Hawks 14.17.101 beat Crows 10.7.67 in semi-final at Adelaide Oval
First minor premiers to exit in ‘straight sets’ for 42 years
Five goals from veteran Jack Gunston and another Jai Newcombe midfield masterclass have powered Hawthorn to a stirring 34-point semi-final triumph against Adelaide.
The Hawks will meet fierce rivals Geelong in a preliminary final after their 14.17 (101) to 10.7 (67) victory win at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
Continue reading...Why Red Sox should do whatever it takes to keep Alex Bregman in Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
For the first time since 2021, the Boston Red Sox are playing meaningful baseball past Labor Day. And Alex Bregman’s role in that development can’t be overstated.
The on-field stats are impressive enough. At 31 years old, Bregman is enjoying his best season since 2019, with a .279 batting average, 16 home runs and 57 RBI through 101 games. He leads all Red Sox regulars (minimum 90 games played) in on-base percentage (.362) and OPS (.862) while playing a Gold Glove-caliber third base.
But Bregman might be making a bigger impact off the field, where he’s served as an instrumental veteran leader for a young team that traded away its best player (Rafael Devers) in June and has thrust several recently-promoted prospects into key roles.
Not only has the two-time World Series champion served as a de facto hitting coach for younger players in the clubhouse, he’s also been feeding a steady stream of intel to Red Sox pitchers, which The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey highlighted in an excellent story Thursday.
“Bregman has a habit, according to teammates, of reaching out at all hours with some idea or tidbit geared toward Sox excellence,” Healey wrote. “Whereas almost all hitters are content to remain in their realm, Bregman finds time to — and takes pride in — pitching in with the pitchers.
“He studies opposing teams’ lineups to offer game-planning tips, converses one-on-one with hurlers about their repertoire and a hitter’s perspective on to maximize it, and serves as a ringleader encouraging hitter/pitcher cross-communication that, around the sport, is not common.”
That’s all to say chief baseball officer Craig Breslow deserves his flowers for signing Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract this offseason. But Breslow’s work with Bregman isn’t done.
Bregman’s contract includes opt-outs after each season, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last week that the veteran third baseman is likely to opt out this winter to seek a more lucrative deal in free agency. While the Red Sox could prevent that scenario by agreeing to an extension with Bregman before the season ends, his agent, Scott Boras, shot down that idea this week.
“We’re at the point now where you wait until the offseason and see what transpires,” Boras told Audacy’s Rob Bradford. “Obviously, I think he’s very open about it. He has enjoyed it there. The team has more defined promise than it did a year ago. With free agency, you have to see how things go.”
Boras and Bregman will have plenty of leverage. According to Passan, Bregman likely will seek “the five-year-plus deal at an average annual value of $35 million-plus that eluded him last winter.” And the league’s big spenders — the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies — could be willing to open up their checkbooks after Bregman’s strong 2025 campaign.
So, should the Red Sox, who haven’t acted like a big-market team since Dave Dombrowski’s departure six years ago, really enter a bidding war for a third baseman who will turn 32 next March?
The short answer is yes.
Boston does have some leverage in that Bregman seems to be enjoying his experience at Fenway. The 10-year veteran recently told USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale that the 2025 Red Sox remind him of his “earlier years in Houston” — when the Astros were building a multi-time World Series champion — and added, “It’s a lot of fun to be in this environment.”
Even if Boras is hell-bent on taking the highest bid, however, the Red Sox still should be willing to pony up.
From young superstar Roman Anthony to recently-promoted hurlers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, the Sox have a serious collection of young talent. And if Trevor Story doesn’t opt out of his contract this offseason, they’ll return essentially every core member of this year’s roster in 2026.
In short, these Red Sox are worth investing in — even if that means “overpaying” for the veteran leader who eventually could put them over the top.
With 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Mets are looking to hold off a handful of teams for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of play on Sept. 12.
Next up: vs. Rangers, Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY (Jonah Tong vs. Jacob deGrom)
Latest result: 6-4 loss to Phillies on Thursday
Remaining schedule: 3 vs. TEX, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA
Odds to make playoffs: 77.9 percent
*Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets
Next up: @ Athletics, Friday at 10:05 p.m. (Brady Singer vs. J.T. Ginn)
Latest result: 2-1 win over Padres on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ ATH, 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL
Odds to make playoffs: 12.6 percent
Next up: vs. Dodgers, Friday at 10:15 p.m. (Justin Verlander vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto)
Latest result: 5-3 loss to D-backs on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL
Odds to make playoffs: 8.2 percent
Next up: @ Twins, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Brandon Pfaadt vs. Pablo Lopez)
Latest result: 5-3 win over Giants on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIN, 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD
Odds to make playoffs: 1.9 percent
Next up: @ Brewers, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Andre Pallante vs. Quinn Priester)
Latest result: 4-2 loss to Mariners on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIL, 3 vs. CIN, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ SF, 3 @ CHC
Odds to make playoffs: 0.8 percent
Melbourne Storm 26-18 Canterbury Bulldogs
Visitors hampered by early loss of Stephen Crichton
Melbourne have earned a week off after locking down a preliminary final with a 26-18 victory over a gallant Canterbury, who played much of the match without injured skipper Stephen Crichton.
The top-four teams opened the NRL finals series at AAMI Park on Friday night, with the home side edging the Bulldogs, who were hunting their first play-off victory in 10 years.
Continue reading...Giants announce historic matchup vs. Mexican League team before 2026 MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Giants announced an exciting new exhibition matchup that will take place just before the start of the 2026 MLB season.
San Francisco will host the Sultanes de Monterrey, a Mexican League baseball team, for two games on Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24 at Oracle Park. The Giants, as part of their ongoing commitment to celebrate and uplift the Latino community, per a press release from the team, also will debut a new Gigantes uniform during the series.
“We are honored to welcome the Sultanes de Monterrey to Oracle Park,” Giants chief marketing officer Rachel Heit said. “Baseball connects cultures and communities, and this series embodies the importance of honoring our diverse fanbase and the Latino community in San Francisco and beyond.
“Together with the Sultanes, we look forward to creating an unforgettable experience for fans of both teams.”
In addition to the games, festivities at Oracle Park will include the following:
Former Giants pitcher Sergio Romo, who currently is an analyst on NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants pregame and postgame coverage, explained the significance of this series for him.
“As a Mexican American, this series is especially meaningful to me,” Romo said. “The Giants and Sultanes sharing the field at Oracle Park will showcase the unifying power of baseball and shine a spotlight on the passion our communities share for the sport.”
The Sultanes de Monterrey are equally as excited.
“We are thrilled to play the Giants and for our fans to enjoy the game at the highest level,” Sultanes de Monterrey co-president Ing. Francisco González Albuerne said. “Baseball is a sport that unites families and communities, and the Sultanes are committed to sharing beyond borders that baseball is much more than a game, it’s a lifestyle full of passion and hope.”
“For Sultanes de Monterrey, it is an honor to face the San Francisco Giants — a privilege we embrace with great enthusiasm and commitment,” co-president of Sultanes de Monterrey Pepe Maiz added. “This game is an opportunity to share with their fans the passion and tradition of Mexican baseball, which we have proudly represented for decades.
“I am confident it will be a historic occasion that brings our communities together and leaves a lasting memory for both clubs.”
The Philadelphia Flyers may appear set at the goalie position at the NHL level this year, but anything can happen, and the book isn't closed on prospect Aleksei Kolosov yet.
Lamentable performances in net over the last few seasons, including from Kolosov himself, have largely doomed the Flyers to their lack of success.
An offseason addition of Dan Vladar is expected to help stabilize incumbent starter Sam Ersson and give the Flyers a reliable duo, but Ersson, too, is guilty of struggling. He's also been bedeviled by injuries, which can anecdotally be attributed to his increased workload.
Knowing that, Flyers GM Danny Briere already warned that he expects Kolosov and Russian counterpart Ivan Fedotov to be ready when called upon.
In a press conference Wednesday, Flyers president Keith Jones echoed that sentiment, advising that the book is not closed on either Fedotov or the enigmatic Kolosov.
"We had hoped their ability to adjust would occur quicker than it did. I wouldn't write off either guy, Fedotov or Kolosov," Jones said. "Kolosov is obviously younger and is an extremely athletic goaltender. And, if he can put all the pieces together in the future, he could turn into a very good goaltender."
The question, for some Flyers fans, will be about Kolosov's commitment to patience and playing his role.
NHL Suspends Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Until DecemberAccording to a report, former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and the four other players involved in the Hockey Canada trial will be suspended until Dec. 1.
The 23-year-old Belarusian ultimately arrived, albeit late, to training camp last year, and made his NHL debut as early as Oct. 27.
Despite that, though, Kolosov's hot start flamed out, and he was sent to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
There were many occasions last season where the Flyers' former third-round pick sat in the press box as the third goalie in the NHL, which did his development no favors.
"He'll be here, and we're excited about that, too. He has an opportunity, just like everybody else, to come in and show what he has," Jones added. "Developmentally, we would prefer that last year he spent a little more time in the American Hockey League. It just was not in the cards. I wouldn't do it differently, but I'm excited about the depth that we have."
Jones was also sure to note that the Flyers are "happy" to have Vladar, and that Kolosov and Fedotov will have to prove they have the chops to cut it at the NHL level. For real this time.
Flyers: Where Is Egor Zavragin?Top Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Egor Zavragin has yet to play for his KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, in the early goings of the 2025-26 season.
Fortunately for both, and especially the youngster Kolosov, the Flyers seem intent on giving their homegrown guys one last opportunity to carve out an NHL path.
The Florida Panthers were back on the ice in Fort Lauderdale this week.
A group of the team’s best and brightest prospects gathered in South Florida ahead of the 2025 Prospect Showcase taking place in Wesley Chapel, just outside of Tampa.
It runs from Friday to Monday, with the Panthers facing prospects from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes in a round-robin.
Florida’s roster consists of 25 players, broken down to 15 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.
Coaching the Panthers prospects once again this year is Florida’s AHL head coach, Geordie Kinnear.
“The Rookie Tournament is a great opportunity for these guys to keep getting evaluated, but also an opportunity to get better, to get a little taste of playing competitive hockey against your peers,” Kinnear said.
On Thursday, the Panthers’ prospects gathered at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale for some practice and meetings before heading north to the Tampa area.
You can check out footage from Thursday’s practice in the video below:
Forward Gracyn Sawchyn, who Florida selected in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, is gearing up for his first professional season after signing his entry level contract earlier this year.
“I’m a lot closer to the guys now, so it’s good to be around everybody again,” said Sawchyn.
He’s playing in his third, and ultimately last, prospect tournament.
“Every year has been a little bit different,” he said. “I think the biggest thing for me is just trying to play a mature game. Do that this weekend, and hopefully carry that on to training camp with the big guys.”
Florida’s three-game schedule kicks off on Friday afternoon against the prospects from Carolina.
Here is the Panthers schedule:
Friday, Sept. 12 at 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 13 at 5:00 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay
Monday, Sept. 15 at 12:00 p.m. vs. Nashville
All games are open to the public and free to attend, and the Panthers previously said all games would be streamed online as well.
Florida’s full 25-man roster can be seen below:
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Ramp to Camp: Exploring the best non-reunion games on Celtics' schedule originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Our favorite NBA Draft actually occurs in August.
Right after the league releases the schedule for the upcoming campaign, season ticket holders often huddle to divide packages split among friends and family. And the proceedings can be electric.
We’ve heard from multiple ticket-holders how much time and energy goes into plotting their draft strategy. Is opening night a first-round pick that year? (It certainly was last year.) How long will the lone Lakers visit stay on the board? Which opposing players are must-see when they come to Boston?
For Day 10 of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel to pick one Celtics game in the 2025-26 season that they’d target. But we also instituted a few rules:
1. You can’t pick a tribute game. As we documented in Day 9 of the series, there likely will be four games this season in which a core member of the 2024 title team returns to the Garden and be honored for their time here. Those games will come off the board early.
2. You can’t pick Cooper Flagg’s first visit to Boston on March 6. Oh, you want to see the New England-bred rookie? Yeah, you and the rest of Maine. Get in line, buddy.
3. There were no restrictions on picking a road game. And, if we’re being honest, we encourage every Celtics fan to make a trek. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate TD Garden that much more.
We’re clearly making our panel work a bit here. Help me find some hidden gems. Give me a game with a storyline that isn’t so obvious. We probably should have told our panel no Lakers games either, especially with Marcus Smart now donning the purple and gold. But we don’t blame those who leaned that way. It’d be near the top of our list, too.
Here are five other home games we would target once the more obvious dates went off the board:
1. November 26 vs. Detroit. Not only are Cade Cunningham and the Pistons one of our favorite young teams to watch, but we get a 5 p.m. ET tip on Thanksgiving Eve. And it’s an NBA Cup game. What a way to kick off an extended holiday weekend.
2. December 28 at Portland. We’re skirting the rules here by using Christmas break to make a cross-country dash to see Celtics-Blazers.
Not only will it be Jrue Holiday’s first game against Boston, but it could be Robert Williams III’s first game against the Celtics, too. Time Lord hasn’t played in any of the four C’s-Blazers matchups since his departure. We’d fly 2,500 miles for that.
3. November 1 vs. Houston. The Rockets made a pretty big acquisition this summer (and we’re not just talking about JD Davison on a two-way deal).
Give us a Saturday primetime matchup with Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka, and a Houston team that has big goals this season.
4. February 8, 2026 vs. New York. The Celtics are back to hosting a Super Bowl matinee, and we get a divine 12:30 p.m. ET tip at the Garden. Even better, this one falls just a few days after the trade deadline, so there’s a good chance you’d see any player acquired in a move.
5. Any game in March or April at the Garden. Look, I have no idea if the Celtics will even entertain the idea of putting Jayson Tatum back on the court this season. Later in this series, we’ll ask our panel to predict his return date. But if we’re looking for a high-reward game, then we’re rolling the dice on a potential return after the All-Star break.
Let’s check what our panel came up with:
I wanted to choose a deep cut, but the answer is obvious: Celtics vs. Lakers on December 5.
There are too many good storylines here, from LeBron James potentially playing his last game in Boston, to Luka Doncic’s return to the scene of the 2024 NBA Finals crime, to Marcus Smart playing in just his second game against his old team — as a member of its longtime nemesis.
I’m cheating and picking two games: November 7 and 9 at the OrlandoMagic.
It’s an odd choice because I actually despise watching games played in that arena. But I’m using last season’s Magic as a measuring stick for this season’s Celtics team.
Last year, Orlando was perfectly .500 at 41-41, good enough for the seventh seed in the East. With Boston’s expectations plummeting in Jayson Tatum’s absence, can the Celtics still be on the level of a mediocre Eastern Conference team that makes the playoffs? I think they should. Those two games will provide a real look.
December 26 at the Indiana Pacers.
Why? Joe Mazzulla is so maniacal that he’ll fabricate bulletin-board material even if it’s something silly. The Celtics not earning a spot in the Christmas Day lineup for the first time in a decade is a real slight. That doesn’t need fabrication.
I’m banking on Mazzulla coaching his ass off en route to a one-sided road win against a fellow playoff team.
December 5 vs. the Lakers.
Boston vs L.A. is big enough, but mix in LeBron James and Luka Doncic coming to town, along with a returning Marcus Smart, and you got a formula for must-see TV. Oh, and it is a Friday night, so I expect a very loud TD Garden.
Timberwolves vs. Celtics on March 22.
The battle of Georgia natives Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown turns into a mano-a-mano scoring showdown.
Easy answer: October 24 at the Knicks.
I don’t like the Knicks. I don’t like Knicks fans. I don’t like the fact they ended the Celtics’ season last year and I blame them for Jayson Tatum rupturing his Achilles. I NEED REVENGE (in the form of a Celtics win inside MSG)!
This is somewhat unfair because I still love any Warriors game, but I guess that gets eliminated as an option if Horford ends up there. I’ll go with a few others: Opening Night against the 76ers.
I’m so curious to see how this team plays, from the energy I expect they’ll play with to the new-look rotation to how Jaylen Brown looks Plus, you can only watch it on NBC Sports Boston (shameless plug).
The other one for me is the back-to-back with the Timberwolves and Thunder on March 22 and 25. I think the Celtics are going to be scrapping their way to a top-four seed in the East, and I always love these measuring-stick games late in the season. Good players on both teams and top competition.
December 5 against the Lakers.
There are few things I enjoy more than Jaylen Brown ruining Luka Doncic’s night.
Aready with a loss on its ledger, No. 8 Notre Dame faces a game against No. 17 Texas A&M that could put its College Football Playoff hopes in peril.
As he bids for a fourth Finals Day title, Hampshire’s captain is enjoying a new life in Dubai as a T20 freelancer with few regrets over his England career
Finals Day beckons for James Vince this Saturday and to call it familiar territory would be an understatement. This is Hampshire’s 11th appearance at the T20 Blast’s annual jamboree – a record they share with Somerset – and their captain is the only man to play in every one.
However, Hampshire’s relationship with Finals Day is one of extremes: three titles, in 2010, 2012 and 2022 – a fourth would be the outright record – and seven times on the first bus home after a semi-final exit. “We have never lost a quarter-final either,” says Vince, in a freewheeling chat over the phone that spans his new freelance life, England and even sandpaper.
Continue reading...A former Colorado interim football coach says Ryan Staub is the best quarterback of the bunch for coach Deion Sanders, even though he's not as hyped
Joey Aguilar has made Tennessee think it didn't need Nico Iamaleava. Now, he can certify it by ending the losing streak to the Bulldogs.
Boxing’s biggest fight in years takes place on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Here’s everything you need to know about Canelo v Crawford, including how, when and why to watch
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Terence Crawford, two of the most accomplished boxers of the past 20 years, will climb through the ropes on Saturday night in Las Vegas for one of the sport’s biggest events in years.
Álvarez, 35, will be defending his undisputed super middleweight title at his natural 168lb. Crawford, 37, is attempting the jump of a lifetime: moving up two full divisions to that weight for the first time after winning his fourth world title last year in his 154lb debut. That size gap is at the heart of Saturday’s intrigue. And because the fight will be carried globally on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers, it could draw the largest audience ever for a major championship bout.
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