LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: James Goldstein attends a game between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers during Round One Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 18, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you’ve ever watched an NBA playoff game, there’s a solid chance you’ve seen James Goldstein sitting court side. A California real estate mogul, Goldstein has season tickets to both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers games, but he purchases court side seats throughout the season, especially in the playoffs.
Jun 14, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA super-fan Jimmy Goldstein attends game four of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
The eighty-six-year-old has attended over 2,000 games over the years, often dressed to the nines in his flamboyant leather, cowboy-style outfits.
Goldstein has shared that he started watching basketball as a 10-year-old. By the age of 15, he was hired by the Milwaukee Hawks. “Once I did that and sat courtside for the games, I was totally hooked. My entire life has been devoted to professional basketball since then. I have such a passion for the game. I think there’s more athleticism displayed in basketball than in any other sport.”
Recently, Goldtsein was on vacation at Verde Beach in Saint-Tropez in sporting a Spurs Western Conference Finals t-shirt.
Goldstein was a fixture during the Spurs Race for Seis. It stands to reason he will be spending more time in San Antonio in late spring for years to come.
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NEWARK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 28: New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey (24) skates with the puck during a game between the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on September 28, 2025 in the New York, New York. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“Based on (Anthony Mantha’s) production last season, he should slide into a top-six role. That changes the outlook of the Devils’ roster, at least up front, and it could affect other players’ places in the lineup.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Change hit the New Jersey Devils this offseason, and the Utica Comets are feeling the effects. New Jersey has failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times in the past five seasons, and has only one series victory in that span. And three consecutive postseason misses for the Comets have the Devils eager to retool their AHL affiliate, too.” [TheAHL.com]
On Alexander Command: “He can settle in and be a good player, maybe like Anton Lundell was in Florida as a rookie. He was picked around the same area (No. 12, 2020 NHL Draft). Lundell had Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett there. The transition to the NHL is not easy, but it becomes a little less burdensome and I think the same thing is true for Alexander Command (with Hischier and Jack Hughes in New Jersey). I think he’s a terrific player.” [NHL.com]
“The Steve Yzerman Era in Detroit is over. And it didn’t go the way anyone wanted. A hiring that was set up to be a fairytale homecoming has ended in a flameout. There’s no doubt Yzerman inherited a tall task back in 2019. But to go seven years without making the playoffs would have surprised any skeptic back then — if such skeptics even existed.” [The Athletic ($)]
“Precisely 3,542 names have been etched, ever, onto the Stanley Cup, a tradition that dates back to 1907. Each one commemorates not just a championship won but a lifetime of work and sacrifice, blood and sweat, tears and teeth spent getting there. The list includes both all-time greats — Gretzky and Lemieux, Crosby and Ovechkin, Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard — along with journeymen who rose up in the biggest moments. You don’t get there by accident. This is sacred stuff. Well, it used to be, anyway.” [ESPN]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 5-4 vs. Worcester Red Sox
SS George Lombard Jr. 2-5, 2B, K, CS — first full game at Triple-A since coming back from injury (here’s the double) C J.C. Escarra 3-4, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI — walk-off homer, now up to a 1.057 OPS in 13 games at Triple-A CF Spencer Jones 1-3, 2B, BB, K — in comparison, .952 OPS in 51 games (for those curious) 2B Marco Luciano 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K — two-run bomb put Scranton up in the sixth RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 2 K 3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, HR, RBI, SB — 10th dinger of the season, tied game in the second 1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, K, GIDP DH Ernesto Martínez Jr. 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K, SB — no-contact day LF Duke Ellis 1-4, 2 K, SB
Alexander Cornielle 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HBP — get ready to see a whole bunch of different names! Eric Reyzelman 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Chris Kean 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K — there’s a reason they didn’t want to lose him when he exercised his opt-out Danny Watson 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Will Brian 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 0 K — blew lead, but maybe he was just setting the stage for Escarra! Good teammate if you ask me Zach Messinger 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win) — gassed ’em on 19 pitches with four of at least 99.5, and seven swings and misses
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 1-2 at Portland Sea Dogs — both sides got five hits, Portland just had the extra run
LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K CF Jace Avina 0-4 3B Coby Morales 2-4, HR, RBI, K — solo shot in the ninth to chip away, 16th homer of 2026 RF DJ Gladney 1-4, 2 K, SB 2B Connor McGinnis 0-2, 2 BB, K C Miguel Palma 1-4, 2B — grounded out with tying run on first to end it 1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, 2 K DH Tomas Frick 0-3, 2 K SS Owen Cobb 0-3, K
Ben Hess 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 7 K, WP (loss) — nice work on 77 pitches, hard-luck loss after giving up an RBI triple in his last frame Ben Grable 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K — showing why he got the Futures Game nod Geoffrey Gilbert 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 14-2 (7) and W, 5-2 (7) at Brooklyn Cyclones — doubleheader sweep!
Game 1
3B Roderick Arias 3-3, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 5 RBI, throwing error — put Renegades ahead with double in the third and later cleared the bases with his fourth-inning triple, finished a dinger shy of the cycle in maybe best day as a pro SS Core Jackson 0-5, RBI, K, GIDP DH Eric Genther 1-4, BB, RBI, K 1B Kyle West 1-5, 2B, 2 K CF Wilson Rodriguez 2-4 2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-3, 2 BB, K, GIDP C Josue González 0-1, 3 BB, K RF Luis Durango 1-1, 2 BB, sacrifice LF Robbie Burnett 2-2, 2B, 2 BB, 5 RBI — getting five ribbies from both the leadoff and No. 9 hitter is very funny
Luis Serna 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 6 K Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win) Andrew Landry 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Brandon Decker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 7-2 vs. Bradenton Marauders
3B Jackson Lovich 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K — 18th homer in 72 games, 434 feet off the batter’s eye in center 1B Hans Montero 2-4, 2B, HBP, 3 SB, CS — up to 30-for-35 on steals in 82 games LF Luis Puello 1-4, 2B, RBI, K SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, K, 2 SB RF Willy Montero 2-4, RBI, K, SB 2B Luis Escudero 1-2, BB, CS 2B Christofer Reyes 0-1, RBI CF Brando Mayea 1-4, 2 K DH Gregory Bozzo 1-2, 2 BB C Ediel Rivera 1-3, HR, RBI, HBP, passed ball
Sabier Marte 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, HR Josh Tiedemann 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win) — one batter faced, one win, hell yeah Jordarlin Mendoza 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, pickoff error Jose Ledesma 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, fielding error Matthew Tippie 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Parker Seay 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
🚨Jackson Lovich hits a 3-Run BLAST (18) into the batters eye!!
The Detroit Tigers failed to complete the sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon, falling short by a run in a 3-2 defeat in Anaheim. Casey Mize was knocked out early after getting hit on the left wrist with a 108 mph comebacker and the offense wasted all of its gas the night before.
Next up on the schedule are the Chicago Cubs, who host the Motor City Kitties for a three-game series starting on Monday at Wrigley Field. Right-hander Jack Flaherty will get the start in the opener looking to continue his superb performance since the calendar flipped from May to June.
Over his last six starts, the 30-year-old veteran has posted an impressive 2.12 ERA along with a sterling 2.46 FIP over 29 2/3 innings of work, striking out 34 against 10 walks while allowing just one home run over that stretch. Flaherty has averaged just a hair under five frames per outing over that stretch, but despite his limited efficiency, he is still getting the job done as the Tigers have won in four of those appearances.
For the Cubbies, fellow righty Jameson Taillon takes the mound amidst what is turning out to be his worst season in the big leagues. The 34-year-old was shelved in early June with a left hamstring injury and will be making his first start off the injured list against Detroit.
Prior to his leg trouble, Taillon had thrown the third of his three quality starts in 2026 against the Athletics, allowing a pair of runs on six hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out six with a wild pitch over 6 1/3 innings, but still took the loss in a 2-1 defeat. He then lasted just one inning against the San Francisco Giants, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while striking out two before being removed from the game with his injury.
Take a look at how the two matchup for the series opener on Monday night.
Detroit Tigers (46-53) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-43)
Time (ET): 8:05 p.m. Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 100: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-8, 4.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (2-5, 5.19 ERA)
Jul 17, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) celebrates after driving in the winning run during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: Off Day (AL All-Stars 4, NL All-Stars 0)
Wednesday: Off Day
Thursday: Off Day
Friday: Brewers 2, Marlins 1
Saturday: Brewers 8, Marlins 6
Sunday: Brewers 3, Marlins 1
Division Standings
Brewers: 62-37
Cubs: 56-43 (6.0 GB)
Cardinals: 51-47 (10.5 GB)
Pirates: 52-48 (10.5 GB)
Reds: 45-53 (16.5 GB)
Last Week
Brewers: 3-0
Cubs: 2-1
Cardinals: 1-2
Pirates: 2-1
Reds: 2-1
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
There was a lot of solid pitching from the staff. Logan Henderson only allowed one run over five innings on Friday, striking out four. Shane Drohan allowed three runs in his start, but also recorded a career-high nine strikeouts. Robert Gasser also allowed just a single run in five innings on Sunday. Chad Patrick pitched three innings out of the bullpen, striking out four. Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe also had two scoreless innings each out of the bullpen. Craig Yoho also earned his first career win in Friday’s game with a scoreless inning.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
Garrett Mitchell remained hot coming out of the All-Star Break with another strong series, this one against the Marlins. He went 5-for-12 over the weekend with three RBI. The biggest hit came on Friday, when he hit the walk-off single in the 10th inning to end the Brewers’ three-game losing streak.
Honorable mentions go to Joey Ortiz, whose home run on Friday tied the game and sent it into extra innings. He went 2-for-8 in the series with three walks, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Also, William Contreras only had one hit over the weekend, but it was a walk-off home run on Sunday afternoon.
Following his DFA last week, the Brewers traded Easton McGee to the Royals for cash on Tuesday.
The Brewers made another trade with the Astros on Wednesday as the trade deadline gets closer. They acquired RHP Lance McCullers Jr., LHP Colton Gordon, and cash from the Astros. They sent OF Jadyn Fielder to Astros for their side of the deal. Gordon was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, and McCullers Jr. joined the Brewers in the bullpen. McCullers Jr. has not made his Brewers debut yet. The Brewers also moved Rob Zastryzny to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster space.
Greg Jones cleared waivers on Thursday following his DFA. He was outrighted to Nashville, but elected to become a free agent.
Jared Koenig was optioned to Triple-A Nashville when McCullers Jr. was activated Friday. Koenig has struggled since his return from the IL and will get some work down there.
On Saturday, the Brewers placed Sal Frelick on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain. The severity is not known right now, and he will get an MRI to determine next steps. The only indication so far from manager Pat Murphy is he “won’t be able to go anytime soon”. Blake Perkins was recalled to fill Frelick’s roster spot.
Brandon Woodruff is officially done for the season after he decided to undergo another shoulder surgery to repair the capsule in his right shoulder. His last shoulder surgery kept him out 20 months, and the timeline on this one will be similar. Though 2027 is a possibility, he likely won’t be ready until 2028.
Kyle Harrison underwent a precautionary MRI during the All-Star Break, and the results were “all good”. He threw a bullpen session on Saturday and is on track to return shortly after the minimum IL stint on July 24.
DL Hall threw 15 pitches in a scoreless inning for High-A Wisconsin on Sunday. He allowed one hit and struck out one, and was pleased with his performance.
David Hamilton and Brandon Lockridge are both scheduled to begin rehab assignments on Tuesday at Triple-A Nashville.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 19: Alan Rangel #57 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, July 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers are in town today, but Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch in the three game set. Seems like the Dodgers are playing coy with an injury here.
Jul 19, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Dylan Beavers (12) and center fielder Colton Cowser (17) and right fielder Leody Taveras (30) celebrate after the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Three weeks ago, if you had told me that the Orioles/Red Sox series in mid-July would be a crucially important one for both teams, I’d have looked at you like you had three heads. “Important for what, draft positioning?” I’d have replied derisively, then laughed at my own joke. I’d have said you were crazy, and that you clearly weren’t paying attention to baseball, and that maybe you should find another hobby, like canasta. Oh man, would I have been obnoxious.
The point here is that I’m kind of a jerk. But the bigger point here is that the Orioles and Red Sox have both pulled off incredible turnarounds for seasons that once appeared to be dead and buried. At the start of July, the O’s were nine games under .500. The Red Sox were 10 under. Both teams were getting lambasted by their home fans, who had nothing to look forward to but the inevitable trade deadline sell-off. It was a shambling footrace to the bottom of the AL East for the two massively disappointing clubs.
Well. Would you look at them now?
The O’s and Red Sox are now the hottest teams in baseball, carrying the league’s two longest winning streaks. The Orioles have ripped off seven victories in a row, a streak they extended yesterday by completing a three-game sweep of the Astros in Houston. The Birds are 10-3 in July and have been getting incredible performances in particular from their starting rotation, which has a 2.40 ERA during the streak. The O’s are even winning without meaningful contributions from their star hitters, as Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson were a combined 1-for-22 in the Astros series and Adley Rutschman is 2-for-15 during the winning streak. That’s arguably a cause for even more optimism, because if and when those star players heat up, the Orioles will have more weapons at their disposal.
And yet the Orioles’ hot stretch pales in comparison to that of the Red Sox, who have strung together an incomprehensible 13-game winning streak. The Sox swept three consecutive series on the road to end the first half, then opened the second half by sweeping the division-leading Rays in four games. It’s Boston’s longest winning streak since 1948! Interim manager Chad Tracy, who inherited a woeful club from the fired Alex Cora in April and initially did little to improve its fortunes, suddenly seems to have the magic touch. Absolutely everything is clicking right now for the Sox, who had come-from-behind wins in three of their games against Tampa Bay. The Sox, like the Orioles, have delivered some stellar pitching. Only twice during their 13-game streak have they allowed more than two runs.
The Red Sox surge has vaulted them into playoff position, currently holding the third and final AL wild card spot. The Orioles, now within two games of .500, are just two games back of Boston. The O’s leapfrogged the Astros in the wild card race, and also pulled into a tie with the Twins and a game back of the Mariners.
Which brings us to the, yes, crucially important series that begins tonight at Fenway Park. If the Orioles can manage to slow down the sizzling hot Sox and maybe even win the series, they’ll chip away further at their wild card deficit and make a big statement that maybe they’re for real after all. But if Boston’s surge continues and the Orioles lose the series — or worse, get swept — the O’s will again be left scrambling to stay relevant in the postseason chase as the clock ticks down toward the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Everything is on the line for the Orioles and Red Sox these next three nights, and I never thought it would come to this. Sorry for calling you crazy.
Brandon Young, a Texas native, just loves pitching in Houston. I’m already circling Aug. 10-12, 2027 on my calendar for his next masterpiece at Daikin Park.
Tough break for Cam Sanders, who was demoted despite retiring all five batters he faced and earning both a win and a save in his first two games as an Oriole. But I suppose it’s a good thing the O’s had Huff on hand yesterday, considering that both of their regular catchers ended up injured.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with five former Orioles: catchers Pedro Severino (33) and Charles Johnson (55), infielder Alexi Casilla (42), outfielder Jake Fox (44), and left-hander Mark Lee (62).
On this date in 1983, Orioles leadoff man “Disco” Dan Ford almost single-handedly defeated the Mariners, hitting three solo home runs to lead the Birds’ 4-2 victory in Seattle. It was a weird offensive performance for the Orioles, who had 10 hits that were split between just three hitters: four apiece by Ford and Cal Ripken Jr., and two for Rick Dempsey. The rest of the lineup was 0-for-21.
In 2021, the Orioles’ game against the Rays was broadcast entirely by women for the first time in baseball history. MASN’s own Melanie Newman was the play-by-play announcer, joined by analyst Sarah Langs, on-field reporter Alanna Rizzo, and pregame/postgame hosts Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner. That was cool! What’s way less cool is that it’s never happened again since then.
And on this day in 2023, the Orioles took over sole possession of first place for the first time that season by defeating the Rays, 4-3, in 10 innings. Colton Cowser’s sac fly in the top of the 10th brought in the go-ahead run, and closer Félix Bautista worked both a scoreless ninth and 10th to seal the victory. The Rays had started the season 13-0 and at one point held a six-game lead over the Orioles, but the 2023 Orioles were simply too good to be contained. It marked the latest date in a season that the O’s had been in first place since 2016.
The Syracuse Mets slipped back to .500 in the second half, falling short in a sloppy slobbernocker that saw both teams log 9 hits and slug 2 home runs apiece. Coming into the ninth, Syracuse was still losing, but the score was a much more palatable 4-3. In the ninth, Ben Simon and Guillo Zuniga combined to allow 4 runs on 3 hits and a pair of walks. Not what you want to see, especially in the ninth.
Jonathan Santucci pitched a lot better than his final line suggests. He gave up 6 hits and a pair of walks over 5.2 innings, allowing just one extra base hit, but every hit seemed to come at a bad time, hence the four earned runs. On the bright side, the left-hander struck out a career-high 13 batters, the second time in three July starts that he reached double-digit strikeouts (he struck out 10 Baysox batters on July 5th). Nick Lorusso added two more hits to a very quiet solid season and Jose Ramos hit a double, but the Binghamton offense continues to not get it done.
Early on, things didn’t look too bleak for Brooklyn. Frank Camarillo had allowed three runs over three innings, yes, but the offense had kept pace, with Daiverson Gutierrez driving a run in with an RBI double in the second and Corey Collins doing the same with a single in the third. Calvin Ziegler came in to pitch the fourth, and all hell broke loose from thereon in. His inning began with a runner reaching base via catcher’s interference and that really set the tone for things. The former top prospect then walked a batter, threw a wild pitch, walked another batter, threw another wild pitch, walked the next two batters, and then allowed a triple, allowing four runs to score all without recording a single out. By and large, the relievers following him weren’t any better, with Tanner Witt and his 1.1 innings of scoreless relief being the only stretch of success for the Brooklyn bullpen.
St. Lucie jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first, and continued adding on. The pitching, meanwhile, was cooking, with Ethan Lanthier, Tyler McLoughlin, and Jonathan Jimenez combining to throw five scoreless innings. The bullpen finally gave in in the later innings, with Luis Alvarez allowing a run in the sixth and him and Ernesto Mercedes combining to allow five more in the seventh, but Mercedes threw a clean eighth and Miguel Mejias locked down the ninth, preventing further damage. Trey Snyder had himself an exceptional game, going 4-5 with a triple and a homer, and may be working himself back into top prospect consideration.
· REHAB ALERT SS Marco Vargas: 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (1)
1907 – Chicago’sCarl Lundgren and New York’sChristy Mathewson are stingy today with the Cubs twirler allowing just four hits while the Cubs scratch three off Matty as the Giants win, 1-0. Joe Tinker is hitless against Matty, the only time this year that Mathewson shuts down his nemesis.
1938 – Johnny Mize of the Cardinals has three home runs in a game for the second time this season, in a game against the Giants.
1958 – Jim Bunning of the Tigers pitches a 3-0 no-hitter over the Red Sox and fans 12. Only two walks and a hit batsman mar Bunning’s performance as he wins his sixth game in seven decisions.
1962 – Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Co. overpower Roberto Clemente‘s Pirates with a devastating aerial assault. Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle writes: “Chuck Hiller led off with a single. Mays then hit a line drive, 420-foot home run for 2-0. With two down in the third, McCovey belted a memorable shot over the left-field scoreboard. It was one of the few ever ripped into that area by a lefthander in the more than half a century existence of ivy-cloaked Forbes Field. The McCovey smash stood up for the victory. The Bucs started to move in the fourth, when Bill Mazeroski singled home Clemente, who also contributed a dazzling throw from right field to cut down the sliding McCovey at the plate in the sixth.”
1969 – San Francisco’sGaylord Perry connects for his first hit of the year, and his first major league homer, to beat the Dodgers, 7-3. Last year, Alvin Dark had remarked to sportswriter Harry Jupiter about Perry’s hitting, “They’ll put a man on the moon before he hits a home run.” Perry’s homer comes about 20 minutes after the clubhouse receives word that Neil Armstrong has set foot on the moon.
2004 – At Wrigley Field, Albert Pujols goes 5 for 5, including three home runs and five RBIs, as the Cardinals beat Central Division rivals the Cubs, 11-8. The Redbird first baseman’s first career three-homer game helps St. Louis to erase a six-run deficit.
2012 – Chipper Jones becomes the all-time leader for RBIs by a player who was primarily a third baseman with a two-run single in the 8th inning; he was tied with George Brett at 1,598; Mike Schmidt continues to hold the record for RBI collected when actually playing at the hot corner.
1749 – Earl of Chesterfield says “Idleness is only refuge of weak minds.”
1793 – Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie completes the first European east-to-west crossing of America north of Mexico.
1801 – Elisha Brown Jr presses a 1,235-pound cheese ball at his farm.
1921 – Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson becomes the first woman to preside over the floor of US House of Representatives.
1964 – First surfin’ record to go to No.1-Jan & Dean’s “Surf City.”
1965 – Columbia records releases the Bob Dylan single “Like a Rolling Stone.”
1968 – Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-gadda-da-vida” becomes first heavy metal song to hit charts; it comes in at No. 117.
1968 – Judy Garland headlines concert also featuring Count Basie and Jackie Wilson at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her last US concert
1969 – NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar module, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, lands on the surface of the Moon. Seven hours later, Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the moon at 10:56 pm EDT, and Aldrin joins him shortly after. Michael Collins remains in orbit in the command module.
1975 – Bruce Springteen and the E Street Band kick off the Born to Run Tour at the Palace Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island; Steven Van Zandt debuts as a full-fledged member of the group.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 18: Wilyer Abreu #52 and Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after taking the lead against the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the seventh inning at Fenway Park on July 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello and happy Monday, folks. Feels weird to not have a World Cup game ready to go on deck now, doesn’t it?
But you know what we do have on deck? A Red Sox game. They play Baltimore at Fenway tonight, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EST. A win would bring our boys to 14 straight wins, which is tantalizingly close to the longest win streak in the franchise’s history (!!!!!!), dating back to when the 1946 Sox won 15 games in a row.
My question to you, dear reader, is simple: Who the hell are these guys and what have they done with the 2026 Red Sox? I ask that tongue-in-cheek-ly, yes, but seriously! What the hell is happening?! I love it, don’t get me wrong, but this is insane!
What do you chalk this incredible run up to? A matter of the bats simply producing? Is it the manager? The new guys who have stepped up? Something else? A little bit of all of those things? Let me know below.
Draymond Green has seen this movie before — he’s just casting himself in a different role this time.
A fan on Threads asked Green on Sunday who would run the Warriors’ offense if LeBron James signs with Golden State: Green, Steph Curry, or James himself. Green’s answer left little room for interpretation about where he sees himself fitting in.
“Bron,” Green wrote. “I’d become PJ Tucker. Greatest corner 3pt shooter ever.”
It is not the first time Green has made that exact claim about Tucker. Back in Sept. 2020, following a Houston Rockets playoff loss, Green tweeted that Tucker “may be the best Corner 3-point shooter in NBA history” — a claim NBC Sports Bay Area’s Ali Thanawalla examined in detail at the time and found did not hold up.
Curry and Klay Thompson both posted significantly better corner-three shooting percentages than Tucker over that stretch, even with a fraction of his attempts, and six other players in the league that season alone out-shot him from the corner as well.
The real number behind Tucker’s reputation is volume, not efficiency. He has made 704 corner 3-pointers over the past 12 seasons, the most in the NBA during that span, according to Second Spectrum — built largely during his prime years in Houston, where he led the league in corner threes three straight seasons. His career 3-point percentage sits at 36.6 percent, with a corner-specific mark of 38.4 percent.
As for Green actually pulling off the transformation himself, the numbers offer a mixed verdict. He has shot better than 32.6 percent from three just once in the past decade — but he shot 38 percent specifically from the corners last season, and has topped one made three per game in each of the past two years after going seven years without hitting that mark even once.
Six years after his first attempt at this exact comparison, Green still is selling the same pitch — he is just hoping this time it comes with a very different teammate attached.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 15: Head coach Amile Jefferson of the Boston Celtics looks on in the first half of the 2026 NBA Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Louis Grasse/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Las Vegas Summer League is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time when every dribble, rebound, and shot can mean as much or as little as the beholder wants.
My personal rulebook for Summer League is that rookies can only improve their stock; second-year guys should look like second-year guys; and third-year guys better not play poorly, or they will be looking for a spot on my hometown professional team, the Tasmanian JackJumpers.
The great news for Celtics fans is that every player of consequence showed out at Summer League. Before we hand out some summer grades, I will remind everyone that I am grading these players based on my expectations and perceptions of their abilities coming into Summer League.
I’m not comparing Chris Cenac Jr. to Cam Boozer.
Hugo González – B+
Hugo Gonzalez is having an excellent summer. It tipped off with a pair of strong performances in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, in which Gonzalez contributed 13 points, 4 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
The skill that really flashed in Hugo’s two FIBA games was his passing, which he carried over to Summer League, where he was tasked with being the team’s lead shot creator, a tall task for a 20-year-old wing who was given close to zero ball-handling responsibility in his rookie season. While there were some clunky stretches for the Summer Celtics’ offense, most notably the streak of 17 straight misses in the first game of the campaign, Hugo acquitted himself nicely in this role. Gonzalez showcased improved handling and passing skills. The young forward turned in 5.7 assists to go with 3.7 turnovers per game.
For a franchise that prioritizes limiting turnovers, I’m sure the coaching staff would like to see the turnover number lower, but an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.54 is impressive in this context. The Celtics Summer League roster was low on spacing and shot creation, so Hugo being a passable offensive engine is encouraging.
Letting ourselves get carried away by the Vegas Vibes, if the young wing can develop his creation ability, it would be a significant boon for the Boston Celtics. With Hugo already showing in his rookie season that he can be a defensive and rebounding machine, if he can simultaneously morph into being a jumbo secondary creator? The “I can’t believe the Celtics didn’t trade this guy for Giannis” takes won’t age well.
Lastly, Celtics fans are likely already familiar with Gonzalez’s historic plus/minus numbers as a rookie. Rivalling all-time greats like Tim Duncan and Jayson Tatum in their rookie seasons. Well, Hugo did it again at Summer League. The Celtics were a plus-34 with Hugo on the court and a minus-28 with him off the court. The kid impacts winning. I docked Hugo down from an “A” because I thought his defense in the second Summer League game was disappointing. He got torched by Liam McNeely. But I won’t let a bad half of Summer League supersede a rookie season of being a defensive menace.
Amari Williams – B
Amari Williams has some passionate believers. I get it. The blend of size and vision is tantalizing. When you squint (close your eyes), it’s not hard to see British Nikola Jokic. Summer League shenanigans aside, the former second-round pick left me feeling optimistic that he could become a solid backup big man at some point.
For those who think reaching a ceiling of a competent backup big man is something to scoff at, I implore you to look at the big man market in today’s NBA. Walker Kessler was just traded for an unconscionable haul, Jock Landale (Australian King) signed for $14 million, and even Zach Collins managed to secure a two-year $17 million contract. The pendulum has violently swung back on the value of big men. Teams have realized the value of having high-level center play for 48 minutes.
So, what did Amari do that leads me to believe he can provide competent centre play for the Celtics? The seven-footer continues to flash impressive rim protection, the ability to gobble up rebounds, and the alluring trait of being a team’s offensive hub due to his passing skills.
On the alluring passing, Williams had a handful of turnovers on no-look and overly saucy passes. My recommendation would be to both look when passing and limit the amount of sauce on some of these passes to ensure better ball security.
My biggest gripe with Williams is that, despite being the biggest guy out there, I’m often left wishing he could experience a motor upgrade. While the seven-footer had several high-level moments as a rim protector and rebounder throughout Summer League, I see no reason why he couldn’t be a game-wrecker.
In the consolation game, we saw what it can look like when Williams cranks his motor up. The big fella had a beautiful tip-in on an offensive rebound, a sequence with back-to-back blocks, and a lovely backdoor pass to DeVries. We need more of that for the big man to fulfil his potential as a high-level backup big man. If we could clone Hugo Gonzalez’s motor and install it where Williams’ currently is, we would have a monster on our hands. All that to say I’m encouraged by Amari’s development and feel confident in his ability to reach the level of rotational big man in the NBA.
Chris Cenac – A
I loved the Celtics’ selection of Chris Cenac at the 27th overall pick. He fits the profile of the type of prospect I wanted the Celtics to draft: a high upside big man that, in a ceiling outcome, gives you two-way versatility in the playoffs.
The book on Cenac was that he was a raw prospect. I come away blown away by how this kid fell to the Celtics at the 27th pick. The blend of size and length, skill, and motor all popped across his Summer League campaign. I expected Cenac to look like Bambi on ice out there. But he flashed the ability to switch on the perimeter defensively, hit clutch threes, mash opponents on the glass, and make smooth passing reads out of the short roll… and he just turned 19 years old in February.
The Chris Cenac hype train has left the station. In just 23.3 minutes per game, the first-round draft pick stuffed the stat sheet with 10.5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2.8 blocks. If we let our imagination run wild and extrapolate those numbers to a per-36-minute number, we would be looking at 18 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 4.3 blocks.
One of the concerns about Cenac as a prospect was his incredibly low block rate in college, despite being an athletic marvel. The big man out of Houston only averaged 0.5 blocks per game in college. The optimists explained this by saying it was due to Cenac playing in a Houston context that had him at the power forward spot, where he was not asked to be a rim protector. Well, those concerns have been addressed emphatically with 11 blocks over his four games. The rim protection isn’t perfect; Cenac has the quintessential rookie trait of biting on lots of pump fakes. However, Cenac also has the ability to recover from these mistakes to either collect blocks or still impact shots at the rim thanks to his freakish mix of size and athleticism. 19-year-olds picked late in the first round of the NBA draft rarely get much playing time, but I would love to see what Cenac could do with some real NBA minutes.
Dillon Mitchell – B+
Dillon Mitchell is a fun player to watch. The 40th overall pick is a high-octane, turnover-generating, rebound-securing chaos agent. Mazzulla Ball is often pigeonholed as only being about three-point shooting rate. It is more about maximising possessions, and Mitchell fits this philosophy. The explosive guard looks like Ed Reed picking off passes on the way to thunderous dunks on the other end, and is often in danger of concussing himself as he soars through traffic to collect offensive rebounds.
This is what the Celtics envision with Mitchell: a non-shooting possessions generator. Mitchell is not a shooter, but he is a smart offensive player. The explosive guard is quick to set screens that spring teammates open, a timely cutter, and a precise passer. He also hit more threes in Summer League (3) than he did in the entirety of his last college season (1)…so maybe there is a shooter in there that the Celtics development staff can coax out of him. I don’t see a path for Mitchell to get burn in his rookie season with so many perimeter players ahead of him in the rotation, but I’m certainly intrigued to follow his development.
John Tonje – A
John Tonje already stamped himself as a Celtics legend with his performance in Game 82 of last season. The two-way forward continued his strong play for the Summer Celtics.
Tonje can stroke it from three. Catch and shoot threes, pull-ups, and side step threes. The athletic wing also showed improvement on defense, continued to hit the glass, and showcased his athleticism with a one-handed tomahawk slam in the final Summer League game.
The only thing working against the toolsy guard-forward hybrid is that the Celtics are overflowing with talent on the wing. Between Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Hugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr, and Jordan Walsh, there isn’t a path for Tonje to earn minutes. For this reason, I would lean toward giving the last two-way slot to Milos Uzan. That being said, I am terrified that Tonje will end up on the Miami Heat and be the next Caleb Martin or Max Strus for them. Dude can play.
Milos Uzan – A
Milos Uzan is a slippery, tough-shot-making, consistent shot-creator. At a minimum, Milos Uzan will go down as a Summer Celtic great. The highlight of Uzan’s Summer League was his clutch buckets to seal a victory against the Sacramento Kings.
The Celtics’ point guard depth is not the strength of the roster. After Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, the options get a little bit creaky. Mike Conley, whom I love, is coming into his 20th season as a pro. It would be great to add a developmental guard to the pipeline. Interestingly, Uzan and Conley have similar profiles as shifty guards who battle on defense, and more importantly, are great in the possession game. Mike Conley has made a career out of suppressing turnovers and getting offenses organized. I’m not saying Uzan is prime Mike Conley, although that would be wonderful news for the Celtics, but Uzan fits the Celtics philosophy of maximising possessions across 48 minutes and across 82 games.
Milos (have I mentioned how Milos Uzan is an outrageously cool name?), averaged 4 assists to only 1.4 turnovers per game in his Summer League campaign, which was a near identical stat line to his two-year career at Houston, where he averaged 4.1 assists to 1.4 turnovers across 77 games. Signalling to me that this was a deliberate roster decision by the Celtics as they see Uzan as fitting their identity.
As mentioned above, I think it makes sense for Uzan to be rewarded with one of the two-way contracts. Milos fills a bigger need than John Tonje, has some built-in chemistry with Houston teammate Chris Cenac, and is two years younger than Tonje. As much as I will always remember Tonje’s performance in Game 82 of the 2025-2026 NBA season, it is Milos Uzan’s time to shine in Maine.
Honourable mention – Tucker Devries – A
Tucker DeVries had two jobs: take threes and make threes. Mission accomplished. I don’t know if there is an NBA player in there, but he will, at a minimum, have a long career overseas as a professional basketball player.
I’m already excited to see what Year Two Chris Cenac looks like at Summer League next year. Until then, we have three months to argue about whether or not the Celtics are better or worse than last season. I can’t wait.
At some point during the next couple weeks, the phone is going to ring in Detroit and the Tigers are going to be tempted. They are ultimately going to have to weigh keeping Tarik Skubal over acquiring the wealth of prospects that will be thrown at them.
The two-time Cy Young winner is the biggest name hanging over the 2026 MLB trade deadline, and he is a long way from the only one. Contenders are hunting for pitching. Teams sliding out of the race are fielding calls on their veterans. And a dozen front offices are stuck in the middle and have not decided whether they are buyers or sellers.
The clock officially stops Aug. 3. Until then, the calls and text messages will fly, fans will dream and players will wonder where they will finish up the 2026 season.
Here is when the deadline hits, exactly how it works and which names could be on the move before it does.
Monday Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET. That is the hard cutoff that teams have for their trades to be finalized.
This is a change from the past. The league now sets the deadline inside a window, anywhere from July 28 to Aug. 3, so it can dodge scheduling headaches year to year. In 2026, it landed on the last possible day.
How does MLB trade deadline work?
Since 2019, there has been one deadline and only one. Before that, teams could keep dealing into August as long as a player first cleared what were called trade waivers. That whole system is gone.
Once the 6 p.m., Aug. 3 deadline passes, no team can make a trade, until after the season ends. The only way a player switches teams after that is through outright waivers, where one club exposes him and another claims him off the wire. It's not a trade, it's a waiver.
A player has to be in an organization by Aug. 31 to be eligible for that team's postseason roster. So even with the trade window shut, a club can still add a waiver claim or call up a prospect and have him ready for October.
The sellers are more difficult to figure out with a cluster in the standings. Some are already sorted out like the Giants, Mets, Rockies and Royals.
The muddled middle is where it gets interesting. The .500 teams have to decide in the next two weeks whether this is a year to push or a year to punt. That group is where the deadline usually gets interesting.
Skubal is the headliner still on the board. Detroit's ace is a free agent after 2026, which turns every Tigers loss into a referendum on whether they cash in on him now or bet on October. The Tigers went into Sunday's games six games back in the American League Central and 3½ out of the wild card.
Beyond Skubal, the reported names are impressive. Starters Freddy Peralta, Sonny Gray, Sandy Alcantara and Kevin Gausman have surfaced in rumors. So have relievers such as Mason Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Ryan Helsley. On the position side, Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Luis Arraez and Ketel Marte have been rumored to be on the trading block.
LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 07: Guard Kam Williams (3) of the Kentucky Wildcats before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats on February 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If you have spotted Kentucky Basketball forward Kam Williams around campus recently, you probably noticed a couple of familiar summer accessories: a protective walking boot and crutches, as seen at the TBT.
Before Big Blue Nation lets out a collective sigh of panic, take a deep breath. This isn’t a case of the injury bug striking again, but rather a visual reminder of the strict, ultra-cautious rehabilitation program Williams has been on all offseason. As Mark Pope and his staff look ahead to the 2026-27 campaign, the goal is simple: zero rushing, zero risks, and ensuring Williams is at absolute full strength when the games actually matter.
Here is a closer look at where things stand with Williams’ recovery and the medical reality behind his current summer routine.
Fighting through to play in March
To understand why the staff is playing the long game right now, you have to look back to January 2026. During an SEC game against Texas, Williams suffered a fractured left foot, specifically a Jones fracture.
Instead of shutting it down for the year, Williams underwent surgery and put together a grueling rehab stint just to make it back onto the floor for limited action during the postseason. It was a massive boost for the locker room, but playing on a recently repaired foot takes a toll.
Because of that grueling stretch, the Kentucky medical staff drew a hard line for the summer. Williams has been completely held out of contact drills and summer practices. The presence of the boot and crutches is simply the tactical continuation of that off-season plan. Absolutely no reason to take any chances of a reinjury when you don’t have to.
Could a reinjury have happened here? Maybe, considering how tricky a Jones Fracture can be, but no updates have been provided.
The tricky nature of a Jones Fracture
For basketball players, the fifth metatarsal (the bone on the outside of the foot where a Jones fracture occurs) is notoriously stubborn. Because that specific area of the foot has a naturally limited blood supply, bone fusion takes considerable time, usually around 4 months.
The risk of a delayed union or a microscopic re-fracture is high if a player returns to full workload too quickly, which may have happened when Williams came back just two months after the surgery. But I still think this is just a continuation of a plan to play it safe.
By utilizing a boot and crutches during the heart of the summer, the training staff is essentially protecting Williams from himself. It forces the foot to rest completely, allowing the bone to harden and adapt without any daily stress.
Ultimately, seeing a key piece of the roster in a boot in July might not be the most glamorous summer visual, but it is exactly what the doctor ordered, unless there was a reinjury that hasn’t been disclosed. Mark Pope’s staff is taking the smart, hyper-conservative route here, and they should.
By sacrificing summer checklist reps now, the Wildcats are ensuring that when the bright lights turn on this winter, Williams will be completely ready to roll.
Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets of the Western Conference contests the ball at the tip off against Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic of the Eastern Conference during game 4 of the National Basketball Association Finals game on 14 June 1995 at The Summit, Houston, Texas, United States. Visions of Sport. (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Sunday, we looked at the classic 1984 matchup between Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon and Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing. Both went on to brilliant NBA careers and are on a short list of the best NBA big men of all time: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson – Ewing and Olajuwon are both in rarified air.
However, Olajuwon in one respect stands alone: no center, and indeed very few players at all, had the combination of agility and quickness that he had.
Watch this compilation of his signature move, the Dream Shake. Keep in mind that Olajuwon is 7-0 and his playing weight was 255. The only big man who ever approached this level of agility was a young O’Neal, and he packed on so much weight in the NBA that he lost that aspect of his game. For his third championship with the Lakers, though he was listed at 325, O’Neal later said that he played at a staggering 415 lbs.
