SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 13: Josh Naylor #12 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after scoring a two-run home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 13, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Maddy Grassy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming out of the All-Star Break in 2025, the Seattle Mariners had some juice. They’d faltered from their scalding April-May surge, ceding the division lead to the Houston Astros at the start of June with a brutal 4-13 stretch from May 24-June 11th featuring multiple losses to Houston and dismal sweeps. A crucial, prescient drubbing of the Detroit Tigers to close the first half set the club on better footing, and with increased health from their rotation the club took two of three from Houston to start the back half. Dropping the third game in an 11-3 drubbing was a disappointment, a presumed pitcher’s duel that got away from Hunter Brown and Bryan Woo but remained uncorralled by the M’s bullpen on July 20th, 2025.
Today’s 6-2 M’s victory ensures that that date will remain the most recent time Seattle lost to Houston until at least mid-May. It buries the Astros where the Mariners found themselves at the outset of this four game series: last place in all of MLB. It solidifies what Three Nights in Houston dared us to believe: the center of gravity in the American League West is rooted in the Pacific Northwest.
Houston got their best start of the series from young righty Mike Burrows, whose line belies a reasonable enough performance given his task. Hell or high water, which at least three Astros pitchers are on the injured list with I believe, Burrows would be working deep into this afternoon’s game to save a beleaguered bullpen further indignity. 11 hits, six runs, all but one of which came on beautiful, Canadian moonshots. This was a tactical retreat of a ballgame from the start by the injury-riddled Astros, and while that’s no source of joy, the wins count the same.
That’s especially true for three stars of tonight’s game, which will not account for three of the five Mariners to secure multiple hits on the afternoon. Brendan Donovan, Cal Raleigh, and Julio Rodríguez each notched a pair of knocks, looked good doing it, and boded well for the Vedder Cup to come. Raleigh even gets an honorable mention for the most Lastros moment of the evening, an infield single where nobody decided to get him out. You can almost see the deflated spirit of this bedraggled, dying empire in this resigned miscommunication.
But they take standing positions on this train to the honored, seated standouts: Josh Naylor, George Kirby, and Luke Raley.
Raley’s day was lizard-brain simple. Hit ball, line drive. Hit ball, line drive. Hit ball, hmm, let me consider the panoply of optio-just kidding obviously it’s line drive. The absence of Raley in 2025 was muted by Randy Arozarena’s early fireworks and Dominic Canzone’s late emergence, but this has been an excellent baseball player when healthy, and right now he’s just that. That the game capped with two deep fly balls in the park’s most treacherous gap, where Raley came up just short of a Yordan Alvarez robbery over the weekend, was an added bonus.
For Kirby, things progressed as close to perfection as imaginable against a still-potent offense. The efficiency the 28 year old carved through Houston’s order with allowed him to work 7.2 frames, yielding two runs in one inning that might’ve been mitigated with a bolder backstop to challenge his two-strike breaking ball to Taylor Trammell, reversing what became a leadoff single into a strikeout. As it was, Kirby hounded and pounded Houston with sliders, forcing the aggressive offense into the ground on pitch after pitch. For a pitcher who still worked the upper half of the zone prominently, it was a third straight performance reminiscent of Logan Webb or prime Marcus Stroman more than the fly-ball dependent walk-avoider we – and the league – have come to expect.
The moment of the game for Kirby was, in many ways, one that went poorly. With two outs and a runner on in the 8th, manager Dan Wilson strolled to the mound, apparently to a call from J.P. Crawford to let Kirby remain in. After counseling Kirby, Wilson allowed Kirby, at 94 pitches, one more hitter. It sadly was a four-pitch walk to Alvarez, yielding to Matt Brash to tidy the mess with an Isaac Paredes lineout. The message was well-received postgame, however, with Kirby lamenting his poor command at the end but effusive in his praise and gratitude for the willingness of his manager to hear and adapt to the feedback from his players in the moment. Might it have been adjudicated differently without a four-run lead? Perhaps, but with the stakes slightly lower than the typical M’s-Stros matchup at that stage, the opportunity to give the bullpen extra rest in an off-day-free marathon was taken by Wilson, and unpunished by Houston.
Like his fellow sluggers in the heart of Seattle’s order, Josh Naylor was seeking results to match increasingly encouraging processes. Through the first two weeks of the year, he has made his usual rash of intriguing swing decisions, as well as scalding and just missing several big flies and big hits. With a soft single and a scorched double ahead of him by Cal and Julio, Naylor’s missed connection was found, with help from an added mechanical tweak:
Incredibly, upon his next plate appearance, Burrows offered him an encore, a belt-high heater with no buffs or damage reduction. This big day has been on the horizon for the pride of Mississauga, but Mariners and Astros should know better than anyone that chasing the horizon isn’t a surefire avenue to imminent success. Monday, it was enough to lift Seattle’s ships and send Houston scurrying deeper into the cellar, far from the light of the stars they once knew.
Athletics pitcher Luis Severino gets his first home start of the 2026 season tonight against the Texas Rangers. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Fresh off a three-game sweep of the inter-league rival New York Mets, the A’s return home today for a division series matchup with the Texas Rangers. Not only are the two teams tied for the lead in the American League West, but they are tied for the second-best record in the American League, period!
Tonight, Luis Severino returns to the Sutter Health Park mound for the first time in 2026. He’s made three road starts and has a 0-1 record with a 5.40 ERA. He’s struck out seventeen batters in 13.1 innings. His challenges at home last season were well documented. In nearly an identical number of innings his splits were dramatic; a 3.02 away ERA compared to a 6.01 home ERA, and a 2-9 home record compared to a 6-2 road record. He’ll go up against 36-year-old righty Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers. Eovaldi is 1-2 with a 7.98 ERA so far in this young season.
Eovaldi will face this lineup for the A’s in West Sac tonight:
Apr 5, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Fans filtering in to the grass berm in center field before the start of the game between the Houston Astros against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
Fans in Edmonton will get one last regular-season glimpse at McDavid vs. MacKinnon tonight at Rogers Place before the NHL playoffs begin this weekend.
Both clubs have secured playoff berths, but the Oilers are on the cusp of winning the pillow fight in the Pacific Division and will be desperate for a victory as they sit just one point (90) behind the Vegas Golden Knights (91), with both teams having two games remaining.
Will Edmonton pass the test and position themselves as home-icers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, or will Colorado play spoiler?
Colorado Avalanche: 52-16-11
The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (40-30-10)
Time: 7:30 p.m. MT
Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
I’m not sure who spilled the salt at team dinner, but Colorado has been hit with an injury wave that has even extended to their head coach, Jared Bednar.
The puck he took to the face against Vegas has him still recovering from facial fractures and an abrasion in Colorado.
Maybe the view from the vantage of a fan can offer some insight, but I imagine Bedsy has his ways of influencing the group even from afar.
Now, as far as skaters go, I doubt we see Cale Makar, Josh Manson, or Nazem Kadri tonight or for the rest of the regular season.
Josh Manson left the Vegas game with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Josh Manson (upper body) will not return to the game.
The Oilers have been without Leon Draisaitl for quite some time, but still run with McDavid and have been a team that can’t consistently find their stride, but appear and often prove plenty capable.
Do the @EdmontonOilers have some tricks up these sleeves? 🟠🔵
Currently outscoring their opponents 26-10, the Oilers look to extend their alternate uniform win streak to FIVE games tonight‼️ pic.twitter.com/YxR4pjxkTg
Interestingly, if the Oilers and Avalanche meet later in the playoffs as both sides intend, the Oilers will have won two playoff rounds, and any doubts will dissipate, as that would mark their 3rd Western Conference Final in a row.
The question marks in Edmonton still largely revolve around netminding, with the Skinner for Jarry deal not really panning out early on.
The Mets received good news on Clay Holmes on Monday.
Holmes felt normal during his high-intensity bullpen session in the afternoon, and he has officially been deemed good to go for Wednesday's start in the series finale against the Dodgers.
He told reporters at the time that he wasn't too concerned about the issue, though, and expected to go through his normal throwing progression in between outings.
After doing so successfully, Holmes has now officially been cleared to get back out there.
That's certainly encouraging news for the Mets, as Holmes has been one of their most reliable arms in the early-going, pitching to a 1.50 ERA over his first three outings.
New York will hope for more of the same on Wednesday against the Dodgers' two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
New York Knicks' Walt Frazier (10) playing against the Atlanta Hawks.
If you go looking through the Knicks’ biggest playoff rivals, the Hawks aren’t the first matchup that comes to mind. They’re not Miami, they’re not Indiana, and they haven’t been a consistent playoff opponent at all. In fact, it’s a pretty rare matchup. But when these two teams do meet in the postseason, it usually ends up reflecting exactly where the Knicks are as a franchise in that moment. There have only been three playoff matchups between the Knicks and the Hawks, and each one sits in a completely different era, with a completely different identity behind it.
The first matchup between the two teams came in 1971, when the Knicks were at the height of their powers. This was a championship-caliber team, built on structure, depth, and discipline, and they approached the series against Atlanta the way great teams typically do when facing an opponent they are simply better than. The Knicks won the series 4-1 to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. This was a team loaded with five players whose jerseys now hang in the Garden rafters, led by Walt Frazier and Dick Barnett, and they controlled the series from start to finish. Even when games got competitive, it never really felt like the outcome was in doubt. New York controlled pace, executed consistently, and imposed its style over the course of the series.
UNITED STATES – MARCH 26: Atlanta Hawks' Pistol Pete Maravich is trying to faze New York Knicks Walt Frazier this time at Madison Square Garden. Walt got around the young Hawk to make a two-pointer, but shot was nullified because of violation of three point rule. (Photo by Frank Hurley/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) | NY Daily News via Getty Images
The numbers tell part of it, but the feel of that series says even more. The Knicks averaged 110 points per game, with Walt Frazier leading the way at 25.6 a night while doing a little bit of everything. Dick Barnett gave them another 22 per game. Inside, Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere controlled the paint, combining for over 30 rebounds per game and setting the physical tone that Atlanta couldn’t match. It was not about individual brilliance as much as it was about collective reliability. That Knicks team knew exactly who it was, and Atlanta did not have the personnel or cohesion to disrupt that.
Nearly three decades later, the two teams met again in 1999, and this series carries far more weight when viewed in context. The Knicks entered that postseason as an 8 seed in a lockout-shortened season, having gone just 27-23 in the regular season. Expectations were minimal, and their first-round matchup against the top-seeded Miami Heat was widely viewed as a formality. Instead, the Knicks pulled off one of the most memorable upsets in franchise history, winning that series in five games and completely shifting the trajectory of their season. Waiting for them in the second round was Atlanta, a team that had finished 31-19 and was considered far more stable and complete at that point in time.
The Knicks had already adjusted to life without Patrick Ewing before the playoffs. This wasn’t a team scrambling to replace him, it was a team that had already evolved. Marcus Camby brought a completely different dynamic with his length, mobility, and defensive activity, anchoring a more aggressive and disruptive approach. He didn’t just fill a role, he changed the energy. His weakside shot blocking, quick rotations, and ability to cover ground gave the Knicks a defensive presence that felt everywhere at once, and when he got going, the Garden felt it. The rejections at the rim, the putback slams, the transition finishes, it all brought a level of electricity that fed into the team’s identity. On both ends, Camby made the game feel faster, more chaotic, and more alive, and Atlanta never adjusted to it.
NEW YORK – MAY 23: Marcus Camby #23 of the New York Knicks shoots a layup against Dikembe Mutombo #55 of the Atlanta Hawks in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 1999 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 23, 1999 in New York, New York. The Knicks won 90-78. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges 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 1999 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Offensively, the Knicks were led by Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell, with Sprewell averaging 22.5 points per game and Houston adding 18. The offense controlled the pace, but it was the defense that dictated the series, leading to a second-round sweep of the Hawks.
That sweep wasn’t just another series win, it was a continuation of one of the most improbable runs in franchise history. As an 8 seed, the Knicks weren’t supposed to be there, and they definitely weren’t supposed to dominate a higher-seeded Hawks team the way they did. Instead, they stayed in control, carried their momentum from Miami, and moved straight through to the Eastern Conference Finals. From there, the run kept building, all the way to the NBA Finals, marking the franchise’s first appearance on that stage since 1994.
After 1999, the matchup disappeared again for more than two decades, as the two franchises moved through different cycles without ever aligning in the postseason. It was not until 2021 that they met for the third time, and this series carried a very different kind of significance. The Knicks entered the playoffs as the 4 seed in the Eastern Conference after a 41-31 season, marking their first postseason appearance since 2013. More importantly, they entered with a renewed identity under Tom Thibodeau, built around defense, physicality, and the emergence of Julius Randle as an All-NBA level player. Madison Square Garden, limited in capacity but fully engaged, provided an atmosphere that felt like a reintroduction of playoff basketball to New York.
Game 1 immediately shifted the tone of the series and added Trae Young to the list of Garden villains. Tie game, under 10 seconds left, ball in his hands. He waves off the screen, drives straight down the middle, freezes the defense just enough, and floats it in with 0.9 seconds left. No panic, no rush, just complete control in the biggest moment of the night. Atlanta stole a 107-105 win, but it felt bigger than just one game. That moment set the tone for the entire series. It gave Atlanta confidence, put the Knicks on their heels, and from there, the series steadily tilted in Atlanta’s favor.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 2: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks smiles after the game against the New York Knicks during Round 1, Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 2, 2021 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Julius Randle, who had been the focal point of the Knicks’ offense throughout the regular season, struggled to find efficiency against Atlanta’s defensive schemes. The Hawks consistently sent help, crowded his space, and forced him into difficult shot attempts, disrupting both his rhythm and the overall flow of the Knicks’ offense. As a result, New York found itself relying on contested looks and late-clock possessions, unable to generate consistent scoring opportunities. Atlanta, on the other hand, maintained balance and execution. They spaced the floor effectively, created quality looks through pick-and-roll action, and received timely contributions from multiple players. Each time the Knicks appeared close to building momentum, Atlanta responded quickly, preventing any sustained shift in control.
The series returned to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 with the Knicks facing elimination, and while the energy remained present, the outcome increasingly felt inevitable. Atlanta closed out the series with a 103-89 win, taking it 4-1 and ending what had been a promising season for New York. The loss was not just about the result, but about how it unfolded. It exposed limitations, highlighted the difficulty of adjusting within a series, and underscored how quickly a playoff matchup can turn once control is lost early.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 2: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks plays defense on John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks during Round 1, Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 2, 2021 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Looking at the full history, the Knicks have won two of the three playoff series between the teams, taking the matchups in 1971 and 1999, while the Hawks claimed the most recent meeting in 2021. Each series reflects a different version of the Knicks. In 1971, they were a championship team executing at a high level. In 1999, they were a resilient, adaptive group that found a new identity under pressure and made an unexpected run to the Finals. In 2021, they were a team on the rise that encountered a moment it was not fully prepared to handle.
Now, with another opening round matchup set for this Saturday evening at the Garden for Game 1, the focus isn’t so much on the history between these two teams, but on what this round represents for the Knicks.
Over the past two seasons, they’ve taken clear steps forward, from a hard-fought second-round exit to last year’s Eastern Conference Finals appearance. With that kind of progression, expectations have shifted. This is no longer just about competing, it’s about breaking through.
That’s what makes this first round feel different. It’s the starting point of a run that needs to go further than it has the last two years. Knicks fans aren’t just hoping for another deep playoff push, they’re expecting one.
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Somerset.
Manager Aaron Boone said ahead of Monday’s game in The Bronx, the club was still waiting for official clearance from team doctor, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, but with that hurdle cleared, as the Patriots confirmed the assignment, the shortstop will suit up for four games this week.
“Probably three to five innings for the first couple,” Boone said about the plan for Volpe to start in Somerset and then “go from there and build him up kinda like spring training.”
“He’s had over 50 live at-bats [at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa],” he continued, “and has had a lot of work at shortstop getting out on defense. He’s a little ahead of the game from when you would start spring training, probably.
“But that said, we wanna build him smartly, too.”
Volpe, recovering from an arthroscopic labral procedure he underwent in October after playing most of last season with a torn left labrum, struggled during 2025. In 153 games that campaign, he slashed .212/.272/.391 for a .663 OPS (83 wRC+) with 19 homers and 72 RBI.
The manager added that the 24-year-old has done “really well” over the last few months at the team’s complex, which should allow him to “hit the ground running” during this rehab assignment.
“When he first went down to Tampa right after the new year, he almost immediately started making big gains and feeling better,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch. “I know he’s excited to get back, and I know how he works. He’s taken a ton of at-bats and gotten a ton of reps in the field.”
Volpe’s assignment can last a maximum of 20 days.
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon next steps unclear
Boone said on Monday that the next steps for the two starters are still being determined.
"Gerrit threw yesterday, three [innings] and 42 [pitches]," Boone said. "Assuming everything goes well this week, he'll go again in five days. Whether that's another live or into a game, that will be determined over the next couple of days."
Rodon, coming off elbow surgery and a hamstring issue that cropped up recently, is also waiting and seeing what to do next after throwing a live batting practice on Monday, the skipper said.
“Looks good. He was three innings, 50 pitches today,” Boone said. “So he’ll go again in five days, whether that’s another live or in a game, not sure yet. He’s doing well.”
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 12: Dylan Harper #2, Keldon Johnson #3 and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs look on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 12, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It was weird getting to zone out last night.
Over the years I’ve been pretty open about my tendency to do this when the game gets out of hand for the Spurs, but (for the most part) I just wasn’t able to disengage like that this season.
That is, I think, one of the biggest compliments that I can give this Spurs team, after years of spending 4th quarters trying to brainstorm new ways to write about losses.
Sure, when I started writing for the site back in 2018, I would have to write about the occasional loss, but it almost felt like a novelty after so many years of watching the Spurs win so many games.
I had no way of knowing what I’d gotten myself into, even though my very first article ended up being about Kawhi’s exit.
The thing is, you can read about Icarus, and The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, and the sacking of Babylon, and still not really comprehend the free-fall until you’re in it. There’s something about the immediacy of human experience that insulates us from fully grasping how vulnerable we all are, especially at the highest of highs.
In 2018 the Spurs were just four years removed from the most astonishing title in franchise history. The seven years between titles had felt like an eternity.
Now, it’s hard to grasp that it’s been twelve years. I mean, the Spurs were one year shy of going seven years without seeing the postseason, much less a title.
Somehow, the prosperity of this year feels like it has compressed all of that time into something that feels infinitely more brief. It’s strange how a good thing can almost banish the visceral eternity of a more difficult time. Odd how it can effortlessly alter the atmosphere of memory.
It’s one of the most fascinating aspects of mortal recollection that we have this bizarre way of romanticizing the past in the glow of a better present. We talk about the good times in the context of the bad times.
[smiling] “Remember how bad that was?!”
[laughing] “Oh yeah, that was terrible!”
I suppose the contrast is a necessary part of appreciation. I certainly have appreciated this Spurs season more than a great many that were arguably just as prosperous.
I remember having the great privilege of seeing my daughter being born. It was a long, arduous labor to an extent that words can hardly do it justice, and then, suddenly, it was over.
It was almost frightening how quickly things moved once our child was out in the world. The span in which the child was handed to her mother, and then to me, felt like it moved in milliseconds, though I know it must have been much longer.
I can distinctly remember wondering if time itself had sped up as I severed the umbilical cord in what felt like mere moments after she’d been delivered. Nothing prepares you for the immediacy of the event. I’m not sure that anything ever could.
It’s not unlike the way this Spurs season feels like it has materialized. We’ve all been witness to the labor and the difficulty and even knowing what was on the other end of it, somehow it still feels like a surprise.
The Spurs won 62 games. I had them marked down for 50ish at the start of the season, and I was one of the more optimistic ones.
62 wins is tied for the 3rd most wins in franchise history. The Spurs are the #2 seed in the West, and were clear of #3 by eight wins. They’re just the 3rd team in NBA history to increase their win total by 40+ wins in a two-year span. They tied the franchise record for wins on the road with 30.
When did this all happen?! It feels like one-minute I was writing about 16 and 18 game losing streaks, and patience, and deep vein thrombosis, and then suddenly this monster of a team materialized, and I spent almost every game glued to my television set because it honestly felt like they could win any and all of them, no matter how far behind they were.
I get that I’ve been writing about them the whole time that changes have been occurring, but it’s kind of the like the gulf between knowing that your child is roughly the size of a watermelon during the final month of pregnancy and then seeing that kid pop right out in front of you.
Maybe it’s just one of the limits of our finite cognizance; that knowledge is both limited and expanded by the relative immediacy of presence. Not so much ‘out of sight out of mind’ as ‘a bird in hand’ is very viscerally a bird in your hand.
I think all the time about how humanity is so very awful at both existing in and fully appreciating the moment. The miracle of birth feels like one of the rare times that nothing else interferes, nothing else distracts, nothing else takes precedence.
It’s an intense event because of how present we are; something that the modern zeitgeist has proliferated into countless courses and methods in pursuit of it.
I’ve been thinking about this for almost two weeks now. I thought about it last night, as the final quarters of the Spurs’ final loss of regular season ticked away, and my twitter feed gradually turned to despair and anxiety.
I thought about it at Easter, as I watched my daughter and her cousins blithely frolic on the gargantuan playground that I’d helped my parents install in their backyard two winters ago.
It’s a brutal truth that we’re always loving things through delay.
Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, once broke down the present into three categories: Memory, the present of things past. Attention, the present of things present. And Expectation, the present of things future.
In that philosophical vision of reality, only one of the three consists of the actual, immediate present – we must otherwise define it by reference. And it seems fitting that one of the ways in which we experience the present is through the root of all heartache (expectation).
We will never be happier than we are now, until later. We will never be unhappier, until the moment that it passes. We hyperbolize and catastrophize, and ache in the delay.
I’m gazing off into the middle distance with my television muted and a music app playing loudly over the silence, as the Spurs go through the motions of the final moments of the final regular season game, in a display that serves as a commentary on the lack of precariousness that the season has provided, and suddenly a children’s song comes on, the algorithmic remainder of a time when car rides consisted of nursery rhymes and lullabies.
In an instant, my daughter materializes in front of me, tottering in a way that she’s well beyond now.
She’s not even two yet, bouncing at the knees in the way that toddlers mimic dance, singing her best version of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, lisps and all. She wants my approval, the words that convey pride. She needs them in the way that she’ll never stop needing them from someone.
She’s smiling at me, and I hope it never ends. I know that it both will and never will. Everything ends and never ends and keeps on ending and not ending.
Memory is an eternity and an instant, and I want to remember every moment. I want to notice everything and carry it away. We all contain the multitudes of daughters dancing now and in memory.
The season was a miracle and a tragedy. A miracle in the way it unfolded. A tragedy in the way that I will never experience it anew. And it’s still not over.
Be present for it. Present for it all. And Go Spurs, Go!
Takeaways
Carter Bryant may have gone 1-7 from three last night, but man are the flashes starting to come hard and fast with the minutes he’s getting. I don’t think it’s possible to bottle the feeling I had watching him dunk all over Nikola Jokic near the end of the 1st quarter, but I’d almost be willing to watch the entire loss all over again just to experience the shiver than went up my spine when he did it, or the hyper-athletic pair of blocks he had on Curtis Jones and David Roddy barely a minute later. There’s still some inconsistency from long-range, which is understandable, but much like Steph Castle and Dylan Harper, Bryant is actually shooting over 40% from three over the last ten games, so give shooting coach Jimmy Baron his flowers, because he’s done incredible work with multiple budding players on San Antonio’s roster this year.
I have to admit, I didn’t love the Spurs playing Castle and Harper if MATFO’s intention was to mail this game in like Ted Kaczynski. Outside of Wemby, the thing that makes this team so lethal is the way it can mix and match guards in any scheme and phase of the game. At any given moment, the Spurs have multiple star-caliber guards sharing the back-court, harassing the opposition and darting down lanes like the Roadrunner bolts through canyons. Thankfully Harper only sustained a thumb injury to the point of being listed as ‘day-to-day’, but that could have been disastrous, as the bench in particular (as well as Keldon Johnson) just does not function at their absolute best without him. The Spurs are going to need to be able to lean into their depth as a postseason advantage, even without accruing further injuries, so that felt like a miss from the coaching staff. Still, I understand that you have to play somebody.
I think this might really be it for Bismack Biyombo after this season. After looking pretty creaky last year, I assumed he’d pretty much reached his basement as a player, but he somehow looked even more immobile this season, to the point that I felt confused at to why he was even on the roster. I understand that there are players you keep around because they’re good for the team, but the Spurs absolutely have to upgrade at the 3rd big man spot this off-season. Whether in the draft or in free-agency, it should be a pretty low asset cost to exceed the degrading skill of Biyombo and Mason Plumlee, and with both Wemby and Kornet missing some games this season (separately and together), it’s a point of clear need.
I’m a big fan of De’Aaron Fox, and am usually in the habit of defending him against fans who hate on him because of his contract, but it has to be noted that he has been absolutely frigid from beyond the arc as of late. Not only is he shooting 25% from three over the last 10 games, but he hasn’t finished a month shooting better than 33% from three since January. Granted, he’s never been a sniper from downtown, but the Spurs will need him to be closer to 35% to maximize the tandem between him and Castle as teams look for ways to scheme against San Antonio’s start back-court. I’m really hoping he turns it around, asap.
I just have to praise Stephon Castle one more time for his defense this season. Even playing at less than full-octane, he’s remains a black hole for whoever he’s matched up on. If you have twitter, you should take a look at some the charts on this tweet I’ve linked. He wreaked havoc on everyone from Luka Doncic, to Devin Booker, to SGA. There’s a reason I started calling it Castle’s Dungeon.
Critique his offense all you want, but here's what Castle did to Doncic, Booker, Maxey, Cade, Garland, DeRozan, and even your beloved SGA.
Pete DeBoer’s earliest work is often his best work.
He went to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the Devils. His first season in San Jose ended in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. DeBoer landed in Las Vegas in 2019 and led the Golden Knights to the conference finals. He followed the same script in Dallas, leading the Stars to the conference finals in 2023.
“I can tell you we’re gonna be way ahead [next season], I’m gonna be way ahead of where I would’ve been had I come in in the summer, for sure,” DeBoer said following Sunday’s loss to Montreal. “Is it enough time to have all the answers? No, [but] I’ve got a lot more answers than I would have showing up here in training camp without having this experience with this group. So I’m excited to start fresh and have a camp and get to work with them.
New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to the media after a game against the Montreal Canadiens at UBS Arena. Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images
“We want to finish this off the right way on Tuesday. There’s some exciting pieces here but there’s no doubt we have a lot of work left to do.”
The Islanders (43-33-5) will conclude their regular season Tuesday night against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena, having fumbled a seemingly secure postseason spot by losing six of their past seven games.
On Sunday, the players were still absorbing the death of a once-promising season. But the writing has been on the boards since Patrick Roy was fired and DeBoer was hired with four games remaining in the regular season.
In the aftermath, first-year general manager Mathieu Darche said the stunning switch was made to grab “the No. 1 free agent on the market,” with far more in mind than the final four games.
In the season finale, DeBoer would like to “see as many guys as possible,” potentially opening the door for 19-year-old forward Victor Eklund — the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft — to make his debut with the Islanders after producing nine points (two goals, seven assists) in seven games with AHL Bridgeport.
Other call-up candidates include veteran winger Matt Luff — who was acquired in the trade for Brayden Schenn — Adam Beckman and former first-round pick Liam Foudy, as well as 22-year-old defensemen Isaiah George and Long Island native Marshall Warren.
New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to his team prior to their game against the Montréal Canadiens at UBS Arena. Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images
“The more guys I can see in game action that are potentially part of this going forward, I think that’s important,” DeBoer said.
Two weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable for the Islanders season to end with 60 or so meaningless minutes. Two days ago, they still believed they could sneak into the bracket.
But the DeBoer era has just begun.
“You always learn something when you’re playing games this late in the season that matter,” DeBoer said. “When the lights go out on a season, it’s never easy after you put in that kind of time, particularly the journey they were on, the spot they were in and where they are now. I feel for them … We know we’ve got a lot of work to do here, but there’s a lot of good things, too.”
Los Angeles, CA - April 10: Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stretches in the outfield prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has completed six innings in all three of his starts so far in 2026, and will try to keep that streak alive in the middle game of the Dodgers’ series against the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Fifteen of Yamamoto’s 18 innings this season have been scoreless, fueling his 2.57 ERA and 3.62 xERA to date. He allowed two runs in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks and in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians, and a lone tally in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. Yamamoto pitched into the seventh in that last start, last Tuesday in Toronto, but didn’t retire any of his two batters faced in the win.
Mets rookie Nolan McLean starts on Tuesday, making his 12th major league start. He has a 2.70 ERA and 1.91 xERA with 20 strikeouts and six walks in 16 2/3 innings.
By the numbers, the Phoenix Suns were average this season, and that is perfectly okay. Right before the All-Star break in February, that would have sounded like a disappointment, but before the season it would have been a huge success.
This season was a rollercoaster ride, as most NBA seasons are. Some of the highlights included: Collin Gillespie’s game-winner against the Timberwolves, Devin Booker’s game-winner against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. There were also some lows: getting blown out by the Thunder, Spurs, and Rockets, injuries, and a below-.500 stretch post-All-Star break.
There are a million different angles to dissect how this season went for the Suns, who stood out, injuries, who underperformed, where the Suns should go from here, whether the Suns were more real before the All-Star break or after, and many more angles. Which will all be dissected throughout the summer on our site and everywhere else you get your Suns fix.
The Suns finished the season 15th in net rating at +1.5; they ranked ninth in defense and 17th in offense. They finished seventh in the West, and tied for the 13th-best record in the league at 45-37 with the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Suns finished fifth in offensive rebound percentage, but 27th in defensive rebounding percentage. Phoenix finished fourth in steals per game, but finished 19th in turnover percentage. Outside of Devin Booker’s All-Star game appearance, there likely will not be any member of the organization who earns an end-of-season award or is named to a team All-NBA or All-Defensive team.
The Suns, by the numbers, were average. But what the numbers cannot tell you is that this team competed hard every night before the All-Star break, and most nights after the All-Star break. Many times, they were positionally challenged, having to play multiple shooting guard-sized players out of position, and still Jordan Ott and his staff put out the best lineups they could for success every night. Players like Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Oso Ighodaro, Grayson Allen, and Dillon Brooks exceeded all preseason expectations, while Jalen Green, Ryan Dunn, Mark Williams, Royce O’Neale, and the rookies were up and down.
The Suns did not get lucky with health this season either: Booker missed 18 games and had an average Booker season, Green missed 50 games, Brooks missed 26 games, and Allen missed 31 games. However, even with their four highest-paid players out of the lineup, the Suns still managed to find ways to win. With the way that the Suns finished the season (13-14 after the All-Star break), Ott is not a frontrunner to win Coach of the Year anymore, but his ability to have everyone on the roster buy into his philosophy and play hard for him cannot be taken for granted after what Suns fans have experienced the previous two seasons.
The Suns were average by the numbers, but they established an identity, a culture, and a style of play that will be successful in the years to come because they know what works and what does not in the NBA. Do the Suns have a lot of work to do to compete for championships again? Absolutely, and this offseason might be more difficult than last summer’s because of all the question marks on the roster.
The good news going forward is that the Suns have Devin Booker, Jordan Ott, Dillon Brooks, and a young, athletic core they can build around for the future and stay competitive right now. Hope is the most powerful drug in sports, and living without hope for your team is depressing, just ask Arizona Cardinals fans. The Phoenix Suns organization, from Mat Ishbia, Brian Gregory, Jordan Ott, and the rest of the organization have injected the fan base with hope again.
So, whether the Suns do not make the playoffs, get swept in the first round, or win the NBA Finals, this season was an overwhelming success, despite it being a perfectly average season.
Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius (78) reacts in the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The first two and a half weeks of the season were uncommonly stable for the Dodgers pitching staff, but on Monday they made their first pitching roster move since opening day. Ben Casparius was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation before the Dodgers’ series opener against the New York Mets, and Kyle Hurt was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Casparius allowed two runs on a pair of singles and two walks in the seventh inning of Sunday’s loss to the Texas Rangers. On the season he’s allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings for a 9.64 ERA and 6.21 xERA, with four walks and four strikeouts among his 23 batters faced.
Last week, we asked True Blue LA readers which pitcher, among the relievers on the 40-man roster plus the final two non-roster invitees in spring training, they would like to see called up. Hurt was the overwhelming favorite, and now he’s in Los Angeles.
This year with the Comets, Hurt has a 5.79 ERA in six games, having allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, with eight strikeouts and five walks. He last pitched last Thursday, making Hurt a certified fresh arm for a bullpen that used four pitchers to cover the final five innings of the series finale against Texas.
The Senators don't have their 2026 first-round Stanley Cup playoff schedule yet, nor do they know who their first-round opponent will be.
But we do know when playoff tickets are going on sale, and as always, membership has its privileges.
The Senators announced on Monday that first-round playoff tickets would go on sale beginning Thursday at 10 a.m., exclusively for season ticket holders, who will be able to purchase up to four tickets per game for all three possible home games in the first round.
The Sens Nation Podcast discusses the rise of defenseman Jordan Spence this season..
Sens Insiders will also have an inside track on the general public. On Friday at 10 a.m., they'll be emailed a link to access tickets for Games 3 and 4. They can also purchase up to four per game.
After season ticket holders and Sens Insiders have had their fill, the general public can purchase tickets for Games 3 and 4, also with a limit of four per game. There will be a rush for tickets, but how fierce the rush will be depends largely on the Sens' opponent.
May 1, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Fans congregate in the Red Zone at the Canadian Tire centre ahead of game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.
They have just one game left in their season, at home on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, their first-round opponent last year. This year's opponent could still be any one of the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Obviously, Montreal and Buffalo fans would be far more likely to try to jump on tickets.
On Monday night, the Carolina Hurricanes can wrap up the Eastern Conference title, and the Buffalo Sabres can clinch the Atlantic Division title. If those two things happen, then Montreal and Tampa would be removed as possible Sens' opponents in round one.
The Sabres will clinch the Atlantic if they beat Chicago in regulation and Tampa Bay fails to beat Detroit in regulation. If the 'Canes end up as the top seed in the East, and then Boston beats New Jersey tomorrow, the Sens would face Carolina in round one.
The sixteen teams in the 2026 NHL playoffs could be finalized as early as Monday night. The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings all have Monday paths to claim the 14th, 15th and 16th spots, although Dallas vs Minnesota is the only matchup set in stone.
The Senators clinched a playoff spot on Saturday night after a ferocious charge in the final third of the season, closing out the year with a 20-6-3 record since late January.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
There’s stupid money — and then there’s whatever this is.
The Mets travel to Dodger Stadium to take on the back-to-back reigning World Series champion Dodgers for a three-game series this week—and with it arrives something the sport has never seen before: a combined payroll tab for both teams that clears $1.09 billion.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani at bat against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Without further ado, we give you the billion dollar series.
Let’s start with the visiting Mets.
The quintessential example of what happens when wealth meets urgency.
Since buying the Mets in the fall of 2020, owner Steve Cohen has spent money like time is chasing him. The franchise hasn’t won a World Series in 40 years. Since taking over he’s poured money into the roster. The payroll has ballooned and the expectations have followed.
In Cohen’s five years as owner, the results have been uneven at best. Just two playoff appearances over that span and not a single NL East division title. Last season, equipped with the second-highest payroll in the league, they finished 83-79, collapsing to the finish line, eliminated on the final day of the season.
The Mets payroll this year is over $380 million with an estimated tax of $136 million-plus. That’s a total of over $516 million for a team that is currently dead last in the NL East.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is on the field during batting practice before a game against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are what happens when wealth and vision meet in the middle.
They don’t just spend money — they optimize.
Their 2026 CBT payroll number of $413.5 million isn’t reckless; it’s engineered. Los Angeles has won 12 division titles in 13 years. Five World Series appearances in nine years. Three championships in six seasons. They currently have the best record in baseball. They are a money printing and title clinching machine.
Owner Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, runs a privately held global financial services firm worth more than $345 billion. The Dodgers payroll alone this season is more than the White Sox, Rays, Guardians and Marlins combined. Their estimated tax bill this season of $169 million is higher than the total payroll of 12 different MLB teams.
Los Angeles Dodgers Owner and Chairman Mark Walter looks on before game one of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 13, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty Images
Both owners have spent on the biggest names in baseball over the last six years. Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for $700 million. Juan Soto beat that record with a $765 million deal.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP was snatched up for $325 million. Not to be outdone, Cohen inked Francisco Lindor to a $341 million deal.
This winter, Cohen and Walter were involved in a bidding war for the services of free agent All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Dodgers won, signing him to a four-year, $240 million contract that earned him the highest AAV deal in history at $57 million, after factoring in deferrals.
What did Cohen do in response? He signed the next best free agent on the market, infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal that was the fourth-largest AAV deal in history.
When the first-pitch is thrown on Monday, remember what this series is really about. The most expensive matchup in MLB history will not just be about the overpriced stars on the field, but a case study in how money behaves under pressure.
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double hit by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
The Dodgers have turned dollars into dominance.
The Mets are still searching for the right financial equation.
In baseball, money can buy you stars.
It just can’t buy you what the Dodgers have.
Not yet, anyway.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
The 6-foot-5 guard out of Long Island committed to North Carolina back in February when Hubert Davis was still the Tar Heels coach. North Carolina fired Davis on March 24 following another first weekend exit from the Men's NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels hired Malone, who has not coached at the college ranks before, on Monday, April 6 to be Davis' successor. The NCAA allows committed high school recruits to get out of their binding agreements with their future university
Mingo is ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports' Composite rankings system. He chose North Carolina over Baylor, Penn State and Washington. He was one of two 2026 recruits who committed to North Carolina under Davis, with the other being Maximo Adams, who has re-committed to Malone and the Tar Heels.
As noted by ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Mingo missed most of his high school season at Long Island Lutheran High School with an ankle injury and sat out last summer's Peach Jam, one of the top AAU tournaments on the Nike circuit, with an injury.
Mingo is the brother of former Penn State guard Kayden Mingo, who is the No. 14-ranked player in USA TODAY Sports' most recent transfer portal rankings.
Dylan Mingo 247 rankings
Stars: Five
National ranking: No. 5
Positional ranking: No. 2
State ranking: No. 1
Dylan Mingo was listed as a five-star recruit and the fifth-best recruit in the 2026 recruiting class per 247Sports' Composite rankings. He was also listed as the No. 2 combo guard and the No. 1 player in the state of New York in his class.
