A former Chicago Blackhawks goalie is hanging up the skates, as Anton Khudobin has retired from professional hockey.
Khudobin spent the final portion of his North American career with the Blackhawks during the 2022-23 season. This was after he was traded to the Blackhawks with a 2025 second-round pick at the 2023 NHL trade deadline in exchange for Max Domi and Dylan Wells.
An undeniable legend of our franchise and the game. Congratulations on your retirement, Dobby đ pic.twitter.com/iWTAi0TfbW
After being traded to the Blackhawks during the 2022-23 season, Khudobin made one appearance for the Central Division club. The Blackhawks were the sixth and final NHL team Khudobin played for, as he also had stops with the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins (twice), Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, and Dallas Stars.
In 260 career NHL regular-season games over 14 seasons, Khudobin had a 114-92-33 record, a .916 save percentage, a 2.52 goals-against average, and 11 shutouts. He also had a 14-10-0 record, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.63 goals-against average in 27 career playoff games.
Its Wednesday, August 6 and the Guardians (58-55) are in Queens looking for a sweep of the Mets (63-51).
Gavin Williams is slated to take the mound for Cleveland against David Peterson for New York.
The Mets are reeling. They have now lost four of their last five after last night's 3-2 loss to the Guardians. Cleveland managed just six hits off of Clay Holmes and the Mets bullpen, but it was enough thanks to Steven Kwan's RBI single in the seventh against Tyler Rogers.
Lets dive into this afternoon's matchup and find a sweat or two.
Weâve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Guardians at Mets
Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Time: 1:10PM EST
Site: Citi Field
City: Queens, NY
Network/Streaming: CLEG, SNY, MLBN
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Odds for the Guardians at the Mets
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Guardians (+146), Mets (-175)
Spread: Mets -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Guardians at Mets
Pitching matchup for August 6, 2025: Gavin Williams vs. David Peterson
Guardians: Gavin Williams (6-4, 3.33 ERA) Last outing: August 1 vs. Minnesota - 0.00 ERA, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 8 Strikeouts
Mets: David Peterson (7-4, 2.84 ERA) Last outing: August 1 vs. San Francisco - 3.00 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Guardians at Mets
Despite winning their last 2, the Guardians have still lost 12 of their last 20 games against teams with winning records
Steven Kwan is 4-9 through 2 games of this series
Brandon Nimmo has struck out in 6 of his last 9 plate appearances
The Guardians have covered in their last 3 games against the Mets
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Expert picks & predictions for tonightâs game between the Guardians and the Mets
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Guardians and the Mets:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Mets on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cleveland Guardians at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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Once upon a time, the Montreal Canadiensâ biggest rivals were the Toronto Maple Leafs, then it was the Boston Bruins, but nowadays, that title belongs to the Ottawa Senators. Whether Habs fans like it or not, Ottawaâs rebuilding is going well, and both teams are close geographically, in the standings, and on the reconstruction ladder.
Last season, the Canadiens won three of the four duels between the two teams and outscored Ottawa 17-11, but Montrealâs sole loss against their neighbors came in April, when both teams were vying for a playoff spot and the stakes were higher.
The first duel of the season came early on, on October 12; it was the Habs' third game of the season and one in which sniper Cole Caufield shone brightly, scoring two goals at even strength, including the game-winner. They were his third and fourth games of the season as he started the year on a torrid pace that he couldnât keep all the way through. That night wasnât Linus Ullmarkâs best at the office; he gave up four goals on just 26 shots.
The two teams didnât cross paths again until February 22, the Canadiensâ first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Once again, Montreal came out on top, and this time, it was thanks to Juraj Slafkovskyâs inspired play. In 15:25 of play, the big Slovak landed eight hits, got a fighting major, and scored a goal. It was another challenging game for Ullmark; however, he gave up five goals in a little over 32 minutes of play. Once Anton Forsberg got the net, nothing got past him.
The third game on March 18 was won by the veteransâ line of Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, and Brendan Gallagher, who combined for nine points in the 6-3 win. Once more, Ullmark couldnât stop the Canadiens and gave them four goals on 31 shots, for a .871 save percentage. That night, when he scored an empty net goal, Gallagher pointed to the heavens when celebrating, dedicating the lamplighter to his mother Della, who had recently passed.
The final game took place on April 11th, and this time, Ullmark stood tall, stopping all but two of the 22 shots he received. Shane Pinto led the charge with a pair of goals as the Senators skated away with a 5-2 win.
The Senators ended the season with 97 points. They qualified for the postseason ahead of the Canadiens, taking fourth place in the Atlantic Division, just behind the soon-to-be repeat Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Montreal finished the year with 91 points and in fifth place in the Division.
Ottawa did make some moves this offseason, signing a contract extension with Claude Giroux at a bargain price, signing trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund to a three-year contract, and adding a few players on the free-agent market. They brought on former Hab Lars Eller, who has plenty of experience and is a Stanley Cup champion, underperforming forward Arthur Kaliyev, and defenseman Jordan Spence. On the other hand, Adam Gaudette, Cole Reinhardt, Travis Hamonic, and Dennis Gilbert all left the organization.
The acquisition of Dylan Cozens before the trade deadline was an astute move from Steve Staios and one that should pay off, making the Senators a much more complete team with some depth down the middle, something the Canadiens are still desperately trying to find.
Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle, and Jake Sanderson, who led the Senators in points against the Canadiens, will all be back and ready to contribute to Ottawaâs quest for another playoff berth. Both teams might want to keep an eye on their rearview mirror, however, since the Columbus Blue Jackets only just missed out on the playoffs last season, being eliminated by Montrealâs win in its previous game, and the New York Rangers will be looking to rebound from a surprising season, to say the least.
Whatever happens in the win or lose columns, however, you can count on Montreal and Ottawa to provide some great on-ice entertainment. The two outfits hate one another, and it shows in every aspect of the game. Penalties are no rare occurrence when they face off, and thatâs where Montreal may just get the upper hand. The acquisition of Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc should help Martin St-Louis ice two competitive power play units, which could make a massive difference for the Habs.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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On Tuesday, the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast had Chicago Blackhawks President of Business Operations, Jaime Faulkner, on the show. She discussed tons of topics on the business side of things, which you can listen to here.
One of the main topics was the black â90s sweater that the Blackhawks used to wear. When asked about its potential return, Faulkner said it will be coming back âeventuallyâ, but not in 2025-26.
She said they decided that they donât want to make fans have to buy too many new jerseys during the centennial celebration, as they already revealed their one-year centennial home jersey for the 2025-26 season.
To Faulkner's point, Chicago has had at least one new sweater every year for the last few now, but that doesnât mean fans wonât buy them all anyway.
You canât help but wonder if they would have made just as much money had they revealed them this year, but they are coming back nonetheless.
Some legendary Blackhawks players have worn the all-black alternate sweaters. Now, it's time to start imagining what it will be like to see Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Artyom Levshunov, amongst others, wearing them.
Chicagoâs logo and sweater are amongst the most beloved in all of hockey. This piece of their history has been asked for by fans for a long time, and they are going to get their wish soon.
The Stanley Cup is currently enjoying some time overseas.
Over the past several weeks, the historic trophy has cris-crossed North America while members of the Florida Panthers have enjoyed their special days with Lord Stanleyâs Cup.
Itâs gone to South Florida and Nova Scotia and Texas and Wisconsin and Quebec and St. Louis, and those are only a few of the stops itâs made so far.
But now weâre taking things up a notch.
The Stanley Cup is going intercontinental, taking a cross-Atlantic flight and making its first stop to Scandinavia for some fun time in Sweden with Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist.
On Tuesday, Boqvist brough the Cup to his hometown of Hedemora.
Itâs where he grew up playing hockey with his brother Adam, and where their parents still live.
Despite a delay due to the Cup being caught up in customs, a massive crowd that gathered at Sveaparken Park was thrilled when Boqvist finally stood before them, raising the trophy triumphantly over his head.
âAs a fan, you donât see (the Stanley Cup) that often, so to bring it home, where I grew up, itâs been so cool,â Boqvist said. âItâs a special moment, for sure.â
During the visit, Boqvist was honored by his former youth club, Hedemora SK, and even stopped by Hemkop Arena, where he played hockey as a youngster.
Spending time revisiting his hockey roots while celebrating a Stanley Cup victory provided Boqvist a unique blend of nostalgia and pride.
Coming from a community so far away from the NHL, it didnât escape Boqvist that he may be providing the same kind of inspiration that he once felt as a child.
âGrowing up, you always have those role models, your heroes,â he said. âFor me, bringing (the Stanley Cup) back, hopefully I can be someoneâs hero. To see a kid be that happy to be close to it and touch it, itâs special. Iâm very thankful to have the opportunity to do that.â
Boqvist played 78 games during his first season with the Panthers, racking up 12 goals, three of which were game-winners, and 23 points while adding another two goals and five points in 13 playoff games.
Back in March, Florida was so pleased with what theyâd seen from Boqvist that they signed him to a two-year extension that carries a $1.5 million AAV (average annual value), which is twice the AAV that he was signed for the previous summer ($775K).
âWinning, being in the locker room, having the parade and all that has been pretty crazy and something you hope for, but never know if its going to happen,â he said. âBeing a part of that has been special, and with our group too, itâs been unreal.â
You can check out footage from Boqvist's day with the Cup in the video below:
Its Wednesday, August 6 and the Orioles (51-63) are in Philadelphia this afternoon looking to avoid being swept by the Phillies (65-48).
Trevor Rogers is slated to take the mound for Baltimore against Ranger SuĂĄrez for Philadelphia.
Taijuan Walker and three relievers struck out ten and limited the Orioles to five hits enroute to a 5-0 win Tuesday night. Brandon Marsh went yard and drove in a pair of runs to pace the attack. The Phillies now lead the National League East by 2.5 games.
Lets dive into today's matchup and find a sweat or two.
Weâve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch today's first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Orioles at Phillies
Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Time: 12:35PM EST
Site: Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: MASN, NBCSP
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Odds for the Orioles at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Orioles (+136), Phillies (-162)
Spread: Phillies -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Orioles at Phillies
Pitching matchup for August 6, 2025: Trevor Rogers vs. Ranger SuĂĄrez
Orioles: Trevor Rogers (4-2, 1.44 ERA) Last outing: August 1 at Cubs - 1.13 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 8 Strikeouts
Phillies: Ranger SuĂĄrez (8-4, 2.68 ERA) Last outing: August 1 vs. Detroit - 3.86 ERA, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Orioles at Phillies
The Phillies are 65-48 (.575) this season and 10-6 (.625) with Ranger Suarez on the mound
The Phillies' last 3 games have gone over the Total when Ranger Suarez takes the mound
Betting the Phillies on the Run Line with Ranger Suarez starting would have returned a 1.89-unit profit in 2025
Nick Castellanos is riding a 6-game hitting streak (7-21)
If youâre looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for todayâs game between the Orioles and the Phillies
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Orioles and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Philadelphia Phillies on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Baltimore Orioles at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
Butler, who currently is traveling through China, declared in a social media post Wednesday that veteran forward Draymond Green has been cast as the Batmobile.
âRobin, he [going to] Robin the sât out of this motherfâker this year. Batman [going to] do his job. Draymond is uh ⊠Draymondâs the Batmobile, you know. Heâs like the one whoâs got to get us to where we need to go. He do a little bit of everything: Shoot them thangs, âpew pew,â somebodyâs shooting at us, he rolling over [and] protecting us. You know what Iâm saying?
âGolden State through, weâre on the way. Weâre on the way, Iâll tell you that. Buddy was just here in China, too. I donât know what the fâk for, but Buddy got some love out here.â
The Warriorsâ âBatmanâ universe is expanding, but will it be enough to defeat The Joker and the other villains in the Western Conference?
It was an image that dominated the back pages. When Chris Woakes walked down the steps at the Oval on Monday, the crowd stood to applaud this noble deed. With his left arm in a sling and inside his jumper, Woakes arrived at the crease with England requiring 17 runs to win the final Test against India.
With Woakes suffering a dislocated shoulder, Gus Atkinson (or extras) would have to get England over the line. England fell short, the sheer will and skill of Mohammed Siraj helping India to win the Test and deservedly draw the series. Woakesâs bravery jogged the memories of those of a certain age. The circumstances were very different from the tail end of Englandâs innings at the Oval, but in July 1984 another England batter arrived on the scene sporting the Woakes look. Paul Terry could probably relate to Woakesâs pain.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) sprints along the first base line after hitting a double off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) in the third inning at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Mookie Betts offered a new perspective Tuesday afternoon on his season-long slump, which is that it wasnât a season-long slump.
In his view, it actually extended back to last season.
âI really havenât been right since I came back from my hand last year,â Betts said.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts stares down at his batting gloves after flying out in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium on July 22. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
âThink about it,â Betts said. âGo and look at it. I havenât been right since.â
Betts was a MVP candidate when he went down, hitting .304 at the time. He batted .263 after his return, including .185 over the final 17 games of the regular season.
The troubles from last year have carried into this year, in which heâs batting a career-worst .236.
Betts wanted to clarify the point he was trying to make.
âI wasnât blaming it on my hand or anything,â he said. âI was just saying since coming back, I havenât done anything. Itâs not just this season.â
Betts even went out of his way to downplay the severity of the injury or how it has affected him since.
"It wasnât like I obliterated my hand,â he said. âIt was a fracture.â
Betts pointed to how his grip strength was measured in spring training. The readings showed his grip was stronger than he was the previous year.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts makes a play during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 4. (Luke Johnson/Los Angeles Times)
âThereâs no correlation to anything,â he said. âI wish I could blame it on something, but nah.â
My visit to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday was prompted by what Betts told reporters after a weekend series in Tampa. The remarks in question were made when Betts was hitless in his last four games; the streak extended to a career-high five after another hitless game on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
âIâve done everything I can possibly do,â Betts told reporters. âItâs up to God at this point.â
In print, at least, he sounded defeated. His quotes, I told him, were depressing.
âI donât know if youâre watching whatâs going on, but it is depressing,â Betts said with a smile.
So he still had a sense of humor.
Which isnât to say heâs not baffled or frustrated by his lack of production.
âItâs unexplainable,â Betts said. âI donât know. It sucks. You know how in Space Jam, they take your superpowers away? Kind of what it feels like. Iâve never been there, never done that, so to have that happen, I donât know how to get out of it.â
Without any specific answers, heâs doubled down on the general philosophy that made him one of baseballâs greatest players.
Heâs worked.
âThatâs the only thing I can do,â he said. âThe only thing I can control is my effort and my attitude.â
When Betts says heâs done everything he could do to recapture his old magic, what heâs really saying is that heâs doing everything he can.
âI hit for three or four hours a day,â he said. âAt some point, your body breaks down, but Iâd rather break down than not give the effort.â
Betts showed up at Dodger Stadium before 1:30 p.m. on Monday for the series opener against the Cardinals, which started at 7:10. He hit in the batting cages, worked on his defense on the field, and participated in batting practice. He returned to the batting cages at around 4:30 and stayed there until 6:15.
âJust trying to relearn, going to the basics, relearning myself,â he said. âI had to go back and think about what I used to do in the minor leagues, [those] types of things.â
Betts might not have yet figured out the adjustments required from him to break out of his slump, but heâs also not out of ideas. He acknowledged heâs purposely sounded more clueless than he actually is in order to avoid discussing changes heâs trying to implement.
âThereâs a bunch of stuff that Iâm working on,â he said. âThatâs stuff that, no offense to you guys, but you guys wouldnât understand.â
The former right fielder didnât think the workload at shortstop was the source of his problems, and he didnât think his batspeed had declined in the last couple of years, as data from baseballâs tracking system had indicated.
âI havenât hit the ball solid,â Betts said. âNaturally, you slow down because you try to hit the ball solid.â
âIf thatâs not confidence from a manager to a player,â Roberts said, âI donât know what is.â
Betts rewarded Robertsâ faith on Tuesday in a 12-6 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday, as he was three for four with a double, a walk and three runs. The three-hit game was his first in almost two months.
Betts refused to read too much into the performance.
âItâs good to get the results, but itâs one game,â he said. âEvery time we talk about [a good game], I go 0 for 20 after. So weâll see about tomorrow.â
He departed the stadium uncertain of what the results would be the next day, but he knew what the process would be. He would continue to work and continue to search for answers.
Emmanuel Claseâs indefinite leave from Major League Baseball hurt more than just the Cleveland Guardiansâit also is another blow to the nascent idea of athlete income-sharing.
The All-Star closer was placed on paid leave last month while the league investigates allegations of sports betting. Last year, Clase stuck a deal with Finlete to trade a sliver of his future baseball income in exchange for an upfront payment. Finlete raised the money for Clase by selling shares to investorsâmostly fans who wanted a piece of the playerâs upside and some extra perks, like a semi-annual Zoom call with Clase.
Athlete income-sharing has been around in some form for many years, but is typically for young pros who still have to prove themselves. Nabbing Clase, who led the AL in saves in each of the last three seasons, was a coup for Finlete and the industry.
âHow the hell did we land this deal? Itâs incredible,â Finlete CEO Rob Connolly told Sportico last year.
The deal seemed to fulfil the promise that has drawn venture capital into the idea. Finlete, for instance, has investment from Comcast and VC legend Tim Draper. Now, Claseâs indefinite leave under gambling suspicionsâwhich could result in a potential lifetime ban from MLB if found guiltyâhas become another hurdle for an idea that has few clear successes.
âWe are aware of the MLB investigation involving Emmanuel Clase and, like everyone else, weâre following the leagueâs process closely,â Connolly said in an email. âWhile heâs on non-disciplinary paid leave, Clase continues to receive his MLB salary. As long as he is being paid at the Major League level, Finlete will continue to receive its entitled percentage, and dividends will be distributed to investors as scheduled.â
Later, he added: âObviously, all investments, regardless of sector, contain risk.â
Finlete has done nothing wrong: The Clase offering is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the risks, including suspension and reputational risks from a playerâs actions, were disclosed multiple times in the offering document. And itâs possible the pitcher returns to MLB and returns to form and signs a huge contract that rewards Finleteâs investors. But even if thatâs the case, the sales pitch of participating in an athleteâs careerâConnolly called it a âPG version of OnlyFansââis less exciting when real world problems muck up the highest-profile opportunity. And itâs already been a tough sell to investors.
According to regulatory disclosures as of the end of 2024, Finlete raised $15,980 out of a goal of $3.6 million for the Clase offering. More recent figures havenât been disclosed and Finleteâs website says the Clase offering is closed. But a low sales rate isnât unusual: an earlier offering for Texas Rangers minor league shortstop Echedry Vargas was closed to new investors after raising $78,288 out of a $500,000 goal. It has five minor league baseball player offerings open currently, including one for top-100 prospect Jhostynxon âThe Passwordâ Garcia that has a more modest $102,000 goal.
âThere are a lot of differentâI wouldnât even say difficultiesâhurdlesâ in athlete income-sharing, said Parker Graham, the co-founder of Vestible, another income-sharing venture that raised $600,000 in a deal with NFL player Baron Browning last year. âIt just takes a lot of legwork to get an athlete deal done and athletes just donât have as great a pain point to create the business we wanted to create⊠Athletes already have money.â
Graham has shut down Vestibleâs athlete income-sharing efforts and instead is deploying the idea to collegiate athletic departments, âhelping them bridge the [funding] gap with their fans,â he said on a phone call. âYou have to raise a certain amount of capital and the only options are donors, bank loans, private equity and bonds. We want to create this system where thereâs a fifth option⊠the pain point [for colleges] is so much more apparent.â
Vestible anticipates announcing its first collegiate partners this autumn, with more in the pipeline, âPower Four to Group of Five and some FCS probably as well.â
Other athlete income-sharing ventures are seeing mixed results. Manse, a French company that launched a U.S. registered offering of $4 million worth of securities backed by a complex calculation of Nick Kyrgiosâ social media trends, hasnât made a post to its English language social media accounts in months, though its Kyrgios securities are still available for sale. Other ventures that pitched athlete deals last year have yet to offer new ones in 2025, and Big League Advantage, the business that suggested splitting income with pros could be a winning strategy, is being sued by its most famous partner, Fernando Tatis Jr., for alleged predatory business practices over the deal they struck when he was still a minor-leaguer.
Connolly, for one, remains bullish on the idea. âInterest in our platform is at an all-time high. Weâve signed 13 exceptional baseball players to-date, three of whom are currently ranked in MLB Pipelineâs Top 100. Weâve exceeded 500 investors and $500K raised on the platform,â he said in an email. âWe also recently closed an oversubscribed $1M Angel Round of funding to help propel our growth.â
Still, at the moment, it seems the promise of athlete income-sharing isnât working out for anyoneâexcept the athletes. âIf for some reason they donât work out, they donât have to pay this money back,â Connolly said in October. âItâs really a win-win for the athletes.â
Son Heung-min has agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC after a decade at Tottenham. The 33-year-old attended LAFCâs home Leagues Cup win against Tigres on Tuesday, watching from a luxury suite, and will be introduced on Wednesday.
The club showed the forward on the stadium video board late in the first half. LAFC, a wealthy club with significant success in their first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid more than $20m (ÂŁ15m).
His roots are in San Diego, but Casey Schmitt still took his baseball cues from a Bay Area legend.
The Giantsâ second baseman revealed his longtime admiration for franchise icon Brandon Crawford in the latest edition of NBC Sports Bay Areaâs âBP With Britt,â explaining how San Franciscoâs all-time leader in games played at shortstop influenced a SoCal kid growing up in the shadow of Petco Park.
âI think just watching baseball and kind of just being a fan of the game was a big thing for me,â Schmitt recently told Laura Britt. âJust watching [Crawford] and being able to meet him, play alongside him ⊠it was really cool and just developed [a] relationship with him as well.â
Schmitt and Crawford spent just one season as teammates in 2023, before Crawford left for the St. Louis Cardinals and retired a year later. But that one campaign was long enough for Crawfordâs professionalism and playing style to rub off on Schmitt.
âJust the way he goes about his business every single day ⊠the way he does everything, heâs an awesome person,â Schmitt said. âJust to be around and learn from him was really cool.â
There was plenty to learn. Crawford enjoyed an illustrious career with the Giants, earning three National League All-Star nods and winning four Gold Glove awards at shortstop, in addition to two World Series rings.
The 26-year-old Schmitt has settled in as a starter for the first time in 2025, with six home runs and 22 RBI in 54 games played.
There is time for the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga to find an arrangement that satisfies both, but the clock on their mutual desires is fast approaching JKâs jersey number: 00.
Their arranged marriage, distinguished more by turbulence than compatibility, lurched past its fourth anniversary last week. The growing belief around the NBA is they will wobble into Year 5, which would be the uneasiest by far.
On one side, the Warriors will be trying to harmonize a squad capable of squeezing one more drop of glory from the Stephen Curry era, which lifted the franchise to global icon status.
On the other side, Kuminga wants to prove he is a star and, therefore, worthy of a starâs contract, and his disposition will be monitored more closely than his statistics and impact.
The two sides have spent four seasons trying to make something of mismatched methods. Kuminga is a terrific scoring soloist, capable of getting to his spots and attacking the rim like a young Kawhi Leonard, but Golden Stateâs offense is designed to operate as an ensemble, with Curry as the conductor. That wonât change. Nor should it, as Curry continues to play at All-Star level.
Though a sign-and-trade deal remains a remote possibility, all indications are Kuminga will have to postpone his dreams of a life-changing payday.
âThere will be some teams with money next year,â one Western Conference executive tells NBC Sports Bay Area. âKuminga might have to just have to ride this out one more year and see what happens. It might come to fruition. Maybe he becomes more like âthe guyâ there. There are people who believe he should play more, that he should do this more or do that more.
âBut you still got Steph there. You got Jimmy (Butler) there.â
A fifth year of Warriors-Kuminga matrimony would invite all manner of vulture curiosity, as both parties will be under the brightest, and sometimes harshest, of lights. The Warriors are willing to move on, and Kuminga is eager to do the same. Living emotionally separate under the same roof, sharing the same locker room is bound to present, um, challenges.
The skills of Golden State coach Steve Kerr and the teamâs veteran leaders â Draymond Green, Butler and Curry â will be tested. Can they orchestrate successful alchemy? Can Kuminga suppress his personal desires for the sake of the team? Can the Kerr-Kuminga coexistence maintain a peaceful, productive coexistence?
Kuminga wants to be a starter. That role was available last season, when he started the first three games at small forward, with Green at power forward and Andrew Wiggins at shooting guard. Butler now is entrenched at small forward since the February trade that sent Wiggins to Miami. The Warriors gained a playmaker but lost spacing. Kerr wonât tolerate the clogged spacing that would come with a Green-Kuminga-Butler frontcourt, so that option is out.
âHeâs a (scoring) monster at the four,â a former NBA player-turned-analyst, referring to Kuminga, tells NBC Sports Bay Area. âBut thatâs Draymond position. I hate Draymondâs game. Hate his game. But his IQ makes him a Hall of Famer. Itâs through the roof. And that team needs it.â
Greenâs defense and court savvy were as much a part of Golden Stateâs 2014-15 resurrection as the gravity generated by Curryâs presence. Andrew Bogut and Green made the same impact on defense that Klay Thompson and Curry did on offense. The result was the best team in the NBA.
âThey had a top-five offense, and a top-five defense,â the executive recalls. âAnd they were smart. The smartest team in the league. Back then, they were just smarter than you. With Jonathan, I think theyâre questioning that. And they have Jimmy, Steph and Draymond, probably three of the smartest guys out there.â
Kumingaâs poor 3-point shooting (30.5 percent) makes him a misfit as a three in the Warriorsâ system, but his greatest sins in the book of Kerr are mental errors. Those liabilities sometimes offset his assets. Itâs one of the quickest ways in the league to fracture trust among coaches and teammates.
Is there any doubt that one glaring mistake by Kuminga will intensify the scrutiny and raise the temperature of the marriage?
At no point during these four seasons has Kuminga risen to the level of âdistractionâ to the greater goals of the Warriors. Even when displeased with circumstances, JK generally puts his head down and comes to work â even when heâs out of the rotation. Team leaders do what they can to keep him engaged.
But if the marriage continues into a fifth season, after a summer of unmet hopes for both parties, tranquility for all parties will be hard to achieve. A divorce is not a matter of if, but when.
Blackhawks Forward Should Not Be Given Up OnIt is fair to say that the 2024-25 season was a tough year for Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel. The young winger did not have the breakout season he and the club had hoped for, as he recorded eight goals, 14 assists, 22 points, and a minus-16 rating in 70 games. This was after he had five goals and 16 points in 65 games with the Blackhawks in 2023-24.
