NEW YORK — The NHL said it completed a review of Mike Babcock’s tenure in Columbus, cleared him to coach the Edmonton Oilers if they opt to hire him.
The league launched an investigation at the request of the NHL Players’ Association in light of the Edmonton Oilers’ interest in hiring Babcock. The league in a statement said even in the least favorable light, there was no basis to restrict Babcock’s employment.
It was not immediately clear if or when the Oilers would name Babcock coach. They have been looking for a replacement since firing Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit that came after back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
A message sent to union representatives was not immediately returned.
Babcock, 63, has not coached in the NHL since 2019, when he was fired by Toronto 23 games into his fifth season in charge. The Blue Jackets hired him on July 1, 2023, and Babcock resigned in September after his requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.
The NHL dropped its planned investigation at the time because Babcock stepped down. It got underway this week after the final ended
Babcock coached Detroit to the Stanley Cup in 2008 and has made two other trips to the final, along with guiding Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and ’14.
BRONX, NY - JUNE 17: Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of the New York Knicks smile after throwing out the First Pitch at the New York Yankees Game on June 17, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
First mailbag in a while. First championship mailbag ever. Life is good.
How high did your blood pressure spike when it actually happened? I know my answer because I have to monitor mine.
— Unmitigated Gall
By the fourth quarter of Game 5 my body was completely falling apart. I’m not sure I was designed to withstand that much joy.
I’m not very externally emotive, in general and certainly fan-wise. I’d rather die than boo a player or a ref in-person, and from the comfort of home I mostly internalize my emotions (cursing is not an emotion). My sister was two rooms away when the Knicks won Game 5; she said she was surprised she didn’t hear much from me as the game wound down. Not me. There are reasons I watch Knick games — and of all my teams, only Knick games — alone. On the surface, I am quiet as a churchmouse. Underneath, I am louder than Krakatoa.
By the fourth quarter I was no longer hoping the Knicks would win; I was craving. It was an actual lust in my body. I believed in them, more than I’ve believed in any Knick team since 1994 broke my heart. With 2:40 remaining, I was already weepy. Once OG Anunoby hit the free throw to make it a four-point lead with 20 seconds left, my legs started shaking. After a Stephon Castle follow-dunk and a Knick timeout to inbound from the frontcourt, Jalen Brunson was mugged at midcourt by Victor Wembanyama, with the loose ball luckily falling into the hands of Mikal Bridges. Had that obvious foul instead resulted in a turnover, I would have literally climbed through my TV like the girl from The Ring to torment Scott Foster & Co. for life.
I missed most of the televised aftermath of the game ending. Didn’t see the trophy ceremony until after it was over. I was too busy bawling. I don’t have language for what I was feeling, for what was released. I’ve wept after losing a child. Wept after the worst physical pain of my life. Cried tears of joy countless times. This was none of those things.
Someone asked me yesterday how I’m feeling now, nearly a week later. The truth is I’ve been mostly paralyzed with joy. It feels like someone planted bombs in my head and my heart, and when they detonated they completely cleared out those spaces. There is emptiness. There is a constant ringing. Both are delicious.
Been having some health problems. Starting to mess up my sleep. Last few nights I’ve gone to bed crazy early — 8 p.m. last night — and woken up 6-10 times by morning. I remember when the Knicks were randomly good in 2013, I was waking up 6-10 times a night to pee. Every time I woke, my brain was instantly in mid-conversation with itself about the team; it was like I was eavesdropping on myself. Can Jason Kidd really be counted on? What the hell is the point of Kenyon Martin? Did Chris Copeland hit on Mike Woodson’s wife?
Now I wake up thinking about Mikal Bridges’ best, quietest contributions. Karl-Anthony Towns defending all postseason with his feet instead of his hands, not biting on pump-fakes. Ariel Hukporti’s weakside rejection of Luke Kornet. Not having a dipshit owner. Uplifting thoughts only.
I don’t have my actual BP reading from the end of Game 5, but about a half-hour before it ended I remember wondering if my heart was healthy enough to watch the Knicks come back one last time. They pushed themselves to their physical limits to close the Spurs out. So did I.
What will you be approaching differently in life given what you’ve just experienced?
— BrunsOnGod
The Knick run dovetailed with me visiting the city in May, when they beat Cleveland to advance to the Finals.
I’ve been in a rut for months. Depressed, unmotivated, unsure not simply about what to do with my life, but whether there’s a point in doing anything at all. Materially, emotionally, existentially tapped. Bone dry. Waiting on a diagnosis that may answer some questions.
I stayed in the city a few days, which is when my health weirdness took off. But something else took off, too. My spirit. A quickening, if not to life than to the desire for one. There’s only one place I’ve ever loved living, and that’s NYC. There was only one place the Knicks needed to get to bring joy to millions of people, and they got there one step at a time.
They didn’t sign LeBron or draft Zion or trade for Giannis, pull a complete 180. They spent years putting one step in front of the other. Some moves were made before Leon Rose even got there, e.g. trading for Mitchell Robinson. Some moves you make aren’t the finishing touches, but keep you going until you get close enough to make those touches — hello, Julius Randle. Some moves require a leap of faith, i.e. the Bridges trade. Some reward leaps of faith, i.e. signing Brunson.
I struggle more than you can imagine with small, sequential steps. I want to buckle down and do it all in one heroic, Olympian act. It’s more instinctive for me to try to lift a mountain by myself than simply walk every day until building the endurance to climb it. Maybe that was somewhere I felt a kinship with the Knicks all these years. We were both chasing messiahs we didn’t need.
Ani DiFranco has a line about how when she looks up at the sky she trips, but when she looks down she misses the stars. My head is always in the clouds. The Knicks are inspiring my feet to stay grounded, stay focused and take one step at a time toward my goal. I want to move to NYC within a year. I want to be where I feel alive and loved with people I love. I want to feel alive. New York is that energy. If the Knicks could make their lifelong dream a reality, why not me?
1) Will Mitch get over/under/through whatever the heck is making him brick his FTs?
2) Are the Knicks no longer underdogs, or will they always have that spirit for you?
— SayAgainSayAgain
1) No. Too many people assigned male at birth worry too much what people they don’t know and will never meet may think of them.
2) The team the Knicks just beat 4-1 has better odds of winning the title next year. The team that team beat has better odds. The Celtics, who lost in the first round to a team the Knicks vaporized in the second, have better odds. I’m old enough to have seen a few seasons when the Knicks were the favorites to win it all. I imagine the next few years will be pretty similar to this one was, in that Knick fans know best how good their team is, and we will revel in the rest of the league finding out.
Should the Spurs replace Mitch Johnson? With Thibs?
— ClydeWingo
If I may, I’d like to defend Mitch Johnson here, and not only because he ranked just behind Brunson, KAT and OG for Finals MVP.
Sometimes a team — or maybe more aptly, a superstar — being ahead of the curve works against them. Por ejemplo, all the hoary yahoos who’ll trot out “Michael Jordan never lost in the Finals; LeBron lost six; ergo MJ da goat.” This penalizes James for lifting the 2007 Cavaliers and their 18th-ranked offense to heights no other human could have. Can you even name the other four starters in that Cav playoff run?
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlović and Drew Gooden. You’re welcome.
Michael Jordan’s Bulls reached the ECF in 1989 and 1990, coming up short both times. We don’t ding him for that. That’s reasonable. Blaming James for losing six Finals when his team was the underdog in at least five of them is lazy, absurd and utterly unreasonable.
The Spurs, despite how well they played, are not a title contender.
I know that sounds weird, maybe patently ridiculous. They *could* have swept the Knicks 5-0. They were the only team on Earth that could figure out the Thunder. I get all that. But if I can toot my own horn, I was locked-in predicting the NBA this season. Stay with me.
I invited scorn and clapbacks in early recaps, as I derided Detroit’s hot start (15-2; 28-9; 40-13) as much ado about nothing. I thought they were too young, too inexperienced and too poor on offense to beat any team that wasn’t one-dimensional, and they were. Despite all the accolades earned for rushing their best player back from injury before losing him to injury again in the playoffs, I never took the Celtics seriously, not when donuts have more going on at center. And though the Knicks eliminated the Cavs in May to win the East, the day Cleveland traded Darius Garland, their one and only player with a skill that could give the Knicks some trouble, was the day the East became New York’s.
Which brings us to the Spurs, who despite all their purported ethical charms are pretty clearly not ready for primetime, and before you assume I’m too dense to have comprehended the majesty of Wemby please kindly read up on the 1995 Magic and 2012 Thunder. Life is rarely linear. Teams that get thisclose to winning it all don’t automatically seal the deal the next year.
San Antonio is a fabulous team. How many teams could beat them in a seven-game series? Maybe three? The problem for them is two of those teams are Western contenders (OKC and Denver) while the third just gentleman swept them.
The Spurs, currently, are Wembanyama and a bunch of guards. You can get away with that when you’re playing Portland, Minnesota or Oklahoma City, teams with traditional 5s who don’t shoot 3s. Against those teams, Wembanyama is free to play free safety and blow up entire offenses. But your reigning NBA champs happen to feature a big who can bomb with aplomb. And I’ve a feeling any number of teams thinking they belong in the conversation will look to add a five-out element to their offenses, too.
So what, exactly, was Mitch Johnson supposed to do differently than he did? Before you get into trashing De’Aaron Fox, please remember I am the person who spent years defending Randle for all the crap he took after a postseason that started with him questionable with a badly sprained ankle, an ankle he re-injured at the end of the first round. How’d Randle look when he finally went into a postseason healthy? Brilliant, that’s how. Fox suffered a high ankle sprain in May and didn’t look like himself in early June. Weird, huh?
Maybe you found yourself patting yourself on the back for noticing Dylan Harper was a pretty good player, and shouldn’t he have gotten some of those minutes Fox did? Hey, that the same Harper who shot worse from deep in the Western playoffs than the regular season? Then bottomed out, making just 28% of his 3s in the Finals? I know, I know. I loved Harper’s game too. He’s sick. He’s scary. Obviously he’s far more than whatever his three-point numbers show.
But here’s the thing: NONE of the Spurs big-minutes players could hit from beyond the arc vs. New York. Fox made just 25% from distance, Wembanyama 27%, Harper 28% and Castle 30%. The only Spurs who combined volume with efficiency from deep were Devin Vassell and Justin Champagnie, with Champagnie a defensive weak link the Knicks repeatedly attacked. So, again: what was Mitch Johnson supposed to do? Mike Brown wouldn’t have won with last year’s Knicks; they weren’t deep enough. Neither were these Spurs.
I didn’t understand some of the times Wembanyama sat, especially in Game 5. But the next 7-foot-5 human being to average 40 minutes in a Finals will be the first. The Spurs have a lot invested in their alien. They don’t want him going the way of Ralph Sampson, so as close as they were to winning in his age 22-season, I suspect the organization’s policy on Wemby’s minutes came from a little higher up the corporate ladder than the head coach.
Johnson’s best player was clearly running on fumes this series, as evidenced by his crunch-time free throw misses and turning into Charles Bronson for a few moments of madness every game. His two-way players mostly couldn’t shoot straight. His bench, outside of Harper inside the arc, was invisible. I don’t know what buttons were left for him to press. Sometimes your players just aren’t quite ready for prime-time.
Now, to ClydeWingo’s specific question: no, I would not fire Johnson. I certainly wouldn’t replace him with Tom Thibodeau. That’d be like trading Wembanyama for Randle — who needs a floor-raiser when you’re already bumping your head into cathedral ceilings? For San Antonio to get to the promised land, they needed time and failure. They got plenty of the former and as much of the latter as they care to. A different coach isn’t gonna accelerate that any.
I think my biggest question, and I want all the opinions on this, is where does OG’s tip in rank on the single greatest plays in New York sports history? Above Bucky Dent? Above Buckner? Above David Tyree’s helmet catch?
Also, you never use a dash to separate out an appositive phrase. What shyster high school did you go to?
— Jesus and Ham on Rye
We talking the television age? Or all-time? I’m willing to claim OG’s put-back is — prisoner of the moment aside — the most celebrated. I don’t know how to quantify “greatest.” I can speak to some of the most celebrated plays in the other local teams’ histories.
For the Mets, Mookie’s grounder up the first-base line is still number one. God forbid I ever speak for Yankee fans; I imagine Jim Leyritz’s home run off Mark Wohlers is up there, as far as moments from my lifetime. Joe Girardi’s triple in Game 6? The Tino Martinez grand slam in the 1998 World Series? I wasn’t yet topside in 1978 when Dent homered at Fenway, but they’d just won the World Series the year before, so it wasn’t like that ended some long barren run for them.
The Giants have a ton, from Matt Bahr’s game-ending game-winning field goal to send them to Super Bowl XXV to Scott Norwood missing for Buffalo at the end of that game, all the way to David Tyree and Mario Manningham. The Jets? LOLOLOL.
I am a big Liberty fan, so when Breanna Stewart went to the line at the end of Game 5 of the Finals two years ago, a night when she couldn’t buy a basket, for the free throws that’d send the game to OT and the Liberty to their first-ever ‘chip, it was huuuuge. But the Liberty are not as loved as the Knicks (though James Dolan selling them has to help).
To some extent, the Rangers fall into this same label. Whether you’re picking Mark Messier’s hat trick to push the ECF to Game 7, Stephane Matteau’s double-overtime winner in that Game 7 to send them to the Cup finals or Mike Richter’s penalty save against Pavel Bure in those Finals, the moments are a-plenty, and to any Ranger fan who witnessed the ‘94 run there was nothing like it (imagine the Knicks wiping out the Hawks and 76ers, then being pushed to the BRINK by the Cavs and Spurs).
But the Rangers aren’t the Knicks. Not to NYC. So while I generally avoid people reflexively claiming “This thing that literally just happened is historically resonant!”, in this case I think they’re right. Every other great sporting feat in NYC history appeals to half the fans here. The Knicks, as the city’s only NBA team, matter to everybody. Thus, OG’s shot is the winner.
And as I’ve tried to demonstrate any number of times in this mailbag — including this sentence right here — you can absolutely set off appositives with dashes. I attended Webster High School in Webster, New York. The town motto is “Where life is worth living,” your first hint that there, it very much isn’t.
Where does this championship rank in terms of historical significance for the NBA?
What were your favorite moments from this 4 year run in the Jalen Brunson Era? Other than the OG hand of God.
— Allzingers
God these are fun mailbag questions! The Knicks should win the title more often.
I’m not sure anyone outside the league offices on Fifth Avenue ever thinks this way, or if anyone even can. It’s like knowing your whole block is knocking boots on Saturday night, and wondering “Who had the best sex tonight?” I think there’s probably no right answer; it really depends on from where you’re coming. Or if.
For instance: four years ago, the Golden State Warriors won their fourth title of the Steph/Klay/Draymond era. That made them only the fourth group to do so, joining the Russell/Cousy Celtics, the Magic/Kareem Lakers and the Jordan/Pippen Bulls. That seems historically significant. But if you’re not a Warriors fan, did you care? Remember: Adam Silver wants you to believe you hate dynasties, instead preferring an antagonistic collective bargaining agreement, forced roster ruptures and cost-control all masquerading as “parity.”
A lot of people have talked about Knick fans around the country coming together over the 2026 title. In 2019, a country actually did rally around its one and only team when the Raptors took the trophy home — and given that no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993, the same year the Blue Jays last won the World Series, I think it’s fair to say Toronto’s title was historically meaningful. But it loses some luster because the main cause behind it left as fast as he could for the Clippers.
The 2016 Cavs ended an even-longer title drought for their city, and not just an NBA drought but across the Association, the NFL and MLB, too. Consider the nature of their conquest: coming back from 3-1 down in the Finals, against the greatest single-season team we’d ever seen and the defending champs. Then consider the level both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reached the last three games of the series. Remember: MJ held off on “The Last Dance” for years, right up until James won the one championship that made people think “Maybe he does go above Mike.” 2016 Cavs were pretty historically meaningful.
I imagine, ironically, that the true impact of the Knicks’ title charge will only grow clear the further we get from it. If they repeat as champs next season, win three of four ‘chips, then 2026 will have a particular importance. If 30 years from now you’re on your deathbed and this was the only time you ever saw the Knicks win it all, then 2026 will retain a particular importance for you.
Fave moments of Brunson era: the 32, 38 and 41 points Brunson put up the last three games vs. Miami in 2023 (that’s when I knew he was *him*); Randle bouncing back from the 2022 thumbs-down to be both an All-Star and All-NBA in ‘23; OG dunking all over Embiid’s head in the 2024 series; DiVincenzo’s game-winning 3; the Knicks hiring Patrick Ewing in an official capacity; upsetting Boston last season (the first time I think I’ve ever seen the Knicks upset someone); me being wrong about Brunson; me being wrong about KAT; me being wrong about Mike Brown; me being right about Bridges; everybody being right about OG; Josh Hart for existing; Jose Alvarado for being Puerto Rican; the entire 2026 playoffs, natch.
Who is the worst player on this team whose jersey/name will be a deep pull in 20 years? 40-50?
— Spike Lee’s Joint
Jeremy Sochan. Dude just has a way of being visible.
LOS ANGELES — A banged-up Shohei Ohtani has allowed multiple earned runs in back-to-back starts on the mound for the first time this season.
Pitching with residual soreness in his left knee and a blister on his right middle finger that got bloodied later in the game, Ohtani gave up more than one run in an inning for the second time in a week after opening with four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay.
His knee caused him to miss a game in Chicago, and his four-start winning streak on the mound was snapped with a no-decision at Pittsburgh.
“Just part of the game,” Ohtani said through a translator. “There’s not a lot of situations where you feel 100%, so I just took it as that. It’s big that we were able to win a game like this.”
Ohtani (7-2) gave up four runs and five hits in the fifth on 26 pitches. But he responded with a 1-2-3 sixth to complete his time on the mound, and wound up with the win when the Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 victory to finish their second-ever sweep of the Rays.
“It’s just really that inning, that fifth inning, that I wasn’t really too pleased,” he said, “but aside from that the stuff was good and I felt pretty good overall.”
Ohtani has allowed eight runs (seven earned) in his past two starts after yielding just seven runs (five earned) in his first 10 starts. His ERA rose to 1.47, still second-best in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings.
“Obviously, we expect close to perfection out of Sho every time he goes out there. So does he,” Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said. “But there’s no reason to worry at all.”
Ohtani was not in the starting lineup, but he batted for designated hitter Miguel Rojas in the sixth after the Dodgers regained the lead on a two-run homer by Freddie Freeman that saved Ohtani from potentially taking a loss.
He grounded out on one pitch and the Dodgers lost the DH for the rest of the game.
“I talked to (Ohtani), and he said he felt really comfortable about taking the at-bat,” manager Dave Roberts said. “If we were ahead, would I have fired that bullet? Probably less likely, but again, there isn’t much cost if he feels like he can take the at-bat, whether you’re up one or down one, or whatever.”
Offensively, Ohtani came in with five homers in his last nine games and was hitting .367 during that span.
Los Angeles, CA - June 16, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) reacts during the second inning of an MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — Justin Wrobleski on Tuesday night had another strong start in a season that is filling up with them, and authored the first two-thirds of a game that lasted only one hour, 52 minutes.
Drew Rasmussen was also quite good, going seven innings for the Rays, and allowed the only run of the game, a solo home run by Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning. That was the recipe for a quick game, especially with Will Klein, Kyle Hurt, and Tanner Scott retiring eight of their nine batters faced out of the Dodgers bullpen.
“Not only myself, but everyone that came out of the bullpen filled the zone and did a great job. When [Rasmussen] is dealing and we pitch a good game, too, that’s a product of it,” Wrobleski said Tuesday night. “Under two hours is pretty cool, especially when we’ve got a noon game tomorrow, so that’s good for the boys.”
Wrobleski needed only 67 pitches to get through his six innings, and was pulled due to a combination of pitching on four days rest plus some hard-hit balls later in his outing. He had the second straight quality start for the Dodgers after fellow left-hander Eric Lauer went six innings on Monday.
“He fills the zone up a lot, he’s not afraid to go after guys. I think that plays into his hand of, ‘I have a lot of good stuff, and I’m going to come after you with everything I’ve got,’” Lauer said of Wrobleski on Wednesday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He throws hard, has good offspeed stuff, and keeps them off balance with that curveball now. He stays in the zone and gets guys out in the zone, which is hard to do.”
“You know he’s going to go after guys. His first pitch is like his last pitch,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s the epitome of go as hard as you can for as long as you can, until the manager takes the ball from you.”
“Our defense is incredible, they’ve been great all year,” Wrobleski said Tuesday. “It gives me confidence to just fill the zone, and let them make plays behind me.”
That’s helped Wrobleski last at least six innings in nine of his 12 starts, including four starts of seven innings or longer. He’s also started two of the three shortest Dodgers games of the season. He went seven innings and struck out nine Phillies in a win on May 29 at Dodger Stadium that lasted two hours, three minutes.
But one hour, 52 minutes on Tuesday was a real throwback game, and the shortest game lasting at least nine innings so far of this MLB season.
The Dodgers hadn’t had a game that short for nearly 34 years. October 4, 1992 was the last time they played a game so quick, a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros in The Astrodome on the final day of a miserable 99-loss season for the Dodgers, their worst year in the live-ball era.
It was also the final game in the 31-year career of legendary umpire Doug Harvey, who worked behind the plate that Sunday. According to accounts from some Astros in the Associated Press game report, Harvey may have helped that game move along rather quickly:
“I knew there would be an expanded strike zone today,” Howe said after Houston beat the Dodgers, 3-0, in a 1-hour, 44-minute game, shortest in the National League since April 10, 1989. “I told our guys just to be aggressive.”
“He called a strike on me,” Houston pitcher Pete Harnisch said, “and then he looked at me and said, ‘That pitch wasn’t even close.’ ”
Harnisch matched his personal best with 12 strikeouts.
Harvey, who was also behind the plate for Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2010.
An ESPN pundit is furious over recent comments by Vincent Goodwill, calling the NBA Championship a “participation trophy.”
Kendrick Perkins went off on Wednesday evening on “The Road Trippin Show.”
“That was a bunch of bulls–t. It was all the way disrespectful, and when I heard him say it, the first thing came to mind is that your ass never was an athlete then. You couldn’t have never participated or been a basketball player or played on anybody’s team talking that type of nonsense. That was the most asinine thing that I’ve ever heard.”
Goodwill’s argument highlighted the eight different champions over eight years, noting that many teams were unable to repeat. He also argued Tuesday that there is no validation in any of the eight wins, including the New York Knicks’ recent championship.
Kendrick Perkins rips into Goodwill’s recent comments @NBA__Courtside/X
Kendrick Perkins GOES OFF on Vincent Goodwill for calling the NBA championship a participation trophy
“Here’s the sh*t that pisses me off. Is when sometimes you’re on television and you get in the moment and feeling the table you going to say some bullsh*t out your mouth.… pic.twitter.com/YCp2CqSZUF
Other participants were shocked by the comments, including MSG and ESPN NBA analyst Alan Hahn, who said the biggest point of validation was the Larry O’Brien Trophy
“Oh, you mean the participation trophy then.” Goodwill retorted. “It is if everyone gets one.”
Perkins believes that even if a player won the championship more than once, each win would stick with them.
“You disrespect the guys who are champions by saying it’s a participation trophy. Like what the f–k are we talking about? Do you know that one in those eight teams that won over the last eight years, one of them was Steph Curry,” Pekins said. “And I guarantee you if you go ask Steph Curry which one of them was his greatest championship, nine times out of ten he’s going to say the fourth one, not just because he won Finals MVP but because he had to overcome the obstacle of being a defensive liability. And he did that.”
Vincent Goodwill on ESPN’s “Get Up.” @awfulannouncing/XKarl-Anthony Towns with the Larry O’Brien Trophy AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
“As the media, we have a f–king responsibility, man, to make sure that we say and do the right things,” he continued. “We don’t go on the stage, on the platform, right after somebody just been crowned champions and call that s–t a participation trophy. Even if you’re thinking that, you don’t say that.”
For teams to be champions, it takes years of good drafting, smart signings and clever trades. Then the players and coaches work hard through an 82-game season to just make the playoffs. Finally, in a short period of time, the teams have to play and beat the other team’s best to have a chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
In the NBA, five teams have never been in the Finals, and ten have never hoisted the trophy. Those fans are still waiting to participate in the celebrations of being NBA champions.
Jun 16, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29), second from right, and third baseman J.P. Crawford, second from right, celebrate after a game against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Author’s Note: This post contains sponsored content from FanDuel Sportsbook
Well, as is typical, I spoke too soon. Jhonny Pereda has been demoted back to Triple-A; it seems the Mariners are committing 100% to Garver, which I can respect, but at the same time, it’s like, why not go with the hot hand? Unless Garver has some remarkably strong relationship with the pitching staff, which I doubt, I’m a little confused as to why they keep running him out there. Seems like the majority of you agree with me:
Clearly, Pereda has captured the hearts of Mariners fans everywhere, but heart alone isn’t enough, and play apparently isn’t either, so I guess it’s vibes-based. Considering the results over the past few seasons, I can’t exactly disagree with the success of the strategy. Who knows, maybe Garver is going to give a Jayson Hayward-type rain delay speech in the World Series and inspire the Mariners to victory.
But let’s stop the roster construction talk for a bit. With the midpoint of the season coming up, voting has already opened for the Midsummer Classic, the MLB All-Star Game. All-Star week is always a fun time for players to reset and get back on track, accept their flowers for fantastic first-half performances, and capture bragging rights over the guys in the other league. Now, as we all know, every team gets one representative, while some teams send just one guy who’s been playing at a mildly above-average level; others have such a plethora of talent that they have the opprotunity to send multiple players. While the Mariners have struggled, they still have had several standout performances so far this season. Obviously, you can vote for Mariners all up and down the ballot, but what I want to hear from you all is who you would most like to see in the All-Star Game from the Mariners? Not necessarily the obvious pick, but who you would love to see rep the Mariners at the Midsummer Classic.
Speaking of voting, I know some people at LL already do this (including me), but do you always vote for all Mariners on your ballot, or do you mix it up? Personally, I always do a few All-Mariners ballots and then some where I try to vote for who I actually think deserves to be an All-Star. But I’d like to know how you do it- all Mariners, all the way, mixed and matched, or just pure hateraid and ignoring the boys in Navy Blue altogether? Let us know your thoughts through the poll and comments below!
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Last week, I wrote this article proposing that the Cubs match a lot of other teams and move all their night game start times to 6:40 p.m. Currently, the Cubs have that starting time for night games in April, May and September, and begin night contests at 7:05 p.m. in June, July and August.
Now, I’d like to go a step further. Night baseball began at Wrigley Field in 1988, but not until after some contentious negotiations with groups in the neighborhood around the ballpark. An ordinance was passed at that time by the city of Chicago limiting the number of night games to 18 per year. That ordinance was amended in 2002, raising the limit to 30, with additional night games allowed for national TV purposes. Night games were prohibited on Fridays and Saturdays, again with national TV exceptions — though the team has hosted night concerts at Wrigley on those days, and functionally there is no difference between a night baseball game and night concert, it’s still 40,000 people in the neighborhood, lights on, crowd noise (and obviously, loud music on concert nights). Typically there are now 35-40 night events at Wrigley Field each year, more if the Cubs make the postseason (postseason games are exempt from the ordinance limits). Last year the Cubs played two postseason games at night, the two in the division series vs. the Brewers. The wild card series games vs. the Padres were all day games.
It’s now 38 years since baseball under the lights was first played at the Friendly Confines. The neighborhood has changed and adapted to games being played at night. I’d say, without researching in detail, that the overwhelming majority of people living near Wrigley Field now were not living there in 1988.
This topic came up again because of what happened at the Mumford and Sons concert at Wrigley Field last week. The event was delayed several hours because of severe thunderstorms in the Chicago area. It didn’t begin until after 10:30 p.m. and ended at about 12:30 a.m., which is 90 minutes past the usual time limit on concerts. Per this Block Club Chicago article, the band was subject to “heavy fines” (about $45,000, according to the article) for going so long — but more importantly, the article indicates that at least some neighbors didn’t mind the late ending:
“I don’t care,” said Diane Chaney, who has lived on the 3700 block of Sheridan Avenue Wrigley for nearly seven years. “We knew going into this that we’re going to have noise when we move here. Anybody who moves here and thinks it’s going to be a nice, quiet place is delusional.”
Neil Barron, a Cubs season ticket holder who lives in an apartment on the 3700 block of Wilton Avenue, said the occasional late night comes with the territory.
“The stadium was here first,” Barron said. “I chose to be here.”
On Thursday night, Barron pulled up a chair and sat on his front lawn to listen to the Mumford show. That’s one of the perks of living so close to the stadium, he said.
Jarrett Prizel, who moved into the neighborhood less than a week ago, said he barely noticed the concert itself from his apartment at 3800 Grace Street and only heard some of the fireworks.
“If you move into an area like this, you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into,” Prizel said. “Last night was a little bit different because of the rain, but that’s just part of it.”
(Note: The writer probably meant somewhere around the 800 block of Grace Street. 3800 Grace would be several miles west of Wrigley Field. And “Sheridan Avenue Wrigley” … that’s not a thing. The writer probably meant Sheridan Road.)
These comments are 100 percent different from what neighbors were saying in 1988. This is likely because, as those three people noted, they knew exactly where they were moving and what was in the neighborhood before they lived there. I’d guess those comments reflect the views of most of the community.
And so I am going to propose here that the city of Chicago repeal the night-game ordinance and allow the Cubs to play as many night games as they choose. The ordinance, nearly four decades old, has outlived any usefulness it once had.
Playing more night games would help the team, allowing them more rest, as many other teams have. Here’s a list of the number of home night games played by all 30 MLB teams in 2025. 2026 data, obviously, is incomplete, but it’s likely to be similar. As I noted in last week’s article, the Cubs will play 39 home night games this year.
The average number of home night games played by the other 29 teams in 2025 was 51. This number has been fairly constant for teams other than the Cubs over the last 30-40 years — about 50-55 home night games per year. Last year the Cubs played 55 night games on the road. Overall the 2025 Cubs were 42-31 (.575) in day games and 50-39 (.562) at night, not that much different. It split up this way:
Home: 29-20 in day games, 21-11 in night games Road: 14-12 in day games, 28-27 in night games
The home figure, though, seems significant.
Also, overall the Cubs have been better in night games at home than in day games since the lights went on in August 1988. According to BCB’s JohnW53, the team’s winning percentage in home day games since then is .527 (1,061 wins, 953 losses), while in home night games it’s .536 (522 wins, 452 losses). The percentage difference isn’t huge — the equivalent of two wins over a 162-game season — but that’s not nothing, either.
The most night games the Cubs have played in Wrigley Field in a single season is 41, in 2022. This year they have played 18 to date, winning 10, losing eight. There will be 21 more, for a total of 39, as noted above.
Now, I am aware that the Cubs have made “Friday 1:20” an iconic thing, generally the only team playing on Friday afternoons. Those could stay with a change in the ordinance, with the exception of any Friday home game that would come immediately after a Thursday night road game (there are no such transitions this year, though there is a Friday afternoon 1:20 game Aug. 14 vs. the Cardinals, after a Thursday 3:05 CT start in Washington, which is a fairly tight turnaround). The Cubs are also unlikely to change Wednesday or Thursday afternoon getaway day contests to night games; most teams do this. Thus any increase in night games would likely come from adding Saturdays, which are currently not allowed by ordinance. Maybe that adds 10 or so night games, possibly getting the Cubs to between 45 and 50 home night games.
This isn’t the 1980s anymore. Wrigleyville has changed. The city should change, too, and repeal the outdated Wrigley Field night-game ordinance.
Time for you to weigh in. Note! I’m not giving you a “I’d like fewer night games” choice because that ship has sailed — around 35 night games a year is going to be the minimum.
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Josh Inglis' expert pick: Angels vs Athletics - Over 10.5
Price: 47¢ (+113) at Polymarket
If you're going to give us totals this low in Sacramento, I'm going to keep betting the Over until this number gets back to where it was during the Colorado series, when totals climbed as high as 14.5.
The Over cashed again last night on a similar number, and THE BAT is projecting 11.75 runs once again today. It's not 90 degrees at Sutter Health Park, but there are 12-mph winds blowing out to center field, and this remains, by far, the best park for runs and home runs on the board, per Ballpark Pal.
The Los Angeles Angels are rolling with a bullpen day, and the Athletics own the worst bullpen ERA in baseball over the last two weeks. Runs could come from either side at any point in this series opener
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
How to watch: NBCS-California, Athletics.TV
Jon Metler's expert pick: Twins moneyline
Price: 54¢ (-117) at Polymarket
Let's call it what it is: this is a bet on Joe Ryan.
Ryan has quietly established himself as one of the better starters in the American League, and with the trade deadline approaching, he'll have plenty of motivation to continue building his value.
His success starts with a four-seam fastball that he throws at a high rate. While the pitch doesn't overwhelm hitters with pure velocity — it sits around 94 mph — its unique release point creates a flat, rising trajectory that makes it extremely difficult for hitters to track and square up consistently.
That pitch should be particularly effective against the heart of the Texas Rangers' lineup, especially right-handed hitters like Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, and Jake Burger.
If Ryan can neutralize that group, it's fair to wonder where Texas will generate enough offense to win this game. At the current price, I'm willing to back the better starting pitcher. I make the Minnesota Twins closer to 58-cent favorites in this matchup.
Time: 2:35 p.m. ET
How to watch: Monumental, RSN
Neil Parker's expert pick: Phillies moneyline
Price: 53¢ (-113) at Polymarket
While it hasn’t been pretty for Philadelphia Phillies veteran Aaron Nola, his underlying 3.49 xFIP at home is impressive, and Philly ranks 11th in wOBA and sixth in ISO at Citizens Bank Park.
So, with the New York Mets sporting respective 29th- and 26th-ranked marks on the highway, I’m expecting Nola to pitch well enough for the Phillies to pull away.
New York lefty Sean Manaea will be making just his second start of the year, and the Philadelphia bullpen paces the majors in xFIP this season and across the past 30 days to close out the game behind Nola.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
How to watch: NBCS-Philadelphia, SNY
Joe Osborne's expert pick: Mets moneyline
Price: 49¢ (+104) at Polymarket
Sean Manaea appears to have found his groove, posting a 3.33 ERA over his last eight appearances, and now he gets the start against a Philadelphia Phillies lineup that ranks a brutal 25th in OPS against southpaws over the last month.
On the other side, Aaron Nola looks — quite simply — washed, carrying a 5.86 ERA this season and a 6.21 mark at home. The New York Mets have hit him well historically, enter with the hotter offense, and could also benefit from a potentially taxed Phillies bullpen after the team used eight different pitchers yesterday.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Calgary Flames are currently in rebuilding mode, with a promising pipeline that could aid their transition over the next few seasons.
While players like Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin, Yan Kuznetsov, and Hunter Brzustewicz all took massive steps this season and are likely locks for NHL roster spots next year, several other prospects are knocking on the door. Here are a few players looking to earn call-ups and NHL ice time next season.
Abram Wiebe (Wranglers) - Initially considered a secondary piece in the trade that sent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, Wiebe has proven his value. Drafted 209th overall by Vegas in 2022, he appeared in four games for the Flames late last season and is slated to skate for the Wranglers next year. He earned multiple Defenceman of the Week awards during his sophomore season at North Dakota and was named to the NCHC All-Academic Team, finishing the year with 29 points (5g, 24a) in 40 games.
Cole Reschny (NCAA) - Reschny is expected to return to North Dakota next season for continued development. While he could be ready for professional minutes with the Wranglers, his consistent offensive skill, hockey sense, and solid two-way game suggest he will soon be wearing a Flaming ‘C.’ As the Flames look to bolster their center depth, Reschny is a prime candidate; he suited up for Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships, recording 8 points (5g, 3a) in 5 games, and averaged nearly a point per game at North Dakota with 35 points (6g, 29a) in 36 games. He was named NCHC Rookie of the Year in 2025-26.
Ethan Wyttenbach (NCAA) - Wyttenbach had a breakout 2025-26 season with Quinnipiac University, tallying 59 points (25g, 24a) in 40 games. Drafted 144th overall by the Flames in 2025, the 5’10", 180-pound winger has shown clear progress. While he may remain in the NCAA for another season, he is quickly becoming a name to watch in the Calgary prospect pool.
Aydar Suniev (Wranglers) - Suniev saw action with the Flames last season and, while he needs to refine his defensive play, he brings a lethal shot and an undeniable nose for the net. On a team desperate for offence, Suniev could carve out a permanent role if he continues to produce and improves his play away from the puck. Drafted 80th overall in 2023, the 21-year-old has played seven career NHL games and recorded his first NHL point, an assist, against the Utah Mammoth on April 12, 2026.
Tyson Gross (Flames) - One of the most touted free agents out of the college ranks last season, Gross recorded 41 points (18g, 23a) in 36 games with St. Cloud State before signing an entry-level deal with his hometown Flames. He finished the season in Calgary, playing six games and scoring his first career NHL goal against the Colorado Avalanche. He brings size, hockey sense, and reliability in the faceoff circle.
Samuel Honzek (Flames) - Honzek is currently bridging the gap between prospect and pro. He made the Flames roster out of training camp last season and was effectively playing alongside Mikael Backlund in a shutdown role before a season-ending injury sidelined him. He was performing at a high level, and he will look to reclaim his spot once training camp begins.
Rory Kerins (Wranglers) - While the window may be closing for Kerins, he remains a top prospect due to his strong AHL performance and his persistent drive to earn NHL minutes. Success will ultimately come down to him making the most of his opportunities when called upon. Kerins, the Flames' 174th overall pick in 2020, was named an AHL All-Star in 2025 and followed up the strong campaign with another in 2026, recording 57 points (22g, 35a) in 56 games for the Wranglers. He has recorded four assists in nine career NHL games.
With the offseason officially underway, the Suns have several questions to answer with their own free agents. They want to bring back multiple players and are expected to prioritize Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Fans are also wondering what that could cost the team. Two other names fans want back are set to be restricted free agents.
Those two names are Mark Williams and Koby Brea, and even if only one got real playing time last year, both have a path to success in the Valley. The Suns also seem to agree, as they do not want to lose them for nothing. That is why today’s news dropped that the Suns have extended qualifying offers to both players.
The Phoenix Suns have tendered qualifying offers to Mark Williams and Koby Brea, a league source told @spotrac.
Williams and Brea will now be restricted free agents this offseason.
This means the Suns have extended one-year contracts to each player, allowing them to become restricted free agents. It also allows other teams to send offer sheets to either Williams or Brea to try to steal them from Phoenix. The silver lining, though, is that Phoenix can match those offer sheets and retain those players if they feel the contract they received is something they would pay.
Williams comes in at $9.6 million, as he reached starter criteria. In Brea’s case, since he was on a two-way, his offer is only $680k, but he has a cap hold of $2.2 million.
Williams' qualifying offer is for $9.6M. He reached starter criteria, which triggered a higher qualifying offer.
Qualifying offers can always be rescinded later, but good little note that Koby Brea has earned at least that much for now. His QO is only $680K, but his cap hold is $ 2.2M. https://t.co/llKwA5CWRt
Even though the Suns could let either player or both walk, it would make sense for them to consider offers from other teams. Since Brea did not play much, it would seem his market would not be large, which could ensure he returns to Phoenix either on a two-way or, finally, on the roster, competing for a spot.
In Williams’s case, though, this could get interesting. With restricted free agency last year, most players accepted their qualifying offers, as teams had little money to spend in free agency and players sought large contracts. Players like Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, Josh Giddey, and Cam Thomas were among those who headlined that saga, and even though some of them did get long-term deals, some situations did not end well.
Now, I am not going to say that Williams will fall into that same category, as I expect a team like the Chicago Bulls, which has money, to be interested. They have been linked to other center names in Walker Kessler and Jaren Duren, so it would make sense that Williams is on their radar, too. Since they also have 60M in cap space, it could be a concern for Phoenix if they strike out on other names.
Could they swing an offer that puts Phoenix out of his price range? Maybe, but even with the number change to Devin Booker to take Williams 15 from last year, that does not simply close the door. Williams was someone who, even if he got injured later in the season, was healthy for the majority of the year. He hit a career high in games played with 60, and for stretches of the season, looked like he could be a solution in the front court.
With Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro expected to see larger roles, it could make sense to move off Williams, but ultimately, it is not the plan. If they can get him on a one-year prove-it qualifying offer, I think they would be happy. Even if they had to work on a deal that was like 2-3 years worth $30-40M, I’d still think they would entertain that.
Thought we truly won’t see until free agency kicks off on June 30th, when the dominoes start to fall. All eyes will be on what this team does to truly improve, and even though fans may not want to hear it, sticking with what worked and seeing some internal development could be that path.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 13: Tyler Kolek #13 of the New York Knicks smiles after winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As P&T goes through this player-by-player tribute to the team that ended the 53-year-long title drought, we’re slowly going to be building up to the people who had the big moments and legacy-defining playoff runs. The first few players were mostly spectators throughout the playoff run, but little by little, more and more contributions will be unearthed.
We’ve now reached the point in the series where we’re paying tribute to a player whose on-court performance will absolutely be featured in the championship DVD (or documentary, I guess. DVDs haven’t been a thing in a while). He might not have played in the Finals and was relegated to garbage time in the playoff run, but the Knicks might not have gotten to this point without his contributions in the regular season.
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 13: Tyler Kolek #13 of the New York Knicks poses for a portrait after winning Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tyler Kolek was born on March 27, 2001, in Providence, Rhode Island. His dad is a police officer who once played Division III hoops; his older brother played in Division II from 2018-23. Hell, he wasn’t even the first Tyler Kolek to emerge in the sports world, as an unrelated high schooler from Texas was picked No. 2 overall by the Miami Marlins back in 2014.
But that Tyler Kolek is only known as a total bust, never making it to Double-A before fizzling out in 2019, which is when our Tyler Kolek was finishing up his high school career. As an unranked recruit out of St. George’s School in Newport, Kolek enrolled at George Mason University in 2020 and did well as a freshman, winning Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year before entering the transfer portal and joining Shaka Smart at Marquette.
That decision would be a tremendous one, not just for Marquette, but for Kolek’s career.
He blossomed out in Wisconsin. His sophomore season was pretty rough, as even though he led the Big East in assists, he was possibly the least effective scorer in the conference. The Golden Eagles, like Kolek, needed another year to break out, and that’s exactly what he did in 2022-23.
In the blink of an eye, Kolek became the top dog on one of the best teams in the nation, winning the 2023 Big East Player of the Year after averaging 13 points and 7.5 assists. It didn’t translate to March Madness success, but he had put himself and the program on the map. He did it again as a senior, leading the nation in assists and being named a Consensus Second-Team All-American as he led the Golden Eagles to their first Sweet Sixteen berth since 2013.
It wasn’t just his play on the court that made him a name for himself; it was his personality. Despite being a skinny, undersized white kid from Rhode Island, he was one of the most divisive players in college basketball. You loved him or you hated him. As someone who’s supported Villanova for a good bit, I was in the latter.
There were the BBQ chicken comments, there were the illiteracy jokes, all of them gave him the buzz that any player needs heading into a difficult draft evaluation where NBA teams have been known to overlook college production for traits (ahem, Jalen Brunson).
He absolutely could’ve gone first round, but of course he didn’t. It doesn’t matter how good you are, how much you win, or how ready you look. If you’re a small guard, you’re being underdrafted. So as he slipped into the second round, the Knicks saw an opportunity to add another Big East guard to the collection, trading three future seconds (don’t worry, they acquired five of them about 30 minutes earlier) to select him at No. 34 overall.
Of course, there wasn’t much of a role for him in Year 1. With Tom Thibodeau as coach and the team’s guard depth being fortified with the signing of Cam Payne, Kolek was reduced to garbage time and G-League reps as a rookie, similar to what we saw from Deuce McBride in 2021-22. Like McBride, he dominated down in Westchester, taking advantage of extra reps in any way he could.
It seemed like more of the same heading into Year 2, even with a coaching change, but the retirement of Malcolm Brogdon in the preseason left a void at backup point guard. At least initially, Mike Brown was willing to let the 24-year-old cook.
A 3-5 start with some shaky bench minutes led to Kolek being benched in early November, but he quickly re-emerged after injuries to Landry Shamet, and McBride threw a wrench into the bench. He’d put his extremely mature playmaking skills on display often, even when his defense and shooting inconsistencies threatened to play him off the floor.
There was no better month of his young career than December 2025. Kolek scored 14 and 5 in 20 minutes off the bench in the NBA Cup Final against the Spurs, earning a shoutout from Brunson postgame. Two nights later, in Indiana, with a very shorthanded squad, he put up 16 and 11 to lead an incredible second-half comeback before Brunson put it to bed.
His magnum opus, though, came on the biggest stage. Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. An 18-point fourth quarter deficit. Cue Kolek-sanity.
The best 10 days of his life instantly skyrocketed his popularity and status. He was now entrenched as a fan favorite in New York, regardless of his role for the remainder of the season. That role would shrink as the team got healthier and Jose Alvarado came in from New Orleans, but we’d see him every so often as the Garden would come ablaze. Remember when he had a 50-point day on March 22?
He didn’t play a single meaningful minute in the playoffs, but was one of the biggest benefactors of the countless garbage time. He had an electric fourth quarter in the Game 1 blowout against Philly and nailed a couple threes in Game 4 against Cleveland, prompting Timothee Chalamet to yell out to him courtside.
Chalamet let out a “WHITE BOYSSSS” after Tyler Kolek knocked down that three 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/NrvJOxAGLk
— Big East Bar Room 🎙 (@BigEastBarroom) May 26, 2026
Kolek has become much more than his on-court basketball contributions. He’s been the ultimate vibes guy who everyone involved loves. In a family that’s had two college hoopers, he’s risen to the top of that. He’s even become the most famous Tyler Kolek!
Congrats, Tyler. You’re a champion.
–
(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)
May 23, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) reacts after his at bat against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
It seems odd that we’re in mid-June and the Phillies and Mets haven’t played each other yet in 2026. While I’m a fan of schedule diversity and having every team play each other throughout the season, it also seems wrong that you can go almost three months into the season without seeing one of your division rivals.
Like the Phillies, the Mets spent most of April finding new ways to lose baseball games. While they’ve been better since then, playoff contention feels like a longshot at this point. They’re still mired in last place, and while one of their ballyhooed offseason pickups has seemingly turned his season around, it hasn’t been enough to get the Mets out of last place.
Opposition research: Bo Bichette
There has been much frustration about the Phillies not adding to their lineup, specifically, an impact righthanded bat. But it should be considered that the player most people wanted to fill that role was Bo Bichette.
Back in January, Bichette and the Phillies seemed like a good match. The two-time All-Star would have likely slotted in the Phillies’ lineup behind Bryce Harper and presumably provided 20+ HR power out of the cleanup spot. But as we know, the Mets swooped in to give Bichette a contract that he couldn’t pass up.
For most of the season, it appeared as if the Mets saved the Phillies from adding another long-term albatross contract to the pile. Bichette struggled badly out of the gate and became somewhat emblematic of the Mets’ struggles as a whole. At the end of May, he had an OPS of .583 and seemed miserable.
Start your Monday morning off great by watching this video of Bo Bichette just now realize he chose the wrong team 🤣😭 pic.twitter.com/7hNEoCnD6K
Perhaps he wouldn’t have performed as poorly in Philadelphia, but if he had signed here and similarly bombed, it would have felt demoralizing to have replaced Alec Bohm with a somehow worse and more expensive player.
Surprisingly, while he was hitting poorly, he graded out well on defense. He was a bad defensive shortstop, and most expected him to continue to be bad after moving to third base, but he seems to have taken a liking to the hot corner.
It seemed doubtful that Bichette would continue to hit so poorly, and sure enough, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball in June. (One of the reasons why I wish the Phillies could have played the Mets earlier in the season.)
Bo Bichette has 23 hits in his last 13 games.
His OPS has climbed from .570 to .675 during that timeframe.
It looks like Bichette is planning to opt-out of his contract after the season. Considering Bohm is a pending free agent, and Aidan Miller might never swing a bat again, the Phillies will likely have a gaping hole at the hot corner for 2027. It’s very possible that come the offseason, the Phillies may offer Bichette another long-term contract, and this time, he might take them up on it.
Remembering a guy who played for both teams
Todd Zeile was a top ten prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 1990s, but he never reached stardom in the major leagues. In his 16-year career, he never made an All-Star team or received as much as a down-ballot MVP vote. A career OPS of .769 combined with subpar defense paints the picture of one of the most average players to ever take the field. You could win with him, but you were never afraid to find an upgrade either.
The 1996 Phillies were not expected to be good, but they didn’t think that their touted prospect Scott Rolen was quite ready for the majors. So, they signed Zeile as a free agent and had him keep third base warm for Rolen.
Zeile did so with his trademark level of adequacy. He had a .789 OPS and poor defense, and when Rolen was called up in August, he dutifully moved to first base before being sent to the Orioles in an August trade.
— Phillies and Eagles throwbacks (@Philsbirdsthrow) July 11, 2025
Heading into the 2000 season, the Mets were set at third base with Robin Ventura, but they needed a first baseman, so they chose adequacy to fill the need and signed Zeile as a free agent. He had one of the best seasons of his career, helping the Mets make it all the way to the World Series.
Trivia
Last week’s answer: The Phillies won their first game at Miller Park by a score of 10-4. Three hits were delivered by Pat Burrell. Nobody answered correctly.
This week’s question: When the Phillies swept the Mets in a key three-game series in September 2007, a different reliever earned the win in all three games. Name one of them.
Additional thought about the series
Because Lincoln Financial Field is hosting a World Cup game on Friday, we’re getting a Thursday-Saturday-Sunday series which you don’t usually see apart from Opening Day weekend.
There has been much written about the Phillies’ troubles at Citi Field, but the Mets have had their share of trouble in Philadelphia. If you recall, the Mets came into Citizens Bank Park in September 2025 with hopes of making a late playoff push. But a 1-0 loss in the series opener seemed to demoralize them, and they went on to lose the next three games as well.
The Phillies crushed the Mets tonight
Division lead is now 9 🔥🔥
The Phillies have won 9 of 12 since getting swept by the Mets in New York.
Phillies have the best home record in baseball and second best overall record in the majors. pic.twitter.com/Go1Jevju57
The Mets were expected to be contenders this season after they had the offseason that a lot of Phillies fans wanted their team to have. But the acquisitions of Bichette and Luis Robert, Jr. have been duds, while Freddy Peralta looks more like his career norm of a mid-rotation starter rather than the All-Star he was in 2025. Combined with injuries and/or underperformance by veteran holdovers Francisco Lindor, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson, it’s been a rough year in New York.
The league launched an investigation at the request of the NHL Players’ Association in light of the Edmonton Oilers’ interest in hiring Babcock. The league in a statement said even in the least favorable light, there was no basis to restrict Babcock’s employment.
It was not immediately clear if or when the Oilers would name Babcock coach. They have been looking for a replacement since firing Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit that came after back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Babcock, 63, has not coached in the NHL since 2019, when he was fired by Toronto 23 games into his fifth season in charge. The Blue Jackets hired him on July 1, 2023, and Babcock resigned in September after his requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.
A statement from the NHLPA called the allegations very concerning and said, "Moving forward, we expect that Mr. Babcock will uphold the high standards required of NHL head coaches.”
The NHL dropped its planned investigation at the time because Babcock stepped down. It got underway this week after the final ended
Babcock coached Detroit to the Stanley Cup in 2008 and has made two other trips to the final, along with guiding Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and ’14.
Most of the focus surrounding the Celtics right now is on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors. But the upcoming draft is an important one for the Celtics, who own the No. 27 pick after finishing second in the Eastern Conference during the regular season.
The C’s could go in several different directions with this pick. The most glaring weakness on the roster is a lack of frontcourt depth. They need a center who can create offense at the rim, block shots and rebound at a high level.
The Celtics offense became a bit too predictable in the 2026 playoffs with the abundance of 3-point shots. They need a different dimension in the paint — a way to create more dunks.
The upcoming draft class offers some intriguing talent at center. Henri Veesaar of North Carolina is probably the best fit for the Celtics with his size (7-foot-1) and offensive skill set. But there’s a chance he won’t be available by the time Boston is on the clock in Round 1.
The Celtics also could just take the best player available, which is often the best strategy late in the first round. Drafting for need is rarely a good idea, and the C’s could use more talent at just about every position. Another wing who can score and bring some athleticism would be a nice addition to this roster, too.
Meleek Thomas of Arkansas is a two-way guard with an exciting skill set. He might be available at No. 27.
What other players should the C’s consider in the first round? Here’s a roundup of expert predictions from recent mock drafts.
“After the Nikola Vučević experiment fell short for the Celtics, Veesaar would present a new opportunity. He is an agile big with real shooting touch, connective playmaking, and baseline skills with the ability to set screens and catch lobs. He also offers rim protection and is a locked-in help defender. In all three of his collegiate seasons, he made a massive leap in production each year. But he’s 227 pounds and his lanky frame can get pushed around, plus he still hasn’t fully defined his cornerstone skill.”
“Let’s go back to the well in Spain for the Celtics after their success last season with Hugo Gonzalez. De Larrea had a strong season for Valencia this season and measured exceedingly well, coming in at 6 feet 6 without shoes. He also plays the kind of style that should blend well with Boston’s scheme as a quick decision-maker, a sharp passer and a terrific shooter from distance. He can play both with and without the ball, and would give Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown space to operate.
“The Celtics also fall into a similar bucket as the Hawks, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Mavericks, where I’ve heard from other teams that they’ve discussed moving up from their current slot in the 20s. There is thought to be a talent dropoff somewhere in this ballpark, and teams are trying to get ahead of it.”
After opting to stay in the draft rather than return to Arkansas, Thomas has had a positive predraft process and conducted a wide range of workouts, giving himself a variety of landing spots in the back half of the first round. His size, scoring ability and improving defense have stood out in workout settings and helped him solidify his status in the first.
Boston is a team that annually casts one of the widest nets in predraft workouts and has plenty of depth on the roster, making this pick more of a luxury for them, whether that’s picking a more experienced college player or developing a younger talent like Thomas without the pressure of needing to play right away.
Koa Peat staying in the draft indicates either confidence in draft stock or his chance to develop more effectively in the pros. While questions about shooting and fit have reduced interest around the freshman, they may have also helped turn Peat into a buy-low value pick for teams interested in adding a physical, interior scorer and frontcourt passing asset.
The last two months have been mixed for Peat. He had a very productive NCAA tournament (17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds) all the way to the Final Four. He did not help himself at the NBA combine, where he measured 6’7″, bombed shooting drills and finished near the bottom in multiple athletic tests. Scouts aren’t writing off the strong, explosive finisher who can make mid-range shots and move the ball.
“Evans went from almost strictly a pure catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist at Duke during his freshman year to a legit No. 2 scoring option on the No. 1 overall seed in college basketball. Evans almost doubled the amount of 3-pointers he took from this year to last and still knocked them down at a 36.1% clip. He will be a Day 1 pick somewhere in the 20s.”
A former Colorado Avalanche forward whose career spanned nearly a decade across the NHL and multiple playoff runs is officially stepping away from professional hockey after 700 games.
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare has retired following 10 NHL seasons with five teams, closing the book on a career that made him the most experienced French-born player in league history.
Bellemare last suited up for the Seattle Kraken in 2023-24, finishing his NHL career with 138 points (64 goals, 74 assists) and a +22 rating across stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Kraken.
He was selected by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and became part of the Golden Knights’ inaugural roster, helping shape the early identity of the franchise.
Over his career, Bellemare appeared in 85 playoff games, recording five goals and 10 assists, and twice reached the Stanley Cup Final — falling with Vegas in 2018 and Tampa Bay in 2022.
His time in Colorado came between 2019 and 2021, where he served as a dependable depth forward and penalty-kill presence during a competitive stretch for the Avalanche.
Bellemare’s international career ended in emotional fashion at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where he represented France for the final time following a 5-1 loss to Germany in qualification play.
The moment quickly turned reflective after the final whistle.
“That was my last game,” Bellemare said. “I had to reach the quarterfinals to keep on wearing this jersey. It’s a bit tough emotionally, but I’ve never played just for myself, and I’m not going to start now.”
In his final Olympic appearance, Bellemare also scored France’s lone goal — a brief highlight in an otherwise difficult outing.
The moment carried added meaning as it came against longtime NHL goaltender Philipp Grubauer, a former teammate from both Colorado and Seattle.
After the game, Grubauer reflected on seeing his former teammate close out his international career.
“Ha … I was emotional shaking Pierre-Edouard’s hand,” Grubauer said. “I wanted to give him a hug. He’s such a good player. He’s had a fantastic career, but he’s also an incredible person.”
Bellemare will finish the season with HC Ajoie in Switzerland’s National League before officially retiring from professional hockey.
Across his NHL career, he played for the Flyers, Golden Knights, Avalanche, Lightning, and Kraken, finishing with 64 goals and 74 assists for 138 in 700 games.
