Oct 28, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) raises the World Series MVP trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in game five of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meet the Mets
After the Mets considered going after hitting coach John Mallee, the Cubs reworked his contract to keep him in Chicago.
I will be on vacation the next two weeks. I want to thank Al, Ashley and Josh who will be filling in for me.
I just love small ball! What a great game!
I’m someone that is just watching the series for fun, not cheering for either team. I’m of course missing the emotional stress, but the general excitement was extremely contagious for Tampa Bay’s extra-inning comeback win in an elimination game Tuesday.
A 22-year-old rookie, Cooper Pratt, hit the go-ahead home run for Milwaukee in the top of the 12th, his fourth hit of the game. And in one of the great things about baseball, the Rays one-uppped the Brewers in the bottom of the inning. After a Brewer error, a single to left and a single to right tied the game. After a single to center loaded the bases, pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s first-pitch single to right drove in the winning run. Four singles after an error, two runs, and it was beautiful.
I appreciate your reading. See y’all in a couple of weeks!
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PCA Fully Kicks Off the Award Season in a Big Way:
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Which Cubs can take home hardware? “Happ is the only outfielder in Cubs history with more than two career Gold Gloves.” (I didn’t know that — guess I missed that fact and thought I’d share)
Jason Ross (North Side Baseball): Offseason Primer: A State of the Union on the Cubs’ Bullpen. “As the offseason prepares to kick off, what is the State of the Union in the Cub’s bullpen? Will it be a strength or a weakness of the 2027 club?“
Carson Wolf (Just Baseball): Cubs Free Agents: Who Stays and Who Goes? “The Chicago Cubs face several free-agent decisions this winter. Here’s who they should bring back and who’s more likely to move on.”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): How Active Will the Chicago Cubs Be Before the Lockout Begins? “Will the Chicago Cubs be aggressive early in the offseason, given their robust set of needs on the pitching side (plus some questions in the corner outfield spots and behind the plate)? Let history be our guide.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): As Cubs Consider Buying Low on a Bat, These 5 Names Stand Out. “The Cubs have a lot of work to do on their lineup as they look toward 2027, but much of their money and prospect capital will need to be spent on pitching. That could leave them shopping for bats in the bargain bin.”
Paul Niemiec (North Side Baseball): Corner Outfield Conundrum: What to Do with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. “The Cubs have decisions to make regarding their outfield, with both of Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ set to become free agents. There’s no obvious, easy way forward, so which path should they take?”
Samuel John “Lightnin'” Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. The musicologist Robert “Mack” McCormick opined that Hopkins is “the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing its ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act”. He influenced Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Jr., and a generation of blues musicians such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose Grammy-nominated song “Rude Mood” was directly inspired by the Texan’s song “Hopkins’ Sky Hop”. In his own lifetime, Hopkins was one of the initial inductees in 1980 to the Blues Hall of Fame.
As a child, Hopkins was immersed in the sounds of the blues. He developed a deep appreciation for the music at the age of eight, when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas. Hopkins began accompanying Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Jefferson reputedly never let anyone play with him except Hopkins, and Hopkins learned much from Jefferson at these gatherings. In the mid-1930s, Hopkins was sent to Houston County Prison Farm, but why he was imprisoned is unknown.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals warms up before a game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to a new series that I will occasionally run between the free agent profiles and random nonsense: plugging holes in the roster with trades. These trades might be unlikely because the Cardinals won’t pay the price, they may be unlikely because the other team is not actually interested in trading them, or a much more depressing possibility is the Cardinals are not actually that interested in improving the team this offseason.
My stance this offseason, which I don’t believe the Cardinals share, is that the Cardinals should try to actually win in 2027. I will bring up a past example, unfortunately a rival, but in 2014, the Cubs won 73 games. They had an emerging core with Jake Arrieta turning into an ace, Kris Byrant about to have his service time manipulated, Anthony Rizzo standing on top of the plate on the way to multiple All-Star appearances, and a very good farm system not very far away (led by Bryant, Baez, and Contreras). They signed Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, and traded for Dexter Fowler. They won 97 games.
So yes, I am going to spend most of this offseason acting like the Cardinals may make moves, both because it gives me something to write about and also to get it out there that some Cardinals fans want the Cardinals to make moves. Don’t sit on your ass. Please. Abrams is just one possibility, but please do something this offseason to show you care about winning. Rant over.
Let’s get the difficult part of this trade out of the way. I saw Abrams as a name that might be traded on the em el bee website and the rationale was that Abrams wanted to stay at SS and the Nationals are trying to move him away from SS. Which would obviously present a problem for the Cardinals if Abrams really is hung up on playing SS. The problem is that he’s one of the worst defenders in baseball at SS. He legitimately has no range defensively. He was 1st percentile in range this year, 2nd percentile last year, 1st percentile the year before, 3rd percentile in his first two seasons – like he just can’t play SS. He has never at any point looked like can play SS.
I feel like if I am delusional about my ability to play my position and then I’m traded specifically because of my stubborness about playing that position and I go to a team where the position I want to play is manned by a back-to-back Gold Glove winner – okay fine I’ll change positions. Abrams is going to face that reality at some point, probably next year quite frankly, and the Cardinals situation is about as smooth as you can ask for – it would be impossible to argue that no, actually, I deserve to play over the Gold Glover. So big hurdle, but should be the kind of thing you can figure out before you agree to a trade.
The bad news is that he has zero professional games at 3B – I hate that I keep proposing players with no experience at 3B, 3B is not in a good place right now across the league. The good news is that it’s hard to see how he could have much worse of a defensive impact than is already baked into his value. Range is less important at 3B than it is at SS or even at 2B and he has a strong enough arm for 3B, with 53rd percentile arm strength. Hardly a strength but he throws harder than either Blaze Jordan and Thomas Saggese. I think even without the presence of JJ Wetherholt, 3B might be the better move for him.
I don’t even think I have to do much work to figure out his value. He was worth 3 fWAR in 2025 and 3.7 fWAR last year. Last year came with what looks to me a bit of an elevated offensive line from what I would expect. He had a 17.6 HR/FB% (career 11.6%) and a much lower xwOBA than actual wOBA (.333 compared to .358). So he’s an above average hitter, but I think the current 109 wRC+ Fangraphs has projected for “rest of season” is basically right. He derives a lot of value from his baserunning too – 143 stolen bases to 25 caught stealing in his last four seasons (average of 35 a season). So he might be worth half a win from his baserunning.
So terrible defender, great baserunner, above average hitter – again I’ll defer to the Fangraphs rest of season projection, which is actually just a full season, but it has him with 3 WAR. That seems right to me. He will be 26 next year and has two years of team control. Because he’s 26, I’m relatively comfortable saying he’s a 3 WAR player in 2028 too. Even if that’s not what the projections will say, that’s probably his trade value. How much is he getting paid? According to MLB trade rumors, $10.2 million in 2027. Which means his 2028 value should be around $15.3 million.
That means in prospect value, valued at 6 wins across two years while getting paid $25.5 million, Abrams will be valued at $34.5 million. Fangraphs has posted an updated evaluation of prospects and that is almost exactly what a 50 future value pitcher is worth. The other option, at least by this system, is to give the Nats a 45+ future value pitcher ($15 million) and a 45+ FV hitter ($18.5 million). The numbers work out weirdly well.
Okay what do the Nationals need? Probably not a catcher. Keibert Ruiz is going to be in year 5 of an eight-year-deal and he was actually decent for the first time since 2022 last season. Top 100 prospect Harry Ford is behind him. They already traded for a big catching prospect, they probably are going to let Ford sink or swim before trying the next solution.
Look no further than the Nationals actually if you want to throw some cold water on relying on prospects. Dylan Crews sure looks like a bust. Daylen Lile had a promising rookie year and… then had a below average season in his first full season. Brady House took some big steps in his second year and was worth 0.6 fWAR in 95 games. Both Ruiz and Ford haven’t really justified their prospect ranking at all yet. Josiah Gray has been pretty underwhelming five years in.
Anyway, to answer the question of what they need? It’s kind of complicated, because of the above paragraph. You can never go wrong with pitchers and outfielders though and the Nationals could definitely use a 1B. Alec Burleson makes no sense on either side quite frankly, because the Cardinals would give up all the gains they made by getting Abrams and the Nats would presumably not want someone with two years of team control, cause if they thought they were close, they wouldn’t trade Abrams.
In theory, Blaze Jordan is perfect, except I don’t know if the Nationals are actually interested in him. He’s largely not expected to be able to play 3B (I know the small sample said he could, I am skeptical), and I’m not sure his bat is good enough for 1B. The Nationals probably think the exact same thing. Jack Gurevitch is also an option. If you’re wondering the Nats do have two top 100 prospects in the middle infield in AA, but maybe they’d be interested in one of the Cardinals utility players to replace Abrams in the short term. So with my two premises and a few possible proposals within that premise, here is what I came up with
50 FV Pitcher Proposal
CJ Abrams andRiley Cornelio for Jurrangelo Cjntje and Blaze Jordan
Yeah I tried to justify a different pitcher, but this is the prompt. I’m using Fangraphs, and of course other sources may think other pitchers are 50 FV, but the two options given by Fangraphs are Cjintje and Liam Doyle. There is just about no way Brandon Clarke or Tekoah Roby or Cooper Hjerpe have the value of a 50 FV prospect at this point. Tanner Franklin might but he’s no easier to stomach than Cjintje to be honest. I wanted to put Daniel Eagen here because I don’t have an attachment to him, but I don’t think he’s a 50 FV pitcher either.
Because Jordan is a bit too much technically, I wanted the Nats to throw in a reliever too. But holy hell are their relief options terrible. They had a worse bullpen than the Cardinals. Cornelio struck out 37% of batters in AAA and had a very strong September (31.3 K%), so maybe there’s something here. Clayton Beeter is a possibility too. Luis Perales would effectively be a Rule 5 guy, but he’s going to be 24 with no options and according to Fangraphs has a 65 fastball, 60 slider, and 70 cutter… with 30 command.
The specific relief pitcher is not important. Pick your most promising guy. And if the Nats aren’t interested in Jordan, I’ll give them Bryan Torres.
I already know most of you are saying no to this.
45+ FV Hitter and Pitcher Proposal
CJ Abrams for Brandon Clarke and Jesus Baez
I’m not setting out to trade Clarke or Baez… but if an opportunity presents itself, I’m cashing in my chips. I think most Cardinals fans are vastly overrating the likelihood that Baez is going to be good, which is funny because I was definitely the high man on him entering the year. But he was not good in High A for half the year before destroying the ball in Springfield, he doesn’t walk, he has always had low BABIPs, and the home run ball in the minors makes his numbers untrustworthy. Clarke speaks for itself, to the point that I’m not sure he’s actually considered a 45+ prospect at this point.
If Clarke is a no go in a trade, sorry Daniel Eagen, I have no attachment to you, you’re found money at this point. If you work out, I don’t think I’d care in the same way as the other 45+ FV guys.
Conclusion
Yeah I largely expect a pretty healthy dose of nos in response to my article. Just for the record, this is what it would take. If you theoretically want Abrams, but not any of these trades, you don’t want Abrams. You aren’t going to get Abrams for prospects that don’t hurt to give up. And granted, I’m sure a lot of nos are going to be of the “doesn’t make sense where this team is at right now” and yeah fair enough. I’m actually not crazy about making these trades either. I just thought it was interesting to explore.
Book Corner
One of my first comments about Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow was that I was simultaneously listening to a history podcast on Aaron Burr. The contrast was interesting. The podcast was more or less from the Burr perspective. Obviously, the book was from the Hamilton perspective. I suppose this had a negative effect on the book, because I kind of don’t buy into the book’s take on Burr or the duel itself. I have my own issues with the podcast, but this is the book corner.
I want to say this delicately but Chernow is clearly a Hamilton fanboy and I don’t think people who love the book would disagree with that. But I think the duel is a lot less clear than he portrays it. I happen to think it’s very possible Hamilton accidentally made a really bad shot, I think it’s very possible if he ended up dying, he knew he would come out looking the best if he acted like he would miss on purpose. Both sides agreed they fired at very similar times. I think Nathan Pendleton’s account is straight up unreliable because he wanted Hamilton to look good and Burr to look bad.
I just am making the point that the picture we get of the duel, and not just from this book to be fair, is almost entirely one-sided in Hamilton’s favor and it’s because he died. Everything Burr had ever done at that point was completely erased or colored with that fact. People with no ill thoughts of Burr prior to the duel suddenly might have bad things to say about things Burr did in the 1790s.
And I’m aware Hamilton is not the only one with negative things to say about Burr, but given the time period and the animosity of the Federalists and Republicans, it’s so incredibly easy to find negative quotes. I realize he never got along with Thomas Jefferson, but Burr was able to be vice president for a reason. He was reasonably well-liked. It’s tricky because I know his bias and overwhelming love of Hamilton is part of why people love the book, but when it came to Burr, it genuinely felt like Hamilton rose from the dead and inhabited his body to write those passages, which kind of just made me not trust anything he said about Burr.
Fundamentally, I believe both entered the duel for political reasons. I don’t agree with dueling of course, but if both parties agree to it, then I can’t view either side as the “villain” but Chernow so clearly portrays him as one. Like yeah he probably had murderous intent, kind of the whole point, kill or be killed and all? If Hamilton missed on purpose, how the hell was Burr supposed to know that? Both sides agreed both shot within a few seconds of each other.
Anyway just my two cents, I enjoyed reading it, didn’t love the Burr stuff. (I am aware he was later accused of treason, but that’s a combination of trusting the slimeball James Wilkinson and being an opponent of Jefferson, cause there was no real evidence for it)
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 21: Cristian Arguelles #26 of the Colorado Rockies catches a fly ball during the sixth inning of the Spring Breakout game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Purple Row!
Here’s what’s going on with the Colorado Rockies and the rest of Major League Baseball.
Cristian Arguelles (No. 5 PuRP) made a name for himself in the Rockies farm system in 2026. As it turns out, however, he’s had another Rockies name on his mind since he was a kid when Carlos González was his favorite player. The 19-year-old outfielder has modeled his game after former All-Star and is starting to see results reminiscent of a young CarGo with high a high batting average and a mixture of speed and power. If you weren’t already excited to watch Arguelles progression through the minors, this piece from Thomas Harding will make you a fan.
If you want a comprehensive, one-stop-shop overview of the current state of the Rockies roster needs and possible goals this offseason, Tyler Paddor has you covered. This lengthy piece digs into the current state of the roster as well as sorting through all the different avenues the front office could take in order to address its biggest needs. It’s a bird’s-eye view but one that provides a wonderfully all-encompassing view of the Rockies goals and options this winter.
The 2026 MLB season is officially over with the Milwaukee Brewers having earned their first championship in franchise history. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to soak in the joy and relief present in the recap and game thread comments over at Brew Crew Ball. That feeling of decades of waiting culminating in a triumphant moment of celebration is what all sports fans are in search of and it’s remarkably easy to lose sight of the goal when mired in the day-to-day minutae.
With the AFL in full swing, prospect evaluators have assembled enough data to start making adjustments to the reports on players that are showing changes to their skillsets. Eric Longenhagen does just that in this piece that combs through the most notable prospects present in the AFL and gives updates on how their stock has shifted. No Rockies made the cut for inclusion in the piece, but it’s still a useful glimpse at the state of prospects across the game.
As is tradition, Jim Bowden over at the Athletic has released his free agent contract predictions. The former GM has historically had a knack for getting the dollar figures pretty close to where they end up, though in recent seasons other publications may have caught up to his accuracy. Interestingly, Bowden lists the Rockies among the best team fits for two free agents: outfielder Taylor Ward and NPB starting pitcher Kaima Taira.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 14: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles against Mikhail Sergachev #98 of the Utah Mammoth at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Utah Mammoth (8-5-0, 16 points, 2nd place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1, 11 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Utah16, broadcast in Canada on SN and TVA, streaming for out of market at ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are hitting the road Saturday for a game against the Montreal Canadiens before returning home next week for a Tuesday game against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday game against the Boston Bruins.
Opponent Track: This is the first matchup of a six-game road trip for the Mammoth, which most recently conceded a 3-1 loss to the visiting Minnesota Wild. After starting the season 7-3, Utah hasn’t won in regulation since beating the Penguins back on Oct. 19 (they’re 1-2-0 with an overtime victory since).
Season Series: This will mark the last time the Penguins see the Mammoth this regular season. Pittsburgh is looking to spit the series for a second straight year.
Hidden Stat: Two fights took place in a 90-second span of the Mammoth’s Tuesday loss to the Wild, a game that marked the first Utah game in history featuring three fights. The Mammoth now lead the league with eight fights in 13 games this season.
Potential scratches: John Marino (week-to-week), Daniil But, Artem Duda
Injured Reserve: Michael Carcone (upper body), Maverick Lamoureux
Former Penguins defenseman John Marino is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Liam O’Brien could be making his season debut against the Penguins after appearing in his first game of the campaign against the Wild. He was one of three players who dropped the gloves Tuesday against the Wild.
Special teams notes
The Mammoth have seen very different results from their different special teams through this early stretch of the season.
Utah is heading into the matchup ranked 29th in the league with a 67.4 percent penalty kill success rate.
Head coach André Tourigny said after his team gave up two power-play goals against in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss his team learning more “discipline” would be key going forward.
The Mammoth are meanwhile overall averaging 3.62 goals per game, a number that is good for the sixth-most in the NHL and that has been inflated by the team’s success on the power play.
Utah ranks second in the NHL with a 34.8 percent power play success rate, although the unit went 0-for-4 Tuesday against the Wild. Nick Schmaltz’s five man-advantage goals in 13 games are still tied for the second most in the NHL.
On the other hand, the Mammoth are tied with the Penguins and two other teams for 11th in 5v5 scoring. Utah is also looking for a rebound performance offensively after being most recently held to just one extra-attacker goal in the final two minutes of regulation in their loss to the Wild.
The Mammoth rank third in the NHL with a 54.8 percent face-off rate so far this season, while the Penguins rank 30th after going 45.6 from the dot. Vincent Trocheck has won an impressive 62.8 percent of his face-offs over this early stretch.
Mikhail Sergachev, who is tied with Clayton Keller for the points lead in Utah, is riding a five-game point streak (1-5—6) into tonight’s matchup. Logan Cooley meanwhile has three goals in two games.
Goaltending uncertainty
It hasn’t been a particularly strong start to the season for either Mammoth goaltender. Only the Vancouver Canucks have recorded a lower team save percentage than Utah’s mark of .866. Both Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa rank bottom-11 in the league (out of 71 goaltenders) in goals saved above expected, per HockeyStats.com.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said last week the Mammoth are not “sold on Karel Vejmelka being the No. 1” who could lead his team on a playoff run (h/t NHL Rumor Report), although Tourigny said after the Tuesday loss to the Wild he felt Vejmelka was “back on track.”
Utah was tied to an interest in Connor Hellebuyck before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a haul including four players and two draft picks. How Vejmelka performs as this early stretch of the season continues could impact whether the Mammoth eventually take a swing at upgrading their goaltending ahead of the deadline.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
The Penguins could be getting a few players back from health issues after their four-day break. Sam Girard and Egor Chinakhov are back at practice after missing three and two games, respectively. Ben Kindel looks ready to slot back into the lineup for the first time since the Penguins’ last game against the Mammoth.
It's important for Ben Kindel to shift his focus ahead after what he experienced last week.
"I'm definitely not dwelling on anything or have anything holding me back coming into this weekend."
More roster updates: Rutger McGroarty was absent from Wednesday’s session and could be a scratch. Avery Hayes and Chase Pietila were re-assigned to the AHL on Wednesday. Justin Brazeau has also been sent to Wilkes/Barre on a conditioning stint after getting activated from IR, while Elmer Soderblom replaced him on the list.
Forward Justin Brazeau has been activated from Injured Reserve and assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL) on a conditioning loan.
Forward Elmer Soderblom has been placed on IR.
Forward Avery Hayes and defenseman Chase Pietila have been re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/JIjtKM9eXM
The Penguins were running a top power-play unit of Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Ville Koivunen, Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell, while slotting Chinakhov and Kindel alongside Andrei Kuzmenko, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin on the second unit at Wednesday’s practice.
INGLEWOOD, CA — Darius Garland and the Los Angeles Clippers continue to struggle with turnovers to start the season.
The turnovers happened early and often for the Clippers, who fell to 1-3 on the season after losing to the Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Isaiah Jackson won the tip-off against Lakers center Walker Kessler to start the game, but Garland was caught off guard and didn't recover the ball as he was still tying his hair while the ball rolled out of bounds.
Garland was responsible for five of the team's 24 turnovers on Wednesday. Rookie Keaton Wagler was one of four players to have three turnovers.
Coach Tyronn Lue expressed the importance of his team taking care of the ball before the game, but that didn’t come to fruition.
The Lakers managed to capitalize on these turnovers and scored 31 points. The Clippers are also the first team since 2002 to have recorded three consecutive games with 24+ turnovers.
The Lakers managed to produce a 17-0 scoring run in the second quarter and outscored the Clippers 26-6 on fastbreak points, but Lue directed that result to the turnovers.
“I wouldn’t say fastbreak, I'd say turnovers that led to easy 3-on-1s or 1-on-0,” Lue said. “As far as transition, I don't think we did a bad job with that; I think our transition hurt us when we turn the ball over because nobody can get back when that happens.”
With Luka Dončić out, the Clippers managed to limit the Lakers' best available scoring option, Austin Reaves, with their defense.
Reaves was 6-of-16 from the field and finished with 16 points and six rebounds while turning the ball over eight times.
"I think over the four games defensively we've done a lot of good things and we are causing turnovers, but we are just giving it back,” Clippers guard Kris Dunn said. “If we can execute when we do cause turnovers or when we are in the half-court offense and execute, we give ourselves more than a great chance to win these ball games. ... If we can cut down the turnovers, what could the record look like?"
When do Clippers play next?
The Clippers can snap their three-game losing streak with a road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Oct. 30.
Lendeborg was a bright spot for Golden State against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, scoring 26 points and being one of only three Warriors players to score in double figures. But he did commit seven turnovers, and speaking with reporters after the game, he did not mince words when assessing his performance.
Ya el Lendeborg on his seven turnovers: “I played hella soft today. Draymond told me that as well.”
He said Draymond instructed him to drive through their chest later in game
“I played hella soft today,” Lendeborg said. “Draymond told me as well, but seeing it from everybody else’s perspective, I know I was playing super soft. I gave in to all the fake pressure that they were applying, all the grabbing and all the pulling.
“I was playing a little timid, and I wasn’t decisive in any of my moves. So that’s where I would say five of my turnovers came from. The other two are just stupid on my part, and I’m going to know next time I watch film on it. Next time I’m going to just attack it and forget the play.”
Lendeborg is playing well through five games this season, averaging over 22 points and nine rebounds, and has been a seamless fit for Golden State. But the adjustment to the NBA is not easy, and forming a close bond with Draymond Green, Lendeborg has taken the opportunity to learn from him. After one of his turnovers, Green offered the rookie advice that he made sure to apply.
“It was right after the play where I lost it out of bounds next to our bench, and he told me, ‘Next time you get it, drive through somebody’s f—king chest,’” Lendeborg shared. “And I was like ‘OK, I got you.’ So, I got the ball, they gave me a little backswing and I just ran down there. If they stop me at the rim, they do if not, then I score. So that worked out. Then coach Kerr gave me another opportunity with a little keep play. I drove through [Jonathan] Kuminga’s chest, just tried to be a little more physical …”
The Warriors entered this season with several questions, while dealing with injuries to key players such as Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porziņģis. But Lendeborg’s success early in the year has allowed the team to get by being short-handed and provides optimism for the future.
Steph Curry is nearing the twilight of his career, and if Lendeborg keeps playing at a high level, the franchise might have its next cornerstone player to build around.
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 26: Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Miami Heat on October 26, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Just four games into the Zaccharie Risacher Experience, the Dallas Mavericks seem to be having a good time.
A good enough time that the team announced on Wednesday, before the team’s 120-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, that they would pick up the fourth-year team option on Risacher’s rookie deal. After the announcement, Dallas is on the hook for just over $17.4 million for Risacher next year, or just over nine percent of the salary cap. His $13.8 million this season accounts for just over 8.3 percent of the cap.
The deadline to extend Risacher at that number was Friday.
It’s just your standard rookie scale fourth-year extension, but it shows that the Mavericks have confidence that Risacher is worth developing. He’s in his third year in the NBA, so he may feel like more of a finished product than he really is, but it’s important to remember that he’s still just 21 years old. It’s certainly possible that a huge leap in production is in the cards for the Frenchman picked No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
The offensive production entering Wednesday’s game was hit-or-miss through the first four games of Risacher’s tenure with the Mavs, but his defensive presence has been undeniable. He averaged eight points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots per game in the small sample to begin the year. His career averages entering this season were 11.1 points and 3.8 boards per game.
“It’s his motor and his conditioning,” Mavericks head coach Dusty May said in his pregame comments before the matchup against the Thunder, when asked what makes Risacher a good fit alongside Cooper Flagg. “The guy never gets tired. He’s a cyborg. … As his intensity and motor [have] improved, his defensive rebounding — the extra possessions he gives us just by getting a fingertip on the ball. Obviously, the weak-side blocks — there’s a residual effect of those. So he’s kind of reinventing himself where, even though he’s not shooting nearly as well as he always has, he’s found a lot of value in other parts of the game.”
There's the once a game Risacher play that makes me laugh out loud with joy
It’s true. His shooting splits have been abysmal to start the season. Risacher shot just over 30% from the field and just 17.6% from 3-point range in the team’s first four games, but he’s still found ways to affect winning. He’s been a cumulative plus-26 through the first five games of the season. On Wednesday, he had his best offensive outing in his brief tenure with Dallas, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point land) and six rebounds in 29 minutes in the win over OKC.
Risacher was acquired by the Mavericks alongside a top-55 protected 2027 second-round draft pick from the Hawks in a three-team trade that sent Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta and a Mavericks-owned 2027 second-round pick to the Thunder. He was an All-Rookie First-Teamer for the 2024-25 season.
Here’s what Risacher had to say about the rookie-scale extension following the Mavericks’ win over Oklahoma City:
“I was super happy, super — great news. Just, I’m feeling grateful to be in this organization, this environment, with those people — I’m talking about front office, teammates — everybody’s been great, and everybody wants to win, and everybody does the right thing to make sure we get into this position — win games and compete. And I feel like, as a young player, that’s the best position I can get in, and I’m grateful to be able to be in that environment for two years, at least. I’m just super grateful.”
Games would be first held in Africa if bid successful
East-coast city preferred to Johannesburg and Cape Town
South Africa on Thursday announced the east coast city of Durban as its preferred candidate to host the first Olympics in Africa.
South Africa is bidding to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city for 2036 in mid-2029.
It’s fair to say that Jacob Fowler has taken the NHL by storm since being called up from the Laval Rocket. The rookie netminder has gone 6-1-0 since then, including two shutouts and six straight wins. He became just the third Montreal Canadiens goaltender to record at least six consecutive wins before turning 22, after Rogie Vachon and Patrick Roy.
Fowler has also become a road warrior; in three road games, he ranks third in the league in both goals-against average (0.67) and save percentage (.980). Only Colten Ellis, who has played one game, and Jake Oettinger, who has played three games, have better numbers. As things stand, he has well and truly grabbed the number-one role with the Canadiens, and make no mistake: the only reason Jakub Fowler is getting the start on Thursday is that he’s been sitting for over a week. When the Sainte-Flanelle takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Mecca of hockey on Saturday night, Fowler will be back between the posts.
Many have earmarked him as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, but few expected him to climb that high, that fast. Dobes himself may be wondering how he went from leading the team to the Eastern Conference Final last season to getting a front-row seat so quickly, but it’s a results-based business, and the Americans’ recent work speaks for itself.
One man may not be all that surprised, though. After Fowler’s stellar shutout performance against the St. Louis Blues, an excerpt from the team’s 2023 draft documentary started circulating on social media, featuring then-amateur scout Billy Ryan explaining to the Canadiens’ extended brain trust why they need to select Fowler in no uncertain terms.
It’s a good thing the Habs hired Ryan in August 2022 to run their amateur scouting department in the USA, but the Canadiens didn't update their website to include him until April 12, 2023 and back then he was simply listed as a scout, but that appears to have been an oversight which was fixed in mid-July 2023. It means that he hadn’t even been in the role for a full year when he defended his stance on Fowler in front of a room full of people.
Fast forward three years, and the Canadiens must be oh so very glad they not only hired Ryan, a former amateur scout with the Florida Panthers for seven seasons, but also listened to him back then. Five netminders were picked before Fowler in 2023: Adam Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason and Damian Clara. Clara and Bjarnason are in the AHL; Gajan is in the ECHL; Augustine and Hrabal are in their first full AHL season. Fowler is ahead of the curve and slowly but surely making his way into early Calder Trophy discussions.
For the first time this season, the Washington Wizards are below .500. At halftime, it looked like the Wizards were ready to cruise home with their third win in five games. They scored 42 points in a first quarter scoring binge, and 69 at the midway point — including posting a 50-12 advantage in the paint, and a 10-point lead.
They managed just 42 points the rest of the way, and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-111.
Back from a preseason ankle injury, Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa made his career debut, scoring 19 points on 12 shots in 27 minutes.
AJ Dybantsa dunks in his first NBA game. | Getty Images
Washington ran a play for Dybantsa on the game’s opening possession. He started in the corner, and popped to the top off screens by Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Young then came up from the corner to set a ghost screen on James Harden. Harden and Watson appeared to miscommunicate — Harden expected a switch while Watson stayed with Young — and Dybantsa attacked the opening with an elite burst. And then tried to dunk on Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Allen got whistled for the foul, and Dybantsa’s first points as a pro came from the free throw line.
Dybanta’s first NBA assist came a few minutes later. He drove and got all the way to the rim, which occupied three defenders — his own man, and two help bigs. He made the kickout to Alex Sarr, who knocked down the corner three.
Okay, one more fanboy rave. At 8:56 of the first quarter, Dybantsa outran the entire Cleveland roster to the offensive end, and Young threw him a lob from the half court line for a highlight reel slam. You’ll see that one in Wizards highlights the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, the good feels of the first half dissolved as the more talented, experienced, and battle-tested Cavaliers asserted their will. It didn’t help that Washington’s veteran leaders were struggling as much as anyone. Ideally, Young and Davis will make plays when the youngsters are rattled or overwhelmed. In this one, they seemed mostly overwhelmed, as well.
From the Notebook
In the early going at least, Washington’s length was bothering the Cavaliers. Cleveland bigs kept trying to make internal passes rather than going up for shots, only for long-limbed Washington defenders to deflect the ball and force turnovers. This was not something that held up for the full 48 minutes.
In the first quarter, I liked one defensive sequence. Cleveland ran a pick-and-roll for Harden, who seemed primed to attack the Wizards big. Dybantsa freed himself from the screen and sprinted back onto Harden, which allowed Davis to drop back to his man. Harden ended up missing a turnaround fadeaway over a Dybantsa contest.
I mentioned the Wizards outscored Cleveland 50-12 in the paint during the first half. In the second half, the Cavaliers turned the tables, outscoring Washington 34-16 inside.
At one point in the first half, I noted that Washington’s offensive looked better. Over multiple possessions, they flowed from action to action — pick-and-roll on one side, moving the ball to the weakside where there’d been a down screen simultaneous to the primary action, which then led to another pick and roll with a down screen on the first side and a baseline cut. The better process didn’t hold up, but better — even for a stretch — is better.
Harden is an atrocious defender. Prime example: the Wizards got a Dybantsa lob dunk on a sideline out of bounds play. I thought maybe it had been a clever play design (Brian Keefe and the coaching staff has a number of them), so I rewound the action. And…Dybantsa got free on a half-assed back pick because Harden just wasn’t paying attention.
Brad Daugherty in the Cleveland broadcast booth is a treat. He pairs good analysis and insight with a voice that sounds like a cross between WWE and NASCAR. With John Michael on play-by-play, the Cleveland production sounds like a 1980s broadcast of an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
If Young has the ball and a teammate comes open, he will make the pass.
Defensive highlight of the game came around 1:17 of the third quarter when Bilal Coulibaly levitated for a sensational block at the rim in transition. Wow athleticism.
Among the defensive lowlights was Deandre Ayton’s pick-and-roll defense early in the fourth quarter. He backpedaled, got his feet tangled, and gave up a lob dunk he should have been able to contest.
I’m not quite sure
Four Factors
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORS
WIZARDS
CAVALIERS
LGAVG
eFG%
57.8%
54.9%
53.2%
OREB%
13.5%
40.5%
27.8%
TOV%
10.5%
13.6%
14.1%
FTM/FGA
0.181
0.231
0.223
PACE
96
101.1
ORTG
116
127
112.9
Stats & Metrics
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median last season was 17.7%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
On Tuesday, Julian Champagnie came into the Spurs game against the Sacramento Kings and dropped eight three-pointers in thirteen minutes, tying his own franchise record. He dropped eight in the first half against the New York Knicks on New Year’s Eve last year, then came back in the second half and hit three more.
Through my Spurs-colored glasses, Champagnie looks to be one of the best in the league. But this Venn Diagram I found through StatMuse lays it out clearly.
Of current NBA players, Champagnie is one of seven players who tally 3+ made three-pointers per game while shooting at 45% or better. Here’s the kicker — Julian isn’t succeeding solely on offense, he is also one of twenty-two players who are recording three or more “stocks” per game. “Stocks” is a portmanteau for steals and blocks. In other words, Champagnie is killing it on both ends of the court.
His shooting benefits from the attention given to Victor Wembanyama. At any time, Wemby is being doubled, leaving an open man. Champagnie is often that lone man, and he has found that he can hit from anywhere beyond the arc. When he gets hot…watch out.
Defensively speaking, Julian is sneaky, quick, and agile. His athleticism allows him to get to pull boards, often times against larger opponents. He is the 3-and-D guy that the Spurs needed to expose weaknesses in opposition.
When you put the three-point shooting prowess in the diagram with the stocks, Champagnie is in a category all his own. A one-man wolf pack, if you will.
Spurs are off Thursday and Friday after two sets of back-to-backs involving travel. They play on Halloween against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, the T-wolves are without Anthony Edwards for the next couple of months as he tends to his right knee. It is an unfortunate turn for Minnesota who just brought in LaMelo Ball to partner with Edwards. There have been a rash of early season injuries plaguing the league.
Light your Spurs candles to ward off the mischief acquainted with the holiday.
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BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 23: A general view as Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are now 146 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. In a bit more than a month, the owner lockout will hit and things will be uncertain until a labor agreement is reached.
There will be no more MLB games to divert us in the meantime. The World Series is over as of last night. The Brewers weren’t able to close out the Rays with a sweep on Tuesday night, but they still were plenty able to end the thing before there was much in the way of suspense. Behind their hard-throwing ace Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee finished off a dominant romp through the playoffs by taking Game 5 of the World Series and with it, this season’s championship. It’s the first time in Brewers franchise history that the team has won it all.
The Brewers, in a lot of ways, are a demonstration of the importance of getting as many bites at the postseason apple as you can. They made it into the postseason all but one year going back to the 2018 season. After a hard-fought seven-game NLCS against the Dodgers that year, they had a whole lot of early exits while waiting for a year where everything broke their way. That finally happened in 2026.
It’s not like it was a surprise to have things break Milwaukee’s way. This was not a fluke team that snuck into the postseason. The Brewers had the best regular season record, with more wins even than the two-time defending champion Dodgers. They showed how this year was going to be different by sweeping those Dodgers, the same team that swept them in the NLCS a year ago. They faced the AL’s best regular season team in the World Series and they trashed those guys.
Still, this wasn’t guaranteed. Even regular season success doesn’t guarantee postseason success. The Brewers had to do a lot of things right once they got into October, and for the duration of this month, that’s what they’ve done. They earned this title. And now the Orioles have the fifth-longest championship drought among MLB teams, behind the Guardians, Padres, Mariners, and Pirates.
In the meantime in Birdland, it’s been all new general manager Jared Banner all the time over the course of this week. That’s not so much because Banner is everywhere as it is that Banner had his introductory press conference earlier in the week and there are no other new inputs, so reading the tea leaves from that presser is all that there is to do.
I think it would be better for the Orioles if something like this had happened a year ago, if Mike Elias had recognized his 2025 plan was flawed and he was going to need to make some changes to get better outcomes. To be at least a little fair to Elias, he did try different things last offseason. The signing of Pete Alonso, the trade for Shane Baz, even the trade of Grayson Rodriguez were all breaks from how he’d done things before. It was not enough.
In the waning weeks of the regular season, there were signs that more changes were coming. Front office personnel were shuffled around or out of the organization entirely. We’d heard the story before about the Orioles looking into hiring a general manager and they didn’t do it. This time, they’ve done it.
Banner and Elias both are saying all the right things so far. There’s no guarantee that it’s going to work. I do think that at a minimum, we can say that it will fail while trying something different. In a few more days, we’ll start to see what kind of roster plan they try to put into place in the month of November before the lockout hits.
Elias admitted his faults. Can Jared Banner fix them? (The Baltimore Sun) Elias ate a big serving of humble pie in making this hire. Everybody has nice things to say about Banner. On the other hand, everybody had nice things to say about Craig Albernaz, and look where that got us.
Banner day: Jared Banner aced his first press conference. Now comes the hard part. (Steve on Baseball) While not making any specific promises about Gunnar Henderson, one thing Banner brought up is how the presumptive NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong, was pretty good last year but still not satisfied, and the Cubs helped him ascend to a new high level. Sounds like a nice concept.
The Orioles must decide if Colton Cowser is their everyday center fielder (The Baltimore Banner) The outfield free agent market sucks. I have to figure Cowser is the center fielder for 2027 if he is healthy to play. He is another guy who Banner will hopefully be able to help institute some processes that will improve him.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 2013, three Orioles received Gold Glove awards as the winners were announced: Shortstop J.J. Hardy, center fielder Adam Jones, and third baseman Manny Machado. There were three Orioles Gold Glove winners the next year as well, but there hasn’t been multiple winners since then. No Oriole has won a Gold Glove at all since Ramón Urías received one four years ago.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021 pitcher Shaun Anderson, 2012 pitcher Dana Eveland, 2000/2004 outfielder Karim García, 1973-74 infielder Frank Baker, and 1967-71 pitcher Pete Richert.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: painter Bob Ross (1942), Homer Simpson voice actor Dan Castellaneta (1957), actor Rufus Sewell (1967), and actress Winona Ryder (1971).
On this day in history…
In 1888, a treaty signed in Constantinople proclaimed that passage through the Suez Canal would be guaranteed regardless of war or peace. Egypt, which is home to the canal and was then ruled by the Ottoman Empire, was not party to the treaty talks, nor did it sign the treaty. Today, the effects of this treaty are still in force with one exception: Egypt may forbid passage to ships from countries with which it is at war.
In 1914, the conflict we now know as World War I had another escalation, with the Ottoman Empire joining the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Exactly five years later, the empire dissolved with the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, today known as the Republic of Türkiye.
In 1929, a crash on the New York Stock Exchange became what is now recognized as “Black Tuesday,” triggering the beginning of the Great Depression.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 29. Have a safe Thursday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This post was written before we knew the outcome of Game 5 of the World Series. Did the Brewers close it out for their first championship? Did the Rays stave off elimination for one more day? Do we still have baseball to watch, or is the encroaching dread of the lockout the only thing on the horizon? You, dear future reader, know the answers to all of these questions and more! Lucky you.
ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 9: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins pressures Cam Fowler #17 of the St. Louis Blues on December 9, 2025 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Alexis R. Knight/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 8 PM
Where: Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: RIP St. Louis Game Time
Know your enemy
5-6-1, 11PTS, 6th in the Central Division
Mason McTavish: 6G-4A-10PTS; Dylan Holloway: 3G-7A-10PTS; Jimmy Snuggerud: 6G-2A-8PTS
Joel Hofer: 4-3-1, 2.40 GAA, .917 save percentage
Game notes
The Bruins continue their mini road trip (road outing? road excursion?) in Missouri, facing the St. Louis Blues. I will not dwell on it, but I don’t think I will ever get over the Bruins losing a Stanley Cup Final to Jordan Binnington.
Anyways, enough about my 2019 trauma. The Bruins played an OK game in Carolina on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough to beat a top-tier Hurricanes team. The Blues are decidedly not top tier, caught somewhere between a full rebuild (i.e. trade Robert Thomas) and a retool (i.e. I don’t know). They have some good young players in guys like Mason McTavish and Jimmy Snuggerud, but still seem to be going in two directions at once.
Speaking of McTavish, he has been worth the price for St. Louis thus far. Acquired from Anaheim around the time of June’s draft, McTavish leads the Blues in points and is tied for the team lead in goals.
Speaking of speaking of things, the Blues also traded for a familiar face over the summer: Brandon Carlo! Carlo was a good soldier for the B’s and I feel bad for turning him into The Artist Who Turned Into Fraser Minten, but…it’s Mintenmania Time now. Carlo has featured in all 12 games for the Blues, averaging a little over 17 minutes TOI.
The Blues have lost two games in a row, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying last time out. They lost to Montreal 2-0 on Tuesday in a game that saw Jacob Fowler make 46 saves and, per our friends at EOTP, steal a win for the Habs. Olé.
Prior to those two losses, St. Louis won two games in a row, including a 6-2 win over Vegas, so there’s some firepower there.
In what can only be perceived as an act of aggression against me personally, the Blues will wear their 2019 alternate jerseys tonight. I’m not sure if I’m more mad about the Bruins shooting directly into Binnington’s chest in Game 7 or that 2019 jerseys can now be considered alternate/vintage.
While Jeremy Swayman was excellent against Carolina, I’d imagine we see Michael DiPietro tonight. He has actually faced the Blues before, dropping a 3-1 decision back in 2022. This means nothing at all, but I included it anyways.
The Bruins could use a bounceback game from their first line tonight, after that top trio was relatively invisible in Raleigh. I did not see if Seabass#8 made another David Pastrnak comment, but let’s assume they did and the good vibes are back on.
