Third base coach Gabe Alvarez #85 and Buddy Kennedy #70 of the Detroit Tigers a solo home run hit by Kennedy during the sixth inning of a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on March 15, 2024 in Dunedin, Florida.
Tigers Triple-A manager Gabe Alvarez was removed from his position after an investigation into allegations of harassment by a female employee.
Alvarez had his contract terminated on Tuesday “due to violation of club policy.” The Athletic then revealed the harassment allegations in a report on Wednesday afternoon.
The firing is another black eye for the Tigers organization after assistant general manager Sam Menzin resigned abruptly in April 2025 after an internal investigation by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment — the parent company of the Tigers — had discovered he sent lewd photos to female team staffers, The Athletic reported.
The latest issue was brought to light to IS+E on Monday.
Alvarez said in a statement to ESPN that he sent a lone “inappropriate” text message to a female colleague and he regretted it “created this situation.”
“I sent a single text message to a colleague that I intended as a lighthearted joke,” Alvarez told the outlet. “Shortly after sending it, I recognized that the message was inappropriate and did not reflect the values and judgment I strive to uphold, and I immediately reached out to clarify my intent.
“I never intended to cause discomfort or offense, and I regret that the message created this situation. This was an isolated incident and not reflective of my long-standing record of professionalism, respect for colleagues, and conduct over the course of my career.”
The IS+E employee handbook states that a violation of the company’s harassment policy are subject to “including immediate termination,” The Athletic reported.
Alvarez’s dismissal continues a troublesome pattern that has come to light for the organization after Menzin and seven other men employed by the franchise were accused of inappropriate conduct toward women since 2023.
Third base coach Gabe Alvarez and Buddy Kennedy during the sixth inning of a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on March 15, 2024 in Dunedin, Florida. Diamond Images/Getty Images
Alvarez had been a member of the Tigers organization that was looked at as a possible future big league skipper after being promoted to manager of Triple-A Toledo last year.
Alvarez, 52, was the manager of Double-A Erie when the team won the Eastern League title in consecutive seasons in 2023 and ’24.
When The Athletic released its report in September, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment CEO Ryan Gustafson denied the need for outside counsel to examine the workplace culture.
“Do we need to focus on continued improvement in our culture? Yes,” he told the outlet in September. “But I’m very confident that there isn’t a larger issue from a misconduct standpoint.”
Gabe Alvarez of the Detroit Tigers in action during a game against the Kansas City Royals at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan on July 14, 1998. Getty Images
Alvarez had a short stint in the major leagues, playing for the Tigers from 1998 through 2000, when he was traded in the middle of the season to the Padres.
He remained with the Padres for the rest of the 2000 season.
Alvarez started coaching in 2010 when he returned to USC, where he played college baseball in the early 1990s, to serve as an assistant coach.
The Mets pulled left-handed reliever A.J. Minter off his rehab assignment on Wednesday after he reported experiencing left hip discomfort before Triple-A Syracuse’s game against the Rochester Red Wings.
Minter, recovering from lat surgery, was scheduled to pitch for Syracuse in Wednesday’s game as part of the first leg of a back-to-back that would’ve been the final step in his rehab process before re-joining the Mets. Now, that process has been put on pause.
“We’re not too concerned, but probably giving him a couple, few days there and then he’ll continue to throw,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But as of right now, we pulled him off.”
Neither Minter nor New York is too worried about the severity of the setback despite the hip discomfort being on the same side that he got surgery on in August 2024 to repair a torn labrum.
Still, it does set the lefty back a bit with the clock on his rehab restarting.
With a downtick in velocity in a few of Minter’s appearances this year, Mendoza was asked if he thinks the hip discomfort had any role to play in that.
“I don’t know because there were days where we saw the velo at 92, 93, couple of 94,” the skipper said. “But there were some ones where it was like 91. But I don’t know, I would have to talk to him personally. I will have to talk to the trainers, but I didn’t get that [sense] when I was talking to the trainers when they gave me the report today.”
Minter hasn’t pitched for the Mets since April 2025, when he suffered a lat strain that required season-ending surgery. He's pitched to a 1.17 ERA across three minor league levels during his rehab assignment.
As hilarious as it would have been to send one final middle finger in the direction of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Derrick Favors will not be the Utah Jazz’s representative for the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. I know, I know. How poetic would it have been to display the long-tenured Jazzman on the podium as a physical reminder that OKC will not be getting Utah’s lottery pick this year, nor any year for the forseeable ever.
Face!
In Favors’ place, the Jazz have elected to send the smiling face of breakout point guard Keyonte George (along with the rest of his body). George was selected 16th overall in the 2023 draft — the year that Utah officially began to reconstruct from the ruins of the Gobert-Mitchell explosion. He has developed into a borderline All-Star in just three years with the Jazz, and he orchestrates Will Hardy’s offense better than any of Utah’s many, many selections since ‘23 — with the tantalizing talent of Ace Bailey still pending.
Keyonte is living proof that the rebuild was a success. Breathing evidence that a team can build through the draft, and that these SLC Punks (hey, kinda like the name of the site!), will not conform to Adam Silver’s backwards regime, nor will they relent when the losses flip to wins in under a year’s time. A beautiful decision, and one deserving of my applause.
Utah currently holds the fourth-best odds thanks to boasting the fourth-worst record league-wide, plus a coin flip to nudge ahead of Sacramento. With just an 11.5% chance of claiming the number-one overall pick, the basketball world will watch with bated breath as we send a solemn prayer to the hooping heavens:
“Please, please, please I have never asked for much Except for last year. And the year before that But I pray not for the number-one pick. I ask for only this: Don’t give it to Golden State And especially don’t give it to Dallas Amen.“
Cancel your Mother’s Day plans. The NBA Draft Lottery will air on Sunday, May 10, at 1:00 PM MT.
Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 25: Ayo Dosunmu #13 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates against the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Target Center on April 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Part of me feels like it’s too early to start diving into free agency, then I look at the calendar and realize it’s already May. We’re in the middle of Bright Side’s SunsRank and player recaps for the 2025-26 season, and it’s already time to start looking ahead to 2026-27. The draft lottery is this weekend. We’re already in the second round of the playoffs. The Finals will be here before you know it, then the draft, then free agency. So let’s start breaking down the free agent market by position and eligibility.
First up, point guard.
Ah yes, the point guard position. It’s not what it used to be. There was a time when the point guard was the table setter. Every successful team had someone orchestrating the offense, creating opportunities for everyone else. As the game evolved and spacing took over, the traditional point guard slowly gave way to combo guards. Scoring exploded. Every position is now expected to contribute offensively and fill up the box score.
And with that shift, true floor generals became harder to find. Players don’t always see the whole floor anymore. Most see the rim first. That evolution has completely changed the point guard position over the last decade.
It’s one of those interesting notes that you hear whenever people talk about what needs to be fixed on the Suns. “We need better point guard play. We need a better facilitator, somebody who understands distribution and who focuses on setting up those around them.” Not wrong. But also, becoming extinct. It’s like me asking for a Schlitz at dinner. It’d be nice to have, but no one has it.
You can tell that our fan base was raised on quality point guard play. Because we’ve had Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Don Buse, and Paul Westphal. Yeah, he was a starting point guard on the 1976 NBA Finals team. My point? Were conditioned to the old-school way of thinking. But it’s a new NBA, and the current Suns administration is fully embracing that by having both Devin Booker and Jalen Green on the roster. They leaned into still having Collin Gillespie, however, thus creating undersized small-ball three-guard lineups this season.
So when we look at the upcoming unrestricted free agents at the point guard position, the natural question is whether the Suns should explore signing any of the guys listed below, excluding those who played for the team this past season. It’s almost the punchline in Phoenix right now. If you propose a name like Collin Sexton, the instant response is “Oh, another guard?”
So, who’s gonna be available on the free agency market at the point guard position? Here’s the list provided by Spotrac.
Player
Age
Exp.
Previous Team
Previous AAV
Status
Collin Sexton
27.3
7
CHI
$17,737,500
UFA / Bird
Coby White
26.2
6
CHA
$12,000,000
UFA / Bird
Gabe Vincent
29.8
6
ATL
$11,000,000
UFA / Bird
Ayo Dosunmu
26.2
4
MIN
$7,000,000
UFA / Bird
Aaron Holiday
29.6
7
HOU
$4,784,700
UFA / Bird
Kyle Lowry
40.1
19
PHI
$3,634,153
UFA / Early Bird
Russell Westbrook
37.4
17
SAC
$3,386,366
UFA / Non-Bird
Gary Payton II
33.4
9
GSW
$3,303,774
UFA / Bird
Jordan McLaughlin
30
6
SAS
$2,874,436
UFA / Early Bird
Nah’Shon Hyland
25.6
4
MIN
$2,461,463
UFA / Early Bird
Collin Gillespie
26.8
3
PHX
$2,378,870
UFA / Early Bird
Jordan Goodwin
27.5
4
PHX
$1,286,648
UFA / Early Bird
Jevon Carter
30.6
7
ORL
$1,168,625
UFA / Non-Bird
Brandon Williams
26.4
3
DAL
$1,159,362
UFA / Bird
Mike Conley
38.5
18
MIN
$1,148,727
UFA / Non-Bird
Tyus Jones
29.9
10
DEN
$814,552
UFA / Non-Bird
The two obvious names that jump off the list are Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, and we already know the organization will prioritize bringing them back. Both are eligible for Early Bird, which gives the Phoenix Suns an inside track to retaining them.
I would expect the Suns top priorities this offseason to be 1. Retaining Collin Gillespie 2. Retaining Jordan Goodwin
Looking at the rest of the list, I’m curious who you all think the team should target, if any one. If both Gillespie and Goodwin return, and you factor in Jamari Bouyea on a team option next season, that’s a lot of players capable of handling point guard duties. The depth is there. Maybe too much depth. Because with that comes the temptation to keep rolling out three-guard lineups.
If there’s one thing the Suns should prioritize next season, it’s getting bigger and finding more ways to consistently finish at the rim, so I’m not sure how appealing any of these names are. Who do I like?
I like the idea of Collin Sexton in a vacuum because he applies pressure at the rim and has that quick-twitch athleticism. At the same time, he’s essentially Jalen Green, only smaller and older. That kind of defeats the purpose. Although he would be cheaper. If there’s a scenario where the Suns move Green and redistribute that incoming $36.3 million salary into multiple assets, then I wouldn’t mind pursuing someone like Sexton.
There’s also Ayo Dosunmu, who is finally getting some shine with the Minnesota Timberwolves this postseason after years of fading into the background in Chicago Bulls land. The problem is postseason shine usually equals postseason money, and that’s not a road Phoenix should go down in my opinion. He’s a solid all-around guard, still, if you’re bringing back both Goodwin and Gillespie, the skill set becomes redundant.
And that’s really where the conversation lands for Phoenix at point guard. It’s less about finding another ball handler and more about understanding roster balance. The Suns already have enough players capable of initiating offense. What they lack is complementary size, interior pressure, and lineup versatility that doesn’t force them into playing small every night. That’s why this free agent market feels more like a test of restraint than aggression.
There are intriguing names available, sure. Still, adding another guard simply because he can dribble, pass, and score misses the bigger picture. The Suns do not need more redundancy. They need fit.
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 12: Moussa Cisse #30 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Bulls on April 12, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, 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 Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
When Mousa Cisse was signed as a two-way player before the season, no one had any expectations for the rookie big-man.
But Cisse was a pleasant surprise all season, as his energy and rim protection were felt anytime he stepped on the court. But with the Mavs frontcourt being so crowed, should the Mavericks bring him back next year?
Well, they should, and it would be malpractice not to.
Season review
Cisse began the season as an afterthought, but as the Mavericks big-men suffered repeated injuries, it forced Cisse into the spotlight.
He would receive inconsistent minutes for most of the first few month, with some games where he wouldn’t see the floor at all. But his minutes were always impactful, the relentless effort on the glass, and eye-popping athleticism always showing up.
But then he stopped playing, all because of a decision the Mavericks made.
After the trade deadline, the Mavericks had the option to convert one two-way player, and chose Ryan Nembhard over Cisse. This led to Cisse brushing up to the two-way limit for games, meaning he played only 8 games post trade deadline.
Despite the weird end, Cisse thrived when his number was called. While the box-score numbers don’t jump off the page, the underlying metrics suggest that Cisse may have real rotation potential.
One number that highlights this is his RAPM (Regularized adjusted plus-minus).
Cisse posted a +0.8 RAPM, which is in the 70th percentile across the league, all per Databallr.
But my favorite part of Cisse’s game is his offensive rebounding, with a 16.2% OREB rate, which is 96th percentile. With extra possessions becoming so much more important in recent years, Cisse projects as one of the true elite offensive rebounders in the NBA.
Best game
My choice for Cisse’s best game is easily his performance on Jan. 19 against the New York Knicks.
Cisse scored 15 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots, all leading to a Mavericks win. This game specifically showed off his offensive rebounding, as he grabbed 4 offensive rebounds against a Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson front-court.
Contract status
Since the Mavericks did not convert Cisse at the deadline he will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Mavericks can match any offer he receives.
The Mavericks can offer Cisse up to a 4 year deal, most likely at around the league minimum, or just above.
Looking towards the future
Moussa Cisse is not yet a true rotation player, with his rawness offensively holding him back.
He often chases blocks on the defensive end and racks up fouls at a very high rate. But these are things that can be ironed out, with his strengths being very important in the NBA.
Cisse’s is somewhat similar to players like Neeimas Queta and Moussa Diabete, who are both high energy big men who dominate the offensive glass. Cisse slots in perfectly as a third center within a rotation; not relied upon to close, but able to give a team solid minutes throughout the season. And if he takes a large leap offensively, he could even become a true starting quality center.
Grade: B+
Moussa Cisse was able to showcase real potential this season, and with his strengths becoming sought after league wide, the Mavericks should bring him back.
Cisse should be cheap, with him being able to fill in Dwight Powell’s role if he decides to retire.
No matter the future, it was fun to watch a young player like Cisse find a role in the NBA.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 1995: Owner Ted Turner of the Atlanta Braves holds the World Series trophy after the Braves win the World Series against the Cleveland Indians on October 28, 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Media mogul, philanthropist and former Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner passed away earlier today at the age of 87.
The bombastic businessman and cultural icon reshaped the media landscape in the latter half of the 20th century after taking over his father’s company, Turner Outdoor Advertising, in 1963.
A rebellious and ambitious entrepreneur, Turner began acquiring radio and television stations, including Atlanta’s WJRJ (channel 17), in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He renamed WJRJ to WTCG (for Turner Communications Group), and by the late 1970s began leveraging the emerging technologies of satellite and cable television to expand his media reach nationwide.
Driven by a need for content and profitability for his stations, Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 – and the Atlanta Hawks the following year. Both franchises became central to the success of what became known as the Superstation WTBS, helping drive ratings and advertising revenue as Turner broadcast his teams’ games across the country.
Turner bought the Braves during a transitional period for the franchise. The team had moved to Atlanta only a decade earlier, and Braves legend and inner-circle Hall of Famer Henry Aaron had been traded to Milwaukee two years before Turner’s purchase. With future franchise cornerstone Dale Murphy still a young catcher trying to establish himself in the majors, the first four years of Turner’s ownership saw the Braves lose 90-or-more games including a 101-loss season in 1977.
While the team’s on-the-field performance was at a nadir, the team’s 162-game schedule provided a copious amount of content and that combined with Turner’s larger-than-life personality quickly became part of TBS’s identity. Turner famously branded the Braves as “America’s Team” as his station’s baseball broadcasts introduced the club to fans nationwide, making a superstar of Murphy as his back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player seasons came as cable and satellite service exploded across the country.
Turner’s hands-on approach with his MLB team occasionally crossed into controversy. In May 1977, during a 16-game losing streak, Turner briefly named himself interim manager, replacing Dave Bristol for one game before National League president Chub Feeney forced him to relinquish role. Turner appealed the decision, but commissioner Bowie Kuhn upheld the decision. The Braves lost their 17th consecutive game in Turner’s only turn as the team’s skipper.
In another instance, Turner had free agent signee pitcher Andy Messersmith, who wore the number 17 on his jersey, wear “Channel” as his nameplate until the league made Messersmith remove “Channel” from his jersey because of the blatant – albeit humorously ingenious – bit of advertising.
In 1978, Turner hired Bobby Cox as manager, beginning one of the most important relationships in franchise history. Cox managed the Braves until being fired after the 1981 season. In a press conference announcing the managerial change, when asked who he would ideally replace Cox with, Turner famously answered, “Bobby Cox”.
Turner hired former Braves All-Star Joe Torre as the team’s next manager. Torre led the Braves to the playoffs in 1982 before being fired after the 1984 season after two middling but disappointing seasons based on the expectations created during their 1982 success.
Cox, who had become manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982 and led the team to the ALCS in 1985, returned to Atlanta when Turner brought Cox back into the organization as general manager following the conclusion of the 1985 season.
After rebuilding the organization’s farm system, Cox returned to the dugout during the 1990 season as the team’s manager. With John Schuerholtz brought in the from the Kansas City Royals as new general manager, the Braves “Worst-to-First” 1991 season launched an unprecedented era of success that permanently transformed expectations for baseball in Atlanta.
Turner, who was at his peak of celebrity, and then-partner Jane Fonda became regular fixtures in the stands during the Braves’ postseason run in 1991 and throughout the1990s, culminating in the franchise’s 1995 World Series championship.
While Turner labeled is own tenure running the operations of the club a “disaster” his support of his organization’s leadership and financial backing took the Braves from a cellar-dwelling laughingstock in the late 1980’s to a National League juggernaut in five seasons.
Outside of his sports ownership, Turner built one of the most influential media empires in history. His portfolio included Atlanta-based CNN, TBS, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies. CNN, which launched in 1980, revolutionized television journalism as the first 24-hour-a-day news network.
At the zenith of his success in media, Turner’s eponymous Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner in 1996. Half-a-decade later, Timer Warner merged with America Online (AOL) in 2001, creating AOL Time Warner. Although Turner initially retained high-level leadership roles with Time Warner, his influence diminished significantly following the AOL merger despite remaining the company’s largest shareholder.
Turner’s accomplishments extended far beyond media and sports. Through Turner Enterprises, he became the second-largest private landowner in the United States. He founded the United Nations Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, among other philanthropic organizations. He also created the Goodwill Games as an alternative to the Olympics.
Among the honors Turner received are two lifetime achievement Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award in 1997, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in 1990, and Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1991. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The wry-smiling and mustachioed Turner also left a lasting mark on professional wrestling. In 1988, he purchased Jim Crockett Promotions and rebranded it as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), using it as programming for his networks. His enthusiasm for wrestling helped fuel the “Monday Night Wars” of the 1990s, as WCW battled WWF/WWE for television ratings dominance bringing the entertainment product to a higher national profile.
Turner, who began competitive sailing while at Brown University, won the 1977 America’s Cup as the ship’s skipper and was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
Turner’s impact on Atlanta sports extended beyond baseball. His ownership of the Hawks helped establish the franchise in the South, beginning with the hiring of coaches Hubie Brown and later Mike Fratello. The team would then acquire the draft rights to Dominique Wilkins in 1982, giving the team their biggest star since relocating to Atlanta. Although the Hawks did not win an NBA title under Turner, they remained consistently competitive for much of his ownership before the franchise was sold in 2004 to Atlanta Spirit, LLC.
Born in Cincinnati, OH, Turner moved to Savannah, GA, as a child and attended school in Chattanooga, TN. He studied at Brown and served in the Coast Guard Reserves. After his father’s suicide in 1963, Turner assumed control of his father’s advertising business, laying the foundation for the media empire.
For Braves fans, Turner’s impact remains immeasurable. His vision of using the Braves as nationally distributed programming created generations of fans across the country and gave the franchise the financial wherewithal to maintain one of the sport’s highest payrolls throughout most of his ownership.
Although his formal ties of ownership to the Braves ended Time Warner sold the franchise to Liberty Media in 2007, his association with the team was a contestant reminder through his namesake Turner Field, the team’s home until relocating to what is now-known as Truist Park in 2017.
Whatever missteps and controversy Turner made during his early years as owner has largely faded with time. Fifty years after purchasing the franchise, his legacy in Atlanta sports and media is undeniable.
Without Ted Turner, the Braves may never have fully established their roots in the Southeast and wouldn’t have become the brand they are today.
Turner was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2000.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MAY 05: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives around Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 05, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 1 against the Thunder was the biggest game of the season for the Lakers, and Austin Reaves didn’t show up.
He was historically bad, shooting 3-16 from the field, which was the worst shooting night a Laker has had in a postseason in over three decades.
Austin Reaves' 18.8 FG% in Game 1 was the lowest by any Laker in a playoff game over the last 35 years (min. 15 FGA) 😳 pic.twitter.com/1o97wPL1tq
It’s just one game, and there can be plenty of reasonable reasons why Reaves had a bad performance.
For starters, the Thunder have the best defense in the NBA, so they make plenty of players look bad. Also, he is still just coming off his Grade 2 oblique strain. He returned for Game 5 against the Rockets, and while he’s now played in three matchups, it’s unlikely that he is anywhere close to 100%.
However, if fans expect Reaves to make excuses, he isn’t taking that option.
“Nobody cares about that,” Reaves said after the loss. “I got to go out there and play better.”
The good news is, Reaves has plenty of ways to improve. He can focus on protecting the ball and not having four turnovers as he did in Game 1, or he can just get back to his regular-season average offensively, scoring 23.3 points per game.
“Obviously, the easy thing is to make more shots,” Reaves said. “I got to my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots. But, for the most part, got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well. Just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal each possession.”
In a seven-game series, players typically perform what their averages are. So, Reaves should have better games ahead of him.
“Watch film,” Reaves said. “See what the game gives you and learn from that and move on. It’s not going to do us any good to think about that.”
Reaves will have all eyes on him after this loss.
He is currently LA’s No.1 offensive option and didn’t play like it. He has to be better, and Reaves, to his credit, made it clear in his comments that he’s well aware of this.
If he is the franchise player everyone thinks he is and wants the big payday this summer, then the response from him will be a great Game 2 performance.
And the Lakers will be hoping for just that, or else this series will be a short one.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 28: Angel Martínez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after reaching second on a fly ball to right field in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field on April 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s get to the action. The Rays’ six game win streak, and streak of 13 straight games of allowing three runs or less to opponents, has by and large been the byproduct of the Flappy Boys’ use of leather.
Taylor Walls made a stellar play from shortstop to end the first inning and keep Kazuma Okomoto’s first inning double from scoring.
Things remained quiet through the third inning, with Patrick Corbin getting two double plays and finishing three frames with more balls than strikes.
Shane McClanahan would go on to match and supplant his fellow southpaw’s goose eggs, going 5 2/3 innings of two hit, one walk, and four strikeout ball, all while earning the win.
Over his last three starts, ‘Sugar Shane’ is sporting a 16 2/3 scoreless inning streak.
Jonny DeLuca drove in Jonathan Aranda from first base with an RBI double in the fourth.
Chandler Simpson would pick up his eighth RBI of the season, driving in DeLuca with a two out single in the same frame. 2-0 Tampa Bay.
Two would be all the Rays would need, as the bullpen shut the door on Canada’s Team with Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger, and Brian Baker each earning saves, and Ian Seymour earning his first career save.
Undefeated against the AL East (6-0) the Rays are Shipping up to Boston to take on the Red Sox in a four game set from Fenway Park starting on Thursday.
Chase Meidroth and the Sox couldn’t recover after a chaotic second inning, but he did eventually put on sunglasses. | (Meg McLaughlin/Getty Images)
For a minute there in the top of the second when the Good Guys got on the board first, it felt like they might actually take the series. Then the bottom of the second inning happened, and poof, the vibes from the past couple of weeks packed up and left the building.
Chicago dropped the rubber match in a game that unraveled early and never really gave the Sox a chance to get back into it. For a team that has started to look watchable, this one felt like a throwback to the bad old days. By the end of the second frame, it had that all-too-familiar “this is over already” energy.
Rookie Noah Schultz simply didn’t have it. The southpaw hurled his ugliest outing of the season, lasting just 3 2/3 innings while allowing seven runs on seven hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. The command issues highlighted in the Game Thread were immediately evident, and the Angels made him pay.
After working around a leadoff walk in the first — with Drew Romo cutting down Zach Neto trying to steal — things fell apart in the second. A potential inning-ending double play fizzled when Colson Montgomery bobbled the ball before the turn, and then the wheels fell off. Travis d’Arnaud crushed a three-run bomb, Bryce Teodosio doubled, Neto tripled him home, and even a routine pop-up to Chase Meidroth turned into a run when he lost it in the sky. Five runs later, the game had that unmistakable 2024 White Sox feel.
It didn’t get much better from there. Osvaldo Bido came on in the fourth with the bases loaded and immediately plunked back-to-back batters to plate a pair. No sign of the Mike Vasil magic wand here.
Offensively, there just wasn’t enough. The Sox mustered only four hits, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and struck out ten times. They did scratch across that run in the second, which was sparked by a Montgomery double and a bloop single from Meidroth, then driven in on a sac fly by Andrew Benintendi. However, even that inning ended with the bases loaded and nothing more to show for it.
They tried to make a little noise in the seventh. Meidroth singled, Benintendi walked, and after a couple of quick outs, Romo drew a walk to load them up. Sam Antonacci wore a pitch to force in a run, but that was it. Munetaka Murakami watched strike three, and the last gasp went with him.
The rest was mostly procedural. Chase Silseth struck out the side in the eighth, and the Angels tacked on another run in the bottom half against Grant Taylor.
So, no series win. Just a gentle reminder that while things have looked better lately, there’s still plenty of work to be done. Especially when it comes to avoiding those innings that spiral out of control.
The Sox head back to Chicago now with an off-day before welcoming the Seattle Mariners in for a three-game set.
Zach Neto broke out of an extended cold spell with a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Angels' 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in Anaheim on Tuesday night. As he walked back to the dugout, Mike Trout gave Neto a hug and said to him, "Hey, I told you that case had homers."
According to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, Trout had sent Neto a text earlier that day inviting the 25-year-old shortstop to help open a large box of Pokémon cards pregame. Neto, looking to get his mind off of his 0-for-23 slump, obliged — and ended up pulling a rare Charizard card.
"He said, ‘This case, when we rip it, it's going to have homers in it,’" Neto told reporters.
Those words would end up foreshadowing a big day for both Angels stars as Trout connected on a sweeper at the knees from White Sox starter Erick Fedde and drove it just over the top of the short wall in left field to get the Halos on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Jorge Soler would also homer later in the frame, and Neto singled in the third to snap his hitless streak that dated back to April 28 ... but was promptly picked off at first base.
He made up for it two innings later when he got a sweeper up and on the outer part of the plate from Fedde and crushed it 410 feet into the bullpen for his first long ball since April 10. That solo shot broke a 2-2 tie and eventually proved to be the difference in the game.
"It felt amazing,” Neto told reporters. “I was in my biggest slump ever in my career and just the sound of the bat again, it reminded me of a lot of good things. It’s just one of those things where it just takes one swing to get back into the mix of things."
Neto finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI, his first multi-hit game since April 26. His momentum carried into Wednesday's series finale, where he went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBIs and two walks in the Halos' 8-2 win to secure their first series win since they took two of three games against the Cincinnati Reds from April 10-12.
The NBA still plans to launch NBA Europe in the fall of 2027, but as negotiations with potential partners get serious, sticking points have emerged around players moving from the NBA to Europe and, of course, money. Specifically, the franchise fees teams will pay and the revenue distribution from the new league have led to friction, all things Joe Varden detailed at The Athletic.
The headline-grabber was the request for a soccer-style transfer window in the new basketball league. In that proposed window, it's not a trade of players while teams try to navigate a salary cap (like the NBA and other American sports leagues), it's a purchase of a player's contract — and the league's new potential partners want to be able to purchase NBA players' deals. Varden at The Athletic lays out this scenario.
Imagine it: A rich, powerful, proper football conglomerate overseas starts a basketball team. It picks up the phone and dials the Milwaukee Bucks, who, for the sake of argument, are having a rough season. The club says, hey, here’s a couple hundred million dollars, or whatever it may cost, how about Giannis Antetokounmpo coming to play for us in NBA Europe?
The NBA quickly and emphatically said no to this idea. Multiple times. It wants the leagues to be separate entities, and while players can jump from the NBA to Europe as free agents, the league doesn't want that kind of in-season movement. The NBA might envision something more akin to the MLS in soccer, where some older stars from European leagues come stateside and earn paychecks for a few more years.
The kind of investors the NBA wants in Europe — powerhouse soccer programs (which the NBA also needs for the built-in fan bases), or very deep-pocketed investors such as public or sovereign wealth funds — appeared to pause at the idea of essentially investing in a minor league, as one anonymous source told Varden.
"There are restrictions on NBA Europe teams acquiring players from the U.S. unless they're free agents, and that obviously reduces the competitiveness of the NBA Europe project. It becomes a feeder league, which is not what anyone particularly wants."
Of course, the bigger issues are about money. It's always about the money.
What the NBA envisions is a 16-team league with 12 permanent members and four teams that earn their way in through play in their domestic leagues (if that sounds a lot like the proposed soccer "super league" of a few years back, which died amid intense fan backlash, you're not wrong). The teams in that league would pay a licensing fee to be part of NBA Europe — with the fee pricing would be on a sliding scale based on market size — and would split the revenue from the league with the NBA.
All of which has led to two sticking points.
One is the licensing fees — teams are being asked to pay a fee and make major infrastructure upgrades (one of the ways the NBA believes European clubs leave money on the table is a lack of modern arenas and amenities). The sliding scale appears to have offended the sensibilities of some potential European partners.
"Why should one pay less or more than the other — there should be some coherence around the valuations," the representative for a potential NBA Europe said.
Another issue is the revenue split. A source told Varden the league proposed a 52%-48% split, with the larger share going to the NBA, but the NBA itself denied that. The NBA said it would invest its share of the revenue back into its European league until such a time as it turned a profit, and at that point NBA owners would take a percentage of that. All those percentages are still to be worked out.
All of this is to say that while the NBA is moving full-speed ahead toward a 2027 launch of NBA Europe, there is still a lot of work to be done and investors to convince. It likely gets done, but who is involved and exactly what this will look like remains up in the air.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Rafael Devers #16 of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run against the San Diego Padres in the fifth inning at Oracle Park on May 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wednesday was Career Day at Oracle Park, a day where students could “learn about careers in sports and media with an exclusive Q&A with San Francisco Giants Front Office executives.” They got to see the Giants lose their second straight to the San Diego Padres, 5-1, a game where the team and the organization were left with far more Q’s than A’s.
Some of those questions included:
“Have you guys considered getting more than three hits in a game?
“How long is that Willy Adames contract again?”
“What’s Tony Vitello’s favorite show coming to the Curran Theatre this year?”
“Why are you obsessed with playing catchers in the outfield?”
“I am a sports psychologist. Can you give Ryan Walker my business card?
The Giants got two hits from rookie Jesus Rodriguez and a 5th-inning home run from Rafael Devers, but that was the entirety of their offense Wednesday. Perhaps they were confused by opener Bradgley Rodriguez, specifically by the arrangement of consonants in his first name, and his befuddgling sinkerball dgelivery that let him retire the Giants on seven pitches.
Matt Waldron (1-1) took over in the second inning, sporting a 9.88 ERA. Five innings, seven strikeouts and one Devers bomb later, he exited with a 2-1 lead and a 7.71 ERA. Yes, facing the Giants offense is like prescribing Ozempic for your ERA.
It was the first time Devers had gone deep since April 18 and it tied up the game at 1-1. He hit the dinger to lead off the the 5th inning, but the Giants only managed a single baserunner the rest of the way off a Padres bullpen that’s quite good — but not that good.
Adrian Houser (0-4) was the hard-luck loser for the Giants, giving up three hits and two runs in 6+ innings. Gavin Sheets began the scoring by blasting a ball into McCovey Cove the 4th inning and is now slugging .538 against the Giants for his career.
Houser got tagged with an extra run and the loss through very little fault of his own and a great deal of fault to the Giants defense. He faced one batter in the 7th, Fernando Tatis, Jr., who reached on a Matt Chapman error. Keaton Winn issued a walk and retired two hitters, then Vitello went to lefty Matt Gage when Ty France pinch-hit for Sung-Mun Song. France lined a ball to right field that went off Rodriguez’s glove for a two-run triple.
Vitello acknowledged that Rodriguez hadn’t played much right field, with most of his outfield experience coming in left, but thought the catcher had done well for the most part and “showed no fear…just didn’t catch that ball, which would have been an outstanding play.”
It’s a tough right field and it would have been a tough play for most players, but it’s reasonable to ask if a non-catcher would have had an easier time. However, Rodriguez was also the only Giant to get a hit after the Padres took the lead, and with two outs, France would have driven in both runs with a single anyway.
In the top of the 8th, the Padres put the game out of reach against Walker, who walked Manny Machado, threw a wild pitch, and then gave up a two-run shot to Xander Bogaerts, who went deep for the second straight game.
Padres manager Craig Stammen really pushed the right buttons Wednesday. Not only did he get a big pinch-hit from France, but he brought in Bogaerts for Sheets after France stayed in to play first base.
It didn’t end up mattering, as Adrian Morejon struck out four in two innings of relief work before Mason Miller struck out two more in the 9th. Miller now has 34 strikeouts in 17.1 innings this season, an even better K rate than Henry Rowengartner.
So the Giants dropped the series, but never fear! There was a College Fair after the game, where aspirants for a career in sports business can look for jobs and, we assume, try out for entry-level jobs as corner outfielders and middle relievers. As for the 2026 Giants, their playoff résumé is looking worse by the day.
INGLEWOOD, CA - MARCH 21: Head Coach Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the LA Clippers on March 21, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Taylor Jenkins era officially began this afternoon, as the Bucks formally introduced him to a crowd of fans, media, and a few players, including Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, and AJ Green, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The 16th head coach in franchise history (not including interim head coaches like Joe Prunty) was flanked by general manager Jon Horst and co-governor Jimmy Haslem, and the trio covered several topics, including Giannis’ situation, the hiring process for Jenkins, and their plans for the NBA draft.
The Latest on Giannis
Anytime anyone from the front office or coaching staff speaks, the topic of Giannis is undoubtedly bound to be raised. The biggest bit of news regarding the two-time MVP came from Haslem, who said he doesn’t know whether Giannis will stay and that they’ll have conversations with him to figure it out.
“We never had any problem communicating directly with Giannis at all. We always knew where he stood, and I think he always knew where we stood. We’ve had those kinds of conversations since the season was over, and as I said, the draft is June 23, so sometime over the next six or seven weeks, we’ll decide whether Giannis will sign a max contract and stay with us or he’s gonna play somewhere else. Jon, Taylor, Wes (Edens), and I will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call.”
Regarding Jenkins’s hiring, Horst said Giannis was not involved in bringing him to Milwaukee. There might be some doubt about that answer, though, with Giannis in the city during the same week, a reported meeting between Jenkins and the Bucks front office was taking place. Bobby Portis also chimed in, saying he doesn’t believe Giannis wasn’t involved either. Whether that is true or not, Jenkins did confirm that he has talked to Giannis and the rest of the Bucks roster since his hiring became official.
“Great communication with Giannis, he’s expressed tremendous excitement for me and my family. Even only being here for one season, he and I established a really good relationship and maintained that respect even from a distance. It’s been amazing to be able to communicate with all of these guys, over the phone, and now in person. So yes, I’ve had conversations with Giannis, but I’ve been able to touch base with the entire roster.”
Why Jenkins, and what does he bring to the table?
Right from the get-go, the Bucks were laser-focused on bringing in Jenkins, with Horst even saying that this was all about hiring him. They did have a list of candidates, but Horst said that the first step of their process was to reach out to Jenkins and then go from there. As for why Jenkins opted to take up the helm, it was all about people for him.
“Obviously, I know Jon, for many years now, so I have high regard and respect for him, not just professionally, but also personally. As I got to spend time with Jimmy and Wes, intimately at our home it became very clear these are individuals that I want to partner with. I’m obviously very familiar with many other members of the Bucks organization, so when this opportunity became available, I was like, I know the people, I know what they stand for, I know what their standards are going to be on a day-to-day basis.”
Jenkins spent a year out of coaching after being fired by the Grizzlies toward the end of the 2024–25 season. During that time, Jenkins not only spent more time with his family but also studied a ton of different teams across the association. When it came to the Bucks, in his eyes, there were some things they he liked quite a bit.
“A lot of it was to grow as a basketball coach, but when I did tune in on the Bucks, and especially when they said we [the Bucks front office] want to spend time with you and I dove in deeper, I love the depth of this team. Even in small sample sizes, not just seeing the amazing talent, but there’s a competitive nature there and that’s what I want to unlock even more.”
“When we talk about building a culture and identity, those aren’t just loose terms that we’re gonna throw out there, it’s going to be the embodiment of who these guys are and as coaches, who we are as teachers. I can’t wait to unlock even more, the versatility both offensively and defensively.”
The Bucks have struggled to find any identity since they fired Jenkins’ former boss, Mike Budenholzer. The cultures that Jenkins’ two predecessors tried to build didn’t work out well. Especially under Rivers, there was no clear picture of what kind of team Milwaukee would be. There was also a lack of accountability, with Doc at times deflecting blame and responsibility onto the players. Based on what Jenkins said about how he wants to start his culture with the Bucks, it’s a breath of much-needed fresh air.
“In my time in Memphis, my mentality was always ‘we’re building something.‘ We’re trying daily to get better and that’s me. If I’m going to lead the charge here with these guys up here [points to Horst and Haslem] I’ve got to look in the mirror first and figure out how I’m going to get better every single day, because I want them to feel that from me. It’s the day-in, day-out working and living together that I’m going to make top priority number one and that’s what we’re doing right now. I want (the players) to know I’m going to be on them from the get-go and how we’re going to build this together.”
Plans for the NBA Draft
With four days until the NBA Draft lottery, the Bucks currently have the 10th-best odds of winning the lottery (though that pick would go to Atlanta in a swap). It will be the first time Horst, in his tenure as GM, has a lottery selection, with his previous highest picks at no. 17 in 2017 and 2018, selecting forward D.J. Wilson and guard Donte DiVincenzo, respectively. Horst discussed the excitement about this selection and potential plans for its use.
“There’s a lot of exciement for what it can do for the orginzation, this oppurtunity represents Taylor talked about, to add a player to our roster who can make a big impact quickly. It’s also an oppurtunity to have an asset that we can consider using to build the team another way. I think the position we’re in, wether it ends up being two or it ends up being 11, it’s going to be important having that asset no matter what. It’s really exciting to go through that process. Taylor and I we’re just talking about on the way over here, to say we’re going to be very intentional about the person.”
As for the kind of player they will bring in, whether it’s a draftee or a trade, Jenkins said that they are still having meetings on how they’re going to build this team and the style of play that they want. Yet Jenkins echoed Horst’s sentiment about bringing in the right type of person to the organization.
“I watched a fair amount of college basketball and acutally a little of international basketball as well, over the course of last season. We’re having meetings on-going right now in coming weeks as Jimmy said to sit down and talk about what is the vision, what is the playstyle, what are the type of people we want to bring into this orginzation to represent this city. Those are ongoing dialogues, I’m getting emails left and right, getting downloads on players and I’m excited about that. I can’t put a crystal ball out there and say this is going to be the person who we’re targeting, we’re doing our due diligence to study every part of the player and the person because we want this to be an important addition to a great roster. We want to get this right.”
What did you think of what Jenkins, Horst, and Haslem had to say? Do you think that Jenkins can turn the Bucks’ ship around? Let us know in the comments below.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mitchell Robinson did not play for the New York Knicks on Wednesday night in Game 2 against Philadelphia because of an illness, leaving each team without a center.
The 76ers ruled Joel Embiid out earlier Wednesday with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip. The Knicks added their backup center to the injury report later in the day and said shortly before tipoff that he wouldn't play.
Robinson is a key for the Knicks because of his offensive rebounding and defense, along with giving them the ability to use a big lineup when he plays alongside All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson has made an incredible 17 of 19 shots (89.5%) in seven games thus far in the postseason, averaging 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in just 13.6 minutes per game. He is a poor free-throw shooter, going just 5 for 17 thus far, and the 76ers intentionally fouled him twice in the first quarter of Game 1. Robinson missed all four shots.
