Despite improved presentation during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night with vintage trademarks returning, the network is under scrutiny Thursday morning as keen-eyed observers caught something bizarre.
ESPN aired an AI-generated image of former Spurs star point guard and four-time champion Tony Parker smiling and waving his finger up and down.
San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker poses in a racing jacket with confetti falling in the background. ESPN is under scrutiny after using this AI-generated image during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.
The image had Parker wearing a racing Spurs jacket with the Western Conference logo on one sleeve and what looked to be an American flag on the other.
Parker was also wearing a black and gray hat sideways with confetti falling in the background.
Several fans took to X to voice their concerns over the image, which ESPN showed while cutting to a commercial break in the second half.
“Could ESPN really not find a genuine shot of Tony Parker as they cut to an ad break? Just had to use AI,” ABC News journalist Jon Healy said on X Wednesday night.
“AI sucks. This isn’t Tony Parker. Do better. Gross,” WFLA sports anchor Jeff Dubrof posted to X.
Parker, a six-time All-Star and the 2007 Finals MVP, formed a dynamic duo with all-time great Tim Duncan in San Antonio.
NEW YORK NY – JANUARY 17th: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker #9 drives down court during the first half as the Brooklyn Nets play the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center. Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 @ACAUSI
The point guard spent 17 seasons with the Spurs before joining the Hornets for his final year in 2018-19, and averaged over 15 points per game in 11 of those years.
He posted a career-high 22 points per game in 2008-09 while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
In their first NBA Finals game since Parker was on the team back in 2014, the Spurs blew a 14-point second-half lead and fell to the Knicks 105-95.
Phenom Victor Wembanyama struggled to find his footing, with the 22-year-old shooting just 6-of-21 from the field despite tallying 26 points and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio looks to even the series in Game 2, which is set for Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Kyle McCann #55 of the Colorado Rockies at bat during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle McCann did not choose catching.
Catching chose him, the way it tends to do in youth baseball, suddenly, out of necessity, because someone else didn’t show up.
He was 12 years old, on a travel team somewhere in Georgia, and the regular catcher was sick. When the coach and the players who would step in, McCann raised his hand.
“Ever since then, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I wanted to catch every day after that.”
What he loved, he said, was the involvement. Other positions offered bursts of action — a ground ball to the shortstop, a fly ball to center — with long stretches of waiting in between. Behind the plate, there was no waiting. Every pitch was his.
“I was in every pitch of the game,” McCann said. “I wasn’t in the infield or outfield, just hoping a ball would get hit to me. I was calling pitches. I was in every play.”
That instinct — to be in the middle of everything, all the time — has followed McCann through a career that has required a great deal of patience.
Getting to The Show
McCann grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, attended Lambert High School, and went to Georgia Tech, where he spent his first two seasons largely at first base while Joey Bart — the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft — handled the catching duties.
When Bart departed, McCann stepped in and made the most of it, hitting .299 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in his junior season and earning All-American recognition. The Oakland Athletics took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft — 134th overall — and signed him for $500,000.
Five years in the Oakland system followed. He hit 17 home runs at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, posted an .825 OPS, and earned his way on Oakland’s Opening Day roster in 2024, making his major league debut on March 30 of that year.
He appeared in 54 games, hit .236 with five home runs, and then — as the Athletics began their transition to Sacramento — was released the day before the following season.
“I got released from Oakland the day before the season, didn’t get picked up,” he said.
Finding a way forward
“So I chose to go to Mexico to keep playing,” McCann said.
The league was the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. His team was the Piratas de Campeche. His first game was in Mexico City, in a stadium holding 30,000 fans, with air horns blaring and an atmosphere unlike anything he had experienced in affiliated ball.
“Everyone’s screaming, air horns — the environment was very, very cool to see,” he said.
He enjoyed it. He learned things about elevation that would prove useful later — that at 7,000 feet above sea level, the ball behaves differently; that hydration matters more than you think; that running hard to first base in thin air will leave you more gassed than expected. Denver sits at roughly 5,280 feet. Mexico City had prepared him for what was coming.
Finding the Rockies — and another injury
It almost didn’t come at all. About a month and a half into the Mexican season, McCann was involved in a collision at first base — a season-ending injury that sent him home to rehab. He spent the rest of 2025 recovering. In early January 2026, his agent reached out to the Colorado Rockies. A minor-league contract was signed by early February. Spring training arrived.
Then, in one of the cruelest twists the sport offers, a cutter came in hard and up, McCann put a check swing on it, and the ball hit his wrist. He walked down to first base, thinking it hurt a little but when he tried to go out and catch, he knew it was more than that.
He didn’t fight Warren Schaeffer when the manager came to remove him from the game.
“Yep,” he told him. “We’re going to go see what this is about.”
An X-ray confirmed a fracture of the ulnar styloid. Six weeks of healing. Two weeks of progression. A week and a half of games. And now, finally, here — with the Albuquerque Isotopes, behind the plate again, doing exactly what he loves.
Enjoying Albuquerque
McCann is 28 years old and has been around long enough to have a philosophy about how he approaches the job. Ask him about working with pitchers, and he talks about reading people — figuring out which ones need encouragement and which ones need a more direct conversation.
“Some pitchers need a little more loving than others,” he said. “Some guys, you kind of got to get in their grill and say, ‘Come on now, lock in right here. We need to do this pitch in this situation.’ It’s really just learning what each guy likes.”
Regarding the ABS challenge system, he has mixed feelings, which he articulates with precision. As a hitter, he loves it — the ability to challenge a called strike and get it overturned is a real advantage. As a catcher, it cuts the other way. Framing has always been part of the craft, a skill catchers develop over the years, and the ABS system limits how much that skill can influence outcomes.
“It kind of hurts us a little bit,” he said, “because now we can’t steal many pitches.”
He doesn’t think it changes the game as dramatically as some have suggested, but he acknowledges the shift.
He also discussed Albuquerque’s pitch-suggestion system — where the dugout calls pitches for the first four batters of opposing lineups, with the catcher and pitcher able to shake off the suggestion. McCann has embraced it.
“They give us a sheet at the beginning of the game — here’s how we’re going to pitch each guy — so we kind of already have an idea of what we’re going to do,” he said. “I trust what they have in the dugout, what they have on hitters. I don’t mind at all.”
Welcome to Albuquerque, Kyle McCann!!
A two-run homer (428 feet) onto the berm and we're back in this one!
There is one more Georgia Tech connection worth mentioning. Charlie Blackmon — the longtime Rockies outfielder, a Tech alum himself — used to come back to the Georgia Tech facility in the offseason to hit and work out. McCann and his teammates would seek him out.
“We’d always go up to him and ask questions, trying to pick his brain, because obviously he had a great career,” McCann said.
It’s a fitting footnote for a player who has spent his entire career collecting lessons wherever he can find them — from Blackmon at Georgia Tech, from the veterans in the Oakland system, from 30,000 fans and 7,000 feet of altitude in Mexico. All of it is in the bank now.
The wrist is healed. He’s back behind the plate, for every pitch, right where he belongs.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 10: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals makes the out against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 10, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Twins were big-time sellers at last year’s trade deadline, making many feel they were going for a rebuild. But they retained big stars like Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan, and have been a fairly middling team this year hovering near .500 most of the year. They have lost six of their last eight games, and they lost their earlier series against the Royals in Kansas City at the start of the season.
Kansas City Royals (24-38) vs. Minnesota Twins (29-34) at Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Byron Buxton is sixth among all American League outfielders with a 132 wRC+, and is tied for the third-most home runs in all of baseball with 17. Luke Keaschall is hitting .302/.396/.395 in his last 26 games. Trevor Larnach is hitting .284/.442/.418 at home. Austin Martin is hitting .306/.457/.435 against lefties.
Brooks Lee has been one of the worst defenders in baseball in Outs Above Average at -7. The Twins have just a 71 percent success rate on stolen bases, one of the lowest in baseball. The Twins have allowed more stolen bases than any team in baseball, and have only thrown out 17 percent of attempts.
Rookie Andrew Morris will get the start Thursday after spending most of this season in the bullpen. He likely won’t be stretched out to go deep in the game – his longest outing this year is 3.2 innings. The 24-year old had a 4.09 ERA in 94.2 innings as a starter in Triple-A last year. Seth Lugo has a career 7.29 ERA in 21 innings at Target Field.
The Friday game will air exclusively on Apple TV. Zebby Matthews has made 29 career MLB starts and has a 5.71 ERA. He allowed just two runs in 13 innings at home this year. Byron Buxton is 0-for-10 in his career matchups against Michael Wacha.
Joe Ryan has been the sixth-most valuable pitcher in baseball, according to Fangraphs WAR. He has the 12th-highest strikeout rate and the sixth-lowest walk rate. He is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 12 career starts against the Royals.
Rookie Connor Prielipp was ranked as the #5 prospect in the Twins organization by MLB Pipeline before the season. He has given up 16 runs in 14.1 innings over his last three starts. He throws a 95 mph fastball and relies heavily on a slider that opponents are hitting just .157 against with a 30 percent whiff rate.
The Twins have a 4.75 ERA out of their bullpen, eighth-worst in baseball, with the second-lowest strikeout rate, and sixth-highest walk rate. The team acquired Yoendrys Gómez from the Rays, and he has allowed just one earned run in 12.2 innings since the trade, picking up three saves. Lefties are hitting .186/.314/.279 against Anthony Banda.
The Royals are facing a team with a few elite talents, but with a roster largely filled with castoffs and underperformers. The Twins should be a team the Royals can beat, but with a league-worst 9-21 record on the road, every opponent away from Kansas City will be a challenge.
As noted by BCB’s JohnW53 in the game recap, Happ is the 37th Cub to produce 1,000 hits in the blue pinstripes. He likely moves up five or six spots on that list before the end of the season. The two doubles gave him 12 for the year and 229 for his career. That ranks 22nd on the Cubs’ all-time list (next up: Bill Buckner with 235). And, it seems likely he’ll hit his 200th career home run later this year. He’s already got 13 for the season and 186 for his career. Only nine players have hit 200 or more home runs in a Cubs uniform, so Happ could become the 10th.
Add to that his defense in left field — four Gold Gloves and likely a fifth this year — and for me personally, Happ has been a rock-solid Cub for his 10 seasons in a Cubs uniform. He turns 32 in August and becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
It seems as if he makes plays like that all the time. He makes them look easy. Trust me, those are absolutely NOT easy plays.
And yet, Happ seems to be the most polarizing Cub in recent years. Many don’t like him. Why is that?
I’m honestly not sure and perhaps if you’re not a fan of Ian Happ, you can tell us why in the comments. My perception — and I could be wrong — is that the Happ dislike is focused on his low batting average.
Happ is batting .232. That’s… low. It’s below his career average of .246, which is also a below-average BA. My response to that is: So what? BA is a poor way of analyzing a hitter. Happ draws lots of walks. He’s walked 37 times this year, on pace for 100. He walked 87 times last year, 80 in 2024 and 99 in 2023. His OBP is .350, which, okay, could be higher, but it still ranks just outside the top third of qualified hitters in MLB this year (56th of 162 qualified hitters). His .473 slugging percentage leads all Cubs qualified hitters and ranks in the top 25 percent of qualified hitters (39th of 162). Lastly, his .823 OPS is just outside the top 25 percent (45th of 162).
Happ has posted 2.0 bWAR in a bit more than a third of this season. He’s generally around a 4 WAR player and should be about there again in 2026.
Is Ian Happ a superstar? No, he is not. What he is, is a remarkably consistent year-to-year player who is prone to long cold spells and long hot streaks. But when things average out, he’s likely to hit 25 home runs, walk 90 or more times, score around 90 runs and have an OPS around .800, while playing Gold Glove defense.
What team wouldn’t want a player like that?
Even though he’ll be going into his age-32 season in 2027, I would not be opposed to signing Happ to a two-year extension with a third-year vesting option. I think he can continue to be this productive for at least that long. And he’s meant quite a bit to this franchise and, at the very least, to left-field bleacher fans, who have a long-standing love relationship with the Cubs left fielder.
Just thought I’d give some praise to a baseball player who deserves it.
Flub-prone Knicks fan Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday dribbled up another awkward show of support for the team’s bid to win the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years.
Hochul, during a news conference about readiness for soccer’s upcoming World Cup, declared herself a fan of all sports.
“I’m fired up. I’m a huge sports fan, whatever it is,” she said.
“If there’s a ball involved, I love it. So, we’re excited, New Yorkers.”
Hochul said if there’s a ball involved, she loves it. Robert Miller for NY Post
The cringey comment came at the end of Hochul’s remarks and dovetailed with her recent failed attempt to dunk on President Trump’s own Knicks fandom.
Hochul last week tried to undercut Trump’s claim to be a lifelong Knicks supporter by snarkily saying, “I’d ask him to name the starting lineup from the 1993 championship team and see how he does.”
As any long-suffering Knicks fan knows, the orange and blue team last won a championship in 1973.
During 1993, the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls — who went on to win the championship that launched the team’s first “three-peat.”
The Knicks did make it to the NBA Finals in 1994, but lost to the Houston Rockets. They also did so in 1999, falling to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks are hoping for their first trophy since 1973. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Let’s keep it going, Knicks,” she said. “I was just reflecting on the crack of dawn — literally crack of dawn — when the skies are orange and blue, early this morning when I took my walk and you know what I noticed? New Yorkers are making eye contact again. It was shocking. People looking up and have an extra lift in their step and wearing their Knicks gear as I was trying to go incognito but everybody seems to notice.
“There’s something magical in the air. So, it’s a very special day. Go Knicks. Make us all so proud.”
Hochul then tempted fate by invoking a jinx.
“They will be up until the fourth game and then they’ll be done,” she said, before catching herself, “I didn’t say that. I did not jinx anything, OK?”
Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the middle of one of the hottest stretches of his season. Over the last week, the Atlanta Braves superstar owns a barrel rate north of 35% and a hard-hit rate above 60%, indicating he's consistently generating elite contact quality. Acuna has already hit five home runs in his last five games.
The Toronto Blue Jays will use Mason Fluharty as an opener before turning things over to the bullpen. Fluharty has allowed a 45.5% hard-hit rate across his last five appearances, while Toronto's relievers own a 12.5% HR/FB rate over the last week.
That could be problematic against a hitter like Acuna, who has put 54.5% of his contact in the air during that span. With the Braves outfielder consistently elevating and barreling baseballs, this matchup offers another opportunity for his power surge to continue.
I'd play this pick up to +400.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Sportsnet One
Home run pick: Jarren Duran (+610)
Jarren Duran is swinging the bat well lately, collecting four doubles and two home runs across his last six games. The Boston Red Sox outfielder has also turned his fly balls into damage, posting a 40% HR/FB rate during that stretch.
The matchup is what stands out most, however. Trevor Rogers has been extremely vulnerable to power lately, allowing 2.53 home runs per nine innings alongside a 6.66 FIP across his last two starts. Opponents have also generated a 47.2% hard-hit rate, 11.1% barrel rate, and 22.7 average launch angle against him.
Those indicators suggest hitters are consistently making dangerous contact against Rogers, creating an appealing opportunity for a hot bat like Duran.
I'd play this pick up to +550.
Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, MASN
Home run pick: Bryan Reynolds (+710)
Bryan Reynolds is tearing the cover off the baseball lately, posting a 20% barrel rate, 94 mph average exit velocity, and 53.3% hard-hit rate across his last 29 plate appearances. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder continues to generate loud contact and draws an intriguing matchup against Houston Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng.
While Teng has pitched reasonably well overall this season, the long ball has become a concern lately. Over his last 11 innings, he's allowed 1.64 home runs per nine innings and owns a 20% HR/FB rate, indicating opponents have capitalized when they've elevated the baseball.
That could be problematic against a hitter like Reynolds, who has put just under 35% of his contact in the air over his last six games while consistently producing hard contact.
I'd play this pick up to +650.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Space City Home Network
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 9-54, -9.56 units
Today’s HR parlay
Ronald Acuna Jr
Bet Now +32508
Jarren Duran
Bryan Reynolds
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.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 03: Yordan Alvarez #44 and Josh Hader #71 of the Houston Astros celebrate after a 5-3 win against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park on May 03, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros pitcher of the Month Spencer Arrighetti may have struggled, but the team picked up their pitcher to do what they haven’t been able to do all year: Come from behind with a large deficit. Here are my 3 takeaways from this outstanding comeback performance!
1. Cam Smith’s Spectacular At-Bats.
His at bat in the Bottom of the 5th inning knocked out Paul Skenes which was huge for the Astros. Although Paul Skenes was on the mound he has shown times where he can fall to a decent or bad start. The Astros were good enough to get him out of the game. Their plan was to get him out of the game with a no decision. Cam Smith and company was a big part of that.
Two 2 strike, 2-out hits for 3 RBI tonight for Cam Smith.
One hit 102.0 mph off a 98.3 mph fastball on the outside corner.
This one hit 106.2 mph off a 98.1 mph fastball on the outside corner. You love to see it!!! #Astroshttps://t.co/wSIKsImKZ0
This Tweet says it all, and shows that Cam seems to be really putting something together at the plate and the patience of the Astros seems to be paying off at the moment. When you look at what he’s done lately, it seems Cam Smith is more productive, a sign of life this club desperately needs in 2026. As you can see from his MLB.com profile he sits between .290 and .262 with 3 home runs in his last 15 games, with a slug around .500.
2. Spencer Arrighetti: Learning from Mistakes.
Is it possible to improve, even when you fail to complete a task. Absolutely, ask anyone who owns a small business. Many times, if not every time, success comes after failure. As I listened to Spencer Arrighetti address the media after the game I was encouraged how much he has grown up in his young career. After the game he said,
“ I should have known that throwing 5 straight fastballs to a major league hitter was a mistake. Henry Davis is a big leaguer for a reason.” “I was confident in my approach at the time, I just know now not to repeat that.”
The fact that he is aware of this tells me he is going to deal next several outings. It does seem many times a pitcher or hitter who gets one of these awards tails off a little in success. Maybe its a coincidence, then again maybe the athlete whoever it is just presses. No matter the reason Spencer Arrighetti is better after last nights game. There are two different types of athletes: Good athletes and GREAT athletes, the Great athletes are the good athletes that were able to get over their mistakes and failures and not let those setbacks define them.
Absolutely love this clip. Thank you @MaxZepedaSports for posting this. I have been impressed with him since I first spoke with him. He has really grown, and what I love is Spencer sees the mistakes and I am sure he will be dialed in next game. Prayers for his next opponent!… https://t.co/nDAN9O2Cby
— Htown Wheelhouse™️2X World Series Champs '17, '22 (@HtownWheelhouse) June 4, 2026
3. Josh Hader’s Return – The Fireman is About to Burn the League Down!
The Astros bullpen has missed Josh Hader, and this statement alone does capture the frustating performances Astros fans have come accustomed to in 2026. The Bullpen has had to deal with Bryan Abreu in the closer role, and he has not done well. All season his failures have been at the demise of the Astros, even in comback efforts. While you do have semi-reliable arms like Aj Blubaugh, Brian King, Seven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos, these guys do suffer and stand to be exposed if the starting pitching isn’t going the distance. This is why your leader, your stabilizer in Josh Hader is so important.
Having him as the anchor, doesn’t just help, it solidifies your bullpen with the assurance of knowing you know what you’re going to get with Josh Hader. Josh Hader is one of the Best at what he does with a career WHIP of 0.94, 228 career saves and 830 strikeouts, you feel much more confident if you are an arm going out there between a starter and the 9th inning.
These three players can help the Astros move one step at a time closer to .500. This is the goal, the question is can they come out of June with a winning record. I believe with their remaining opponents this month: The Athletics (I know, I know…), Angels, Royals, Tigers, Guardians (who are terrible at home), Blue Jays, Tigers again, and Minnesota. This team with Josh Hader now back, Hunter Brown returning soon, and getting back Jose Altuve and Joey Loperfido will help this team. So you tell me what do you think their record will be in the month of June?
Baseball: NLCS Playoffs: Fox Sports announcer Steve Lyons wearing ribbon for autism awareness before New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals game at Shea Stadium. Game 4. Flushing, NY 10/15/2000 CREDIT: Chuck Solomon (Photo by Chuck Solomon /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X61612 TK3 R23 F3 )
Steve Lyons is a baseball lifer, having played the game and commentated for decades. For Astros fans, “Psycho” as he’s affectionately called had a front row seat as part of the Fox Sports broadcast crew in 2005 when the Astros brought us their first pennant.
We caught up with one of the more colorful and engaging personalities to ever grace the diamond and broadcast booth to talk modern day Astros and that magical ride from 2005:
Q: If you’re only a handful of games out of the wildcard race, it’s almost impossible to push the reset and blow this thing up, right?
A: I don’t think you can panic. There’s just too much baseball to be played. It’s funny when the dog days come around. To me the dog days are in mid-September when you see teams that you think are going to be there and they drop seven out of ten and fall out of the race. They go from second place down to fourth and ultimately miss the playoffs. It’s just way too early, we’re so far away from that point.
You see clubs that do it but I wouldn’t go that route. Every year it literally comes down to the final weekend, or final day of the season and one game. It’s going to happen again, just watch. You cannot overact in June.
Q: So many guys are in the process of coming off the IL, or just now returning. Does Joe Espada receive a reprieve of sorts or if they fail to reach the post-season, could he be on the hot seat even with the onslaught of injuries, is that even fair?
A: It’s not even close to being fair. I will tell you that in the clubhouse, you have to adopt a mentality that if guys get hurt, somebody else has to step up.
There’s a big difference between being hurt and being injured. Most guys are hurt and have to play through it. When you’re injured though, that’s a different story.
You just want to make sure you don’t continually have the same type of injuries over and over, and in terms of the manager, they have nothing to do with that.
If you even have four guys out, you’ll quickly become a Triple-A club and you’ll lose series after series when you are competing against big leaguers.
Q: Let’s talk about that 2005 team. You were there in the clubhouse with Phil Garner, and around that team when you were with Fox. What do you most recall about that team?
A: You know, when I think back to that, it’s so ironic because the White Sox weren’t predicted to do anything and Houston of course got off to that 15-30 start. They called the White Sox one dimensional and nobody thought they’d even reach the playoffs. They came together as a club, just as the Astros did and started playing better baseball week after week.
Q: That series was so evenly matched, I just cannot believe it resulted in a sweep. The four games were decided by six total runs. It’s just crazy. Were you surprised it wound up being a sweep?
A: Listen, if you look at those games, the White Sox could’ve been the ones getting swept. The games were all so close. It could’ve gone the other way. There are weird things in baseball and Houston not winning a game was one of them.
Q: You played with Roger Clemens in Boston. You know Roger. How much does it have to be killing him not to have a plaque in Cooperstown?
A: I have a tough time in general with the hall of fame. I understand what it’s supposed to represent, but when Pete Rose isn’t in the hall of fame, that’s a problem.
Outside of Ichiro, he’s the single greatest hitter in our lifetimes and no one else is even close. Pete Rose wasn’t even a great athlete. He just willed himself as a hitter to be great.
The steroids era was bad, it’s a black eye, but these guys should be in, especially if they have the numbers to be in. There are guys who did steroids who are in the hall of fame right now.
I know how competitive Roger is, and it’s got to be killing him on the inside. I love the guy but there’s a lot of smoke about if he did steroids or not.
DENVER, CO - MAY 30: Adrian Houser #12 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the second inning during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants wrap up this four-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers this morning.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters today’s game with a 5.59 ERA, 5.21 FIP, with 35 strikeouts to 21 walks in 56.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in three and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Brewers right-handed rookie Coleman Crow, who enters today’s game with a 3.14 ERA, 3.73 FIP, with eight strikeouts to three walks in 14.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Friday, in which he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with one strikeout and two walks in four innings.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 03: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 03, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno has received this season's King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and service, the NHL announced Thursday.
The award is presented annually to the player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community,” according to the league's qualifications.
Each team nominates a player for the award, which is determined by a selection committee headed by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and including former King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners. Clancy, the namesake of the award, was a longtime player, referee, coach and manager who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.
Foligno was recently presented the trophy in a surprise appearance at the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota by his older brother and current teammate, Nick Foligno, who won it himself in 2017. They established the Janis Foligno Foundation in memory of their mother, who died of breast cancer in 2009, and have been active in fundraising for breast cancer research.
The NHL will donate $25,000 to the foundation as part of the award to Foligno, who last month finished his 15th season in the league, including the last nine with Minnesota. He played his first six years for Buffalo.
Previous Wild players to win the award were defenseman Matt Dumba (2020) and forward Jason Zucker (2019).
At 32, Tomas Hertl knows there won't be that many more chances at a Stanley Cup.
Thus, he's making the most of his second chance.
Hertl hasn't stopped thinking about hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup since the first time he made it to Final.
That was in 2016, when the San Jose Sharks won the Western Conference but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup Final.
And for Hertl, it was even more of a disappointment since his time was cut short in the series due to an injury.
The following year the Sharks lost to the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final in six games, then it was another trip to the conference final and a loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Last season, in his first playoff run with the Golden Knights, it was another exit from the conference final, as the Edmonton Oilers ended things.
Hertl said after his game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, he's making the most of his second-chance opportunity.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 3, 2026
"Obviously, you don't waste it," he said on the postgame broadcast. "It's still a lot of game(s) left, (but) it's a great start (to) the series."
After a wild back-and-forth affair on Tuesday, it was Hertl's shot from the slot that put Vegas ahead late in the third period.
The Golden Knights' 5-4 win marked the first time in 56 games that a road team that trailed by multiple goals in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final came back to steal the win.
"It was awesome," Hertl said. "The building buzzing. Obviously, we didn't have the greatest start, but it's kind of been our story all season, but we never give up.
"We just a team, it doesn't matter, we up or down, we just keep playing. We come strong in the second and the third and turn it around and big win in the first game."
After failing to score in 29 straight games, 20 in the regular season and nine in the playoffs, the 32-year-old from Czechia has four goals in the team's last eight games, two of them being game-winners in comeback victories.
"I haven’t coached him for long, and a lot of those games weren’t that good," Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. "I think he’s grown. He never stopped working. I thought there were some major struggles in his game, but he never stopped working at his game.
"It’s just great timing, just to try to balance our lineup. He has given us some very important minutes."
"It's been our story all season, we never give up." 👏
Hertl knows how important everyone's role is, with so much at stake, which is why he's tried to stay focused with the task at hand.
That included Tuesday night pregame, when the Stanley Cup was brough onto the ice, and he avoided looking at it.
"I try to put head down and don't think about it because it's ultimate goal and chasing for a long time," Hertl said. "I have second shot in my career."
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates scoring during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round Two Game Four on May 11, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to our annual Lakers season in review series, where we’ll look back at each player on the team’s roster this season and evaluate if they should be part of the future of the franchise. Today, we continue our series with a look at Jaxson Hayes.
Coming off a year in which he was thrust into a starting role after trading away Anthony Davis midseason and then a playoffs that saw him benched entirely in favor of 48 minutes of small-ball groups, Jaxson Hayes came into his third season with the Lakers looking for a bit of redemption that would only really come by being properly slotted back into a reserve role.
With Deandre Ayton signed as a starter, Hayes did just that, reestablishing himself as a more than capable backup center who flashed increasingly strong chemistry with both Dončić and Austin Reaves in bench groups. He even proved productive and ready to step into a larger role on nights when Ayton was unavailable or not at his best.
Hayes did not play well every night, as his issues with discipline and focus could resurface on any given night. But Hayes did mostly play hard, and his combination of motor, athleticism and general pick-and-roll know-how allowed him to positively impact the Lakers offense in ways that truly complemented his team’s best playmakers.
Ultimately, relative to his salary and slotting in the rotation, Hayes was one of the more impactful performers in executing his job and playing his role on a night-to-night basis. Whether he’s ever able to expand beyond a backup role on a team with real title aspirations is a question with more doubts than not, but that’s not to say he cannot help a good team. After all, he did that this year and it looks like he’ll continue to be able to do so for years to come.
How did he play?
Of Hayes’ three seasons with the Lakers, I think this past year was easily his best. He shot a career-best 75.6% from the field, was a monster finisher around the basket with 122 dunks (second on the team to Ayton’s 123), fouled less while showing more discipline on defense, showed real improvement on the offensive glass and played with better motor over the course of the full year.
His finishing was particularly impactful, especially as a contrast to Ayton’s more varied attack that relied more on short jumpers, baby hooks and flip shots in and around the paint. Hayes made progress with these sorts of shots too, but he remains one of the more ferocious finishers in the league and had countless highlight dunks over the course of the season.
Whether in the pick-and-roll or just running the floor in transition, Hayes’ dynamism as an above-the-rim threat helped grease the wheels of the Lakers’ offense by drawing attention to the paint so the team’s outside shooters could get good looks and by serving as a release valve for the team’s primary shot creators. With a great catch radius and good hands, Hayes’ finishing truly was helpful.
Of course, there are limitations to being almost purely a roll man within this team’s offense and when teams switched or were able to play the Lakers’ pick and roll with just two defenders without surrendering the lob, Hayes could be neutralized and mostly taken out of the game offensively. But when teams did overcommit to Luka and Reaves, or if their general coverages were not tight enough, he could make them pay.
That said, he still made his fair share of mistakes. The illegal screens and committing a silly foul/sniping at the refs when he thought he was wronged are two of the more enduring mistakes he needs to clean up. His focus could also drift at times and if he was not locked in, he would deservedly find himself back on the bench or see his minutes reduced.
But, for the first time in his Lakers tenure, Hayes’ minutes felt less defined by the negative aspects of his game than by what his positive contributions were, which is huge progress from where he was even a season ago.
What is his contract situation moving forward?
Hayes enters this summer as an unrestricted free agent. After making a shade under $3.5 million this season, and coming off one of his better years while squarely in his physical prime and focusing on getting stronger, I would imagine he’d be looking for at least a small raise, whether on the Lakers or elsewhere.
The Lakers do have Hayes’ Bird rights and could easily bring him back at a reasonable number, but it remains to be seen if they’ll renounce those rights to try to maximize their cap space or if they’ll simply keep his relatively small cap hold on their books. If the latter, it would clearly signal their desire to keep him in the fold as a rotational big whose offensive game really does complement the team’s best playmakers.
Should he be back?
I would certainly support Hayes returning next season, especially if he’s making close to what he did this year (or a slight raise). Hayes fits well with Luka — while also sharing an agent with him and just getting his Slovenian passport to play on the national team with him too — and his general athleticism and speed are assets I believe the Lakers should continue to try to leverage as a part of their team-building strategy around Dončić (and Reaves, should he return).
Further, I’m a firm believer that as players age and show even small bits of growth while playing through their prime seasons, teams would be wise to not let guys like that walk after investing multiple seasons into their development. Hayes fits that profile neatly, and I think the Lakers would benefit from continuing to see if he can round out his game in the right ways to have him develop into an even more productive rotation player.
The UIL concludes its 2025-26 athletic season with the Texas state baseball tournament, and as always, it's loaded with players who are either headed to college or waiting for the July Major League Baseball draft to assess their professional options.
Of the 11 state championship games spread over three days, most of the big names are in Class 5A and 6A.
The tournament starts Thursday, June 4 at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Here are six top players at the UIL state baseball championships.
Lucas Nawrocki, Aledo, LHP, 1B/OF
Nawrocki is an LSU signee and left-handed pitcher ranked as the No. 151 prospect for the MLB draft. He enters the championship with an 11-0 record on the mound and a .530 batting average at the plate.
Cooper Webb, Lake Travis, RHP/OF
The University of Texas signee has 127 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA. He has been clocked with a 94-mile-per-hour fastball.
CJ Sampson, Tomball, 3B/RHP
Sampson is a Texas A&M commit and son of former Astros pitcher Chris Sampson. The exit velocity on his fastball has been clocked at 99 miles per hour.
Logan Corley, Lucas Lovejoy, LHP/1B
The TCU signee has a batting average over .450 and a fastball in the low 90s, complimented with a good slider and excellent control
Reed Blakely, Lucas Lovejoy, OF/LHP
A USC signee, Blakely has a 0.70 ERA as a pitcher and a .403 batting average. He has been clocked in the low 90s with his fastball.
Isaac Richardson, Houston Memorial, 3B
A Houston signee, Richardson has hit four home runs in the playoffs, including a walk-off in the semifinals that sent his team to state.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached, bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 3: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Truist Park on June 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mauricio Dubón just continues to get the job done for the Atlanta Braves so far in 2026 in any way that they’ve asked of him. Whether it’s through his versatility in the field or increasingly more at the plate, Dubón’s been all over the place in a good way. Grant McAuley recently wrote an in-depth article covering Dubón’s great start to the season so far and so far, Dubón has been performing like he wants that story to continue rather than this being the peak for him in any way.
Dubón wrote yet another exciting page in what’s been a very fun chapter of his career that the Braves are benefiting from. His three-run homer off of Patrick Corbin in the third inning of Wednesday night’s eventual victory essentially turned the game around for the Braves at that point. While everybody has expected his defense to be what it has been so far (which is to say that there’s an expectation of quality defense no matter what position he plays in the field), the big hits have been something special to see. His numbers may not jump out as something fantastic as he’s hitting .249/.304/.380 with a .305 wOBA, 93 wRC+ and four homers but he’s getting it done in some big spots. He’s hitting .274/.354/.452 with two outs on the board, with an .806 OPS and an sOPS+ of 132 — indicating that he’s doing some of his best work when the Braves are down to their final out of any inning.
When did he crack that dinger last night? With two outs on the board. It’s impressive and a tiny bit shocking to witness Dubón coming up big in so many spots but one person who isn’t surprised by this development is Mauricio Dubón, himself. I asked him after Wednesday’s game about what’s changed at the plate for him with what he’s been doing now compared to what he had done in previous stops in his career. Dubón is a self-described “confident guy” and his answer to my question belied that confidence.
“I’m finally getting a chance to play, man,” replied Dubón. “In times past, I would get pinch-hit for and never get to finish the game. I’d go for 0-for-2…it’s funny because me and my Dad would always talk about ”You can hit righties,“ but I never got the opportunity to go out there [with the confidence of knowing] that I can hit anybody.”
Indeed, Dubón is hitting .258/.324/.411 against right-handers with a wRC+ of 107 and three of his four homers coming against right-handers so far this season. Those numbers are actually way up from his career numbers of .246/.285/.354 with a wRC of 76 against righties. Dubón has been given an opportunity with the Braves to play every day and he’s taking full advantage of showing what he can do in roles that he didn’t usually get to experience in the past.
“It’s just a matter of getting the opportunity and getting the chance to go another [day],” continued Dubón during the presser. “Nobody has given me anything. I’ve gone out there and earned every chance and opportunity that I get.”
Dubón’s glove is more-than-enough to keep him in the lineup on an every day basis at this particular point in time but he’s also shown that he can get it done with the bat whenever the Braves need him the most. It’s been a lot of fun to see him continue to prosper in the role that he’s been put into here in Atlanta and obviously everybody in Braves Country is looking forward to seeing Dubón continue to make good things happen in that role as this season progresses.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Jarren Duran
Bryan Reynolds
