SAN FRANCISCO — There were two things Steve Kerr omitted from his usual preseason address to the Golden State Warriors to set the tone for the season ahead.
“Our team was built in such a way that I literally told everybody, all of you guys have to take care of the ball, they’re allowed to turn it over six times,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to tighten things up.”
The crackdown on playing cleaner, crisper basketball is part of a broader makeover that was desperately needed after finishing fourth from the bottom in giveaways last season.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for a photo during Media Day at the Chase Center in San Francisco. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr meets with the media during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It’s also part of what Kerr described as a way to “reimagine” Warriors basketball heading into his 14th season with an aging roster that’s been lapped by teams both younger and better.
For the first time in a while, the Warriors didn’t spend media day talking about championships.
The word of the day was “process.”
“Last year I think I told the team in our first meeting, ‘we’re trying to win the championship,’” Kerr said. “What’s our goal? They all said, ‘championship.’ I think I even told them, we want a home court advantage in the playoffs.”
This season, after contemplating walking away, “I am 100% locked in on the process on how we’re teaching every single day,” Kerr continued. “I firmly believe that if we do that from the beginning without even mentioning anything about expectations, then we’re going to have a good season, and that’s how I’m approaching things.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for a photo during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry smiles during Media Day at the Chase Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After watching Giannis Antetokounmpo take his talents to South Beach, losing out on Kawhi Leonard to Toronto and getting snubbed by LeBron James for the 76ers, maybe the Warriors are just being realistic. According to DraftKings, there are 14 teams with better NBA title odds.
They’re certainly not speaking with the swagger that we’ve come to know from the dynasty that dominated the league for the better part of a decade, culminating in 2022 with its fourth title.
Kerr touted Golden State’s “under the radar” signings — Brandon Williams, Georges Niang — as “guys who can really play and who have helped winning teams.” General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. had his tail between his legs after every other pursuit came up short.
He wasn’t able to give a full-throated endorsement of the roster without couching it first.
“First and foremost,” he said, “we’re humbly optimistic about the prospect for this team.”
Teams that compete for championships don’t tend to be humble.
Jimmy Butler III of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait during media day. Getty ImagesDraymond Green of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait during media day at Chase Center in San Francisco. Getty Images
The Warriors don’t really have any other choice, not when their top two wings — Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody — won’t be ready until at least midway through the season. They got another reminder of the challenge that lays ahead when Dunleavy’s phone rang the night before.
Curry, bless his soul, signed up to run it back, anyway. He could have used his leverage and refused to sign an extension unless the Warriors upgraded the roster around him, a la other superstars. Instead, he never even threatened to leave and even took less money than the Warriors offered him — about $10 million this season — to give them more flexibility.
So far, all that’s resulted in is a hit to Curry’s bank account.
“Without knowing the answers to the test, it was my best way to study for it, if that makes sense,” Curry said. “This is home. This is what we’ve built. This is a community that I’ve played in front of my entire career, and being able to finish the story the right way is a big part of I think what I can control.”
Curry was about the only one who didn’t seem to be infected by the dour mood outside the building. He was so flabbergasted when one reporter said “nobody” expected them to make the playoffs, let alone compete for a championship, that all he could muster was, “Damn!”
“That’s how bad it is?” Curry questioned of the outside expectations.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green poses for a photo during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kerr, on the other hand, seemed to be looking forward to getting to play the underdog for once.
“I don’t mind the fact that everyone is picking us to miss the playoffs. You know, that’s not a bad spot to be in as a team, as a coach,” he said, returning to a familiar theme. “For me what it means is we get to focus on the process.”
Even before the season-ending injuries to Butler and Moody, the Warriors weren’t living up to their championship aspirations. When Butler went down on Jan. 19, they were 25-19, eighth in the Western Conference.
Absent any significant personnel changes from last season — besides intense defensive assistant Frank Vogel, whose addition Kerr described as a “coup” — the Warriors seem to be content with re-evaluating how they use the players in the building.
“We lost too many close games. We gave too many games away in the margins,” Kerr said. “So the vision for this year is to clean that stuff up and build some momentum and then we get those guys back.”
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green interacts with members of the media during Media Day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Green is being asked to reimagine his role, too. He’s going to spend more time on the perimeter, and Kerr wants him to shoot more of the open looks he gets from 3. “Shooting, crashing, you know, spreading the floor for other people, dribble hand-off stuff,” Kerr said.
And turn the ball over less.
Green pushed back on the notion that championship expectations precedes championships.
“I hate to be cliche, but in 2022 nobody walked into that season like, ‘Hey, here’s the beginning of a championship year.’ Our process was great, which then allowed us to grow over the season and become a championship team.”
There’s that word again.
Process. It may be the only thing the Warriors will be able to control this season.
“Put together a great process and then you get to the end,” Green said, “and you let the cards fall where they may.”
SAN FRANCISCO — There were two things Steve Kerr omitted from his usual preseason address to the Golden State Warriors to set the tone for the season ahead.
“Our team was built in such a way that I literally told everybody, all of you guys have to take care of the ball, they’re allowed to turn it over six times,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to tighten things up.”
The crackdown on playing cleaner, crisper basketball is part of a broader makeover that was desperately needed after finishing fourth from the bottom in giveaways last season.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for a photo during Media Day at the Chase Center in San Francisco. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr meets with the media during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It’s also part of what Kerr described as a way to “reimagine” Warriors basketball heading into his 14th season with an aging roster that’s been lapped by teams both younger and better.
For the first time in a while, the Warriors didn’t spend media day talking about championships.
The word of the day was “process.”
“Last year I think I told the team in our first meeting, ‘we’re trying to win the championship,’” Kerr said. “What’s our goal? They all said, ‘championship.’ I think I even told them, we want a home court advantage in the playoffs.”
This season, after contemplating walking away, “I am 100% locked in on the process on how we’re teaching every single day,” Kerr continued. “I firmly believe that if we do that from the beginning without even mentioning anything about expectations, then we’re going to have a good season, and that’s how I’m approaching things.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for a photo during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry smiles during Media Day at the Chase Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After watching Giannis Antetokounmpo take his talents to South Beach, losing out on Kawhi Leonard to Toronto and getting snubbed by LeBron James for the 76ers, maybe the Warriors are just being realistic. According to DraftKings, there are 14 teams with better NBA title odds.
They’re certainly not speaking with the swagger that we’ve come to know from the dynasty that dominated the league for the better part of a decade, culminating in 2022 with its fourth title.
Kerr touted Golden State’s “under the radar” signings — Brandon Williams, Georges Niang — as “guys who can really play and who have helped winning teams.” General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. had his tail between his legs after every other pursuit came up short.
He wasn’t able to give a full-throated endorsement of the roster without couching it first.
“First and foremost,” he said, “we’re humbly optimistic about the prospect for this team.”
Teams that compete for championships don’t tend to be humble.
Jimmy Butler III of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait during media day. Getty ImagesDraymond Green of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait during media day at Chase Center in San Francisco. Getty Images
The Warriors don’t really have any other choice, not when their top two wings — Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody — won’t be ready until at least midway through the season. They got another reminder of the challenge that lays ahead when Dunleavy’s phone rang the night before.
Curry, bless his soul, signed up to run it back, anyway. He could have used his leverage and refused to sign an extension unless the Warriors upgraded the roster around him, a la other superstars. Instead, he never even threatened to leave and even took less money than the Warriors offered him — about $10 million this season — to give them more flexibility.
So far, all that’s resulted in is a hit to Curry’s bank account.
“Without knowing the answers to the test, it was my best way to study for it, if that makes sense,” Curry said. “This is home. This is what we’ve built. This is a community that I’ve played in front of my entire career, and being able to finish the story the right way is a big part of I think what I can control.”
Curry was about the only one who didn’t seem to be infected by the dour mood outside the building. He was so flabbergasted when one reporter said “nobody” expected them to make the playoffs, let alone compete for a championship, that all he could muster was, “Damn!”
“That’s how bad it is?” Curry questioned of the outside expectations.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green poses for a photo during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kerr, on the other hand, seemed to be looking forward to getting to play the underdog for once.
“I don’t mind the fact that everyone is picking us to miss the playoffs. You know, that’s not a bad spot to be in as a team, as a coach,” he said, returning to a familiar theme. “For me what it means is we get to focus on the process.”
Even before the season-ending injuries to Butler and Moody, the Warriors weren’t living up to their championship aspirations. When Butler went down on Jan. 19, they were 25-19, eighth in the Western Conference.
Absent any significant personnel changes from last season — besides intense defensive assistant Frank Vogel, whose addition Kerr described as a “coup” — the Warriors seem to be content with re-evaluating how they use the players in the building.
“We lost too many close games. We gave too many games away in the margins,” Kerr said. “So the vision for this year is to clean that stuff up and build some momentum and then we get those guys back.”
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green interacts with members of the media during Media Day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Green is being asked to reimagine his role, too. He’s going to spend more time on the perimeter, and Kerr wants him to shoot more of the open looks he gets from 3. “Shooting, crashing, you know, spreading the floor for other people, dribble hand-off stuff,” Kerr said.
And turn the ball over less.
Green pushed back on the notion that championship expectations precedes championships.
“I hate to be cliche, but in 2022 nobody walked into that season like, ‘Hey, here’s the beginning of a championship year.’ Our process was great, which then allowed us to grow over the season and become a championship team.”
There’s that word again.
Process. It may be the only thing the Warriors will be able to control this season.
“Put together a great process and then you get to the end,” Green said, “and you let the cards fall where they may.”
David Stearns offered his first acknowledgement on Monday that moving on from the Mets’ all-time home run leader after last season may not have been the best plan.
Pete Alonso delivered 43 homers and an .884 OPS this season for the Orioles, while the Mets struggled to piece together a solution at first base.
In his season wrap, the Mets president of baseball operations was asked if he would do anything different regarding Alonso knowing what he knows now.
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“I think that’s a very fair question,” Stearns said. “The truth is, in this job I don’t get mulligans. I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough, and so now it’s my job to ensure that we have got better success across our roster, but for the entire season, better production at first base as well.”
Alonso received a five-year contract worth $155 million from the Orioles last offseason after the Mets showed an unwillingness to offer a long-term deal to the first baseman.
Jorge Polanco, signed to a two-year deal worth $40 million as Alonso’s primary replacement, played only 37 games due to physical limitations and wasn’t a factor. Mark Vientos also provided underwhelming results at the position before Jared Young emerged later in the season to provide a semblance of stability at first base.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks during his end of year press conference at Citi Field, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY PostBaltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run in the first inning at Citi Field in Queens, New York, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
“We try to learn from everything, and I think the entire offseason last year was a learning experience for me,” Stearns said a day after the Mets completed a 74-win season. “I give Pete an enormous amount of credit. He went out and had a really good year. Throughout the entirety of our season our first base production wasn’t good enough, and now it’s my job to put a group together next year that plays better.”
LAS VEGAS , NV - NOVEMBER 13: Mookie Betts carries the Commissioner's Trophy onstage during the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, November 13, 2025 in Las Vegas , Nevada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Eight Dodgers on Monday were nominated for Major League Baseball’s All-MLB teams, an honor that has existed within the sport since 2019.
Fan voting for the honor will take place beginning Monday through Friday, October 9, with that fan vote counted alongside “a decorated panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game” in determining first and second All-MLB teams.
Shohei Ohtani is one of six nominees at designated hitter, Mookie Betts is one of 11 shortstop nominees, and Freddie Freeman one of 14 nominees at first base. All five have captured All-MLB honors in five previous years, with Ohtani collecting first-team All-MLB honors at DH in each of the last three years and four of the last five, plus second-team DH in 2022, to go with his two first-team All-MLB honors (2022-23) and one second-team All-MLB honors (2021) as a starting pitcher.
Betts is a four-time first-team All-MLB outfielder plus a second-team honor in 2019. Freeman has two first-team honors at first base, the last coming in 2023, and three second-team honors.
Max Muncy is one of 11 third baseman vying for All-MLB honors, looking for his first All-MLB selection, facing an uphill battle with Rays star Junior Caminero among those nominated at the position.
Andy Pages is the only Dodger among the 24 outfield nominees, seeking his first All-MLB selection.’
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who garnered first-team All-MLB honors last year, and Tarik Skubal, a first-teamer in each of the last two years, are the two Dodgers starting pitchers nominated at starting pitcher this year.
Tanner Scott is one of 20 relief pitchers up for All-MLB honors.
All-MLB teams will be announced during the MLB awards show on November 11, which will begin at 5 p.m. PT on MLB Network.
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a portrait during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex on September 28, 2026 in Camden, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s going to take a long time for this all to set in.
These guys still haven’t even played a preseason game together yet, but 2026 Media Day was very exciting for the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s not every day one of the two best players of all time dons your jersey for the first time. It was also the first time LeBron James answered questions about joining the Sixers from reporters as opposed to a recorded podcast.
The excitement around James joining the Sixers and his first day at the team’s practice facility nearly overshadowed the first major domino that brought him here in the first place. While it wasn’t Jaylen Brown’s first time talking to the Philadelphia media, it was also his first time wearing a Sixers uniform. Frankly, it was weird to see a guy who spent the first 10 years of his career terrorizing the Sixers as a member of the Boston Celtics put on the other team’s jersey.
Every time Brown has been asked about going from one rival to another, he’s repeated the same one-day-at-a-time mantra. The focus of Brown’s quotes since joining the Sixers have rather been about leveling up his game while being a contributor to his community.
“I’m not sure. I’m taking it one day at a time. Obviously, things happen in this league. It’s a business,” Brown said. “I think what I value about this game is the human connection, to be able to bring people together, to be able to uplift their community, inspire people.”
As someone who’s been on the other side of the rivalry for nearly as long, Tyrese Maxey did point out how weird it felt to see Brown in a Sixers uniform.
“I was just messing with JB before we came up here,” Maxey said. “It’s just like seeing him in Philly’s uniform in red, white and blue is kind of awkward, but it’s good.”
As someone who hasn’t just watched the Sixers and Celtics go to battle time and again for the last decade, but has been a part of several of them, Maxey admitted he has to recalibrate his thinking now that Brown is his teammate. Of the Sixers who discussed their reactions to the trade, Maxey was the one who conveyed a similar amount of shock to the rest of the league.
“Every time we stepped in between the lines I didn’t really mess with Jaylen, it was smoke, I wanted to beat him every single time,” Maxey said. “I think my initial reaction was just, it’s just crazy. We’re division rivals, I see him, I feel like 12 times a year. I feel like we play the Celtics at least 7-8 times every season. For him to be on our side, you kind of got to reframe, reprogram your mind just to be cool with him.”
The fact that one of the most important players to this rivalry’s recent history swapped sides out of nowhere in the middle of his career is jarring. With the joy of signing LeBron James a few weeks later, there’s hardly been time to process that type of whiplash.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 27: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves tips his cap after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on August 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was the day before Postseason and all through the house, there were bats cracking all around as the Atlanta Braves officially got their pre-Wild Card Series workout underway for what they hope is a long, deep run into the Postseason.
There was plenty of activity from the Braves from outside of the actual workout. One of the big stories is that Bryce Elder threw live BP. While Joe Jiménez threw a live BP as well, the idea is that Jiménez may just be doing work ahead of the 2026 season and figures to be a longshot for potentially getting into action at any point before the NLCS. The same goes for Elder, who may also have the NLCS in his sights for his potential return — though his return seems far more likely this Postseason.
Elder talked with the media following his live BP and he didn’t exactly express a ton of confidence that he’d back for the NLDS if the Braves got that far. “I’m going to give it everything I have but also we’ve got the checklist and things I’ve got to hit and if the checklist is too long to get back then I won’t be able to go,” stated Elder when he was asked by Mark Bowman about potentially returning by the NLDS. “I’m going to try everything [the training staff] has got for me and try to be as good as I can at it and progress as fast as I can. We’ll see how early that is.”
With that being said, when I asked him to grade how he was feeling on a 0-100 scale (obviously not 100 just yet), he stated that he was feeling “Pretty high. For being three weeks out, I didn’t know that I’d feel this good. I feel really good and I’m just trying not to push it too much and have a setback.”
Once the workout was done, Chris Sale, Matt Olson and Walt Weiss all spoke to the media for a press conference and the vibe was generally positive surrounding the Braves and how they’re feeling about being able to play for an opportunity to go to the NLDS. I asked Walt Weiss about how important the home field advantage was, especially knowing that all three games would be played here in Cobb County and he responded that he thinks that it’s “huge” for them to be playing these games at home.
“You’ve obviously got to go out and play well,” continued Weiss. “If you don’t play well, it doesn’t matter where you’re playing — you’re not going to win. We play well here, though. It’s a great atmosphere, the guys really enjoy playing here in front of this crowd, so I think it’s a big deal.”
When he was asked about what it was like seeing nearly the entire team standing on the rail to watch Bryce Elder and Joe Jiménez throw their live BPs, Weiss talked more about the level of clubhouse harmony that’s existing at the moment. “The ideal clubhouse is one that’s loose and fun, but focused. I think that’s what they are,” explained Weiss. “I think they really look forward to getting here every day so they can be in that environment in that clubhouse because I think they love being together. When it’s time to play, the focus is good and that’s when they take care of it.”
Speaking of taking care of business, the Braves have certainly gotten it done on defense this season. As I mentioned in the preview, the Braves have graded very high on defense this season and that could make all the difference during this time of year. It could especially mean a lot when you have a guy like Chris Sale on the mound, who expressed plenty of confidence in his defense when I asked him about it during the press conference.
“I’ve felt confident in my defense all year,” stated Sale. “As a pitcher, strikeouts are cool but most of your outs are going to come either on the ground or in the air. Being able to lean on those guys and have confidence that if the ball’s on the ground, someone’s going to get there. Our outfield, those guys are unbelievable and have really strong arms.”
“You look at some of the plays that have been made throughout the season across the the entire infield, we have multiple Gold Glovers out there. It’s a nice thing to have as a pitcher and it gives you more confidence to keep throwing strikes and use those guys behind you.”
One of those guys is Matt Olson, who has provided another great season of defense at first base — which is what you’d expect from someone who has some Gold Gloves and Fielding Bible Awards in his personal trophy cabinet. He’s also been part of the machine that this lineup turns into late in games and in high leverage situations. I asked him about those late moments and he did explain that it’s like the confidence is interwoven into the team at this point.
“Sometimes it just kind of becomes your DNA a little bit as a season goes on,” explained Olson. “It’s not like you try harder or change anything in those scenarios. I think it’s just when it comes time to put up or shut up, some guys just show up and rise to the occasion.”
Lastly, the bullpen has also played a role in those late-game turnarounds that the Braves have benefited from some many times during the regular season. When Chris Sale was asked by Jesús Cano about the bullpen during the press conference, he was his usual effusive self when it came to praising the bullpen and particularly those who come behind him during his starts.
“You’re talking about the hardest outs to get towards the end of the game,” started Sale. “It just seems like whoever they hand the ball off to, it’s shut-down. I like to look at the box score at the end of a game so I can show some love to some guys who deserve it and I’ve been like ”Dammit, every time I look at these box scores, I’m the only pitcher to give up runs!“
“It’s me and then [Dylan] Dodd comes in after that and then [Raisel Iglesias] throws or it’s [Dylan Lee] and [Didier Fuentes] and whoever it is and it’s like me [giving up two or three] and then [the bullpen gives up] zero, zero, zero. You do that five-or-six times and it’s like ‘Man, I gotta step it up a bit!’ But that goes to show you how solid they’ve been throughout the year and how much trust we have in them,” continued Sale. “To be able to walk off the mound after putting everything you’ve got into it and hand the ball off to someone you have all the trust in the world in. Even if it doesn’t go well, you know that that was the right move and that they put the work in to be set up for success.”
As was mentioned by Weiss during his portion of the press conference, the ballclub definitely seems loose-but-focused when it comes to returning to the Postseason. They know they have a familiar opponent to deal with and they know that they’ve got the upper hand with home field advantage and also having been able to set things up ahead of time while the Phillies have only just clinched their spot in the Postseason. They’re also under no delusions that this will be easy but that comes with the territory of the Postseason.
Weiss has maintained that while the Braves are talented, they haven’t gotten this far on talent alone. We’re likely to see those intangibles at play once the Postseason gets rocking and rolling for the Braves on Tuesday afternoon.
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Adam
Jiricek took the news as well as could be under the circumstances.
Of
course, the first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the St. Louis
Blues was disappointed when told he was being assigned to Springfield
of the American Hockey League following a 1-0 preseason win over the
Chicago Blackhawks last Thursday, but the defenseman understood.
“After
the interview I had after (Thursday's preseason game), I got the call
to go up and speak to the management in 10 minutes and they told me,
and you have to accept it,” Jiricek
said.
“I did my best, but it didn't happen. So I went down and I was
ready to work there and wait for my chance again and it came pretty
quick. I'm happy for that and very excited.”
The
20-year-old didn’t have to wait long.
He
barely got settled in Springfield, where the right shot D-man was to
get tons of playing time and a plethora of minutes.
“I
got there Friday night,” Jiricek
said.
“I was there Saturday, just like morning skate, and on Sunday I
went with (Juraj) Pekarcik to move their stuff from storage to the
house and I was about to buy my bed and furniture. But I got the call
that I'm going up, so we turned around and I didn't buy anything. I
went to pack my stuff and I put my hockey bag in the moving truck and
he just drive me in this truck to the airport and they went to move
into the house.
“If
(the Blues) would have called me an hour later, I would have bought
the bed and moved everything. I was lucky I got the call before and
didn't buy anything. I just used the truck to move my stuff to the
airport and he dropped me there and he went to his new house there.
Juraj Pekarcik and Jakub Stancl, they're going to live together and I
was supposed to live with them. But I went with Pekarcik, so he
dropped me off there, and I appreciate that he did that for me.
Change of plans pretty quick.”
“I
left Sunday at 5 p.m. and I got here (in St. Louis) like at 9. I
spent the day at the airport with one flight connecting. It was
pretty quick.”
But
when Logan Mailloux injured his right hand in a fight Saturday during
a 3-2 preseason loss in Chicago, that the Blues confirmed on Monday
that will sideline him for at least eight weeks, things changed
drastically, and Jiricek has been summoned to go into the fire.
“I
feel like I didn't realize everything right away because it was so
fast and I couldn't process all the thinking,” Jiricek said. “It's
hard to see what is happening. I just get there, I was there one
night, and I'm going back. It was pretty quick and I don't have time
to think about it, so I'm just excited. I'm moving my thinking to
play here.”
Montgomery
called it, “Very
deserving. I believe mentally, he thinks he shouldn’t have been
sent down, but you like that,
that’s what you want.”
Now
the question becomes: what do the Blues do with Jiricek?
Well,
they didn’t bring him up to the NHL to sit, so you have to assume
he will play, but will he play alongside Philip Broberg in Mailloux’s
place? It’s a 50/50 shot, because Montgomery said he will not make
the mistake of playing two young d-men together. That means Jiricek
will not play with Theo Lindstein and get either Broberg or Cam
Fowler.
“I
hope not, but if the game calls for it to make adjustments … for
instance, (Broberg) playing with Jiricek, you can think it’s great
chemistry right now,” Montgomery
said.
“In my mind I can think it, but I’m going to look out there and
see like there isn’t. Now maybe Fowler goes with Jiricek. But he’s
definitely going to play with a veteran. I’m not going to have
Jiricek and Lindstein out there together. It’s just not fair to
them.”
“We
haven’t made complete, finished plans yet. I have no problem
sliding him in there
(with Broberg),
but if he slides in there, they’re not going to play the No. 1
offensive line, they’ll play in the two-hole. The good thing is we
have so much depth on our D-core. (Brandon)
Carlo
and (Colton)
Parayko
have played in line matchups against top pairings their entire
careers, Broberg has, so had 17 (Fowler). We have four D-men that
have done that at the NHL at a high level.”
Blues
general manager Alex Steen realizes that with Jiricek, this is a
long-haul project, but that doesn’t preclude things from happening
perhaps sooner than they expected.
“Yeah,
we were looking at everything,” Steen
said.
“With Adam we're in it for the marathon, so we wanted to make sure
that we were putting him in the best position to succeed. That's
still the goal, (but) obviously things change in the game very
quickly. We try to re-adjust and still be able to give him that
opportunity to be in positions to succeed consistently. Yeah we feel
strongly about Adam. He's had a great camp. I'd say great over his
last 18 months, he's taken a lot of steps, so it's an exciting time
for him.”
But
Montgomery doesn’t to put any expectations on Jiricek … not yet
anyway.
“I
don’t want to put any labels on him because of the undue pressure,
but I think the ceiling is very high and I hope to see it as soon as
possible,” Montgomery
said.
“He has shown the ability to adapt his game and easily make changes
that are going to make him harder to play against offensively and
defensively. I don’t see any … live with mistakes, yeah I want to
live with aggressive mistakes, and the way he thinks, the way he
plays the game, he’s going to make mistakes being aggressive, and
we can teach him. You’d rather teach a tiger with stripes on
already than someone that doesn’t have any stripes and have that
mindset.”
It
appears, unless the Blues insert Justin Barron, who was claimed off
waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, into the opening
night lineup, that Jiricek will get his chance to make his NHL debut
in the season-opener against the Dallas Stars on Friday, and he will
get special teams work right away.
“He’s
going to play power play,” Montgomery
said.
“He’s special offensively, and we’re going to put him in
situations to succeed. It’s up to him to grab it and take it.
“The
levels that he’s played at so far, he can get away with holding
onto pucks and moving pucks, skating with pucks longer. When you’re
in the NHL on the power play, the puck should move faster than any
player, it always has, and he’s got to learn to learn to get to the
middle of the ice and be a little more stationary and let his puck
skills and deception with the puck … instead of moving all over the
place at the blue line, he should move it and get to the middle and
make the power play go from the middle of the ice. That’s something
that people have to learn.”
If
Jiricek gets to make his debut Friday, he welcomes it with open arms,
and after the training camp he had, the confidence should be pretty
steady.
“It's
exciting,” Jiricek
said.
“I didn't play in the NHL yet, so it's a dream. It's still a couple
of days until the game. I think it's going to hit me like harder when
I'm going to see that I'm in the lineup.
“…
I
was trying to play my best hockey (in
camp) and
I think I did pretty good. I showed myself and I want to keep
building on that and continue what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I
can play here and I can make the team better and that's what I'm
going to try to do.”
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When discussing the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins and both the immediate and far-out picture of where the team is at, general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has always remained a bit coy.
But, that was not the case during his season-opening press conference on Monday.
Dubas and the Penguins have no plans to regress this season and in a general sense, and that much was made clear during his presser when he said they want to "preserve where we're at" while making progress toward separating themselves from the mid-tier teams in the league.
The big question, though, is how they're going to execute getting there. He said that the core-level veteran players the Penguins have cannot keep carrying the load if they expect to become sustainable, legitimate contenders, and they need youth to begin taking more and more of that mantle while keeping the team competitive in the process.
"This year, it's a very pivotal season for the group in that regard," Dubas said. "Can we continue to add younger players to the group to not only preserve where we're at but push us ahead and remove us from what I would say is the middle ground of the league?"
In a telling presser where he was a bit bolder than usual, he may have pulled back the blinds on the Penguins' plans, even just a little bit. Here are three takeaways from that presser.
1. The Penguins will remain vigilant in the trade market
As far as how they're going to acquire that much-needed talent to ease the burden of their oldest players to drive the team to contention? A lot of it, Dubas said, is about priming the younger players they have to take the next step, but it's also going to involve staying alert and vigilant regarding the trade market when it comes to Egor Chinakhov and Nick Robertson types.
However, if the team continues to take steps toward contention this season, and if bigger-name players become available, Dubas won't rule out the Penguins' involvement.
"There's not a younger player in the league that becomes available that we don't investigate, both in terms of the assets that we have - younger players, draft picks - and also, if a team is looking for more veteran players, we have those, too, that can help their clubs," Dubas said. "Where we get into is whether it’s a fit overall between the two teams in terms of the pieces that they’re looking for."
He mentioned that being involved in discussions involving bigger names is tough without the assets to do so, citing the Bowen Byram trade before the draft this summer that involved a fourth overall pick going the other way. But he was adament in saying that the Penguins would be on the phone regardless.
"Every single player of that nature that becomes available, regardless of their profile, we’ll be involved," Dubas said. "And, as we’ve executed on repeatedly over the last two-plus years, those are the types of players that we’re almost exclusively acquiring via trade. We’ll continue to look at all of those that come up."
In other words, don't rule out the Penguins being "splashier," as their GM would say. But being "splashier" will require both their veterans to keep playing at a high level and their young talent to take pretty substantial steps to bolster value. The Penguins don't have the high-end draft capital that rebuilding teams covet, but they won't hesitate to move out veterans and prospects if it means they're acquiring an impact player who projects well with their future plans.
In the meantime and the short-term, though, expect them to stay quite active in acquiring change-of-scenery and upside-types until bigger talent becomes available and until they have the proper ammunition to pull something bigger off.
2. It's all about timing for younger players, but the time is fast-approaching
Speaking of younger players, there is still a whole lot of belief in the young players the Penguins have within their organization. Dubas touched on the two main prospect pieces of the Jake Guentzel trade in Ville Koivunen and Harrison Brunicke being on the verge of, hopefully, taking some big strides in their development, and he and the rest of the staff were impressed with goaltender Sergei Murashov's Calder Cup Playoff run at the end of the 2025-26 season enough to make him a shoe-in for an NHL roster spot this year.
However, even when discussing players like Rutger McGroarty and Owen Pickering, Dubas understands that development isn't linear nor the same for every player. Some players may take a bit longer than others, and some may not reach their potential at all.
"I would love if all of them came in, had one year in the minors, and made the NHL right away. You’re trying to really thread it between giving a clear opportunity for them to earn but also make it really competitive," Dubas said. "The players always always come through it better when it’s competitive and they have to go out and get it rather than it just being handed [to them].
"There’s always competition between the prospects, as well. I would love every one of them at 22 to be in the NHL full time, and that’s what we aspire to and push for. But we can’t force them in when it’s too early. We just have to keep with our plan."
But he also knows where the organization is at and that, at some point, the burden is on players like McGroarty and Pickering - even the 20-year-old Brunicke, who is expected to play a huge role next to Pickering for WBS this season - to keep pushing and shoving through the competition for roster spots until they earn their full-time ticket to the NHL. The Penguins are at a point where they need some of these players to start showing out, even if some aren't in the NHL to start the season.
"What I would love to see happen is for younger guys to work their way up the lineup to beat down the doors in the American League and force us to have to create room for them and they can make a positive impact here," Dubas said. "If we get deep into the year and we're not in that position, or we don't feel we're truly gaining ground on Carolina or truly contending, we'll have to make some more difficult decisions."
Unlike in years past, big things are expected from some young players this season, particularly the five mentioned here. Dubas and the Penguins are relying on them taking steps to show they will help the team win now and in the future. If they don't take those steps, things could get a bit dicey, and some decisions will have to be made.
3. 'Tough decisions' are on the horizon... and they won't be afraid to push things along.
Of course, the most glaring bit that got folks talking after this press conference was when Dubas was - once again - asked about the potential of Evgeni Malkin's future and whether another extension would be considered.
“I’m not going to do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with Geno again this year," Dubas said shortly and simply.
I asked Kyle Dubas if his understanding with Evgeni Malkin when they discussed a contract for this season was that it would be his final year in Pittsburgh.
Dubas gave a blunt answer: "I'm not gonna do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with Geno again this year."
Personally, I wouldn't read into this as Dubas saying "Geno isn't coming back" rather than him just getting tired of fielding questions about Malkin's future when the response is pretty much always the same. However, it's not difficult to read between the lines a little bit, especially as he gave an extended answer to a similar question offered about Sidney Crosby earlier.
Later on, Dubas did speak on the "reverance" for Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang, who are entering their 21st season together and have spent more time with each other on one team than any other trio in North American professional sports history. It's a unique situation, and it puts the team in uncharted territory when it comes to getting younger while also understanding the impact these players have on that young talent that is supposed to shape their future.
But, again, he was up-front about where he believes this team is at and where it needs to go. And he knows that, even with other peripheral core players like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson, they can't fall short on taking action to get them closer to their goal of closing that gap with Carolina.
"I don't think remaining in that middle ground can get us back into contention in any sort of short order," Dubas said in his opener. "So, that'll take bold decisions and hard decisions."
And, if push comes to shove, some of those hard decisions are likely to involve roster mainstays and veterans. If Letang is pushed out of playing time by a guy like Brunicke, they're not going to hold Brunicke back on Letang's account. If Malkin takes a step back and is surpassed on the depth chart by Koivunen, McGroarty, Bill Zonnon, or anyone else, they're not going to bring him back next season. If Rakell, Rust, or Karlsson - if the third is willing to waive his no-movement clause - can be packaged to help them land a young talent they covet, they'll do it.
It seems like Dubas is done beating around the bush and is at a juncture where he won't hesitate on making the necessary but difficult moves to allow the team to get younger and progress closer toward being a sustainable contender.
Progression isn't just an ideal anymore, it's an expectation. And it's one that they're banking on this season.
"At the end of the year, we have to say we're getting closer to our goal where I think the public and you all and sit up there and say, 'They're a lot closer to being a team that can contend or they are a contender now.' It's just definitive," Dubas said. "And that may mean some difficult decisions along the way that are going to have to be made, you know, from my seat, but that's the job.
"That's really what we're aiming for in the year. I don't think we ever go into the year thinking that we're going to regress. We have to take steps toward getting back to, in the end, saying, 'Geez, this team is awfully close to knocking down the door again to being a team that can contend.'"
Stay seated, folks. The team's contention status at the end of this season should have a pretty profound impact on where things go from here.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during media day at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York, Monday, September 28, 2026.
The eyes did not deceive. Karl-Anthony Towns did indeed drop weight.
Looking slimmer than ever at Monday’s Media Day, the Knicks center said he shed pounds during the summer to feel fresher and healthier.
“It’s good for my body, my knees,” Towns said. “And it keeps me young.”
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during media day at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York, Monday, September 28, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Towns said he slims down every summer after adding mass during the season, which is against the grain since players often lose weight once training camp begins. The benefit is injury prevention and quickness, while pitfalls include reduced strength and power for battling in the paint.
Tim Duncan popularized weight loss for frontcourt players in his 30s, extending his career.
Towns didn’t reveal the specific numbers behind his summer weight loss. The 7-footer weighed 248 pounds last season, according to the Knicks website.
“I always lose a lot of the weight,” Towns said. “I put on a lot of weight for the season.”
Along the way, Towns was rediscovered as a playmaking hub during the playoffs — a role that helped transform the Knicks from potential first-round busts in Atlanta to NBA champs. His average assists jumped 60 percent in the postseason, and the Knicks were an offensive juggernaut while winning 13 straight.
Coach Mike Brown confirmed that strategy will continue this regular season — with an expectation of an evolving offense.
“We started last season with an offense with him at the elbow but we just did different things when he caught the ball at the elbow and the action wasn’t always designed to go to him at the elbow,” Brown said. “And so we eventually evolved into [going more to KAT at the elbow] and we will go with that and evolve into other things throughout the course of [the] year based on where we are as a team.”
From left, Jordan Clarkson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods attend a David Yurman event, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at the William F. Passannante Ballfield on West Houston and MacDougal Street. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
So the offense will change. Towns’ body already did.
“In today’s sports world, you always hear about strength and speed and quickness,” said Brown, who added that he hasn’t checked Towns’ weight or body fat percentage yet but was informed his center dropped weight. “So whatever his body needs to be to optimize those things, that’s what I have faith him and our performance staff will do for us.”
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during media day at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York, Monday, September 28, 2026.
The eyes did not deceive. Karl-Anthony Towns did indeed drop weight.
Looking slimmer than ever at Monday’s Media Day, the Knicks center said he shed pounds during the summer to feel fresher and healthier.
“It’s good for my body, my knees,” Towns said. “And it keeps me young.”
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during media day at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York, Monday, September 28, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Towns said he slims down every summer after adding mass during the season, which is against the grain since players often lose weight once training camp begins. The benefit is injury prevention and quickness, while pitfalls include reduced strength and power for battling in the paint.
Tim Duncan popularized weight loss for frontcourt players in his 30s, extending his career.
Towns didn’t reveal the specific numbers behind his summer weight loss. The 7-footer weighed 248 pounds last season, according to the Knicks website.
“I always lose a lot of the weight,” Towns said. “I put on a lot of weight for the season.”
Along the way, Towns was rediscovered as a playmaking hub during the playoffs — a role that helped transform the Knicks from potential first-round busts in Atlanta to NBA champs. His average assists jumped 60 percent in the postseason, and the Knicks were an offensive juggernaut while winning 13 straight.
Coach Mike Brown confirmed that strategy will continue this regular season — with an expectation of an evolving offense.
“We started last season with an offense with him at the elbow but we just did different things when he caught the ball at the elbow and the action wasn’t always designed to go to him at the elbow,” Brown said. “And so we eventually evolved into [going more to KAT at the elbow] and we will go with that and evolve into other things throughout the course of [the] year based on where we are as a team.”
From left, Jordan Clarkson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods attend a David Yurman event, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at the William F. Passannante Ballfield on West Houston and MacDougal Street. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
So the offense will change. Towns’ body already did.
“In today’s sports world, you always hear about strength and speed and quickness,” said Brown, who added that he hasn’t checked Towns’ weight or body fat percentage yet but was informed his center dropped weight. “So whatever his body needs to be to optimize those things, that’s what I have faith him and our performance staff will do for us.”
Nikola Jokić, arguably the best basketball player in the world, committed to sign a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets.
Jokić, the three-time Most Valuable Player, has been eligible to sign a massive, max contract extension each of the last two summers, but he has delayed that, seemingly so that he can maximize his earning potential for an enormous five-year deal worth up to $360 million.
The delay, however, has caused some angst among Nuggets fans, given that Jokić is under team control for just this upcoming season, though he does have a player option for $62.8 million.
At Nuggets media day, he tried to ease the apprehension of any nervous fans.
“I’m going to sign next year – if they want me,” Jokić said Monday, Sept. 28.
Jokić posted one of the most prolific seasons in NBA history last year, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game – the second consecutive season he averaged a triple-double. Only two other players in history have averaged triple-doubles, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
In April, after Denver was eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Jokić told reporters that he wanted to be wanted to be “a Nugget forever.” He has repeatedly expressed his loyalty toward the franchise, where he won the 2023 NBA Finals.
Jokić has been with the Nuggets for 11 seasons after Denver drafted him with the 41st overall selection in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
One of the more decorated and accomplished players of his generation, Jokić instantly makes the Nuggets more competitive. Denver, however, has been navigating a tight salary cap situation and had a difficult offseason that included trading away Peyton Watson, a key forward who has steadily improved.
There had been speculation that Jokić was perhaps delaying his extension to see the direction the Nuggets would take, but executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer echoed Jokić’s comments at media day.
Dean Elgar, the South African star responsible for cricket’s most overshadowed century, signed off from the game on the weekend in Wales in typically hard-nosed and superb fashion.
The end of the 2026 season has been a rocky road for the Chicago Cubs. September was one of two months that saw them post sub-.500 marks on the season with an 11-13 record. They finished exactly .500 in their last 10 games. They dropped two winnable games against the Red Sox and two winnable games against the Marlins. It felt like they might be limping into the Postseason even before star third baseman Alex Bregman took a foul ball to the face, resulting in multiple fractures and multiple missed games for one of the Cubs best hitters in the second half.
Oh, you thought that was the bad news? There’s more! While that string of bad luck alone would have (probably) played the Cubs out of hosting a Wild Card Series at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, Mother Nature wanted to get in on the action too. A freak September nor’easter descended upon Boston in the waning days of the 2026 season and MLB’s “solution” to this was the following itinerary for the Chicago Cubs:
Thursday, Sept. 24: Day game at Wrigley, fly to Boston
Friday, Sept. 25: Doubleheader in Boston, fly to Tampa
Saturday, Sept. 26: Impromptu off day in Florida!
Sunday, Sept. 27: Play one game in Tropicana Field to finish the season for #reasons, fly to San Diego
Monday, Sept. 28: Workout day for the Wild Card Series
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Begin best of three Wild Card Series in San Diego. First pitch scheduled at 10PM Eastern Time
It’s not particularly becoming in baseball to complain about certain things. After all, both teams have the same weather, the same umpires, the same roster rules and restrictions. They don’t have the same talent, but they did that to themselves and frankly, any difference in injury risk is likely a result of player decisions and tradeoffs someone made along the way as well. But this isn’t so much complaining as observing that MLB has chosen to deal the Cubs an absolutely brutal hand en route to the Postseason, which will kick off for them in San Diego tomorrow.
The question is, how will they handle it? You don’t have to look further than Bregman for answers. Bregman DH’d against the Red Sox and while it took a few at bats to get his timing back, he eventually did this [VIDEO].
It’s obviously an incorrect inference to suggest that two swings of the bat can salvage a downturn that likely reflects a depleted bullpen pitching on fumes. That said, stranger things have happened in this season that saw the Cubs win 10 games in a row twice and lose 10 straight in another stretch. It feels like the deck is stacked against the Cubs, but this isn’t really a team that has thrown in the towel or given up at any sign of adversity this season.
This team lost Cade Horton, Justin Steele had a setback, Ben Brown emerged as a legit TOR starter before being lost for the season and they kept winning anyway. Pete Crow-Armstrong looked like he was struggling early, only to emerge as the first 40-40 man in franchise history and the likely NL MVP. Alex Bregman hitting home runs with a broken face might just be the 2026 iteration of the Cubs channeling the 2016 team’s “We Never Quit.”
There’s no such thing as an easy road to a championship. The Cubs road continues tomorrow at Petco Park, and I doubt they’ll let something as trivial as jet lag define their season.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Jesús Luzardo #44 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by CJ Lauretani/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We’re starting to hear a little bit more about the Phillies and who they choose to put on the roster as well as their pitching plans for the Wild Card round. Today, some answers were given to questions that were had.
Jesús Luzardo will be an opener for the Phillies in Game 1. Andrew Painter will be in the bullpen.
Opener, starter, whatever you want to call it, Luzardo will be the first one on the mound for the Phillies when they open in Atlanta. How long he goes will remain to be seen. Maybe he goes one inning, maybe he goes five. We’ll see how the plan goes once the game gets underway.
As far as other parts of the roster, Luis Arraez will not be on the roster.
Luis Arraez will not be on the playoff roster. Otto Kemp will take his place.
Arraez’s ankle must be really bad in that he can’t even pinch hit during the series. Otto Kemp returns to apparently take up some space and maybe safeguard against any other infield injury that might occur. Remember, Edmundo Sosa was a little lame after Game 162.
We’ll see the full roster given out tomorrow to see if there is any other surprises.
SAN FRANCISCO ― The Golden State Warriors might have won the steal of the 2026 NBA Draft, landing Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 overall pick of the first round.
Lendeborg put the league on notice over the summer, helping lead his summer league team filled with first-year, second-year and two-way players to the 2026 Summer League title, earning MVP along the way.
A confident Lendeborg is going to strut his stuff, and on Monday during the Warriors media day, he told reporters what he believes his ceiling is and how good he thinks he can be this season.
"For me, I would probably just say playing meaningful minutes. You know, when the game is on the line, I want to be the guy on the court trying to make a play on defense or offense, whatever it has to come to," Lendeborg said. "Then just hopefully becoming like First-Team All-Rookie. I feel like I could win Rookie of the Year, but that's not my main focus. I just want to be able to set in stone here on the Warriors."
Warriors rookie Lendeborg finds way with vets
Lendeborg has been making his presence known in the NBA space, as well as with the Warriors. His ever-growing relationship with Draymond Green is nonstop banter and fun between the rookie and vet.
"Hopefully become All-Rookie First Team. I feel like I could win Rookie of the Year but that's not my main focus."
"It's been very, like, funny. You know, very goofy in a way. He's definitely like one of those uncles that you have that you see at a barbecue one time and don't see them for a long time, you know. So it's definitely kind of cool to have him around like that," Lendeborg said.
His bond with Green came as a surprise, he said.
"I didn't expect it to be like that, you know, because he looks super mean. He looks like, I don't even know you or I'm not going to talk to you kind of guy," Lendeborg said. "Being able to joke around with him -- I actually just took a picture with him, and it was kind of cool. I'm happy that he's that way, and he's allowing me to be kind of like annoying without him getting bothered for now."
He's been getting acclimated with his teammates; just as important, he's been winning over his veterans such as Green, Jimmy Butler, and Stephen Curry.
"Well, for me it would just be asking them a bunch of questions. At Jimmy's house I asked him every question that popped up, even maybe created some, just to ask some questions. I do that," Lendeborg said, on how he was able to gain respect from his vets.
"Just play basketball the right way. Let them know that I'm willing to do whatever," he added. "I'm getting all the rookie duty stuff like cleaning up the court, grabbing all these cards and stuff for them too. You know, just doing my job, making sure that I don't do nothing dumb."
Lendeborg knows that he won't be the main guy like he was during summer league. Instead, his focus will start on the defensive end, but if there's any challenge ahead, the rookie is willing to accept the call and step up.
