CHAPEL HILL, NC - JUNE 01: North Carolina Tar Heels Michael Busch(15) hits the ball during the NCAA Baseball Chapel Hill Regional between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Liberty Flames at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC on June 1, 2019. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tar Heel baseball fans will have a clear favorite Major League Baseball team as the 2026 postseason gets underway today.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, nine former Tar Heels were active on MLB rosters during the 2026 season. However, only one player appears set to see October (or at least very late September) baseball.
His Name is Michael Busch…
…and he is a bad man.
Fans of North Carolina baseball from 2017-2019 will remember Busch well as a standout first baseman for the Tar Heels. For those who do not recall, or those who simply yearn for a walk down memory lane, gaze upon four minutes of Michael Busch UNC highlights:
Over three seasons at UNC, Busch posted a 0.921 OPS with 32 home runs, 169 runs scored, and 142 walks. He is second all-time in walks in Carolina Baseball history.
Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019, Busch worked his way through the minors and made his major league debut on April 25th, 2023. He was traded to the Cubs in the offseason ahead of the 2024 season and has been a staple at first base ever since.
The 2025 season was his best yet as a pro, hitting 34 home runs with an .866 OPS and 4.5 WAR, all of which was good enough to help him finish 16th in the National League MVP voting. The 2026 season has seen a drop in power as he’s only hit 20 home runs, but his patience at the plate has yielded him a 13.0% walk rate, which is 17th best in the league.
He’s 28 years old, played in 160 games this season, and won’t be a free agent until 2030. There’s a lot for Cubs fans to like about Busch.
Postseason Experience
Last season was Busch’s first experience playing postseason baseball, and in the Wild Card round he absolutely raked.
Facing the San Diego Padres (who Busch is slated to face again in the 2026 Wild Card), Busch posted 4 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 HR, and 1 BB in 12 plate appearances over three games. The NLDS had even more in store for Busch, as he hit three home runs in just 19 plate appearances over five games. Although the Cubs lost the series to the Brewers, it was a fantastic first foray into postseason baseball for Busch. He finished the postseason with a .296 BA and 1.128 OPS.
It’s once again time for postseason baseball for Michael Busch, and he will enter tonight’s matchup against the San Diego Padres as the only former North Carolina Tar Heel on a postseason roster. Tonight, a little after 10:00 pm Chapel Hill time, he’ll climb into the batter’s box at Petco Park, stare down Michael King, and swing with the full weight and momentum of Tar Heel Nation in his bat.
Bonus Note: I should mention that former Tar Heel Trent Thornton is currently on the 15-day Injured List for the Cubs. If Chicago makes it past San Diego, there’s a chance Thornton makes it on the NLDS roster. Did you need another reason to cheer for the Cubs?
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves takes the field before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Postseason. Welcome to the beginning of an historic World Series run, or the last two days of the season. Welcome to heroes becoming goats and GOATs becoming legends. This is first day of the rest of our fandom, or another fruitless day. This is the best time of the year, and a celebration intertwined with opportunities to cheer our team longer.
On the hill for the Braves will be 10-time All-Star Chris Sale, who brings one World Series title and 63.5 career WAR into this matchup. He has a 2.16/2.29/2.82 (55/51/67) line this season. He’s struck out 86 versus 5 walks since the All-Star Break.
Against Sale will be Jesús Luzardo, at least to start the game. The last time the Braves saw him was a complete game shutout and a game score of 100. We questioned the Braves approach versus Luzardo here. Let’s hope they have better ideas this afternoon. We don’t know how long Luzardo will pitch today. But we don’t know how long anyone will pitch today. There’s no reason to save anyone. Thursday isn’t guaranteed.
If you have ever been here, you will know that we don’t allow users that have created their account today to participate in this thread or the post-game thread. We are waiving this requirement for the postseason. Many of our current users found us by joining this time of year, and we would like you to join us. However, please tread lightly. If you are newly minted you may receive more scrutiny. Please don’t be offended, just join in.
We’ve had trouble with Phillies trolls in this space, and this is a rule created to help handle this. I know this may seem unusual since Philadelphia sports fans are the greatest fans in the world. They will tell you this while they are trolling the site after a Braves playoff loss deep into the night, and creating multiple alts to do so. Trolls, by definition, aren’t going to follow the rules anyway. So everyone else, come on in.
We also don’t allow suggesting that the game is over and how the rest of the series will end for the Braves in this thread aka posting “ballgame” or the like. It just creates arguments, and isn’t welcome here. The other rules are here.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 27: The Philadelphia Phillies pose for a team photograph after clinching a National League Wild Card spot after a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park on September 27, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are the lineups for game 1 of the NLWC series in Atlanta. Let’s discuss!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox and Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees stand at second base at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you grew up watching the Attitude Era of wrestling, you acquired the word “slobberknocker” as part of your vernacular, thanks to the great Jim Ross on WWE play-by-play. Payton Tolle, who, like Ross, is from Oklahoma, dropped that word into his presser yesterday, one of his many gems on the microphone.
As Payton Tolle said on the @BBisntBoring podcast, his dad really wanted him to use the word 'slobberknocker' in a press conference. I promised I would present the opportunity. Today, it all came together. pic.twitter.com/YkFZzqAst3
As I started digging into the Tale of the Tape, I realized Tolle is right. The margins are razor-thin and we have a three game slobberknocker on our hands the next three nights. So let’s break down the Red Sox and Yankees position by position to see who has the edge.
Git it on!
The Infield:
Yankees: Luis Garcia, Jazz Chisholm, George Lombard, Jose Caballero, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, Amed Rosario, Ryan McMahon
Expect a lot of platooning and substitutions from New York in the infield. Over the final month of the season against left-handed pitchers, Boone usually deployed (from left to right), Rosario, Lombard, Volpe, and Goldschmidt. The Red Sox are scheduled to throw lefty starters in Games 1 and 3. Against right-handed pitchers (Game 2), the Yankees usually started McMahon, Lombard, Chisholm, and Garcia, with some Caballero sprinkled in. You may remember a year ago that Boone left both Chisholm and Ben Rice on the bench in Game One against the left-handed Garrett Crochet, a 3-1 loss for New York with Rice never even appearing in the game. They both returned for wins in Games Two and Three. That won’t happen with Rice again, but could happen with Chisholm (.218 in 2026, .227 career vs. LHP) until the starter is out of the game.
The Red Sox infield lineup seems pretty cut and dry to start, if Contreras is healthy. Alongside Durbin and Contreras, Sogard was called up on July 29th and has started all but three games since. Story returned from the IL on August 30th and has started all but three games in that time.
The Yankees’ pickup of Garcia at the trade deadline really flew under the radar considering he was leading the National League in slugging percentage at the time of the trade. Garcia and Contreras’ seasons have been eerily similar, as they rank 8th and 9th in MLB in slugging. It’s a fascinating list, as they’re sandwiched just behind Junior Caminero and Pete Alonso, and just ahead of Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber.
Who has the edge?
The rest of the infield leaves something to be desired across the board. On the Yankees, only Goldschmidt has a wRC+ over 100, at 111, but that number was 83 after the All-Star break. For Boston, it’s only Sogard with a 105 wRC+, and that was in 66 games, although Story is hitting .291 over the past month.
Edge: Push
Outfield & DH:
Red Sox: Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jahmai Jones, Nate Eaton
Boston will have Rafaela in center and Abreu in right, no matter what. In Games 1 and 3 against a righty, Duran in left field and Anthony at DH is likely. Anthony hasn’t DH’d in three weeks, but much of that was related to Rafaela being on the IL. In Game 2 against Fried, Anthony will probably move to left, with Jones, who rarely has been deployed in the outfield, at DH. Braiden Ward (61 stolen bases at Triple-A) was a pinch-running option but was not chosen to be on the postseason roster, in favor of Eaton.
Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts. Grisham has been on the IL since early September but is back for the playoffs. Stanton last played on April 24 and was recently spotted running at tortoise speed in the outfield in an attempt to return. Judge said he wants to play, but he says a lot of things and ultimately was not put on the Wild Card roster.
Rice (DH) and Bellinger (LF) will obviously be in regardless. Against lefties, it will be interesting to see who plays center field between Jones and Grisham, with Ramos in right. In Game Two, Boone may elect to play them both, with Ramos sitting.
Who has the edge?
There are a lot of caveats here. Is a Bellinger, Grisham, Ramos outfield really better than Anthony, Rafaela, and Abreu? Absolutely not. Is Anthony the DH and, therefore, do we need to include Ben Rice in this debate? Probably. Also, the Yankees scored 50 more runs and hit 60 more home runs than the Red Sox this season, so they should get some edge at the plate.
Edge: Yankees
Catcher:
Red Sox: Adley Rutschman, Connor Wong
Yankees: Austin Wells, Ali Sanchez
Rutschman hasn’t hit a whole lot since joining the Red Sox (.222/.278/.410 slash line in 32 games), but Wells hasn’t hit a whole lot ever, with a career slash line of .213/.294/.397. Add in the defense, where Rutschman is 96th percentile in caught stealing and Wells is 15th percentile, and this should be a strong edge for Boston.
Edge: Red Sox
Defense:
As a team, the Red Sox were third in baseball in Defensive Runs Saved at +70. The Yankees were 13th at +27.
In team Outs Above Average, Boston was sixth at +20, with New York 17th at negative-5. Center Field was by far the best OAA position for the Sox at +18, thanks to Rafaela’s +16. Left field and shortstop were the only positions that were below average, with Monasterio’s -15 OAA heavily weighing things down, a position we would not expect him to play in the postseason. No other player on Boston’s playoff roster had lower than a -2 OAA.
The Yankees were among the best at second base, as a result of a +13 from Chisholm, but well below average at third base, center field, and right field. Jones, Grisham, and Ramos in the outfield, and Rice and Rosario in the infield, all graded out at a -4 or worse in OAA.
Edge: Red Sox
Starting Pitching:
Yankees: Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole
Red Sox: Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez
Setting the minimum at 110 innings to account for all of these pitchers, here is where they would land in the 2026 AL ERA race:
Schlittler 1.95 (1st)
Gray 2.72 (5th)
Fried 2.80 (7th)
Tolle 3.03 (10th)
Suarez 3.22 (12th)
Cole 3.61 (22nd)
How much should having the Cy Young winner on your team be weighted in this debate? Pretty significantly, I guess.
How much should having the worst of the six starters be weighted? If the Yankees win in two, it won’t matter at all. If the series goes three, it will matter very much.
Now, let’s look at postseason stats:
Schlittler: 1-1, 1.26 (14 ⅓ inns.)
Suarez: 4-1, 1.48 (42 ⅔ inns.)
Cole: 11-6, 2.77 (133 ⅓ inns.)
Gray: 1-3, 3.26 (30 ⅓ inns.)
Fried: 2-6, 5.31 (76 ⅓ inns.)
Tolle: N/A (faced one batter)
The Yankees not only lag with Gerrit Cole in the 2026 season but also will throw a starter in Game Two who has a 5.31 career postseason ERA in 22 postseason games (14 starts). Yeah, that cancels out the Schlittler edge. This has to be a push.
Edge: Push
Bullpen:
Red Sox: Jake Bennett, Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Wyatt Olds, Alec Gamboa, Greg Weissert, Erik Miller, Garrett Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman
I covered the Red Sox playoff bullpen recently. The losses of Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero are significant. andErik Miller’s control has reverted back to his Giants days this month, as he’s allowed runs in five of his final nine appearances this season. The Sox will have Garrett Crochet (6.30 ERA in a short 30-inning sample) and Jake Bennett (3.65) in the ‘pen for this series to counter the Rodon and Warren SP duo.
Yankees: Carlos Rodon, Will Warren, Ryan Yarbrough, John Schreiber, Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, David Bednar
The Yankees deployed only seven relievers, as they need to account for Stanton, who likely cannot play the field, and to maximize all of their platoons. In the regular season, the Yankees had the top bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.15, with the Red Sox finishing third at 3.27.
They’ll be relying heavily on their starters pitching out of the ‘pen, as Rodon (2.67 ERA) and Warren (3.92) pitched almost all of their innings as starters this year. Ryan Weathers (3.60), who is working his way back from a forearm injury and threw live to hitters on Monday, was left off of the roster. Closer David Bednar (2.47) and setup man Brent Headrick (2.18) have been excellent all year long, as has l Blackburn, who entered the season with a 4.97 career ERA, has inexplicably ended up with a 1.69 ERA despite a 3.75 FIP, 10.7 K-BB%.
Who has the edge?
While the entire bullpens top-to-bottom are a push, the Red Sox duo of future Hall-of-Famer Aroldis Chapman (1.92) and Garrett Whitlock (1.72), who has allowed two earned runs in the last three months, is an edge over Bednar and Headrick to push Boston over the top.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 24: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees talk before the game between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 24, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ah, playoff baseball. There really is nothing like it. No other sport’s postseason is distinctly embodied in a time of year, but baseball commonly associates the chill of autumn and the month of October with their own march towards a championship.
Today, the Yankees’ journey begins, one that could end as soon as Wednesday night or could last deep into October. It’s an unforgiving sport and playoff format, especially for non-division winners. You play two bad games and you’re done. You get hot? You can go all the way. There’s more variance, hence why some call it a crapshoot.
As we wait for 8 pm, I couldn’t help but think about the last New York team to win a title. A few months ago, that would have been the 2011 New York Giants, but now? It’s the Knicks, baby. They’ll begin their title defense in a few weeks, but for now, the focus of the city is on Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
There’s something about the journey of the 2o25-26 Knicks that makes you think. If you followed them as religiously as I did, you might remember the ups and downs of that season and maybe, if you squint just enough, you can start to see the distinct similarities between them and the Yankees, who will look to bring a second parade to the Canyon of Heroes in the calendar year.
I’m not saying they will, but there are more similarities between the hopeful Yankees and the triumphant Knicks than you might think:
Regular Season Underperformance
Both the Yankees and Knicks entered the season as the favorites in their respective conferences. Both had primary competitors that would turn out to massively underachieve in the Blue Jays and Cavaliers, but outside of them, they were both considered to be the class of their respective conferences.
The Yankees were good but not great, finishing with 93 wins in a season that saw them play at a pretty consistent level, save for a few rough weeks, despite some incredibly rough injury luck. While it was a near-identical record to the two prior seasons, the relative consensus was one of disappointment at not taking better advantage of a bad American League.
Speaking of seemingly underwhelming conferences, the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 was considered one of the weakest in recent NBA history, with the injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum seemingly taking two teams out of contention. Despite this, the Knicks only won 53 games and settled into the No. 3 seed, struggling to ever look like the juggernaut some hoped for with a wide-open conference.
Midseason Inexplicable Swoon
Perhaps the clearest comparison: the Knicks completely disproved any theory of a champion needing to be dominant from start to finish. After winning the NBA Cup in December, the team suffered from fatigue, minor injuries affecting key players, and the overall slog of the season, going an inexplicable 2-9 from December 31 to January 19, culminating in a blowout loss to a terrible and depleted Mavericks team at home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
As we know all too well, this is also a tendency for the Yankees, but this year’s summer swoon was significantly shorter than in years past. This year, it was an isolated 4-14 nosedive from June 20 to July 8, one in which the team reached a figurative “rock bottom” with a rare series loss to a mediocre Twins team at home on Fourth of July weekend.
The similarities don’t just stop with the simple fact of three terrible weeks in the middle of the season. The Knicks dealt with small ailments to Josh Hart and Landry Shamet, while also losing Jalen Brunson for two games due to an ankle injury. For the Yankees, this skid happened during the several-month absence by their own captain, Aaron Judge, but also during shorter stints on the injured list by Max Fried and Trent Grisham, with the latter coming off his hottest stretch of the season before going down in mid-June.
Those swoons also saw both fanbases’ vitriol hit all-time highs. You don’t need to go far to find what Yankees fans say every summer about how the manager needs to be held accountable for allowing the team to repeatedly have extended stretches of poor play every summer while demanding wholesale change, both in the front office and even shipping out underperforming players.
For the Knicks fans here, does that sound familiar to the sentiment after MLK Day? In the year after Tom Thibodeau was fired, Mike Brown had to earn the trust of Knicks fans, something that he very much wasn’t doing while the team was unraveling. Somehow, a first-year head coach’s seat was smolderingly hot. With the slump coinciding with the lead-up to the trade deadline, scores of impatient fans were also calling for the head of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two underperforming veterans who were part of the team’s seemingly failing all-in push. It’s super hard to believe after these guys achieved immortality this summer, but it’s true.
Disappointing Supporting Cast
Speaking of Bridges and Towns, they have a bunch of similarities with several Yankees in terms of their regular season performance. It wasn’t just that slump that fans were complaining about. Bridges, who was acquired for five first-round picks, was a definitive fourth option who often went weeks without threatening 20 points. Towns, the team’s highest-paid player, endured a major regression in scoring and shooting while continuing to be a defensive liability.
There are some comparisons here. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was expected to potentially be the Yankees’ second-most valuable player, but slumped to finish a crucial contract year as about league-average offensively, falling well short of his own lofty goals. Trent Grisham was an incredible story in 2025, going from a throw-in in the Juan Soto trade to a weapon at the top of the order, but regressed in a big way on both sides of the ball as he struggled with hamstring injuries and several swing/process changes.
Both teams’ underperformance is predicated on unexpected regression. Now, as we know, Bridges and Towns turned that regression into some of the best basketball of their careers come playoff time. With how small-sample nonsense can create legends in the playoffs (ahem, Ernie Clement), could Chisholm or Grisham (if healthy) rewrite the stories of their 2025 in the same fashion?
Position In The Standings
The way the two teams finished the regular season has already been discussed, but there are similarities between the teams that finished around them in the standings. Both were passed by a young and unexpected team that blitzed the entire league and stunned everyone to get to the top overall seed, while they were also both heavily annoyed by the surprising resurgence of a team from Boston.
For the Knicks, they had to watch as the same plucky Pistons bunch that they eliminated the season prior surged to 60 wins in an improbable rise that saw their gritty defensive tenacity translate into regular season wins in an old-school fashion. Does that sound familiar to a certain division rival from Tampa?
I’m stretching things a bit by comparing the Celtics and Red Sox, but both teams were significantly better than expected at certain points. The Celtics were projected to be a play-in team as they dealt with life without Tatum, but rose to 56 wins by riding a formula that is conducive to stacking wins in the regular season. The Red Sox entered 2026 with high expectations, but those were gone when they fell to 32-46 and seemed out of it after firing Alex Cora. Their tremendous 32-5 stretch got them back in it, and for a moment, it seemed like they’d pass the Yankees during the summer as the Celtics did.
Core Of Guys Believed To Be Incapable Of Winning It All
While there are plenty of good comparisons in here, what ultimately binds these two teams together is the fact that neither enters the postseason with many believers, albeit for different reasons.
The Knicks entered the playoffs fourth in their own conference in betting odds, with the overwhelming belief among fans and the media that their core was just not able to go all the way. As much talent as they had, they didn’t have a 1A dude, dealt with their two star players being defensive liabilities, and lacked the impact depth to make up for any starting lineup underperformance. As we soon found out, none of that mattered, and the Knicks proved to be significantly tougher than anyone would’ve thought.
The 2026 Yankees are considered the co-favorite to represent the AL in the World Series, so the skepticism is more on the fanbase’s part. They don’t believe this team has the fortitude to do it. They see the flaws and believe that, when push comes to shove, they will wilt when the moment is brightest. Many believe Aaron Boone, like some believed with Mike Brown, is not a championship-caliber coach. After years of coming up short, it’s a fanbase that has relatively low energy for a playoff run, something that wasn’t quite experienced on the other side, but both shared a distinct similarity.
Sometimes, when vibes are low, crazy things can happen. It was hard to find a Knicks fan who fully believed in the team’s ability to do what they did back in April. Perhaps most jarring is that there might be more belief in the Yankees’ ability to go on a deep run than the most beloved team in recent New York history in Manhattan. If anything, that shows that there’s reason to believe this year can be different, because the Knicks showed that sometimes, for no rhyme or reason, it can be.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 27: JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Indiana Pacers on October 27, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
J.R. Smith was arrested for assault in Texas on Tuesday. The former NBA veteran played five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and contributed to their 2016 championship.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Former NBA champion J.R. Smith arrested for assault in Texas.
TMZ reports that Smith was arrested by Hunt County police for family violence. He was booked on a charge of assault involving family bodily injury.
No bond has been set as of reporting on Tuesday.
Smith, 41, played 16 years in the NBA. He won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2013 and officially retired in 2020, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship run in the bubble.
After basketball, Smith completed his education at North Caroline A&T University. He graduated in May of 2026.
This story will be updated as more information is reported.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 28: Jayson Tatum #0 and Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics pose for photos during Boston Celtics Media Day at Auerbach Center on September 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON — Laughter reverberated across the Auerbach Center as the Celtics opened training camp on Tuesday morning.
For the first time since May, when the Celtics’ season abruptly ended at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, beat reporters returned to the parquet to film the players’ on-court work and ask a litany of questions.
But though Tuesday marked the first official day of camp, it quickly became clear it was far from the players’ first day working together, as evidenced by Baylor Scheierman playfully shoving Mike Conley as if they were longtime teammates.
Jayson Tatum invited the team to come out to Los Angeles, where he spends a portion of his offseason, for offseason workouts, and a critical mass took up the offer, including Paul George, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Mike Conley, and rookies Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, among others.
“JT hit the group chat, invited us all out, and most of us were able to make it work with our schedule,” Hauser said. “So it was cool to get a bunch of guys out there earlier and get acclimated and get used to being around each other.”
Jayson Tatum shared a peek into some Celtics offseason workouts.
First one had at least Tatum, Paul George, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh and Mike Conley in attendance.
While in LA, players spent time together both on and off the floor.
“We did a lot of work on the court, played some golf, had some dinners,” Hauser said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Walsh, fresh off his fourth summer as a Celtic — and the signing of a 3-year extension — said the intensity of this summer’s workouts stood out.
“It’s been really, really competitive,” Walsh said. “I would say it’s one of our better summers for sure. There’s a lot of guys that came to compete every day.”
Scrimmaging took center stage: “We played 7-game series in a day, or 8-game series, 9, whatever it is, in a day. So every guy [was] showing up for every single game and playing as hard as you can, and really respecting the game in a way, and I think that kind of is a statement to the staff as well.”
Joe Mazzulla takes a backseat during offseason training
Joe Mazzulla prioritized spending time with almost every player on the roster in their hometowns, visiting Mitchell Robinson in Nashville, Luka Garza in Iowa, Hugo Gonzalez in Spain, Neemias Queta in Portugal, Jordan Walsh in Texas, and Baylor Scheierman in Nebraska, among others.
But Mazzulla is not actually responsible for spearheading offseason workouts — that’s his coaching staff’s job. Most of the offseason training is orchestrated by head of player development Craig Luschenat, along with the rest of the Celtics player development staff, which includes DaSean Butler, God Shammgod Jr., Steve Tchiegang, and Nana Foulland, among others.
This year, Amile Jefferson also took on significant responsibilities as the team’s Summer League head coach in Las Vegas. The coaching staff is the same as last season’s.
“We have one of the best staffs in the league, so I’m really as hands-off as possible, allowing them to do everything,” Mazzulla said. “Craig, our head of player development, and our PD guys do a great job. The Summer League head coach does a great job of setting that tone. So, I try to stay out of it as much as I can, and just give the guys the empowerment and the responsibility to grow.”
Players have increasingly spent their offseasons in Boston
The fact that some Celtics have made Boston their year-round home makes it even easier to facilitate offseason workouts. Payton Pritchard, now the team’s second-longest-tenured player, lives in Massachusetts year-round.
“I stay in Boston for the summer,” Pritchard said. “It’s kind of home now, so when the first guys, the young ones, come into the gym in mid-August, I’m in there playing with them… I’ve been in here scrimmaging, working out, trying to set the tone.”
Ron Harper Jr., who signed a 4-year extension this offseason, similarly spent most of the summer in Boston.
“Y’all know I’m from Jersey, so going home is nothing but a car ride to me,” Harper Jr. said. “So I can always just hop in the car and go over there. But I tried to stay around here in the summer, with my PD [player development coach] DaSean Butler, and just keep continuing to work on my game.”
Walsh explained that everything is optional, but that you’d never know: “You don’t gotta be here until Media Day if you don’t want to be. It’s just the standard that everybody set for themselves.”
Luka Garza smiled when asked who participated in offseason workouts.
“Everybody,” Garza said. “Everybody was here at some point.”
As the summer progressed, more and more players arrived in Boston, and consequently, the intensity only increased.
“The last few weeks have been great,” Harper Jr. said. “We’ve been to the gym, playing pickup, working out, lifting together, just getting to know each other; you get to learn somebody best through competition. So the pickup sessions have been great. They’ve been really competitive. They’ve been really fun, and we’re gonna have a great year. And we’re all looking forward to getting on there and sharing the court together, as opposed to playing against each other.”
For Paul George, who has 16 years of NBA experience, the energy has felt different.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s one of those things where, man, I wish I was here a lot sooner,” George said. ”Not to discredit anywhere I’ve been, but since I’ve been here, it’s just been nothing but happiness, greatness. It’s just a great energy in this building, in this facility.“
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves takes batting practice prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s time to get rocking and rolling around here. Not too long from the time that I’m typing this, the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies wil be renewing their Postseason rivalry for another season. While the fans are never going to get on the field and make plays or anything like that (nor would anybody want to see that), it still means a lot that the Braves are getting to have home field advantage for the entirety of this Wild Card Series.
Ozzie Albies was asked during the pregame press conference about what it meant to be able to play this series right here in Truist Park and as you could imagine, he’s pretty excited about it. “Yeah, definitely the home crowd helps us a lot,” stated Ozzie. “I want to say thank you to all the fans that comes and support us every day and out. It makes the game better for sure. I know Braves Country always supports us, and definitely playing at home is going to be much more fun.”
Ozzie has been here for nearly of the ups-and-downs that this team has experienced during this particular era.I asked him about what makes 2026 different from the rest of them and he mentioned the fact that he was pretty jazzed up about facing the Phillies again.
“Every run is different and special. For us to go through and face the Phillies again, we’re definitely going to be hyped,” explained Ozzie. “We’re looking forward to playing as hard as we can to win tonight and the upcoming games against them because it’s super important.”
“At this point, winning is everything,” continued Ozzie. “Definitely it’s different, new year, new players, new everything. But it’s going to be a fun one.”
Perhaps the biggest story of the day was the revelation that guys like DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Rowdy Tellez and Luke Williams were going to be included on the roster. Tellez and Williams were particularly surprising choices and Walt Weiss was asked about those decisions in the pregame press conference.
“Rowdy is a big left-handed hitter over there that maybe puts some fear into some people,” explained Weiss. “We got a glimpse of him during the season and he hit a pinch-hit homer for us. He can do that. Keirsey obviously as a base runner did a great job, Triple-A, stealing bases, running the bases. He’s been impactful in that role in his short time here at the end of the year. I think virtually every time I’ve pinch ran him, he’s scored a big run for us.
“Luke is a really smart base runner,” continued Weiss. “Luke is a guy that can cover you all over the field too. Without the ghost runner at second base, these games could go 15, 16 innings. That kind of versatility helps if you get to that point. But [he’s] primarily [here to be a] base runner, base stealer, Luke.”
Lastly, Weiss’s reaction to Jesús Luzardo getting tabbed as the “opener” drew a laugh from everybody in the room. He was asked about whether or not he was skeptical about Luzardo “simply” being an opener and when he clarified that Don Mattingly was the one who said that, Weiss very dryly stated that he was “very skeptical” of that.
Whether it’s a bit of gamesmanship or the real deal, it sure feels like the Braves are ready for whatever the Phillies may have in store this game and the series as a whole. It really feels like one of those series that will be balanced on a knife’s edge and hopeflly the Braves will be the ones who come out victorious — especially with Chris Sale starting Game 1. We’ll see what happens, folks.
Ferrari have reaffirmed their backing for their team principal, Fred Vasseur, in an effort to end speculation that Christian Horner was being considered as a potential replacement for the Frenchman.
Horner gave an interview in the Times last week in which he stated that leading Ferrari would be his “dream” job and the only one he would consider without having part-ownership of the team. His comments provoked debate that he could replace Vasseur, given the Scuderia’s underperformance this season.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 11: Lance Lynn #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout after being relieved in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game Three of the Division Series at Chase Field on October 11, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the record, this essay is emphatically not a prediction.
Nor is it an exercise in pointing out the obvious flaws of a team that ultimately went on to win a World Series, forcing me to cook duck and creating the ability to cause generational drama in the Bronx by simply uttering the phrase “Fifth inning.”
There’s bean footage, and then there is bean footage. For the record, you can see the original title I gave that infamous 2024 prediction essay before Eric Stephen threw me under the figurative bus.
There’s a funny side effect from being present at the last game of the 2025 season, which was generally hailed as one of the best baseball games ever played: I find myself blissfully calm at the upcoming proceedings. Having the ability to cue the Rojas homer or the final outs on command from my phone does wonders for both my mental health and self-esteem.
Just one more time for the road, I promise.
That footage is better than some vitamins, I say. Will the Dodgers repeat for a second year over the month? I have no earthly idea. It’d be nice.
To paraphrase one of my favorite ad campaigns from the early 2000s: that’s bliss, baby. Now, I suddenly want bad tea.
I can see how the Dodgers would prevail next month — just do 2025 but better. I’m looking at you, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and Tommy Edman. If Kyle Tucker is the answer, then my God, what is the question?
Conversely, I can see how the team would fall flat on their face. You did too; it was called the Summer Swoon. What if everyone I just mentioned plus Shohei Ohtani couldn’t hit water from a boat? That failure, especially with runners in scoring position, would likely do it.
But if I give the upcoming tournament much thought, and you were inclined not to join me in my state of relative bliss, there are only two situations that would probably annoy me, much less anger me.
Scenario One: The Padres win it all
That’s it. Any other National League winner elicits no reaction from me apart from “Oh. Neat.” Maybe the Cubs; I did just gag a little.
Don’t get me wrong. I was quite annoyed when I had to live in a universe where the San Francisco Giants won a World Series. Then they did it again…and again…and have been irrelevant ever since, so it got better. My annoyance at a hypothetical Padres title does not rise to the level of agita I just described.
It’s just that the Padres have beclowned themselves at just about every opportunity when they have had actual expectations placed on them.
Expectations that the Padres would make a deep playoff run after finally besting the Dodgers in 2022? Nope, as apparently the job was done and the Dodgers’ failure was made worse when Philadelphia romped to the Fall Classic with modest effort.
Expectations that the Padres were going to win the NL West in 2023? Nope, as the team evacuated its figurative baseball bowels promptly, thoroughly, and repeatedly.
Expectations that the Padres would win the 2024 NLDS, likely costing Dave Roberts his job? Nope, as the Padres’ offense decided to go on holiday, not scoring for 23 innings to conclude the proceedings.
At this point, that team is practically daring me and others to pick it for a deep playoff run, potentially setting up a Dodgers-Padres NLCS.
I’m not falling for this bit again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us. Fool me four times, get a new hobby.
Honestly, it’s not animus towards the city of San Diego or its ballpark. It’s nice, on both counts.
It’s this current group of players who are as unlikeable and obnoxious as any bunch I can recall. The funny thing is that if they had actually done anything to justify the attitude, I would accept it as the winner’s prerogative.
Since they haven’t won anything, it’s just obnoxious.
Yes, they have been playing well in September, and their bullpen is formidable. I wanted the Dodgers to trade for Mason Miller last year. I even went to Sutter Health Park on his bobblehead day to get both the bobblehead and art for the subsequent Guide entry. Oh well.
The Padres have to get past the Cubs, which is an oddly compelling matchup that could easily fill a five-game or even seven-game series. Alas, it’s only three games as an amuse-bouche.
We don’t need extra playoffs; we need to savor what we have.
Seeing the Padres send the Cubs packing would likely be quite satisfying. In some respects, I am honestly rooting for every game to go to extra innings, and if a wayward meteor or an errant probe looking for whales happened by, who is to complain?
The just reward of that hypothetical Padres’ victory is that the Brewers are waiting, looming, if not salivating, for the winner. Most likely, the Padres’ dreams are smashed in Cream City, but not until giving the Brewers all that they can handle.
Scenario Two: Summer Swoon Coda
The Dodgers’ pitching core should be elite. Yes, the bullpen has seen better days, but this time of year is when the usual characters of Blake Treinen are out, and Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki are in.
If we’re being honest, and the Dodgers themselves were being honest, they would probably admit they are either going to win it all again or flop out right quick.
The problem with a best-of-five series is that all the benefits of depth are essentially negated. In a long enough series, the Dodgers should eventually beat just about anyone in the field. In a five-game series, the margin for error shrinks that much quicker.
I’ve been to Atlanta and Philadelphia. Those venues will be rocking if there is any sense of blood in the water, if the veneer of Dodger invincibility is scraped away.
Speaking of someone who has looked quite mortal since mid-August, Shohei Ohtani was eventually put on the injured list this September. Since his return, apart from one game, he hasn’t looked quite like himself.
Ohtani (5 games): .238/.273/.286. 5 for 21, 2B, RBI, 1 BB, 8 K
Now, however unlikely, if the Dodgers reenact either 2022 (flopping after one victory) or 2023 (getting swept meekly), I would be modestly disappointed.
Reenacting 2021 (sputtering out in the LCS) wouldn’t raise my hackles, because sometimes a team either just sputters out or runs into a better team.
The Brewers are better and healthier than they were last year. Maybe it’s finally their year? Who’s to say? I swear that Pat Murphy’s faux-meek act is long past its expiration date, but specific analysis of the Brewers is a topic for a later day.
But it better not be the Padres’ year, unless they flop to the Tampa Bay Rays or, God forbid, some other AL team. I specifically think of a team that backed into the postseason with a non-winning record and somehow has a cakewalk path to the ALCS if Cleveland and Chicago play to expectations.
A Padres/Astros World Series would be 2002 Redux, and sequels and remakes are generally worse than the original. But doomsday scenarios aside, the above is how I learned to love the upcoming tournament.
11 victories from Los Angeles seal immortality. Let the games begin!
For St. Louis Blues fans, the deal they're watching is whether GM Alexander Steen pulls the trigger on a trade for Alexander Nikishin. But now, according to a recent report from Friedman, the Blues' pursuit of Nikishin could have direct implications on the Carolina Hurricanes' ability to acquire Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets.
Friedman believes that a deal between the Hurricanes and Jets would have happened already if Nikishin were willing to sign in Winnipeg. He stated that he is still under the impression that Nikishin is looking for a five-year deal carrying a $9 million AAV.
Nikishin reportedly isn't interested in signing in Winnipeg, which further narrows the trade destinations.
"St. Louis has been a consistent pursuer, and there are some who are surprised it hasn’t happened," said Friedman. "Nashville tried, but wasn’t close enough for what Carolina wants. The Hurricanes were disappointed the Rangers trade didn’t work out and made it clear they would move Nikishin at their own pace. They are motivated now, so we’ll see. Nikishin is a talented player, but has zero leverage under the CBA."
With the New York Rangers out of the mix, the Nashville Predators unwilling to part with the necessary pieces, and the Jets unable to convince Nikishin to sign in Winnipeg, the Blues are the only true contender to land the 24-year-old Russian defenseman.
Friedman mentioned that Nikishin has changed agents and has been granted permission to speak with other teams about a contract. He also mentioned that the Hurricanes could be looking to make a three-team trade.
Nikishin is a left-handed defenseman who took home the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in his rookie season. He posted 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games, finishing seventh in Calder Trophy voting.
While he primarily played on the left side for the Hurricanes, Nikishin can play on the right side of defense, giving him the ability to play with Philip Broberg on the top pair or on the left side of the second pair.
The 2020 third-round pick boasts a 6-foot-3 frame, strong two-way ability, and the offensive skills to run a power-play unit. Nikishin fits the Blues stylistically and in terms of age.
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ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 13: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies doubles in the eighth inning during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, September 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Both the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have announced their rosters for the Wild Card round.
None of the Phillies trade deadline acquisitions made the roster. Some of that is due to unfortunate injuries. Caleb Kilian strained his oblique and Luis Arraez sprained his ankle. Brooks Raley has no such excuses. The 38-year-old left-hander had a 7.94 ERA in 16 games with the Phillies and became a non-option for the playoffs.
They’re also carrying 3 catchers because they have nothing else. It’s sort of fitting regardless of how the series turns out.
The Braves roster features 11 pitchers and 15 position players. It is surprising to see Ha-Seong Kim make it, let alone starting at shortstop. In 147 plate appearances, Kim hit just .116 with a .359 OPS. He is probably cooked.
CAMDEN, NJ - SEPTEMBER 28: Jaylen Brown #7, Joel Embiid #21, LeBron James #23, Tyrese Maxey #0, and VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers pose for a portrait on NBA media day on September 28, 2026 at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Media Day is behind us for the Philadelphia 76ers, and it was a more eventful one than usual given the new high-profile names arriving on the roster. Now it’s time to put the work in to get 1 percent better every day, as Tyrese Maxey (and now LeBron James) says.
Training camp begins today for the Sixers, running through this Friday. Philadelphia 76ers Public Relations released an announcement, which is basically a bunch of names we already knew.
“ The Philadelphia 76ers announced today their training camp roster for the 2026-27 season.
Training camp will be held at The Penn Medicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey, beginning today, September 29, through Friday, October 2.
Philadelphia’s full training roster is below”:
Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert are the two-way contracts taking the floor this week. Philadelphia still has one two-way slot available to utilize. Tacko Fall, Dillon Jones, Duke Miles, Jameer Nelson Jr., and Saint Thomas are all on Exhibit 10 deals with the clubs, so we’ll likely see them all in Delaware Blue Coats uniforms soon.
Establishing chemistry with so many new faces will be one of the challenges facing this squad. This week is where that process begins in earnest.
I’m sure clips will come out and we’ll all get googly eyes over LeBron throwing an alley-oop to VJ Edgecombe or Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid running a dribble handoff. In reality, this week is vital for the pieces to start to fall into place, as the Sixers open up preseason play less than a week from now, next Monday against the Knicks.
The regular-season opener is exactly three weeks away. Just in time to make us all forget about the Phillies and Eagles.
"Clearly, new team, new players, and that's what we're going to talk about today," was the tone Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' head of basketball operations, tried to set for the franchise in a press conference last week. "We just, as an organization, are so grateful for the run that we had with [LeBron James] here... it was a great era, and we're grateful for it. So I just think it's important to say that at the onset as we turn into a new chapter."
The Los Angeles Lakers are ready to move on from the LeBron James era — an eight-season run that brought them a title and made them a perennial playoff team — to what comes next, a team better built to maximize Luka Doncic. Yet the ghost of LeBron still seemed to haunt Lakers media day despite the fact that he was 2,400 miles away in a different uniform.
"It was kind of sad. Playing with LeBron was amazing. There's a lot of things I learned from him... We all know who LeBron James is."
Doncic, for his part, spent much of the day trying to spin things forward, this was part of his ESPN interviews.
"I'm really excited about this team. I think we have a lot of underrated guys. There are some guys that came in that are not talked about a lot, but I really enjoy them and I really like what I see."
Nobody faced more of that than Bronny James, LeBron James' son, who remains in Los Angeles for his third season and should see more regular minutes this season, potentially even cracking the regular rotation.
"You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron," Bronny said from the podium. "I've been doing this for however long, so I think it's a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron...
"That's my dad. I spent 22 years almost with him, so, just another experience that I'm going to be a part of. I'm excited for how it's going to feel during the season, too. Looking forward to it."
One void to fill without LeBron is leadership — he commanded the locker room and was the team's unquestioned leader. Now, Doncic and the newly signed Austin Reaves will fill that role together. Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said from the podium it would be no problem for Doncic and Reaves to share the role.
"They get along so well that it's kind of easy for them to co-lead this team. I think sometimes Luka leads by example and we watch him and we watch how he goes about himself. AR can sometimes be a bit more vocal. But I think they both do a great job at what they are good at it when it comes to being leaders for this team."
As long as Doncic stays healthy, the Lakers are going to be good. How good depends on how Walker Kessler steps up into the role of starting center on the Lakers, plus how well role players like Quentin Grimes, LaRavia, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams and others can deliver on both ends of the court.
If they do, the questions about LeBron will stop. Or, at least, slow down.
Two-time retired NBA champion J.R. Smith was arrested in Hunt County (Texas) on a family violence charge, according to booking records.
The Hunt County Sherriff’s Office arrested Smith Tuesday, Sept. 29 and brought a charge of assault causing bodily injury, with no bond set. Smith, 41, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center as of early Tuesday afternoon.
No other details were provided.
Hunt County is located just northeast of Dallas.
Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA from 2004-20 for the New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. The 2012-13 Sixth Man of the Year, Smith averaged 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists throughout his career.
After retiring from the NBA, Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T in 2021 to play on the University’s golf team. He graduated in May with a liberal studies degree.
Smith served 24 days in jail in 2007, stemming from a car crash in June of that year that killed his friend and passenger, Andre Bell. Smith pled guilty to reckless driving and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Later, in October 2017, Smith pled not guilty to allegations of reckless driving and excessive speeding in Bay Village, Ohio.
