Find out which of the English top-flight’s sharp shooters are firing their way up the goalscoring charts
Continue reading...Flyers Breakfast: Training Camp Is Upon Us
Hockey season is finally upon us, with the Philadelphia Flyers set to kick off their rookie camp and Rookie Series this week, immediately followed by the start of training camp.
On Wednesday, we got the official Flyers training camp roster, which included Andrew Perrott, an AHL signing I didn't know about; and Zayde Wisdom, who is going to get another crack at the NHL, as small as his odds may be.
Of the rest of the inclusions on the roster, I am most excited to see what kind of roster battles take place in the bottom-six.
From last year, the Flyers still have Nikita Grebenkin and Carl Grundstrom, but it will be interesting to see if formerly esteemed prospects like Nolan Foote and Danila Klimovich can outperform them.
Newcomer Zach Aston-Reese has some NHL experience, too, but his role has substantially decreased over the last four years since leaving Pittsburgh, and perhaps there is a reason for that.
Flyers Breakfast: New Stadium Generating Big BuzzWednesday's Philadelphia Flyers news, discussing the new arena renderings and the players' immediate reaction.Additionally, I think Devin Kaplan has the potential to occupy such a role for the Flyers in the future, but he is more than likely going to need at least one more year of development in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Simply put, the winger room is just too crowded right now, and some cards need to fall before we consider anything further.
In other (brief) prospect news, Egor Zavragin is on the board with his first win in his first start of the KHL season!
Flyers' Quinn Hughes pursuit gets a boost?
Most of you who have followed my Flyers coverage here and on social media know that I have long been of the opinion that a marriage between Quinn Hughes and the New Jersey Devils is inevitable.
Ex-Flyers Goalie On Fire In Return to KHLFormer Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov is looking amazing in his return to the KHL.Well, if you were hoping the Flyers would have a shot at Hughes, the superstar defenseman left all doors open during his media availability at the NHL Player Media Tour. The door that is open the widest is the one in Newark, but doors are open.
"This is going to be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done," Hughes said. "I don’t feel backed up against a wall. I’m very thoughtful. I want to make sure I’m taking my time on everything and make sure I’m making a decision that is going to be good for everyone. That’s kind of where my head has been at.
"It is my life. I’m not going to do anything to make someone else happy. Obviously, I like to think of myself as a thoughtful person to a point where it’s not good for me and I’m thinking too much about all these different things. I think that everyone’s got to do whatever makes them happy and where the chips fall they fall."
And now we can consider more fuel has been added to the never-ending fire. Know that the longer this drags out, the bigger a distraction it will become during the season for a Minnesota Wild team aspiring to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Could Canadiens' Hughes Bring In Big Forward?
On Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Anaheim Ducks and Chris Kreider had agreed to terminate the big forward’s contract and that he would be placed on unconditional waivers for contract termination. A couple of hours later, the 6-foot-3, 232-pound 35-year-old was indeed put on waivers, and once he clears, which he will, he will be free as a bird to sign with a new team.
While Kreider is no spring chicken, he still has a lot to give to a team. Last season, he put up 50 points in 75 games, and if not for the gigantic contract the Ducks were forced to give Leo Carlsson and its ripple effect, he would still be on the team. Last season, it wasn’t rare to see him play alongside top talent like Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier.
Canadiens: This Is Not A Sign Of Things To Come
Canadiens’ Coach Was As Surprised As You Were
Canadiens: The Clock Is Ticking For Hughes
The plan now is for Kreider, a Massachusetts native, to head back to the East Coast to play on a contending team. This is where the Montreal Canadiens come in. Back in early July, we suggested that Kreider could be an interesting target for the Canadiens in the fallout of the Carlsson contract, and now that Kreider can be had for nothing more than money, he becomes an even better target.
Of course, if Kent Hughes still believes he has a shot at landing one of his “plan A” targets, such as Kirill Marchenko or Matthew Knies, he doesn’t need to pursue Kreider. Still, if those avenues or equivalent ones are shut, the veteran becomes an interesting option. While it’s clear that the Canadiens could use a second-line center, it appears they’ve decided to wait and see what they have in Michael Hage. However, they still want to acquire top-six talent to play alongside Ivan Demidov, and Kreider is, in many ways, similar to the aforementioned Marchenko and Knies. He’s big, he’s got speed, and he’s not afraid to get to the dirty areas. Last year he landed 69 hits in 73 games.
Most importantly, though, he shows up and delivers in the playoffs. Kreider is the kind of player who is made for playoff hockey and relishes playing when the stakes are high. In 135 playoff games, he has put up 83 points (0.61 PPG) and 84 penalty minutes. In the New York Rangers' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, he put up 13 points in 15 games. Yes, that was 12 years ago, but in his last three playoff years, he averaged 0.80 PPG over 35 games (28 points).
Granted, there is some history between Kreider and the Canadiens, namely that incident in the 2014 playoffs when he ran into Carey Price and caused the goaltender’s first serious knee injury. Many fans still see him as the cause of Price’s early retirement, but the fact of the matter is that Price isn’t on the team anymore, nor is anyone else who played for the Habs in 2014; Brendan Gallagher was the last survivor. This isn't like bringing Mark Scheifele in to play with Jake Evans.
If Kreider really wants to win a Stanley Cup, he should be willing to sign at a reasonable cap hit, and given his age, he shouldn’t ask for that much term either. Of course, you don’t want him to block the development of your young players, but there’s a balance to be struck. In the last playoffs, it was obvious that Oliver Kapanen lacked experience and still has plenty to learn to play that kind of hockey efficiently.
Having Kreider around for the next two years could be great for the Canadiens. He could have an important role this season and, if the young players improve enough, slide into a lesser role next season. His last contract had a $6.5 million cap hit, but by agreeing to have it terminated by the Ducks, he has proven that it’s not about the money for him anymore, and if there’s someone who can get players to sign reasonable deals, it’s the Canadiens’ GM.
This is an opportunity Hughes at least has to entertain, given that he couldn't find a trading partner this summer. Furthermore, both Jeff Gorton and Martin St-Louis know Kreider well and could speak to his character and potential fit with the team.
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Are the Wizards deep?
Multiple times this summer, I’ve heard it claimed by fans, pundits, and current/former coaches, players, and front office types that the Wizards are deep. My instinctual reaction is skepticism. I delved into statistical analysis in part because so much of what I heard from the “experts” on TV when I was a kid didn’t seem accurate.
I’d watch Player X (names redacted to protect the innocent) would grab a rebound, and I’d hear the “analyst” (almost always a former player) make a claim like, “Player X is a strong rebounder.” Then The Sporting News would arrive in a couple weeks, and I’d look it up and see that Player X almost never got rebounds.
I’d see highlight packages that included a volume scorer like Dominique Wilkins dishing out multiple assists — clearly assembled to create an impression that he was a generous playmaker. TSN would let me know he was averaging 2-3 assists per game. (This is in no way meant to smear Wilkins, who was a) one of my favorite players, and b) earned his Human Highlight Film moniker.)
As I’ve written before, I wasn’t alone in this observation. One time, when he maybe 12 year old, I was watching a game with my son. Well, I was tracking the Wizards’ defense, and he was working on a school project and listening to the announcers spew statistical nuggets and other factoids while I sighed and the Wizards got pummeled. Again.
Anyway, at one point then-broadcaster Steve Buckhantz intoned something like the Wizards being third in the league in total offensive rebounds over the past nine days (or something), and my son asked, “If the Wizards are so great at everything, why do they always lose?”
So, I approach this “Wizards are deep” claim with skepticism. Let’s unpack.
“Deep” in sports generally refers to the idea that a team has multiple good players at the same or multiple positions. When the San Francisco 49ers had Joe Montana and Steve Young at quarterback, they had depth. When the Washington Redskins had Joe Theisman and Tom Flick, they did not.
Here’s my current best guess at the team’s depth chart for this season:
- G: Trae Young | Tre Johnson | Bub Carrington | Tre Mann
- W: Bilal Coulibaly | Kyshawn George | Khris Middleton
- F: AJ Dybantsa | Will Riley | Justin Champagnie
- C: Alex Sarr | Anthony Davis | DeAndre Ayton | Tristan Vukcevic
Note: In my thinking, there are four NBA positions nowadays — guard, wings, forward and centers. Coaches can (and do) mix and match when making lineups. This year, I anticipate the Wizards will start games with one guard (Young), two centers (Sarr and Davis), a forward (Dybantsa) and a wing (either Coulibaly or George).
Also, if you think Johnson is more of a “traditional” shooting guard/small forward type than a shooting guard/point guard type, feel free to mentally shift him to the wing bucket.
So far, this is a bunch of names. Part of being deep is that the players have to be good. Entering the season and assuming health, the Wizards can be confident that Davis, Young, and Sarr will be good to very good. Barring a catastrophic case of Idon’tcareitis Ayton probably makes that list too.
That’s four guys we can be sure will be good. Three of them play the same position.
My next tier is the probably at least average to maybe good. In this group: Coulibaly, George, Champagnie, Middleton. The first problem here is the Wizards don’t want to play two of them major minutes (Champagnie and Middleton). Champagnie because he’d be snacking on minutes that could go to his younger and more ballyhooed teammates. Middleton because he’s old (by NBA standards) and has had multiple significant injuries the past few years.
Next up: the probably below average (or worse) group. That includes Dybantsa and Johnson. In Dybantsa’s case it’s primarily an age-based evaluation. Not many teens are even average in the NBA. Turns out, it’s a tough and competitive league, and it takes time for a kid to learn how to excel.
By the way, arguably the only elite teenage rookie will be Dybantsa’s teammate this season. Davis posted a 178 PPA in 1,846 minutes in his age 19 season with the New Orleans Hornets. The only teen to beat that score was Zion Williams for the same franchise, but Williamson managed just 668 total minutes.
Where were we? Oh yeah, the probably below average guys. My thoughts on Johnson are draped on two main hooks: he’s young, and I didn’t see the athletic tools or all-around performance it usually takes to be an above average NBA player. I could be wrong — this is best guess, and Johnson (like any young player) can do the work and become great.
That leaves the probably not too good guys: Carrington, Riley, Vukcevic, and Mann.
By my count, that makes the Wizards six deep with average(ish)-or-better (eight if you count the two guys they don’t want to play much) and two more who probably won’t be good this season but will play anyway in hopes they will become good in the relatively near future.
I could see some upwards push from guys I anticipate being below average, if they work hard and improve. Odds are, some of the team’s youngsters will get better and some won’t. One of the lessons of NBA history is that it’s not safe to assume young players will improve. Sometimes they just don’t.
So, I think the best way to talk about the Wizards and depth is to say they might be deep this season, if several players improve more than anticipated. I don’t think it’s safe to believe they have the kind of depth that will make them competitive in any consistent way. There’s too much uncertainty around the relative quality of half the roster, which is compounded by significant uncertainty about the health and reliability of others the team hopes will form a veteran foundation.
The Cavs have a bench problem
It has been a strange summer for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After waiting, and waiting, and then losing out on the LeBron James sweepstakes, the Cavs had to pivot. They already watched Keon Ellis and Dean Wade depart before James’ decision, and then had to offload Dennis Schroder and Max Strus to get a smidge of wiggle room to improve the top of the rotation. Acquiring Peyton Watson is a good gamble to make given his age, athleticism, and reasonable extension number, but the Cavs are undoubtedly more top-heavy than they already were. That is a problem.
A short bench is nothing new for the Cavs, but there are even more legitimate concerns now. The wing rotation got an infusion of juice with Watson, yet there are plenty of questions after that. Jaylon Tyson has shown promise, but he fell out of the rotation in the playoffs and often got into head coach Kenny Atkinson’s doghouse. Mario Hezonja has not played in the NBA since before COVID, and there is a reason he is on a non-guaranteed contract. There really is no way of knowing what he will be able to provide, let alone in high-leverage playoff situations.
Thomas Bryant makes his return to the frontcourt, but the Cavs should have sought out a more athletic, non-traditional backup center. Nae’Qwan Tomlin is listed as the team’s backup power forward, a scary proposition considering he was a two-way player last year. There is nothing necessarily wrong with Tomlin, but a team that wants to compete for a championship should have a better option in tow. Craig Porter is serviceable, but the Cavs are putting a lot of faith in him being the full-time backup point guard.
Whether you want to believe it or not, Cleveland needed Wade out there. The Cavs were +5.9 with Wade on the floor last season, which is +3 better than they were without him. His true value does not show up in the box score. Wade’s ability to defend the arc, disrupt passing lanes, and stay in front of guards was all vital to the Cavs’ defense. When he hits a few shots and grabs a few rebounds, Wade was nearly invaluable. The Cavs will miss that two-way ability, even if he drew the ire of the fanbase.
Once seen as the prize of the De’Andre Hunter trade, Ellis was a near non-factor in the postseason. That being said, watching him walk is certainly not ideal, given that he’s provided a burst of energy off the bench more than a few times. That woke the Cavs up more than a few times this past season, especially in the doldrums of the winter. Sam Merrill was already a difference-maker, but he will shoulder more responsibility this upcoming season.
It is hard to say the loss of Schroder is detrimental, as his on-court play was already a net negative, but the replacement, Porter, has many pitfalls as well. Tyrese Proctor is intriguing, but not reliable yet. Porter has a lot of supporters in the organization, and plenty of fans outright, but there is a reason the Cavs felt they needed to get Schroder last year in the first place.
Trading another fan-favorite like Strus was tough to see, but the Cavs had only a few levers to pull to improve the roster. Strus is a good movement shooter who would come around pin-downs and get up quick shots, and that will be tough to replace. His ability to get hot from the floor saved the Cavs more than once this past season, and his size makes him a viable defender – if not a little overrated. Then there is the leadership and locker room impact, something not quantifiable. But there is a reason the Cavs were reluctant to trade Strus, and the off-court traits are part of that calculus. Hezonja will be tasked with filling in some of those cracks, and it is entirely possible he does so admirably. But there is also a real possibility that he is unable to reach NBA-level and ends up off the roster.
The Cavs are playing for the playoffs, and bench players who possess one or two specific skills are crucial. Strus’ movement shooting, Ellis’ energy, or Wade’s defense are traits that are hard to measure individually, but add up to something important in a seven-game series. The New York Knicks got key contributions from the likes of Landry Shamet, Mitchell Robinson, and Josh Hart — each with a unique ability off the bench that, at some point, swung a possession or two and changed a game. The Cavs’ bench does not have that, or at least not right now.
As they have been for the past few years, Cleveland is going into the season with a top-heavy roster. While Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are talented enough to get the Cavs home court advantage in a playoff series, there should be concern for the quality of the bench. This is NBA Finals or bust for the Cavs, as they rapidly approach the edge of the cliff. The bench has been an issue for the last few years, and that may rear its ugly head again.
Open Thread: The Spurs Scrimmage is set for Sunday, October 4th
Per a Spurs press release:
“Spurs fans are invited to the free 2026-27 Silver & Black Open Scrimmage, presented by Ticketmaster, at Frost Bank Center on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. The San Antonio Spurs will take the court for four 10-minute quarters, giving fans the chance to preview the team in action ahead of their Oct. 20 home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tickets are free and are required for entry – see details below and online at Spurs.com/OpenScrimmage.“
If you are asking “how do I obtain tickets?” there are a few requirements:
TICKET INFORMATION
The Silver & Black Open Scrimmage will be ticketed due to anticipated high demand. To be eligible to receive free tickets, fans must complete the following steps:
- Head to Spurs.com/OpenScrimmage or text SCRIMMAGE to 210-444-5940 to join the Official Spurs Fan Club and enter to win
- Both new and existing Fan Club members will need to enter to win through the above link
- Deadline to enter is Sunday, Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m.
- Each fan is eligible to win up to four free tickets while supplies last
- Winners will be notified by Monday, Sept. 21
- Winners must claim their tickets within 24 hours of notification; if not, new winners will be selected
- All tickets are General Admission seating and cannot be transferred or resold
Current season ticket members do not need to enter as they are guaranteed tickets and will receive them in their Account Manager. Spurs Give is hosting a yard sale from thge time gates upon throughout the game. Parking for the event will be free. Fans can pick up selected new Spurs gear at a 15% discount in the Spurs Fan Shop inside the arena.
Hope to see you there…and Go Spurs Go! (Spoiler alert: either way, the Spurs win.)
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How the Brewers can start prepping for the postseason
On Tuesday night, the Brewers pulled together another come-from-behind victory, this one in dramatic fashion, and they then completed a sweep of the Cubs on Wednesday evening. With the sweep, the magic number to clinch the NL Central is down to five. The magic number for a postseason berth is down to four, though it is effectively lower since the two teams currently fighting for the last spot (the Diamondbacks and Padres) still have games remaining against each other. It’s just a matter of time now before those spots are clinched. While there’s still work to do, the team can also start setting themselves up for the postseason. Let’s take a look at what they can do in these next couple of weeks.
Remaining Schedule
Unlike last season, when the Brewers were playing opponents who were fighting for a playoff spot in the last week of the season, the Brewers have it a bit easier this time around. With the season series against the Cubs done, here are their remaining five series (all three-game sets):
- vs. Reds (8.5 GB NL wild card three)
- @ Pirates (5.5 GB NL wild card three)
- @ Orioles (3 GB AL wild card three)
- @ Phillies (Currently NL wild card one, 3 GB in NL East)
- vs. Cardinals (6.5 GB NL wild card three)
The Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals are nearly out of the playoff race, barring a massive winning streak. The Orioles could still have a chance at an AL wild card spot, but their chances are also fading. The Phillies are the one team that will almost certainly be fighting for their postseason seed when the Brewers come to town. While there are not any easy wins, the schedule is very manageable.
This does not mean that the Brewers can take any of these series lightly. They only have a two-game lead for the top record in the NL and in all of MLB, but they do hold the tiebreaker over the second-place Dodgers. They also have a 5.5-game lead over the Braves, though that tiebreaker would come down to intradivision record since the two teams split the season series 3-3. There’s still business to take care of until that postseason seed is decided.
Prepping the Rotation
One important piece of preparation for the postseason is lining up the postseason starters so they are ready to go. The good part of this is their likely top two starters (Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson) are already in position to line up for the start of the postseason. With off days plentiful over the last couple of weeks, shifting them to a five-game schedule becomes easier, especially with some other questions developing in the rotation. Here is how they would line up if they pitched every fifth game:
Jacob Misioroski
- September 15 @ Pirates
- September 20 @ Orioles
- September 26 vs. Cardinals
Logan Henderson
- September 16 @ Pirates
- September 22 @ Phillies
- September 27 vs. Cardinals
This would allow both to pitch right until the start of the postseason. Both can make starts through the end of the regular season, and then be ready to pitch the opening games of a National League Division Series. It’s not set at all, though. They still need to secure a first-round bye, but for now, keeping them pitching on a regular schedule is the best way to secure that. The schedule also allows for a bit of flexibility. Misiorowski or Henderson could move up a day and still pitch on regular rest, or get extra rest and skip the last series if necessary. The Phillies series could also affect these plans if the Brewers don’t want the Phillies to get an extra look at these starters, but that is less likely because their playoff seed may not be locked in until the last series of the regular season.
The main question for the rotation is what the Brewers will do after those two starters. There’s not an easy answer here right now. The other starters in the rotation all have question marks heading into the last weeks of the regular season. Kyle Harrison has struggled badly in his last three starts and may be heading to the bullpen. Shane Drohan is hitting his innings limit and also could be in the bullpen. Dustin May had two rough starts, and while he appeared to be pitching better in his last one against the Reds, rain cut it short, and we didn’t get a full look at him. Robert Gasser has stepped up in his recent starts, but he may be more suited for short starts in the postseason. Brandon Sproat is back on the roster for now, but has been pitching shorter starts in the minors and once again struggled with his command late in Wednesday night’s win out of the bullpen. Brandon Woodruff is the wild card, still not in a position to count on in the postseason, but could become a factor later on if his throwing goes well.
What this could mean is the Brewers will deploy these starters in shorter bursts in the postseason. They could use two starters in a game and have them pitch two to three innings, not pitching through the lineup more than once. To effectively do this, they could split up Misiorowski and Henderson in the rotation. Use Misiorowski in game one and Henderson in game three, then piggyback two starters in games two and four. They can also mix openers in as well when needed. It’s not the traditional postseason rotation, but the Brewers can make it work. It would be similar to what they did last postseason, where they used openers and deployed Misiorowski as a long reliever. What the Brewers need to see in these next few weeks is where each starter is at. Each one will get a couple more starts before the postseason, at best. They have plenty to prove in those starts, especially if it’s the difference between making the postseason roster and sitting on the bench.
Resting Injured Players
It’s deep in the season, and players are dealing with the aches and pains of a long schedule. The Brewers have been dealing with their share of injuries, and making sure the team is as healthy as possible will be a major focus.
On offense, the key injury right now is to Jake Bauers. He’s been the team’s main power threat for most of the season, and they will need him for a postseason run. However, he’s been more limited while he’s been recovering from shin splints. While he played in four straight games before getting the day off on Wednesday, he only started one of them. In the other three, he entered the game later as a pinch-hitter. This is going to be one of the primary injuries to watch in the next few weeks. An IL stint could be considered, though the Brewers appear to favor workload management for now.
Brice Turang is another player to watch over these next few weeks. He has been dealing with a knee injury, though it has not kept him out of the lineup. In the last four series (going back to the Rangers series), he has started every game except one. The good news for Turang is that he’s starting to look better again. In his last six games (five starts plus a late-game replacement), he has eight hits and six walks in 25 PA. He has bounced back from a rough August and is hopefully strong again.
There are also a few relievers on the IL. Grant Anderson (right biceps inflammation) and Bryse Wilson (low back strain) are currently on the IL. Wilson is expected back in mid to late September, but Anderson’s status is still up in the air. Rob Zastryzny is also back on a rehab assignment after multiple setbacks. Zastryzny has not pitched a game for the Brewers yet this season, though he was on the active roster for a couple of days. He is another wild card for the postseason. He is not eligible to come off the 60-day IL until next week, and at best might get a week on the major league roster before the postseason. Would the Brewers put him on a postseason roster despite not pitching in the majors at all so far this season?
Conclusion
The Brewers have made it clear that they will not take anything for granted when it comes to a postseason spot. While they have something to play for, they will give their full effort and take care of business. There’s still plenty to play for in these last few weeks. While they will continue to fight for their spot, they also have enough of a lead to start thinking about the postseason. They can start looking at some adjustments to make sure they are ready when the postseason begins.
Phillies News: Postseason, Orion Kerkering, Aaron Judge
Well, last night was certainly one of the weirdest Phillies wins of the season. It appeared at times as though both teams were actively trying to lose through the first six innings. But then as it so often happens, Kyle Schwarber put things on the right track with a monumental home run, this time a rally-capping grand slam.
It can’t possibly be weirder today. After all, the Phillies always play perfectly normal mid-week afternoon baseball games.
On to the links.
Phillies news:
- Recent baserunning mistakes have once again brought a weakness of the Phillies to the forefront: losing on the margins. ($)
- The Inquirer has created a handy one stop shop for all your Phillies postseason race needs, including updated magic numbers. ($)
- It’s time to end Orion Kerkering’s high leverage innings.
MLB news:
- Aaron Judge may have just returned from injury, but he’s already frustrated with the Yankees plan of easing him back into action.
- Speaking of the Yankees, they placed Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the injured list yesterday with a sprained thumb.
- Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns has joined Travis Kelce as a minority investor in the Cleveland Guardians. ($)
- Hope is slipping in for Angels fans after the news of Arte Moreno finally selling the team. But it likely won’t last. ($)
Orioles news: Alexander hits IL, team three games back
Hello, friends.
The Orioles yet linger, never quite doing enough to fully drop out of the picture and never quite doing enough to remain in the inner reaches of the race either. Wednesday’s 9-5 win over the Guardians meant the O’s got the series win against Cleveland, the team they’re chasing for the wild card. They probably needed a sweep to really, truly have much hope, but, as the cliche goes, it ain’t over til it’s over, and for now it ain’t over. Check out Tyler’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.
Both the Orioles and their next opponent, the Blue Jays, have the day off today. Each of these teams will resume their wild card quests in Toronto on Friday. The Orioles sit three back of the Guardians with 15 to play. The Jays are a mere one game back. There will be another series between these teams a week and a half from now. Those six games will go a long way towards determining whether one more AL East team can get into the picture.
At a minimum, the Orioles need to go 4-2 to keep their hopes alive. They might need to go 5-1. 4-2 gets them tied with the Blue Jays, and gives them the head-to-head tiebreaker against Toronto for the season. However, there’s still the Guardians to get past, and the Rangers too (1.5 games back). There’s nothing left that the Orioles can do except hope those teams lose. Texas concludes a series against the Mariners today, then heads to play the Diamondbacks. The Guardians will be playing the Twins this weekend.
Whatever the Orioles try to pull off, they’re going to have to do it without Blaze Alexander, who hit the injured list yesterday with back soreness. Alexander is not only the only .300 hitter on the team, he’s also the sole .270 hitter around. It’s also not yet certain how many days the day-to-day status for Gunnar Henderson will last. Manager Craig Albernaz said of Henderson before yesterday’s game, “He’s pretty banged up.” Disappointing though Henderson may be this season, the lineup is not improved by having Jackson Holliday at shortstop and Jeremiah Jackson at second base.
We’re running a poll this week asking how far you think the Orioles will be from the postseason when all is said and done this year. Have you voted yet? I’ll make it easy for you and embed it right here:
It is still hard to know what to make of these guys. Maybe they’ll play well enough to get close enough that each and every one of the frustrating, stupid losses that they have racked up through this year will hurt. Maybe they’ll hang around about where they are now. Maybe they’ll fall farther out. Maybe they’ll pull off the miracle. Any of the above could happen! Some seem more likely than others.
We’ll find out how the story continues on Friday night. Chris Bassitt is the scheduled starter for the Orioles in the 7:07 game. As of this writing, the Jays have not listed a starter.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Part of Samuel Basallo’s learning curve? Dealing with failure. (The Baltimore Banner)
Another baseball cliche is that it’s a game of failure, and how a player handles that is going to say a lot about what kind of player they are.
Albernaz on Mayo: “Coby is the one I’m most proud of” (Steve on Baseball)
What Coby Mayo is doing against lefties this year is really something. If he wants to start doing better against righties too, that would be great. He homered off a righty last night, which is certainly a nice way to do better.
What happened to Merv Rettenmund? (Baltimore Baseball)
In the ongoing Orioles history series by longtime Baltimore sports scribe John Eisenberg, he considers an oft-overlooked player, Merv Rettenmund, who once seemed like he might be on a star trajectory and didn’t end up going that far.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021-2024 pitcher Mike Baumann, 2011 outfielder Matt Angle, and 2007-09 reliever Danys Báez. Today is Báez’s 49th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: voodoo legend Marie Laveau (1801), baseball Hall of Famer George Kelly (1895), golfer Arnold Palmer (1929), actor Colin Firth (1960), baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (1963), and ballerina Misty Copeland (1982).
On this day in history…
In 1547, English and Scottish forces numbering over 50,000 combined fought the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, a decisive English victory that proved to be the final full-scale battle between these powers before they eventually united.
In 1813, the British fleet on Lake Erie was defeated by the American navy in the Battle of Put-in Bay, which kept the lake in American control for the remainder of the War of 1812.
In 1943, Nazi forces occupied Rome after its allied Italian government entered into an armistice with the Allies days previously.
In 1977, convicted torturer and murderer Hamida Djandoubi was executed by guillotine, the final time that method of execution was employed in France.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on September 10. Have a safe Thursday.
Yankees prospects: RailRiders even series and standings against Red Wings
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 4-1 (7) at Rochester Red Wings — all tied up again atop the International League standings
LF Jarred Kelenic 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB
SS Max Schuemann 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K — Volpe was scheduled to play short before the Jazz injury news
C J.C. Escarra 2-3
2B Marco Luciano 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Yanquiel Fernández 0-3
3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, 2 K — inserted into the lineup after Schuemann shifted over to short
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
RF Kenedy Corona 0-3, 1 K, assist
CF Duke Ellis 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 K, 1 SB
Brendan Beck 5.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K (win) — 2.74 ERA in 24 starts, setting up for a larger role in the majors next year
Bradley Hanner 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB (hold)
Yerry De los Santos 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 0-4 vs. Hartford Yard Goats
CF Jace Avina 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 CS
SS Core Jackson 0-4
2B Roderick Arias 0-4, 2 K, fielding error
C Omar Alfonzo 0-4, 3 K, throwing error
RF DJ Gladney 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
3B Coby Morales 2-3, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Manuel Palencia 0-4, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan 1-3, 1 K
LF Cole Gabrielson 0-3
Dom Hamel 6 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K (loss)
Clarke Schmidt 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K — fourth appearance in rehab assignment, second straight scoreless outing
Yerry Rodriguez 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB
Trent Sellers 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Season over
Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Off-day, Florida State League Division Series resumes with Game 2 today
Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over
Dominican Summer League Yankees: Season over
Dominican Summer League Bombers: Season over
Thursday Posted & Toasted Notes: Underdog Knicks, turning point, forgotten Rose
Today’s post doesn’t merit an introduction. Just scroll down to the bottom, and you’ll find all you need.
- Jalen Brunson publicly pushed back on a rumor that he, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges had reunited with former Villanova teammate Matt Kennedy by becoming clients of his wealth management practice.
- Miles McBride revealed when the Knicks realized they were championship material. He also praised former coach Tom Thibodeau for laying the groundwork, saying, “Thibs did a great job; he built a great foundation.”
- Mikal Bridges credited the Knicks’ postseason experience for fueling their remarkable comebacks throughout the title run.
- Landry Shamet has returned to one of his favorite offseason hobbies.
- Josh Hart says the defending champion Knicks are embracing an underdog mentality (how surprising!) despite winning the NBA title.
“I don’t think we have a big target. Because I don’t think anyone is picking us to win again. We’re using it as fuel. We’re still the hunters. We’re not satisfied with one. So we’re the hunters, and we like playing that game.”
- Former Knicks guard Dink Pate is going in reverse, and I’m here for all of it.
- Derrick Rose says he never stopped believing the Knicks would win the championship. “I kind of had them winning the entire time,” Rose said. He also reflected on his own legacy, acknowledging he believes future generations may eventually forget him.
- Another former Knickerbocker, Danilo Gallinari, reflected on the biggest “what-if” of his career, saying injuries—not talent—kept him from reaching his full potential after being traded from New York in the Carmelo Anthony deal.
- Anthony Edwards again singled out Madison Square Garden as one of the NBA’s toughest road environments. Asked about his favorite arenas, Edwards listed MSG alongside TD Garden.
- Kenny Smith believes the NBA was justified in coming down hard on the Clippers over their salary-cap investigation, saying they were “vehemently cheating” and circumventing the cap.
- EuroLeague owners will hold a potentially historic meeting on Oct. 5 in Lake Como that could determine the future of European basketball, with club owners expected to discuss a possible NBA proposal to acquire EuroLeague following the league’s Board of Governors meeting. Yes, as we all knew from the get-go, the NBA doesn’t just want to expand to Europe—it wants to eat it whole.
Cleveland Guardians have 'do-or-die' pedigree with MLB playoffs in in sight
BALTIMORE – This time, they don’t need a miracle. Just a semblance of consistency.
This time, the Cleveland Guardians aren’t 15 ½ games out of first place 90 games into the season, or 12 ½ back on Aug. 25, or 11 out on Sept. 4 before a stunning 19-4 finish claimed the American League Central title on the final day of the season.
Yet so much is similar.
These Guardians entered play Wednesday, Sept. 9 with a 74-72 – nearly identical to the 74-71 mark they sported one year ago. A youthful core somehow marching through its third September playoff run is showing an even younger group of newcomers the pennant-stretch ropes, a Guards Ball tradition, if you will.
And, thanks to the weird and chaotic and, some might say, feeble state of the American League this season, the Guardians are already in playoff position, holding a one-game lead for the No. 3 wild card with 14 to play; they’re also just two games behind the Chicago White Sox for the division lead.
But the Guardians need not apologize for anything.
They are fighting for their third consecutive playoff berth in as many years under Stephen Vogt, who may not three-peat as AL Manager of the Year. Then again, the club he’s nurtured seems to get more strident with each passing year.
“This group knows how to come up clutch when they need to. This group knows how to play with its back against the wall,” says Vogt. “We have the same exact record as a year ago. But this time, we’re in it. We’re not nine games back. We can control our own destiny.
“The experience of having to win every night and needing someone to lose every night – now we know it’s in our control. So we’re going out and relaxing and playing and I’m really proud of these guys.”
Oh, it’s not easy. A couple hours after Vogt’s musings, starter Foster Griffin retired the first six batters he faced – then was peppered for eight hits and eight runs in the third inning of a 9-5 loss to Baltimore.
Gone was a chance to build their wild-card lead to two games over Toronto and 2 ½ over Texas and five over the Orioles. Then again, it wouldn’t be September in Cleveland without the Cardiac Guards.
Paying it forward
Cleveland’s insistence on doing business like a small-market club and its penchant for excellent scouting and pitching development creates the impression that the club will always skew young.
But these guys have more than a few stripes on their uniform.
The Guardians advanced all the way to the 2024 ALCS, taking the Yankees to five games before Juan Soto abruptly sent them home for the winter. Four regulars on that team – leadoff batter Steven Kwan, third baseman and potential Hall of Famer Jose Ramírez and part-time DH David Fry – hold similar roles on this team, as do reserve infielder Daniel Scheeneman and backup catcher Austin Hedges.
Starting pitchers Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo were Guardians then, and far more prominent now. And after Emmanuel Clase’s ignominious departure, the bullpen’s holy trinity of Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin are intact.
Smith and Williams, in particular, are some dudes.
One year after leading the majors in walks, Williams now tops the AL with 228 strikeouts, doubling his strikeout-walk ratio from 2.08 to 4.30. Smith, 27, has converted 35 of 40 save chances, strikes out 13 batters per nine innings and nearly 36% of batters he faces.
He debuted on Opening Day in 2024 and by October was pitching in the highest-leverage situations. Now, it is Smith who guides the bullpen.
“The opportunities I have to share things I’ve experienced with guys who are younger than me, I will gladly do it,” says Smith, who made his first All-Star team this season. “That’s what makes us special. We can share things that we’ve learned without the young guys having to go through the difficult experiences of learning it themselves.”
Seems like everyone’s listening down in the bullpen. The unit ranks third in the AL with a 3.61 ERA and No. 1 in the majors with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. They are responding to the September pressure, posting a 1.83 ERA over 44 innings this month, the best mark in baseball.
They, too, are benefiting from 2025’s September to remember.
“Every game was do-or-die,” says Smith. “There was a decision that we’d finish strong and see what could happen over the next six weeks and what kind of position we would be in, knowing that if we did our job and played our game and finished strong, we could be content with the outcome.
“To be able to go through that experience as a group, to rally together and make the push, make the comeback and make it into the playoffs – that’s the most valuable experience.”
A devilish fastball
It certainly was for Parker Messick.
The left-hander was summoned to Cleveland for his debut on Aug. 20, 2025. The club lost its sixth consecutive game that night, falling 12 ½ games behind the Detroit Tigers.
They’d go 24-8 after that. And Messick, who made seven starts down the stretch, got a quick lesson in the valleys and, yes, the peaks in this game.
“It was an incredible experience,” says Messick, now 25. “To be on that run we were on last year as a team - I got the taste of what it feels like to be in a locker room on a losing streak right away and what it feels like to heat up.
“You take those experiences with you. Winning’s way more fun. An incredible way to start my career, honestly. To go on that run and reach the playoffs. I got to prove to myself that my stuff played at the big league level.”
Now, he dominates.
Messick’s fastball has a run value of 34, ranking in the 99th percentile in the major leagues, according to Baseball Savant. He has a 2.53 ERA, an adjusted mark of 161 and leads all Guardians with 5.4 WAR.
“I feel like I was prepared last year to come in and do my job. This year was just, proving to myself I could do it,” he says. “Just thank the Lord, just try to honor him in all I do and I feel like he’s helped me out in that regard.”
'The expectation is we're going to win'
There’s no shortage of helping hands within the Guardians clubhouse. Backup catcher Hedges remains the bulwark of clubhouse chemistry, and he’s batting a career-best .253, to boot, as he chases his fifth consecutive postseason appearance.
Kwan, the subject of trade rumors the past couple years, is batting .351 in the second half and along with Ramírez remains the exemplar for professionalism.
Meanwhile, they just keep getting younger behind them.
Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, debuted on April 28 and, while riding the ups and downs of a rookie hitter, provides more than frequent explosiveness via his speed and power.
The second baseman has 32 extra-base hits in 108 games and 18 steals while keeping his .735 OPS above league average and his head on a swivel.
“I look to him to learn,” Bazzana, 24, says of the 29-year-old Kwan. “I feel like I’m still learning. But just trying to be the most consistent version of myself mentally. I’ve had my ups and downs throughout the season – everybody does – but just learning how to flush things quicker.
“Be back to the best competitor I can be the next at-bat or the next day when things aren’t going my way.”
Bazzana, an Oregon State product, is running his first pennant race. Though he wasn’t around for the 2025 comeback bacchanalia, he need only look around the dugout and clubhouse to know what’s going on.
“It’s the kind of baseball you’ve always wanted to be a part of and play for,” says Bazzana. “The feeling inside the dugout to make it happen: Everyone knows what time of year it is. I think it’s a spark where we feel like we’re making the most of it right now.”
Says veteran DH Nathaniel Lowe: “I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that feels we’re incapable of doing it. And the collective is, we’re just going to stay positive and keep going.”
That’s kind of their whole thing, even as they grow older yet add youth and accrue pressure experiences. Who knows where it will lead this season?
At the moment, that would be the playoffs. Even if the route’s a little more linear this tie.
“We’re built with two veterans and a bunch of in-betweens and some rookies,” says Vogt. “The common denominator, the leadership group in this clubhouse, the expectation is we’re going to win.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Guardians have 'do-or-die' pedigree with MLB playoffs in in sight
Can any Penguins player or coach win an award during 2026-27 season?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have gone through a bit of a major awards drought in recent years, with Kris Letang’s Masterton Trophy in 2022-23 being the last individual award won by a member of the Penguins.
Prior to that, you have to go back to the 2016-17 season when Sidney Crosby won the Rocket Richard Award for leading the league in goals, and then took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoff MVP during the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championship run.
Head coach Dan Muse was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award this past season, while Kyle Dubas finished in fourth place for the general manager of the year award. Those two are as close as anybody has come over the past couple of seasons. So now that the 2026-27 NHL season is inching closer, let’s take a quick look and see if there are any Penguins that might have a chance to take home an award this season.
The best chances
Dan Muse, head coach: Jack Adams Award (coach of the year)
We might as well start off with the person that was the closest this past season. Muse finished third behind Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Lindy Ruff (Buffalo Sabres), receiving 18 first-place votes, 29 second-place votes and 22 third-place votes. Muse seems like the most logical candidate because the Penguins actually fit the mold for what it usually takes to actually win this thing,
In most cases it’s the coach of a team that will enter the season with low expectations and finds a way to exceed them. It doesn’t matter how the expectations are exceeded. It could be on the back of a stunning goaltending performance. Tactical coaching brilliance. A roster that’s better than anybody anticipated. Or just some plain old good luck.
The Penguins could check a lot of these boxes.
There is a preseason belief they will take a step backwards after last year’s playoff appearance, but it’s still a roster that has enough talent to be pretty good if just a few things go their way. If they are in the playoffs again, do not be surprised if Muse is back in the coach of the year discussion.
Dan Bylsma (2010-11) is the only Penguins coach to have ever won this award so far.
Kyle Dubas, general manager: general manager of the year
This offseason didn’t take on the look most people expected given the lack of a major blockbuster move, but it was still a busy offseason that saw the team overhaul half of its defense and add forwards like Nicholas Robertson and Andrei Kuzmenko. And that does not even take into account the possibility of more in-season moves, which is where Dubas made some of his most significant changes a year ago.
I’m a little higher on the offseason than most people are, because I think there is a good chance the defense is better than last year’s, and I could see a scenario where a player like Robertson puts a lot of his tools together into one tool box and has a breakout year offensively.
The one thing that I could see holding Dubas back here is the fact that a lot of voters and people in hockey just do not really seem to care for him, which is the only reason I can think of for why he did not finish higher than fourth a year ago.
Ray Shero (2012-13) and Jim Rutherford (2015-16) have both won this award for the Penguins.
It’s possible, but a lot needs to go right
Sergei Murashov, goalie: Calder Trophy (rookie of the year)
If he is able to eventually reach his full potential there might not be a prospect in the Penguins farm system that can dramatically raise their ceiling more than Murashov.
But he has to actually become that player, and it is almost impossible to project that for a young goalie.
It might take him a year or two to get there.
He might not ever get to that level.
He might do it right away.
It is a volatile position where it is all anybody’s guess.
If he is able to play at a high level right away and help get the Penguins back into playoff contention, that could put him into the Calder Trophy discussion. There is going to be a lot of tough competition between players like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, Ivar Stenberg and Cole Hutson, but Murashov’s talent, athleticism and positional value might make him a factor if he plays well. He has excelled at every level of pro hockey, and the Penguins are hoping that all translates over to the NHL.
Mario Lemieux (1984-85) and Evgeni Malkin (2006-07) are the two Penguins players to have previously won this award.
It’s a long shot, but competition will be fierce
Erik Karlsson, defense: Norris Trophy (best defenseman)
Karlsson has won three Norris Trophies in his career, and earned six votes on the ballot a year ago, enough to put him in ninth place.
If there’s a veteran player on the roster capable of winning a major award this season, Karlsson is probably the most logical fit given that he’s won it so many times and played well enough a year ago to earn some top-five votes. The problem is the Norris Trophy race might be one of the deepest in the NHL this season with players like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Ramus Dahlin likely to be at the top, and players like Adam Fox, Moritz Seider, Lane Hutson, and Jake Sanderson all likely to be in the race.
Karlsson would not only need to repeat his 2025-26 performance, but also build on it and probably get closer to the 90-or 100-point mark again, while also finishing the season with the Penguins without getting traded before the trade deadline. Am I optimistic about all of that? No. But it is not impossible to imagine. You do not have to squint very hard to see him playing at that level.
Randy Carlyle (1980-81) is the only Penguins player to ever win this award.
Career achievement award
Sidney Crosby, center: Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)
Just about the only major individual award that Crosby has not won in his NHL career is the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Every year he seems to get at least a handful of votes, and there was a brief stretch where there was a campaign growing for him to actually win it.
I don’t think his defensive game is up to that standard anymore, and it is the one area where he has clearly slowed down quite a bit over the years. I also don’t think he has much of a chance to win it. But if it were to happen it would be some sort of an unofficial career achievement award where a bunch of voters just decide “it is time he won it.” I would not bet on that happening, but NHL award voters tend to do weird things for great players, especially toward the end of their careers.
Ron Francis (1994-95) is the only Penguins player that has ever won this award.
Hiltzik: The NBA report on the Ballmer/Clippers scandal shows it was even worse than you thought
One rule I’ve developed in years of writing about financial scandals is that, as bad as a scheme appears at first, it’s more likely than not that the facts will turn out to be nastier than they appeared at first.
Case in point: The scandal swirling around the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Assn. and their billionaire owner, former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.
The story was initially broken one year ago by sports podcaster Pablo Torre, who reported on a suspect endorsement deal between a sustainability company named Aspiration and All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard that smelled like an attempt to circumvent the NBA’s strict salary cap. (Torre won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.)
I have no idea why we'd do this.
Aspiration executive questioning its "endorsement" deal with Kawhi Leonard
By Sept. 2, when the NBA issued a series of nuclear sanctions against the team and Ballmer, it had become much bigger. The team, according to an investigative report the league released, actually orchestrated endorsement deals for Leonard with four companies that had been angling for business arrangements with the team, not just one, and took steps to hide the deals from public view.
Because of the extent to which these deals violated league rules and perhaps because the Clippers are repeat offenders (they were fined $250,000 in 2015 for a similar endorsement scheme involving then-free agent DeAndre Jordan), the league hit the team with its maximum penalties.
It fined the team $30 million and took away its first-round draft picks for five years, 2029-2033 (the team already had ceded its first-round picks for the next two years in trade deals). It suspended Ballmer from any league or team activities for one year and imposed a one-year suspension on Gillian Zucker, the team’s president of business operations, and a six-month ban on Lawrence Frank, its president of basketball operations.
The Clippers said they “vehemently reject” the accusations and called them the product of a “heavily biased investigation.” They said they would appeal the sanctions, though it’s unclear how they could do that.
Leonard, who appears to be on his way back to the Toronto Raptors, from whence he came to the Clippers in 2019, issued a statement accepting “full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle.” That’s an apparent reference to Dennis Robertson, his business manager and uncle, who the investigators said was a key figure pushing the Clippers to find “off-court income” for Leonard.
The report released by the NBA’s investigators at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz portrays Ballmer and the team as treating the league’s salary cap rules not as strict mandates, but as obstacles to be evaded, like traffic cones. And it describes efforts at subterfuge that seemed to reach a Gilbert & Sullivan-esque level of absurdity.
Ballmer is called out to an extent that one almost never sees when applied to the millionaires and billionaires who own most professional sports teams. That’s even more remarkable given his status in the NBA: With a reported net worth of more than $150 billion, he is the richest team owner by an enormous margin, outranking the next-place owners, the Adelson family, owners of the Dallas Mavericks, by about $115 billion.
The other NBA owners were reportedly stunned by the sheer arrogance of the Clippers’ behavior. That’s saying something, since one would expect that those in the billionaire class have had plenty of rannygazoo paraded past their eyes in the course of their business careers. Ballmer, who can often be seen bouncing around like a hyper-caffeinated party animal in the Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome, is no shrinking violet — he was known as a ferociously hard-charging, hands-on leader at Microsoft. The NBA faults him for being “knowingly” engaged in the team’s dealings with Leonard and creating its anything-goes culture.
The NBA values its salary cap as a key to a competitive balance, enabling even mid-market teams to reach the Finals — over the last 10 seasons, eight teams have reigned as champs. Its rules bar teams from initiating endorsement deals or other such arrangements for players by interpreting them as an underhanded breach of the cap; if teams are approached by a potential endorsement partner for a player, they can refer the partner to a player’s representatives but can’t participate in the dealmaking. They’re also required to report any such overtures to the league. The Clippers violated those rules, the investigators say.
Read more:Hiltzik: Yes, California should tax billionaires' wealth. Here's why
The investigators say the team tried to circumvent the initiation clause via emails Zucker sent to three companies in 2020, implying that she was responding to their requests for introductions to Leonard.
The investigators found “no documentary evidence” that the companies genuinely initiated the requests. They viewed the emails merely as efforts to “create the appearance” that the Clippers were complying with the rules. The companies were Boingo, a wi-fi company at which Zucker’s husband was then chairman; Daktronics, a maker of scoreboards and video displays; and Lockton, an insurance brokerage.
All three were seeking to launch business relationships with the Clippers. The investigators asserted that the team implied to them that participating in its scheme to make illicit payments to Leonard by signing him to endorsement deals would help them win the contracts. They also found that the Clippers essentially assured the companies that it would cover their payments for the endorsement deals via their other contracts.
The investigators called these multi-year, multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, totaling $18 million, “peculiar.” None of the companies had ever signed an endorsement deal “of remotely the same financial magnitude” as these, nor have they done so since.
None of the deals was publicly announced, even though the whole point of signing a pro player to represent your company is to shout it from the rooftops. In any case, Leonard was nothing like a big, popular star—the investigators charitably referred to his “relatively insubstantial endorsement profile.” That hardly mattered, since the deals didn’t require Leonard to actually do anything for the money.
The key deal was with Aspiration, which was guided by the Clippers into paying Leonard $48 million over four years. When Joseph Sanberg, Aspiration’s co-founder and a board member, presented the deal to top executives, they were dumbfounded. “I have no idea why we’d do this,” one wrote in an email, according to the investigators.
But Sanberg assured them that the Clippers would adjust their contract with Aspire to cover the expense. Seeing that the deal was “cashflow neutral,” as an executive observed, they agreed.
Inside the Clippers’ front office, the contract for Aspiration to provide environmental services was seen as “super shady,” according to a text from one executive to another cited in the report.
Read more:Hiltzik: Does America need billionaires? Billionaires say 'Yes!'
Ballmer maintained in at least one interview that the endorsement deal was initiated by Aspiration: “They were off to the races on their own,” he told a television interviewer. “We weren’t involved.”
In fact, the investigators say, the Clippers initiated the contact with Aspiration, put the firm in touch with a business agent who was already a team contractor, and provided the agent with proposed deal terms. The investigators found that the endorsement deal was such a departure for Aspiration that Sanberg needed to be educated about what it should require from Leonard in return for his fees. Sanberg “doesn’t really know what to ask for,” the agent told his associates.
Ballmer maintains that he was the victim in this arrangement. He points the finger at Sanberg, who he says enticed him into investing $60 million in his failing firm, thereby causing him “reputational harm.” But Sanberg might be viewed as a target of convenience, given that he pleaded guilty last year to federal fraud charges associated with the collapse of Aspiration and has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. (The NBA investigators told the court in a pre-sentence letter that Sanberg “substantially assisted our investigation”—though in the investigative report they said they “remained cautious in relying on Mr. Sanberg’s information” unless it was “corroborated by other evidence.”)
Where does this leave the Clippers? Nowhere good. Ballmer’s acquisition of the team in 2014 was seen as a major step toward ending its years-long record of futility, dating to its origin as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. The team still has never played in the NBA Finals. Leonard hasn’t lived up to expectations — injuries have kept him off the court for nearly half of his games as a Clipper, as my colleague Mirjam Swanson notes.
Basketball mavens see the NBA sanctions as condemning the Clippers to as long as 10 more years in John Bunyan’s Slough of Despond. For a brief moment, Ballmer got Southern California fans excited about the team. Ten years from now, will anyone even remember they exist?
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
River Ryan debuts in Mud Hens victory
Toledo Mud Hens 7, Iowa Cubs 3 (box)
River Ryan’s debut in the Tigers organization went well, and the Hens won pretty comfortably on Wednesday.
Ryan is working back from a right hamstring injury that he aggravated in trying to return with the Dodgers too soon. So the Tigers have understandably taken their sweet time getting him back on the mound. He only went two innings this one, but he proved the stuff is as electric as ever. He allowed two soft hits, at least one of which should have been an out, and struck out two without a walk. The fastball topped out at 98.2 mph and averaged 97.1, and Ryan mixed in all six of his pitches during the outing.
The Hens started to build a lead in the top of the second. Corey Julks led off with a walk but was caught stealing. Seby Zavala singled, and after James Outman struck out, Justice Bigbie singled as well. Veteran catcher Carlos Pérez stepped in and cracked a three-run shot to left for a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, Outman led off with a walk and Pérez came through again with an RBI double to make it 4-0.
Carl Edwards Jr. took over from Ryan in the bottom of the third. He cruised through his first three innings, striking out the side swining in the fifth.
In the sixth, Outman doubled and Bigbie singled him to third. A Pérez double play ball got the run home for a 5-0 lead.
Finally in the bottom half, Edwards faltered a bit, allowing two run, but he pitched into the seventh with no more issues. Ty Madden got the final out in the seventh.
Outman singled in Julks in the top of the eighth, stole second base, and scored on a Bigbie single to make it 7-2.
Madden handled the eighth, and Nic Sandlin tossed a scoreless ninth to wrap it up.
Perez: 2-3, R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR
Outman: 2-3, 3 R, RBI, 2B, BB, K, SB
Cruz: 2-4, 2B, BB
Ryan: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Edwards Jr. (W, 6-10): 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:38 p.m. ET start on Thursday.
Reading Fightin Phils 11, Erie SeaWolves 3 (box)
Lucas Ellisalt was knocked around in this one, and the SeaWolves bullpen struggled even more as the Phils crushed them on Wednesday.
Things got off to a promising start in the top of the second as E.J. Exposito singled and then rode home on a Chris Meyers blast to left center field. 2-0 Erie.
Elissalt was cruising early on, but started to struggle to get ahead of hitters and paid for it. He gave up a run in the third, and walked two batters after that before managing to escape an further damge. He wouldn’t be so lucky in the fourth. He fell behind Aroon Escobar and came back with a 3-1 fastball that got launched for a solo shot. Another solo shot off a hanging slider in the inning made it a 3-2 Reading lead and they wouldn’t look back.
Elissalt gave up two singles and a walk to start the fifth, and that was it as Colin Fields took over. He allowed two of those runners to score, and it was 5-2 Reading.
Fields got into trouble of his own in the sixth, and Yoniel Curet took over only to surrender a three-run shot and then a solo homer.
A solo shot from Thayron Liranzo was the only bright spot the rest of the way as the Fightin Phils contined to add on.
Meyers: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Hadeen: 2-4, 2B, K
Elissalt (L, 0-2): 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6: 45 p.m. ET start on Thursday night.