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It’s been a weird night at Coors Field. It started with a weather delay, and then there was another delay after home plate umpire Scott Barry was hit with a foul tip and was removed from the game. The Rockies are currently down 6-3.
Once again, there has been a lot of action in the comments that we decided it warranted an overflow thread for the final 4+ innings!
As a reminder, here are the lineups:
The National League All-Star roster was announced tonight. The inclusion of Corbin Carroll wasn’t really a surprise. He gets his third selection in four years, coming into tonight ranked 6th for bWAR among position players in the league, at 3.3 wins. But in addition, Eduardo Rodriguez was also named to the squad, and that’s a bit of a surprise – not least because this is his first selection in his 11th season in the majors. However, his 2.21 ERA is fourth in the NL, and his 3.7 bWAR is fifth among pitchers, so you’d be hard-pushed to argue that Rodriguez does not deserve his spot.
Through 86 games, Eduardo’s ERA is the lowest by a qualified pitcher on the Diamondbacks for 17 years, since Dan Haren 2.16 figure in 2009. Randy Johnson’s 1.77 in 2000 is the only other which is better than the current campaign by Rodriguez. It’s a startling – and very welcome – turnaround for Eduardo, who struggled to an ERA above five in both 2024 and 2025. After signing a four-year, $80 million contract in December 2023, he is now well on the way towards rescuing it from the abyss of all-time awfulness, on the edge of which this deal was certainly teetering. Hopefully it’ll continue for the remainder of its duration.
Carroll’s season has been almost as fabulous as the one he put up last year, which got him an All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger award and sixth place in the NL MVP voting. His OPS is just fifteen points down (.883 vs. 868) on the 2025 figure, and his ten triples not only lead the majors, they have propelled him to the all-time franchise career mark in that department. The honor pulls Corbin into a tie with team-mate Ketel Marte on three All-Star nominations. Among position players, only Paul Goldschmidt (6) and Luis Gonzalez (5) have more, with Randy Johnson (5) joining that pair from the mound.
Malte Gustafsson hasn’t allowed himself to think about it yet, to envision a future Islanders blue line with him and Matthew Schaefer — both first-round picks, both left-handed, both just 18 years old — in prominent roles.
“He’s very, very grounded and humble when it comes to his journey,” recalled Tom Jankovic, his head coach with the HV71 under-20 team and assistant coach with Sweden’s under-18 national team.
When Schaefer introduced Gustafsson in Buffalo as the Islanders’ selection at No. 13 in last month’s NHL draft, there was something fitting about the duo overlapping.
One obvious piece of their future welcomed another one who could possibly — and rapidly — play his way into it.
Gustafsson, who said it’d be amazing to skate with Schaefer, rose quickly through the ranks in Sweden as an indispensable defenseman and plans to play for HV71 again next season.
After that, though, the Islanders might have a decision to make with the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder who “came as advertised” to development camp last week, Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer said.
“I think he will be a top Swedish defenseman in the NHL someday,” Jankovic told The Post. “If it’s when he’s 24 or when he’s 28, I don’t know, but I think he will be there because he has all the tools. He has the right mindset.”
There’s no rush, either. Gustafsson planned to improve his offensive game and add muscle next season in the Swedish Hockey League.
Niklas Eriksson, his HV71 head coach who took over near the end of last season, said that he can use the larger rinks in Sweden to prepare for the smaller ones in North America.
It’ll force Gustafsson to simplify his game and to make first passes quickly, something on which he’ll get to work while likely logging 20-plus minutes a game and filling roles on both the power play and penalty kill.
Jankovic thought Gustafsson, a self-described “annoying” defenseman, would get picked earlier in the draft.
He can skate alongside both defensive and offensive defensemen, seamlessly complementing both and able to pick up either role when needed.
He constructed a two-way game where size, reach and an ability to carry the puck became his defining traits, and his movement near the blue line and passing ability could make him an option to quarterback a power-play unit in the NHL — perhaps the Islanders’ second one behind Schaefer, Jankovic said.
“He has so many tools when it comes to what he can do,” Jankovic said, “so I think that’s his biggest strength, and as a coach, you want that on the ice.”
Even before the draft, Gustafsson appeared in plenty of games with stakes attached.
He collected 12 points in 19 games with the under-20 team last season and added another three points in 27 regular-season games in the SHL.
He helped Sweden earn a gold medal at the U18 World Championship, skating over 28 minutes against Canada in the quarterfinals, over 29 against Czechia in the semifinals and another 26:39 against Slovakia in the gold-medal game.
Gustafsson helped HV71’s men’s team avoid relegation in the SHL, too, by contributing to their sweep in a best-of-seven series between the 13th- and 14th-place teams — with massive financial ramifications at stake if HV71 lost.
He quarterbacked the second power-play unit and impressed general manager Johan Hult with how he handled the pressure of those games.
“How I use my size and length to shut down players, play physical, really being annoying on the ice, showing that I’m there,” Gustafsson told The Post after the Islanders’ development camp scrimmage last week, “I think that’s the biggest part of my game.”
And if Gustafsson adds strength in his legs to become more explosive, Hult said, he’ll “be even more annoying, that’s for sure.”
Hult found it difficult to describe a ceiling for him because, in his eyes, “the ceiling is not set.”
Gustafsson could represent Sweden in the Olympics.
He could live up to Jankovic’s prediction as one of the best Swedish defensemen in the NHL.
He could make the five other teams who took other defensemen ahead of the Islanders in the first round look foolish.
That would all unfold years in the future.
That takes more than an initial introduction at development camp to actually achieve.
This — the draft, the HV71 games, the final SHL season before taking the leap to what’s next — has been just the start for Gustafsson.
“I think the sky’s the limit for this kid,” Jankovic said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the handful of teams that are hoping to land LeBron James in free agency. According to those around the league, the Cavs are the favorites to do so.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer revealed that the Cavs are the leader in the clubhouse. They reported that “there is growing belief among teams competing for James’ signature that the lure of the 41-year-old playing out his final chapter with the team that drafted him — compared to, say, early favorites Golden State — is looking more and more like the scenario to beat.”
Additionally, Stein and Fischer mention that the Cavs could be keeping a roster spot open so that they can trade for Bronny James from the Los Angeles Lakers, if LeBron were to sign with Cleveland.
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The possibility of Bronny joining LeBron in Cleveland would also make sense. The Cavs don’t necessarily need another 6’2” guard, yet, Bronny does have some upside. His outside shot and feel for the game are quite good. That’s a solid combo to start with. And, if taking a flyer on Bronny is the price for getting LeBron to sign, it’s a deal you’d happily make.
This latest report confirms a lot of what has been out there the last few days. The Cavs appear to be in a good position to land James, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of reporting in recent days to really suggest another team has a great shot at this point.
There are certainly other teams that can make compelling cases for LeBron from a basketball perspective. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers come to mind as teams that can — and have been public about their pursuit of the King’s services. Yet, it’s difficult to envision a situation where James potentially ends his career in a uniform he’s never worn before.
That all said, it’s important to remember that it’s difficult to predict what exactly LeBron will do. Only he knows what he truly wants from a team in presumably the last chapter of his career. All we can say right now is that things continue to point toward a last dance in Cleveland.
England are annoyed their bowlers’ usual pre-game routines will be changed by the appearance of Rita Ora ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup final against Australia at Lord’s on Sunday.
The Knicks told us how they felt about Mohamed Diawara by locking him up to an extension before the restricted free agent could test the open market.
Leon Rose & Co. are obviously very high on the 6-foot-9 wing, after a better-than-expected rookie year in which the 51st overall pick in the 2025 draft appeared in 69 games and made seven starts.
The front office and Diawara agreed to a multiyear deal worth over $10 million, according to The Post’s Stefan Bondy.
It is a hefty raise after Diawara earned $1.27 million last season, the lowest on the team.
Next up for Diawara is summer league in Las Vegas, beginning next Friday.
He is the main attraction on a roster that also includes second-round pick (47th overall) Tyler Nickel out of Vanderbilt and 2024 first-round pick Pacôme Dadiet.
The best thing that can be said about a non-rookie in summer league is that he doesn’t belong there.
The Knicks would obviously like that to be the case with Diawara.
This is an opportunity for him to prove himself after falling out of coach Mike Brown’s playoff rotation.
He will likely be featured.
The Frenchman had a strong first season, averaging 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range in 9.2 minutes.
His offense surprised the Knicks.
He was projected as a potential elite defender due to his impressive length (7-foot-4 wingspan) and athleticism.
Diawara enjoyed a breakout performance in a Dec. 29 win against the Pelicans in which he made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and broke into the regular-season rotation in December.
“Mo is not afraid,” Brown said then. “He’s the most confident young man I’ve been around. He’s got a chance to be really good.”
The Post takes a look at other things to watch for the Knicks summer league team:
The clock could be ticking on the 6-foot-9 Dadiet.
Diawara appears to have passed him.
In two years, Dadiet has played in only 47 games as a Knick.
Over the next few weeks he has a chance to impress.
The better he performs, the better for the Knicks.
Dadiet could be a trade chip, with the team looking to avoid the second apron, and with roughly $6.5 million to spare.
He is owed $2.98 million next season.
Dadiet doesn’t turn 21 until July 27, is relatively inexpensive and could interest another franchise.
Moving him would free Rose up to add another center of significance to pair with Andre Drummond as Karl-Anthony Towns’ backup after Mitchell Robinson was lost to the Celtics in free agency.
Former St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers agreed to a summer league deal with the Knicks and should get the chance to potentially earn a training camp invite — either from them or someone else if he performs well in Sin City.
The 6-foot-5 Sellers helped the Johnnies repeat as Big East regular-season and postseason champions and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
He’s a lights-out 3-point shooter — Sellers made 37.8 percent of his attempts from distance in four seasons in college — and defended better than expected in his one season in Queens.
For St. John’s last winter, Sellers averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Nickel is the lone Knicks draft pick on the team — fellow second-rounder Jack Kayil of Germany isn’t on the roster.
The 6-foot-8 Nickel is a big-time shotmaker who averaged 13.5 points and shot 40 percent from 3 last year on 7.6 attempts for Vanderbilt.
There is always room for shooters with size.
An intriguing name is former Michigan State guard Jaden Akins.
Akins was a G-League All-Star last season while playing for the Motor City Cruise — the Pistons affiliate — averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 assists and shooting just under 36 percent from 3.
He went undrafted in 2025 and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto meets the Padres for the second straight week.
Patrick Ewing is returning to coaching after serving as an ambassador for the Knicks the last two seasons.
The legendary center who remains one of the greatest Knicks players ever — present throughout their recent championship run and parade, too — has joined the Wizards staff as an assistant coach, according to a Saturday ESPN report.
Ewing previously served as the head coach for Georgetown — his alma mater — from 2017-23, leading the Hoyas to a Big East Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021 before winning 13 games combined across the next two seasons and getting fired.
Then, in October 2024, Ewing returned to the Knicks as a “basketball ambassador assisting both basketball and business operations,” according to a team announcement at the time.
“As I said the day my number 33 lifted in the rafters at MSG, I will always be a Knick and I will always be a New Yorker,” Ewing said in a statement at the time. “I can’t wait to get started in this new position and to officially be back with the organization that I love so much.”
That meant Ewing became a central figure again more than two decades after his 15-year tenure in New York City ended with 11 All-Star Game nods and plenty of playoff heartbreak.
In his two years back with the Knicks, they advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the Pacers and then won the championship — with their recent run to the title fueled by a 13-game winning streak.
Before the Finals series against the Spurs began, Ewing told The Post’s Steve Serby that he felt “like I’m a part of it” because of the Knicks ensuring that former players are back.
“What I would tell them is they have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Ewing, who fell short in the 1994 and 1999 NBA Finals, told Serby about what his message would be to the Knicks before the ultimate series. “No one knows if it’s going to come back around. When we got there in ’94, I definitely thought that we were going to have another opportunity in ’95 — take advantage of this opportunity.”
And now, Ewing will return to coaching with a Wizards team that only won 17 games last season en route to landing the No. 1 overall pick — selecting BYU’s AJ Dybantsa — but has plenty of talent to work with.
If Australia can keep playing with the same amount of ambition, skill and speed they showed in Sydney, they will trouble anyone in the Nations Championship
Did anyone inside the sold-out Allianz Stadium, or watching around the world, really expect Ben Donaldson to slot the game-winning kick at the death? A few minutes earlier, when his team still held a slender five-point lead, he had the ball on a tee a little closer to the poles and a little further away from the right touchline. That effort curled across the face of goal and never threatened to sneak inside the upright.
This one was more of a challenge. Just about the toughest challenge a right-footed kicker can encounter. He struck it better but started it too far to the right without the requisite bend. And as the ball sailed wide, it seemed to carry with it the story of Australia’s afternoon. Brave and brilliant, frenetic and entertaining, but ultimately still missing some crucial ingredients as they went down 31-33.
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The Utah Jazz have themselves the star they were looking for to add to an already solid young core. From the moment he stepped onto the floor, Jaz fans were cheering his every move, hoping for a performance that would match the hype.
And that’s exactly what happened. Peterson scored from all different levels, whether it was at the rim, in the mid-range, or making step-back threes. His game is as advanced as you could have ever hoped for. It’s truly remarkable how advanced his command of the floor already is. At no point was there any question who the best player on the floor was. And it was no easy task either. Atlanta gave Peterson everything they had defensively. Multiple times, Peterson would be double-teamed, even in the full court, and he handled it surprisingly well. There’s some room for improvement on his turnovers (8), but his playmaking was solid. Multiple times he set up plays for others that were either bobbled or missed.
That all said, you have to reach a lot to find any fault with Peterson’s debut. For the game, he ends with an incredible stat line of:
28 POINTS
5 REBOUNDS
2 ASSISTS
11/21 FGM
4/7 3PM
27 MINUTES
But it wasn’t all just Darryn Peterson. There were others that deserve mention as well.
Cody Williams was great and looked stronger and more comfortable. He handled the ball well and provided a release valve for Peterson when he was double-teamed. For the game, Williams scored 17 on 8/13 from the field and 1/1 from three. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and had 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
He also had an absolutely FILTHY dunk in the fourth quarter.
Utah also had a really nice game from Ace Bailey. Bailey looked big and fluid, and it translated really well on the floor. He scored 10 points on 4/8 shooting with 6 rebounds, a steal, and a block. But that was in just 19 minutes. Bailey looked like he tweaked his back and appeared to be wearing a heat pad during the game. What’s exciting is how comfortable Bailey looked. He was hitting his midrange and enveloping ball handlers with his quick feet, elite length, and size. If Bailey can defend like he did and also score efficiently, it’s going to be very hard for the Jazz to keep him off the floor. It’s rare to get his impressive mix of tools.
Finally, I want to give Blake Hinson some love. His energy was great, and he’s a sharpshooter who should get time this season. He is a big body and plays hard, and I have a hard time not seeing the Jazz wanting to give him minutes. In all honesty, I’m not quite sure why he hasn’t already gotten regular NBA minutes with another team. He’s a prototypical NBA body and can shoot the threads off the ball. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be getting regular minutes for the Jazz this season.
All in all, it was a fantastic night for Jazz fans. The golden age is here and it’s off to an absolutely incredible start.
Beth Mooney has been in the wars over the last couple of weeks.
San Diego Padres (43-44) at Los Angeles Dodgers (58-31), July 4, 2026, 7:10 p.m. PST
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Texas Rangers reliever Jacob Latz has been named to the American League All Star team, it was announced today. He is the Lone Ranger representative.
Earlier this year I said I would be surprised if Latz made the All Star team, something I based more on how players are selected and the overall numbers game rather than the merits of his case. Since then, though, he’s built an even stronger case, particularly with a great June that saw him named A.L. Reliever of the Month, such that at this point I’m not surprised he got the nod.
Latz is tied for third in the American League in saves, with 18. He has a 1.71 ERA in 42 innings over 33 games.
Happy Fourth of July, folks. May you all leave this holiday, in possession of exactly the same number of fingers with which you entered it. The depth of this preview is potentially constrained by the burgers and hot dogs being ready, at which point, it will come to a rapid conclusion, as I make a beeline for the dining room. Until then, I’ll do what I can. We’ll see whether Kelly can end his losing streak, currently at five consecutive appearances. He’s the first D-back since Shelby Miller in 2017 to lose five starts in a row. Miller also did it the year before. The last to lose six in a row was the Big Unit in June/July 2008. A rare bad spell by Johnson, with a 7.94 ERA in those six starts.
The franchise record holder, however, is Edgar Gonzalez, who dropped seven consecutive L’s during the trauma that was the 2004 season. He started ten times that year, and went 0-9 with a 9.32 ERA. The tenth? Well, that was easily his best start of the year: a Game Score of 64, thirteen points more than any other start. He took a shutout into the seventh, and allowed two runs over seven, but Mike Fetters coughed up four runs immediately in relief, and the D-backs lost that as well. One more fun fact, Silvino Bracho appeared in 24 consecutive losses as a D-back, including his first 23 appearances of 2016. He only took the L in two of those.
And with that, I hear the sultry sounds of Mrs. S yelling from elsewhere in the house. So that’s my sign! See you in the thread, post-dinner.
Christian Wolanin has spent years proving he belongs one phone call away from the NHL. On Saturday, that call came from the Colorado Avalanche, who signed the veteran defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract.
The deal carries a salary of $850,000 at the NHL level and $400,000 in the AHL.
It’s a depth move designed to handle injuries, call-ups, and the long grind of an 84-game season that inevitably creates openings on the blue line. However, there's a clear incentive built into the deal: if Wolanin puts in the work and performs well enough to earn a promotion, he can cash in on NHL opportunities and NHL paydays. Even at the AHL level, however, $400,000 remains a solid salary.
The former 107th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft brings both experience and production in the minors. Wolanin has bounced between NHL opportunities and extended AHL stretches throughout his career, carving out a reputation as a steady puck-moving defenseman who can run a power play and contribute offensively when given the chance.
That offensive profile has followed him at nearly every stop. From his junior days in the USHL through his time at North Dakota, Wolanin steadily climbed the ladder before reaching the NHL with the Ottawa Senators. In 79 NHL games split between Ottawa, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Buffalo, and St. Louis, he has recorded six goals and 17 assists for 23 points, with his more consistent impact coming in the American Hockey League.
Across more than 300 AHL games, Wolanin has been a reliable offensive presence from the blue line, highlighted by a standout 2022–23 season with the Abbotsford Canucks when he posted 55 points in 49 games. He followed that with another strong stretch the next year and most recently added 31 points in 53 games with the Providence Bruins, continuing a long track record of production wherever he lands.
There’s also a familiar hockey lineage tied into the signing. Wolanin is the son of Craig Wolanin, a former NHL defenseman who played more than 600 games and won a Stanley Cup with the franchise during its Quebec Nordiques era after the move to Colorado in 1996.
For Wolanin, it’s another opportunity to stay in the mix and push for NHL minutes over the course of the season.
