A walking wicket on the 2018 tour of England, stats suggest Rahul’s average of 35 is more impressive than it seems
The Guardian’s over-by-over coverage is built on reader interaction. We probably receive more than 1,000 emails during an average Test, hundreds of which are published. As an epic Lord’s Test unfolded, the same question kept dropping into our inboxes. “This is the second innings of the series that has left me baffled as to how KL Rahul averages only 35 in Tests,” began one such email from Ned Blackburn. “He seems to have the temperament, technique and discipline to be absolutely elite. What am I missing?”
Rahul’s Test average has become the unsolved mystery of the English summer. But after a day in the statistical dirt – and Ben Stokes thought he went to some dark places on Monday – we can offer some potential explanations. The simplest reason is that after a fine start to his career he became a superstar of Indian cricket, a status that is Kryptonite for an overthinker. “I just couldn’t get out of my own head,” he said in late 2023. “I couldn’t leave cricket or my professional life on the field. It was such a heaviness on me.”
It’s 2025 but the Cubbies offense is breaking 19th century team records.Photograph: Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
The Major League Baseball season has reached its halfway point, or, more accurately, we’ve landed at the All-Star break, with 60% of the schedule already in the books. So, how did it go? Here’s a handful of storylines to chew on as we prepare for the second-half stretch run.
What hasn’t happened
Remember the torpedo bats that were a destroyer of worlds in the season’s opening days? Some geniuses even said they were the latest example of how “over-innovation can ruin baseball” (no idea who wrote that zinger). Well, so far that’s looking like the kneejerk reaction of the season, or maybe several seasons. The Yankees, who are the chief adapters of the redesigned bats that boast customized sweet spots, hit 15 home runs in three games against Milwaukee at the start of the season. Then they calmed down and struck 1.46 home runs per game from then on. Yes, they still lead the league in homers, and yes, they’re averaging more dingers per game than they did last year when Juan Soto was in their lineup. But the tech has not in fact made a complete farce of the game. Has Cal Raleigh, the Mariners’ torpedo bat swinging MVP candidate, been aided by the innovation? Well, he has 38 homers this season, four more than his career-high already, while Triple Crown candidate Aaron Judge, who doesn’t use a torpedo bat, has 35. This time, let’s go with a more conservative take on the bats: the jury’s still out.
Oh, the bullpens …
What drives fans the most crazy? The way their manager handles his bullpen. Don’t believe me? Try searching “bullpen management” on X and see what comes up; it’s not pretty. But here’s the thing: when your starting pitchers average well under six innings a game, and you have to figure out how to get an additional nine, 12, 15 outs or more, where’s the roadmap for that? There isn’t one – managers make it up on the fly most nights. With a bevy of starters recovering from elbow injuries, while upper management continues to nurse the long men, desperate brass are forced to shuttle relievers between the minors and the majors looking for fresh arms. It’s pretty ugly. Is anyone getting it “right?” Well, few outside LA are going to sympathize with the super-rich Dodgers, but their skipper Dave Roberts is getting just 4.5 innings a game from his beleaguered, injury riddled starters, the worst number in all of baseball (the MLB average is 5.2). Apparently there’s more than a few teams that’ll be looking for bullpen help at the 31 July trade deadline. Yeah, you think?
Stand up for Detroit
Remember last July when the Tigers were dealing away players, and then somehow made the playoffs and came within a single victory of the American League Championship Series? Well, as it turns out, that run was no fluke. The Tigers have an 11.5 game lead in the AL Central at the break, the largest such lead they’ve had since the All-Star Game began in 1933. For context, the historic 1984 Tigers that began 35-5 had an eight-game lead at the break. Detroit own the best record in all of baseball, even after losing their last four games.
So what’s gone right? Tarik Skubal has stiff competition from Boston’s Garrett Crochet in his bid to win a second successive Cy Young, but the Tigers hurler has walked just 16 batters in 121 innings – an astonishingly low number. Meanwhile, Detroit’s lineup is full of redemption songs, with three players in the top five favored for the AL Comeback Player of the Year award (Rangers ace Jacob deGrom leads that group). Former No 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has recovered from an abysmal 2024 to power up a Tigers offense driven by Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry, allowing the bats to overshadow a middle-of-the road pitching staff, Skubal aside. But perhaps the story of the season is Javier Baez. The once big-dollar-bust is an All-Star this season, and has upped his OPS by more than 230 points from last season and is Detroit’s face of mojo as they head to the second half of the season.
The Lost Boys
The Colorado Rockies weren’t daunted by the 2024 White Sox’ modern MLB record for losses in a season. With a team of misfits, horrific ownership and tough NL West neighbors, the Rockies went to work on besting (or worsting) the ChiSox right out of the gate. And away they went, losing 36 of 46 games at Coors Field, a modern home record.
Elsewhere, pitching phenom Paul Skenes is one of the only bright lights at the Pirates, who continue to sag, having failed to finish higher than fourth in the NL Central since 2017. Their lack of competitive play is even enough to get Commissioner Rob Manfred somewhat “concerned” about the Buccos, not to mention teams such as the Marlins, who lead a system of meandering franchises whose ownership appear uninterested in winning. Clearly a salary cap, which every other major North American sports league has in some form or other, could help with such imbalance. But with a divide between rich and richer owners and a players’ union that’s fought against a cap for its entire existence, that will always be a tough sell, and so the issue will be a source of labor strife after the 2026 season.
And speaking of a tough sell, MLB has been trying to unload a short-term package of games since ESPN opted out of the final three years of their rights deal worth roughly $1.5bn. Manfred, who admitted that having to find another suitor to replace those lost dollars is not all that fun, says there’s been “progress” in that search and says he should have some news in the coming weeks.
Odds and ends
Thanks to breakout star Pete-Crowe Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Nico Hoerner and virtually everyone else in the Cubbies lineup, Chicago are having their biggest OPS+year since, well, 1884. They lead the Brewers in the NL Central by a single game. In the NL East, the Phillies have power issues, but it’s Zach Wheeler and their starting pitching that’s given them a short lead over the Mets, who started fast and fell faster, losing 17 of 27 games heading into the break. In the AL East, the Yankees slumped themselves out of first place, while the surprising Blue Jays overtook the Bombers despite an inferior run difference. The once hotter than hot Rays traded places with the Red Sox who rode a 10-game winning streak into third place at the break, all after controversially trading away Rafael Devers and losing Alex Bregman to injury. The Houston Astros of the AL West dealt away their best player, Tucker, in the offseason, but look better without him: hurlers Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and a white hot pen have the ‘Stros in a commanding first place position after an un-Astro-like 2024. In the NL West, the “Best Team Ever” are yet to play like it, but then again, LA have been missing most of their rotation for most of the season.
The Dodgers are likely to get stronger when it matters though. Shohei Ohtani is pitching again and has an ERA just over one as he stretches out for the postseason, Tyler Glasnow just returned, with Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to follow. Add that to All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and it’s clear that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Whether or not heavily favored LA can become the first repeat World Series winners since the 2000 Yankees is the question heading into the second half.
It took three summer league games at the California Classic and another three in Las Vegas, but on Tuesday night the Warriors looked their most complete with a 96-84 win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As the Grizzlies were led by well-known names like Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson and Cam Spencer, the Warriors won with balance. Coach Lainn Wilson used all 12 of his players, and all 12 had scored by halftime. Veteran Jackson Rowe was the Warriors’ leading scorer of 14 points, followed by 12 from Will Richard and Jaden Shackelford, and 11 for Chris Manon.
This was the closest version to Warriors basketball under Wilson. The Warriors dished 21 assists, outrebounded the bigger Grizzlies and shot 51.9 percent from the field with a 37.9-percent 3-point clip.
“Our pace stayed well, our intensity stayed and kind of increased as the game went on and I thought that made the difference for us,” Wilson said to reporters.
After being blown out by 33 points to open their summer league slate in Las Vegas, the Warriors have responded with two straight quality wins against talented teams.
Wilson was told point guard Taran Armstrong wasn’t playing Tuesday night, putting him without a traditional point guard in the starting lineup. Armstrong’s absence allowed Richard to use some of his different guard skills handling the ball more. Richard continued his strong summer, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2 of 4 from three, plus two rebounds, one assist and two steals.
“Just doing a little bit of everything, showing I can do that,” Richard said. “We have a lot of guys can do that as well. I’m just trying to keep that in my role and just take that opportunity when I’m there.”
Golden State’s starting lineup also didn’t have a typical center. Rowe, listed at 6-foot-7, essentially played a small-ball center. He was flanked next to Warriors top draft pick Alex Toohey in the frontcourt.
That duo took the challenge head-on. Rowe grabbed a team-high six rebounds, along with two blocked shots and two steals. Toohey hauled in four rebounds, also blocked two shots and added a steal.
All four of Toohey’s rebounds – two offensive and two defensive – came in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 13-5 in the final 10 minutes.
“I was kind of seeing if he and Jackson could carry the frontline for us against a bigger team,” Wilson explained. “I thought both of them did a fantastic job with it. We gave up a few more rebounds than I would have liked us to, but overall I didn’t feel like we really got pushed over as a team, especially with the size differential.”
The Warriors now are 4-2 overall this summer, going 2-1 at the California Classic and 2-1 in Las Vegas. They have one more scheduled game in Vegas on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT against the Toronto Raptors.
Up and down the roster, Wilson is looking to end on a strong note in every little way.
“Really overall, just seeing can we sustain this,” Wilson said. “We’ve been playing some pretty good basketball as a team when our bench is really engaged supporting the guys on the floor, and vice versa. So I’m hoping to see that we continue that same trend, because depending on how this shakes out, different guys may get into the lineup.
“Guys that may not have played as much so far, and hopefully they get rewarded as well with the same level of support.”
STATELINE, Nev. – As Seth Curry eases his 6-foot-2 frame into a chair 10 feet from the driving range at the Edgewood Tahoe golf course, the sharpshooting guard knows what’s coming his way.
Questions about his golf game. About his value in a league where deep shooting is at a premium and he is a free agent. About his brother, Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
And, of course, there will be questions about possibly joining his brother on the Warriors. The topic isn’t new to Seth, but this time, there is a gathering storm of possibility.
He’s available. The Warriors need shooting. And Seth’s father-in-law, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, is among those who can visualize a fruitful partnership.
“I actually think the perfect place for him would be Golden State,” Rivers said last month on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
Reminded of Rivers’ comment, Seth Curry grins and does not dismiss the prospect.
“They play a good brand of basketball,” he says of the Warriors. “I feel like I’ve been a part of Dub Nation for a while, watching Steph and being around the organization. Obviously, they, like any team, could use shooting.
“But I can’t say anything other than I’m trying to find the best place for me.”
Though Curry remains unsigned (through Wednesday morning), there is a market for the 34-year-old who has no plans to return to the slowly rebuilding Charlotte Hornets. Fan bases from New York (Knicks) to Los Angeles (Lakers) to Golden State are urging front offices to acquire him. And each of those front offices is shopping for shooting.
As the best available shooter, Seth would be a logical candidate for any of those teams. He led the NBA last season in 3-point shooting percentage at 45.6 percent. His career 43.3-percent shooting from deep places him second among active players, behind Atlanta Hawks wing Luke Kennard (43.8) and just ahead of his third-place brother (42.3).
“I always have to do what’s best for myself,” Seth Curry says. “Obviously, Steph would love me to come over there and play with him. And the fans showed me a lot of love at all times. (Our) Family would love it. I’ve obviously I’ve always embraced the Warriors and their system and love the way they play. And you never know what can happen.”
Why would Golden State consider adding Seth? The Warriors, even with all-time great Stephen Curry, last season finished 16th in 3-point shooting percentage at 36.4 percent. All four teams in the conference finals were in the top 10. They have only three players who stretch defenses: Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield and Quinten Post.
Seth Curry would be looking at a veteran’s minimum contract worth about $3.6 million, but his presence would give the Warriors two of the best deep shooters in the league. Defensive reasons would prevent the Curry brothers from spending much time playing together, but one would always be on the floor as a threat.
The NBA free-agent market has slowed to a trickle. Restricted free agents like Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors) and Josh Giddey (Bulls) and Cam Thomas (Nets) remain on the table. Healthy unrestricted free agents like Al Horford, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Gary Payton II have yet to sign a contract.
Same applies to Seth Curry.
The Warriors invited Seth Curry, then a few months removed from Duke, to training camp in 2013 and waived him five days before the season opener. The timing wasn’t right; Golden State liked Kent Bazemore’s superior size off the bench.
Now, 12 years later, the timing feels better for both.
“For me, it’s basketball first,” Curry says. “I have to fit the style of play. If they need what I do, if they need my services, what I do best and, just what type of team they have, and things of that nature. So, it’s always basketball fit first.”
The Warriors are a fit for any low-maintenance shooter. But they remain in “wait mode,” not expected to complete their roster until there is resolution with Kuminga.
If Seth Curry still is available at that time, the Warriors absolutely should be – and would be – interested.
Kyle Schwarber celebrates after hitting his third home run in the tiebreaker at the All-Star Game. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Technically, there was no winning pitcher in Major League Baseball’s 95th All-Star Game.
The man who gave up the night’s biggest swings, however, was probably as deserving as any.
As the American League stormed back from a 6-0 deficit in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic, a rarely contemplated reality started to dawn in both dugouts.
Three years ago, MLB changed its rules for how to break ties in its annual marquee event, instituting a home run “swing-off” to be conducted at the conclusion of the ninth inning. Each team selected three players, who each got three swings. Whichever team hit the most home runs in those nine swings wins the game.
It was penalty kicks for baseball. A hockey shootout on the diamond.
The only difference, though, was that this sport’s version required a coach to take part in the action.
Enter Dino Ebel — veteran Dodgers’ third base coach — and, now, victorious pitcher in the inaugural All-Star Game swing-off.
“What an exciting moment, I think, for baseball, for all the people that stayed, who watched on television, everything,” Ebel said, after teeing up the NL hitters for a 4-3 win in the home run swing-off, and a 7-6 win overall in the All-Star Game.
“That was pretty awesome to be a part of … I had like 10 throws just to get loose. And then it’s like, ‘Let’s bring it on.’ ”
Indeed, in an event that can often go stale once starters get removed in the early innings, the finish to Tuesday’s game energized both the stands and the dugouts, with players from both teams emptying onto the field and wildly cheering each swing.
“That was like the baseball version of a shootout or extra time,” said Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber, who went three for three in his turn at the plate to ultimately lift the NL to the win, and earn All-Star Game MVP honors. “It was really fun. I credit the guys on our side, who were really into it.”
“First time in history we got to do this,” added Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, who was previously 0-3 as an All-Star Game manager before Tuesday’s dramatic conclusion. “I think it played pretty well tonight.”
Perhaps the greatest twist: In the middle of it all was Ebel, a 59-year-old base coach who, as a utility infielder from 1988 to 1994 in the Dodgers’ minor-league system, never advanced past triple A.
In addition to his duties as third base coach and outfield instructor for the Dodgers, Ebel is something of a batting practice specialist these days. He’s thrown it on a daily basis to Dodgers hitters ever since the team hired him in 2019, and as a staff member with the Angels for years before that. He has pitched for four different players in the Home Run Derby, including Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernández’s win in Texas last year.
Kyle Schwarber celebrates with teammates after the NL won the All-Star Game tiebreaker. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Ebel and Schwarber even had previous history of doing batting practice together, back when Ebel was a coach on Team USA’s 2023 World Baseball Classic squad two years prior.
“He's got great BP,” Schwarber said. “A lot of credit goes to him, just kind of getting thrown into the firestorm there and not being rattled by it, being able to keep pumping really good strikes to us.”
By the time Schwarber came up in the second round of the swing-off, the NL was in somewhat dicey position. Brent Rooker of the A’s started the event off with two home runs for the AL. Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins and Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners each traded one, leaving the AL ahead 3-1.
And while Schwarber is one of the league’s most feared sluggers, with 30 long balls this year and 314 in his career, he said he rarely takes actual batting practice on the field, leaving him admittedly “a little nervous” as strolled to the dish.
“I think the first swing was kind of the big one,” Schwarber said. “I was just really trying to hit a line drive, versus trying to hit the home run. Usually, that tends to work out — especially in games.”
As Schwarber was preparing for his round, he and Ebel discussed where exactly he wanted the ball thrown.
“I’m gonna go left-center to center field,” Schwarber told Ebel. “So just throw it down the middle.”
Three thunderous swings later, Schwarber had put the NL in front with three towering blasts.
Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel was the man of the moment at the All-Star Game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“This was putting it more on the line,” Ebel said of Tuesday’s format, which unlike the Home Run Derby or daily BP, required more patience and precision with each player permitted only three swings. “Like right now, you’re gonna win it or you’re gonna lose it. And we won it.”
Indeed, when the Tampa Bay Rays’ Jonathan Aranda suffered an 0-fer that culminated in a pop-up, the NL team swarmed Schwarber, who then sought out Ebel and embraced him with a hug.
“A lot of credit goes to him for the National League bringing it home,” Schwarber reiterated.
“Put a ‘W’ next to Dino's name in the paper,” Roberts echoed. “Dino should get the win, absolutely.”
This week was memorable for Ebel even before Tuesday’s swing-off.
On Sunday morning, he flew home early from the Dodgers’ road series in San Francisco to be with his son, Brady, for the MLB draft. From their living room, the Ebel family celebrated after Brady was selected 32nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, then packed up and headed for Ontario International Airport to catch a red-eye flight Sunday for Atlanta.
And after getting in early on Monday morning, Ebel had been going nonstop around All-Star festivities, joining his fellow Dodgers coaches (who made up the honorary NL staff after winning the pennant last year) for media appearances, throwing batting practice in a pre-Home Run Derby workout on Monday and, as it turned out, doing it again with Tuesday’s game in the balance.
“It’s pretty high adrenaline going for me right now,” Ebel said from the NL clubhouse postgame. “I haven’t gotten too much sleep. But right now, I feel like I’ve slept for days. Because I’m wired up.”
Instead of a tie or the game going to extra innings, MLB and the players' union agreed that if the Midsummer Classic was tied after nine innings, the game would be decided by a home run derby. Of course, it wouldn't be like the one fans saw on Monday night but it gave an electric finish to an entertaining contest.
Each manager chose three batters to take three swings. Whoever had more homers was deemed the winner and Kyle Schwarber led the National League to victory on Tuesday.
But one question remained: how did each league's managers -- especially Aaron Boone -- choose who would be hitting?
Well, the Yankees skipper made it clear how that process went.
"We had to pick our guys yesterday," Boone said after the game. "Wanted to make sure I picked guys I knew would be in the game there and still hot. That was my choice."
Boone's choice of three hitters was the Athletics' Brent Rooker, the Mariners' Randy Arozarena and the Rays' Jonathan Aranda. Interesting choices, for sure.
Rooker put on a show in Monday's Home Run Derby, hitting 17 bombs and missing out on the second round because eventual winner, Cal Raleigh hit a ball less than a foot further. The Athletics outfielder has 20 homers this season, which is eighth in the AL. Arozarena has 17, which is 15th in the league but Aranda has only 11 this season.
Where was Aaron Judge? Where was Junior Caminero, who was the Home Run Derby runner-up?
As Boone explained, he wanted players who were playing in the later innings as they were more warmed up and ready to go. So that means starters who play 3-4 innings are not available.
"We weren’t going to switch. We picked our players yesterday, then it was just the matter of picking the order," Boone said when asked about planning for the All-Star Game. "You have a plan going in. You know the starters are playing half the game, you got a couple of guys nursing through some things so you're protecting a couple of guys too and keeping it shorter for them. You plan for that going in."
Even if Boone had his full roster available, it may not have mattered. Schwarber did what he does best, hitting three bombs with his three swings, and clinching the win without Pete Alonso having to take a swing.
The Yankees skipper was impressed by the swing-off performance even if he wasn't surprised.
"I'm not shocked, especially after he clipped the first one," he said. "You get that first one under your belt. He put three great swings on it...I saw him nodding his head and he did Schwarber-type things."
That was the obvious question after the All-Star Game ended in a dramatic home run swing-off on Tuesday night in Atlanta, the first ever of its kind, after the game itself was played to a 6-6 tie after nine innings.
Three players on each side, three swings each. Those were the rules.
If ever there was a spot for Judge, this was it. But apparently Judge and Ohtani had already left Truist Park for a private flight to enjoy the off days before the second half of the season resumes, as many of the top stars for years have done after being taken out of the game.
Too bad. What potential for even more drama. It could have come down to Judge and Pete Alonso, who was lined up to hit third for the National League, a spot that figured to decide the swing-off.
Except Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber intervened with quite a clutch feat, hitting three home runs in his three swings, to put the NL over the top by a count of 4-3, and render Alonso’s swings unnecessary when the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda went homerless in his three swings.
Aranda instead of Judge. That’s quite a whiff for MLB.
Of course, nobody could have predicted the game would end in a tie, and this new format would be invoked for the first time ever.
Furthermore, Judge is one player who always does the right thing and may not have even been aware of the new format, which was adopted only last season and had received little publicity.
Still, with that type of drama as a possibility, MLB ought to make sure the biggest stars are there at the end just in case. Alonso told reporters the swing-off participants are named by the manager before the game, but suffice to say, both managers knew Judge and Ohtani wouldn’t be there.
In any event, if the swing-off seemed a hokey way to decide the game, it also came with genuine enthusiasm, as players from both teams lined up outside the dugout to cheer on the participants.
“The boys were into it,” was the way Schwarber put it when interviewed on the field afterward.
Even a traditionalist like Derek Jeter, commenting for FOX, admitted, “I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it was probably better than playing extra innings. It was exciting.”
The new format was adopted so that managers wouldn’t have to save pitchers for the potential of extra innings, thereby giving the most players the best chance to participate.
And as it turned out, a two-run rally in the ninth inning by the American League, which included the tying run scoring against Edwin Diaz on a slow roller by Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, made the swing-off possible.
It also denied a likely MVP award for Alonso, who had hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning off Royals lefty Kris Bubic to give the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
And maybe it would have gone differently had NL manager Dave Roberts simply turned the ninth inning over to Diaz. Instead, he went first to Padres closer Robert Suarez, who gave up a run on one-out doubles by Byron Buxton and Bobby Witt Jr.
So with the tying run on second, Roberts brought in Diaz. He was fortunate when Matt Olson fielded Jazz Chisolm Jr.’s scorcher down the first-base line, tossing to Diaz covering for the second out of the inning.
With Witt Jr. at third, Diaz got Kwan, the little lefty slap hitter, to make soft contact on a back-door slider, but third baseman Eugenio Suarez had no chance to throw him out, and the game was tied.
Diaz got out of the inning by striking out Randy Arozarena on a two-strike pitch called a ball, and then overturned by Diaz’s challenge of the pitch by the ABS challenge system that was used for the All-Star Game.
All of which led to the swing-off and what could have been a fabulous finish for Alonso.
As it was, he said he was thrilled with his home run in the actual game after deciding to skip Monday's Home Run Derby for the first time in his career.
"That beats any Derby win,” Alonso told reporters in Atlanta. “That’s really special. The Derby is just batting practice at the end of the day. To do it playing in a game against the league’s best, that’s really special.”
Still, it could have been extra special.
Alonso said that during the swing-off, he was in the indoor cage, taking swings and watching Schwarber on a nearby TV monitor.
“He put on a hell of a show,” Alonso said. “I was standing by the cage, saying ‘hell, yeah, Schwarbs.’ I mean he’s my teammate here, so I was rooting for him.
“I was still ready for my moment if it came. Instead, we did it the easy way.”
Aranda came within a couple of feet of tying the swing-off at 4-4 as he hit one high off the wall in right.
All in all, it made for some unexpected drama that can’t be scripted. It was fun without Judge and Ohtani. It would have been a lot more fun with them.
No one wants to see players get hurt in a game, especially if it's during an exhibition. But that was potentially the case for Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
Suarez, playing in his second All-Star Game and a hot name in this trade deadline cycle, especially when it comes to the Mets and Yankees, led off the eighth inning against the White Sox's Shane Smith. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Suarez took a 96 mph fastball to the pinky of his left hand.
The infielder got on one knee in pain while trainers attended to him, but Suarez stayed in the game and ran the bases.
Suarez even played the field in the ninth and made a spectacular throw to get the first out of the inning.
It seemed as though Suarez avoided disaster but the third baseman was supposed to hit for the National League during the first-ever swing-off. He was replaced by the Marlins' Kyle Stowers.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was leading the National League, said after the game that he had Stowers replace Suarez due to the hit-by-pitch. Suarez would tell the media that he received X-rays at Truist Park during the swing-off and that they were negative. He also said he's relieved by the results.
Suarez is having a great season, which is why he's the talk of many a trade rumor recently. At the break, he's slashing .250/.320/.569 with an OPS of .889. His 31 homers are second in the National League, while his 78 RBI lead the league.
He is in the final year of his contract, so he makes the perfect trade deadline acquisition as a rental, especially for a Diamondbacks team (47-50) who are 11 games back of the NL West crown but are still just 5.5 games back in the NL Wild Card.
It was a familiar story for Marcus Bontempelli and his team on the weekend. To mine the stats sheet, no player on the ground had more possessions, tackles, clearances, inside 50s and metres gained. It still wasn’t enough. The Bulldogs lost to a good side, but remain a decidedly lopsided, occasionally exhilarating and increasingly bewildering team.
Leading his team off, the captain had the same look he often gets after losses like that – the wrung-out look of a man asking: “How much more do I have to do here?”
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to shift into a new era. With the organization in a transitional period - and in the midst of a rebuild - the Penguins are putting the focus on youth and development.
And that focus on development is certainly prevalent when examining their new coaching staff.
Fast forward to mid-July, and that clean slate has been written on with nearly an entirely new coaching staff, save for a few. Muse brought on assistants Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino, Rich Clune, and Mike Stothers and added assistant video coach Troy Paquette. The only retentions from Sullivan’s old staff were goaltending coach Andy Chiodo and video coach Madison Nikkel.
GM and POHO Kyle Dubas were clearly going for a different direction, and each coach made the decision to join the staff for different reasons. But they are united in their messaging, as they want to help this team simultaneously maintain its winning culture while putting the focus on a younger generation.
And that work will kick into high gear after all of the initial relationship-building and planning heading into training camp this fall.
“It’s making sure that we’re growing every day and growing an environment that’s going to be extremely competitive, but it’s where the individuals can grow and the group can grow on a daily basis,” Muse said. “I believe a big part of my job is setting that environment there, along with the coaching staff, and making sure that foundation is there right from day one.”
And, beyond Muse - who has spent time both as an NHL assistant and in developmental leagues, namely with USA Hockey and the U.S. National Team Development Program - there is a breadth of developmental experience on the staff.
Nelson won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with the Hershey Bears - AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals - in 2023 and 2024, and he also won one with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017. Between that experience and his NHL experience as an assistant, Nelson knows what it takes to win and develop talent at the same time.
In fact, he thinks those two things work in tandem.
“I think winning is a form of development, to be quite honest with you,” Nelson said. “I’ve always said that if you don’t have success at the minor league level, how do you expect these kids to go up and play in the Stanley Cup playoffs and feel comfortable in those situations? So, it’s a balance.”
He added: “I liked what I heard about what we’re trying to do here,” Nelson said. “To work with some of the talent here, it’s going to be fantastic.”
As head coach of the Bears, Nelson had the opportunity to see some of the Penguins’ young talent firsthand - 12 times last season, to be exact - so he knows what kind of talent is waiting in the wings for the Penguins.
“I saw some of the young talent coming up, and they gave us fits,” Nelson said. “So, it’s an exciting time.”
Stothers, 63, has been involved at all developmental levels, from junior hockey to the AHL to the NHL. His most recent gig was as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks, a position he had to vacate due to a battle with Stage 3 Melanoma of the Lymph Node, but he knew the opportunity with the Penguins was the right one to step back into because of the collaborative nature of the staff and the environment.
"I think it's going to be a collaboration between the three of us, to be honest with you," Stothers said. "There are no right answers, there's no '100 percent' way of doing things.... Everything's well-researched. Everybody does their pre-scouts and everything else. So, it's like a chess match, it really is."
Between Muse, Nelson, Stothers, Bonino, and Clune, Muse is also the only coach who did not play at the NHL level. Having the right mix of playing experience, veteran coaching experience, and experience working with young players should serve this Penguins’ staff well as it looks to the future.
There may be some growing pains, and there will have to be collaboration with Pittsburgh’s veterans in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, too. But Muse is confident in the ability of his chosen staff to build relationships with every player individually and to get the most out of them, wherever they are in their development.
“It’s a nice mix, and everyone knows what to work on and look at this summer," Muse said. "I have a lot of confidence. It’s a hard-working coaching staff, and these guys are going to be putting in the time. And we’ll come back together here at the end of the summer and be able to, kind of, piece some more things together prior to training camp.”
ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber went 3 for 3 in the first All-Star Game home run swing-off to put the National League ahead 4-3 following a 6-6 tie in which the American League rallied from a six-run deficit on Tuesday night.
In baseball’s equivalent of soccer’s penalty-kicks shootout, the game was decided by having three batters from each league take three swings each off coaches. The change was agreed to in 2022 to alleviate the concern of teams running out of pitchers.
Schwarber was named All-Star MVP after going 0 for 2 with a walk in the game.
Brent Rooker put the AL ahead by homering on his last two swings, and Kyle Stowers — subbing for Eugenio Suárez — hit one.
Randy Arozarena boosted the AL lead to 3-1, and Schwarber was successful on all three tries, going down to a knee as he sent the one into the Chop House seats in right.
Jonathan Aranda failed on all three tries, hitting the right-field wall with his second, and the NL didn’t have to use its last batter, two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso, as it won for just the second time in the last 12 All-Star Games. The AL leads 48-45 with two ties.
Ketel Marte’s two-run double in the first had put the NL ahead, and Alonso’s three-run homer off Kris Bubic and Corbin Carroll’s solo shot against Casey Mize opened a 6-0 lead in the sixth.
The AL comeback began when Rooker hit a three-run pinch homer against Randy Rodríguez in a four-run seventh that included Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI groundout.
Robert Suarez allowed consecutive doubles to Byron Buxton and Witt with one out in ninth, and Steven Kwan’s infield hit on a three-hopper to third off Edwin Díaz drove in the tying run.
Joe Torre, the 84-year-old former Yankees manager, went to the mound for a pitching change in the eighth to take the ball from Shane Smith and hand it to Andrés Muñoz. The Hall of Famer was picked as a coach by current New York skipper Aaron Boone, who managed the AL.
Heat on the mound
Paul Skenes, the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game each of his first two seasons, struck out Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in a perfect first that included Aaron Judge’s inning-ending groundout. The 23-year-old right-hander reached 100 mph on four of 14 pitches.
Jacob Misiorowski, a controversial inclusion after pitching in just five major league games in his rookie season, fired nine pitches of 100 mph or more in a one-hit eighth 34 days after his major league debut. The 23-year-old righty, added to the NL roster by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, reached 102.3 mph.
There were 21 pitches of 100 mph or more, down from a record 23 last year but up from 13 in 2023, 10 in 2022 and one in 2021.
Robot umpire debuts
Four of five challenges were successful in the first use of the robot umpire in the All-Star Game
Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson also was successful as the first batter to call for a challenge, reversing a 1-0 fastball from Washington’s MacKenzie Gore in the fifth inning that had been called a strike. Mets closer Edwin Díaz and Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk also won challenges, and Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers lost one.
Earning a hand
Freddie Freeman was removed for Alonso with two outs in the third inning, giving the crowd of 41,702 a chance to cheer a player who spent 12 seasons with the Braves and helped win the 2021 World Series title.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived in a Valentino smoking jacket and Christian Louboutin shoes. Instead of having players line up on the foul lines as they were introduced, they walked to a four-level red podium stretching across the infield dirt with flashing lights, smoke a DJ and dancers.
A first-ever All-Star Game tiebreaker, in the form of a home run swing-off, took place Tuesday night in Atlanta after the American and National League teams played to a 6-6 tie in nine innings.
Three players from each team, including the Mets’ Pete Alonso, lined up to take three swings apiece to decide the game.
But as it turned out, Alonso never got to swing because Kyle Schwarber hit three home runs in three swings to win it as the NL outhomered the AL 4-3.
The AL was leading 3-1 after two home runs by Brent Rooker and one by Randy Arozarena, against one by Kyle Stowers from the NL, when Schwarber hit three to put them ahead.
Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays had a chance to re-take the lead for the AL and leave it up to Alonso, but he failed to hit a home run in three swings, missing one by only a couple of feet high off the right field wall.
The new format was adopted so that managers wouldn’t have to hold back pitchers for the potential of extra innings, allowing as many players as possible the chance to participate in the game.
Here are some takeaways...
-For a long time, it looked like Alonso’s three-run home run in the sixth inning would be the difference in the game, as it gave the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
However, the AL rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth, the last one scoring on an infield hit, a slow roller to third, by Steven Kwan against Edwin Diaz.
Alonso jumped on a 1-0 fastball at 93 mph from KC Royals’ lefty Kris Bubic and drove it over the right field wall for a three-run shot that gave the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
Fernando Tatis Jr. started the inning with a walk and promptly stole second base. Brendan Donovan then grounded a ball to deep short and easily beat Bobby Witt Jr.’s throw to first, as Tatis went to third.
Alonso, who had replaced Freddie Freeman at first base in the third inning, got jammed in his first at-bat against Seattle Mariners’ right-hander Bryan Woo. This time he got a pitch out over the plate and took it to the opposite field for a no-doubter of a home run.
It was the third home run by a Met in an All-Star game, following Lee Mazzilli in 1979 and David Wright in 2006.
There were two other home runs in the game: Diamondbacks’ outfielder Corbin Carroll delivered a solo shot, also in the sixth inning following Alonso, and gave the NL a 6-0 lead.
Rooker hit a three-run shot in the seventh inning off Giants’ right-handed reliever Randy Rodriguez, cutting the NL lead to 6-3 at the time.
The show of power on both sides was fitting for a game that featured an in-game tribute to the late Hank Aaron, the late home run king who played for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Tuesday night’s game was paused going into the top of the seventh as MLB paid tribute to Aaron with a video and light-show reconstruction of sorts of Aaron’s 715th home run in 1974 in Atlanta that broke Babe Ruth’s then record total of 714.
The tribute included Vin Scully’s memorable TV call, played for both the Truist Field crowd and the national TV audience to hear.
The NL led 6-4 going into the ninth but San Diego Padres’ reliever Robert Suarez gave up back-to-back doubles with one out, at which point Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts went to Diaz.
The Mets’ closer was fortunate that Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s one-hop smash down the first base line was fielded by the Braves’ Matt Olson for the second out of the inning. But Kwan then hit a slow roller toward third and easily beat it out as Bobby Witt Jr. scored from third to tie the game.
-Clayton Kershaw, appearing in the game courtesy of a Legends pick by MLB, was mic’d up as he pitched the second inning, and had some fun with it, commenting on each pitch he chose to throw.
He embraced the conversation with Joe Davis and John Smoltz of FOX, and as he went to a 1-2 count on Vlad Guerrero Jr., even invited Smoltz to call the next pitch.
“Smoltzie, what do you want?”
“Cutter in,” Smoltz replied
To which Kershaw feigned indignance, and said, “I don’t throw a cutter, Smoltzie.”
Then he threw a slider that froze Vlad Jr. for strike three, his second out of the inning, at which point Dave Roberts pulled him from the game to get a standing ovation from the crowd.
Yankees’ left-hander Carlos Rodon pitched a scoreless third inning for the AL, allowing one hit, a double by Pete Crow-Armstrong.
-Mets’ left-hander David Peterson pitched a scoreless fourth inning for the NL. He allowed a pair of two-out singles but got Ryan O’Hearn on a soft comebacker to the mound to escape the inning.
-Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie who gained instant fame of sorts by being named to the NL All-Star team after only five starts, showed off his 100-mph-plus fastball while pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
Misiorowski threw nine fastballs at 100 mph or harder, including a few at 102 mph, though he recorded no strikeouts. Instead, he gave up some hard contact but allowed just one hit, on a 94-mph change-up, a single by the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda.
-Eugenio Suarez, a potential trade target for both the Mets and Yankees, was hit on his left hand by a pitch by Chicago White Sox reliever Shane Smith.
Suarez was examined on the field by medical personnel but stayed in the game. He went on to make a nice barehanded play in the ninth on a slow chopper hit by the Royals’ Maikel Garcia, throwing him out by a full stride.
LAS VEGAS — Adam Silver spun it as a step forward, the next step toward NBA expansion. It felt like the NBA's existing owners pumping the brakes on that idea.
What the league will be doing now is a more in-depth study, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the completion of the NBA Board of Governors' meeting. There is no timeline for this study to be completed, let alone a timeframe for cities to be chosen — Seattle and Las Vegas remain the clear frontrunners — or for new owners to buy in at whatever the price point becomes, or for teams to start play.
"It's really day one of that analysis, and so in terms of price, potential timing, it's too early to say," Silver said.
That feels like a setback to a fan base in Seattle that has been waiting for the league to return. It also feels like some owners want to slow the process down, although Silver would spin it as them being deliberate.
"Ultimately, the league office was tasked by our board with doing an in-depth analysis of all the issues around expansion, both economic and non-economic," Silver said after the Board of Governors meeting. "Of course, the non-economic issues include dilution of talent, how it could potentially affect competition throughout the league…
"The economic issues, as we knew would be the case in these discussions among the board, they're very complex because of how you would potentially value the opportunity has a lot to do with your projections on the future growth of the league. Because you are selling equity, and for every additional team you add, you're diluting the economics of the current league."
The economic factors are complex, including the challenge most of the league faces in finding good local broadcast solutions to show their games to their local fans. Then there's franchise valuations — the Celtics recently sold for a valuation of $6.1 billion, and the Lakers sold for a valuation of $10 billion. How much is an expansion franchise worth now, and what will it be worth going forward?
Those economic factors can be worked out if the owners want to, but is there an appetite among the existing 30 owners to expand?
"I think the appetite in the room I would define more as curiosity and more as let's do the work," Silver said. "I think if I were an owner, ultimately what you're considering is, is this additive to the league? And additive can be measured in lots of different ways. There's additive economically, but I think you're also thinking from a competitive standpoint, how would particular markets impact our national footprint?"
Silver has suggested in the past that he thinks the league should expand, but at the end of the day he works for the owners and if they want to go slow, if there is not a consensus to move forward, then Silver is the guy tasked with being the face of the decision to study it more.
Seattle (a lock to get a team) and Las Vegas are the frontrunners to be the league's next franchises, but other cities and entities have reached out to the league. That kind of energy is good for the league, which would like to set a high price and have enough demand to meet it.
What is that price? What are those cities? When will that decision be made? The league will study that in depth, but it will take a while, and this whole process will proceed slowly until then.
Clayton Kershaw and Will Smith bump gloves when Kershaw leaves the game during second inning. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
In a week where so much of the focus was on players who weren’t playing in the All-Star Game, and those who were selected that weren’t seen as deserving, it was the player who had been in more Midsummer Classics than anyone else who delivered the most profound reminder.
Before the start of Major League Baseball’s 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, National League manager Dave Roberts called upon longtime Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw to speak in the clubhouse.
And in an impromptu pregame speech as the team’s elder statesman, Kershaw imparted the most important lesson he’s learned from his 11 All-Star Games.
“The All-Star Game, it can be hard at times for the players,” Kershaw recounted when asked about his message to the team. “It’s a lot of travel, it’s a lot of stress, chaos, family, all this stuff.”
“But,” the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer added, “it’s meaningful, it’s impactful for the game, it’s important for the game. We have the best All-Star Game of any sport. We do have the best product. So to be here, to realize your responsibility to the sport is important … And I just said I was super honored to be part of it.”
Kershaw, admittedly, was picked for this year’s game for more sentimental reasons than anything.
After making only 10 starts in the first half of the year following offseason foot and knee surgeries, the future Hall of Famer was shoehorned in as a “Legend Pick” by commissioner Rob Manfred, getting the nod a week after becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB with 3,000 strikeouts.
The honor made Kershaw feel awkward, with the three-time Cy Young Award winner repeatedly joking that he hadn’t really deserved to return to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2023, despite his 4-1 record and 3.38 ERA so far this season.
At first, he acknowledged, he even had a little hesitancy about participating in this week’s festivities in Atlanta.
“My initial response was just, you don’t ever want to take somebody’s spot,” he said. “You don’t ever want to be a side show.”
A side show, however, Kershaw was not.
Instead, as the man with the most All-Star selections of anyone in this year’s game (and the fourth-most by a pitcher), Kershaw was at the center of one of the most memorable moments from the National League’s win on a tiebreaking home run derby after a 6-6 tie.
Upon entering the game at the start of the second inning, he retired the first two batters he faced; the latter, a strikeout looking of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He then turned to the dugout to see Roberts coming to get him, ending what could very well be his final appearance in the Midsummer Classic (even though, he has made a point of noting, he has not made any decision on retirement after the season).
And as he exited the mound, he was serenaded with one of the night’s loudest ovations, waving a hand in appreciation before blowing a kiss to his family in the stands.
“I didn’t anticipate to be here. I definitely didn’t anticipate to pitch,” Kershaw said. “So it was awesome. So thankful for it now.”
Many others in Atlanta felt the same way about sharing the week with Kershaw.
Shohei Ohtani watches his base hit during the first inning. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
NL starter Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates had the locker next to Kershaw in the Truist Park clubhouse, and joked his only hope was that veteran left-hander wouldn’t get sick of him by the end of the event.
“He’s such a class act, it’s just so impressive,” Skenes said. “We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today, and he had all his kids, and watching him as dad too, it was a cool experience.”
San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb recalled his memories of watching Kershaw while growing up in Northern California.
“I just respect him so much, watching him pitch,” Webb said. “You could’ve asked me five years ago, and you could’ve said Clayton Kershaw was a legend already. He is a legend. I’m just happy I’m able to share a clubhouse with him.”
Kershaw’s lighter side was on display Tuesday, as well, with the pitcher mic’d up with the Fox broadcast team for his brief outing.
“I’m gonna try to throw some cheese real quick, hold on,” he joked while unleashing an 89-mph fastball to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, which turned into a lineout in left thanks to a diving effort from Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs.
“Hey!” Kershaw exclaimed. “That was sick.”
On his first pitch to Guerrero, Kershaw threw another fastball that the Blue Jays' star took for a strike.
“Right down the middle,” Kershaw said. “I’m so glad he didn’t swing.”
When Guerrero got to a 1-and-1 count after a curveball in the dirt, Kershaw contemplated his next pitch.
“I think I probably gotta go slider,” he said. “Let’s see what Will thinks.”
Behind the plate, teammate Will Smith instead called for a curveball.
“Nope, he wants curveball again,” Kershaw laughed. “All right, fine.”
Guerrero swung through it — “Oh, got him,” he said — before freezing on a slider two pitches later for a called third strike.
“I’m getting blown up by former teammates saying, ‘Wow, you’ve changed so much,’ and they’re right,” Kershaw joked afterward, acknowledging his once-fiery demeanor never would have allowed him to embrace an in-game interview like that. “I don’t think I would’ve ever done that [in the past]. But it was actually kind of fun.”
Really, that was the theme of Kershaw’s whole week.
Reluctantly accepting his stature as one of the game’s most decorated players. Accepting an invitation designed to honor his career accomplishments. And providing a reminder of the All-Star Game’s meaning, in what will perhaps be his last time on such a stage.
“It’s a very awesome, special thing to get to come to All-Star Games,” he said. “I remember the first one, how special that was. And I don’t think a lot has changed for me over the years to get to come to these things. So I don’t take that for granted. I think it’s really awesome. I mean, I shouldn’t be here anyway, so it’s very possible this could be my last one. So it was just a very awesome night, special.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels argue in a recent court filing that a federal securities class action brought by purchasers of WBD stock is without merit. The plaintiffs say they were misled by WBD’s statements and omissions about negotiations for a new NBA TV deal last year.
Jonathan D. Polkes and other White & Case attorneys representing WBD, Zaslav and Widenfels insist the lawsuit is undercut by “wall-to-wall media coverage of the negotiations” between WBD and the NBA over media rights, talks that spiraled into their own legal controversy.
After WBD and the NBA, who had been in a 40-year partnership, failed to reach a deal during an exclusive negotiation period, the NBA weighed outside bids and accepted ones from NBCUniversal and Amazon. WBD then invoked a matching provision, but the league rejected it. The NBA argued it was not a “match” in a technical sense since it came with revisions to Amazon’s offer, and there was disagreement about whether WBD could distribute NBA games through streaming in the same manner as Amazon. WBD sued the NBA last July for alleged breach of its matching right. The parties settled last November and agreed to a new partnership.
That same month, Richard Collura and other investors filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York for violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint portrays WBD officials as misleading investors as to its ability to employ the matching clause and “omitting the significant financial impact WBD would face if it lost NBA rights.”
To that end, the complaint references comments from Zaslav, including from 2022 when he told journalists, “we don’t have to have the NBA.” The complaint also cites comments by Zaslav in 2024 when he referenced “constructive and productive” negotiations with the league and when he stated, “we have matching rights that allow us to match third-party offers before the NBA enters into an agreement with them.”
In addition, the complaint details stock price fluctuations that appeared to be connected to public perceptions about the WBD-NBA negotiations and subsequent fallout. Along those lines, the complaint points out that a “main driver” for WBD and similar broadcast companies is live sports.
“The NBA generated hundreds of millions of dollars annually in advertising revenue, supported WBD’s other sports-related shows, and allowed WBD to charge high carriage rates to cable and satellite providers,” the complaint asserts. It also contends that “the NBA provided WBD with a ‘halo effect’ that boosted all of WBD’s other properties, as well as contributed towards WBD’s non-tangible assets like goodwill.”
WBD’s memorandum of law in support of the motion to dismiss contends the case is flawed for several reasons.
For starters, the WBD-NBA negotiations were extremely public in ways that investors and prospective investors of publicly traded companies are normally denied.
“It was impossible to read the sports pages or watch ESPN,” the memorandum notes, “without knowing about the ongoing NBA negotiations, that the negotiations were being monitored obsessively by the media, the industry, and the public, that the outcome was uncertain, and that the outcome would have a financial impact on both WBD and the NBA.”
Numerous news and analysis stories about the negotiations are cited to show investors were exposed to high levels of information about the negotiations.
The memorandum also points out investors and prospective investors could have availed themselves of “the steady drumbeat of disclosures in WBD’s public filings and statements specifically discussing these facts.” Those disclosures, including SEC filings, “expressly warned of the risks” for WBD in losing the NBA deal, including with respect to revenue and goodwill and the importance of maintaining sports content licenses.
Further, the memorandum draws attention to numerous comments by Zaslav saying negotiations with the NBA were important. The fact that he declined to share all the specifics about the negotiations was to be expected, the memorandum suggests, since business leaders in private negotiations with other companies’ leaders could betray confidences and undermine their bargaining position by revealing too much detail.
From this lens, it wasn’t problematic that Zaslav said during an earnings call in May 2024—a couple of months before a matching period would begin—it was “not the time to discuss” details in the NBA negotiations. During that call he also addressed related topics that were not as sensitive, including “costs, churn and [WBD’s] initiatives on bundles.”
WBD also points out that statements made by Zaslav and Wiedenfels were accurate and true. The two men noted that matching rights existed, which was undisputed, without assuring they would be able to exercise those rights without objection by the NBA.
“In fact, the speculation about whether WBD could effectively exercise those rights was also widely discussed in the media,” the memorandum observes. To that point, Sportico and other media detailed dueling arguments as to whether matching rights could apply to the structure of Amazon’s deal, a topic that became the source of a lawsuit before it was resolved via settlement.
Still another alleged flaw with the complaint, WBD argues, is that the company knew it would fail to keep the NBA but nonetheless acted as if the negotiations were legitimate.
The complaint argues that the “quick resolution of WBD’s lawsuit against the NBA” is evidence to that effect. The complaint notes that the parties settled “less than four months after WBD filed its lawsuit” and “before any discovery had been completed.”
As the plaintiffs see it, the lawsuit-settlement sequence “demonstrated that, far from believing in their ability to enforce the Matching Clause, Defendants knew that they could not and did not use the Matching Clause to retain the NBA Rights, and instead filed their lawsuit as a face-saving measure and negotiation tactic that WBD quickly abandoned.”
WBD suggests that a theory positing, as WBD puts it, “Defendants knew all along that they would lose the NBA contract and that the months of negotiations were a sham” is illogical and belied by facts.
“Glaringly absent,” WBD writes, “are any particularized allegations to support this argument of fraud-by-clairvoyance.” The company instead cites a more “straightforward inference” that “WBD was engaged in tough negotiations with the NBA and hoped it would secure the NBA rights, but, ultimately, the NBA chose competing offers.”
The plaintiffs will have the chance to argue against the motion to dismiss. The case is before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
