NHL legend Patrick Roy joined the hockey world in paying respects to Claude Lemieux, who died Thursday at 60 years old after a reported suicide attempt.
The former Islanders head coach, who was teammates with Lemieux in Montreal and Colorado during his playing career, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” upon learning of the four-time Stanley Cup winner’s sudden death.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Claude Lemieux’s passing,” Roy said in French in a statement to reporter Renaud Lavoie. “Claude was an exceptional teammate, a fierce competitor, a key element in several of our greatest achievements, and a player who left his mark on our sport. His intensity and determination made him a player respected by his teammates and feared by his opponents.
Former Islanders head coach Patrick Roy looks on during a game last season. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We shared unforgettable moments, memorable victories, and a shared passion for hockey. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this ordeal.”
The Hall of Fame goalie was teammates twice with Lemieux, with the two playing together on the Canadiens from 1984-90 and reuniting on the Avalanche from 1996-2000.
Roy and Lemieux won two Stanley Cups together, once in Montreal in the 1985-86 season and again in Colorado a decade later, taking home the championship in 1995-96.
Lemieux spent 21 seasons in the NHL, playing for the Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks throughout his career.
Claude Lemieux raises his hand after scoring his second goal of the game during a Devils-Rangers game on Dec. 1, 1999. New York Post
The forward racked up a total of 379 goals and 407 assists in 1,215 regular season games, along with 158 points through 234 postseason matches.
The Athletic reported that deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to a suicide attempt at the store, and the business was secured to conduct an investigation.
Claude Lemieux carries the torch in the opening ceremony of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2026 in Montreal. NHLI via Getty Images
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release records to the outlet because of a Florida statue that exempts suicide cases from being viewed by the public.
“The New Jersey Devils organization is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former Devil Claude Lemieux,” the Devils, with whom Lemieux spent parts of six seasons, said in a statement. “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.
“Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
NHL legend Patrick Roy joined the hockey world in paying respects to Claude Lemieux, who died Thursday at 60 years old after a reported suicide attempt.
The former Islanders head coach, who was teammates with Lemieux in Montreal and Colorado during his playing career, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” upon learning of the four-time Stanley Cup winner’s sudden death.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Claude Lemieux’s passing,” Roy said in French in a statement to reporter Renaud Lavoie. “Claude was an exceptional teammate, a fierce competitor, a key element in several of our greatest achievements, and a player who left his mark on our sport. His intensity and determination made him a player respected by his teammates and feared by his opponents.
Former Islanders head coach Patrick Roy looks on during a game last season. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We shared unforgettable moments, memorable victories, and a shared passion for hockey. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this ordeal.”
The Hall of Fame goalie was teammates twice with Lemieux, with the two playing together on the Canadiens from 1984-90 and reuniting on the Avalanche from 1996-2000.
Roy and Lemieux won two Stanley Cups together, once in Montreal in the 1985-86 season and again in Colorado a decade later, taking home the championship in 1995-96.
Lemieux spent 21 seasons in the NHL, playing for the Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks throughout his career.
Claude Lemieux raises his hand after scoring his second goal of the game during a Devils-Rangers game on Dec. 1, 1999. New York Post
The forward racked up a total of 379 goals and 407 assists in 1,215 regular season games, along with 158 points through 234 postseason matches.
The Athletic reported that deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to a suicide attempt at the store, and the business was secured to conduct an investigation.
Claude Lemieux carries the torch in the opening ceremony of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2026 in Montreal. NHLI via Getty Images
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release records to the outlet because of a Florida statue that exempts suicide cases from being viewed by the public.
“The New Jersey Devils organization is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former Devil Claude Lemieux,” the Devils, with whom Lemieux spent parts of six seasons, said in a statement. “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.
“Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
Mets right-hander Clay Holmes has seemingly avoided a worst-case scenario.
The Post's Jon Heyman reports that the Mets starter will not need surgery on his fractured fibula. It remained unclear what Holmes would need to recover from the injury, but even the right-hander believed he would avoid surgery when asked, although he could not rule it out. If Heyman's report is correct, then it's good news for Holmes and the Mets.
However, Heyman points out that the latest guess for Holmes' return is early August.
If the Mets can right the ship, getting Holmes back for the home stretch would be a bonus. When he went on the IL, Holmes was arguably the Mets' best pitcher.
In nine starts, Holmes pitched to a 2.39 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while consistently going deep into games.
His shortest outing was the May 15 game against the Yankees when he pitched 4.1 innings. That was the same night he fractured his fibula.
Holmes suffered the injury when he took a 111.1 mph liner from Yankees prospectSpencer Jones.
Basketball: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference at the St. Regis Hotel New York, NY 9/10/2025CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X164772 TK1)
Well, the new NBA balls have finally dropped, lottery balls for the 2027 draft, that is. The 2025-26 season did indeed prove to be the shameless display of deliberates losing for the sake of meager odds that (perhaps) broke tanking. Today the NBABOG or National Basketball Association Board of Governors (an NBA Governor is usually, but not always, a team owner) voted on a new lottery system. The new system will take effect in the 2027 draft.
The system is somewhat abstruse, but looks to severely disincentivize even the already flattened odds of garnering a top pick. The new system will expand the draft lottery to 16 teams, which includes all the non playoff teams, and the teams in the play-in games. The system works by assigning a number of lottery balls based on where a team finishes record wise.
Teams that finish outside the bottom three, but not in the play in games, will receive 3 lottery balls. The number 9 and 10 teams in the play-in games will receive two, the 7 and 8 play-in teams will receive one ball apiece. The three teams with worst regular season records will receive two lottery balls (one of their three balls being “relegated” to the nether hells of the NBA, never to sire a draft pick).
The Two Ball Three will have some protection for being so outright bad though: they will not pick lower than 12th in the lottery. The worst three teams’ odds of receiving a top pick are, of course, one third worse than teams that finish outside the bottom three, and no better than the 9th and 10th play in teams, minus the top 12 guarantee. There is a real sense of reward for a play-in team, with one or two balls in the lottery.
There are further anti-tank provisions. No team may receive two #1 picks in a row, and no team may receive a top five pick in three consecutive years.
There is also a provision against protecting picks top 12 through top 15. (I’m not entirely sure what this means, that’s the NBA’s official language.) The NBABOG will revisit the system in 2029 to determine whether to keep the lottery balls in place, adjust them, or replace them with something else.
Here are some graphics provided by the NBA and it’s fabulous BOG to explain the new system:
This is all very interesting, and I think, at first glance, that it will at least improve the quality of regular season games, especially late in the season. It’s better to get out of the top three if a team has it’s own pick. What happens if it doesn’t? I’m not sure, probably it just behaves as a Bottom Three Two Ball pick? Do some protections on picks get removed in 2027 and beyond? Again, it’s currently unclear. What happens if a team picked #1 and then gets #1 again the following season? Does that pick get moved to #2? Again, it’s unclear right now. We will have to await publication of the full language of the resolution, (which I haven’t found at this time).
What does this all mean to the Rockets? It might mean a great deal, despite some saying 2027 is a lesser draft than 2026. It might mean that certain picks for 2027 are suddenly a lot more attractive, as they have a real shot at winning the draft lottery. Next year the Rockets hold their own pick, Phoenix’s pick, and Brooklyn’s pick (there’s further language about who gets the best and worst of these picks). Let’s say, though, that the Rockets are a playoff team, well, they’d pick as normal, in a reverse standings fashion after pick 16. What about Phoenix and Brooklyn? If Phoenix is again a play in team, that’s one or two balls in the lottery. If Brooklyn is 4th worst or above, and not a play in team, that’s three balls. If it’s Bottom Three, that’s two balls, but no worse than 12th.
Those extra chances in the lottery should have a great deal of value. Let’s assume the Rockets just get the BKN and PHX picks. Brooklyn has no incentive not to finish bottom three, but they have no real incentive to be terrible, either. Phoenix might well be a 9th or 10th seed again.
If a team had a pick in this draft that was good, not great, would they swap it for some balls next year? They might well do that, as even in a lesser year, a, say, 5th pick is likely to be better than a 20th, judging by history. This might get the Rockets one of the intriguing guards in this draft. Or nothing may happen, of course.
Anyhow, there will surely be more to come on the ins and outs of these new balls in the fullness of time.
Apr 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey speaks before the game against the Miami Marlins at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The San Francisco Giants are dead. Long live the San Francisco Giants. They were killed by one of the funniest cases of oversteering in the history of professional sports when a former jock bound for the Hall of Fame roundhouse kicked an overhyped nerd into baseball oblivion to make sure the team stopped letting computers make decisions for them. The team instead became a creation sprung from Buster Posey’s memory of what his championship teams were like. Last season was rocky and this season has been an unmitigated disaster, another losing season (their 7th of the last 10 seasons) locked in before June! With the franchise firmly rebranded as a loser, what can we look forward to these next four months?
Just how bad can this bad team be?
Yesterday afternoon’s loss was certainly a microcosm of the season, but going 0-6 against the Diamondbacks over the past week has really started to create some separation from the early season and as the weather changes and other teams improve, it stands to reason that as bad as the Giants have been… it can be a lot worse.
With 56 games played, we can look at the current season in 14-game chunks.
Games 1-14: 6-8 (.429) Games 15-28: 7-7 (.500) Games 29-42: 5-9 (.357) Games 43-56: 4-10 (.286)
So, the Giants scuffled when teams were still trying to get their bearing after launching from Spring Training and then once they did, the Giants were relegated to batting practice for the opposition. There are 106 games remaining in this season, which on the one hand is quite sad because the Giants are so bad, but on the other hand… well… I suppose there’s a chance we could see some improved play. That’ll be the tension opposing the “Yeah, but they’ve been so, so stinky to start the season that it would make sense if the stench was unwashable.”
Let’s just look at their schedule through the end of June. Tomorrow kicks off a 3-game series in Colorado. Then they play 4 in Milwaukee, then 3 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Host the Nats and Cubs then travel to Atlanta for 3 and Miami for 3. Host the Athletics for 3 and Atlanta for 3 before traveling to Arizona for more Diamondbacks. That’s 18 on the road and 12 at home. If you just apply their current winning percentages for their home/road split to this schedule (.357 road / .429 home), that’s 11-19 or 12-18, which would put the Giants at either 33-53 or 34-52 entering July. Here are the ten worst records in Giants history through the team’s first 86 games:
10. 2005 SF Giants: 37-49 9. 1900 NY Giants: 35-50 8. 1994 SF Giants: 36-50 7. 1943 NY Giants: 34-51-1 6. 1976 SF Giants: 34-52 5. 2017 SF Giants: 34-52 4. 1984 SF Giants: 33-53 3. 1956 NY Giants: 32-54 2. 1985 SF Giants: 31-55 1. 1902 NY Giants: 28-57
So, 16-14 just to stay out of the top 10 worst starts to a season and 13-17 to avoid paralleling the 2017 or 1985 seasons. But we’ve seen how these jabronis play and, well, when they’re not being overmatched talent-wise, they are impossibly stupid in the field. It’s your right as a fan to hope they turn things around, but there is no evidence to suggest that a turnaround is in progress and based on aging curves for the core hitters plus the current results about the same amount of evidence to start building a case that one might be possible. That schedule doesn’t obviously present the pathway to a nice winning streak, either.
The Giants have told us for 56 games that they’re a bad team out to dispense bad times. We should believe them.
The trade deadline.
Obviously. It’ll be like an organ donation, right? Which parts of the Giants’ corpse can help another team thrive down the stretch or even beyond? Buster Posey’s moves at last year’s deadline shows that he’s not afraid to purge a roster when he feels it’s due for improvement. The problem is, he’s running out of the previous guy’s guys to move… unless Logan Webb miraculously returns to form this season; and then, there might be an opportunity for a big move.
Robbie Ray, it feels like we hardly knew ya, but appreciate watching you pitch most of the time. Luis Arraez, way to play your way into being the Giants’ lone All-Star representative. Tyler Mahle, Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser… you think they’ll be sticking around? I have never understood the compulsion by some fans to do a Rain Manesque “Trade Chapman. Trade Chapman. Trade Chapman.” every day and I can’t understand why the Giants would try to convince Chapman to waive his no trade clause in order to facilitate a deal, but that might be the move a lot of people want to see and will really be paying attention to as the calendar turns to July.
The Giants can’t formally “rebuild,” but watching them remodel this termite-infested, water damaged house that was once the centerpiece of China Basin will be at the very least interesting to watch as the summer goes on.
The farm system’s success.
Winning is good, even when it’s just in the minor leagues. That all of the levels are finding success with age appropriate prospects is heartening to see, too. There aren’t a lot of Chase d’Arnauds leading the groups. Pick some players or pick a team to follow the rest of the year and you probably won’t be disappointed. Personally, I’ve staked my mental health to Jhonny Level’s success.
When I wrote up the Chicago White Sox series preview, I learned that the White Sox’s GM Chris Getz was previously their Director of Player Development (2017-2020), and it got me wondering if maybe Randy Winn, VP of Player Development, might take over as President of Baseball Operations once Buster Posey moved on. If most of the minor league teams win championships this year, I’d think that’d be a pretty big plus on his resume, and it’d be hard to argue against him being a pivotal part of the front office.
The palace “intrigue.”
Recently, I had to change a baby in an airplane bathroom. The changing table was more like a bowl in that it had a divot in it, presumably to make laying the baby down easier. It was not easier. The changing table was also very smooth, so the baby — who likes to stand when being changed — kept sliding around… along with all the items needed to facilitate the diaper change. This led to the following sequence: diaper off, baby steps then slides into discarded pajama pants, bringing them back underneath baby just as baby urinates, soaking the pajamas. While cleaning all that up, baby poops and while trying to hold the baby in one arm to clean up with the other, the baby keeps trying to move and slides around, stepping in the poop, stepping back onto the pajamas. The baby peed again. It was 15 minutes of pee-pee-poo-poo nightmares in a 3 ft by 5 ft space and once I left I felt like Buster Posey must feel every day trying to run a baseball team: confused, angry, annoyed at having to jettison stuff that cost a decent amount of money, and covered in human waste.
Each change he has made has led to more pee, more poo, and more stepping in both. Should he have boarded this particular plane? Probably not. For most of us who suspected we’d be seeing him learn on the job, all we get is the satisfaction of knowing that there’s no use getting worked up about the team’s record anymore. It’s going to take him a long time with many lessons learned the hard way in order to turn the franchise around. Which is why I advocated for him sticking around longer than 3 years. It’s why it’s worth keeping tabs on the minor leagues. This could be very painful for a long time but then turn around overnight.
But already we’re seeing discontent seeping onto the floor of this Dilettantes’ Ball. Posey’s slightly tense conversation with Brian Murphy on KNBR the other week was interesting in that he repeated “baseball is hard” more than I’d like to hear from an exec whose team isn’t so much losing to other teams as being embarrassed by them. Farhan Zaidi was a notoriously poor interview, too, and that Buster Posey has wound up sounding like him more often than not in such a brief time is funny and troubling. But Andrew Baggarly has pivoted to questioning the wisdom in hiring Hector Borg to the coaching staff. Tony Vitello has put it out there that he wasn’t as involved in the staff hiring as we were led to believe in the offseason. Buster Posey takes the blame for the team’s performance to this point and so this effort to hang some of that on the third base coach stinks, too.
Unrelated to the coaching stuff, but related to the Giants being bad, I enjoyed this posting from the other day:
It has all been amateur hour, and in an organization where Larry Baer won out over Peter Magowan and Bill Neukom, it’s pretty clear that things aren’t going to be getting “better” behind the scenes anytime soon, either. If the Giants were playing better, it probably wouldn’t matter too much, but with everything on the field able to be safely ignored, this front office and ownership group will probably get more stories written about them than they expected heading into the season.
You’re probably screaming at me for leaving out something about the young players developing. What of Bryce Eldridge? Or Jesus Rodriguez? Is Landen Roupp the Logan Webb replacement the Giants didn’t know they had until this year? Is Trevor McDonald? Will the bullpen be able to evolve into something above average? These are the obvious questions that should feel very heartening to see because it means the Giants have developed some potential major leaguers alongside all the failure and that’s before considering the players at the lower levels who are generating most of the excitement about what Randy Winn and the player development group have been doing (all of which you can track through Brady’s reporting here or at Roger Munter’s excellent There R Giants site). But I can’t help but think about the past 10+ years of Giants player development and conclude that while it’s nice to imagine a world in which the Giants draft and develop their own players who can serve as more than 20th to 26th on their depth chart, the reality is that we should keep our expectations low until proven otherwise.
That goes for everything related to the team. The championship era ended a long time ago, but now we’re past those era re-definining teams of the 80s/90s/00s/10s, too. You could maybe characterize those decades this way: Prospects/Bonds/Ballpark/Championships. What are the 20s? Disappointing? Disaster? Forgettable? Skip? Bust? Whatever it winds up being considered, what’s clear is that the Giants as we knew them are dead and gone. Nobody wanted to be in this situation on May 28th. I was hoping for a disappointing season that unraveled in August or September, as has been the custom for many years now. Was looking forward to sneaking away to catch a game and spend that time in Schrödinger Stadium, where the team could be either good or bad. But we know they’re just bad.
What’s next for the franchise is anyone’s guess, but a rebirth during this season is the only thing certain to be out of the question.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 25: Alex Jackson #70 and Simeon Woods Richardson #24 of the Minnesota Twins have a meeting at the mound during the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on May 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After exciting rookie Kendry Rojas got scratched from his start with elbow soreness (sigh), Simeon Woods Richardson (sigh, again) stepped in for a spot start which went about as well as expected. Also bad for the Twins, they were facing current AL Cy Young candidate Davis Martin (triple sigh). Let’s get into it.
Woods Richardson got some hopes up, but almost immediately lost the faith of Twins fans and coaches alike. He struck out the first two batters of the game before walking Miguel Vargas, allowing him to steal second, and then scoring on a Colson Montgomery single. SWR then allowed a double to start the second inning, but escaped scoreless thanks to a nice throw home from Tristan Gray with the contact play on. Then, things really fell apart.
With two outs and a runner on in the third inning, Sim allowed the next five batters to reach base, culminating in a bases-clearing double from 4,000 year old (pretty sure, don’t fact check me) Randal Grichuk to put the White Sox up 5-0. Wanting to limit the damage, the Twins turned to Andrew Morris who finally ended the inning and allowed everyone to move on with their day.
I would now like to gripe about the worst scoring rule in baseball. The concept of runs being earned vs unearned is, in essence, completely up to the official scorer. It’s what makes ERA less predictive of future performance compared to FIP or xERA, and is somewhat a relic of a past era. However, ERA is still important given it’s historical significance and as such, these rules do carry a lot of weight. A pitcher shouldn’t be punished for a bad defense, but what if the bad defense was from the pitcher himself?
All this is to say that the run Andrew Morris allowed should have been an earned run because the error was committed by Morris. If he didn’t earn that run, then who did? Pete Maki? Tom Pohlad? God? Please get back to me soon, Mr. Manfred. My family is starving and I cannot rest until this quandary is resolved. I’m just a man standing in front of an MLB commissioner asking him to artificially raise Andrew Morris’ ERA.
Anyway, the bullpen was actually nails the whole way, which was nice to see after Woods Richardson’s awful start. Morris, Travis Adams, Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, and Yoendrys Gomez combined to throw 5.1 innings while allowing no earned runs (though an unholy unearned one) and just four baserunners, and two of those from Morris.
Unfortunately for Adams, he was optioned after this game with Minnesota in need of a fresh arm. The Twins will likely need two pitchers with Rojas likely ending up on the IL as well. A corresponding move has yet to be announced, but Kody Funderburk and John Klein are healthy and on the 40-man, though neither has been particularly sharp of late. Cody Laweryson appears to be near the end of a rehab assignment, though his results have been less than encouraging as well. We could be in line for Marco Raya’s debut as he has been very good in May.
And, as you know by now, we’re taking detours to bad relief options and inane scoring rules because the Twins offense didn’t have almost anything to give this afternoon. The Twins finally got a second run after Martin left the game in the seventh inning, but were never able to get a big inning in this game or really any point this series. Minnesota never had more than one hit in an inning in this game, which simply won’t cut it.
The Twins lost the series 1-3, with two of those losses being very winnable. The non-SWR pitchers stepped up in a tough spot, but the lineup is missing some juice with Ryan Jeffers’ injury and Royce Lewis’ and Matt Wallner’s overdue demotions. The Twins need someone to step up alongside Buxton and there’s lots of talent to do that still.
STUDS
The bullpen (Morris, Adams, Rogers, Banda, Gomez): 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (o ER), 1 BB, 6 K
Tristan Gray: 2-4, 2B, SB
DUDS
Simeon Woods Richardson: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K; moves to 0-7 with a 7.74 ERA on the season
Middle of the lineup (Lee, Larnach, Clemens): 0-12
Terry Rozier accepted a $100,000 bribe in order to exit a 2023 NBA game early as part of a gambling scheme, federal prosecutors alleged in a new indictment filed against the former Hornets and Heat guard on Thursday.
The new indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York alleges that Rozier told Deniro Laster that he would come out of the Hornets’ March 23, 2023, game against the Pelicans in the first quarter, and Lester then shared that information with bettors.
The indictment includes additional charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.
Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket during the second half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Spectrum Center on December 15, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Getty Images
The indictment names the NBA and the Hornets as the victims. Rozier has denied being a part of the sports betting scheme.
Prosecutors said Rozier used a leg injury that he was dealing with late in the 2022-23 season as the reason to pull himself out of the game and was to receive $100,000 for his troubles, while gamblers placed total wagers of more than $258,700 on the under on Rozier’s stats for that particular game.
Rozier played a little more than nine minutes before he exited the game, finishing with five points, four rebounds and two assists.
The indictment indicated that he took a smaller bribe of $70,000 since the four rebounds he pulled down during the 2023 game caused some bets to lose, according to ESPN.
The new indictment came on the same day that Marves Fairley pleaded guilty to charges connected to the conspiracy, and alleged that he had paid Rozier as part of the scheme.
Terry Rozier (grey suit) arrives at Brooklyn federal court for oral argument in his case in April. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post
“I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance,” Fairley said in the Brooklyn federal courthouse on Thursday, per The Athletic.
Rozier was one of six individuals indicted last year on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering charges in the NBA-related investigation.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Claude Lemieux was found dead at the furniture store he owned in Florida, according to multiple reports.
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, died Thursday around 3 a.m. ET in Lake Park. Multiple outlets have reported that he died by suicide.
The 21-year NHL veteran was found by one of his adult sons at the furniture storeroom of Andros Home, WPBF reported. The business Lemieux owned with his wife, Deborah, according to The Athletic.
The county sheriff’s office told The Athletic that its deputies responded to the showroom following a suicide attempt.
New Jersey Devils Claude Lemieux (22) with the Conn Smythe tTophy after winning Game 4 and the series vs Detroit Red Wings in 1995. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
Andros Home acknowledged Lemieux’s death in a post on Instagram and called him a co-founder of the business.
“With profound sadness we share news of the unexpected passing of our co-founder Claude Lemieux,” the company wrote. “Claude was an extraordinary presence whose vision, generosity and big heart shaped not only Andros, but the many relationships and lives around him. Our immediate focus is supporting the Lemieux family during this difficult time. We appreciate everyone’s love and support.”
Lemieux played for six different NHL organizations (Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks) in his career was well-known for his work as an agitator on the ice with 1,777 career penalty minutes.
But he was also regarded for his clutch play in the postseason, when he recorded 80 goals and 78 assists in 234 games. In the 1995 playoffs, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP as the Devils hoisted their first-ever Stanley Cup.
“The New Jersey Devils organization is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former Devil Claude Lemieux,” the team said. “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.
Right wing Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche in action during a game against the New Jersey Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
“Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”
Lemieux is survived by his wife and four children, including Brendan Lemieux, who played three seasons with the Rangers.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Claude Lemieux was found dead at the furniture store he owned in Florida, according to multiple reports.
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, died Thursday around 3 a.m. ET in Lake Park. Multiple outlets have reported that he died by suicide.
The 21-year NHL veteran was found by one of his adult sons at the furniture storeroom of Andros Home, WPBF reported. The business Lemieux owned with his wife, Deborah, according to The Athletic.
The county sheriff’s office told The Athletic that its deputies responded to the showroom following a suicide attempt.
New Jersey Devils Claude Lemieux (22) with the Conn Smythe tTophy after winning Game 4 and the series vs Detroit Red Wings in 1995. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
Andros Home acknowledged Lemieux’s death in a post on Instagram and called him a co-founder of the business.
“With profound sadness we share news of the unexpected passing of our co-founder Claude Lemieux,” the company wrote. “Claude was an extraordinary presence whose vision, generosity and big heart shaped not only Andros, but the many relationships and lives around him. Our immediate focus is supporting the Lemieux family during this difficult time. We appreciate everyone’s love and support.”
Lemieux played for six different NHL organizations (Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks) in his career was well-known for his work as an agitator on the ice with 1,777 career penalty minutes.
But he was also regarded for his clutch play in the postseason, when he recorded 80 goals and 78 assists in 234 games. In the 1995 playoffs, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP as the Devils hoisted their first-ever Stanley Cup.
“The New Jersey Devils organization is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former Devil Claude Lemieux,” the team said. “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.
Right wing Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche in action during a game against the New Jersey Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
“Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”
Lemieux is survived by his wife and four children, including Brendan Lemieux, who played three seasons with the Rangers.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
The campaign to bring professional baseball to West Sacramento is officially underway. Paul Kitagaki Jr./ZUMA / SplashNews.comDays after, West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero revealed there would be an announcement regarding the future of professional baseball to the city of Sacramento, she introduced “The Sacramento Pitch.” The Sacramento Pitch/Hart Howerton
The Sacramento Pitch is a campaign led by minority Kings owner Mark Friedman, who played a vital part in the development of downtown Sacramento and the Golden 1 Center sports and entertainment complex.
Joining Friedman are 11 other members that include Guerrero and Sacramento mayor Kevin McCarty, as well as former San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker, and former MLB player and Sacramento native Derek Lee.
“This is a defining moment for West Sacramento, and we’re ready,” Said Guerrero. “Major League Baseball is already seeing firsthand the passion, energy, and civic pride that exists here.”
The website breaks down the case into four different reasons as to why Sacramento is deserving of an MLB expansion team. “The site, the investment, the economic case, the market.”
The potential home of a future MLB ballpark in Sacramento is set to be placed on a 50-acre site in West Sacramento’s Bridge district, near Sutter Health Park, home of the minor league baseball team, the Sacramento River Cats, and the temporary home of the Athletics.
The Sacramento Pitch is a campaign led by minority Kings owner Mark Friedman, who played a vital part in the development of downtown Sacramento and the Golden 1 Center sports and entertainment complex. ZUMAPRESS.com
The renderings of the ballpark show the stadium facing along the Sacramento River, with the cities skyline view as the backdrop.
Followed by the view is a $1.8 billion privately funded investment in the campaign committee. The committee expects the project to generate $1.77 billion in revenue for West Sacramento. The market side of the campaign focuses on how Sacramento is one of the largest media markets in the country, with only one big 5 sports team.
“The region has grown roughly 10% over the past decade, outpacing both California and the nation,” According to the campaign’s website. “It has added more than 200,000 jobs since pandemic lows.”
The new approach, effective next year, expands the lottery from 14 to 16 teams. More importantly, the teams with the three worst records in the league will get two balls in the lottery hopper; the teams finishing with the fourth through 10th worst records will get three balls. That alone eliminates the incentive to be among the three worst teams in the NBA.
But it doesn't remove incentives to lose. The difference between the 11th worst record and the 10th worst record becomes significant. As the season is coming to an end, the 10th worst team will want to hold that spot.
Under the new approach to the lottery, teams won't be able to have the top pick in back-to-back years, or to be in the top five for three straight years.
The new system runs from 2027 through 2029.
The measure passed by a vote of 29-1, with only the Memphis Grizzlies voting against it. Coincidentally, or not, the Grizzlies hold the 2027 first-round pick of the Utah Jazz. Under the new approach, that pick can't be any higher than No. 6.
Overall, it's better than the old approach. There's no longer a reason to try to be among the three worst teams in the league. And it sets up a late-season race for the fourth-worst spot, which becomes the difference between having two balls and three.
The best way to remove any and all incentive to lose games would be to give all teams the same chance at getting the top pick, and so on. The next best approach would be to give all non-playoff teams an equal shot at the top pick — assuming that a fringe playoff team wouldn't sacrifice a shot at the postseason for a chance at getting the best player in the incoming class of rookies.
Is this relevant to the NFL? Yes, and no. For now, the NFL has managed to ignore the reality that there is a clear temptation for non-playoff teams to not try to win late-season games. That temptation will become pronounced as the regular season inevitably grows.
But the NFL won't acknowledge the connection between letting a bad season run its course and securing a higher spot in the draft. Even with multiple blatant examples of late-season tanking in recent years, the NFL has managed to avoid it from becoming a point of emphasis for fans, media, and those who place bets based on the assumption that every team is trying its best to win every game.
May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the third quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Tonight, the San Antonio Spurs host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Tip off is at 8:30 p.m. ET. Watch on NBC or WRC-TV in the DMV. If the Thunder win tonight, they go back to the NBA Finals. Enjoy!
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MAY 26: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 26, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Spurs 127-114. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites.
Tonight is the 99th game of the season for the young Spurs, more games than any of the starters have ever played in a season. We have seen the future of the NBA in this series, as Wembanyama broke into the conference finals with the most consequential game of his career in Game 1. He hasn’t been able to duplicate that effort in every game, but you have to give the Thunder some credit for defensive adjustments that have limited his efficiency, and also factor in the fatigue caused by the intense pressure of a high-stakes game every two days with travel and distractions. That fatigue was definitely a problem in Game 5, as Wemby had a pedestrian effort by his standards and The Silver and Black couldn’t overcome the offensive surge by the Thunder. The Thunder also has to deal with the same factors, but they’re the defending champs and they have the experience advantage. The Spurs will have to learn fast to catch up to the OKC juggernaut.
The Thunder have benefited greatly from their superior depth, and even when hit by injuries, their bench players have stepped up with superior efforts when they’ve had to fill in for the absence of starters. Jalen Williams (JDub) has hardly played in this series, but Ajay Mitchell (until he was injured) and Jared McCain have filled in admirably, and whoever who has come out to play when the starters rest has outplayed the Spurs reserves. Even if the Spur lose this series, the Thunder have shown the Spurs where they need to improve. The Spurs starters have played the Thunder pretty even, but the reserves have not held up, and there are several players on the Spurs bench that are not playable in non-garbage time. This series also shows how important home court is. The Spurs finished two games behind the Thunder in the regular season, and a couple more wins could have guaranteed them a Game 7 at home.
The Spurs have had an incredible journey so far this season, going from a team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2019 to a team that’s competing in the conference finals against the defending champs. If that journey stops tonight or Saturday, it’s not the end, it’s just the beginning. The Spurs are at the stage the Thunder were in 2024, where they returned to the playoffs after an absence and gained the experience that led them to a championship in the next year, except that you can argue that the Spurs are on a bit of a faster track because they’ve gone further and been more competitive. A lot of things have to go right for a team to win a championship, but the Spurs have set a solid foundation this season. The team will need to improve and make some moves to take the next step, but I have confidence in the organization and players that they can do that.
But before we talk about all that, the Spurs have a game to play tonight. The least they can do it to make OKC hav to play another game to soften them up for the Knicks. Or maybe the Spurs can take another game in the Paycom Center. If the Spurs win Game 7, forget all of that stuff I said about being happy with the journey so far. Let’s win it all. LET’S GO SPURS!
Game Prediction:
The Thunder refuse to come out of the locker room after halftime when the referees refuse to eject the fan who awards an Oscar to SGA after every flop, and lose by forfeit.
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma Thunder, Conference Championship Round, Game 6 May 28, 2026 | 7:30 PM CT Streaming: Peacock TV: NBC Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
They had balloons, baseball caps and a splashy video. They even had Dusty Baker, because any day with Dusty Baker is a good day.
And, as a campaign called “The Sacramento Pitch” unveiled its plan to lure a Major League Baseball expansion team to the state capital, the mayor made his pitch a blunt one.
“This region has earned its place in the majors,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said Thursday. “And, frankly, MLB could use Sacramento.”
We’ll see. But, as McCarty and other dignitaries rallied in Sacramento, a more important gathering was happening in New York, at which MLB owners formally proposed the salary cap players have vowed to resist.
Whether owners can get a cap — either by persuasion through the fall and winter, or more likely by canceling games next spring so players go unpaid — remains to be seen. For Sacramento and the other American and Canadian cities pursuing two expansion teams, the outcome of collective bargaining could determine the fee MLB would charge for each one.
On Thursday, Sacramento unveiled a $4-billion proposal to land a team, build a riverfront ballpark and surround it with an entertainment district. By the time MLB is ready to expand — after collective bargaining, and most likely after new media rights deals in 2028 — baseball insiders suggest the expansion fee itself could be around $4 billion.
Said Barry Broome, president of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council: “If it’s a $4-billion fee, I’ll be surprised if there are too many people that would pay that.”
MLB never has had a salary cap. In 1994, the last time MLB proposed one, the players went on strike, and the World Series was not played.
Now, the league argues, payroll disparities are so great that only a cap can solve them. In its presentation Thursday, MLB noted the Dodgers paid more in luxury taxes last season than 16 teams paid in player salaries and cited a $446-million payroll gap between the Dodgers ($515 million) and the lowest-paying team, the Miami Marlins ($69 million).
The league also said fans in a large market have a 50% chance of seeing their team win the World Series by age 12, while fans in a small market have a 50% chance of seeing their team win by the World Series by age 73.
“Ultimately, the game is about hope and competition, and too many fans in too many markets have too little hope their team has a fair chance to win,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement.
The MLB proposal: a cap with a maximum payroll of $235 million and a minimum payroll of $171 million, with those figures including $23 million per team in player benefits. The Dodgers’ payroll would be cut roughly in half, although the league and the union would discuss ways to phase in such cuts over time.
Those savings help explain why the Dodgers — at least for now — would support a proposal that includes every team throwing their local television rights into a pool that would be marketed as one national package — one place to see every game, with no blackouts, and with revenue shared equally among teams.
The Dodgers’ SportsNet LA deal — $8.35 billion over 25 years — has provided the team with a massive financial edge in funding back-to-back World Series champions.
The MLB Players’ Assn. believes the owners can share all that revenue — from local television and other sources — and thus resolve financial disparities without capping player salaries.
“Billionaire owners are not seeking to cap their profits or asset values, only player salaries,” MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer said in a statement. “This isn’t out of generosity or a desire to protect the game’s well-being. It’s a play to control costs, increase profits and maximize franchise values — all at the expense of players past, present and future.”
MLB owners have been distressed as franchise values — ultimately, sale prices — have not appreciated as rapidly as they have in other sports. A salary cap would offer owners the cost certainty — 50% of industry revenue, however that might be defined, would go to players — that limits financial risk in ownership.
MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer will be at the forefront of collective bargaining talks in the year ahead. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)
In the NBA, which has a salary cap and media deals more lucrative than in MLB, the league reportedly anticipates bids in the range of $7 billion to $10 billion for proposed expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.
In MLB, a prominent official with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly told me the expansion fee could range from $3 billion to $5 billion — on the lower end without a salary cap, on the higher end with a cap and the greater media revenues that could come with it.
That could leave Sacramento and the other MLB suitors — including Salt Lake City, Montreal, Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte, Orlando, Vancouver and Portland — scrambling for more funding at a time the surprisingly common thought is an expansion fee would be about $2 billion.
In 2021, when Sportico estimated the average MLB franchise value at $2.2 billion, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that figure could be “where you would start” in evaluating an expansion fee. Sportico this year put the average franchise value at $3.2 billion, and the San Diego Padres sold last month for a league-record $3.9 billion.
In Sacramento, campaign chairman Mark Friedman said his group has lined up $1.8 billion in private and public funding and is in search of a lead investor, with the stadium site and tax rebates already arranged with local governments.
“We’ve set the table,” Friedman said. “All of the guests are in attendance. We’re simply waiting for the guest of honor.”
Broome said he spoke with representatives from two runners-up in the Padres bidding as well as “a group of billionaires from Texas.” It’s all tire-kicking for now, he said.
For $4 billion, Friedman said, Sacramento can get a team, put up a stadium and surround it with places to eat, shop and play.
“We’re targeting being able to be competitive up to $4 billion,” he said. “If it turns out to be more than that, we’ll need to look at the numbers again.”
In the meantime, Baker was there to tell a few stories and put everyone in his hometown at ease, as he did for decades as one of baseball’s most acclaimed managers.
In his remarks, Baker celebrated the dozens of major leaguers who that come out of Sacramento.
“We had some of the baddest dudes in baseball — not only in Sacramento, but in baseball. We were proud of that,” Baker said.
“If you weren’t hitting — if you were hitting now like some of these guys are hitting now, .217 — man, we’d talk about you. Because, if you were from Sacramento, you gotta ball.”
Welcome to the first Futures on the Corner. This will become a weekly piece where I, Matt Seese, will examine the ins and outs of Cleveland’s ever developing farm system. I currently do work as a prospects scout and evaluator for Prospects Live and have thoroughly enjoyed covering our farm system here on Covering The Corner.
Today, I wanted to throw out more of a blanket piece to kick this off: what promotions are coming?
We’ll start down in Hill City.
A-BALL
OF JUNEIKER CACERES | 18 | L/L Caceres is not the 168 pounds MiLB.com lists him at. With a noticeable physical development, Caceres has seen his added muscle shrink areas of concern up in the zone. Combine that with some of the better plate discipline in the Guardians’ system, above average bat speed and EVs as well as a walk rate pushing 4% north of his strikeout rate, and Caceres is tailor made for a promotion to Lake County sooner rather than later. Caceres continues to be among the younger players at his level, and though the power numbers are slowly starting to come around, this kind of an approach is beyond his years.
LHP NELSON KELJO | 22 Keljo was a sixth round pick in last year’s draft out of Oregon State. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Keljo is physically built to handle a starter’s workload, and he’s done exactly that thus far. A concern of mine with Keljo would be his command sustaining being stretched out from reliever to starter from college to the pros. Thus far, it’s largely not been an issue. Keljo has been efficient and at times dominant, largely carried by his fastball that sports some capable ride.
LHP HARRISON BODENDORF | 22 Bodendorf was also part of the ‘25 Draft class for the Guards, selected in the 10th round at pick 312. Drafted at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds, there’s some physical projecting to do here. Bodendorf is not going to overwhelm anyone, but up to this point, it hasn’t mattered. His upper 80s, occasionally low 90s heater is paired with a devastating changeup that’s currently inducing an incredible whiff rate and drawing weak contact when batters are lucky enough to get the bat to it. There’s definitely upside here despite the lack of velo. I think if any org finds that extra life here, it’s Cleveland, but some glove-side secondaries need to come along here for this profile to work long-term.
HIGH-A
AARON WALTON | 22 | R/R Matt Dallas, you genius. Walton has cleaned up some lower half mechanical issues and is now getting his whole body in sync with his swing. It has resulted in a tremendous start to the ‘26 season that’s seen Walton produce some high end power. Walton is lifting the ball pull-side at a tremendous rate, and though there’s still some swing and miss here and the overall passivity within the zone concerns me, he’s damaging the ball better than just about anyone else in the Midwest League with an EV90 north of 107.
RHP BRAYLON DOUGHTY | 20 How’s this for aggressive? At just 20 years old, Doughty would become among the youngest arms in Double-A if what I’m asking for here happened this season. That being said, I believe if anyone is ready for it, it’s him. Doughty is the most polished prep arm the Guardians have had in their system since I started tracking prospects. His fastball continues to improve and find a stable velocity in the low-90s band, and should it find that next tick up in velo, he goes from mid to back-end rotation arm to SP2 ceiling. Should this happen, I’d anticipate him getting touched up a bit as he begins facing 24+ year olds with consistency, but it will further develop his sequencing, and that can only be a positive.
IF LUKE HILL | 22 | R/R Besides Walton, there’s a few Lake County bats worthy of this, but none more than Luke Hill. Hill has been a bit of a revelation to the farm system. Drafted primarily off of his keen eye and quality swing decisions, Hill has seen that translate into a very real ability to do damage. Hill’s nine home runs at the moment of this typing is more than he ever hit at Ole Miss, he’s running an EV90 north of 105, and above all else, he doesn’t possess the ever concerning passivity that is currently at a ground swell in this system. Hill is selectively aggressive, attacks pitches in the zone, and is now driving them with legit pop. Not only should Hill get promoted, but he should be pushing for the top 10 of Guards prospects lists.
DOUBLE-A
RP CARTER RUSTAD | 25 | R/R Rustad was acquired from the Orioles for Johnathan Rodriguez back in late March, and some of the best stuff of his career thus far has come in Akron. Rustad throws from a sub-25 degree slot with great extension. A three-pitch pitcher, he generates capable iVB on his fastball, typically around 17 inches, and ~8 inches of arm-side run while sitting 93-95 with the heater. He’ll work a solid slider off of that against righties and a changeup to lefties that gets over a foot of arm-side tail. At 25 and not R5 eligible for another year, a promotion to Columbus where Cleveland can get a clean look at him without any 40-man issues should he pitch well feels ideal.
