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Suns’ poor decision making is becoming hard to ignore

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 21: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 21, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Saturday night marked the fifth straight loss for the Phoenix Suns, and you can feel the frustration starting to seep in. On the surface, the reasons are clear. The team is banged up. The injury report before games reads like a CVS receipt. It is long, it is exhausting, and it impacts everything. But even with that, they are right there late. But their poor decisions are costing them the opportunity to win.

They are in the game, within reach, close enough to grab it, and then it slips. They run out of gas. They run out of options. They run out of answers. Execution fades, possessions tighten, and the game gets taken from them. That is where this frustration lives. Because it is not about being blown out, it is about being close and not finishing.

After the loss to San Antonio, I was not mad. I was disappointed. There is a difference.

This one hits different. Losing to Milwaukee without Giannis brings out something else. This is not a powerhouse version of the Bucks. This is a team that is navigating the end of its season with a different agenda, one that includes positioning for the future. You can see it, and you can feel it. And still, the Suns could not take advantage.

That is where the frustration comes from. Because the opportunity was there. Another winnable game, another moment to stop the slide. And once again, it slipped away.

And it keeps coming back to the same place late in games. Devin Booker.

He is the highest-paid player on the floor. He is the one who is supposed to take control when things tighten, when possessions matter most. That is the expectation and that is the responsibility. Right now, it is not showing up consistently. You watch Ryan Rollins (who?) attack the rim without hesitation, getting downhill, putting pressure on the defense. Then you watch Booker settle. Midrange looks that are not falling. Turnovers at the worst times. Situational decisions that leave you scratching your head, like taking a two when you are down three with under 20 seconds left.

Those are the moments. Those are the possessions that define games, and right now, they are not going Phoenix’s way. Booker is the one who has to change that.

Did he look hurt? Yeah, there were moments where you could see it. A slight hobble, a lack of burst, something that did not look quite right. And maybe that is part of the explanation for a 4-of-17 night and only 14 points. But if that is the case, then adjust. Dictate the offense, do not become it. Lean into the guys around you. Let Collin Gillespie organize. Let Jalen Green attack. Let Jordan Goodwin bring that energy and pressure. Use your gravity to create opportunities rather than forcing yourself into every possession.

Because when you try to carry it while not at full strength, it can swing the wrong way. And in this one, it did. Yes, the team is injured. That is real. But it cannot be an excuse for poor decision-making. That is what is fueling this losing streak.

You look at a moment like tonight, up 91–84, with control of the game starting to tilt your way. Jalen Green was rolling, feeling it, and instead of settling into a quality possession, he pulled up for a 27-foot three. A heat check. And it missed. Momentum gone. That is the difference. Those are the possessions that matter. Not the highlight plays, not the runs, the decisions in between. The ones that either steady you or derail you. Right now, they are derailing the Suns.

The injuries make everything harder. They shorten the margin and they force different lineups and roles. But the decisions are what swing games, and too often, Phoenix is making the wrong one at the wrong time.

We know help is coming. The troops are on the sideline, and at some point, the opportunity to turn this around should be there. The problem is that the clock is not slowing down. The season is entering its final stretch, and the runway is getting shorter.

We gave Jalen Green about 20 games to find his legs and get comfortable again. What does that timeline look like for Dillon Brooks or Mark Williams? That is where this gets tricky.

It is a strange place to be. This is a team that has overachieved relative to preseason expectations, and now it feels like it is drifting back toward them. Injuries are the primary driver, everyone understands that. Still, you need more from your max player. That is part of the deal. Because even with everything working against them, the Suns have been in these games. They are right there. They simply cannot finish, and that is where the frustration turns into anger.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

It is funny how this works. I sit here writing about different players and how the Suns could best utilize them, and then they hear it. I say Collin Gillespie should probably move to the bench now, start getting comfortable in the role he will have once Dillon Brooks returns.

His response? 24 points. 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.

So maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe I should keep writing those pieces, keep pushing buttons, keep saying what players cannot do. Because every time it happens, it feels like they go out and prove the opposite. And Gillespie did exactly that against San Antonio.

That performance gave him his 11th Bright Side Baller of the season, second only to Devin Booker. That says a lot about this season, about who he is, and about what he is becoming.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 71 against the Bucks. Here are your nominees:

Jalen Green
24 points (9-of-17, 3-of-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, -14 +/-

Collin Gillespie
18 points (6-of-13, 4-of-11 3PT), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover, -1 +/-

Devin Booker
14 points (4-of-17, 2-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, +3 +/-

Ryan Dunn
12 points (5-of-9, 2-of-5 3PT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 block, +1 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
12 points (6-of-8), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -11 +/-

Jordan Goodwin
11 points (4-of-9, 2-of-6 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -3 +/-

How’s about a ‘lil Sunday morning voting?

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Game Preview #72 – Timberwolves at Celtics

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 02: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball against Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at Target Center on January 02, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Celtics defeated the Timberwolves 118-115. 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. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Minnesota Timberwolves at Boston Celtics
Date: March 22nd, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
Location: TD Garden
Television Coverage: NBC, Peacock, Telemundo
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio

There’s a certain kind of loss that tells you everything you need to know about a team.

Not the buzzer-beater losses. Not the “we got unlucky” losses. Not even the “their best guy went nuclear” losses. I’m talking about the ones where you can rewind the tape, pause it in the middle of the second quarter, and say, “this is where it slipped away”, even if the final margin comes down to one possession and a corner three.

Friday night against Portland? That was one of those.

The Timberwolves had the opportunity sitting right there in front of them: finish the homestand 3–0, stack another win without Anthony Edwards, and create a little breathing room in the Western Conference standings. Instead, they walked away with a loss that dropped them from the fourth seed to the sixth. Minnesota now finds itself in a three-way tie with Houston and Denver, and, because the Wolves won’t allow themselves to have nice things, they hold none of the tie-breakers.

The worst part? You can’t even chalk it up to bad luck.

Yes, the final defensive sequence is what everyone will remember. Minnesota was clinging to a one-point lead and needed one defensive stop. Just one. And instead, they give up offensive rebound after offensive rebound, can’t secure the ball, can’t finish the possession, and eventually Jerami Grant is standing in the corner with six seconds left on the shot clock like he’s at an open gym, calmly drilling the go-ahead three.

Game over.

But if you think that’s why the Wolves lost, you weren’t paying attention. This game was lost long before Grant’s shot. It was lost on the glass. It was lost in the paint. And most of all, it was lost during a second quarter stretch that felt like watching a car skid off black ice in slow motion.

Portland scored on 10 of 11 possessions. It wasn’t just bad defense. It was a complete breakdown of structure, communication, and effort. The perimeter defense fell apart, which meant driving lanes opened up like automatic doors at a grocery store. The Blazers got uncontested looks at the rim. Minnesota couldn’t string together stops. And on the other end, the Wolves looked like five guys who had just met each other in the parking lot.

Ball movement? Gone. Shot selection? Questionable at best. Rhythm? Nonexistent.

By the time the dust settled, Minnesota was down 17 points, and the game had already tilted in a way that made everything else harder than it needed to be.

Now, to their credit, the Wolves did what they’ve done a handful of times this season. They fought back. They erased the deficit. They actually took the lead by the end of the third quarter and gave themselves a chance to win.

But that’s kind of the problem with this team, isn’t it? They’re constantly asking themselves to be perfect late because they weren’t disciplined early.

If they don’t dig that 17-point hole, they don’t need that final stop. If they don’t get outworked on the boards all night, maybe Portland doesn’t even have a chance to take that shot. If they defend with purpose for 48 minutes instead of 40, maybe we’re talking about a professional, workmanlike win instead of another postmortem.

At this point in the season, there are no moral victories. Not with the standings this tight. Not with the playoffs looming. Not when every game swings three spots in the bracket depending on how things break. Here’s the reality now: the Wolves have gone from flirting with the three seed to sitting in the six, tied with Houston and Denver, holding zero tiebreakers, and staring at a schedule that does them absolutely no favors. And oh yeah… Anthony Edwards is still out.

So now the conversation shifts from “can they climb?” to “can they survive?” Because coming up next is Boston, then Houston, and then Detroit. That’s not a stretch you ease into while trying to rediscover your identity. That’s a stretch that exposes you if you don’t have one.

Let’s start with Boston, because that’s the immediate problem. The Celtics are getting healthier. Jayson Tatum is back. Jaylen Brown is still Jaylen Brown. They’re one of the most complete teams in the league when they’re right, and unlike Minnesota, they’ve shown an ability to weather adversity without completely losing their footing.

And if we’re being honest, it’s not entirely clear how the Wolves match up with them right now without Edwards. Which doesn’t mean they can’t win. It just means the margin for error is basically nonexistent. So if they’re going to pull this off, it’s going to require a level of discipline and execution we haven’t consistently seen.

Here are the keys to the game…

#1 – Value every single possession.

The Wolves have had a bad habit lately of being careless with the ball and sloppy with their decisions, which often turn into easy transition opportunities. You cannot give Boston free points. Every possession has to mean something. Every pass has to have purpose. If Minnesota starts gifting the Celtics extra chances, this thing could get out of hand quickly.

#2 – Win the rebounding battle.

On Friday night, Portland outworked them, plain and simple. Boston doesn’t have a Donovan Clingan-type rim presence, but they absolutely will scrap, rotate, and crash when the opportunity is there. Rudy Gobert needs to be a vacuum. Julius Randle, who, let’s be honest, had a rough night against Portland, needs to be better. Nothing deflates a team faster than playing 20 seconds of good defense and then giving up an offensive rebound and a reset.

#3 – Hunt high-efficiency offense.

The second quarter against Portland was a masterclass in what not to do. Forced shots. Stagnant possessions. Hero ball without the hero. Against Boston, that’s a death sentence. This needs to be a connected offense. That means feeding Gobert around the rim, getting McDaniels and Randle downhill, and creating clean looks for guys like DiVincenzo, Bones, and Ayo. You’re not going to out-talent Boston without Edwards. You have to out-execute them.

#4 – Do not allow the avalanche. We’ve seen it too many times this season. A bad three-minute stretch turns into a bad five-minute stretch, which turns into a double-digit deficit that suddenly feels insurmountable. Boston is one of the best “run” teams in the league. They smell blood, and they go on those 12–2 bursts that flip games. Minnesota has to recognize those moments early. That’s on the players to stay mentally locked in, and it’s on Chris Finch to hit the timeout button before things spiral.

#5 – This has to be a Julius Randle game.

There’s just no way around it. Without Edwards, there isn’t a version of this game where the Wolves win and Randle is just “fine.” He has to be great. Not just as a scorer, but as a leader, a rebounder, a defender, a facilitator. Friday night was probably his worst performance of the week, and it showed. The engagement wasn’t there. The physicality wasn’t there, and it cost Minnesota the game.

The good news? We’ve seen the version of Julius that can carry this team. The one who attacks, who bodies people, who makes quick decisions, who bends the defense and opens everything up for everyone else. That version exists. Minnesota needs him to find it again… immediately.

This week isn’t about aesthetics. It’s not about style points. It’s not about proving anything to the national media or climbing some imaginary power rankings.

It’s about survival.

The Wolves had a chance to make things easier on themselves Friday night, and they let it slip. Now the margin is thinner, the schedule is tougher, and the stakes are higher.

They don’t have to be perfect, but they do have to be better.

And they have to figure it out quickly, because the standings aren’t going to wait for them to get comfortable.

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Preview: Colorado Looks to Capitalize Once More Against Washington

Jan 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren (79) watches a shot from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) as center Connor McMichael (24) defends in the third period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Colorado Avalanche are bound for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season!

Today, their final road swing through the Eastern Conference sees them in a brunchtime visit to Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Capitals in a bid to sustain their Central Division lead.

Colorado Avalanche (45-13-10)

The Opponent: Washington Capitals (35-27-8)

Time: 10:30 A.M. MDT/12:30 P.M. EDT

Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Local Broadcast Area), MNMT (Washington Capitals Broadcast Area Only), NHL Network, NHL Center Ice (Outside Regional Broadcast Areas – US), SN1, SN+, TVAS, TVAS+, NHL Centre Ice (Canadian Broadcast Areas)

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche got their four game road trip off to a good start on Friday evening, as they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-1 at United Center. All of Colorado’s big guns factored into the victory, as Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Valeri Nichushkin all tallied goals in the contest. Nathan MacKinnon’s three assist night helped power Colorado’s big guns in the victory as he continues his chase for the Art Ross scoring title; coming into today’s contest, MacKinnon’s 114 points sees him two points behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (116) and four points behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (118). The win snapped Colorado’s three game losing streak, and helped them maintain their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and entire League standings.

With the win over Chicago, the Avalanche clinched their ninth consecutive postseason berth, and became the first team in the NHL this season to reach the 100 point mark in the standings. Although they’ve enjoyed being ahead of the rest of the League by a healthy margin throughout the season, that lead has diminished as the regular season marches towards its conclusion. The annoyingly persistent Dallas Stars have narrowed the lead the Avalanche have over their Central Division rivals in recent weeks, but Colorado did get some help from the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Dallas by a 2-1 overtime decision at Grand Casino Arena. The Avalanche currently hold a three point lead over Dallas, but today’s contest in Washington serves as Colorado’s game in hand in the standings. A win today will increase their lead to five points, with both teams having thirteen games remaining on their regular season schedules.

Head Coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the accomplishment after the win in Chicago on Friday. “We like what we’re doing right now. Obviously, there’s ebbs and flows to the season, but I think, to this point in the season, if you look at it as a whole, that we’ve put ourselves in a good spot here. We feel good about the way we’re playing. Making the playoffs is the first step to getting to where you want to go, so we’re pretty happy about that.”

Bednar may opt to return to Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 19 of 20 shots on Friday against Chicago, for today’s contest. Scott Wedgewood, who continues leading the League for the lowest goals against average (2.19), and now leads the League in save percentage (.916), could get the start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh should Bednar decide on starting Blackwood today.

Prior to leaving for Chicago, Bednar indicated that Ross Colton, Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Logan O’Connor would accompany the Avs on the road trip, and that all four were projected to return to the lineup at some point as the trip progresses. None of them were in the lineup on Friday evening in Chicago, and at the time of this writing, there are no updates on whether any of them would make an appearance against Washington today. However, Ivan Ivan, who was in action on Friday in Chicago, was reassigned to Loveland after the contest, which may indicate that at least one player may return to action today.

Both Colorado and Washington previously met on January 19 at Ball Arena. MacKinnon scored twice, Nečas had a goal and an assist, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 of 24 shots in that contest as the Avalanche skated to a 5-2 victory. Today’s game wraps up the season series against Washington.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Valeri Nichushkin – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Nazem Kadri – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov

Defense:
Cale Makar – Sam Girard
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Washington Capitals

Since their previous meeting against Colorado in January, Washington has hovered around the .500 mark, having won five of their final nine games prior to the Olympic break and six of their previous eleven games upon returning to action after the pause. As a result, Washington currently sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, and are six points back of the final wild card spot, currently occupied by the Detroit Red Wings, in the Eastern Conference.

With three teams ahead of them as the season winds down, Washington’s chances of making the playoffs are slim. The trade deadline on March 6 saw the departures of Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights and cornerstone defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks, and the acquisition of forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks. Since the deadline, Washington has gone 4-2-1, but comes into today’s contest against Colorado having won three of their four previous games. Their most recent victory came this past Friday against the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-1.

The debut of Cole Hutson this past Wednesday saw the rookie defenseman score his first career goal with Washington. While his older brother Lane may have more name recognition across the League due to his play for the Montréal Canadiens, Capitals fans certainly may feel optimistic about what he can bring to the Washington blue line, especially after scoring in his debut. The loss of Carlson may certainly sting, but the future lynchpin on defense may already be right there in Hutson if his development follows a similar trajectory to Lane’s.

As noted in this space during the first preview article featuring Washington and Colorado, if you were asked who was leading Washington in goals, you’d probably say it was Alex Ovechkin. As it was back then, it is still Tom Wilson, but Ovechkin now shares the goal scoring lead with Wilson (25), and the lead in team points (52). Wilson, who was out with injury for the previous outing against Colorado, earned a silver medal with Team Canada along with goaltender Logan Thompson. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is third among Washington skaters in points (51), second in goal scoring among all skaters (23, tied with Aliaksei Protas), and third in assists (28).

Thompson has won his three of his past five starts, and will likely start today against Colorado. He ranks third in goals against average among goaltenders (2.36), and fourth in save percentage (.915).

Today’s game against Colorado wraps up a four game home stand at Capital One Arena. Washington will begin a three game road trip out west on Tuesday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Justin Sourdif – Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Ethen Frank

Defense:
Martin Fehérváry – Rasmus Sandin
Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Reimsdyk
Cole Hutson – Matt Roy

Between the Pipes:
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

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Yankees Birthday of the Day: Rich Monteleone

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Coach Rich Monteleone of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait during Yankees Photo Day at Legends Field on February 25, 2005 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The early 1990s were a bit of a wasteland for the Yankees as a franchise. By winning percentage, the 1990 and ‘91 teams are two of the worst in franchise history, and they mostly continued the story of the 1980s, where the Yankees made the playoffs just once. By 1993, they began to show signs of returning to form, and then of course by the end of the decade, they were a dynasty again.

That’s not to say there were no good players around in the dark periods though. For instance, they got two solid years in there from reliever Rich Monteleone.

Richard “Rich” Monteleone
Born: March 22, 1963 (Tampa, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1990-93

Monteleone was born and raised in Tampa, Florida attending Tampa Catholic High School. It was out of high school that the Tigers selected him with their first round draft pick in 1982, which was the 20th overall pick. Relatedly, another Tampa high school pitcher was selected fifth that year, with a certain Dwight Gooden going to the Mets.

While Monteleone did sign with the Tigers, he would never actually appear for them in the majors. Initially a starter in the minor leagues, he was a bit of a slow developer, as he never posted an ERA under four in any of his first six MiLB seasons. After his first couple, he ended up as part of a trade in December 1985, sending him to the Mariners organization. His first season there still saw him struggle to put up good numbers, and Seattle eventually moved him to the bullpen in 1987. He was briefly called up to the big leagues that April, getting his first taste of the majors before getting sent back down.

In 1988, Monteleone was still struggling to find his footing and the M’s eventually just released him that May. A couple days later, he signed with the Angels, where he finally began to figure things out. He made a cameo at the major league level in 1988, but then got an extended run the following season. In 1989, Monteleone posted a 3.18 ERA (121 ERA+) in 39.2 innings.

Despite that, Monteleone started 1990 back in the minors. However, just after the new season started, he and Claudell Washington — a former Yankee returning to the Bronx — were sent to the Yankees in exchange for Luis Polonia. The trade for the Yankees was more about reacquiring Washington, as they were still trying to get something going and contend again, but they also got a pitcher who had shown some positive signs. The Yankees also sent Monteleone to the minors, before recalling him for a sub-par cup of coffee that September.

Monteleone returned to the big league roster in 1991 and found some success, at least stats-wise. Often used in a multi-inning role, he posted a 3.64 ERA (115 ERA+) in 47 innings. The following year, he was even better. Pitching in over 90 innings, he put up a 3.30 ERA. He recorded seven wins, which was third on the team in total, starter or reliever.

The next season wasn’t as good, though, as Monteleone’s ERA was just under five in over 80 innings pitched. The Yankees let him walk in free agency after that year, and he signed with the Giants. He bounced back in the strike-shortened 1994 season, with a 126 ERA+. He also served as San Francisco’s player representative in the MLBPA throughout that turbulent time.

With the 1995 season still in flux to start, Monteleone went to Japan and joined the Chunichi Dragons. However, he didn’t have the best of years there and returned to his old Angels team later in the year. A free agent again to start 1996, Monteleone re-signed with the Yankees. However, he never actually appeared again with the team, starting in the minors before being sent back to the Angels for Mike Aldrete, who would be a bench option for the ‘96 World Series-winning Yankees. Monteleone pitched a handful of innings for the Angels in ‘96 before retiring following that season.

After giving up playing, Monteleone got into coaching, where he would end up back with the Yankees. He was the pitching coach in the organization at various minor league levels, and was the big league team’s bullpen coach from 2002-04. After that, he stayed with the organization through 2008 as a special instructor.

Monteleone’s numbers were hardly ever dominant, but at least for a couple years in the early 1990s, they were decent enough for a Yankees team that often wasn’t getting even that.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

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Chicago Cubs news and notes — Palencia, PCA, WBC

Ryan Brasier needs a job.

This is said to be a blister issue:

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There was some weirdness with the MLB.TV signal. Ended up watching the Mariners telecast.

Game results:Cubs 7, Mariners 1.

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Cubs 7, Padres 5.

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Miscellaneous:

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*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Food For Thought:

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.

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This Week in Purple: Rockies infielder Ryan Ritter diversifies his on-field portfolio

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Ryan Ritter #8 of the Colorado Rockies in the outfield during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s been a busy spring training for Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan Ritter, who made his MLB debut in 2025.

In addition to playing second, third, and short, he’s also spend some time in the outfield. But, as he told Purple Row, he’s ready for the challenge.

Lessons learned in 2025

While there were any number of lessons to be learned in the Rockies historically bad 2025, for Ritter, it was about learning to pace himself.

“It’s a long, very long season,” Ritter said, “so just making sure that I’m really taking care of my my sleep, my meals right after the game and just staying strong all year.”

Although he, like many MLB players, found himself losing too much weight during a grueling season, Ritter is on track to do better in 2026.

“I just know that this year, that’s not gonna happen.”

In addition to spending the offseason in the weight room, Ritter also began working on setting a sustainable routine — even if it’s a little dull.

“This year, I have a good routine,” he said. “I make sure I do the boring things every day, just keeping it simple.”

Coaching and spring training changes

So far, Ritter likes the changes put in place by the Rockies front office.

“It’s been great,” he said, pointing to all the new coaches and players. “We’ve been all getting along really well here, and it’s been very competitive, but it’s how you want it.”

For Ritter, he appreciates the “small things” happening in camp.

“I want to learn and improve on every part of my game. So I definitely like hearing from them more often this year.”

Exploring the outfield grass

Ritter has spent most of his MLB career playing the infield. But with the Rockies emphasis on versatility, they’ve given Ritter a shot at showing what he can do in the outfield.

But Warren Schaeffer and his staff didn’t give him much notice.

“The day I found I was playing left field, it was like, ‘Hey, you play left before?’ I said, ‘No.’” And then bench coach Jeff Pickler told Ritter it was his time. Ritter took a few outfield reps, and the rest is history.

“I’ve just been making it part of my game.”

The coaching staff has helped with the transition and he become a more diverse utility player.

“The coaches get me prepared from pregame work, and I just use my athletic ability to make it work,” Ritter said.

Clearly, the Rockies are seeing what Ritter can do.

“I don’t think I’ve played a game this year where it’s been back-to-back the same position,” Ritter said. “So they’re definitely putting me in positions to play all these different positions, and it’s been great.”

He added, “I’m getting more comfortable.”

Still, when asked his favorite position, Ritter had a quick answer: “I played infield my whole life, so I’m a shortstop at heart.”

At this point, it seems likely Ritter will break camp with the Rockies given his flexibility. For a player in only his second MLB season, it’s a positive sign.

To Read (Rockpiles)

To Read (State of the Position)

Full Stream

To Read (Other)

Weekend Discussion Topics

Who will be the fifth starter? Who will be the backup catcher? Who will be the starting first basemen? Who will make the bullpen? Let us know in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

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Canadiens Turn Things Around And Bag Big Win

With an incredibly tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference this season, the Montreal Canadiens had a must-win game against the New York Islanders on Saturday at the Bell Centre. Before the game, the organization paid tribute to Rodger Brulotte, a monument of the journalistic scene in Quebec, who passed away on Friday after a battle with cancer. Brulotte will be most remembered for his role as the Montreal Expos play-by-play man on RDS, but he also had a hand in the creation of the Expos’ mascot (at the time), Youppi! After the video tribute, the mascot came out on the ice, wearing his Expos jersey from back in the day, and holding a picture of himself with Brulotte, a nice touch by the organization.

The Canadiens came out strong out of the gate and took a whopping 17 shots on Ilya Sorokin’s net in the first frame, but they still ended up trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes of action. While the Habs did well to test the star netminder often, they failed to create any traffic in front of him, and he’s one of those goalies who will stop the puck if he sees it.

Jacob Fowler, who was in the net for the first time since his loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Sunday, only saw six shots in the first stanza, but still surrendered two goals. The first of which was a sharp top-corner shot from former Habs Emil Heineman on the power play, and the second was scored on a breakaway. He could have given up a third after mishandling the puck out of his net and losing it, but Brendan Gallagher cut off the Islanders’ pass.

A Tale Of Two Teams

After dominating in the first frame, the Canadiens came out worryingly flat to start the second frame and stayed flat for much of it. Martin St-Louis’ men didn’t have a single shot on goal until 14 minutes had been played in the frame. Whatever Montreal was trying, it wasn’t working. Asked about that period, the coach explained:

The first tenish minutes of the second, we couldn’t execute. We had so many moments where we could have spent time in their zone, but we missed a pass, we tried to go low to high, and it bounced over our sticks. We could never get going. Eventually, we got it back. You know, I thought our power play was really good, which helped us regain momentum. I just felt tonight, in that third period, the guys understood how we played a lot of good hockey, and, unfortunately, the game is tied right now. Let’s get this game. It was a group decision at that point; we just kept going, and we were hard to handle.
- St-Louis on a tough game to coach

The Canadiens bounced back after a good scare; the Islanders had a goal denied when the puck was touched too high, and it seemed to wake Montreal up. Not long after, Jean-Gabriel Pageau absolutely obliterated Lane Hutson with a bone-crushing hit, and from that point on, the right version of the Canadiens was back. Seconds after that hit, Alex Newhook, who had missed numerous chances up to that point, tied up the game with a one-timer from the side. The goal came at the right time, especially since he had just missed a golden scoring opportunity from the high slot.

Less than a minute and 20 seconds later, Cole Caufield scored his 41st of the season, walking in with the puck on the near post and lodging it above Sorokin’s shoulder. A power play goal made possible by the fact that Juraj Slafkovsky made a good read on the other side to stop a zone exit from the Isles.

After 40 minutes, the Canadiens had a 3-2 lead, somehow. Still, Brendan Gallagher had put them in hot water again by taking an incredibly silly penalty, a tripping call in the offensive zone with six seconds left in the frame.

Gallagher Bounced Back

While the penalty ended up being costly, with New York tying up the game on that power play, the veteran wasn’t made to skip a shift. Some might have liked the coach to have held him accountable, but on his very next shift, the Habs got the lead back as the veteran was creating traffic in front of the Isles’ netminder. Gallagher had an assist on the play and redeemed himself in the best possible way. Perhaps the coach felt his veteran knew what he had done was wrong, so there was no need to hammer the point home.

An Offensive Feast For The Top Line

In this 7-3 win, the top line combined for 13 points. Caufield got a hat-trick and a pair of helpers for five points, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky both recorded four points. They were a thorn in the Islanders’ side all night, and they frustrated their first line so much that Matthew Barzal ended up dropping his gloves and trying to fight the captain in the third. Suzuki was wise enough to decline the invite, and Kaiden Guhle soon came to his rescue.

Montreal now has 13 games left to play, and Caufield has 43 goals, making a 50-goal season a real possibility; he is on pace for 51 as things stand. As for Slafkovsky, he now has 61 points in 69 games, and each new point sets a new career high. As for Suzuki, with 85 points, he only needs four to tie his record-breaking 89 output from last season. The question is, though, will they remain together or will they have to be split up to kick-start the second line?

The Canadiens will have a day off on Sunday and be back to work in Brossard on Monday morning.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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Blackhawks Vs Predators: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 70

The Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators are at the United Center on Sunday afternoon for a day game within the Central Division. The Blackhawks are trying to finish the season strong, while the Predators are trying to make a late-season push for the playoffs. 

Chicago is coming off a horrendous loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. Nashville is coming into the second leg of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. 

Scouting Nashville 

The Nashville Predators are on a three-game winning streak, and that has pushed them above the playoff line entering Sunday. Nobody saw that coming, even a month ago, let alone multiple months ago. 

Stamkos - O'Reilly - Evangelista 

Forsberg - Wood  - Marchessault

Jost - Haula - L'Heureux

Schafer - Svechkov - Wiesblatt 

Skjei - Josi

Hague - Perbix

Barron - Ufko

Annunen

Murray

Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault, and Filip Forsberg lead things up front for Nashville. They were sellers at the deadline, but they kept these guys, and they are being rewarded for it late in the season. 

On defense, the bottom two pairs follow the lead of the top pair, comprised of Brady Skjei and Roman Josi. Nashville has been one of the best NHL teams at pumping out impactful defensemen, and this year is no different with their newfound depth.

Juuse Saros is injured, so their options in goal against the Blackhawks are Justus Annunen and Matt Murray. Annunen defeated the Golden Knights on Saturday, but they could go right back to him on Sunday. Andrew Brunette has a decision to make, but it won’t be revealed until closer to game time. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are not expected to have Sacha Boisvert or Anton Frondell available for Sunday’s game. They are both expected to make their NHL debut on the East Coast later next week. 

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky  

Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen  

Slaggert-Donato-Mikheyev  

Lardis-Toninato-Lafferty  

Vlasic-Levshunov

Kaiser-Rinzel

Del Mastro-Grzelcyk

Knight

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to be without Andrew Mangiapane and Louis Crevier again on Sunday. They are expected to return to the lineup on the upcoming road trip. 

Going with a traditional lineup was forced on Jeff Blashill in the loss to Colorado, as he used the 11/7 strategy in St. Paul on Thursday. Having Dominic Toninato, Sam Lafferty, and Ethan Del Mastro in the lineup on Sunday will be necessary again. 

Arvid Soderblom played for Spencer Knight on Sunday, the second half of a back-to-back. Against the Predators, expect Knight to get the nod once again. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 2:00 PM CT. 

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Phillies news: Justin Crawford, Bryce Harper, Konnor Griffin

Mar 14, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (80) looks on after scoring a run against the New York Yankees in the eighth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With the announcement that Andrew Painter had made the starting rotation and that Justin Crawford had his contract selected, the team’s final roster is starting to take shape. We should know the fate of the 26th man on the roster soon enough (please don’t be Stubbs, please don’t be Stubbs…), at which point we will have the final team ready to open against the Rangers on Thursday.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

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Orioles news: Dean Kremer optioned, injury updates

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 02: Dean Kremer #64 of the Baltimore Orioles licks his fingers after giving up a lead-off home run to LaMonte Wade Jr. #31 of the San Francisco Giants in the first inning on June 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Hello, friends.

There are now just four days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. It’s coming on Thursday! As of yesterday, the team has wrapped up its exhibition schedule in Florida, with a home-and-home pair of exhibitions in Baltimore (today) and Washington (tomorrow) still to come before everything starts getting finalized for the regular season. Today’s 1:35 afternoon game will be televised on MASN.

In yesterday’s Grapefruit League finale, the Orioles beat the Phillies, 10-8. Jhonkensy Noel hit a grand slam in the game, which is nice for him but is not going to make much difference in his roster chances. Several pitchers who will not be on the Opening Day roster were in action in the game and gave up runs. One guy who will be on the roster had a scoreless inning: Tyler Wells struck out three guys.

The Orioles made some news yesterday that still has me surprised. Dean Kremer was optioned to minor league camp. This was essentially the obvious move ever since the team signed Chris Bassitt, yet it still surprised me because I couldn’t believe they would actually do it. Kremer has been a remarkably consistent guy across the last three years – seriously, his three ERAs are within 0.09 of one another. They weren’t good ERAs, but they are good enough that he has earned a spot in a major league rotation. Just, you know, the back, not the middle or even the front.

Kremer might still get that spot. The Orioles could still be intending to go with a six-man rotation. The thing is that with the early off days on March 27 and April 2, they don’t even really need a fifth starter more than once over the first week-plus of game action. Perhaps they’ll try to bring up Kremer when they want to transition to six, and in the meantime he’s keeping his innings built up in Triple-A Norfolk. We’ll see what they end up doing. Somebody could get hurt before they try to go to six guys. Or they might have a different plan entirely.

Another angle to is it that Kremer has generally stunk in April, with last year’s 7.04 ERA being representative of what he’s done in his career. If it is possible to absorb the rocky April in the minors and then get him up to MLB after that’s out of his system for the year, that’s a plus for the fortunes of the 2026 Orioles. Your guess is as good as mine whether Kremer could come up to MLB in May and avoid his career-long April struggles. Maybe he’s just going to stink in the first month he’s facing MLB hitters, whatever month that ends up being.

The Orioles also delivered a variety of injury updates that could have had a potential impact on the Opening Day roster. Manager Craig Albernaz told reporters before yesterday’s game that the knee soreness for Dylan Beavers shouldn’t have him out for the start of the season. On the other hand, Heston Kjerstad, who was unlikely to make the Opening Day roster anyway, is getting an MRI done on his hamstring. It seems that injured reliever Andrew Kittredge is trying to keep his injured list stint to the minimum. We’ll see how that works out.

Although spring training is over, the Orioles have not cut down the roster to close to the 26-man limit just yet. There are 42 players remaining in camp, two of whom are certainly ticketed for the IL. The team has probably already made the choices, it’s just a question of when they will reveal them. Or if Mike Elias does another end of spring training waiver wire/cash considerations surprise. It’s happened before.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Keegan Akin suffers hip injury, muddling bullpen picture (The Baltimore Sun)
One more bit of injury news from yesterday that could shake up the Opening Day roster. If Akin can’t go, will Elias decide it’s Anthony Nunez time? That’s what I’d do, but I don’t think he’s going to ask me.

Takeaways from Elias’s end-of-spring comments about Mountcastle, Eflin, and more (The Baltimore Banner)
“We believe in his stick,” said Elias of Ryan Mountcastle, particularly when it comes to hitting left-handed pitching.

Opening Day rotation appears set as Kremer optioned to minors (Orioles.com)
The Orioles still haven’t announced the order in which their starters will go after Trevor Rogers. Beat writer Jake Rill takes his best guess here. What do you think?

Albernaz on Eflin: “He’s checked every box” (School of Roch)
The fact that Zach Eflin has looked healthy and seemed to be pitching well through spring training, including in his most recent outing a couple of days ago, seems to be the thing that sealed Kremer being sent to the minors. If Eflin was two weeks behind schedule, Kremer is on the team. But he’s seemed to be in good shape, so that’s how it is.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1981, Earl Weaver was suspended after removing the Orioles from the field during a spring training game and forfeiting the remainder of the game in protest that he was not provided a correct batting order after the opponent, the Royals, made a number of substitutions. I’ll go ahead and guess he was right about it.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018 catcher Andrew Susac, 2013 outfielder Mike Morse, and 1957 super utility man Billy Goodman.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Declaration of Independence signer and Marylander Charles Carroll (1723), actor Chico Marx (1887), Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim (1930), Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948), and actor Keegan-Michael Key (1971).

On this day in history…

In 1765, the Parliament of Britain passed the Stamp Act, levying taxes directly on the North American colonies. Over time they were rather famously unhappy about this.

In 1871, North Carolina’s governor, William Woods Holden, was impeached and removed from office. He was the first governor of a state to be removed from office in this way. If the Wikipedia article about this is accurate, there have been a total of six more governors removed from then to now.

In 1963, the debut album for The Beatles, titled Please Please Me, was released.

In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment, which proposed to enshrine that equality of rights shall not be denied on account of sex, was sent to the states for ratification. This effort has to date proved unsuccessful, though many states, including Maryland, include such a clause in their state constitutions.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. There are 100 questions and because I’ve skipped stupid ones, we are already on 65. Here’s today’s question:

How many Gold Glove winners did the Orioles have in 1996? Bonus: Name the players.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 22. Have a safe Sunday.

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Seven Games In: A Jayson Tatum Progress Report

The Jayson Tatum return has been riveting. Every shot attempt, rebound, pass, and even high-five over these first seven games has been scrutinized. The overall early returns on the Tatum comeback have been sensational; however, his performance against the Memphis Grizzlies is a good reminder that he still has a way to go before he fully regains his superpowers. 

Coming out of the game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, the Jayson Tatum and Boston Celtics Hype Train had left the station. The three-point efficiency, the explosive drives…it was easy to envision the Boston Celtics playing in the NBA Finals, with Jayson Tatum playing an integral role.

For at least another couple of days, the hype train has returned to the station for some maintenance.

Tatum’s performance against the Grizzlies doesn’t need to be belaboured. It was easily his worst game since returning – missed layups, sloppy turnovers, questionable shot selection, and a general lack of the intensity that has become a staple of the 2025-2026 Boston Celtics. I don’t want that assessment to be misconstrued. Tatum played poorly by his standards. We have to remember how incredible Jayson Tatum was before he ruptured his Achilles. In his final game before the injury, Tatum had 42 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks in what was one of the best games anyone on the planet played last season. It was a rough outing against the Grizzlies, but that doesn’t mean Tatum hasn’t already exceeded expectations since returning. 

It has been 313 days since Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles, and he is playing impactful NBA basketball for the two seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s the real story through seven games. In 29.6 minutes per game, Tatum has put up 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. The headline from that stat line to me is the 29.6 minutes per game. And over his last four games, Tatum is playing 31.6 minutes per game. I think if you told Jayson Tatum on the night of his injury that he would be back playing 32 minutes a night in just 313 days, both Jayson and Celtics fans would be overjoyed. They might even be tempted to fire up the duckboats. 

The fact that Tatum being out there playing basketball is the biggest win of all, but Tatum isn’t just out there. The Celtics have been crushing teams while Jayson Tatum has been on the court through seven games. With Tatum on the court, the Celtics are beating teams by 14.1 points per 100 possessions. And that’s despite Tatum struggling to put the orange ball in the basket consistently.

How is Tatum impacting the game at such a high level despite not being able to score efficiently? A significant factor is Tatum’s impact on the team’s turnover rate. The 2025-2026 Boston Celtics already led the league in fewest turnovers. Tatum has only amplified that strength. When Tatum has been on the court, the Celtics’ turnover percentage has been 9.5%. When Tatum is off the court this season (now 2,718 minutes), the Celtics’ turnover percentage has been 12.6% — best in the league. This year’s Celtics success has been driven by their dominance on the margins. Jayson Tatum has been a margins machine for years. He suppresses the team’s turnovers, he limits opponents’ offensive rebounding rate, he creates three-pointers for himself and others, and he defends without fouling. It’s almost as if Jayson Tatum was built in a lab for Mazzulla Ball. 

The most encouraging aspect of Jayson Tatum’s return has been his driving. There is still a lack of burst relative to pre-injury times. However, Tatum’s ability to get to the basket this early in his return is encouraging. Through seven games, Tatum is averaging 9.7 drives per game and shooting 54.3% on them, not far off his 2024-2025 season (10.3 drives per game, 56%). Tatum already being able to collapse defenses consistently should be a terrifying sign for opposing teams. 

One aspect of Jayson Tatum’s game that has been a glaring struggle since returning has been his scoring efficiency. Tatum currently has a true shooting percentage of 51.3%. For context, Tatum had a true shooting efficiency of 59% over his previous four seasons. The lackluster scoring efficiency can be mainly attributed to his cold start from three-point range. That number currently sits at 29.4%.

I’m not sure if we can attribute this cold shooting to rust or the Achilles injury. Sometimes players, and specifically Jayson Tatum, go through cold stretches. Derrick White has been ice-cold for large stretches this season. Tatum himself had a true shooting percentage of 50.5% and a three-point percentage of 26.3% in the 2024 NBA Finals. It’s hard to say if Tatum is missing shots due to getting back into rhythm or due to standard shooting variance. 

Lastly, the answer to the question that everyone was waiting for: could Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a duo who have played over 14,000 minutes together, co-exist after Jaylen Brown submitted his resumé for the All-NBA First Team? A huge surprise to no one who has been paying attention to the previous eight years of Jays era basketball, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been slaughtering opposing teams when they share the court through seven games. In 94 minutes on the court together, the Celtics are beating teams by 17.7 points per 100 possessions. Death, taxes, and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum winning basketball games. 

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Former, current NBA players sound off on NBA expansion as vote looms

It seems like a foregone conclusion that the NBA will lean toward adding more teams to its league.

The league's board of governors will meet next week to further discuss an expansion to a 32-league team and approve moving forward on bid offers for a future market in Las Vegas and returning to Seattle, according to ESPN.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during a February news conference that in the March meeting the league won't be officially voting, but "will likely come out of those meetings ready, prepared to take a next step in terms of potentially talking to interested parties."

"It doesn't have to be a two-team expansion. Frankly, it doesn't have to be any number of teams. I think the logical next move would be to say, all right, we've had those discussions internally, we've made decisions about cities to focus on and what the opportunity is, and now we've got to go out into the marketplace," Silver said. "I think that's probably the most important step, to find out who is potentially interested in owning a franchise in particular cities, what's the value of that franchise. There's some work to do in terms of potential conference realignment. That's the next step there."

When is the vote and how does it work?

If passed, it potentially would bring NBA franchises to Las Vegas and back to Seattle, for the assumed return of the SuperSonics, starting in the 2028-29 season.

"I think in fairness to the cities, Seattle and Las Vegas in particular, I've been very clear I don't want to tease teams, I don't want to tease cities or mislead anyone," Silver said. "I think we wanted to get through collective bargaining, national television deals. We've done that, and now we've turned to it as a league."

The meeting is expected to take place March 24 or 25.

Although an official decision won't come until July, it gives reassurance to potential suitors and bidders that an NBA team could come to a city near them.

To make it happen, 23 of the 30 league owners would need to agree to add teams to the Association. Additionally, bids would cost anywhere between $7 and $10 billion per team, according to ESPN.

Seattle-raised NBA players building excitement

Just the thought of the possibility has brought excitement to many within the NBA community whom were raised in Seattle.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero was born and raised in Seattle. He was a five-star power forward out of O'Dea High School, which he led to a Class 3A state title as a sophomore.

Banchero was 5 years old when the team relocated to Oklahoma City. Although he has no recollection of Sonics basketball, he understands the magnitude of a return and what that'd do for the city.

"If that was to happen that would be a crazy experience just for me. I never got to watch the NBA in Seattle so I don't know what that's like but I know that the city loves basketball," Banchero told USA TODAY Sports. "Big basketball town, even when the NBA did leave, obviously I grew up in that culture. Everyone's been talking about it for going on 10 years about them coming back so if the NBA was to make that happen then I'm sure that the city would be really excited."

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II, another Seattle native, already has his sights set on suiting up for the same franchise that drafted his dad, Gary Payton Sr., with the second pick of the 1990 NBA Draft.

"I would probably request a trade immediately," Payton said, joking with reporter Brian "Scoop B" Robinson. "Even though I love where I’m at, it’s about being able to throw on that Sonics jersey before my career is over. I really hope they end up getting that done so I can go hoop for the hometown one time."

Playing NBA games in your hometown is special

There's a special feeling that comes with playing in your hometown as you see all your family members, old teammates and friends that you grew up with.

Memphis Grizzlies second-year guard Jaylen Wells still gets a joy out of going home to play the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies visited California's capital twice this season, winning both, most recently on Feb. 4 when Wells had nearly 100 people − fans, friends, you name it − waiting to greet him after the game.

"Never gets old man, just seeing familiar faces after a game. Can't complain," Wells, a Sacramento-native, told USA TODAY Sports. "It's fun. It kind of like, reminds me, kind of like a high school game where you kind of just know a lot of people in the crowd, so kind of just feels like a second home game.”

Wells graduated from Folsom (Calif.) High School, where he averaged 26.3 points and 3.2 rebounds as a senior. He said he made some of his best memories in Sacramento at Folsom and at Sacramento Country Day School, a private, co-ed college preparatory school which has served pre-kindergarten to 12th graders since 1964.

Whether he knows it or not, he's a hometown hero and a positive example to those who come from the same city, or even play on the same high school or AAU teams as he did growing up.

"I hope that's what I could be labeled as," Wells said. "I feel a lot of people kind of leave Sacramento to get the spotlight, so I was happy to be able to stay in Sacramento, go to Sacramento trainers and play on Sacramento teams just to make a name for myself in Sacramento instead of having to leave."

That homecoming feel that Wells gets at least twice a season is a feeling that Banchero would absolutely welcome given the opportunity.

Hypothetically, maybe in a venue in Uptown Seattle such as Climate Pledge Arena, in front of its capacity-filled 18,300 attendees who would be there to cheer on the SuperSonics but also show love to one of their many homegrown hoopers.

"For me to get to go back and play there one day, that would be a hell of an experience for me and my family. So if that was to happen I would definitely excited for that," Banchero told USA TODAY Sports.

SuperSonic significance in Seattle

If anyone knows how special the Sonics are to Seattle, it's Kings head coach Doug Christie.

Christie is born and raised in Seattle, having attended Rainier Beach High School after spending time in Longview, Washington. He saw the positive effects of the city's lone NBA championship in 1979, and he's seen the team leave for Oklahoma City in 2008.

He told USA TODAY Sports that he'd be "crazy excited" for the Sonics return.

"As a kid, growing up in the inner city of Seattle, that's what probably in many ways saved my life was the Sonics," Christie said. "Gus Williams and DJ [Dennis Johnson], and Jack Sikma and the '79 team that beat the Bullets. Like all of a sudden, you got hope that there's a greater capacity for your life than just what you're seeing everyday."

A city's sports team can have that affect. They breathe life and inspiration. Their presence allows some kid watching them to see a version of themselves they've never imagine.

It gives an opportunity for them dream. For the everyday working person to have a moment where they forget about the problems in their life but instead fraternize amongst fellow sports fans -alike.

"Those people in Seattle are rabid, they want a team," Christie told USA TODAY Sports. "There is everything that is built in there to make it happen. So I would be very excited, on top of the fact that, you know, Portland, Seattle, it just makes a lot of sense. A lot of money there. I would be super excited for that."

It's time that the NBA pays its debt to the city of Seattle and bring back the SuperSonics.

The team left after the city wouldn't renovate KeyArena or build an arena. The owner then decided to take the team to Oklahoma and rename them the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking their history with them in 2008.

The league pump faked the town with discussions of relocating the Kings to Seattle and rebranding them as the Sonics, however the vote was rightfully denied by the board of governors in 2013.

Years later, KeyArena is now Climate Pledge Arena and has since been redeveloped with private financing and reopened as of 2021.

It's one of the state-of-the-art facilities which house the four-time WNBA champion Seattle Storm and NHL's Seattle Kraken. The best part is it's co-owned by Seattle and a group known as Oak View Group.

Let bygones be bygones. Bring back Seattle's NBA team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA expansion sparks thoughts from former and current NBA players

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Kevin Durant Reacts to Passing Michael Jordan on NBA All-Time Scoring List

Kevin Durant Reacts to Passing Michael Jordan on NBA All-Time Scoring List
KD passes MJ on the NBA scoring list and reflects on the milestone, consistency, and legacy in a candid conversation for Boardroom Talks.

On a quiet night late in his career, with the rhythm of a season already deep in its grind, Kevin Durant squared up for another jumper with the same smooth motion basketball fans have watched for nearly two decades. The ball rose high, spun softly, and dropped through the net like it had thousands of times before, but each bucket now carries extra weight. Every point nudged him closer to Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with Durant finally passing him on Saturday night against the Miami Heat.

Durant sat down with Rich Kleiman for a special episode of Boardroom Talks to reflect on what it means to pass someone he's looked up to his entire life.

"It's cool because it speaks to how long I've been around and how consistent I've been as a player," Durant said. "It's cool to know that the formula works for you to be around for so long. But at the end of the day, it's really just another milestone that I'll hit, and I just want to keep going and see where I end up. But passing guys is just always cool to be in that same conversation as them more than anything."

Durant’s journey to this moment didn’t begin in packed arenas or under championship banners. It started in the gyms of Prince George’s County, Maryland, where a skinny kid with impossibly long arms learned that scoring wasn’t just about strength, it was about feel. Anyone who knows basketball noticed early that Durant didn’t shoot like other players his size. He glided across the floor, rose over defenders, and released the ball from a height few could contest.

By the time he arrived in the NBA in 2007, the league had seen prolific scorers before. But Durant’s game unfolded differently. He wasn’t just piling up points; he was perfecting a craft. The high-release jumper. The effortless handle for someone nearly 7 feet tall. The patience to let the game come to him. Four scoring titles followed, along with an MVP award and the sense that the league was watching one of the purest offensive players it had ever seen.

Now, as Durant passes Jordan on the scoring list, the moment feels less like a surprise and more like the natural evolution of a career defined by one thing: buckets. Because Durant didn’t chase scoring history loudly. He built it quietly, jumper by jumper, until one day, the numbers placed him alongside the legends he grew up watching.

“His imprint, his impact on the game is so big that it’s always historical, even coming close to what he’s done,” Durant said.

Be sure to catch the full conversation on Boardroom's YouTube page here.

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Today on Pinstripe Alley – 3/22/26

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 06: Tim Hill #54 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on July 06, 2024 in in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Yankees’ Opening Day roster became a lot clearer yesterday, as the team made it official that Randal Grichuk would be traveling to San Francisco and Oswaldo Cabrera will begin the year in the minor leagues. They made a few other cuts to the roster, trimming down more of the infield depth options, and now the only question remaining is which pitchers will occupy the final couple of bullpen slots. It’s been far from a flashy spring with only minor competitions, but that was to be expected with how many returning starters they brought with them.

On the site we’ve got a chill Sunday lined up, with two Matt posts going back-to-back to start us off. The first entry wishes Rich Monteleone a happy birthday and remembers the early 90s reliever and his short but decent career in pinstripes, while the second looks at the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of their push for a third consecutive NL East title. Then, John stops by to deliver the latest social media spotlight featuring the end of the WBC.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Gotham Sports App, NBCSP, MLB Network (out-of-market, only)

Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

Questions/Prompts:

1. Who is your favorite Yankee reliever that didn’t serve as their closer during this decade?

2. Now that the WBC is in the rearview mirror, what do you think are the odds of MLB permitting a break midseason for players to participate in the Olympics in 2028?

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Plaschke: The Dodgers and their fans are geared up for a three-peat. Why the quest will fall short

Toronto, Ontario, Saturday, November 1, 2025 - Dodgers player hoist the World Series trophy at Rogers Centre. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers celebrate with the World Series trophy after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 at the Rogers Centre to secure their second consecutive championship. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The truth of this Dodgers season was recently found in a place where all sports truths are clipped and tapered and styled into reality.

The barbershop.

Of course, the barbershop, where ball talk is real talk, and where the expectations around the Dodgers upcoming quest for a three-peat recently smothered me like a hot towel to the head.

I was sitting in the chair in mid-shave when a bald gentleman barged into the shop searching not for a cut, but a promise.

“Say it!” he shouted to me from just inside the door. “Say what everybody around here believes!”

What, that LeBron James is not a real Laker?

“No, say it about the Dodgers!” said the man, and he was serious. “Say that they have the best team in history and they’re going to win another championship! Say it, because that’s what everybody thinks!”

The shop quieted, chairs swiveled, and suddenly everyone was looking at me, at which point I said the one word I’ve never written in any of the last dozen or so Dodger preview columns.

“No.”

“No?” the man replied.

“No, I don’t think the Dodgers are going to win a third consecutive World Series championship.”

The man was clearly taken aback, some of the other patrons chuckling in surprise, the Dodger pulse of this town clearly resonating in a completely unusual fashion.

For the first time in forever, the ever-doubting Dodger nation is convinced this team is destined for a title.

It’s not like it used to be, back in the bad old days of crumbles and collapses. For the previous several years, Dodger fans have spent all spring pondering ways this great team would blow it. The playoff defeats by San Diego and Arizona burned into memories, and even after the Dodgers won it in 2024, their fan base invented scenarios in which they could not possibly repeat it.

But now that they have repeated it? Now that their roster has even gotten more stacked than the previous two seasons? The town is all in. The town expects more. The town is not only believing in a three-peat, they are counting on it.

As this barbershop bystander made clear, for the first time, only a prediction of another championship would be acceptable.

Sorry, but, um, no.

After all these years of picking the Dodgers to win, I’m formally picking them to lose. I don’t know exactly how, or precisely when, but it just feels like somebody, at some point, is going to finally end this run.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reacts to losing.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn't been on the losing end in the postseason since the team was swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 National League Division Series, above. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

I know this whole theory sounds crazy. Who’s better than them? Who’s even close to them? That genius Andrew Friedman has seemingly perfectly and tightly sewn together another title team.

But stretch that fabric over six months and look close at its stitching and there’s enough tiny holes to eventually blow the whole thing apart.

Despite mounds of evidence to the contrary, I just can’t bring myself to believe they have all the ingredients to become just the third franchise in baseball history to three-peat.

“They’re not going to win again?” the man shouted as he spun on his heels and marched out of the barbershop. “How can you say that?”

Plenty of reasons, actually.

Start with age.

This is suddenly an older team. They’re seasoned, they’re savvy, but they’re increasingly vulnerable. Too much age can knock you flat with injuries and fatigue. Hangovers are a young person’s game. Hangovers are hell on the old timers.

Did you know a dozen of the Dodgers key players are in their 30s? It happened so quickly, right? Freddie Freeman is 36, Max Muncy is 35, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández are 33, and nobody is getting any younger.

Case in point: For the first time ever, this spring Freeman acknowledged that against his wishes, the Dodgers may not allow him to play every inning of every game. That’s one tiny, huge example.

One of the older players is 33-year-old Blake Snell, which leads to another potential problem, that being the starting rotation.

Did you realize that the staff leader in games started last year, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was that broken-down fighter Clayton Kershaw?

He’s retired, and the rotation is as tenuous as ever. Snell is starting the season on the injured list. Roki Sasaki has had a shaky spring. Tyler Glasnow still has never pitched more than 134 innings. Yamamoto added extra innings to an already battered arm by pitching for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

That leaves Shohei Ohtani as the only starter with no baggage, yet he continues to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and, now that he’s the ripe old age of 31, one only hopes Superman can continue to fly.

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell, left, works out during spring training last month. Shohei Ohtani is at right.
How much will age be a factor for Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell, left, and right-hander Shohei Ohtani, right? (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Here’s guessing the rotation will also miss the stability once offered by Kershaw, and that could be a problem, because here’s guessing the bullpen could be just as shaky.

Yes, they added the best free agent reliever in closer Edwin Díaz, and the fans will go wild at the first notes of Timmy Trumpet, but will the Dodgers have enough middle relief to get to him?

Tanner Scott is back. Blake Treinen is back. Potential chaos is back. The Dodgers will need more revelations like Will Klein and Justin Wrobleski to survive.

Speaking of survival, catcher Will Smith has played in 126 games or more four times in the last five years. Throw in 50 postseason games during that time and the physical toll on this World Series hero has been enormous. One can only hope that Dalton Rushing can improve on last year’s .204-hitting performance enough to allow Smith to take a break, because that becomes a big Dodger weakness if he doesn’t.

Rushing isn’t the only young Dodger with something to prove. After a strong regular season, Andy Pages managed just four hits in 51 postseason at-bats, an average which disappeared beneath his season-saving catch over Kiké Hernández in Game 7 of the World Series. One hopes he has rediscovered his swing, because that’s a problem if he hasn’t.

Andy Pages reaches to catch the fly ball hit by Ernie Clement as he collides with Kike Hernandez, left, to end the ninth.
Andy Pages' catch in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series will be remembered forever, but can he bounce back at the plate this season? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Same with Betts. Last year’s struggles, which ended with a .138 average in the World Series, have been blamed on an early-season stomach ailment and all-season adjustment to shortstop. It’s unfair to doubt those reasons or his commitment to fixing it.

But it is fair to note that he’s coming off the worst two-season OPS since early in his career and that he must become the old Mookie for his teammates to remain the great Dodgers.

Yet even if all those question marks are positively answered, even if every perceived weakness becomes a real strength, even if these Dodgers have the best regular season in baseball history as so many have predicted…

They’ll still need one thing that seems impossible to buy or teach.

They’ll need the sort of incredible good fortune and great breaks that allowed them to win each of their last two titles.

Can any team be that lucky three years in a row?

Even the Dodgers admit that there were many key plays in the last two postseasons that could have gone the other way and changed history forever. Seemingly every one of those breaks broke for the Dodgers. How can this keep happening?

Is Aaron Judge going to drop another fly ball? Will Gerrit Cole forget to cover first base again?

Will a Philadelphia Phillies reliever lose his mind again? Will the Toronto Blue Jays melt under pressure in consecutive home games again? Will they have the baserunning blunders, the bullpen breakdowns, the terrible at-bats?

Does Miguel Rojas have another miracle in him? For that matter, does Freddie Freeman?

Bottom line, can any team create that many breaks three years in a row?

Los Angeles thinks the Dodgers can, and should, and will.

Sorry, barbershop, but I think not.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.