As Australia dusts out the cabinet, rearranges the 13 World Cup trophies there to make room for the latest acquisition, there’s reason to pause and reflect on just how special this 2026 T20 World Cup victory is.
Janse van Rensburg poised to face Fiji as England look to rebound from Boks defeat
Uncapped back set for Nations Championship call-up
Squad aims to bounce back at Hill Dickinson Stadium
England’s rugby players could be forgiven for wondering which way is up. On Sunday they were in South Africa, next Monday they will be in South America and they are now in sub‑Saharan Surrey preparing to face Fiji in Liverpool this Saturday. Ironically it is warmer in Bagshot this week than it is in Suva, albeit with fewer coral reefs and fresh coconuts.
Regardless of the rotating backdrop, though, there is no disguising the lingering disappointment of the 45-21 defeat against the Springboks in Johannesburg last weekend. Victory at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium would not repair everything overnight but there is widespread acceptance within the camp that they need to rebound strongly on Saturday.
Continue reading...Lowry retires after returning to Raptors for one day
Former NBA champion Kyle Lowry re-signed for his former team Toronto Raptors for one day before retiring at the age of 40.
The veteran point guard, who helped the Raptors win the 2019 NBA championship, wanted to end his career with the team after playing for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2024.
"Thank you to my family, my friends, my team-mates, my coaches, my opponents, the staff, the media and especially the fans," Lowry said.
"It's all about you. I appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you, Toronto. Thank you, Canada. And as I always told y'all, it's officially happening. I'm retiring as a Toronto Raptor."
Lowry was selected to the All-Star Game six times in nine seasons with the Raptors. He also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat and spent the majority of his final three seasons with his hometown team the 76ers, while also working as a television pundit.
He wore the seven jersey with the Raptors and made his announcement on 7 July.
Lowry and his wife have also joined the ownership group of WNBA side Toronto Tempo.
"We are a huge basketball family and have been big supporters of the WNBA since day one," the couple said in a statement.
"This feels like a true full circle moment to announce our ownership in the Tempo. We're excited to help build something special in Toronto, inspire the next generation of athletes and fans, and support the continued growth of women's basketball in Canada."
Donovan Mitchell inks new deal with Cavs
The most successful NBA player that Louisville basketball has ever produced is well on his way to becoming the most financially successful former Cardinal this side of Junior Bridgeman.
Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a new 4-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers that will reportedly earn him $273 million. Mitchell could have waited until next summer to add an additional season worth an extra $80 million on the deal, but instead chose to re-up with Cleveland on the first day he was eligible.
A three-time NBA All-Star, Mitchell has averaged 26.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game in his Cavs tenure. He’s led the team to the playoffs in each of his four seasons in Cleveland, most recently taking them to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were swept by eventual World Champions New York.
“I love it here. I don’t know how else to say it. I have no doubt these guys can get there. We have unfinished business,” Mitchell said after the sweep.
And now he’s backed up those words by committing to Cleveland for the next four years … and giving them a little bit of extra wiggle room to bring in some help.
Kyle Lowry to sign one-day contract with Toronto, retire a Raptor
When Kyle Lowry was traded from the Rockets to the Raptors in the summer of 2012, Toronto was a directionless, lost franchise. It had been above .500 just once in the previous 10 seasons and hadn't gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since Vince Carter wore a Raptors uniform.
Lowry spearheaded a transformation on the court that, within a year, saw Toronto win 48 games and then beat that mark for the next six years, making the playoffs every season — and winning the NBA title in 2019. Lowry may not have always been the best player on those teams (although he made six-straight All-Star Games), but he was the leader, the player who changed the culture, who not only turned Toronto into a winner but also wanted to be north of the border and became active and invested in the community. He created a legacy unlike any other in franchise history.
G.R.O.A.T pic.twitter.com/MT2fJamZWp
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 7, 2026
After a 20-season NBA career, Kyle Lowry signed a one-day contract with Toronto on Tuesday so that he can retire a Raptor.
"This is home, and Toronto will always be home. Together we built something special here, and together we became champions," Lowry said of his decision. "I always said I would retire as a Raptor, and to be able to do that today means everything to me."
How Lowry became Raptors legend
Lowry was traded to Toronto for Gary Forbes and a first-round pick because Houston no longer believed in him and how far he could take the team. They sent him to a Toronto team and a franchise that didn't believe in itself.
Lowry sparked something that changed Raptors' history.
"Kyle is the Toronto Raptors — he created an identity for the Raptors that we strive to uphold every time we take the floor, play hard and play to win, for your teammates, for Toronto and for Canada. Put your body on the line. Take a charge, dive for a loose ball - do all the little things that don't always show up in the box score, but add up to a storied, celebrated career," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said. "Kyle was the ultimate competitor whose No. 7 will always be remembered with the Raptors' very first championship, and it's our honor to raise it to the rafters, where it belongs."
In nine seasons with the Raptors, Lowry averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.
He is a true Raptors legend, who comes back to step away just as maybe his most famous teammate, Kawhi Leonard, returns to Toronto in the fall, hoping to take them back to the top of the East.
Somewhere during that season will be Kyle Lowry night, when his No. 7 jersey will be retired and hung in the rafters in Canada.
As it should be. He is the greatest Raptor ever.
NBA Summer League Predictions & Parlay for Today, July 7: Flemings Spearheads Underdog Hawks
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The Utah Summer League wraps up tonight, with the hometown Jazz trying to complete a 3-0 run at Jon M. Huntsman Center.
They'll face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the late tip, on the heels of a matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies — and all eyes will be fixed on what kind of workload the big-name rookies receive after playing yesterday.
Here are my NBA Summer League picks ahead of the July 7 action.
NBA Summer League predictions for July 7
| Pick |  |
|---|---|
 Jazz moneyline | -144 |
 Hawks moneyline | +156 |
Today's Summer League Picks
Jazz moneyline (-144 at Kalshi)
How carefully will the Utah Jazz manage Darryn Peterson’s minutes in tonight’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder? That’s the biggest question looming over this clash, with Peterson scoring 53 points across his first two summer outings.
I still like the Utah moneyline even if Peterson and Cody Williams are just spectators here. Max Abmas and Jonas Aidoo have had some nice moments off the bench, and Blake Hinson is a steady starter at this level.
After starting the Summer League schedule with an ugly blowout loss, the Thunder were more competitive in yesterday’s loss to the Hawks, but the same availability questions apply to rookies Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, who were a combined 7-for-23 last night.
I’ll bank on the home crowd giving the Jazz backups enough juice to grind out a win.
Hawks moneyline (+156 at Kalshi)
This pick counts on the Memphis Grizzlies deciding they’ve seen enough of the talented Cedric Coward-Cam Boozer duo and shelving them for Vegas. In that world, Memphis would be relying on a bench that was run out of the gym last night against Utah.
While the Atlanta Hawks may reach a similarly cautious decision with their bigger names, rookie Kingston Flemings could give the underdogs some extra zip in this contest.
If Atlanta rolls with a cast of reserves, both Devon Higgs and Keshon Gilbert shot the ball well in yesterday’s loss to the Thunder, and the Hawks held OKC to just five made 3-pointers.
In what could descend into an end-of-the-bench rock fight, I’ll take the plus odds with an Atlanta squad capable of pulling off an upset.
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Tuesday’s NBA Summer League parlay
Jazz moneyline
Hawks moneyline
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NBA media has jumped the shark on Jaylen Brown
In the summer of 2024, Jaylen Brown was on top of the NBA world.
He was named Finals MVP as the Boston Celtics secured their historic 18th championship. He was a two-way force, helping slow down the ever-dangerous Luka Doncic as the Celtics dispensed of the Dallas Mavericks in five games. It cemented his legacy for a legendary franchise.
Brown, who isn’t even 30 yet, boasts a resume that will likely have his No. 7 hanging in the rafters of TD Garden one day. He’s a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA pick and, of course, a champion — with both NBA Finals and Eastern Conference Finals MVPs.
It’s amazing how quickly the narrative changes.
Since his stunning blockbuster trade to the Sixers last week, those accomplishments have faded to the background. Suddenly, the argument is Boston’s accomplishments were almost despite Brown. As if he were just along for the ride as the Celtics enjoyed as much success as any NBA team during his tenure.
Brown isn’t perfect. Adjustments will need to be made as he joins forces with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.
But the spin from the NBA media, painting Brown as an albatross Boston untethered itself from, is approaching insanity.
What’s funny is nothing even needs to be referenced here. If you’ve been following along since news broke that the Sixers were shipping Paul George, two first-rounders and two second-rounders to Boston for Brown, you’ve seen this odd smear campaign against Brown.
His usage rate this past season ballooned to 36.2% as star teammate Jayson Tatum missed most of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles. With that, Brown didn’t have his most efficient season at 57.3% true shooting. To be fair, that’s also not bad efficiency at that usage rate. Many have pointed to Brown’s on/off splits with the Celtics. It’s true — over the past few seasons, Boston has outscored opponents by a bigger margin with Brown off the floor than on.
Brown’s on/off splits were in the 24th percentile in 2025-26, according to Cleaning the Glass. While Tatum’s splits were elite to start his career, they’ve fallen off a bit over the last few seasons. Ironically, in 2023-24, a campaign where Tatum finished sixth in MVP voting — like Brown did this past season — Tatum’s on/off splits were in the 42nd percentile. There were no character-limit pushing social media posts about Tatum’s inefficiency after that season.
This isn’t to discredit Tatum. He’s a great player. It’s just to show how imperfect on/off splits and analytics can be — and how they can be used to fit agendas at times. If you want to make the argument the Tatum-Brown duo had run its course, that seems like the fairest one to make. Both players could be characterized as tough shot-makers who take a lot of tough shots. If you want to make the argument Brad Stevens was getting ahead of a potential future financial crunch, that’s also fair. George has only a player option remaining on his deal after this season, meaning his contract could be moveable and be used either to acquire another star-level max player or split up to acquire more depth.
The eye test does still matter, though. Analytics are a tool. Much like Brown, they’re not perfect.
Brown is a physical specimen at 6-foot-6 and 223 pounds. He plays with rare physicality and force on the wing that most at his position don’t possess. He gets to his spots and can make difficult shots. He needs to be accounted for when he has the ball in his hands. His scoring gravity alone should help the other four players on the floor. And, again, we all saw how that physical presence helps defensively when he was going up against one of the game’s most gifted offensive players in Doncic. All of these attributes — physicality, iso scoring, on-ball defense — lend themselves best to postseason basketball.
As with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Brown has his deficiencies. He’s an improved but still below-average passer. He’s never been particularly good at limiting turnovers, a big demerit in the analytics community. He continues to be right-hand dominant, despite improvement there as well. While his on-ball defense can be elite when he’s locked in on an assignment, he’s prone to off-ball lapses.
Maybe his salary should be more reserved for MVP-level players under this current CBA; how can Brown be blamed for that? Stevens and company had no issues doling out that deal back in 2023. Brown hit the benchmarks required to earn such a contract. The Sixers choosing to pay Brown over the 36-year-old George feels like a no-brainer.
Perhaps Stevens, who initially dangled Brown as part of a trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo, saw potential financial pain with Brown’s contract in the future. He had a player who contributed significantly to the franchise, but whose max deal could push his payroll too close to the dreaded second apron for comfort — and the analytics backed such a decision.
Perhaps Mike Gansey simply saw an All-NBA performer who plays his ass off every night, wants to win and has won — analytics be damned.
There’s only one way to find out who’s right.
As Brown enjoys saying, throw the ball up.
Nets Reacts: Who out of the Flatbush Five has the most to prove?
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Brooklyn made a splash in the 2025 NBA Draft by taking five first-round picks, the most first-round picks ever taken in one Draft. It’s only been one season (and now our second Summer League) with these guys, and we’re trying to get a grasp on what the five got.
- Egor Dëmin is the star and leader among the five. No doubt.
- Nolan Traore was announced out for the summer after getting a scope on his knee.
- Drake Powell didn’t look comfortable at the California Classic.
- Ben Saraf showed flashes in California… but nothing more.
- Danny Wolf did not play in Cali.
We aren’t trying to make Summer League sound like the NBA Playoffs. They aren’t. But the Nets have a chunk of players they selected together and one of them is consistently growing. What about the rest?
We’re asking who has the most to prove out of the five — this summer, training camp, and preseason. Leading up to Opening Night: Who has the most to prove to coach Jordi Fernandez?
💬 Discussion
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You tell us!
UNC Basketball: California Summer League
Summer League basketball is a great time for young players to get a chance to play live basketball against real competition in an effort to show NBA teams why they deserve a chance. Everyone’s playing for an invite to try and make a team or at a minimum a chance to make a G League team — which in turn gives them a chance to play for the big club if an injury happens during the season.
There are three main Summer Leagues: California, Utah, and the big one Las Vegas. With the California Summer League wrapping up Monday night, lets look at how former Tar Heels did with their teams.
RJ Davis, San Antonio Spurs
Davis, playing in his second round of Summer League (last season for the Lakers), had two really good games sandwiched around a stinker for the Spurs, who went winless in the California Summer League. In Davis’s first game, he scored 15 points in 18 minutes coming off the bench for the Spurs. He shot well from behind the arc, hitting three out of five, and also had three assists and no turnovers to lead the team in +/- with a +16.
In his second game, Davis came off the bench again but only had two points in 21 minutes. He also had three turnovers, though he did have four assists, and missed all five of his three-point attempts. In the third game, Davis started for the Spurs and scored 18 points in 29 minutes. He only hit two of his seven three-point attempts, but was the Spurs best player per +/- with a +11. Davis’s strong start should bode well as he heads to Vegas.
Drake Powell, Brooklyn Nets
Like Davis, Powell is playing in his second straight Summer League. Unlike Davis, Powell isn’t fighting for a roster spot, as he was one of the Nets first round picks last year. Powell’s stats in his two games (for some reason he didn’t play in the team’s second game) don’t look really good. In two games, Powell had one field goal on 17 attempts including going 0 for 9 from three. Powell did do some other stuff though, as he finished with 12 rebounds, but also had five turnovers. Hopefully he will play better in Las Vegas.
Cormac Ryan, Milwaukee Bucks
Ryan is playing in his third straight summer league and his second with the Bucks. However, he only played in one of the team’s three games, starting in the opening game before sitting out the next two for undisclosed reasons. Ryan played well in his lone start, scoring 13 points in 19 minutes. Hopefully, Ryan will get more playing time in Las Vegas and that will lead to more opportunities with a Bucks team in transition after trading away their franchise star.
Kyle Lowry retires from NBA, joins Toronto Tempo ownership group
Kyle Lowry made two significant announcements on Tuesday, June 7 in Toronto, where he won an NBA championship.
The veteran point guard signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Raptors and announced his retirement from professional basketball. The Raptors will make Lowry’s No. 7 just the second jersey that they have ever retired, joining Vince Carter’s No. 15. Widely called by Toronto fans as the GROAT — Greatest Raptor Of All Time — Lowry is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,277), steals (873) and 3-pointers made (1,518).
“This is home, and Toronto will always be home. Together we built something special here, and together we became champions,” Lowry said in a statement. “I always said I would retire as a Raptor, and to be able to do that today means everything to me.”
However, Lowry intends to remain involved with professional basketball in Toronto. It was also announced on Tuesday that he and his wife are joining the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA expansion franchise currently playing its first season.
“We are a huge basketball family and have been big supporters of the WNBA since day one,” Ayahna Cornish-Lowry said in a statement. “This feels like a true full circle moment to announce our ownership in the Tempo. We’re excited to help build something special in Toronto, inspire the next generation of athletes and fans, and support the continued growth of women’s basketball in Canada.”
Lowry and his wife join an already star-studded collection of investors involved in the Tempo ownership group, which includes tennis superstar Serena Williams, former Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri, comedian Lilly Singh and billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. Williams’ production company is working on a documentary project — along with Ryan Reynolds and Robin Roberts — about the Tempo’s first season for ESPN.
“Kyle and Ayahna have made an immeasurable impact on the game of basketball and on the city of Toronto,” Tanenbaum said in a statement. “Their commitment to community, their passion for growing the game and their belief in the future of women’s sports make them outstanding additions to our ownership group.”
Lowry retires from the NBA as one of just 12 players in league history to play at least 20 seasons. He’s just the second point guard to play that long, joining Chris Paul.
The 40-year-old native of Philadelphia played college ball at Villanova for Jay Wright, earning All-Big East honors. In Lowry’s sophomore season, the Wildcats won the Big East regular season title, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. He was then selected No. 24 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lowry was traded from Memphis to the Houston Rockets, and then another trade sent him to the Raptors in 2012, where he remained through 2021. All six of his All-Star appearances came while he was with the Raptors, as did his lone All-NBA selection in 2016 — a year in which he also finished in the top 10 of MVP voting. That summer, Lowry also won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2019, he was a leader for the Raptors as they won their first NBA championship. In the series-clinching Game 6 win over the Golden State Warriors, Lowry tallied 26 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 41 minutes.
The 6-foot point guard later played with the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, though he appeared in just 14 games this past season. Lowry’s 2,209 made 3-pointers ranks 14th all-time in NBA history.
Ayahna Cornish-Lowry was also an accomplished hooper in college. She played four seasons at Saint Joseph’s, where she was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and the team’s leading scorer for three years. She and Kyle have two children together, Karter and Kameron.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Lowry retires from NBA, joins Toronto Tempo ownership group
Knicks star Jalen Brunson undergoing left wrist surgery, per report
The King of New York is reportedly on the mend. Thankfully for the Knicks, it doesn't appear to be serious.
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Jalen Brunson, who led New York to its first championship in 53 seasons, is undergoing left wrist surgery, according to ESPN, though the outlet is reporting that Brunson is expected to return to basketball activities later in the summer. ESPN also reported that Brunson played through an injury during the playoffs, though the Knicks never officially listed him on the injury report with any wrist injury designation.
Brunson did play with his left wrist bandaged at times, though his production in the playoffs did not waver; he averaged 28.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19 playoff games this season. He was particularly impactful in the Finals, when he led the Knicks past the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win New York's first Finals since 1973.
In the decisive Game 5, dropped 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting. His play in the fourth quarters also helped New York complete remarkable comebacks, such as the improbable 29-point deficit the Knicks erased in Game 4.
Often, given the length and physical toll of an NBA season, players will opt to have minor procedures early in offseasons so that they can be fit to return before training camp. Though dates have not been set, the Knicks will probably report to camp around late September, which gives Brunson plenty of time to heal.
The Spurs series was a physical one for Brunson, who also momentarily left games following minor ankle injuries, though he always returned to action.
"I'm hurting right now, I'm not going to lie to you," Brunson told reporters June 13 after winning Game 5. "I'm hurting right now. But like I said before, the opportunity presented itself. Whatever you've got to do."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks star Jalen Brunson undergoing left wrist surgery, per report
NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson played through an arm injury in the Finals that required surgery
Just about three weeks after being named the unanimous MVP of the 2026 NBA Finals, New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had to undergo surgery to repair an injury to his left forearm/wrist area.
SNY sources: Jalen Brunson will be recovering/rehabbing for at least two months following his surgery to repair injury in his left forearm/wrist area. @KnicksFanTv reports that the procedure will happen on Tuesday. Brunson played through discomfort in the area during Finals run,…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 7, 2026
While it's unclear exactly when the injury happened, we do know that Brunson was playing through the injury to his shooting arm during the Knicks' 4-1 series win over the Spurs, which earned them their first title in 53 years. In that series, Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists and put up 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting in the series-clinching Game 5 comeback, which tied an NBA record for a road player in a series-clinching win.
Brunson did post a 42.1% field goal percentage in the NBA Finals, down from his 46.7% mark during the regular season and one of the five worst shooting percentages for an NBA MVP. While that drew some criticism at the time, we now know that the injury could have played a part in that; although, credit still needs to be given to the Spurs defense. Brunson also shot nearly 39% from beyond the arc and had a 53.6% true shooting percentage, so his overall shooting wasn't as poor as the field goal percentage makes it seem.
After the win, Brunson admitted, "I'm hurting," but it was unclear the extent to which that was true. The Knicks' captain and All-Star will reportedly need about two months to recover and then will be able to resume basketball activities. Brunson is notoriously workout-obsessed, so two months off from doing anything with his shooting hand/arm will be a challenge, but he should be cleared by September, which will likely be more than enough time for him to be ready for the 2026-27 season, which begins on October 20th
Blackhawks New Addition Should Not Be Ignored
On July 1, the Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Cole Smith to a three-year, $9 million contract. With this move, the Blackhawks have added more experience and depth to their forward group.
While Smith may not be the biggest signing of the summer, he could end up being a very solid addition to the Blackhawks' roster. The 31-year-old should fit nicely in Chicago's bottom six due to his high-energy style of play and grit.
Smith should also provide value because of his strong defensive play. Because of this, he should now be a key contributor to the Blackhawks' penalty kill. This element of his game should benefit the Blackhawks nicely as they look for better results in 2026-26. This is especially so when noting that they lost top penalty-killing forward Ilya Mikheyev to the Tampa Bay Lightning in free agency this off-season.
Smith appeared in 63 games last season split between the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, where he recorded eight goals, 12 points, and 173 hits. He also had three goals, six points, and 24 penalty minutes in 22 playoff games this spring for the Golden Knights.
Smith's best offensive NHL season was in 2023-24, when he posted career highs with nine goals, 14 assists, and 23 points in 80 games with the Predators. If he can produce offense like this in a bottom-six role and maintain his hard-nosed style of play, he could end up being a nice pickup for Chicago.
The Cubs should change the out-of-town scoreboard to team names
Let me say, before you read any further, that this is definitely a first world problem, not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.
And I’ve written about this before, most recently in April 2025.
The scoreboard photo above brought this idea back to me. This is how the “AMERICAN” side of the board looked on Monday, June 29, the first day of the Cubs series against the Padres last week.
If you are reading this article on a computer, you can probably see the difference between “LOS ANGELES (NL)” and “LOS ANGELES (AL)”. But if you’re on your phone — or, more importantly, sitting 400+ feet away from the board at Wrigley Field, you probably can’t tell which L.A. team was playing at the A’s, and which one was at the Mariners.
I’m a bit closer to the board than most at Wrigley from my perch in the left field bleachers and even I had to enlarge that photo before I figured out that the Dodgers were playing in West Sacramento and the Angels were at Seattle.
And as you can see, there’s already a team name there (“ATHLETICS”). The Cubs, as the home team at Wrigley, also have their team name on the board. In fact, this is how the bottom left of the board looked in early June when the Cubs hosted the A’s:
Most websites and apps now show MLB teams with their team names instead of the cities. Here, for example, is the top of the scoreboard page on the MLB app for today’s games:
So get with the program, Cubs. Next time the board is painted, replace city names with team names. It’s cleaner looking, will clearly identify the Los Angeles (and New York) teams and matches what most fans see in other places.
Oh, and one more thing. What on Earth is this?
And by “this,” I mean — why is there a serif on the “1” indicating the starting pitcher? At no other place on the board do any of the number “1”s have a serif. This was added when the board was re-painted a year ago. It looks like a mistake to me. While you’re changing to team names, Cubs, get rid of that serif.
That concludes my TED talk for today. Carry on.
Red Sox pitching staff staring down barrel of significant issues
The Boston Red Sox have been the beneficiary of superb starting pitching in 2026.
Ranger Suarez has a 3.15 ERA and was just named to the group’s lone 2026 MLB All-Star. Sonny Gray should and probably will be joining him, but can take solace in the fact that he has a 2.61 ERA. Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Jake Bennett, three rookies who have exceeded any and all expectations placed upon them, are rocking respective 3.39, 3.34, and 3.10 ERAs.
If you’ve been paying attention, though, you would know that the club’s current five-man rotation isn’t going to last much longer…
I’ve decided to take a look at each of the five men who are currently pitching their balls off for the hometown club and figure out what their next steps are — with several approaching uncharted waters, others currently dealing with injuries, and one likely to be the most coveted arm at the trade deadline.
SONNY GRAY
Gray has been absolutely phenomenal, as he is currently riding a streak of seven consecutive quality starts and hasn’t allowed more than three runs since April 14 against the Minnesota Twins.
GOOD!
Gray is also going to be the most coveted arm on the trading block.
NOT GOOD!
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan included him at No. 11 on their list of players most likely to be moved at the trade deadline, though they admitted: “Gray’s restructured contract after his trade from St. Louis to Boston includes a $10 million buyout on a $30 million mutual option for 2027. Considering mutual options don’t get picked up, that is a pricey deadline acquisition, leaving Boston somewhat hamstrung unless it’s willing to pay down a significant portion and convince Gray to accept a deal.”
RANGER SUAREZ
Suarez is sticking around, though he might soon be spending time on the injured list, having left his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The Red Sox have already started to prepare for his potential absence, activating Patrick Sandoval from the injured list on Monday — with the expectation that he’ll start on Thursday.
CONNELLY EARLY
Early is already on the injured list, and will get a second opinion this week will be with Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.
JAKE BENNETT
Bennett is the most interesting case on the list, as he has been phenomenal since getting the call to the big leagues but just hit a career-high in innings pitched, as he is sitting at 80.0 across his time with Triple-A Worcester and Boston — recently surpassing the 75.1 he finished with in 2025.
Bennett is just two years removed from suffering an elbow injury that required him to undergo Tommy John surgery in mid-September 2023.
If they view him as a long-term option, they might want to make some difficult decisions.
PAYTON TOLLE
Tolle, too, is hovering around a career-high in innings pitched — with the flamethrowing left-hander sitting at 89.1 in 2025 after finishing with 91.2 in 2026.
Boston probably isn’t rushing to shut him down, but perhaps they start working in extra rest days in order to help him last the entire season.