Derrin Horton’s first job was in public address announcing. His first passion was the Lakers. The longtime sports broadcaster’s new job is the marriage of both.
Horton will take over the mic as the Lakers’ home public-address announcer, the team announced Thursday, stepping into the role for legendary Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter, who died last week.
“There’s no way you can fill his shoes,” Horton said in an interview with local reporters. “And so you just come here with a passion and a goal to be informative and entertaining and be a part of Showtime.”
Tanter, who provided the smooth, baritone soundtrack for Lakers home games for 43 seasons, suffered a stroke on March 17 and missed the final six regular-season home games and the playoffs last season. Tanter announced his retirement in June, transitioning to a game-day advisory role with the team. Horton, a former KTLA broadcaster who has worked as an anchor, reporter, host, play-by-play announcer and voice actor, reached out to the team about the opportunity.
Horton showed up to his audition and instinctively tried to emulate Tanter’s signature baritone voice. He wanted to sound like what he thought the classic PA announcers should sound like. Lakers president and chief business officer Lon Rosen stopped the tryout in mid-sentence.
“He said, ‘Hey! Knock it off! I want to hear your voice,’” Horton said. “And so I just was myself.”
Horton’s new role is a return to his roots. Before carving out a career in sports broadcasting and voice acting, Horton was just a teenaged high school basketball reject. Not good enough to play on the team, he found his first job in communications as the PA announcer for Holy Cross High in Queens. The New York City-raised Syracuse alumnus has been enamored with the Lakers since the Showtime era. He doesn’t think enthusiasm will be a problem; Horton considers himself a diehard Lakers fan.
And he knows what Lakers fans want at a game.
“They’re there to see the Lakers,” Horton said. “So what I do is just try to enhance the experience like a little salt and pepper. Season it up a little bit.”
The Lakers have their first home preseason game Oct. 8 against the Sacramento Kings. Horton said he is focused on informing fans and mastering the fundamentals. He has been working on player names and practiced at several Sparks games to understand the rhythm of professional basketball. The broadcaster said he favors understated and professional PA announcing. The style that made Tanter famous.
Horton considered the Lakers announcing legend a friend. Tanter even recorded an introduction for Horton’s wedding, announcing the newlyweds as they entered the reception: “‘For the very first time,’” Horton said, dropping his voice low like Tanter’s “‘Mr. Derrin and Elise Horton!’”
Horton wished he could have spoken to Tanter ahead of the first game.
“We’re going to miss him,” Horton said, “and I hope I do him proud.”
Scouting department change
The Lakers hired Pooh Jeter as director of pro scouting, The Times confirmed Thursday. The L.A. native was the Portland Trail Blazers’ player development coach and the assistant general manager of the team’s G League affiliate Rip City Remix.
After an ownership change in 2025, the Lakers have worked to build out their front office, following the lead of the Dodgers. After adding more than 15 people to the front office, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said, the Lakers were still focused on adding more scouts.
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
An interesting controversy has emerged from the Vancouver Canucks' season-opening 6-5 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers. On Vancouver's first goal, many believe that Kevin Lankinen should have received an assist. Instead, Paul Cotter was credited with an unassisted goal.
According to John Shannon of the 100% Canucks With Woodley & Shannon podcast, the Canucks did submit a request to the NHL to add a Lankinen assist to Cotter's season-opening goal. The potential assist in question occurred when the 31-year-old stopped Leon Draisaitl with his blocker and deflected the puck, which led to a shorthanded marker. Shannon said, "The league reviewed it and what happened was, the league feels that if a goaltender makes a save but does not have the intent of passing the puck to a teammate than it is not a pass and therefore not an assist."
One major issue with scoring is that the same rules don't seem to apply when awarding assists to skaters versus goaltenders. For example, if a puck bounces off a skater's skate and their teammate scores, the skater gets credit for the goal. This rule applies to almost every body part as long as the play is not an intentional hand pass.
The same can't be said about goaltenders. As mentioned, Lankinen deflected the puck with his blocker, and it went to Cotter, resulting in a goal. There was also no change of possession and no additional players touching the puck during the play.
In the end, the NHL needs to review how they award goaltender assists. If a skater can be awarded an assist because a puck bounced off them unintentionally, than so should a goalie. Ultimately, there is a case to be made that the league robbed Lankinen of an assist, which would have been the eighth of his NHL career.
Sep 29, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a save on Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
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The New York Islanders released their official 2026-27 Hometown Remix Jersey scheduled games for the 2026-27 season.
The Islanders will, according to rumors, be wearing a white or crème based jersey, as multiple opponents have revealed they'll wear their Hometown Remix jerseys while on the road against the Islanders, implying New York will be in white.
The #Isles will rock their Hometown Remix jerseys 11 times this season, including 10 games at home!
Check out the full schedule and mark your calendars.
The official jersey is expected to be released in the coming weeks as teams continue to build excitement for the league-wide promotions of the Hometown Remix jerseys.
When noting that questions about Dach and Montembeault's futures have come up for a while now, it is understandable that they have made Richardson's trade board.
Dach was given the No. 4 spot on Richardson's trade board. The big forward is a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year contract with Montreal during the off-season. Due to this, if the Canadiens do not view him as a long-term part of their plans, it would be understandable if they traded him this campaign.
Dach recorded an assist in his first game of the 2026-27 season for Montreal. This is after he posted eight goals and 15 points in 37 games during the 2025-26 campaign with the Canadiens.
Montembeault, on the other hand, was ranked at No. 6 on Richardson's trade board. This is another one that makes a lot of sense.
Not only is Montembeault a pending unrestricted like Dach, but the Canadiens also have exciting young goalie Jacob Fowler waiting in the wings. Montembeault was also a very popular name in the rumor mill this summer, so it would be surprising in the slightest if he ended up getting dealt.
In 25 games last season for Montreal, Montembeault had a 10-8-4 record, a 3.43 goals-against average, and an .872 save percentage.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It even includes a mother, father and plenty of other relatives the Chicago White Sox pitcher made sure to shout out after his AL Wild Card Game 2 performance lifted the recently woebegone franchise to its first playoff series victory since winning the 2005 World Series.
"I don't have family," Burke quipped. "No girl, no kids. This is all I do."
He still does not have any children, Burke confirmed – so far as he knows, his teammates joked.
For a franchise whose last three seasons were defined by lowlights and humiliation, Burke’s comments typified the turnaround not just of his ballclub, but the wider perception of the White Sox. The quote took off online. Memes were spawned, and those who'd never paid Burke any mind suddenly had reason to lock in for his next appearance.
"Yeah our Ace answered the question, 'how do you feel for tomorrow's start' with basically 'if I died nobody will mourn me', he might throw a perfect game." A Sox fan posted in response.
Burke had to settle for four innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts. He gave up three solo home runs, but sat down AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez twice with a fastball-knuckle curve combo the slugger couldn't catch up to.
After Chicago’s lack of rotation depth forced manager Will Venable to throw a bullpen game for Game 1, Burke's 72-pitch outing was exactly what the ballclub required to avoid taxing its relievers even further. It also sparked a new rallying cry of sorts in the clubhouse: "Celibate for Sean" echoed across the clubhouse amid the raucous celebrations in Houston, and his teammates tried their best to get the phrase trending on social media not long after.
For those who have followed Chicago's magical run all season, these shenanigans are nothing new. The pregame dugout dance party that's since gone viral was a staple of the summer. Before Pope Leo XIV invoked "abundant blessings" on his beloved Southsiders, rehabbing pitcher Mike Vasil was casting spells across the diamond with a $20 wand purchased off Amazon in April.
The White Sox later gave out replica wands in a rare impromptu promo night for a player who hasn't even appeared in a game this season. When Vasil finally threw his first pitch off flat ground since Tommy John surgery in the spring, the whole team came out to cheer him on.
"It's like a fraternity," Chase Meidroth said hours after his three-run homer on Tuesday slammed the door on Houston’s comeback. "It's like a college team."
Vasil has served as the team's Minister of Vibes since getting hurt, keeping the energy up, making sure his teammates are partying hard and conducting impromptu interviews, like the one that allowed Burke to clear the air after his comments went viral.
That family was with Burke on the field in Houston after Game 2. They’ll be locked in when he makes his next start against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS. And even if Burke were living that loner life, he'd still have 40,000 fans dressed in all black waiting for him back on the South Side when the White Sox play their first postseason game at Rate Field since 2021.
Whether the team stays "celibate for Sean," the brotherly love in the dugout that's taken Chicago this far will remain ineffable.
The Padres did the opposite of what they did last year in the postseason: They overcame the Cubs.
Now they have a date with the Brewers on the horizon, but even then, they still have bigger fish to fry.
Harold Reynolds, a former Mariners star and baseball analyst, appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday and said the biggest National League threat isn’t the Padres — it’s the Dodgers.
“They won 100 games and it’s, ‘Oh, bad year.’” — Harold Reynolds thinks people don’t understand how dangerous the Dodgers are. pic.twitter.com/UrGWAp5Bg5
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani celebrating getting on base against the San Diego Padres. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“They’re really dangerous. The problem is, they gotta face the Dodgers,” Reynolds said of San Diego. “I don’t think people realize how good the Dodgers are. They won a hundred games and it’s ‘Oh, bad year.’ They lived through and now they’re healthy, and they’ve got pitching and depth.”
Reynolds said the Dodgers are “loaded” and said he believes they will win the World Series. He compared the Dodgers-Padres rivalry to Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.
“Karl Malone was great. But he didn’t win because Jordan won MVPs. That’s kind of what we’re seeing right now,” Reynolds said.
Since 2020, the Dodgers and Padres have blossomed into one of MLB’s best rivalries, especially during the postseason.
Before Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Cubs, new Padres owner Jose E. Feliciano took a jab at the Dodgers by saying, “The owner of the Dodgers owns a lot of dinosaurs.”
The Dodgers have had the edge over the Padres, going 7-5 against them in the playoffs over the last six years.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy celebrating getting on base. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Padres have taken one playoff series against the Dodgers, during the 2022 season, but failed to capitalize on it as they ended up losing in five games against the Phillies in the NLCS.
The Dodgers have been the polar opposite, eliminating the Padres from the 2020 NLDS and going on to win the World Series.
In 2024, the teams met again in the NLDS. Los Angeles got the last laugh, overcoming a 2-1 deficit, forcing a fifth game and winning the series.
Since then, LA has won back-to-back World Series, while San Diego has struggled to find its footing.
Padres pitcher Mason Miller celebrating after they eliminated the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
The Padres were impressive in Tuesday and Wednesday night’s games, but they still have a long road to go to win their first World Series in franchise history.
If the two meet in the postseason this year, it would be during the NLCS.
“Do you want to go to the #Padres / Cubs playoff game on Wednesday night with me? This is me. I sit here….dugout club section 4. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I no longer have a date for the game and want to fix that,” his initial X post wrote.
“Are you: 1) Female / 2) Single / 3) Age 30-55 / 4) A Padres fanatic / If so, you qualify!,” the post continued. “If you’re interested, send me a DM.”
X user @Eggorian posting a selfie while trying to find a date to the San Diego Padres game.
The fan got flamed for using social media to find a date.
However, a recent update revealed that he had no shortage of interest, even if the interest didn’t suite his taste.
“It’s been an interesting couple of days. 100s of DMs received…Most of them from men and large women under 30. I did not have a date when I hopped in my car at 4pm yesterday. While driving I received a DM from a friend of @julie_at_law saying that I should ask her 41 year old friend to go. So I did,” the X user wrote on Thursday morning.
Fans cheer before the start of the game between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectManny Machado of the San Diego Padres reacts at the end of the third inning against the Chicago Cubs in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Getty Images
“She accepted and we went. By all accounts, we had a great time. Healthy conversations about a variety of topics. Our opinions didn’t always align and believe it or not…that’s OK. Most importantly, the Pads closed out the Cubs and are moving on,” he added.
The St. Louis Blues have high expectations for Adam Jiricek, and although he may be entering his NHL career sooner than they anticipated, they aren't going to shelter him completely.
Practice lines indicate he'll start on the third pairing alongside veteran Cam Fowler, but given Jiricek's progress, it wouldn't be surprising to see him earn minutes alongside Philip Broberg.
"When you have a thoroughbred, you let'em out of the stable."
Jiricek is exactly that. Standing 6-foot-3, Jiricek has the size and skill to be a top defenseman in the NHL. At just 20 years old, Jiricek has proven at countless levels and tournaments that he has the offensive and defensive game of a modern-day NHLer, mixed with the skating and athletic ability to be a high-end player.
With Logan Mailloux out, the Blues need a defenseman to run a power play unit. Broberg will likely quarterback the top unit alongside Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud and Mason McTavish, but Jiricek should find himself with Jake Neighbours, Connor McMichael, Pavel Buchnevich, and Dalibor Dvorsky.
Last season in the OHL, Jiricek posted 19 goals and 59 points in 55 games. Of Jiricek's 19 goals and 59 points, nine goals and 31 points came on the power play. His 31 points led all OHL defensemen in 2025-26.
With the vision to distribute the puck and a heavy enough shot to threaten a goaltender, Jiricek is a difference-maker on the man advantage.
There may be parts of his game he'll have to refine in the NHL, and there will definitely be learning curves, but what Jiricek has shown throughout his hockey life is that he can be a threat offensively.
Montgomery wants to see Jiricek play his game and be a difference maker.
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LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: The sneakers worn by Jalen Crutcher #40 of the Orlando Magic during the game against the Toronto Raptors during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 13, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brandon Pratt/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves, after failing to secure the Wild Card series sweep yesterday afternoon to eliminate their division rival Philadelphia Phillies, are looking to save their season and advance.
With the shift to 8 PM ET for tonight’s game time, Walt Weiss had a few more hours to game plan to face a potential “Oops, All Starters” pitching plan from the Phillies. Aaron Nola is tabbed to take the ball first, but Zack Wheeler is expected to jog out of the pen to follow. As noted in the preview, everything is on the table.
Walt Weiss has penciled in yet another novel lineup.
Drake Baldwin will catch for opener Ray Kerr and bat leadoff. We could very much use a big game at the plate from Ronald Acuña Jr., who currently has more stolen bases (2) than hits (0). He’ll hit second and play right field. Matt Olson is in his typical spot in the three-hole and at first base. Captain of the outfield Michael Harris II will hit cleanup. Next will be Mauricio Dubón, who gets the start at shortstop after Ha-Seong Kim got two straight starts. Mike Yastrzemski completes the outfield in left and will hit sixth. Austin Riley, the team leader in home runs against Nola and author of Game 1’s biggest moment, will bat seventh. Ozzie Albies drops down to eighth, and Dominic Smith will bat ninth as the designated hitter.
The lineup for Don Mattingly’s club is as follows:
The Phillies have the same top three that we’ve been seeing: shortstop Trea Turner, DH Kyle Schwarber, and RF Bryce Harper. After yesterday’s game-winning homer, first baseman Alec Bohm gets to move up one to the cleanup spot. Bryson Stott will play second base and hit fifth. Bryan De La Cruz gets the start today in left field. Edmundo Sosa is in the lineup after exiting Game 2 with injury – he’ll hit seventh and be at third base. Catcher JT Realmuto moves up to eighth and center fielder Justin Crawford rounds out the batting order for Philadelphia.
I don’t know about you, but I want to see a Blooper flag run more than anything in the world right now. Let it fly, Braves.
On Thursday, the Spurs superstar spoke to reporters at training camp and answered whether he’d ever sign a deal with a sports betting company.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama answers questions from the media during Media Day. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Absolutely not. I will never do that. Honestly, I think it’s very sad to see some players promote it,” Wembanyama said. “Everybody does whatever they want, but without me.”
The 23-year-old revealed he’s turned down endorsement deals in the past because values don’t align.
“Obviously, we earn millions and millions. This is not our biggest strength. Our biggest strength is inspiring, and we can inspire in a good way or a bad way. I want to inspire in a good way. That’s the strongest thing I can do,” Wembanyama added.
LeBron James warms up before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. Getty ImagesA Polymarket logo is seen in this illustration. REUTERS
Kevin Durant has a partnership with FanDuel and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Kalshi shareholder. James became the newest athlete to headline a commercial for a sports betting company.
The deal calls into question how the NBA will navigate partnerships with sports betting companies in the foreseeable future as athletes tap into the sports betting market.
It is already being called one of the most momentous home runs in White Sox postseason history, and now BreakingT has commemorated Chase Meidroth’s three-run blast in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series in T-shirt form:
What a moment! And the definitive image to mark the first White Sox postseason series victory in 21 seasons.
BreakingT offered two more shirts today, listed here but without a separate post.
As always, anything else you buy with our link, whether a Mets mug or Sabres sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
So go ahead and express yourself, courtesy of South Side Sox and BreakingT!
Munetaka Murakami has been a bit of a viral sensation from the start of his career in the United States, from the installation of bidets in the White Sox clubhouse to the on-base gestures of his teammates, and on from there. His latest bit of endearing hilarity came during the White Sox clubhouse celebration in Kansas City on Thursday, when his tribute to countryman Munenori Kawasaki became a viral moment:
If there’s any T-shirt offered this season that better encapsulates the joy of the 2026 White Sox, you’ve found it here!
And remember, anything else you buy with our link, whether a Mariners mug or Spurs sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
So go ahead and express yourself, courtesy of South Side Sox and BreakingT!
With the remarkable achievement of the 2026 Chicago White Sox — making the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons, something that’s not been accomplished even after “just” two straight 100-loss seasons — BreakingT has gear for you that breaks down the math!
There is even a nod to Mike Vasil’s magic wand. If there’s any T-shirt offered this season that better encapsulates all that these 2026 White Sox are, you’ve found it here!
And remember, anything else you buy with our link, whether a Brewers mug or Dolphins sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
So go ahead and crunch the numbers, courtesy of South Side Sox and BreakingT!
You gotta admit, it’s a pretty impossibly clever design, with the moon “O” and a bit of a nod to silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune. No doubt it will make a snappy addition to your closet.
And remember, anything else you buy with our link, whether a Pirates mug or Yankees sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
So go ahead a book your trip to the Mune, from South Side Sox and BreakingT!
(Every purchase you make with our link drops a few pennies in the jar here at South Side Sox, so a list of all our prior BreakingT collaborations follow, below. Yes, some of the designs are now hilariously outdated collector’s items. But most, if not all of these, should still be available, so click a link and see!)
This link takes you to this newest T-shirt, plus our entire line of White Sox wear!
While several members of the Chicago White Sox will need your votes for the July All-Star Game, fans are encouraged to punch the Robert/Jiménez ticket for a dominant South Side outfield all season long!
Whether you’re voting offense (what say, 70 homers among them?) or defense (Luis already has a Gold Glove, Eloy is … still alive), there’s no better campaign to get behind.
With everyone now aware that on his 23rd try, Minnie Miñoso was elected to the Hall of Fame. And Breaking T has commemorated the nickname that manager Paul Richards bestowed on Minnie almost immediately after his arrival on the South Side:
Celebrate the White Sox moments of your life with the entire Chicago W Collection at Breaking T, where you can peruse everything available. Or, if you want to read all my terrific catalog copy for each item, just scroll down and enjoy!
The White Sox indeed did make a free agent acquisition or two before the lockout, so it’s well past time to raise our glasses to the Legend himself: Leury Legend, that is.
He’s the longest-tenured current White Sox player, and when he’s done, he could well crack the list of all-time White Sox. Can you believe it? Welcome back, Leury!
To celebrate the division title for 2021, Breaking T offers two new T-shirt designs commemorating the feat:
Certainly, we hope there will be more than just a division title to enjoy over the next month or so, but we have to start somewhere!
Contrary to the cynics among you, we haven’t featured every Breaking T White Sox design here at South Side Sox, for various reasons. But I’ve never seen one more confounding than the José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez Sugar Skulls designs.
If you scroll down far enough, I think you can see the original Yasmani Grandal Breaking T piece, Yaz We Can, which I think was pretty clever and should have pulled a lot of fans in with purchases. It was definitely different, as far as Breaking T fare.
But I don’t remember it doing all that well, which was a shame. Maybe Yaz isn’t sexy. Walks aren’t, as someone on Twitter wants to tell you every day.
Yasmani really is the bad boy of the White Sox. He’ll snark you. He’ll roll his eyes. He’s not out to please anyone. He’s just gonna be a badass catcher who drops the bat after clocking one a mile, thank you very much.
In just his second game back after a season-long stint on the IL, Eloy Jiménez announced his presence in the White Sox lineup with authority, hitting a home run and providing whirling dervish defense in Tuesday’s win at K.C.
It’s great to have Eloy back with the club in any capacity, and him starring in just his second game back is extra sweet. Now you can wear that sweetness!
It was a quite a moment on Monday, seizing a win from the jaws of a doubleheader sweep. When you’re running away with a division, tension can seem manufactured, but Len Kasper gave us a classic moment that our own Joe Resis likened to A.J. Pierzynski’s walk-off against the Dodgers during the 2005 season. Listen to Len last night:
Here it is! @cleansheets24 hits a walk-off HR and @LenKasper loses his mind!
The White Sox just keep humming along, with great pick-me-ups from the most unlikely of places. Waiver-wire pickup Billy Hamilton has managed to become a core bench and spot-start piece for the club as it ascending in the AL Central, and the veteran made his defensive presence known, with authority, in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win at Minnesota:
You don’t usually expect to have to persuade your manager to defend his own player, but here we are. And in the Tony La Russa-Yermín Mercedes kerfuffle, we (and all of the White Sox players) are Team Yermín.
So is Breaking T, who’s issuing this “I’m Yermín” wear in solidarity with the rookie sensation:
Well, perhaps you’ve been waiting for a more “authentic” Yerminator T-Shirt, something more “as seen on TV.” Well, here you have it!
Terminator vibe? Check. Super cool uniform easter egg in the shades? Check. Money actually going to the players association to benefit minimum-salaried players like Yermín himself? Check.
It’s a sharp piece, with the clever use of accent mark, complete with high socks! (If only it was a warmer night, we’d have Rodón dressed in his full Grant Park 16´´softballer mode … #JulyGoalsForLos.)
As you well know, you don’t have to go 5-for-5 in your first MLB start or start a season 8-for-8 to merit a cool Breaking T shirt. But it doesn’t hurt!
Celebrate our Yermín Spring with The Yerminator, a delightful play off of everyone’s favorite killer robot-turned-sweet hero. Hoodies, Ts, we’ve got the gear.
Perhaps because he was injured for half of his first season, or he doesn’t have a snappy nickname yet, or he’s such a grinder he doesn’t lend himself to chest-emblazoned graphics, Nick Madrigal has to date missed the cut as a T-shirt subject.
To welcome our new, colorful closer, Liam Hendriks, Breaking T has gone positively Greek with the Australian, with Hercu-Liam!
Breaking T put together four great purchase options for Hercu-Liam, from petite to husky, winter bundling to summer sunning.
And click here to view everything in Breaking T’s White Sox collection in one spot.
Individual links below should get you to other White Sox products on site, including the Classic Collection that features the Ed Farmer and Mark Buehrle T-shirts.
To welcome our newest (and top WAR) starter into the rotation, Breaking T has drawn up some Lance Lynn-wear sure to please the bearded fan on your holiday shopping list, with Lynnsanity!
The big man is in town and ready to push the rotation toward a World Series!
I first got word of this shirt just as José Abreu was homering and singling in runs during the 2020 season.
And Breaking T’s hunch became reality, as José Abreu became the first White Sox MVP since Frank Thomas and only the fourth player, after Nellie Fox, Dick Allen and Thomas to win the award.
And peruse the rest of the collection below to add to your order and combine shipping.
Clubbing homers and scoring runs like there’s no tomorrow, the Chicago White Sox Murderer’s Row of Eloy Jiménez, José Abreu, Tim Anderson and Luis Robert is the subject of a new BreakingT shirt:
Some real nice details in this one: Each players’ expression, the gangster pinstripes, and the exotic player numbers among them. Grab one at BreakingT.
With Luis Robert not only staking his claim on AL Rookie of the Year but MVP, it makes sense that BreakingT is working overtime to present the best Panterawear out there.
Dig this supercool 1983 nod, which you can order here.
Looking for Luis Robert to assume his La Pantera form? BreakingT has you covered. Order here and celebrate the future MVP!
I’m digging the silhouette.
The 19th no-hitter in White Sox history is in the books, by none other than ace Lucas Giolito. So it’s time to celebrate the Gio No-No! It’s a quick, and slick, commemoration of an incredible, 101-pitch masterpiece, dated and suitable for a Gio auto!
Snag one here, and take a look at numerous other wonderful Breaking T offerings below.
So, it was bound to happen, but BreakingT is first on the scene to promote the latest dance party sweeping Soxdom: DANCING FOR DUBS
Featuring the boogie-down duo of Zack Collins and Danny Mendick, the T-shirt and/or hoodie is available in all sizes, so take a look now.
Running on speed and power, folded into the Change the Game platform, we’re now making these sweet Ts available so you can elect them to a six-year term lasting until 2026.
He’s only the hottest rookie — nay, the hottest player — in baseball heading into 2020.
So, BreakingT was watching ESPN on Sunday and said, “hey, that’s right, Tim Anderson speaks the truth: the preeminent sports network in America is sleeping on the White Sox again.”
All shapes and sizes are available, in T-shirt or hoodie.
Stay tuned for some excellent new merch dropping on Friday as well.
How about pairing it with the original classic?
Our best seller, the incomparable Tim Anderson neck-bow of STICK TALK!
BreakingT has a bunch of terrific ideas they’ve collaborated with us on for their newest designs in conjunction with the MLB Players Alumni Association. This one is, simply, Mister Perfect, commemorating Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in 2009:
The first White Sox product from BreakingT’s Classic Collection was a beautiful tribute to our Ed Farmer:
Order it here. When you click on our link to buy, we will donate a portion of the proceeds we see from these shirt sales in Farmer’s name to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation (support.pkdcure.org).
Young NHL players continue to cash in with big contracts based on expectations.
The Ducks, who had to deal with another team's offer sheet this summer to Anaheim's top center, signed defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension on Thursday, Oct. 1. It's worth a reported $43.2 million or a $7.2 million average per year.
Luneau, 22, has played only 14 NHL games, totaling two goals and two assists.
He has spent nearly all of his two-plus-season professional career on the American Hockey League's San Diego Gulls and scored a goal in his lone NHL game last season.
Here are some reasons for such a big payday for a player who has such limited NHL experience:
The Ducks like his potential
"We see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come," general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement about the 2022 second-round pick.
During his time in the AHL, Luneau has 95 points in 135 games. Among all AHL defensemen the past two seasons, he ranked third in points (93), fourth in assists (74) and sixth in goals (19).
The Ducks need defensemen
Anaheim seems weaker on the blue line this season. Trade deadline acquisition John Carlson signed with Tampa Bay, Radko Gudas signed with Florida, Jacob Trouba signed with San Jose and Olen Zellweger was traded to Buffalo.
Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov are signed long-term, but the remainder of the blue line was signed for two or fewer years.
If the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Luneau does develop into a top four defenseman, he's now signed until 2033. And $7.2 million will seem less significant with the salary cap continuing to rise. Plus, he gives up two years of restricted free agency.
The #FlyTogether signed 22 y/o D Tristan Luneau to a six year $7.2M cap hit contract
Yr 1: $1.75M Salary, $3M Signing Bonus Yr 2: $4.75M Yr 3-4: $7.813M Yr 5-6: $9.038M
“Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future," Verbeek said.
In other words, sign him before the potential of an offer sheet next July. That's probably the biggest key.
The Ducks' cap situation was thrown out of whack when the Philadelphia Flyers gave restricted free agent Leo Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet that makes him the highest-paid NHL player this season. Then, the Ducks matched it.
Verbeek had played hardball in the past with some other restricted free agents who lacked arbitration rights. But the Luneau extension suggests a change in strategy.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 14: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners reacts in the dugout during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 14, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s a well-worn business cliche that “hope is not a strategy.” Unfortunately for the 2026 Mariners, there was too much hoping, and not enough strategizing.
In speaking with players and front office members over the last few weeks as the 2026 Mariners season limped to its agonizing, inevitable conclusion, one common theme jumped out: the Mariners were banking on hope for too much of the season: hope that things would turn around, hope that certain players would turn it on, hope that the team as a whole would catch fire.
This theme was first crystallized during a postgame interview with Logan Gilbert back in mid-September, speaking after the Mariners officially clinched a losing season after a particularly lifeless 1-2 loss against the bottom-dwelling Angels.
“We were just waiting for it to turn around, and it never quite did,” said Gilbert.
Waiting and hoping, rather than doing and achieving. It’s a surprisingly passive mindset for a team that made such a deep postseason run last year. In retrospect, though, that might have been part of the problem. Everyone in the clubhouse knew what kind of talent they had on the team – looking at some of the postseason rosters it’s shocking to think a Mariners team composed of multiple All-Stars and award winners couldn’t make it across the finish line, especially in a violently mediocre AL West – but the talent never showed up to the field consistently. By the time they realized no one was coming to save them but themselves, it was too late, the hole dug too deep. Instead of pushing them forward, that talent bred a complacency that things would turn around without the dynamism to make it happen.
“Obviously we were riding high off last year, and somewhere along the way things just didn’t click, didn’t come together, and we were never able to right the ship, and that’s the frustrating part,” said Cal Raleigh. “I thought we would be able to get there, and we just never did. We never got better. We never turned it around, and that’s frustrating.”
In the Mariners’ defense, waiting and then getting hot at the right time had served them well in the past. The drought-breaking 2022 team was ten games under .500 on June 19th before going on a run – beating up on some of the same AL West opponents they couldn’t handle this year – ending July eight games over .500. The 2025 team made up for a sub-.500 May and June by catching fire the rest of the way, playing at a .680 clip over September. By contrast, the 2026 team played just under .500 ball in the first half and was significantly worse in the second half, never catching fire the way they did in previous years. It’s understandable that this team of young Mariners thought their ship would eventually come in.
“It’s tough when you go through those times in the past,” said Bryan Woo. “We’ve always found a way to get high at the right time and find our way in it. So you learn from experiences, and up until that point, that was our experience: stay in it and wait until we play the baseball that we know how to play, get on it at the right time, and find a way in it. Obviously, this year didn’t go that way.”
It didn’t help that this team wasn’t equipped personnel-wise for the second-half push to get them over their traditional slow start. Julio Rodríguez, who has a track record of coming on strong in the second half, never got to that point after going on the concussion IL in July. They lost Emerson Hancock, their second-best pitcher in the rotation by WAR, in September. There was no Jorge Polanco to electrify the lineup as Cole Young, the workhorse of the infield, labored down the stretch, more than doubling his plate appearances from last year.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Jerry Dipoto was both blunt and succinct in addressing the team’s failure.
“What we saw in mid-season was a team playing with limited urgency and and waiting for the water to turn on, and it just didn’t come on. Instead of turning it on ourselves.”
Like Raleigh, Dipoto echoed the frustration of watching it happen, like a slow-motion car crash, while failing to reverse course.
“We saw it unfolding. Our players saw it unfolding. We we talked about it a lot as the season went along. And again, it’s where I would count myself most at fault. You can talk about it or you can just go out and do it. You can lament the fact that there was an injury here or there—we had fewer injuries to deal with than many teams that wound up finishing in a really good spot and are still playing today. So we had a tendency this year to just shrug it off to, ‘we’re more talented than the teams around us. Don’t worry, it’ll happen.’ Instead of going out and making our own thing happen.”
Where the key failure was, according to both Dipoto and Raleigh, was in a lack of accountability once the passivity problem had been identified – not just turning the water on for yourself, but making sure the water got turned on everywhere, even if that results in some momentarily-bruised feelings.
“That’s that’s what accountability looks like,” said Dipoto. “It’s calling that out in the moment. It’s stopping it before it gets rolling any further. It’s being truthful in our discussion with one another. For years our program has always been built on truth. We tell the truth with love, and and sometimes you might get your nose out of joint for a moment, but you wake up the next day and you realize that you’re loved, and you’re just trying to help one another.”
Raleigh, echoing the tone of Dipoto’s comments, suggested the passivity piece might go beyond the play on the field and reach into the clubhouse, the training room, the front office, everywhere.
“The waiting on it part is…maybe that was the wrong thing to do. You shouldn’t wait on something, or you shouldn’t hold back on something that may need to be said or may need to be done. It’s doing it there and now, and and making sure that you’re not holding back. And like I said, I look at myself and could I’ve done more? Yes, I should have done more. But I think again, it’s not just me. I think it’s a lot of guys. I think it’s I think it’s staff. I think it’s front office. I think it’s players. I think it’s from top to bottom. I think we could have been a little more aggressive, a little more—you know, we’re grown men here, and we’re trying to get to the same goal. And you know, if it hurts somebody’s feelings, then it hurts somebody’s feelings for a day. But at least it got taken care of, whatever the situation may be. But that’s something that’s that will get addressed and be better next year for sure.”
There’s a quote often attributed to baseball player Vernon Wells that experience is a cruel teacher because it gives the test first and the lessons later. The 2026 Mariners had the experience; now they’re learning the lessons.
“It’s a learning point that we’re all going to have to take accountability for and understand,” said Raleigh, before slipping into coach-speak. “If it happens once, that’s one too many times, and if it happens again, it becomes a habit, so it’s about changing that and turning things around.”
“You learn that it’s not just going to change on its own,” said Woo. “You have to do something about it, better sooner rather than later. It’s a really, really tough lesson that you can only really learn by going through it.”
Another lesson the 2026 Mariners have learned: don’t let a focus on the bigger picture take away from the immediacy of the game in front of you. Julio Rodríguez spoke about the team’s inability to string together consistent wins, suggesting that maybe that expectation of catching fire caused a lack of focus on the day-to-day, and says he’s looking forward to bringing a “fresher mentality” into 2027.
“You have to focus on one day at a time,” said Julio. “A streak is just a combination of single games. So I think that was a situation where in the past we would always get hot. But I do believe that that approach needs to be just one day at a time and just let everything take care of itself. If we play our game clean, we do what we need to do to win that day without expectation, I think I think we’re gonna be in a good spot.”
Josh Naylor is also matter-of-fact about the team’s struggles, but optimistic that they can turn things around.
“Yeah, we waited for that for that moment, I think, and it didn’t come. But that doesn’t say it won’t come next year. This season – it is what it is. We didn’t perform, and kind of have to leave it at that. You could beat yourself up all day, but at what point is enough?…Some years are awesome, some years aren’t. That’s just the name of the game. I didn’t think I did as well as I could have, and it sucks. I have to wear that. I have to sit with that for the off-season. Then it’s time to grow, time to re-evaluate, go back to the drawing board, think about what I did right, what I did wrong, and how I can fix it. And then just try to evolve my game like I try to do with every obstacle I face.”
The 2026 Mariners failed the test. They were too passive, too complacent, and unwilling to have the hard conversations they needed to have to turn the season around, hoping someone would switch it on for them. Now they have learned some hard lessons – about failure, yes, but also hopefully about being brave enough to dole out tough love, about not resting on talent alone, and about making things happen rather than having them happen to you. Hopefully most of all, they have learned hope is not a strategy, and will come into 2027 with some more concrete ones to ensure this miserable year doesn’t repeat itself.
