastogne-Liège: La Doyenne ("The Old Lady") was held on Sunday in Belgium's hilly Ardennes region, where reigning Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar won the 111th edition of the 157-mile race, Jeff writes. The peloton rides along a cliff face during the Milan-Sanremo. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) ?? Milan-Sanremo: La Classicissima di Primavera ("The Spring Classic") is the year's first Monument and also the longest, covering 185 coastal miles in northwest Italy. Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won the 116th edition last month. Pogačar rides through the crowd during last month's victory in the Tour of Flanders. (Jan de Meuleneir/Belga/AFP via Getty Images) ?? Tour of Flanders: The Ronde van Vlaanderen (Dutch translation) is one of four "cobbled classics," marked by its numerous cobblestone sections. Pogačar captured the 109th edition in April, covering 167 miles in just under six hours. Van der Poel rides along one of the many cobblestone roads in this year's Paris-Roubaix. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images) ?? Paris-Roubaix: L'Enfer du Nord ("The Hell of the North") is considered the most brutal of the Monuments, stretching 161 miles through northern France and featuring its own fair share of cobblestone roads. Van der Poel won the 122nd edition last month, his third straight title here. The peloton rides along Lake Endine during last year's Giro di Lombardia. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images) ?? Giro di Lombardia: La Classica Delle Foglie Morte ("Race of the Falling Leaves") is the only Monument held outside of spring. Pogačar hopes to defend his title (sensing a theme?) this October in the 119th edition of the 158-mile race through Italy's northern lakes region. ? RUN FOR THE ROSES WATCHLIST: 151ST KENTUCKY DERBY The morning-line odds. Post-time odds may change up until the race begins. (Kentucky Derby) The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday at Churchill Downs (6:57pm ET, NBC), where 20 horses will compete in the 151st Run for the Roses, led by current favorite Journalism (7-2). More to watch: ? NBA: Rockets (2-3) at Warriors (Fri. 9pm, ESPN); Clippers (3-3) at Nuggets (Sat. 7:30pm, TNT) … Rockets-Warriors Game 7 is Sunday (if necessary). ? NHL: Jets (3-2) at Blues (Fri. 8pm, TNT); Avalanche (3-3) at Stars (Sat. 8pm, ABC) … Jets-Blues Game 7 is on Sunday (if necessary). ? F1: Miami Grand Prix (3:55pm ET, ABC) … South Florida hosts the first of three races in the U.S. this season. ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Pirates (Fri. 6:40pm, Apple); Cubs at Brewers (Fri. 8:10pm, Apple); Twins at Red Sox (Sat. 4:10pm, FS1); Dodgers at Braves (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⚽️ Premier League: Chelsea vs. Liverpool (Sun. 11:30am, Peacock) … The Blues are still fighting for a Champions League spot. ⛳️ Golf: PGA's CJ Cup (Fri-Sun, Golf/CBS); LPGA's Black Desert (Fri-Sun, Golf); LIV Korea (Fri-Sat, FS1) ? Tennis: Madrid Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Women's final on Saturday, men's final on Sunday. Plus… NASCAR at Texas (Sun. 3:30pm, FS1); Grand Slam Track in Miami (Fri-Sun, Peacock); Fever vs. Brazil at the University of Iowa (Sun. 4pm, ESPN); Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas in a Las Vegas title fight (Sun. 11pm, ESPN). 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, 2025 Author Members Posted May 4, 2025 ? 1 for the road: Coach Pop steps down Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs talks to Victor Wembanyama during a game in Detroit last January. Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Gregg Popovich, the iconic head coach who led the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA championships, is stepping down. Why it matters: As much as he might have come across in on-court interviews as a sardonic, brusque enigma, he was beloved by his players, Spurs fans, and coaches and athletes around the league, Axios San Antonio's Asher Price writes. ? By the numbers: Popovich steps away from coaching with the most wins in NBA history and a record of 1,422-869 — .621 winning percentage. He coached 22 consecutive seasons with winning records, the longest-ever streak, The New York Times reports. Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Miami Heat to win the 2014 NBA Finals. Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBA via Getty Images What's next: Popovich will remain with the Spurs as the team's president of basketball operations. Mitch Johnson, who had been named acting head coach last fall, now takes over full-time. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted May 5, 2025 ? Good morning! Happy Cinco de Mayo. In today's edition: The Jets stun the Blues, the Warriors finish off the Rockets, Pop steps down, Scottie makes history, Sovereignty wins the Derby in a thrilling finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ⛳️ Scottie makes history: Scottie Scheffler won his first event of the year in historic fashion, matching the PGA Tour scoring record with a 253 (-31) in a dominant eight-stroke victory at the CJ Cup — his hometown event outside Dallas where he made his PGA Tour debut 11 years ago. ? Madrid Open: Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka defeated No. 4 Coco Gauff to win her record-tying third Madrid Open, while No. 14 Casper Ruud upset No. 5 Jack Draper to capture his first ATP Masters 1000 title. ⚽️ Kane's first trophy: Bayern Munich clinched their record-extending 34th Bundesliga title, giving English superstar Harry Kane the first major trophy of his career. ? Rangers hire Sullivan: The Rangers hired Mike Sullivan as their new head coach on Friday, bringing on the two-time Stanley Cup champion just two days after he was fired by the Penguins. ? Melo to NBC: Carmelo Anthony is joining NBC this fall as an NBA analyst as the network prepares to cover the league for the first time in over two decades. ?? 16 TEAMS LEFT JETS AND WARRIORS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND Adam Lowry celebrates his series-winning goal. (Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) The first round of the NHL and NBA playoffs came to an end on Sunday with a pair of Game 7s in Winnipeg and Houston, leaving 16 teams still fighting for either the Stanley Cup or Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Jets' season appeared all but over on Sunday night in Winnipeg. Instead, the Presidents' Trophy winners stunned the Blues with an unforgettable Game 7 victory in double overtime, Jeff writes. Wild ending: The Jets erased a 3-1 deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, including the latest game-tying goal in Game 7 history — a perfect redirect from Cole Perfetti with just 1.6 seconds left on the clock that sent the Canada Life Centre into a frenzy. The first overtime ended without a score, but captain Adam Lowry lit the lamp late in the second extra period to send the Jets faithful home happy with a 4-3 win. This was just the 14th Game 7 in NHL history that went to double overtime, and at 96 minutes and 10 seconds it was the third-longest ever. Second round matchups: Maple Leafs vs. Panthers: Toronto has reached Round 2 for just the second time since 2004. Coincidentally, the first time was also against Florida, when the Panthers eliminated the Leafs in the second round just two years ago. Capitals vs. Hurricanes: Washington is back in the second round for the first time since hoisting the Cup in 2018. Now, the Canes will try to stop their division rivals from reaching the conference finals for just the second time in Alex Ovechkin's 20-year career. Golden Knights vs. Oilers: This meeting between the 2023 champs and 2024 runners-up ensures a long-running streak continues, as either Vegas or Edmonton has reached the West finals every year since 2020. Stars vs. Jets: Dallas, which came back to beat Colorado in Saturday's Game 7 behind a third-period hat trick from former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen, will face Winnipeg in the playoffs for the first time. Title odds: The Panthers are favored to win their second straight Stanley Cup (+425 at BetMGM), followed by the Hurricanes (+475), Stars (+500), Oilers (+525), Golden Knights (+650), Maple Leafs (+750), Jets (+900) and Capitals (+1000). The Buddy Hield game. (Tim Warner/Getty Images) The Warriors closed out the Rockets with a 103-89 victory in Game 7 on Sunday in Houston, avoiding the ignominy of becoming the 14th team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after leading 3-1. Buddy Hield led the way with 33 points — including 22 at the half — on a scorching 12-15 from the field and 9-11 from long range, tied for the most threes ever in a Game 7. Stephen Curry came alive with 19 of his 22 points in the second half, while Jimmy Butler channeled "Playoff Jimmy" to the tune of 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. "That's why we're here," Curry said of Golden State's critical midseason acquisition of Butler. Second round matchups: Thunder vs. Nuggets: Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bring the MVP debate to the postseason as Denver and OKC meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Celtics vs. Knicks: This is their 15th postseason meeting, second only to the Celtics and 76ers for most all-time (22). Think Boston vs. New York for a spot in the conference finals will get decent ratings? Cavaliers vs. Pacers: Indiana upset Cleveland, 121-112, on Sunday in Game 1 of the only second round series that's already begun. Timberwolves vs. Warriors: Anthony Edwards already eliminated one four-time champion in LeBron James. Can he send Curry and his four rings packing, too? Title odds: The Thunder are the favorites to win the NBA Finals (+135), followed by the Celtics (+195), Cavs (+600), Timberwolves (+1600), Warriors (+2000), Pacers (+3500), Nuggets (+3500) and Knicks (+6000). ? END OF AN ERA COACH POP STEPS DOWN IN SAN ANTONIO (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) Gregg Popovich's legendary career as an NBA head coach has officially come to an end, with the Hall of Famer stepping down as the Spurs' head coach on Friday and transitioning to full-time team president, Jeff writes. By the numbers: Coach Pop, who was away from the team for most of the season recovering from the stroke he suffered in November, spent the last three decades putting together one of the most impressive, record-breaking careers in league history. With 29 seasons in San Antonio, he's by far the longest-tenured NBA coach ever. There have been a staggering 303 coaching changes across the league since he took over the Spurs in 1996. His 1,422 regular-season victories are the most ever, while his 170 playoff wins and five championships both rank third. He's also one of just three men named Coach of the Year three times (Don Nelson, Pat Riley), but the only one to do so with the same team. Pop's coaching tree: Though he may no longer be on the sidelines in San Antonio, Popovich's fingerprints will remain on benches throughout the league, with every current head coach connected to him in three degrees or fewer. That includes eight coaches (28% of the league) who either played for or coached under Pop in the NBA or with Team USA. Recipe for greatness: Popovich's coaching tree is more than just a fun fact or testament to his longevity. It's indicative of someone whose superpower lay in identifying and nurturing talent as a singularly great mentor, and then adapting his coaching style to find success no matter the era. From Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill: Every historic coach the NBA has produced can be filed in the manila folder of "unlikely," but perhaps none fits the profile more perfectly than Gregg Popovich. Popovich doesn't have the signature style, look or even singular period of dominance like coaches who neatly fit into this category. His career has criss-crossed with others who were arguably more decorated, more famous. The modern coach who comes to mind in this fictional argument, Phil Jackson, created a mystique around himself, bolstered by his ability to get the most out of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Jackson's triangle offense spawned imitators and his smug off-the-floor demeanor amused some and annoyed others. He was a hippie who didn't fit what great, distinguished coaches looked like headed into the 1990s. But winning 11 championships as a coach makes one unassailable, same with the cigar-smoking Red Auerbach, who didn't mind engaging in Boston Garden subterfuge to torture opponents in the 1960s, when the Celtics did the most winning we've ever seen in a decade. One would have to look deeper with Popovich, but the answer seems clear in its ambiguity. There is no signature style, no "Showtime" to his name. The beauty in Popovich entering this pantheon is the adaptability of his approach. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS Sovereignty turned on the jets down the stretch to capture the Run for the Roses. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) ? 17.7 million viewers Sovereignty's thrilling victory at Saturday's rain-soaked 151st Kentucky Derby averaged 17.7 million viewers on NBC, making it the most-watched Derby since 1989. ⚾️ 62nd player Tigers OF Riley Greene on Friday became the 62nd player in MLB history to hit two home runs in the same inning, and the first to do so in the ninth. ? 1,534 days later It might have come in a WTA 125 event (Challenger tour), but Naomi Osaka won L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo on Sunday in France to capture her first title in 1,534 days (2021 Australian Open), and her first ever on clay. ? 445 punches Canelo Álvarez defeated William Scull in a dreadful undisputed title fight in Riyadh that featured a paltry 445 combined punches, the fewest thrown in a 12-round bout in the 40-year history of boxing stat-tracker CompuBox. ? GAME 1 WATCHLIST: ROUND 2 Nikola Jokić vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the first of (potentially) seven games in the next two weeks? Yes please. (Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) Three second-round series begin tonight across the NBA and NHL, with both defending champions in action and the MVP favorites going head-to-head in OKC. Hoops and hockey: Knicks at Celtics* (7pm ET, TNT); Panthers at Maple Leafs (8pm, ESPN); Nuggets at Thunder (9:30pm, TNT). *One-sided rivalry: Boston dominated New York this year, sweeping their regular-season series, 4-0, with an average winning margin of 16 points. 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, 2025 Author Members Posted May 6, 2025 In today's edition: Knicks stun Celtics, Nuggets stun Thunder, Rodgers to the Steelers feels inevitable, Ohtani hits a laser, Champions League blockbuster, comic strip of the day, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? Tucker released: The Ravens released kicker Justin Tucker amid sexual misconduct allegations from 16 massage therapists. The team didn't acknowledge the accusations in Monday's statement, saying it was a "football decision" to cut the seven-time Pro Bowler. ? Fatal crash kills two: Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29, were killed Monday in an 11-bike crash during a British Supersport Championship race. One other rider is in critical condition, five were treated for minor injuries and three escaped unharmed. ? Islanders win lottery: The Islanders won Monday's NHL Draft Lottery after entering with the 10th-best odds (3.5%) of landing the No. 1 pick. The Sharks, who entered with the best odds (25.5%), will pick second. ? Moore suspension: Michigan is expected to suspend football coach Sherrone Moore for two games due to his alleged involvement in the program's sign-stealing scandal. Moore could still face punishment from the NCAA in addition to the self-imposed school penalties. ? Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson was named NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to a first-place finish in his first year on the job. He beat out Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff (the man he replaced in Cleveland) and Houston's Ime Udoka. ? CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS NBA PLAYOFFS: HOME TEAMS START 0-3 Aaron Gordon's game-winning shot. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) The Thunder, Cavaliers and Celtics were the three best teams in the NBA this season by a considerable margin. Naturally, all three lost at home to begin the conference semifinal round. Upsets galore: The Knicks roared back from 20 points down to stun the Celtics, 108-105 (OT), on Monday night in Boston. Then Aaron Gordon drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds to complete a 14-point comeback and lift the Nuggets past the Thunder, 121-119, in OKC. This comes one day after the Pacers beat the top-seeded Cavs in Cleveland. ✍️ Game notes: Historic performance: Nikola Jokić (42-22-6) outdueled fellow MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33-10-8) and joined Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players to score 40+ points, grab 20+ boards and dish 5+ assists in an NBA playoff game. Live by the three, die by the three: The 2024-25 Celtics made and attempted more 3-pointers than any team in NBA history. The deep ball was key to many victories this season but it was their downfall on Monday, when they missed a playoff-record 45 threes (15-for-60) and let the Knicks back into the game by continuing to shoot (and miss) from beyond the arc. "Iron Man" ices the game: Mikal Bridges played 51 of a possible 53 minutes for the Knicks and had enough left in the tank in the final seconds to rip the ball away from Jaylen Brown and clinch the victory. Just another day in the life of the NBA's "Iron Man," who hasn't missed a game since his junior year in high school. What are we witnessing? This is the first time in NBA history that three 60+ win teams lost their first game of the same playoff round. And if the Warriors beat the Timberwolves tonight, it will be the first time that all four road teams have won Game 1 of the conference semifinals. ? NFL OFFSEASON RODGERS TO PITTSBURGH FEELS INEVITABLE (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Aaron Rodgers' lone Super Bowl victory came in 2011 against the Steelers. 14 years later, all signs point to Pittsburgh signing the veteran QB, writes Yahoo's Charles Robinson. Smart money has Rodgers and the Steelers getting something done just before the June full-squad minicamp. If he does the unthinkable and unceremoniously retires before training camp kicks off, Pittsburgh still has a Kirk Cousins trade in its back pocket. That's still a break-the-glass scenario the Steelers don't really think is going to happen. Instead, the franchise is telegraphing a signing of Rodgers at every turn. Maybe the signing comes in days or weeks. Maybe it comes in July. Whenever it happens, it's coming. A rare occurrence: If Rodgers does sign with the Steelers, he'll join Russell Wilson as the only QBs in NFL history to play for a team they previously beat in the Super Bowl. Wilson's Seahawks demolished the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII (2014) before Seattle traded him to Denver in 2022. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Megan Briggs/Getty Images) ⚾️ 117.9 mph Shohei Ohtani crushed the hardest-hit home run of the MLB season on Monday in Miami, adding to his long list of accomplishments at loanDepot Park. The Marlins stadium is also where he lifted Japan to the WBC title in 2023 and became baseball's first 50/50 player last September. ⚽️ 0 shots Sporting KC beat the LA Galaxy, 1-0, on Sunday despite not recording a single shot all game. An own goal from defender Maya Yoshida was enough to give Kansas City the win and keep the defending champion Galaxy winless through 11 games (0-8-3). ? +150 The No. 7 seed Warriors are +150 underdogs (via BetMGM) against the No. 6 seed Timberwolves. It's the first time Golden State hasn't been favored in a playoff series since 2014, when they were +170 underdogs against the Clippers in Round 1 and lost in seven games. ? 0 cities Did you know that no city has ever won NBA and NHL championships in the same year? Los Angeles and Denver were the only hope this year, but three of their four teams (Lakers, Kings, Avalanche) have already been eliminated, meaning the drought will extend to at least 2026. ? FINAL FOUR WATCHLIST: BLOCKBUSTER AT SAN SIRO San Siro. (Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images) Inter Milan host Barcelona today (3pm ET, CBS) in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, with the score locked at 3-3. Home field advantage: The Nerazzurri hope to continue their excellent form at "Fortress San Siro," where they've gone 15 straight Champions League matches without a loss. More to watch: ? NBA: Pacers (1-0) at Cavaliers (7pm, TNT); Warriors at Timberwolves (9:30pm, TNT) … Golden State vs. Minnesota is just the third 6 vs. 7 matchup in NBA history.* ? NHL: Hurricanes at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Oilers at Golden Knights (9:30pm, ESPN) ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Yankees (7pm, TBS) … Michael King (4-1, 2.09 ERA) vs. Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 5.52 ERA). *The other two matchups: No. 6 Rockets vs. No. 7 Sonics in the 1987 West Semis (Sonics won 4-2), and No. 6 Warriors vs. No. 7 Lakers in the 2023 West Semis (Lakers won 4-2). ⚾️ THE FUNNY PAGES COMIC STRIP OF THE DAY (Peanuts) Newsletters are the modern newspapers, so why not include comics? Enjoy today's strip from the one-and-only "Peanuts." 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, 2025 Author Members Posted May 7, 2025 ? Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness — meaning there won't be a Triple Crown winner this year. 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 May 8, 2025 Author Members Posted May 8, 2025 ? Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: NBA upsets, NHL comebacks, Inter wins 13-goal epic, Valkyries debut, White Sox find new way to lose, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? No Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not compete in this month's Preakness Stakes, ending the Triple Crown chase. ? Valkyries take the court: The WNBA's 13-team era began in earnest on Tuesday as the Golden State Valkyries, the league's first expansion team since 2008, hosted the Sparks in their preseason debut. ? Manning vs. Strahan: Former Giants teammates Eli Manning and Michael Strahan are now competing to buy a minority stake in their former team. ? Executive of the Year: Thunder GM Sam Presti was named the NBA's Executive of the Year, winning the award for the first time after finishing as runner-up in 2010, 2020 and 2024. ? Academically ineligible: Akron football is banned from the postseason in 2025 after posting consecutive Academic Progress Rates below the NCAA's minimum threshold. ? NBA PLAYOFFS ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? (Giphy) The NBA Playoffs delivered more drama on Tuesday with an epic comeback in Cleveland and two more wins for the underdogs. The latest: The Pacers erased a 20-point deficit (including a seven-point deficit in the final 48 seconds*) to stun the Cavaliers, and the Warriors beat the Timberwolves to continue a historic run for lower-seeded teams. Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner must be seen to be believed. Warriors 99, Timberwolves 88: Stephen Curry's hamstring injury put a damper on Golden State's victory. Thrilling start: The 2025 postseason still has a ways to go, but it's shaping up to be a memorable one. There have already been four 20-point comeback wins,** the most in a single postseason in the play-by-play era. For the first time ever, all four lower-seeded teams won their Round 2 openers and road teams are 5-0. *What a stat: Since 1997-98, teams are 3-1,640 when trailing by 7+ points in the final minute of the 4th quarter or OT in the playoffs. The Pacers, this postseason, have two of those wins. **The Thunder (down 29) came back to beat the Grizzlies, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Bucks, the Knicks (down 20) came back to beat the Celtics, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Cavaliers. ⚽️ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE INTER WINS 13-GOAL EPIC Davide Frattesi celebrates after scoring Inter's game-winner. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images) Inter Milan beat Barcelona in a 13-goal Champions League semifinal for the ages to advance to the title game for the second time in three years. From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: There were 13 total goals and multiple multi-goal comebacks. There was pandemonium, stoppage-time salvation and extra-time ecstasy. And at the end of a Champions League semifinal for the ages, one of the wildest that soccer has ever seen, there was Inter Milan, roaring and somehow still standing after beating Barcelona 4-3 and 7-6 on aggregate. The Italian giants, spurred on by a constant surge of San Siro noise, blew a two-goal lead but survived with an equalizer in the 93rd minute of regulation; and then won the game with a wonderful team goal in the 99th minute, deep into a wet Italian night. ? CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WATCHLIST: GIANTS CLASH IN PARIS Parc des Princes. (Franco Arland/Getty Images) Paris Saint-Germain host Arsenal today (3pm ET, CBS) in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, with PSG holding a 1-0 lead. History favors Paris: PSG have won 18 of their previous 19 Champions League matchups in which they recorded a first-leg away victory, while Arsenal have never advanced after losing the first leg at home (0-5). More to watch: ? NBA: Knicks (1-0) at Celtics (7pm, TNT); Nuggets (1-0) at Thunder (9:30pm, TNT) ? NHL: Panthers (0-1) at Maple Leafs (7pm, ESPN); Stars at Jets (9:30pm, ESPN) ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime) … Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61 ERA) vs. Max Fried* (6-0, 1.01 ERA). ? PWHL: Toronto vs. Minnesota (7pm, YouTube) … Semifinals, Game 1. *Worth every penny: Fried has been the AL's best pitcher so far, allowing just 5 earned runs in seven starts as the new staff ace with Gerrit Cole recovering from Tommy John surgery. Just what New York needed after signing him to an eight-year, $218 million contract. 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 8, 2025 Author Members Posted May 8, 2025 ? Good morning! The Celtics blew one 20-point lead throughout the entire regular season. They've now blown two this week. In today's edition: Knicks go up 2-0, Mikko Rantanen is unstoppable, Trump and Saban set to shape college sports, Mariners rolling, Haliburton's clutch gene, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? Steph sidelined: Stephen Curry will miss at least a week after straining his hamstring on Tuesday. That rules him out for Games 2, 3 and 4 against the Timberwolves, at a minimum. ⚽️ PSG 3, Arsenal 1: Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the Champions League final, where Inter Milan awaits. The French giants are seeking their first title, while Milan are seeking their fourth (1964-65, 2010). ? Mammoth make it official: The Utah Hockey Club is now the Utah Mammoth. The franchise revealed its new identity on Wednesday, ending a yearlong process. ? New WR2 in Dallas: The Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Steelers, giving Dak Prescott another talented (albeit inconsistent) wideout alongside CeeDee Lamb. ⚾️ First to 25: Despite a laundry-list of injuries, the Dodgers just keep winning, becoming the first team to reach 25 wins (25-12) after trouncing the Marlins, 10-1. ? nba playoffs DÉJÀ VU IN BOSTON (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) March Madness was lacking this year. Turns out all the lower-seed upsets, improbable comebacks and frantic finishes were merely postponed a couple months. Welcome to May Madness. Oops, they did it again: The Knicks completed a 20-point comeback for the second time in three nights to stun the Celtics, 91-90, and go up 2-0 on the defending champs. The Celtics held the Knicks scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the game and their 20-point lead in the third quarter felt comfortable. Then came the final period. New York broke open a 21-4 run in the fourth quarter while Boston essentially shut down, going more than eight minutes without a field goal at one point. Déjà vu: The 20-point comeback wasn't the only thing that felt familiar in Game 2. Like Game 1, the Celtics made exactly 25% of their 3-point attempts (15-for-60 in Game 1, 10-for-40 in Game 2, 25-for-100 overall) and Mikal Bridges made another game-sealing defensive play in the final seconds. What are we witnessing? Before this year, the NBA had never seen a 60-win team go down 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs since it expanded to 16 teams in 1984. It's now happened twice in the last two days; first the Cavs, now the Celtics. Meanwhile, in the nightcap… The Thunder are back in the win column. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) Thunder 149, Nuggets 106: OKC scored 87 first-half points (NBA playoff record) and steamrolled Denver to even the series. Eight Thunder had double-digit points, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 34 (on 11-13 FG). Go deeper… Celtics remain calm after another collapse: 'We can tie this thing back up' (Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports) ? NHL PLAYOFFS THE MOOSE IS LOOSE! (Cameron Bartlett/Getty Images) There are hot streaks, and there is whatever Mikko "The Moose" Rantanen is on right now. Man on fire: Rantanen recorded a hat trick on Wednesday (all in the second period) to lift the Stars past the Jets, 3-2, in their series opener. This comes after he scored a hat trick on Saturday (all in the third period) to beat the Avalanche, his former team, in Game 7. Some stats: He's the third player with hat tricks in consecutive playoff games, joining Jari Kurri (1985) and Doug Bentley (1944). He's the first player with multiple three-goal periods in the same postseason. He's scored or assisted on the Stars' last 12 playoff goals, the longest streak ever. Mario Lemieux is the next closest at nine. The backdrop: Rantanen, who leads the playoffs in goals (8) and points (15), took a winding road to get here. The Finnish forward began the season in Colorado before being traded to Carolina, who shipped him to Dallas 40 days later. That trade already came back to haunt the Avalanche. For the Stars, it's working out beautifully so far. Meanwhile, in Toronto… Max Domi celebrates his goal. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) Maple Leafs 4, Panthers 3: Max Domi and Max Pacioretty each had a goal and an assist, and new dad Mitch Marner scored the tie-breaking goal to give Toronto a 2-0 lead over the defending champs. The series shifts to Florida for Game 3 tomorrow. ? GAME 2 WATCHLIST: HOME TEAMS IN A HOLE How will Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves respond after losing Game 1 at home? (Abbie Parr/AP Photo) Three home teams will try to salvage a split tonight before heading on the road, with the Capitals hosting the Hurricanes (7pm ET, ESPN), the Timberwolves hosting the Warriors (8:30pm, TNT) and the Golden Knights hosting the Oilers (9:30pm, ESPN). More to watch: The PGA Tour's Truist Championship tees off at Philadelphia Cricket Club (11am, ESPN+; 2pm, Golf) … No. 8 Auburn hosts South Carolina on the diamond (7pm, ESPN2) … Montreal hosts Ottawa in Game 1 of the PWHL Semifinals (7pm, YouTube). 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 9, 2025 Author Members Posted May 9, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: The "kick change," Draisaitl scores OT winner, Edwards injury scare, Rockies fall to 6-31, Arch Manning film study, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. ? ICYMI headlineS ? Quenneville hired: Three-time Stanley Cup champion Joel Quenneville has been hired as head coach of the Ducks. He's been out of the NHL since 2021 when the league determined he had an "inadequate response" to allegations of sexual assault while with the Blackhawks. ⚾️ Shelton fired: The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton after a 12-26 start. He compiled a 306-440 record over six seasons with the team, good for a .410 winning percentage. ? Dual-venue format: LA 2028 will make Olympic history by staging the opening ceremony across two venues: the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. ? Pacquaio's return: Manny Pacquiao is ending his four-year retirement and will face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas. ? Lacrosse tragedy: A high school lacrosse player from the Cleveland area passed away on Thursday after a ball struck him in the back of the head below his helmet. ⚾️ THE KICK CHANGE THE BIRTH OF A NEW PITCH Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong shows off his "kick change" grip. (Bay Area News Group) The increasingly data-driven art of pitching has given hurlers a wealth of new information to draw from as they seek to fine tune their offerings and maintain an edge over hitters. This year, it's given them an entirely new pitch, Jeff writes. A new kind of changeup: The "kick change" resembles a changeup, but a modified grip allows it to be thrown harder and with different movement. Specifically, it has vertical drop like a splitter rather than horizontal run like a slider. Its name is derived from the way the middle finger — raised for this pitch but flat for a traditional changeup — "kicks" the ball's axis forward through release, which alters its spin and produces the desired downward movement. An easier way to think about it: When optimized, a righty's kick change will resemble a lefty's curveball, notes ESPN's Jorge Castillo. Where did it come from? The kick change was born in a high-tech pitching lab in North Carolina called Tread Athletics, where former minor league pitcher Leif Strom developed it in 2023. Strom's goal was to design a pitch that supinators (pitchers who rotate their forearm and wrist outward and often struggle with changeups) could use to neutralize left-handed hitters. Here he is providing a detailed breakdown. Giants rookie Hayden Birdsong was the first MLB pitcher to use the kick change last year after Strom posted about it on social media. Now, it boasts a roster of believers including All-Stars Andrés Muñoz and Pablo López, plus a trio of Mets fueling the league's best rotation. Bottom line: Sweepers took MLB by storm in 2023, Paul Skenes' splinker helped him dominate as a rookie in 2024, and now 2025 is shaping up to be the year of the kick change. ? SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS McDavid and Draisaitl celebrate their OT game-winner. (Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) Las Vegas — The Golden Knights erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime, but the Oilers got the last laugh when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl teamed up for a beautiful game-winner to give Edmonton a 5-4 victory and a 2-0 series lead. Edwards returned from a mid-game ankle injury and scored 20 points in the Game 2 victory. (David Berding/Getty Images) Minneapolis — The Timberwolves survived an Anthony Edwards injury scare and blew out the Stephen Curry-less Warriors, 117-93, to even the series at one game apiece as it heads to San Francisco for Game 3. Caps players celebrate their second goal of the game early in the third period. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) Washington, D.C. — The Capitals protected home ice on Thursday with a 3-1 win over the Hurricanes, tying the series 1-1 behind a little bit of everything from Tom Wilson, who had a goal, an assist and two blocked shots. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS Ryan McMahon reacts after striking out during Thursday's doubleheader against the Tigers. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo) ⚾️ -109 run differential The Rockies, who fell to 6-31 after Thursday's doubleheader sweep, have an abysmal -109 run differential this season. That puts them on pace for a historic -477, which is more than 100 runs worse than the modern MLB record (-345 by the 1932 Red Sox). ⚽️ 21 years For the first time in 21 years, the Champions League final (PSG vs. Inter Milan) won't feature a team from Spain, England or Germany. That hasn't happened since 2004, when Porto defeated Monaco. ⛳️ 3,000 free tickets The PGA of America is giving away 3,000 tickets to this fall's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black with a program they're calling "The People's Perk," surprising unsuspecting golfers all summer at public courses in the New York area. ? 4 QB battles Shedeur Sanders vs. the Browns' crowded QB room (Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett) headlines the four QB battles brewing as rookie minicamps get underway today, writes Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson. ? ROUND 2 WATCHLIST: AVOIDING A 3-0 HOLE Can the East's No. 1 seed rebound after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home? (Jason Miller/Getty Images) Four teams facing a 2-0 series deficit play a must-win Game 3 this weekend, lest they fall into a nearly insurmountable 3-0 hole — something just four NHL teams and zero NBA teams have ever successfully come back from. ? NBA: Cavaliers (0-2) at Pacers (Fri. 7:30pm ET, ESPN); Celtics (0-2) at Knicks (Sat. 3:30pm, ABC) ? NHL: Maple Leafs (2-0) at Panthers (Fri. 7pm, TNT); Golden Knights (0-2) at Oilers (Sat. 9pm, TNT) More to watch: ? NBA: Thunder (1-1) at Nuggets (Fri. 10pm, ESPN); Timberwolves (1-1) at Warriors (Sat. 8:30pm, ABC); Thunder at Nuggets, Game 4 (Sun. 3:30pm, ABC); Cavs at Pacers, Game 4 (Sun. 8pm, TNT) ? NHL: Stars (1-0) at Jets (Fri. 9:30pm, TNT); Caps (1-1) at Hurricanes (Sat. 6pm, TNT); Jets at Stars, Game 3 (Sun. 4:30pm, TBS); Maple Leafs at Panthers, Game 4 (Sun. 7:30pm, TBS) ⚽️ La Liga: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (Sun. 10:15am, ESPN) … First place vs second place. ⚾️ MLB: Cardinals at Nationals (Fri. 6:45pm, Apple); Giants at Twins (Fri. 8:10pm, Apple); Cubs at Mets (Sun. 12:05pm, Roku); Phillies at Guardians (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⛳️ PGA: Truist Championship (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … Keith Mitchell (-9) has a one-shot lead in Philly. ? NCAA Lacrosse Championships: Opening rounds (Fri-Sun, ESPN2/ESPNU) … Men's first round; women's first and second rounds. ? Racing: IndyCar at Indianapolis (Sat. 4:30pm, Fox); NASCAR at Kansas (Sun. 3pm, FS1) Plus: Italian Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis); Giro d'Italia (Fri-Sun, Max); Men's Hockey Worlds (Fri-Sun, NHL); PWHL Playoffs (Fri-Sun, YouTube); UFL Week 7 (Fri-Sun, Fox/ABC/ESPN). 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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