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I.
Ralph Sampson showed up in 1979, along with Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and James Worthy, while Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing came along in 1981.
Also arriving in 1981, but with far less fanfare, was Hakeem Olajuwon at Houston.
In that era, international players were just beginning to show up in the U.S. Part of this story we can verify, but not all:
One of the guys who first saw Olajuwon’s potential was named Chris Pond, a native of Raleigh. His brother, Nick, was a sports anchor for WRAL in North Carolina’s capital city.
Reportedly, Pond recommended Olajuwon to NC State coach Norm Sloan, who was not interested, and he ended up a Houston Cougar, after some ugly, cold weather when he arrived in New York persuaded him to pass on St. John’s and to look south.
Olajuwon was not an immediate star for Houston. As a freshman, he was somewhat uncertain, but his talent and footwork were clearly exceptional.
By 1984, Olajuwon had emerged as a huge star, and would meet Ewing in the NCAA championship.
Here are some highlights from that game. They would have many more battles in the NBA, and are now both Hall of Fame members. However, most people would say that Olajuwon had the better overall career.
Bit of trivia: According to Olajuwon, apparently there was a proposed trade before the 1984 draft that would have sent Sampson to Portland for Clyde Drexler and the #2 pick in the 1984 draft.
If it had happened, Houston would have had Olajuwon, Drexler, and probably Michael Jordan, all under the age of 23. It might have taken a few years to get that group up to NBA championship speed, but it would have been astonishing.
Now imagine if, in the 1986 draft, the Rockets had had the foresight to take Georgia Tech’s Mark Price with the #20 pick (Price ended up being the first pick of the second round).
It’s inconceivable to go undefeated in the NBA, but a team with Olajuwon, Drexler, Jordan and Price might have won 75 regular season games.
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Hugo González is picking up right where he left off after his rookie season with the Boston Celtics, and his progress isn’t going unnoticed this summer.
González logged his final Summer League appearance this past Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings and his finale ended up being his best performance in Las Vegas. González scored a game-high 24 points while tallying 10 rebounds and five assists in Boston’s 82-76 victory.
Those around the organization aren’t surprised by González’s offseason growth, which began well before the Celtics reconvened for their final games in Las Vegas.
“He’s a pro,” Celtics assistant Amile Jefferson told reporters Saturday, per CLNS Media, “and I think he’s actually just a bigger guy. You saw it last season, putting him on team’s five, play him one through five, just whoever the best player is, because he can not only be physical, but he’s very mobile.”
Last season, he quickly established himself as one of Boston’s most elite defensive threats. González tackled every assignment thrown at him — including 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo in March — and didn’t disappoint. Mindful of his role approaching what’ll be a major opportunity for the second-year pro, González emphasized his strength.
Returning to the court for competition began early for González this summer. He joined the Spanish national team and suited up during the FIBA qualifying battles in July, scoring 16 points against Denmark. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla even made the trip down to pay González a visit and catch a glimpse of the results of González’s offseason work in live action.
González finished 13th in All-Rookie voting for the league’s rookie class with five votes for the Second Team. And while his scoring wasn’t up to par with the likes of fellow newcomers Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and V. J. Edgecombe, González remained as impactful as any other rookie — and for a Celtics team that won 56 games and secured a No. 2 seed finish in the Eastern Conference.
Reports suggested González’s value within the organization became evident in Boston’s trade discussions with the Milwaukee Bucks centered around Giannis, as Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens refused to include González (and more) in the team’s offer for the Greek Freak.
So this upcoming season, the bar is raised for last summer’s first-round selection (28th overall).
“In the summer, I think he’s worked on all facets of his game,” Jefferson continued. “That’s on and off the court, and that has to do with his body. So I think everyone has seen his improvements.”
González averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists with 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks in 14.6 minutes off the bench last season for Boston. Those figures did no justice to González’s impact as a sparkplug, always ready to uplift the team’s energy at any given moment.
Teammates and coaches quickly formed a positive impression of the youngster, and it only improved as the season progressed.
That began during training camp when Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman spoke highly of González, highlighting his work ethic for a then-first-year pro.
For González, shot efficiency is the most notable need for improvement. He shot 36 percent from 3-point range last season and often struggled to create his own offense off the dribble. This upcoming season, with Jaylen Brown gone and a greater need for depth contribution all across the board from the roster, González will need to take a significant leap with 74 NBA appearances already under his belt.
He’s also gotten started on building the team’s morale amid its 3-2 Summer League run.
“He’s one of the loudest guys in the room, if not the loudest,” guard John Tonje added, per CLNS Media. “He brings a lot of energy. He’s fun, he’s fun to be around, especially during the World Cup. Spain has been doing well, so he’s talking a lot.”
Safe to say González will have his eyes glued on Sunday’s matchup with the team officially done with Las Vegas, rooting against Lionel Messi.
Just a guess.
The frustration is understandable.
Spend five minutes scrolling through social media or reading the comments, and you'll find plenty of Avalanche fans asking the same questions.
Where was the big move? Who replaced Valeri Nichushkin? Is this really the roster Colorado is bringing back after getting swept out of the Western Conference Final?
Those concerns are completely understandable. But they also ignore something Avalanche fans probably don't want to hear.
Colorado already made its biggest bet.
Last season wasn't supposed to be another step toward contention or another year of waiting for the right opportunity. The Avalanche had reached the point where anything short of a Stanley Cup was going to be viewed as a disappointment.
Colorado won the Presidents' Trophy, and Joe Sakic and then-general manager Chris MacFarland pushed even more chips into the middle of the table, acquiring Nazem Kadri before the trade deadline and making the move for Nicolas Roy to strengthen the roster for a playoff run. Those additions came with a cost, including another significant contract commitment, but they sent one unmistakable message.
The message was obvious: this was a team built to win immediately.
Anything less than a Stanley Cup was going to be viewed as a failure.
Instead, the Avalanche became another victim of the Presidents' Trophy curse.
The Vegas Golden Knights bullied the Avalanche for four straight games, took away their speed, dictated the physical play and exposed cracks that had existed throughout the season. For months, those flaws were masked by an explosive offense capable of overwhelming opponents before they could take advantage.
But once Vegas took away Colorado's greatest weapon, the Avalanche had no answer.
It was similar to what happened when Tyson Fury took away Deontay Wilder's greatest weapon in their rematch, ironically in Las Vegas, in 2020. Wilder had built his career around one of the most dangerous punches in boxing, but once Fury removed that threat, Wilder never found a consistent answer. Against Vegas, Colorado faced a similar problem. Once the Golden Knights eliminated what made the Avalanche so dangerous, there wasn't another solution waiting.
It wasn't just a playoff exit.
It was an epic bust in 4K.
When a team goes all-in and comes up empty, the following offseason almost never delivers another round of blockbuster additions. That's the reality Avalanche fans are wrestling with today.
They don't have to like it.
But expecting another summer filled with splashy moves was never realistic.
Instead, Colorado pivoted.
The goal was to create enough flexibility to improve the roster when the opportunity presents itself during the season.
If there was one consistent theme throughout the offseason, it was creating financial breathing room. That meant moving on from players who helped Colorado win games but whose contracts became increasingly difficult to justify.
Ross Colton was coming off his worst season in the NHL and had become a likely cap casualty. Jack Drury was a phenomenal fourth-line center for the Avalanche, a player Jared Bednar trusted in important situations, but Colorado ultimately determined the money could be better allocated elsewhere.
And honestly, it's hard to blame Chris MacFarland for wanting a new challenge.
MacFarland's departure to become general manager and president of hockey operations of the Nashville Predators wasn't simply another front-office change. It marked the exit of one of the league's more aggressive roster builders.
The Avalanche reportedly tried to keep MacFarland from leaving, but it's easy to understand why Nashville appealed to him.
Colorado had become a difficult place for someone like MacFarland to operate.
MacFarland has never been the type of executive who's content sitting on his hands. Throughout his tenure, he consistently looked for opportunities to reshape the roster, whether that meant pulling off blockbuster trades, using draft picks as trade currency or finding creative ways to squeeze more talent onto an already loaded team.
But by this summer, many of those opportunities had disappeared.
Colorado had already spent years sacrificing draft capital in pursuit of another Stanley Cup. The prospect pool had been thinned by those same win-now decisions, leaving few blue-chip assets capable of landing another impact player.
The salary cap offered little flexibility, the core of the roster was largely established and there simply weren't many levers left to pull.
Compare that to what awaited him in Nashville.
The Predators entered the offseason with cap space, premium draft picks, promising young talent and the freedom to reshape the organization however they wanted. Unsurprisingly, MacFarland has been one of the NHL's busiest executives this summer.
Will those moves eventually deliver the first Stanley Cup in franchise history?
Only time will tell.
But MacFarland's departure also reinforces an important point.
This wasn't an offseason where Colorado was positioned to reinvent itself.
It was an offseason where preserving flexibility may have been the smartest move available.
No move has generated more criticism than trading Valeri Nichushkin.
And that's understandable.
Regardless of how frustrating his injuries became or how disappointing his postseason was, Nichushkin was one of Colorado's most complete forwards, capable of playing in every situation, defending elite players, killing penalties and producing offense at a top-six pace.
Players with that combination of size, defensive responsibility and scoring ability simply don't become available very often.
The Avalanche didn't ignore that reality.
They just couldn't solve it.
Without meaningful cap space, there wasn't another player available who could replicate everything Nichushkin brought to the lineup. Instead, Colorado accepted a short-term downgrade in exchange for long-term flexibility by drafting Egor Shilov with the 43rd overall pick.
Whether fans agree with that strategy or not, it was rooted more in financial reality than a lack of ambition.
The trade sending Jack Drury to Nashville was a difficult one for Avalanche fans.
But it was the right move.
Drury had become one of Jared Bednar's most trusted players. He won faceoffs, killed penalties and routinely elevated his game in the postseason — the type of player every coach wants in the lineup.
Colorado is betting that Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux can eventually provide more value at a much cheaper price.
Neither player has established himself as a full-time NHL contributor, but both possess tools the Avalanche believe can still develop into meaningful pieces. And development has been a struggle for the Avalanche as of late.
Colorado also signed Jaden Schwartz to a three-year deal this offseason.
When he's healthy, Schwartz is an effective two-way winger with a proven playoff résumé and a willingness to play the difficult minutes. The problem is availability. That has followed Schwartz throughout his career, and it remains the biggest question surrounding the deal.
Brett Kulak quietly stabilized Colorado's blue line after arriving last season, making his return one of the more logical moves of the offseason. He won't provide much offense, but dependable defensive players who fit a system are valuable.
Then there's Brent Burns.
At 41 years old, he's a far cry from the Norris Trophy version of himself from a decade prior, but Colorado needs a veteran who can provide reliable minutes. He fought through multiple injuries last year, and that could explain his decline during the second half of the season.
Bringing him back on a one-year deal didn't sit well with a lot of Avalanche fans, but we'll see how he performs this season.
Acquiring Fabian Lysell is exactly the type of gamble contenders should continue making.
Lysell, acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins for Ivan Ivan, offers something much harder to find: speed, skill and offensive upside.
It was worth taking a chance.
The same philosophy applies to Noah Juulsen.
The Avalanche spent much of last season searching for a seventh defenseman head coach Jared Bednar actually trusted. Rather than repeating that mistake, they addressed the issue before training camp.
Joe Sakic has built his reputation by making aggressive in-season moves when he knows exactly what his team needs.
Some of the biggest additions of Colorado's championship era didn't happen during the summer.
They happened at the trade deadline.
That's what makes this offseason different.
Rather than spending every available dollar now, the Avalanche have positioned themselves to act later if another top-six winger, another defenseman or another depth piece becomes available.
On paper, Colorado is probably a little weaker than the team that walked into the Western Conference Final.
But after pushing nearly every available asset toward another Stanley Cup only to come away empty-handed, there was never going to be a magical offseason that solved every problem.
The Avalanche already pushed their chips into the middle of the table last season.
This offseason wasn't about making another desperate move just to make one.
It was about making sure they still have enough flexibility to strike when the next opportunity arrives.
In the first 15 innings of their series with the San Francisco Giants, the Seattle Mariners had only three hits and hadn’t scored a single run. Then a man dressed as a short-spined raccoon beat four people dressed in salmon costumes during the seventh-inning stretch, and everything fell apart for the Giants in a 4-3 extra-inning loss.
The unexpected raccoon victory inspired the Mariners to a three-run rally in the 7th inning, which started when Logan Webb hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch with one out. It was only the Mariners’ third base runner of the game and their second hit batsman. Webb proceeded to issue his first walk of the game to Josh Naylor, on four pitches, before 22-year-old Cole Young hit a three-run homer to tie the game.
Yes the announcer says “unexplicably” in that clip.
Should the Mariners be allowed to start a second baseman named Cole and a shortstop named Colt? Not if I was the commissioner, but until there’s some common sense in the league office, the home run stands. Webb was pulled one batter later when Luis Arraez committed an error, then Sam Hentges got out of the inning with one pitch when Daniel Susac threw out Luke Raley as he tried to steal second.
Why is there a hunched-over raccoon running during a baseball game? First, you have to understand that the Mariners have a race between four different varieties of salmon during the 7th inning of home games. According to the official Salmon Run page, “four unsuspecting salmon, infused with the caffeinated chemicals of a spilled triple-shot espresso, grew to monstrous size to fulfill their destiny – race for the delight of baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest.”
The biggest salmon is named King, the Sockeye is a grunge salmon who wears flannel and loves Alice In Chains, the Silver salmon is a tech nerd, and Humpy wears an inner tube and usually loses the race.
Then there’s “Jimothy,” a new addition to the race thanks to a video of a young raccoon with an unnaturally short spine went viral this week. The original videographer named the raccoon, and he entered his first Salmon Run Saturday night, much to the dismay of Webb and the Giants.
Things were looking promising before Jimothy showed up. The Giants got home runs from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames in the 6th inning, with Devers’ opposite-field blast confusing everyone on the field, including the umpiring crew, who didn’t realize the ball was pretty clearly a fair ball. Thankfully, some Giants fans in left field began signaling for an official review, and Devers followed suit.
Adames followed two batters later with his own opposite-field shot off Mariners starter Bryan Woo (6 IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 7K, 2BB) to make it 3-0. It was Adames second homer in two games and gave the Mariners an upstream battle to catch up.
The Giants offense clocked out after the Adames homer. Their only base runners afterward came on a Heliot Ramos infield single that should have been ruled an error, a free courtesy runner, and an intentional walk to Casey Schmitt so winning pitcher Jose Ferrer (3-1) could strike out Devers in the 10th, his third whiff of the game.
Dylan Smith (0-2) was the hard-luck loser in the 10th inning after a pretty decent performance from the Giants bullpen. Keaton Winn rescued Hentges in the 8th after Seattle got runners on first and third, hitting Arozarena again along the way. Erik Miller struck out two in a perfect 9th.
But with defensive replacement Victor Robles on second, who scored the winning run without getting an official at-bat, Colt Emerson bunted him to third. After a walk to J.P. Crawford, Rodriguez rebounded from an 0-for-4 start with two strikeouts by delivering a deep fly to left field that walked off the Giants.
It was Rodriguez’s first game back from the injured list, but he decided to wait until the most painful moment possible to get his first RBI.
The Giants scored their first run thanks to some sloppy Mariners defense. Drew Gilbert grounded a leadoff single into right field, then Luis Arraez hit one in nearly the same place, only to have Young throw the ball away. Somehow, this was also ruled a hit, and now Arraez’s batting title will have an asterisk.
Bryce Eldridge singled to center on a play where Gilbert was going to be held at third before Raley bobbled the ball, giving the Giants their first run and depriving the rookie of an RBI. They couldn’t capitalize further when Schmitt popped out and Devers swung through a 98 MPH fastball.
The Giants broke their three-game win streak, which ties for their longest of the season. Three games! It’s the first time in franchise history that they’ve played 98 games without putting four wins together in a row, going 0-for-6 in their attempts at extending a three-game win streak. This also means that they will become, at the very least, the first Giants team to go 101 games without a four-game winning streak as well.
The raccoon shook the Giants because they recognized themselves in Jimothy. They’re a desperate, malformed beast of a team, a squad that’s constantly sniffing around in dumpsters, trying to scrounge up a way to save their season. Once, they had Kung Fu Panda. Now, the Giants are simply trash pandas.
The Athletics took on the Washington Nationals in the second game of this three-game interleague series at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. This game was a complete reversal of Friday night’s opener, as the A’s scored early and often en route to a 15–1 victory that had to feel good for a club that had been struggling. Unlike his last start, J.T. Ginn protected an early lead, turning in the best performance by an Athletics starter in quite some time.
Ginn set the tone for the rest of the game by striking out the side in his first inning of work.
The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the first. Shortstop Jacob Wilson did not waste any time, launching a home run on Nationals’ starter Zack Littell’s first pitch of the game. His fifth long ball of the season and second career leadoff home run, gave the A’s an early 1–0 lead.
Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom singled to left. With one out, right fielder Carlos Cortes doubled to center, scoring Soderstrom from first. Third baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer followed by doubling down the right-field line, bringing home the A’s third run of the inning.
Designated hitter Jonah Heim kept the party going by lining an RBI single to center, scoring Kuroda-Grauer from second. Center fielder Lawrence Butler capped off the inning by grounding into an RBI fielder’s choice, beating the relay throw and allowing Donovan Walton to score the A’s fifth run of the frame.
The Nationals failed to take advantage of their first scoring chance in the second inning. Ginn worked out of a two on, two out jam.
The A’s scored another run against Littell in the bottom of that inning. The team loaded the bases with one out before Kuroda-Grauer hustled down the line and beat the relay throw on a potential double play, allowing Wilson to score the A’s sixth run of the game on the RBI fielders-choice. The “Green and Gold” had a chance to score more, however Heim popped out with the bases loaded.
In the fourth inning, Kuroda-Grauer made an incredible diving catch in shallow left field to rob Nationals’ shortstop CJ Abrams of a base hit. That stellar catch, as well as his nice play the next inning, helped Ginn complete six scoreless, hitless innings on just 77 pitches.
In the bottom of the sixth, facing Littell, Soderstrom hit his second home run in as many games. His 16th long ball of the season was a two-run, two-out shot to right-center field, increasing the Athletics lead to 8-0.
Ginn’s no-hit bid ended with one out in the seventh inning. After allowing Keibert Ruiz to single for the visitors’ first hit of the night, A’s manager Mark Kotsay removed Ginn. He brought in left-handed reliever Hogan Harris, who got the final two outs of that inning.
Ginn gave the A’s the quality start the team needed, allowing just one hit and three walks over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and induced eight groundouts and two fly-outs.
In the bottom of the seventh. A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes welcomed Nationals’ reliever Max Kranick to the game by crushing his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.
Walton and Butler walked and then first baseman Jeff McNeil delivered a two-out RBI single, increasing the hosts’ lead to double digits. Wilson made it two consecutive RBI singles, his hit bringing Butler home to put the Athletics up 11-0.
The A’s were not done scoring against the Nationals’ beleaguered bullpen. Facing left-hander Carson Palmquist, Shea Langeliers ripped a bases-clearing double to right field that missed being a grand slam by just inches. Washington’s right fielder James Wood lost that fly ball,which would have ended the inning, but instead allowed three more runs to score.
In the eighth inning, Athletics’ reliever Mark Leiter Jr. escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam unscathed, keeping the Nationals off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of that inning, Wood robbed Butler of a home run against position player-turned-pitcher Jorbit Vivas. The A’s did manage one run against Vivas, as McNeil lined a two-out RBI single for his third hit of the evening.
The Nationals finally scored in the ninth. Vivas hit a sacrifice fly against A’s reliever Luis Medina, but that was all Washington could muster as Medina shut the door, securing his team’s blowout victory and setting up a rubber match tomorrow afternoon.
The winner-take-all series finale will feature a matchup between two left-handers. Jacob Lopez will start for the Athletics, looking to capitalize on his second chance in the team’s starting rotation. He will be opposed by Nationals’ southpaw Foster Griffin, who has impressed in his return to the majors after he spent time rediscovering his form in Japan’s professional baseball league.
“There is nothing I can do to make it better. Just wait.” That’s Julio Rodríguez explaining why his concussion was more difficult for him than prior injuries.
Julio’s a player that thrives on being at the center of things, always hustling, always giving the game everything he has. So when Nolan Schanuel’s errant throw hit him in the back of the head on July 2nd, it wasn’t surprising to see him notice the ball ricocheting into the outfield, jump up from his slide into second, and sprint into third to seize the extra base. When it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t OK, it would lead to two weeks of waiting. “That’s the most difficult thing because I’m somebody that if I hit the IL, I know I’m going to do whatever I can to get whatever it is better. But that—. I just wait and be patient until the time comes.”
Tonight was his first game back since being activated off the Injured List, and it was a tough one to walk into. San Francisco’s starter, Logan Webb, has consistently been one of MLB’s best pitchers for half a decade now. And boy did he show it through his first six innings.
The Mariners bats were utterly unable to get anything going against Webb and his sweeper-forward kitchen-sink approach. His first inning would be one of his longest, at all of 13 pitches, sending J.P. Crawford, Julio, and Dominic Canzone down in order. Through four innings, the Mariners had collected just a single hit, a single off the bat of Cole Young. When Julio led off the next inning, he struck out for the second time, this time on three pitches. If he wanted to contribute, he was going to have to wait.
Tonight demanded even more patience out of him because he wasn’t in the field. Trying to ease him back into things, the team had him DH tonight, and might tomorrow as well, depending on how he recovers. “I definitely had to adjust to DHing,” he said, adding that was trying his best to stay engaged with the game. But it can’t have been easy watching the Giants score a run when his replacement in centerfield, Luke Raley, bobbled a ball. All Julio could do was watch. And wait.
That was one of three runs allowed by Bryan Woo, who was otherwise excellent. The other two came off home runs: a squeaker into that tiny pocket between the left field foul pole and the visitors’ bullpen and a more convincing dinger off what Woo thinks was nevertheless a good pitch. Each of those runs feeling a little fluky means that Woo pitched better than his line suggests. His success was no doubt in part because his sinker was working tonight, which has often been the difference between his good outings and bad ones this season. He even collected his 500th career strikeout along the way tonight.
But with the Mariners unable to get anything going against Webb, Woo left the game with the team trailing 3-0. Webb was starting to look like he might pitch a Maddux, but in the seventh, his command suddenly seemed to escape him. He hit Randy Arozarena (Randy’s preferred method of reaching base since he doesn’t have to do anything), then walked Josh Naylor on four pitches. With two on, Cole Young, owner of the Mariners’ only hit, stepped into the box. Young earned his earlier hit, being attacked exclusively on the outer half, and so taking one of Webb’s best changeups the other way. So it was even more impressive to see him adjust in this at-bat, when Webb started attacking him inside. Attributing his success to having a simple mindset, Young took a pitch on the inside and cranked it to the pull side to tie the game at three.
The entire stadium came back to life. It suddenly felt like the Mariners’ game to win. They’d just have to wait longer than you’d have liked, as the offense couldn’t cash in any further over the next two innings.
The bullpen certainly did their part. Gabe Speier was lights out, riding his recently increased velocity to get the Giants way out in front of his slider. Eduard Bazardo allowed a baserunner on a hit that probably should have been scored an error. And Andrés Muñoz put together his most dominant performance in weeks: a three-pitch strikeout, an 0-2 easy ground ball, and a three-pitch strikeout. In the tenth, Jose A. Ferrer needed a little more help from his defense, but Colt Emerson made a sparkling play, requiring the combination of range, quickness, and arm strength that I’d sort of forgotten shortstops could have.
Leading off the bottom of the 10th, Colt followed up his great play with a perfectly placed bunt to move Víctor Robles, the Manfred Man at second base, to third. That’s the benefit of being on the field and in the lineup. You never have to wait that long for another opportunity to contribute.
J.P. Crawford then walked to bring Julio back to the plate. On a night where he never touched first base, struck out twice, and had to spend the Giants’ halves of the innings watching from the dugout, it was finally his time. “Just wait and be patient until the time comes.” This time, it didn’t take long, punishing the second pitch of the at-bat deep enough to left field to let Robles stride home at less than full speed.
And that patience gets Julio tonight’s Sun Hat Award. He joked that he was trying to protect himself in the celebration, “I was kind of like ah-ah” raising his arms over his head. “But that’s OK. We’re all good.”
After a thrilling ninth-inning comeback for the win on Friday night, the Tigers had their first crack at a series win against the Angels somewhere in the greater Los Angeles area. The drama was racheted-down considerably on Saturday night, though, with a convincing 7-0 win, ensuring a series victory.
Making his fourteenth start for the Tigers this year was Tarik Skubal. He’s had some short starts recently; his previous two starts only saw him complete five innings each. (Somewhere up there, Mickey Lolich shed a single tear.) He’d been more hittable in those starts, too — but let’s not forget, he underwent surgery on his throwing elbow earlier this season and the fact that he’s 100 percent now is something of a medical miracle.
Facing the Tigers was Grayson Rodriguez, who’s having a rough season, his first for the Angels after one full season in Baltimore, back in 2024. A variety of elbow and lat injuries kept him on the shelf for the entirety of the 2025 season and the start of 2026. But, after returning, he had back trouble that sat him down for almost a month. It’s been a tough go for him since being a highly-touted prospect drafted in 2018.
Kevin McGonigle hit a hustle-double which Mike Trout couldn’t quite corral to lead off the game. Dillon Dingler got hit for the second consecutive at-bat, dating back to Friday night, to put the first two runners on. Colt Keith followed with a sharp single to centre to score McGonigle and put runners at the corners. After Riley Greene struck out, Spencer Torkelson cracked a long, loud home run to left-centre to put the Tigers up 4-0 early.
Even the outs were hard-hit balls for the Tigers: Matt Vierling lined-out to left for the third out in the first, and it was 107.4 mph (172.8 km/h, 48.0 m/s) off the bat.
The baserunners kept coming in the second, as James Outman and McGonigle both singled to lead off. Dingler got hit again — yes, his third consecutive hit-by-pitch — and the bases were loaded. Keith hit a deep fly ball to Trout in centre, Outman scored, everyone else moved up a base, and it was 5-0. Greene’s deep line drive, also to centre, scored McGonigle for another run.
With two out in the fourth, Dingler did not get hit by a pitch: he doubled to the left-centrefield wall! Keith then hit a very, very high chopper that gave him enough time to get to first as Dingler took third. Alas, Greene followed with a deep flyout and that ended the inning.
Meanwhile, Skubal was far less nibbly than he’d been in those previous starts in which he only got 15 outs each — he was going right at hitters and getting groundouts on far fewer pitches. Through four innings he’d only thrown 54 pitches (36 for strikes), in giving up three harmless singles, no walks, and striking out seven.
Torkelson got a hold of another one to lead off the fifth, blasting a second long home run to centre, his eighteenth of the season, for a 7-0 lead.
A pair of singles sandwiched around a popout to start the bottom of the sixth marked the first time Skubal had allowed a runner to second base. But then Vaughn Grissom hit a grounder to shortstop for, as they say, a “tailor-made” double play to end the inning. Skubal mowed through the Angels in the seventh and his evening was done: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, 60 strikes out of 87 pitches. His changeup was lethal and he did a good job stuffing a mix of sinkers and fourseamers inside to right-handers. That’s a part of his game that’s been inconsistent at times since his return. (I love to see complete games, but it was a seven-run game, I mean, come on, now.)
Jacob Waguespack took over for Skubal to start the eighth, and a single and a walk put two runners on with one out. A foul popup to Torkelson was the second out, but a walk to Trout loaded the bases and AJ Hinch had seen enough. Kyle Finnegan was brought in, and on the second pitch Grissom launched a long fly ball to centre; Outman raced back to make a fine running catch look easy-peasy.
Keith hit his fourth single of the night in the ninth. Good for him!
Brenan Hanifee took over for the ninth, and he gave up a harmless single amongst the three quick outs he got. You can shove all those exciting, dramatic wins in a sack, buster! Give me a nice, easy, never-in-doubt victory any darn day of the week. The series finale starts just after 4:00 pm EDT on Sunday afternoon.
Final score: Tigers 7, Angels 0
And that’s a wrap from the 2026 Summer League in Vegas! Thanks for following along with us at Bright Side.
The Phoenix Suns finish Summer League with a 3-2 record and a +8 plus-minus as a team across the five games.
Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and Koa Peat all sat the finale out, leading to more opportunity for Koby Brea, Javonte Cooke, and others. Koby Brea had another uninspiring game where he deferred and sort of faded in the background. Cooke and Askew were the two standouts.
They were also down Darius Brown II (rest), who impressed during the first 4 games of the Summer League.
Phoenix started the game ice cold from deep, going 2 for their first 14 from three-point range. The Spurs jumped out to an early 16-11 lead after a bucket from Miles Barnstable.
Jameer Nelson Jr. led the Suns’ attack with 7 points in the opening quarter on 3-4 shooting from the field.
The Spurs led 23-16 after one. It was about as sloppy as it looks, which was expected with the key trio sitting out.
Tramon Mark drilled two quick threes early in the second quarter to push Phoenix back into the mix, giving them a 29-28 lead, which led to a Spurs timeout.
Former Arizona Wildcat Andre Iguodala interviewed Koa Peat during the second quarter on the set, which was a cool full-circle moment for both Iggy and Koa, I’m sure.
A pair of sloppy turnovers got the Spurs kick-started, and they went on a 9-0 run to retake the lead, 36-28. Javonte Cooke quickly went on a personal 8-0 run to get the Suns back in it, going back and forth as you’d expect in this environment.
Phoenix ended on a positive note, retaking the lead, 43-39 at the half. Cooke had 10 points, and Nelson Jr. had 9 points to lead the Suns. Hyunjung Lee paced the Spurs with 9 points on 3-3 shooting from deep.
The second half started with the teams continuing to trade shots. In the opening 5 minutes, the teams were deadlocked at 8 points each. Then, the Spurs took over on both ends as the Suns’ offense sputtered.
Jameer Nelson Jr. exited the game with an injury, which made matters worse.
Spurs led 61-53 after three quarters of action. They outscored Phoenix 22-10 in the third. It was ugly.
The rooks incoming sophomores had some fun on the mic as well!
After falling behind again, the Suns went on a run to make things interesting late, cutting the lead to two points with just a few seconds left, but then a foul before the inbounds led to a free-throw and a re-inbound and another foul, and the Spurs knocked all three FTs down to secure the five-point win.
San Antonio outscored the Suns by eight in the 2nd half after a promising second quarter. And that was all she wrote.
Training camp! We’re done here.
SEATTLE — It has been a season-long struggle for the Giants to build any kind of momentum, usually thwarted just as things get good by subpar pitching or poor defense.
Once again, it was the same culprits that kept them from extending a three-game winning streak to four. The Giants got home runs from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames and six shutout innings from Logan Webb but still fell to 0-6 when going for their fourth win in a row.
The second hit Webb surrendered was a three-run home run that tied the game in the seventh, and after the Giants weren’t able to push across their automatic runner in extra innings, Julio Rodriguez sent them to a 4-3 walkoff loss with a sacrifice fly off Dylan Smith in the 10th.
Smith took the loss, the Giants’ 10th when leading after six innings, despite not yielding a hit. But Webb shouldered the blame.
“I’m the d–khead who messed that up,” Webb said. “That should’ve been our fourth win today. It’s a momentum killer. It just sucks.”
The Giants led 3-0 when Webb served up the game-tying homer to Cole Young, and almost on cue, Luis Arraez flubbed a grounder from the next batter for only his fifth error, which proved inconsequential in the outcome but was tinged with symbolism.
As soon as one thing goes wrong, the entire system fails.
And now, the Giants are back to zero, or at least that’s where their win streak stands.
“Everybody looks at one pitch … but you can’t undo any of it,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It was a really good game. It’s a difficult loss to swallow and it makes for a great challenge tomorrow.”
When Webb took the mound to begin the seventh, he seemed poised to take it to the finish line. He had yielded just one hit, faced two batters over the minimum and thrown only 70 pitches.
Things began to unravel as soon as a 3-2 changeup ran inside and clipped Randy Arozarena, his second hit batsman of the game after he had him down 0-2. Webb walked the next batter, Josh Naylor, and Young made him pay for the free base runners.
“That’s unacceptable,” Webb said. “You get a guy 0-2 … that’s something I try to preach with the younger guys is to be in attack mode, especially if you’re winning. I was just trying to do too much and I ended up hitting him. Then a four-pitch walk the next at-bat. It’s not OK.”
Webb keeled over as he watched a sweeper at Young’s knees sail 405 feet into the right field seats. He had to settle for a no-decision and one of the more disappointing quality starts of his career, finishing 6 ⅓ innings with three earned runs on only two hits.
“I called it away and it just kind of backed up,” Webb said of the fateful slider, a pitch batters had whiffed at four of the previous seven times they offered at it. “It was a weird shape compared to all the ones I threw today. …
“I thought the team played great today. This one’s on me.”
It had been the pitcher’s duel as advertised through five innings with Bryan Woo, a Bay Area native, largely taking care of business against his hometown team.
The only run on either starter’s line until that point had been unearned, when Drew Gilbert got a late send from third-base coach Gary Pettis after center fielder Luke Raley mishandled the second of two singles from Bryce Eldridge, opening a 1-0 lead in the third.
A day after providing all the offense the Giants would need with his ninth homer of the season, Eldridge was the only Giant to record multiple hits and drew a walk to reach for a third time.
Adames and Devers teamed up to extend the Giants’ lead to 3-0 with a pair of solo shots in the sixth. Devers became the first Giant to 20 home runs, sneaking his just over the 331’ sign down the left field line to lead off the inning. Adames went the opposite way for his 17th — and second in as many games — lining a misplaced sinker over the right-field wall.
The home runs gave Webb some cushion to work with.
But only an inning later, it was gone, and so was Webb.
Webb was the first to blame himself for the loss, but Vitello noted that it’s difficult to win a game with three runs, which was all the Giants mustered against Woo and the Mariners bullpen.
Besides the two solo home runs, Eldridge’s single in the third with Gilbert at second was their only hit in seven chances with a runner in scoring position, stranding eight men on base.
“To me, that magic number is four [runs],” Vitello said. “We need to hunt everyday. Came up a little bit short on four, and maybe that’s the difference in nine innings for today’s game.”
The Dallas Mavericks remain the home of Ghanian center Moussa Cisse, an undrafted free agent from the 2025 NBA draft. ESPN insider Shams Charania was the first to report the news.
“The Dallas Mavericks have matched the New York Knicks’ two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet on restricted free agent Moussa Cisse, Yann Balikouzou and Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management tell ESPN. The 6-foot-11 center signed the Knicks sheet earlier Saturday but Dallas matches well before 48-hour Monday deadline,“ Charania tweeted.
The news comes after the Knicks signed him to an offer sheet earlier on Saturday. The Mavericks had 48 hours to make a decision, but their swiftness with the decision shows how much the team values Cisse as a prospect. Cisse’s contract is partially guaranteed for the first season, but non-guaranteed in the second year.
Cisse, 23, played in 38 games with the Mavs during his rookie year, averaging 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the team. At 6-11, Cisse provides a lot of size to the Mavs’ frontcourt, giving them another option at the center position.
Cisse will compete for playing time alongside Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Santi Aldama, who was acquired earlier in the offseason from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade. He
Mavs Moneyball community, how do you feel about Dallas’ decision to retain Cisse for the upcoming season? What do you think his role will be with the Mavericks moving forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
While it may not have grabbed headlines, AJ Smith-Shawver’s outing for AAA warrants some attention. He looked good over 73 pitches, striking out 5 and walking 1 in 4.1 scoreless frames.
Given the state of the Braves’ rotation, grasping at a shortened AAA start of a former top prospect who didn’t have the time to fully establish himself at the major league level prior to injury seems warranted. That said, he was on his way to potentially establishing himself as a major league starter, despite rough mechanical consistency and command. Given that Atlanta essentially has one trustworthy starter, we could easily see Smith-Shawver in Atlanta sooner rather than later. It’s encouraging to see him pitching well on the farm as he works his way back from injury. I hope he has found some consistency in his recover, while maintaining the stuff (particularly that glorious turbocharged splitter that he was throwing potentially by accident before his injury).
The A’s traded veteran starter Aaron Civale to the Cubs for a minor league pitcher.
The O’s signed a 5 year $90 million extension with veteran starting pitcher Kyle Bradish.
The Mariners reinstated Julio Rodriguez off the concussion IL.
Will Smith is expected out for the Dodgers until at least mid-August.
Brandon Woodruff is having season-ending shoulder surgery.
The Reds finalized their extension with star pitcher Chase Burns.
What a fun way to kick off tonight’s update! With 20 of 21 players from the draft now having signed, the White Sox released footage of the 2026 draft class working out during Draft Camp in Charlotte:
With the future looking solid, let’s take our usual biweekly look at how each affiliate has started out their second halves:
Charlotte Knights 7, Durham Bulls 5
The Durham Bulls were uncharacteristically bad in the first half of the season, including possibly being swept by the Knights (sorry, not checking but it was at least eight straight Charlotte wins vs. Durham to start things in 2026). But at this point, Durham remembered it was a Tampa Rays affiliate and bucked up appropriately, leading the division three weeks in.
But tonight, a four-run second inning keyed by an RBI stand-up triple from Rikuu Nishida paced yet another win for Charlotte (50-45) over Durham. This deep fly and scampering hustle from the everywhere man held up as the game-winning RBI, giving the Knights a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish:
You might even say it was the Nishida show tonight, as he added a safety squeeze in the fourth inning and pocketed three total driven in:
Michael Turner is also smelling blood in the water on the South Side, making his case for call-up with a three-hit night and gunning down 1-of-2 base-stealers on the night. Turner’s victim? Former No. 4 overall White Sox pick Nick Madrigal.
A player even more on the radar for a call-up, Shane Smith, made his second start back from injury with Charlotte, and it was not a good one. Smith surrendered three earned in 3 1/3 innings, keyed by a lack of command that saw four walks, three wild pitches and two hit batsman among his 67 pitches.
MVP
Rikuu Nishida (2B-RF): 3-for-4, 3 RBI, R, 3B, BB, SB, picked off 1B, 26.9% WPA
Runners-Up
Caden Connor (RF-LF): 3-for-4, 3 R, RBI, SB, 2 hard hits, 14.7% WPA
Everson Pereira (LF): 1-for-3, RBI, LF assist at 2B, 2 hard hits, GIDP
Michael Turner (C): 3-for-5, 2B, 1-for-2 CS, 2 hard hits
Nolan Jones (CF): 2-for-5, SB
Jason Matthews (SS): 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K, SF, 2 hard hits
Javy Guerra (RHRP): IP, 2 K, SAVE (6)
Cold Cat
Shane Smith (RHSP): 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 WP, 2 HB, 32-of-67 strikes
Runners-Up
Mario Camilletti (3B): o-for-3, R, BB, K
Wikelman González (RHRP): 1 ⅓ IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K, 17-of-36 strikes
Birmingham Barons 6, Rocket City Trash Pandas 4
The Barons (33-56) never trailed in this one, but toyed with the Pandas until a four-spot right after the seventh-inning stretch broke a 2-2 tie and put the game away. And if any White Sox affiliate this season would play a mundane game on offense (four hits) but manage six runs. Wins by any means necessary will need to be Bham’s motto until it packs up the locker room for good in September.
Wherefore came the six runs? One came on an early Jacob Burke solo shot, but the decider in the seventh came courtesy of two hit-by-pitches and a walk, followed by Samuel Zavala’s grand slam:
The other major highlight came in the form of Juan Carela’s start. His first effort for Bham (and seventh of the season, after TJS) was subpar, but the righty was electric in this one. At this point, he appears to have picked up right where he left off two years ago with the Barons, and still just 24, has a bright future in the Sox org ahead of him.
MVP
Juan Carela (RHSP): 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 4 K, 20.1% WPA, 51-of-74 strikes, E
Runners-Up
Samuel Zavala (LF): 1-for-2, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 24.1% WPA
Dylan Campbell (RF): 1-for-2, R, RBI, BB, HBP, 16.9% WPA
Boston Smith (DH): 0-for-1, R, 3 BB
Jarold Rosado (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, R, WIN (4-3), BLOWN SAVE (2), E
Cold Cat
Jonathan Clark (RHRP): 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K, HR
Runners-Up
Alec Briley (3B): 0-for-4, 2 K
Caleb Bonemer (SS): 0-for-4, K
Anthony DePino (1B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K
Grant Magill (C): 0-for-3, 2 K
Liam Paddack (LHRP): IP, 2 H, 3 BB, K
Bowling Green Hot Rods 11, Winston-Salem Dash 3
This was a blowout, and it was over early for the Dash (50-39), but as is the norm don’t you dare blame James Taussig. Somehow, Taussig boasted the biggest WPA in the game, with a 2-for-3 night including a home run.
On the flip side, time may be running short in the White Sox career of Tommy Vail. The SSS darling, at 27, has been getting annihilated over this past month in Winston-Salem. The southpaw’s 2024 was exquisite, his 2025 pretty OK, and this 2026 is for laying down and avoiding.
MVP
James Taussig (1B): 2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K, 13.4% WPA
Runners-Up
Ryan Burrowes (2B): 2-for-5, 2B, 3 K
Arxy Hernández (1B): 1-for-3, 2B, BB, GIDP
Madison Jeffrey (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, H, K, 11-of-14 strikes
Cold Cat
Tommy Vail (LHSP): 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R/5 ER, BB, 5 K, LOSS (0-1), WP, BALK
Runners-Up
Kyle Lodise (SS): 1-for-5, 3 K
Jeral Perez (3B): 1-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 3 K, E
George Wolkow (RF): 1-for-4, 3 K
Ely Brown (CF): 1-for-4, K
Ben Hartl (C): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, 0-for-2 CS
Eddie Park (LF): 0-for-4
Drew Conover (RHRP): 2/3 IP, ER, BB, 3 K, HR, HB, 11-of-27 strikes
Jake Peppers (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K
Jake Bockenstedt (RHRP): IP, 2 H, ER, K
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2
In a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated (Myrtle Beach scored two garbage runs in the ninth, and Kanny led the entire way), the Cannon Ballers (46-43) struck early and pounded nails in the coffin with three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Doing almost all of the pounding for Kannapolis was Derek Cerda, who was 3-for-3 with five RBIs; his teammates managed one hit and zero RBIs without him.
In a two-run effort, you’d imagine the pitching to be on point for the CBs, and on point it was. Alexander Martinez got the start and threw four scoreless, including five Ks.
MVP
Derek Cerda (RF): 3-for-3, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 15.3% WPA
Runners-Up
Alexander Martinez (RHSP): 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K, pickoff at 2B, 34-of-48 strikes, 16.3% WPA
Billy Carlson (SS): 0-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 SB
Choyce Diffey (RHRP): 2 IP, 2 K, WIN (2-1)
Daniel Wright (RHRP): IP, K, HOLD (2), 8-of-10 strikes
Cold Cat
Adrian Gil (1B): 0-for-3, 3 K
Runners-Up
Jaden Fauske (LF): 0-for-3, R, K, HBP, SB
Javier Mogollón (DH): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, SB
Alexander Albertus (3B): 0-for-4, K
Steven Lancia (C): 0-for-4, 2 K, 1-for-1 CS
Nathan Archer (LF): 0-for-3, K
Jordan Morales (LHRP): 1 2/3, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K, HOLD (5)
ACL White Sox 6, ACL Padres 3 (7 innings)
Here’s something you don’t see every day: five errors in a game. OK, maybe five errors isn’t SUPER rare, but how about five errors in a game, and none of them leading to runs. It was just such an odd circumstance that helped the Complex Sox (17-39) to a decisive win over the 31-25 Padres. The White Sox conveyed nearly a run per inning via small-ball, as there was just one double sprinkled among eight hits and a whopping six stolen bases that included Osneil Castillo swiping home on a double steal. Drew Thorpe, of the TJS and emergency appendectomy Thorpes, pitched his first pro game in more than two seasons, acquitting himself nicely with two innings of one-hit, three-K ball. Welcome back, Drew!
With a return to the majors on the horizon, Luis Robert Jr. showed that he's ready to be back playing with the Mets.
The slugger blasted a two-run home run in the fourth inning of his rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday night, launching a 1-1 pitch deep over the left field wall to go up 6-2.
Syracuse would go on to win the game over the Buffalo Bisons, 15-2, as MJ Melendez homered twice and Jonah Tong allowed two runs over 5.0 IP.
Robert played eight innings in center field, getting pinch-hit for in the bottom of the eighth inning, and finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, two runs scored, and two strikeouts. It was his first home run in Triple-A over five games, and the second HR overall since his rehab assignment (eight games) started back on June 30.
Mets interim manager Andy Greensaid earlier Saturday that Robert has been looking "better and better" and could return to the club when they travel to Milwaukee for a three-game series against the Brewers on Monday.
"Hope so, certainly hope he’s back in the mix by then," Green said.
Prior to going on the injured list on April 30, Robert was hitting just .224 with two home runs and eight RBI over 24 games.
Luis Robert Jr. with a two-run blast for Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/WRBvoTS83K
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 19, 2026
Original author: Tom McMillan: Jun. 26, 1992
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a new logo, a new identity and a new challenge.
The two-time Stanley Cup champions will try to win a third straight title next season, perhaps with their third coach in three years.
General manager Craig Patrick, who is already gearing up for “a long, hot summer of negotiating” with some of his free-agent players, must also decide who will coach hockey’s most powerful team in 1992-93. Will it be Scott Bowman, the living legend, the “interim” leader of this year’s champs? Or one of his assistants? Or maybe an outsider?
Patrick, as usual, isn’t saying.
“We haven’t discussed the coaching situation,” he said. “Scotty and I will sit down to talk about it. But there’s no timetable.”
Beyond the coaching situation, there will be many other obstacles to a “three-peat” in Pittsburgh, most notably the instability on the roster.
Because of free agency, possible retirements and the expansion draft, as many as six players who helped the Penguins capture the Cup may be gone by the start of training camp.
The free agents include Joe Mullen, Bryan Trottier, Phil Bourque, Paul Stanton and Gordie Roberts.
Jiri Hrdina is pondering retirement and two players will be plucked from the roster in the expansion draft with Tampa Bay and Ottawa.
But the consolation this year is it can’t be any worse than last year.
The Penguins lived through a trying summer after winning their first Cup last season.
Team favorite Randy Gilhen was taken in the expansion draft within a week of the championship. Kevin Stevens, Mark Recchi and Ron Francis, among others, became free agents in July. And popular coach Bob Johnson was stricken with brain cancer in August.
But much of the charm of Pittsburgh’s second Stanley Cup championship was the way the Penguins hurtled through the adversity, overcoming tragedy and turmoil.
They even reached a shaky peace with Bowman, who was often at odds with some players in the regular season. They may have established themselves as a team for the ages.
“I’ll be the first to say it…the dynasty is here in Pittsburgh,” Stevens said.
The Penguins’ nucleus is young enough and spectacular enough to make that kind of claim.
Mario Lemieux, the game’s greatest player, is just 26. Stevens, the NHLs second-leading scorer behind Lemieux, is 27. Tom Barrasso, the league’s top playoff goaltender, is 27. And blossoming superstar Jaromir Jagr is 20.
Their lineup also doesn’t include last year’s No. 1 draft pick, left winger Markus Naslund of Sweden-who may not play until 1993 because of military commitments.
Naslund is thought to be a terrific prospect.
Stevens, for his part, believes his teammates will respond to the dynasty talk.
“That’s why I’m making those statements,” he said. “I love that word: Dynasty. If you win two Cups in a row, you deserve to be put on a pedestal.”
10 Highlights From Penguins' 2026-27 ScheduleThe Penguins will have some intriguing matchups and portions of their schedule, released Thursday, to look forward to next season.Even with all the talent, the Penguins’ trump card may be Patrick, whose work as GM has been exceptional the past two seasons. Juggling egos and contacts, trading 100-point scorers for defensive stalwarts, adding character and toughness, he has thrived in the new-fangled NHL of the 1990s.
He now faces another demanding off-season but he responded to that last year brilliantly. Certainly no one is fretting at the Civic Arena.
“That’s a pretty strong word, dynasty but I like our chances the next few years,” Lemieux said, “I’d say the future is very bright.”
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