With all the time he’s missed due to injuries, Schwindt has played just 22 games, scoring 3 goals and totaling 4 points.
The 6-foot-3, fourth-line center was originally drafted by the Panthers in the third round (81st overall) in the 2019 draft, but was dealt to the Calgary Flames in the Matthew Tkachuk trade. Later, he was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights, and then again this season, was claimed off waivers by the Panthers.
In 71 games between the Panthers, Golden Knights, and Flames, Schwindt has scored four goals and 12 points, averaging 9:12 of ice time.
If Schwindt can return for either Saturday or Sunday’s road games against the Panthers, Maurice must decide who exits the lineup. The most likely candidates are anyone on the fourth line. At the moment, that is Vinnie Hinostroza, Nolan Foote and Luke Kunin.
But given the way the Panthers’ season has gone, there is a high chance another forward will exit tonight’s game early with an injury and be unable to play this weekend.
Additionally, Dmitry Kulikov has suffered a pretty severe broken nose, but Maurice said Kulikov wants to play, so there is a chance he can return against the Penguins, as he has already been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins.
Maurice and his coaching staff are doing a lot of line juggling due to injuries.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: In this Aerial view, "The Samurai of the Diamond" mural by Robert Vargas featuring Los Angeles Dodgers Japanese pitchers Shohei Ohtani (17), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and Roki Sasaki (11) at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel on March 27, 2026 in Torrance, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In total, the trio against Cleveland allowed three runs in 16 innings, with 12 strikeouts and six walks. The Dodgers became the first team in Major League Baseball history to start a Japanese pitcher in three consecutive games, per Elias.
“These are three great men. They are all different. This is a special time in Major League Baseball, certainly with the Japanese players we’re fortunate to have, and around the league,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. “It’s an honor to know that I managed these three guys.”
This is the second year all three have been Dodgers teammates, but the timing never worked out in 2025 for all three to be in the rotation at the same time. Ohtani was rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery and didn’t get into a game until mid-June. Sasaki went on the injured list in May and didn’t return until September, and by then there was only room for him in the bullpen.
Fourteen Japanese players were on opening day rosters this season, matching 2010 for second-most in a season, behind only the 16 Japanese players on 2008 opening day rosters.
Having three Japanese starting pitchers on the same team in any season is rare enough, as only 35 pitchers born in Japan have started a game in MLB. Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Sasaki are only the third such trio in major league history, joining the 2001 Montreal Expos (11 starts by Masato Yoshii, 10 by Tomo Ohka, and three from Hideki Irabu) and 2003 Dodgers (33 from Hideo Nomo, 27 by Kazuhisa Ishii, and two by Masao Kida).
Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Sasaki combined for 52 starts last season, tied for second-most in a season by Japanese pitchers on one team.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell with the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. From that moment on, he became one of the most important assets in the organization.
After a strong year in the SHL and at the World Junior Championships, he raised his stock even more. The Blackhawks brought him to North America right when his season ended with Djurgardens, his SHL club.
Nobody is expecting a teenager to dominate right when they join the NHL, but Frondell has been as close to dominant as possible. Through his first five NHL games, he has one goal and four primary assists.
It’s one thing to have the points, but his high number of scoring chances he creates for himself and his teammates is what makes his offensive game so impressive. As he and the team around him develop, more of these chances will find the back of the net, earning him even more points.
Frondell has mostly been used as an offensive play-driver, but his defensive metrics support him being a strong two-way player as well. The Blackhawks are focused on seeing what they have in him as a center just as much as a winger, which would entail being a great defensive forward for 200 feet.
"He's done an excellent job," Jeff Blashill said of Frondell after their overtime loss to the Jets. "To be out against one of the best lines in the league, there were some mistakes, but overall, the line did an excellent job."
Blashill admitted that he's been thrown to the wolves early in his NHL career, and playing against stars like Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele is certainly a challenge for anyone.
"I really like playing with him," Tyler Bertuzzi said of his new linemate. "He's big, and he forechecks hard. I think that's why we had success tonight. He's all over the puck and forechecking hard; he battles, which I like."
Bertuzzi has 31 goals this season, and he's played with almost every top-six caliber center and winger on the team at one point. His versatility has been admirable, and it's helped Frondell adjust to playing center quickly.
"He looks right at home," Bertuzzi continued on Frondell. "He's just going to keep getting better as he grows and continues to play big minutes in big spots. The future is looking bright."
For being an 18-year-old with under 10 NHL games played, his impact has been felt much quicker than anticipated. Nobody would have thought twice if it took him a while to get going in terms of score sheet production, but it's been almost a seamless transition.
Frondell, in addition to being a wonderful hockey player off to a great start on the ice, is a nice kid who has a winning attitude. He was gleaming with excitement as he talked about his first home game in the NHL.
"[It was] incredible," Frondell said of his United Center debut. "Back on the road trip, when we played in Madison Square Garden and different arenas, I thought, 'Oh, this is pretty good.' But they said, 'Wait until you get back at home.' I know what they mean by that now. It's a pretty good crowd here."
It helps when you play as well as Frondell did all game. Eventually, his usage on the defensive side of the puck will match the offensive side, and he's compared his playstyle to Sasha Barkov in the past for a reason, but that will come with more experience.
"The game is a whole new level from what I'm used to in Sweden," Frondell said of the actual hockey game. "Everything goes so fast, everyone is a lot better. I still have a lot to learn."
If this is him at his most raw in the NHL, Tyler Bertuzzi will end up being correct about the bright future. He has looked good at two different positions, fits in with the other young players on the team, and has a desire to get even better.
The one thing that Frondell has yet to truly unleash is his massive one-timer. He put that shot on display at the World Juniors and with Djurgardens, and it looks like it could develop into one of the best one-time shots in the league.
Once he starts pounding those on net, along with everything else he's done well, the Blackhawks will have another consequential offensive player firing on all cylinders.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Heavyweight fixture that featured icons such as Kevin Sinfield and Lesley Vainikolo returns after 12-year hiatus
It will almost feel as if Super League has stepped back in time on Friday night as the rivalry that defined the competition’s early years returns after a 12-year hiatus, and it will not just be across West Yorkshire that eyes will be on Odsal Stadium for Bradford Bulls’ derby with Leeds Rhinos. In a small corner of New Zealand, Lesley Vainikolo will interrupt his Saturday morning to watch the return of the derby he starred in for Bradford during the early 2000s, and he will probably not be alone.
Dubbed the Volcano because of his incredible try-scoring record, with 149 in 152 games for the Bulls, Vainikolo rarely gives interviews these days. But the lure of discussing one of Super League’s biggest fixtures returning was too much to resist. “There is no way I’d miss it,” says the 46-year-old, who is now director of rugby at Wesley College near Auckland, the school that forged the career of Jonah Lomu.
Before I begin, I should let you know that this article is mostly just venting. Major League Baseball hasn’t listened to me when I’ve written on this topic before and I’m pretty sure they’re not going to listen now.
Nevertheless, I persist.
March 26 is too early to play baseball in northern cities. Period, full stop. I’m sure those of you who live in the Chicago area are familiar with this meme. This version was posted eight years ago, but is still absolutely relevant:
No question, we are somewhere between “spring of deception” and “third winter,” and after all the rain we’re about to get over the next few days, it will definitely be “mud season.” (The White Sox called off their scheduled home opener Thursday because of a forecast of heavy rain; they rescheduled for Friday.)
“Spring of deception” was in evidence Monday evening at Wrigley Field, when the game time temperature was 77 and more than 36,000 paid to see the Cubs defeat the Angels. I was told that there were thousands of walk-up tickets sold that night, and given that the paid crowd Tuesday was about 26,000, that tracks. Even with that 77-degree temperature, the average game-time temp for the six-game homestand just ended was 51.5 degrees. That’s barely tolerable for this time of year, and take that day out and the average for the other five games was 46.4. Yuck.
Further, Wednesday afternoon’s game was played in 39-degree weather with a reported sustained wind speed of 21 miles per hour, blowing in. That was just the 10th game in Wrigley Field history (where there’s officially recorded weather data) with both a temp that low and a wind speed that high:
I remember that 1997 game well. It was Opening Day, and the 29-degree temperature remains the lowest ever recorded at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. It was impossible to not be freezing that afternoon. The famous 14-10 comeback win over the Braves in 2018 was a game played in possibly the worst conditions ever at Wrigley, given that a light rain fell throughout the game and they never stopped play.
The Cubs have a three-game series against the Pirates next weekend at Wrigley after the current road trip, then hit the road again for a three-game set in Philadelphia before returning for a seven-game homestand against the Mets and Phillies beginning April 17. By then, maybe, we’ll begin to have decent weather in Chicago.
March 26 (actually, March 25 if you include the Giants/Yankees season opener in San Francisco) is far too early to start the MLB season. Why are we here? In part, because recent CBA’s between MLB owners and players have mandated a certain number of off days during the regular season. Now, I’m not opposed to that; rest days are a good idea for players. But adding those extra off days has also added several days to the regular season’s length, which this year spans 187 days from March 25 to Sept. 27. Ten years ago, the regular season length was 182 days, and if you remember shorter seasons that began in mid-April and ended before October, that was in the days of scheduled doubleheaders. For example, 60 years ago in 1966, the season was 171 days long (April 12 to Oct. 2), but the Cubs had 10 scheduled doubleheaders that year. That’s simply not possible in baseball in 2026.
The expanded postseason then lasts almost five weeks. MLB hasn’t set a postseason schedule for this year yet, but if it mirrors last year’s, Game 7 of the World Series would be played on Oct. 31.
If MLB wanted to have a schedule that made more sense by the calendar, they’d push it back about 10 days. Typically, the weather in northern cities is better in October than it is in April. The problem with that: TV networks don’t want the World Series pushing too far into November, because that is “ratings sweep month” and they want their entertainment shows there, not baseball.
Some will say that if the league insists on scheduling games in northern cities in March, they should at least be divisional games, where the team would come into town later in the year and you’d at least have a potential makeup date for a postponement. That would be slightly better than scheduling, for example, the Nationals and Angels… but it’s still dumb when there are alternative ideas.
So what are those alternative ideas?
The way I see it, there are two possible solutions.
The first is shortening the season, which I wrote about here a few weeks ago. This is undoubtedly going to happen once MLB expands to 32 teams, which will likely not happen until the Rays stadium situation is settled, so we could be five years or more away from that. Even so, when that happens and the regular season is shortened, we are likely going to have an expanded postseason, which would eat up some or all of the saved time from shortening the regular season. Thus that isn’t necessarily going to push the regular season start date back into April, where it belongs.
The second is something that’s been resisted by MLB and its teams for quite some time, but it’s also something I think has to happen if the league is going to insist on playing almost a week’s worth of games in March: Play all of them in warm weather cities or cities with stadiums with roofs. It was especially dumb, for example, to have the Angels playing in Chicago this week. Not only did that risk postponement, but with a team that has its home 2,000 miles from Chicago, that made potential makeup dates difficult because the Angels schedule is more West Coast-centric. The league was lucky that rain didn’t interrupt the last two games of the series given dire forecasts, but the Tuesday and Wednesday games were played in awful conditions that weren’t fair to fans, gameday staff or players.
Here are the MLB teams that I would consider to be either located in warm-weather cities or with indoor stadiums: Blue Jays, Rays, Astros, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, A’s, Marlins, Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Giants and Padres. That’s 14 of the 30 teams. The following MLB cities are what I would consider “mid-latitude” locations, places where it can generally be warm enough in late March/early April to host games: Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Washington. The league could rotate those five cities, one every five years, in joining the other 14 to host games over the first week.
Yes, I’ve heard the objections:
Those cities don’t want all the early season games; kids are still in school, people aren’t on vacations, etc.
Teams don’t necessarily want to start on the road every single year
To which I say, “Too bad.” It’s just too cold and potentially wet in most northern cities to play baseball there in March. Granted, this sort of bad weather can — and does! — happen in those cities well into April, but at least the chances of good weather are better in April than in March.
I think the teams/cities noted above need to suck it up and host the first week of games. Every single year. MLB is a $12 billion business, they could make it worth those cities’ while to be the hosts for a week at the beginning of the season, instead of (for example) seeing Wrigley Field with announced crowds of 25,000, maybe a third of whom are actually in the ballpark.
Beyond the fact that playing in cold conditions like this is inconsiderate to fans, gameday staff and players, it doesn’t make for good baseball. You saw quite a number of routine pop flies that should have been caught at Wrigley over the first homestand drop untouched. Cold weather makes it more difficult for players to get loose and risks injury.
All right, I’ve had my 1,400 words of venting. What do you think?
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JULY 14: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces the pick for the Kansas City Royals at the 2024 MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum on July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals will have $15,954,000 to spend on draftees this summer, the sixth-largest draft bonus pool in baseball. The Pirates will have the most money to spend, with a record pool of $19,130,700. The Royals benefit from being selected for the sixth pick through the MLB Draft lottery, the measure instituted to discourage tanking.
The MLB Draft bonus pool is essentially a capped spending system that limits how much each team can spend on signing its draft picks. Each draft slot position is assigned a dollar value, and the slot values for the first ten rounds are added to comprise each team’s “bonus pool.” The Royals will also receive a Competitive Balance pick in Round A due to being a small market team. They will pick sixth only in the first round, the remaining rounds are determined by reverse order of last year’s standings.
1st round (#6 overall) – $7,746,100
Competitive Balance Round A (#30) – $3,190,500
2nd round (#56) – $1,721,700
3rd round (#91) – $872,900
4th round (#119) – $651,500
5th round (#151) – $476,900
6th round (#180) – $367,600
7th round (#209) – $289,900
8th round (#239) – $233,400
9th round (#269) – $207,900
10th round (#299) – $195,600
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, teams lose future selections: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Teams are not required to spend the slot value on a particular draft pick, but can allocate the bonus pool as they see fit. Many teams will skimp on some picks, in order to offer other picks money well over slot. Having a larger bonus allows a team more flexibility in their strategy. If a player does not sign, the team loses that bonus slot value from their pool. You can find complete slot values and each team’s bonus pool here.
The 2026 MLB Draft will begin on July 11-12 in Philadelphia as part of the All-Star Week celebrations.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 28: Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 28, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For the second time in less than a week, the Detroit Pistons take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Detroit hosts this one, aiming to sweep the season series. That would be a sweet victory after last year’s dust-up.
The dynamic of this game will change if Anthony Edwards suits up this time around. He is questionable tonight after appearing in one of the last seven Timberwolves games. Minnesota has seven games left, and Edwards needs to play six more games to hit 65, which triggers eligibility for an All-NBA selection.
Hopefully, he is in the lineup so we can see Ausar Thompson get a chance to hound the explosive bombs away scorer. Ausar should be motivated to guard another star but stay out of foul trouble tonight. He had some success vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Ausar has to stay sharp and disciplined so he can stay on the floor.
Ausar Thompson steals the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Huerter with the fastbreak dunk at the other end, and Ausar gets fouled out after he fouls SGA, with 1:53 minutes remaining in regulation (with replays) pic.twitter.com/gnXF2jwsSt
The playoffs are at our front door. The national chatter around Detroit (assuming health) is that there is not another creator/scorer next to Cade Cunningham. Jalen Duren is starting to make that proclamation look funny in the light.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
When: 7:00 PM
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons (-3.5)
Analysis
“Who is gonna help Cade?” “They do not shoot it well enough,” and similar sentiments have been laid out all year. Duren has picked up the phone regarding the first question. This All-Star season is turning into an All-NBA one.
people will try to discount it because it's march but it can't be overstated how incredible jalen duren has been since cade went down. 24/11/3 on 76.4% TS.
SEVENTY SIX POINT FOUR!!!!
he's also been ridiculous from the line, 64/75 (85%) from there in this stretch. been perhaps…
The efficiency dominance has been a steady theme. Duren’s 68.6 true shooting percentage is No. 1 in the association. He has been a paint beast all year and is now filling out his game in other ways.
The passing screams he can be a hub when teams swarm Cade. It’s understandable to question if Duren will continue to dominate with less space come playoff time due to the shooters, but maybe the Pistons have flipped a switch shooting-wise?
Over the last eight games, the Pistons have been shooting 38 percent from deep. They rank last in 3-point rate during this stretch, but shotmaking is shotmaking. It will eventually open up the floor if the shooters keep it up. Or teams will just get burned by capable shooters.
Eight games are not a huge sample, but Detroit has shooters who can go on a hot stretch. Career-wise, Duncan Robinson is a tier-one elite shooter, and Kevin Huerter is a tier-two sharpshooter. Huerter is 42 percent on six attempts over the last four games; hopefully, he has turned the corner.
Marcus Sasser has been the goods as a shooter, Daniss Jenkins is someone defenses guard, Javonte Green is a sneaky solid shooter, and Tobias Harris is respectable.
Detroit has not been consistent from deep this year, but getting hot at the right time can change the trajectory of their playoff run. Shooting is needed, but it all starts with the defense.
Ausar is the defensive engine who gets things started. His anticipation is something the league has not seen and needs to adjust to.
ausar beats players to their spots so well that it gets called a foul because nobody else in the league can do it and it looks unnatural
Do not get me wrong, Ausar can be handsy and pick up ticky tack fouls. But sometimes he gets called for stuff that elite defenders usually get away with.
Think Alex Caruso or Patrick Beverley, they get to play with a little more defensive spunk and not get called for certain fouls due to their reputation. Ausar’s defensive rep is headed in that direction, and his First Team All-Defense selection this season will expedite that process.
Julius Randle and Naz Reid will look to bounce back after the dominant Detroit defense shut them down less than a week ago. It will not be easy, but I imagine those two come out motivated. Jaden McDaniels is out again, but Ayo Dosunmu is back. He will impact the game, but that may not be enough to push Minnesota over this Pistons group, who continues to play well no matter who is on the floor.
Donovan Sebrango exited Tuesday’s game late in the third period after blocking a shot against the Ottawa Senators, but thankfully, he avoided any serious injury.
The 24-year-old skated in 17:55 of ice time, recording one assist, blocking two shots, and throwing two hits. This season, Sebrango has played in 32 games for the Panthers, notching four assists.
Benning has been very impressive during his first stint in the NHL, and his offensive nature should blend nicely with Sebrango, who is considered more of a stay-at-home defenseman.
The Panthers have seven games remaining and sit 13 points out of a playoff spot. Their chances are almost zero, but coach Paul Maurice and Bill Zito don’t want to see their team mail it in, as that is not the culture they’ve built with the players.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to play spoiler when they visit the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center tonight.
While the young and talented San Jose core is chasing down a postseason berth, it’s Toronto rookie Easton Cowan headlining my top Maple Leafs vs. Sharks predictions and NHL picks for Thursday, April 2.
Maple Leafs vs Sharks prediction
Maple Leafs vs Sharks best bet: Easton Cowan Over 0.5 points (+110)
The trio boasts an impressive 58.9 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five and has been on the ice for 7.13 goals per 60 minutes over the past five games.
Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks are playing for the second consecutive night and have also allowed the second-most goals per game.
Maple Leafs vs Sharks same-game parlay
In addition to San Jose giving up goals in bunches and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Toronto is embracing the spoiler role and has won three of its past four contests.
Additionally, the Maple Leafs have allowed the third-most goals per game this season, so I’m anticipating a high-scoring affair tonight.
Maple Leafs vs Sharks SGP
Maple Leafs moneyline
Over 6.5
Easton Cowan Over 0.5 points
Maple Leafs vs Sharks odds
Moneyline: Maple Leafs +100 | Sharks -120
Puck Line: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-230) | Sharks -1.5 (+190)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-110) | Under 6.5 (-110)
Maple Leafs vs Sharks trend
Toronto has only hit the Under in nine of its last 25 games (-4.00 Units / -15% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Maple Leafs vs. Sharks.
How to watch Maple Leafs vs Sharks
Location
SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Date
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Puck drop
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN4
Maple Leafs vs Sharks latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
UNIONDALE,NY JANUARY 9: Tre Scott #15 of the Long Island Nets looks on during the game against the College Park Skyhawks on January 9, 2025 in Uniondale,NY. 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 Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets are signing 6’8” Long Island Nets forward Trevon Scott to a 10-day contract. With 10 days left in the season, the contract is likely to carry the 29-year-old through the end of the NBA season. The Long Island Nets concluded their season last night in the opening game of the G League playoffs, losing to the Osceola Magic in Florida.
Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto was first with the news…
Brooklyn Nets are signing Tre Scott to a 10-day hardship deal, Senior VP of @CSETalent Darrell Comer told @hoopshype. Scott earns an NBA call-up after 2 years with the Long Island Nets.
Danny Wolf (sprained ankle) is in a walking boot and will likely miss the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/FkkRqE8RWK
Scott is the third player from Long Island to earn a call-up to Brooklyn this season, alongside Grant Nelson and Malachi Smith whose 10-day runs out this weekend. The Nets could in theory seek a late season hardship exception so many players out and keep both Smith and Scott. Scotto also reported that Danny Wolf is likely out for the season which ends in 10 days.
Currently in his second season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, Scott has appeared in 47 games this season, averaging 12 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 27.9 minutes.
Undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020, Scott has spent the vast majority of his career bouncing around the G League. He spent time with the affiliates of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and Orlando Magic, while also playing internationally with the Calgary Surge, Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico, and Fos Provence Basket in France.
At 29-years-old, Scott is the second oldest player on Brooklyn’s squad. He is just 38 days younger than the team’s oldest player, Terrance Mann.
Throughout his NBA career, the Cincinnati product has appeared in just two NBA games, each coming with the Cavaliers during the 2020 season. Over that span, he played 11 minutes while collecting six points, two rebounds, a steal, and a block.
His call-up provides a perfect example of how Long Island is looking to develop every player on their roster, not just rookies and two-ways, as we reported recently.
“We try to build all the players, of course. Priority guides the assignments in two ways, which is noted, but at the same time, we want to develop everyone,” Long Island’s head coach Mfon Udofia, told ND. “We’re not always going to have the two-way guys or assignment guys, so we want to develop all 10 players. We want to pour into these guys.”
After two productive seasons with the Long Island Nets, Scott will now get an opportunity to close the season in the NBA.
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nick Ames and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan to preview the weekend’s action.
Subscribe to The Guardian Football Weekly ► https://www.youtube.com/@FootballWeeklyPodcast?sub_confirmation=1
Chapters:
00:00 - Chapters 00:56 - FA Cup quarter-final preview 01:12 - Where do Slot’s priorities lie? 05:16 - Have Manchester City had a good season? 06:49 - Southampton v Arsenal 10:35 - Would defeat rattle Arsenal? 16:03 - Marc Cucurella comments 21:52 - West Ham v Leeds United
25.43 - Ad break 25:46 - EFL preview 28:26 - Nigel Farage photoshoot at Portman Road
36.49 - Ad break 36:49 - WCL roundup 40:15 - Nick Ames spends time in Kosovo 44:35 - Answering listener correspondence
Support the Guardian ► https://support.theguardian.com/
Guardian Football Weekly podcast:
Apple ► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/football-weekly/id188674007
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 13: The Nike RBI kids announce Tate Southisene as the twenty-second overall pick by the Atlanta Braves during the 2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Coca-Cola Roxy on Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
While we were watching Chris Sale beat the flu and the Athletics, the 2026 MLB Draft pools were released. The draft order was finalized in December, now we get the pools. The Braves will receive a pool of $15,870,800 for the picks in July’s Rule 4 Amateur Draft. That’s up from $9,081,100 from last year. So that 6.8 million dollars more. Having a lousy injury-plagued season and receiving a Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick by promoting Drake Baldwin, last year’s Rookie of the Year, has its benefits.
The Braves will have the seventh highest pool in 2026. Teams almost always outspend those allotments by 5 percent, which is the maximum that teams can spend until incurring penalties. So that would give the Braves $16,664,340 to work with. They have three picks in the top 50 by owning the 9th, 26th, and 48th. That Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick was pushed forward 5 picks due to competitive balance tax infractions by the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, and Dodgers. For example, the Dodgers will have less than 4 million to spend on this year’s draft, but I don’t know that they care.
The minor league staff willl have a much better idea of who the Braves will be able to take. My understanding is that the juiciest position player position are typically found in the top ten. The Braves pick ninth, but waiving around that PPI pick money might lure a better prize than that pick location might suggest. So if you’ve been pining for a hot position player prospect, this might be your year.
Info on all the teams is here, and the order of the draft pools is below. But it’s exciting news, and maybe the Braves will find a new star come July.
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 19: Pitcher Jon Lieber #22 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning during game six of the American League Championship Series on October 19, 2004 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s hard to make your mark on a franchise in a single season. Juan Soto is one of the Yankees’ most prominent one-and-done players, finishing third in 2024 AL MVP voting and helping lead his team to the pennant in his sole year in pinstripes, but he’s a notable exception. Jon Lieber spent 14 years in the big leagues, quietly establishing himself as one of the game’s most reliable right-handed starters. And, in an era that saw the Yankees take fliers on many flashier veteran hurlers, his single year in the Bronx was an unqualified success.
Jonathan Ray Lieber Born: April 2, 1970 (Council Bluffs, IA) Yankees Tenure: 2004
An Iowa native, Lieber was taken by the Royals out of the University of South Alabama as a second-rounder in 1992. He only spent a year and a half in Kansas City’s system, showing enough to make himself a trade chip that brought back Pirates closer Stan Belinda. Lieber reached the Show at the age of 24 in ’94, spending three seasons as a swingman before settling into a full-time starting role for his final two years in Pittsburgh, even earning an Opening Day nod in ’97.
Before the 1999 season, the right-hander was shipped off again, this time to Chicago for outfielder Brant Brown (fresh off an error that nearly cost them a Wild Card berth in ’98). Lieber would find his greatest success on the North Side, making his sole All-Star team in 2001 while winning 20 games and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting for a Cubs team that fell just a few games shy of the playoffs.
Lieber’s next season was derailed by a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery in August and would keep him out for all of 2003 as well. “He was hurt from Day 1,” Joe Girardi, his catcher with the Cubs, later said of that fateful season. “But he tried to suck it up and pitch, because the thing about Jon is he really thinks about the team first. He kept telling me he didn’t want to let the team down. I kept telling him: ‘Liebs, if you’re hurt, you’re hurt. You’ve got to get it taken care of.’”
With an aging 2003 rotation that featured a 41-year-old Roger Clemens and 40-year-old David Wells, the Yankees were a logical fit to sign the relatively youthful 33-year-old Lieber to a two-year, $3.5 million deal, content with the knowledge that he would not be able to contribute until ’04. “I could have cussed the world out, but I totally believe everything happens for a reason,” Lieber said, looking back on his career-altering injury. “That’s why I’m here in New York.”
With Clemens, Wells, and Andy Pettitte all departing to free agency after the 2003 campaign, Lieber had a spot in the rotation waiting for him upon his return. The Yankees’ brain trust said everything you would expect them to about their on-the-mend starter. “From everybody I’ve talked to, he has absolutely no ifs on his résumé at this point,” said manager Joe Torre said. “He’s 100 percent,” added GM Brian Cashman. Still, given his age and long layoff from pitching, Lieber had to be considered something of a question mark entering the ’04 season.
Waylaid by a groin injury suffered during spring training, the veteran did not make his Yankees debut until May, when he went eight innings and earned the victory against the team that drafted him, Kansas City. He would go on to have the kind of sturdy season the Yankees would have hoped for, tossing 16 quality starts in 27 outings and pitching to a slightly-above-average 104 ERA+ in 176.2 innings. He wasn’t blowing anyone anyway, but he didn’t waste anyone’s time with walks, leading the majors with a 0.9 BB/9.
Despite slotting near the middle or back end of a star-studded staff for most of the season, Lieber cracked the playoff rotation after the Yankees won nine of his final 10 starts. He was a workhorse too, pitching into the eighth on five different occasions — most impressively firing eight innings of two-hit, one-run ball on 93 pitches in a win against the future playoff opponent Red Sox on September 18th before faltering in the ninth. Lieber even held that formidable lineup hitless until David Ortiz broke it up two outs into the seventh.
Lieber’s rock-solid reliability stood in contrast to the likes of Kevin Brown, who broke his hand punching a clubhouse wall; Javier Vázquez, who collapsed after an All-Star first half; and Esteban Loaiza, whose 8.50 ERA made him one of the worst Trade Deadline acquisitions in franchise history. Although skipper Joe Torre would have to dabble in postseason starts for Brown and Vázquez, but he felt much more confortable deploying the likes of Lieber and Mike Mussina in the opening contests. Remarkably, after toiling for a decade on subpar teams, 2004 would be the first—and, ultimately, only—playoff action of the 34-year-old’s career.
Lieber’s first postseason start came with the Yankees down 1-0 to the Twins in the ALDS following a Johan Santana gem in the opener. He staked Minnesota to a 3-1 lead by the second inning, but he settled in with the Yankees’ season beginning to approach the brink, holding the Twins there until the seventh inning, when he departed with two outs and a 4-3 lead. After Mariano Rivera uncharacteristically blew the lead in the eighth, Lieber would not factor into the decision, though his gutty performance played a key role in an eventual 12-inning victory. New York won the next two games at the Metrodome to advance to the ALCS for the sixth time in seven years.
But it was in Game 2 of the ALCS when the veteran would turn in the performance of a career. With his team up 1-0 in the series, Lieber was tasked with opposing Pedro Martínez, the longtime Yankee foil who had just earned his seventh top-five Cy Young finish in eight seasons. The journeyman would outduel the future Hall of Famer, holding Boston to two hits and no runs through seven innings.
Lieber allowed a single to lead off the eighth who would eventually come around to score, ending his night. For his part, Pedro allowed a pedestrian three runs in six innings as the Yankees squeaked out a 3-1 victory with the help of a long ball from fellow 2004 newcomer John Olerud.
By the time Lieber came back around to pitch in Game 6, of course, the series had taken a turn for the worse. He kept the Yankees in the game, allowing four runs in 7.1 innings, but Curt Schilling and his bloody sock would carry the day. The ignominy of the Yankees’ historic collapse in that series effectively wiped the first three games from the collective memory of the Yankees faithful, an unfortunate fate for Lieber, whose dethroning of Martínez would likely occupy a place in the team’s lore had they gone on to win the pennant. There were multiple reasons why that series went awry; Lieber wasn’t really one of them.
On the strength of his comeback campaign, Lieber signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Phillies that offseason. While there was some interest in a Yankees reunion, New York opted to let him walk as part of another rotation remodel that saw them trade for Randy Johnson and bring aboard free agents Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. The results were decidedly mixed (to be kind), and there’s a fair argument that—even putting Pavano aside since his reputation was better at the time—the Yanks should have at least re-signed Lieber over adding the inconsistent Wright on an identical deal. The latter’s 2004 in Atlanta was better than Lieber’s by some numbers, but it was also such an outlier compared to his ineffective and injury-ravaged 1999–2003. Alas.
Lieber joined a Phillies team that was gradually building an impressive young core under manager Charlie Manuel with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels. He pitched to a league-average level in his three seasons in Philly, but he missed out on their incredible 2007 NL East comeback to dethrone the Mets because he ruptured a tendon in his ankle during a start in late June. Lieber’s season was over and he could only cheer from the sidelines during the thrilling September comeback. One year later, those Phillies won it all for just the team’s second World Series title in franchise history — though Lieber had officially moved on.
At age-38 in 2008, Lieber elected to return home with the Cubs for his 14th and final season. He mostly pitched out of the bullpen for Lou Piniella’s NL Central winners, but for the second-straight year, October eluded him anyway. Lieber went to the shelf with a right foot strain in mid-July and made just one more appearance in September before leaving the field for good. The Cubs were swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS, and Lieber officially hung up his spikes.
Lieber finished his big-league tenure with 131 wins and 2,198 innings pitched, markers of his long, consistent career. He spent more time with each of his four other franchises and is only somewhat remembered for donning the pinstripes. Still, his steady hand and reliability were a godsend for the 2004 Yankees, who nearly won the pennant in no small part due to his efforts. Join us in wishing a very happy birthday to one of the great one-year Yankees, Jon Lieber.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
The Detroit Pistons, who are closing in on securing the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 playoff seed, take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, another title contender. Anthony Edwards just returned to the Timberwolves from a two-week absence. The Pistons are still missing star guard Cade Cunningham.
How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Detroit Pistons
The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. This is a massive game for the Flyers, as they are fighting for their playoff lives and would jump ahead of Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings with a victory.
Now, ahead of this big matchup against, the Flyers have announced some exciting news.
The Flyers have shared that forward Tyson Foerster will be returning to the lineup for the Metropolitan Division club.
This is massive news for the Flyers, as they are currently fighting for a spot in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race. Thus, it is significant that they are getting back one of their top forwards in Foerster.
Foerster has not played for the Flyers since their Dec. 1 contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins after undergoing arm surgery. Yet, with this news, the 24-year-old winger is ready to return to the Flyers' lineup.
Foerster was off to a very strong start this season before being sidelined. In 21 games for the Flyers this campaign, he has 10 goals, 13 points, and a plus-7 rating.
Panthers Receive More Bad News On A Pair Of Veteran DefendersVeteran Florida Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov sustained injuries against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
