Bringing in a new team principal when developing a car for 2026 regulations might not be to world champion’s liking
Even as the reverberations from the shock sacking of Christian Horner as team principal of Red Bull are still being felt across Formula One and their thunderous echo remains, whether all this sound and fury will have been quite enough to keep Max Verstappen at the team remains a moot point.
When it was announced on Wednesday that Horner had been released from his post as team principal and chief executive of Red Bull after 20 years in charge and enormous success, pivotal to the decision was seemingly the desire to prevent the four-time world champion from being tempted away. Horner’s removal a price the parent company was willing to pay.
Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
Age ain’t nothing but a number.
For the Warriors, they’re hoping that statement holds as they try to get one more ring for Steph Curry, who’s 37 going on 38 next March. Draymond Green is 35 years old, Jimmy Butler will be 36 before the 2025-26 NBA season starts.
For former NBA superstar Vince Carter, that doesn’t mean anything to him except more wisdom.
“A lotta knowledge,” Carter told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole on Thursday at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe when asked about the aging Warriors stars. “They have an advantage because of knowledge. We always look at age and we think ‘Oh, they can’t do it. Can they do it? Will they do it? This this,’ but look at the knowledge.”
That knowledge has led Curry and Green to four NBA titles, the last of which many critics said would never happen.
Carter, who played 22 seasons in the league, says experience can sometimes benefit players and teams more than youthfulness.
“For me, and I’m going to speak about myself, first and foremost,” Carter told Poole. “Playing in that mid-to-late-30’s, maybe I didn’t jump [as] high, run as fast as some of the other young guys but my knowledge for the game, I can outsmart guys. You have all the athleticism and ability, but we know what those guys that you named can do.”
And what they can do has been evident for the last decade. Curry owns the all-time 3-point record with 4,058 makes during his 16-year NBA career. Green is recognized as one of the league’s best defenders of the past decade and Butler has won everywhere he’s played, once even leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals in dominating fashion.
"STEPHEN CURRY…THE ALL-TIME THREE-POINT KING IN THE NBA."
The Warriors, though, need to see some of their younger players like Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and even someone like Quinten Post take the next leap in their careers.
“To me, you need a mixture of everything, so you have the veteran presence in the locker room, which a lot of teams die for – they have that,” Carter told Poole. “Now you have to put the young guys around that to guide them. You can’t expect those guys to do it every night.
“To me, the expectations for Steph, Draymond, even ‘Buckets’ to have to do it early. That’s not what I need you for. You see what I’m saying, I need you for later. I want to build up my young guys for the playoffs because those three guys know what it takes and know how to handle it.”
It’s not exactly time for the Warriors veterans to pass the torch down to their younger peers, but it’s time for a shift in balance, as Carter says, and that’s where the Dubs will be at their best this upcoming season.
Italian FA gives approval for February fixture to be moved
Game would be first in major European league held abroad
Milan’s home game against Como in the 2025-26 Serie A campaign could become the first major European domestic league fixture played outside its home country, as plans to move the fixture to Australia took a step forward.
Italy’s football federation (FIGC) has given the green light for the match to be played in Perth – some 8,500 miles away from Milan – next February. The proposal moves European football into uncharted territory after previous requests to stage domestic league matches abroad were knocked back by authorities.
Ferguson
spent last season in the Minnesota
Wild organization, where he dressed as a backup but did not see
any NHL action, spending the season with the AHL's Iowa Wild. He has been in several NHL organizations but has only
three games to his credit.
Ferguson
was born in Lantzville, BC on Vancouver Island, but played
high-school hockey for the famed Notre Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan
and then junior hockey for the WHL’s
Kamloops Blazers.
Ferguson
was drafted by the Dallas Stars
in the seventh round, 194th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and
then traded two days later to the expansion Vegas
Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot. In the
following season, Ferguson made his first NHL appearance after the
Knights had a run of injuries in goal – allowing one goal on two
shots in 9:14 of action in relief against the Edmonton
Oilers on Nov. 14, 2017.
Between
2019 and 2023, Ferguson played in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa
Senators organizations, playing two more NHL games for Ottawa in
March 2023.
Ferguson
spent the 2023-24 season playing for Belarus-based KHL club Dinamo
Minsk. He then returned to North America the following season, first
attending the Vancouver Canucks training camp before signing with
Minnesota.
Ferguson
joins a Nitra club that won the Slovak title in 2023-24 and lost in
the finals last season. Notable players on the team’s roster
include 44-year-old
defenseman Branislav Mezei and 20-year-old left winger Ondrej
Molnár, who spent the past two seasons in the
OHL.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is entering the final season of his contract in 2025-26. With this, he has the potential to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 of next year.
Given the fact that Matheson has been an incredibly important part of the Canadiens' roster, it would be understandable if they worked hard to keep the left-shot defenseman around. Besides providing solid offense from the point, he has also been a nice veteran mentor to the Canadiens' younger players as they continue to trend in the right direction.
Since joining the Canadiens, Matheson has recorded 25 goals, 102 assists, and 127 points. This includes his monster year with Montreal in 2023-24, as he scored 11 goals and set career highs with 51 assists and 62 points in 82 contests. Thus, the fit has undoubtedly been there between Matheson and the Canadiens, but will it be enough for them to get a new deal done before next summer?
With how well Matheson has played since joining the Canadiens, he certainly is due for a raise from his current $4.875 million cap hit. This is where things could get complicated for the Canadiens, especially with the team having other players to re-sign and other roster needs to address.
Ultimately, if the Canadiens and Matheson can find a way to agree on a deal that is at a reasonable cap hit, it would be great for the Original Six club to keep him around. Yet, if his asking price is too high or the Canadiens simply do not view him as a long-term part of their plans, that is where things could get interesting. The left-shot defenseman has come up in the rumor mill as of late, and it could make sense for the Canadiens to trade him if the right offer came along.
It will be very interesting to see what the Canadiens end up doing with Matheson. There are clear potential benefits to extending him, but time will tell if they can get a deal done. Yet, their blueline is also getting crowded.
Forward will be Regis Le Bris’s fourth summer addition
Sunderland linked with move for Jordan Henderson
Sunderland are to confirm the signing of Simon Adingra from Brighton for an initial £21m plus bonuses as they continue their preparations for life in the Premier League.
It is understood that the Ivory Coast forward, who has made 73 appearances for Brighton since signing from Danish side FC Nordsjælland in 2022, is on Wearside to complete his move after having his medical on Wednesday. Sunderland have a longstanding interest in Adingra and he was part of negotiations in January in which their playoff final hero Tommy Watson moved to the south coast for £10m, before returning on loan, although a potential swap deal failed to materialise.
The Boston Red Sox are trending toward being buyers ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. If they do make moves to strengthen their roster, pitching should be the priority.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow echoed that sentiment on Thursday, telling WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show that the club would likely focus on improving the starting rotation. However, bolstering the bullpen should also be a point of focus for Boston’s front office.
A strong bullpen is often the key to postseason success. As great as veteran closer Aroldis Chapman has been this season, the Red Sox could use another reliable arm to stabilize the back end.
“Red Sox relievers walk too many hitters and don’t strike out enough. Take away Aroldis Chapman — the best reliever in the AL this season — and the Red Sox have a middle-of-the-pack bullpen,” Passan wrote.
“Getting Helsley from St. Louis would give Boston arguably the top setup-closer combination in baseball and go a long way toward supporting a rotation that has been among the game’s best over the past month.”
Helsley, who turns 31 later this month, has been among MLB’s best relievers for the last four years. The hard-throwing right-hander is a two-time All-Star who received Cy Young votes last season and in 2022.
While he hasn’t been as dominant this year (3.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP in 31 appearances), Helsley would pair perfectly with Chapman and take pressure off overworked Red Sox relievers Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock, and Brennan Bernardino. He’d also be a rental, so Boston may be able to pry Helsley from St. Louis for a relatively affordable price if he and the Cardinals can’t come to terms on an extension this month.
Passan believes adding a Helsley-like reliever and a starter before the deadline would make the Red Sox legitimate contenders.
“Boston has the makings of a very good team in the second half,” he added. “…Everyone is contributing. A reliever or two and another starter would make the Red Sox the sort of contender they envisioned being at the beginning of the season.”
The Red Sox have also recently been linked to Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan, though it will likely take a significant haul to acquire the All-Star righty. Ryan, who’s in the midst of his best statistical season, is under team control through 2027.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for 6 p.m. ET on July 31.
Andrew Mangiapane, a player of interest for the Toronto Maple Leafs during their search for another forward, ultimately signed with the Edmonton Oilers when free agency opened earlier this month, rather than his hometown team. Instead, Mangiapane signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Mangiapane was a guest on TSN’s First Up with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo and discussed Toronto’s interest. “For sure, I think I was definitely hearing out the Maple Leafs, obviously there’s some pros and cons,” Magiapane said. “But there was no really, I guess, firm offer or anything like that”.
Mangiapane had 14 goals and 14 assists in 81 games this season. His 28 points with the Washington Capitals last season were his lowest since the 2018-19 season, which he attributed to his role with the club. This time, however, there’s a chance he could be playing with the likes of Connor McDavid. Mangiapane said both players reached out to him about the prospect of joining the Oilers.
The player spent the first seven of his eight NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames, giving Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving familiarity with him. When he became a free agent, Mangiapane didn't think the Oilers would be interested given his ties to their Alberta rival. With wingers like former Maple Leaf Connor Brown departing Edmonton for the New Jersey Devils, however, there's certainly a fit, and the Oilers are betting that Mangiapane can bounce back by playing with some of the best talent in the NHL today.
In 498 NHL games, the 29-year-old Mangiapane has 123 goals and 120 assists. In 10 playoff games with the Capitals last season, the winger scored a goal and added an assist.
Where do the Leafs go for a top-six winger?
Through 10 days in July, the Maple Leafs have not been able to fill the void left by losing premier forward Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. However, it was never expected that void would be filled quickly. Buy-low acquisitions like Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth may pay off, but the Leafs would still like to add more potency up front.
According to PuckPedia.com, the Leafs have $4,983,081 in cap space based on a 23-player roster. That does not account for Nick Robertson’s arbitration case, which will take place later in the summer. There’s also talk that depth forwards David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok could be moved to open more cap space.
He had previously been a restricted free agent and was given a qualifying offer by Florida ahead of the July 1 deadline.
“Mackie is a talented young forward who demonstrated skill and maturity well above his age in his first full NHL season,” Panthers General Manager Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team. “He showcased his ability to slot into any hole in our lineup and find success this past season, which is a testament to both his play and character. We look forward to seeing him compete in our organization for years to come.”
Samoskevich was selected in the first round, 24th overall, at the 2021 NHL Draft.
He played in 72 games last season, his first full year in the NHL, and accumulated 15 goals and 31 points.
The young native of Newton, Connecticut should get a good look in Florida’s top six next season, whether it be on a line with Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart or perhaps the Sam Bennett line with Matthew Tkachuk.
That’s all assuming Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice keeps his line-pairs (Barkov-Reinhart, Bennett-Tkachuk, Lundell-Luostarinen) together for a third straight season.
Photo caption: Apr 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich (25) carries the puck during warm up before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
The NBA rumor mill is always buzzing, especially over the summer during the offseason.
Kevin Durant was traded from Phoenix to Houston earlier this week, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both recently signed supermax contracts to stay put, and the Milwaukee Bucks shockingly waived Damian Lillard following his Achilles injury in the playoffs.
There's been speculation Giannis Antetokounmpo could be the next NBA superstar to request a trade, and following the Bucks parting ways with Lillard, it feels like now would be the time to do so if he wants to leave Milwaukee. But where would Antetokounmpo go that makes sense for the next chapter of his career?
It seems like the people around the two-time MVP have an idea...
"A lot of people have tried to convince me, try to convince me to go and play there [New York] and stuff," Antetokounmpo told popular streamer iShowSpeed.
The Knicks have long been rumored as a potential landing spot for the star forward, especially after it was reported he was "open-minded" about leaving the Bucks back in May.
New York will of course continue to monitor his situation with the Bucks until he commits to the team long-term. Antetokounmpo has three years left on his $175 million contract with a player option for the third season, and is scheduled to make $54 million in the 2025-2026 season.
Antetokounmpo was later asked by iShowSpeed if he plans to stay in Milwaukee.
"Probably, probably. We'll see, we'll see," Antetokounmpo said. "Probably, I love Milwaukee."
It's not a 100 percent solid yes, so Knicks fans can continue to dream of the blockbuster trade scenario for the time being.
The Chicago Blackhawks revealed their preseason schedule to season ticket holders via email on Wednesday. They received an update on the United Center parking situation along with it.
On Thursday, the team made the preseason schedule public. They will open with three games on the road and close it out with three straight at the United Center.
Due to the recent collective bargaining agreement extension, the last time that NHL teams will play 6 (or more) exhibition games. Instead, starting in 2026-27, they will play fewer preseason games and have an 84-game regular season.
Although preseason games don’t impact the standings, the Blackhawks will present plenty of reasons to watch. In addition to the NHL regulars playing, plenty of young prospects will be battling to make the team.
Hype will surround players like Anton Frondell, Nick Lardis, and Ryan Greene, among others, who are looking to make their NHL debuts. With good camps and performances in these exhibition games, they make the team and play on opening night.
On Wednesday, the Rockford IceHogs also announced their home opener for the 2025-26 season. This will take place on Saturday, October 11th against the Milwaukee Admirals, who eliminated the IceHogs in a winner-takes-all game five of the second round last year.
With all of the talent that the Blackhawks have in their system, you can expect their preseason slate and the entire Rockford IceHogs schedule to be incredibly important for development.
Our players are out on Centre. Anisimova actually leads the head-to-head 5-3, so won’t be feart, but Sabalenka has won three of the last last four. My feeling is that she controls her power slightly better, but she’s also more prone to collapse and likely to be the less chill of the two.
I did not, I must say, expect Bencic to bin Andreeva yesterday. Partly, Bencic is someone on whose performance I’ve never felt able to rely, but mainly, I felt like Andreeva was ready to win – as much as anything because, for the first time, those were the vibes she and her coach were exuding. Which isn’t to say I expected her to, but I did think it’d take Swiatek or Sabalenka to stop her.
Marcus Smart is on his third team in three years since the Boston Celtics traded him in June 2023 — and he could be on the move again.
After acquiring CJ McCollum, Cam Whitmore, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley in a pair of trades, the Washington Wizards currently have 17 players under contract for the 2025-26 season. The roster limit is 15, so Washington will need to release or trade at least two players before the start of the season.
And Smart is a prime candidate for the Wizards to move.
The 31-year-old guard is on an expiring contract with a $21.6 million cap hit for 2025-26 — third-highest on the team behind Khris Middleton and McCollum — and Washington has a crowded backcourt that includes McCollum, talented young guard Bub Carrington and 2025 first-round pick Tre Johnson, in addition to Branham and Wesley.
So, it would make sense for a rebuilding team like the Wizards to see what it can get for Smart on the trade market while handing the backcourt keys to McCollum, Carrington and Johnson.
It appears there’s at least initial interest in Smart’s services; Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints recently reported the Los Angeles Lakers have had “preliminary conversations” about Smart’s availability and price tag, while the New York Post’s Stefon Bondy reports the New York Knicks are “monitoring the situation” with Smart, who also could be bought out and signed as a free agent if no trade materializes.
All of which begs the question: Should the Celtics enter the Smart sweepstakes and consider reuniting with the beloved guard who spent his first nine seasons in Boston?
If Smart isn’t bought out, the logical pathway to Boston would be a trade involving Anfernee Simons, who’s making $27.7 million on an expiring contract. While the Celtics could use Simons’ scoring with Jayson Tatum sidelined, Smart could help replace some of the defensive grit lost with Jrue Holiday and likely would embrace the team’s underdog mentality entering this season. Replacing Smart with Simons also would save Boston $6.1 million in cap space and help the team get under the second apron of the luxury tax.
That all sounds good on paper, and Celtics fans undoubtedly would love seeing Smart back in green and white. But the reality is that a Smart reunion doesn’t make much sense for Boston at this stage.
🔊 Celtics Talk: Derrick White tackles trade rumors, a new-look Celtics roster and excitement to prove doubters wrong | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
For starters, the Wizards’ aforementioned backcourt logjam means they likely wouldn’t be eager to take back Simons in a trade. The Celtics could get a third team involved, but if there’s an easier deal to be made with a team like Los Angeles or New York, Washington might take it.
If Smart is bought out, the C’s in theory could sign him to a low-cost contract. But if Simons is still on the roster in addition to guards Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and rookie Hugo Gonzalez, it would make more sense for Boston to improve its frontcourt depth — Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are the team’s top two big men at the moment — than add another guard.
Smart made an immense impact during his nine-year tenure with the Celtics. But president of basketball operations Brad Stevens needs to focus on the future, and from a pure basketball perspective, there are better uses of his resources.
Brent Rooker had mentioned he’d be open to competing in the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby for some time, and on Thursday, the Athletics star’s wish came true.
The 30-year-old enters Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Braves with 19 home runs this year and is on pace to have 30-plus home runs for the third consecutive season – he’d be just the third A’s batter, along with Khris Davis (2016-18) and Jason Giambi (1999-2001), to accomplish the feat since 1999.
The 2024 Silver Slugger Award winner is having himself quite a week after also being named to his second All-Star Game on Sunday as an American League reserve. Along with the 19 long balls, the designated hitter also has a .270 batting average and 50 RBI this season.
Rooker will be the first player to represent the Green and Gold in the Home Run Derby since Matt Olson competed in 2021 and he’ll look to be the first Athletics batter to win the event since Yoenis Cespedes won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. Cespedes and Mark McGwire are the only A’s players to win the event.
The other competitors already announced for the event include Cal Raleigh, James Wood, Byron Buxton, Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero and Ronald Acuña Jr.
It won’t be much of an All-Star “break” for Rooker, but it’ll definitely be one to remember for the A’s slugger.
The Boston Red Sox are red hot. They’ve won six straight games and eight of their last 10. With a 49-45 record, they are four games above .500 for the first time all season.
They entered Thursday tied with the Seattle Mariners for the third and final wild card playoff spot in the American League. Playing meaningful baseball in October is a real possibility for the franchise.
The starting pitching has improved. Garrett Crochet has been an ace all season, but now other pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello are giving quality starts more consistently. The schedule also has been quite favorable for the Red Sox. Their last nine games have come against the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies might not even win 40 games this season.
In fairness to the Red Sox, you have to take care of business regardless of the opponent, and they’ve taken advantage of this opportunity in their schedule.
One player who’s taken full advantage of the schedule is Roman Anthony. The No. 1 ranked prospect in baseball is finding his groove at the plate, and he’s been a major catalyst for Boston’s recent success.
Anthony made his Red Sox debut June 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays. It took him a while to get acclimated to the majors. He tallied just two hits and struck out eight times in his first 27 at-bats.
But in July, Anthony has been on a tear offensively. He has almost matched his June hits total in 29 fewer at-bats.
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Anthony has collected at least one hit in seven of his eight games played in July. He currently has a six-game hit streak with 11 total hits and four multi-hit games during that stretch.
Anthony is seeing the ball at the plate at such an impressive level right now. The ball is exploding off his bat, evidenced by his average exit velocity of 94.7 mph, which is the second-highest of any Red Sox player this season, per Baseball Savant. His average exit velocity is also the fourth-highest of any player in the majors. Anthony’s hard-hit rate (percentage of batted balls hit with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) of 55.1 is the second-highest on the team.
Anthony’s plate discipline has gotten better, too. His chase percentage — which measures how often a batter swings at pitches outside the strike zone — is 19.6, which is below the MLB average of 28.6 percent.
What has Red Sox manager Alex Cora seen from Anthony during this uptick in performance?
“Obviously getting hits helps, but I think the process and the quality of at bats has been there since Day 1,” Cora told the WEEI Afternoons show on Wednesday. “The kid — he controls the strike zone, he hits the ball hard, he doesn’t deviate from his plan, and kind of like (Jackson) Merrill last year in San Diego, right?
“They took him overseas in the opening series — I think it was Japan — and they didn’t expect him to be part of the roster, and all of the sudden he became a force for them. This kid is becoming a force for us. And I was kind of stupid pinch hitting (for) him in his first big league start. We’re not doing that anymore. Now he’s hitting second, he’s hitting third, he’s playing good defense in right field.
“(Wednesday) he’s going to play left field. And we keep challenging him. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish now and in the future. And we’re very happy with the progress.”
Anthony is already playing a prominent role in the lineup — 78 of his 95 at-bats have come as the No. 2 or No. 3 hitter. Add in his quality defense, and Anthony has quickly become a player the Red Sox need to have in the lineup every single game, regardless of whether the opponent is starting a lefty or a righty.
If the Red Sox are going to reach the postseason for the first time since 2021, they’ll need Anthony to continue to be a force at the plate. It’s a lot to ask of a kid who just turned 21, but he’s shown an ability to make adjustments as needed.
Now that Anthony is getting hot at the plate, the next challenge for him is keeping it up against better competition. The next four series for the Red Sox are against playoff-caliber teams in the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.
