The two teams were 48 hours removed from a battle that came down to the final seconds, which the Dream won, 91-90. So, maybe there was some carryover.
With less than 30 seconds to go in the first quarter, Caitlin Clark and Rhyne Howard exchanged some words and had to be separated. Howard was playing full-court defense on Clark, who was dribbling up the court.
Refs whistled the play, and the two bumped into one another. Both appeared to extend an arm, and Clark began to walk away from the situation before Howard took a step forward. But one of Howard's teammates quickly stepped in and led Howard away.
"I'm not scared of you," Clark appeared to say, and she was backed by her teammates.
Despite the tense moment Thursday, they shared a funny one earlier this month in the preseason, when Howard jokingly picked at Clark's ear after their exhibition, prompting a laugh from Clark.
It was a slow night overall for Clark, who had just six points heading into the fourth quarter. She had 27 points two nights earlier against Atlanta.
Indiana trailed, 75-71, with just over two minutes to go, but it ended the game on a 10-1 run. Clark added five points in the fourth quarter to finish with 11.
Clark's teammate, Natasha Howard, led the way with 26 points, while Rhyne Howard dropped 24.
The scuffle between Clark and Howard came five days after Clark and Angel Reese had to be separated. Clark was called for a flagrant foul on Reese, who then had words for Clark.
The incident prompted an investigation into alleged hateful comments toward Reese by fans at the game. Reese reposted a TikTok that said she is "unsafe" playing in Indiana.
The Fever are back in action Saturday against the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty in Indianapolis at 1 p.m. ET.
Three-time national championship-winning coach Dawn Staley weighed in on the rivalry between the two WNBA stars.
"I think it's great for our game," Staley said. "It's a sport. Treat us like a sport. … It happens in every sport — soccer, basketball, football ... so let it be."
Staley added that she believed the game officials made the right call.
"I’m going to take the lead of Angel and Caitlin, and that lead is they said it was a foul. The officials got it right, and we’re moving on." Staley said.
"I think it pulls people in."
"I do think there are new fans that haven't watched our game. I just hope that they'll open their eyes to the rest of the talent that is there. The product is incredible, and it's in high demand. We played Caitlin in the national championship last year. … Twenty million (viewers), whatever it topped off at."
Staley also expressed her excitement for future Clark-Reese matchups.
"I’m looking forward to the next time they play, too," Staley said. "I’m going to be glued in just like everybody else. I'm a fan."
Darin Ruf played first base for the Milwaukee Brewers June 2, 2023, in a game against the NL Central rival Cincinnati Reds. Little did he know it would be the final game of his career.
In the third inning, Ruf was chasing a pop-up in foul territory when his knee crashed into the end of the field tarp roller. Ruf badly cut his knee and limped off the field with the help of a trainer.
Ruf's complaint says the end of the tarp roller was made of sharp metal and had no protective cushioning or cap. The TV broadcast of the game said there was a "significant hunk of metal … that doesn't give very much."
Ruf went on the 60-day injured list and never played in the major leagues again.
His initial injury, aside from the laceration, was ruled a non-displaced fracture of his patella. But, according to Ruf's complaint, he suffered "permanent and substantial deformities to his knee."
"This didn't need to happen," Ruf said in a statement. "I wish it didn't happen. Players shouldn't have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field."
"This was an obvious and avoidable risk," Tad Thomas, Ruf's attorney, said in a release announcing the lawsuit. "There are basic safety protocols every MLB team should follow. Leaving an unpadded metal roller on the edge of the field is inexcusable."
The Reds did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The situation is similar to Dustin Fowler's. In his major league debut in 2017, he injured a knee in Chicago after running into an electrical box while chasing down a pop fly. Fowler, who would have led off the next inning for his first plate appearance in the majors, sued the White Sox for negligence.
The Yankees traded him roughly a month after the injury for Sonny Gray, and Fowler's first MLB hit came against Gray the next year.
Ruf, 38, played in the majors from 2012 to 2023 with the Philadelphia Phillies (2012-16), San Francisco Giants (2020-22, 2023), New York Mets (2022) and Brewers (2023). He batted .239 with a .329 on-base percentage, 67 homers and 205 RBI in 582 career games.
At the time of the injury, Ruf was playing in his 11th game with the Brewers after playing in nine games in his second stint with the Giants. He had been designated for assignment by San Francisco before joining Milwaukee.
Last season, the four highest-ranked conference champions had automatic byes and received the top four seeds. This year, the playoff bracket will be filled with straight seeding, with five spots still reserved for conference champions, according to ESPN.
"After evaluating the first year of the 12-team playoff, the CFP management committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment," CFP Executive Director Rich Clark said in a statement. "This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season."
If the new format were put in last year, Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Penn State would all have had bye weeks. Instead, Texas and Penn State both had to play in the first round and won convincingly. The Longhorns beat No. 12 Clemson (15th in the country), 38-24, and then defeated No. 4-seeded Arizona State, which had a bye as the Big 12 winner but was ranked 11th in the country, in double-overtime.
ASU would have played Ohio State in a matchup of the No. 11 and No. 6 seeds, while Boise State would have gone against Indiana in a battle between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds if straight seeding was used last season.
Instead, Boise State, the Mountain West winner, had a bye in the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed but was routed in the Fiesta Bowl by Penn State, a No. 6 seed, despite being ranked third in the country. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 11 SMU, 38-10, in the first round.
All four conference champions lost in the quarterfinals.
No. 8 Ohio State wrecked every team in its path en route to a national title despite playing in the first round. However, the Buckeyes didn't do themselves many favors with their seeding. They lost at home to Michigan to end the regular season. But they were ranked No. 6 by the committee despite their No. 8 seed.
This rule change now makes Notre Dame, an independent team that does not have a conference affiliation, eligible for a bye week.
Hendriks announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in January 2023. The three-time All-Star returned to the mound less than five months later and pitched for the Chicago White Sox.
However, after just five appearances since returning to the field after his bout with cancer, Hendriks needed Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox signed him to a two-year, $10 million contract in 2024 in his recovery, but Hendriks did not pitch last season as he rehabbed.
"Whether you (send death threats) from your ‘fake accounts’ or are you dumb enough to do it from your real account. I think I speak for all players who have to deal with this in their career when I say," Hendriks wrote.
"Enough is enough."
Hendriks has struggled this season with the Red Sox, as he has a 5.56 ERA in 11 games.
In his 14-year career, Hendriks has a 33-35 record with a 3.85 ERA with 738 strikeouts in 661.1 career innings pitched.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher recently spoke against transgender athletes in sports and reiterated his stance Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Urlacher appeared on the "Global View" podcast and wondered why it is even a debate. On Wednesday's edition of "America Reports," he said it is "common sense."
"Athletically, it's just not fair. You know, men are meant to play with men," Urlacher said. "That's why there's the NBA and the WNBA or LPGA and PGA Tour. They're different. I just don't understand how people think it's OK for a male to participate in a woman's sport.
"There are just so many biological differences. You have the guy that was swimming with the women there from Penn a couple years ago with Riley Gaines and some of her teammates, and you saw how he was with the men compared to with the women. It's just not fair. It's pretty obvious to most people."
Urlacher also questioned why other girls and women are not speaking out but pointed out that doing so has hurt them.
"You see these girls stand up, and it's really hurting themselves when they stand up because they're not competing because they don't want to compete against a man. So, they're stepping down from their competitions," he added.
"And it's kind of funny coming from people who push women's rights, and they want to fight for women's rights, but they don't wanna fight for women's rights in sports. They want men to come in there and dominate the sports against the women. It's just, it's not fair. It's common sense. I think we've seen President Trump talk about it since he's been elected. It's pretty much common sense just to not have men in women's sports.
"It's just not fair. You know, I saw a track athlete in South Carolina a couple of years ago doing the same thing, just winning every event. There's biological differences. Men should not be competing against women. It's not fair. It's dangerous. You saw the volleyball player, the man spiking the ball, hitting the woman in the face.
"It's … not fair and it can be really dangerous. It's funny what Aaron [Rodgers] said. You don't see women try competing against men in our sports. You don't see them trying to play football. You don't see them try and do things that they wouldn't be as good at or could get hurt at."
Illinois, where Urlacher spent his NFL career, has become a hotbed of controversy over the issue of trans athlete inclusion in recent days after a biological male competed in a seventh-grade track meet against biological females at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet.
Several other states have defied President Donald Trump's executive order on the issue, resulting in Maine temporarily losing federal funding.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
As California's transgender athlete conflict escalates, one high school athlete has resorted to changing clothes in her car to avoid uncomfortable situations.
During a Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) school board meeting this week, junior Audrey Vanherweg revealed her decision.
"I strongly disagree with what is going on in the girls' locker room and on the girls track team, so much so that I change in my car for track practice because I feel way more comfortable in my car than I do in my own school's locker room," Vanherweg said.
Vanherweg isn't the first LMUSD girl to express anxiety over the track and field locker room this season.
During a meeting in April, fellow junior track athlete Celeste Diest recounted her experience having to change in front of a biological male trans athlete before practice while that athlete allegedly watched her undress.
"I went into the women's locker room to change for track practice where I saw, at the end of my row, a biological male watching not only myself, but the other young women undress. This experience was beyond traumatizing," Diest said, beginning to cry.
"Adults like yourself make me and my peers feel like our own comfort was invalid, even though our privacy was and still is completely violated."
Both meetings included several parents speaking in opposition to trans athletes in attendance, while other community members spoke in support of trans inclusion. Both meetings also included just as many speakers advocating for transgender athletes.
At this week's meeting, a trans track and field athlete described the decision to join the girls' team while wearing a transgender pride flag.
"When I joined track last year, I was terrified," the athlete said. "I was alone, and I feared for my life. When I started going to track practice, I was too afraid to make friends. I thought they would reject and mock me for being transgender. At my first meet, I sat alone, on the wet, muddy ground.
"I fear that somebody would accuse me of a heinous crime, so I walked on razor-thin ice. I never spent longer than three minutes in the locker room. I never made eye contact with people," the athlete said. "And yet, people still accuse me, someone who deals with sexual harassment on a daily basis, of being a predator. So, I'm here to say that I am not the villain, I am the victim."
Women's rights activist and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, a leader in the national movement to protect women's and girls' sports, previously told Fox News Digital she believes trans athletes involved in the current culture war are victims.
"I view them as victims, too. I really do. They have fallen victim to the movement. They have unfortunately fallen for the lie that they weren't created uniquely and intentionally in God's perfect image. And that is a horrible message to send to anyone," Gaines said.
"I believe they're victims, too, which is the sad reality of the gender ideology movement."
California has allowed transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports since 2014. California's high school sports league, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), was one of the first in the country to openly defy President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order after it was signed on Feb. 5.
The CIF is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for potential Title IX violations over the issue.
California's state legislature failed to pass two GOP-backed bills to reverse the current policies that allow males in girls' sports after every Democrat voted against them on April 1.
Friday will mark the final episode of a longtime ESPN staple, as "Around the Horn" will be off the airwaves for good after roughly two decades of action.
Jay Mariotti, who was a regular on the show until his domestic violence arrest in 2010, said in a recent interview that the show is being canceled because it went "woke."
But another panelist, Sarah Spain, questioned whether the network canceled the show, because they would be "scared" of being labeled as such.
"It confounds me that they are canceling it. The format allows for a continuous stream of new people, to highlight reporters on your network. I’m admittedly biased, but this is progressive voices and people of color you’re taking off TV. I don’t know for sure that’s their intention, but are you so scared of getting called ‘woke’?" she said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Tony Reali, the longtime host of the show, said he did not "believe" that was the reason.
"I don’t believe what that is. I honestly think we did 50,000 topics over 23 years. You’re going to tell me 10 or 15 drew an eyebrow up? I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, we were doing some complex topics from time to time.’ I don’t mute people in Face Time, so maybe there’s two or three there that didn’t have the back-and-forth that you’d want. Maybe there’s one or two I’d take back if you ask me; those aren’t my regrets. Not at all," he said on "The Dan Patrick Show" recently.
In one of its final episodes earlier this month, Kate Fagan, who had made scarce appearances since leaving the network in 2018, was determined as the "winner" of the show against Jemele Hill, who had not been on the show since that same year after being fired for negative posts about President Donald Trump.
In her victory monologue, Fagan made a plea that "trans kids deserve to play sports."
"Think about what you remember from your time playing sports. Ninety-nine percent of it is finding that jersey for the first time, your favorite number, community, joy, those high-fives," Fagan said. "It's that moment when you have a great play with a teammate. It's the feeling of belonging. And it does not know gender. Trans kids deserve the same as everyone else does. Sports is joy. Sports is humanity. And the more people who have that, the better."
Mariotti name-dropped Hill in that aforementioned interview, adding the show "lost some audience." In another post on his own Substack, headlined "Around the Horn ended a long time ago - when I left the show," Mariotti reiterated that some of the panelists went "woke" while others were "on dope."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA's MVP Wednesday night, and someone who's been there through it all could not have been happier.
Shortly after Gilgeous-Alexander won the award, the first of his career, AT&T released a video highlighted by a voicemail left for the MVP by his mother, Charmaine.
"You deserve it. Like I said, be you, stay focused and everything else will work out. You're definitely on your way to being one of the best to ever play the game. And now? Another thing checked off your list. This is why your whole life has been consistent. Be careful and continue to dominate and be the best leader on and off the court. The world finally gets to see you the way I've always seen you.
"You know how much I love you. I'm so, so, so proud of you. Well-deserved. Bye, love you."
The Canadian star and league's leading scorer posted career highs with 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the West with an NBA-best 68-14 record.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP runner-up last year to Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder defeated Jokić's Nuggets in seven games in the second round this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He only spent one year there, though, and was part of a package that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.
Since the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander has been a diamond in the rough, and he will soon be named first-team All-NBA a third straight year. He's also led the NBA in free throws made per game the last two seasons.
Oklahoma City kicked off the Western Conference finals with a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who fell in the same round to the Dallas Mavericks last year. OKC trailed by four points at the half but outscored Minnesota 70-40 in the second half.
This is the furthest OKC has gotten in the playoffs since 2016, when the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. The Warriors then did the same to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Oklahoma City, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, is still looking for its first NBA title since moving (Seattle won the NBA title in 1979). The Thunder last made the NBA Finals in 2012, when they lost to James and the Miami Heat.
The NBA’s greatest-player-of-all-time debate has raged on as LeBron James has continued to excel in the twilight of his NBA career.
Some fans say the NBA’s best-ever is Michael Jordan, the fierce competitor who won six titles in eight seasons. Other fans say it is James, a four-time champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer.
Jordan’s longtime agent, David Falk, added fuel to the fire that is the "G.O.A.T" debate.
Falk listed Jordan as his best-ever but, shockingly, did not have James as his second-best ever, and took a swipe at the current Los Angeles Lakers star.
The agent said his next-best player after Jordan is either Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Kobe Bryant.
"I really like LeBron," Falk said, via Sports Business Journal. "But I think if Jordan had cherry-picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would’ve won 15 championships."
Falk said James would "probably" land in his top 10 best players ever.
Jordan’s former agent referenced James’ tenure with the Miami Heat with his "cherry-picked" comment.
James, after being unable to capture a title in his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, departed in free agency for the Miami Heat.
James, alongside star center Chris Bosh, signed with the Heat in free agency to join Dwayne Wade, and created the "Big 3." A lot of fans credit the Heat for being the first to create a "superteam."
In his four seasons with the Heat, James won two championships.
Jordan, on the other hand, stuck with the Chicago Bulls until after his second retirement, when he joined the Washington Wizards.
WWE star Zoey Stark broke her silence on Wednesday after a devastating injury left her unable to compete in a Money in the Bank qualifying match on "Monday Night Raw."
Stark suffered a knee injury as she was going for a drop kick on Kairi Sane. She misfired and came up lame as she writhed in pain on the mat. A trainer nearby needed to come into the ring to help Stark out and to the backstage area.
She thanked her fans and colleagues for their support and well wishes.
"Wow the love and support means more to me than you'll ever know!" Stark wrote in a post on X. "What hurts more than my knee is knowing I wont be able to perform for all of you for a while. I LOVE what I do and I'm blessed to do this. As the saying goes, the comeback is greater than the setback. Love you guys."
Sane and Rhea Ripley were the ones left in the match as the triple threat became a one-on-one fight. Ripley ended up getting the pin and win over Sane to move into the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, which will take place next month in California.
Sane and Ripley both shared their thoughts on Stark’s injury.
"Professional wrestling can be very real and dangerous… Tonight continued to prove that anything can happen," Ripley wrote. "Wishing @ZoeyStarkWWE a speedy recovery!"
Sane added, "I truly hope we get to face each other again when you’re ready. Wishing you a smooth recovery."
Stark debuted on the "Raw" roster in 2023 after having success in NXT for a few years before getting the call-up.
She immediately made an impact when she partnered with WWE legend Trish Stratus during her feud with Becky Lynch. Once the rivalry was over, she found herself in a new faction with Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville for a few months, but Baszler and Deville eventually departed the company.
Stark was ranked as the No. 86 top female wrestler in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s 2021 list. She won a tag team championship with Iyo Sky in NXT.
Formula 1 will run the Monaco Grand Prix with the Indianapolis 500 taking place in the afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 at night to put a cap on the day.
Ryan Blaney will be behind the wheel of the No. 12 Team Penske car for the Coca-Cola 600 with the BodyArmor Chill drinks emblazoned on the hood of his vehicle. Blaney’s fellow NASCAR Cup Series colleague Kyle Larson will be attempting to do "The Double."
"The Double" is one of the toughest feats any racecar driver could attempt to do during their career. It involves racing the Indy 500 and then flying on a plane to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Larson became one of five drivers to attempt "The Double" last year but failed to make it to the NASCAR race.
Blaney told Fox News Digital it was "neat" to watch Larson attempt it last year.
"It’s the biggest day in racing," Blaney said. "You got Monaco early, then you got Indy, and then we end it with the 600. I get up and watch Monaco in the morning, I cheer on the Penske guys for the 500 and then I get ready to go race. I think it’s a great feat. It was neat to watch him do it last year. Last year didn’t really go his way with rain and stuff like that, it was kind of a crapshoot. Hopefully, it goes a little smoother for him this year just being able to do it all."
An attempt at "The Double" appeared to pique Blaney’s interest given that Team Penske has drivers competing at the Indy 500.
"But yeah, it’s something I’ve always considered," Blaney said. "You never know, maybe down the road if I get a chance. I’m with a great team that has a chance to do it, but we’ll see. You never know, we’ll figure it out."
Larson, John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch have all attempted the feat. Stewart was the only driver out of the group to complete both races on the same day.
No driver has won either race while making the attempt.
Larson is hoping that changes come Sunday.
The Indy 500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.
As star quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains an unsigned free agent this offseason, the 41-year-old veteran says that his personal life has been impacted by tragedy to those close to him.
During an interview with Joe Rogan on Wednesday, Rodgers said that there are many people close to him who are currently dealing with cancer.
"I've been in the weeds with these people who are close to me that have cancer," Rodgers told Rogan.
The quarterback previously hinted at issues in his personal life during an interview on the "Pat McAfee Show" back in April, as a reason why he had not signed with a team.
"I have a couple people in my inner, inner circle who are battling some difficult stuff," Rodgers said. "So, I have a lot of things that are taking my attention and have since the beginning of January away from football. That's where I have been focusing most of my attention on."
Multiple reports have linked Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently have a quarterback opening after losing Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason and choosing not to pick a top quarterback prospect in this year's NFL Draft.
Rodgers recently visited the Steelers' facilities, and multiple outlets reported he met with the team's coaching staff. However, Rodgers has still yet to decide if he will continue his NFL career in 2025 or step away from the game all together, as he has not ruled out retirement.
Journalist Ian O'Conner, who recently wrote the Rodgers biography "Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers," said the quarterback is likely to end up in Pittsburgh.
"I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all.’ So that’s where I think he is," O’Connor said during a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
O'Conner went on to describe the Steelers as the "perfect place" for Rodgers to bring his storied career to a close.
"He knows it was an embarrassment in New York largely, and he’s the face of that embarrassment," O’Connor said. "Whether that’s fair or not, that’s the case. It may be me as an optimist, but I think this is gonna work out. Do I think the Steelers will win the Super Bowl next year? No. But if you told me 11-6 with at least one playoff victory ... I think that’s realistic."
New York Yankees rookie outfielder Jasson Dominguez hit a walk-off home run to give the team a 4-3 comeback win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
With one out and up 2-0 in the count, Dominguez clubbed a hanging slider from Rangers’ reliever Luke Jackson 398 feet into the second deck to give the Yankees the win.
Dominguez’s home run did more than just win the game -- he also etched his name into the history books.
The 22-year-old is the first player in MLB history to achieve these four feats in a single month: hit three home runs in a game, hit a home run from both sides of the plate in a game, hit a grand slam, and hit a walk-off home run, according to OptaSTATS.
Earlier in the month against the Athletics, Dominguez became the youngest Yankees player to ever hit three home runs in a game. He became just the 16th player ever to have a three-home run game with at least one coming from each side of the plate.
Bruce Pearl, the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team and chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association, mourned the killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers after a Capital Jewish Museum event on Wednesday night.
Pearl appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" and said he was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night talking about Jewish Heritage Month before the shooting occurred.
"There’s a tremendous rise in antisemitism. We’re going to overcome it," Pearl said. "This was just a young couple, two diplomats just getting ready to start their life. The young man had a ring and was just getting ready to ask this beautiful girl to marry him and start a family. And that’s all gone right now because of, quite frankly, just the lies. Just the lies and incredibly awful propaganda."
Pearl said he believed that when anti-Israel agitators march in the streets or college campuses and chant "free Palestine," it really meant that they want to free it from Jewish people.
"When they say, ‘free Palestine’ – what they mean is free Palestine of the Jews. Free Palestine of your friend coach, Bruce Pearl. … That’s what this is all about," he said. "If you were to sit there and call for an intifada or if you were going to be calling for the death to the Jews, just replace the Jews with the word ‘Christians’ or ‘Blacks’ or ‘women’ or anybody, where in the world do you get to get out there on a street … I believe in free speech so you know what, you get to do that here in this country. But we got to take them seriously now. We got to take them at their word. Just terrible to see that tragedy in D.C. last night."
Pearl lamented the "lies" being told about Israel – whether it was on college campuses or in the media.
However, the college basketball coach did not think the shooting would be a tipping point for those protesting against Israel.
"I don’t know that it can. I don’t know that we’re at a tipping point at this right now. In three days, it’ll be over, and we’ll be on to whatever is next," Pearl said." You go to Washington, D.C., and you got Jewish congressmen and senators that are Democrats that are gonna take a certain position and a certain side of things because politically we’re lining up in such opposition – we’re Americans! And it’s fine that we got different ways of looking at things, but no, I don’t see this thing changing very much."
Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, both worked at the embassy and were about to be engaged before they were shot and killed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter.
Washington, D.C. police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who was taken into custody after the shooting attack. He was allegedly seen pacing outside the museum before he approached a group of four people, including the two victims, and opened fire. Rodriguez then reportedly went into the museum where he was detained by security. He allegedly shouted "Free, free Palestine!" while in custody.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic murders of two young Israeli diplomats outside the Capital Jewish Museum," the team said. "Antisemitism and hate have no place in our society, and we join the entire DMV in offering our thoughts and prayers to the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgri. May their memories be a blessing."
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers started with high intensity and closed the same way on Wednesday night.
An onslaught of power-play goals from Stars players Mike Heiskanen, Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene in the third period lifted Dallas to a 6-3 win. The Stars, at one point, trailed the Oilers by two goals before marching all the way back for the improbable victory.
As the horn sounded, several players from the Stars and Oilers mixed it up at center ice. The broadcast caught Edmonton defenseman Corey Perry going after Stars rookie Lian Bischel. Perry appeared to mock the player after officials broke up the scrum.
Dallas left the ice with a 1-0 lead in the series over Edmonton.
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer was happy with how the team was able to take advantage of the power play. Dallas had been 0-for-14 in six playoff games against the Oilers.
"I didn’t feel through 40 minutes that we had made (the Oilers) earn the position they were in. so, guys responded. We got fortunate. We got some power-play goals," DeBoer said. "Happy for our power play. It took a lot of heat last year at this point of the year. it was the difference tonight for us, so it’s great."
Dallas became the second team since 1934 to have three power-play goals in the opening six minutes of a playoff period. The New York Rangers did it in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens in 2014.
"The first power play we had was a little bit like the rest of our game. Our execution was a little off, we didn’t make great plays with the puck, we didn’t have great support," DeBoer said. "I thought in the third, we came out and we executed. I think you never know when that switch is going to go.
"Obviously, being at home here for this game, we get that first goal, the crowd gets into it, momentum shifts really quickly. That’s the benefit of being at home here for Game 1."
Bill Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson made light of the couple's 48-year age difference in a social media post on Wednesday.
Hudson shared a photo on her Instagram story of them sitting at a table with a focus on a container of "Old Bay" spice. She captioned the photo "Old Bay with my old bae." Belichcik is 73.
The playful Instagram caption comes just days after The New York Times reported that Hudson has told at least one person that she and Belichick are engaged to be married.
The first notion of the two considering marriage was broached in Page Six. A report from the gossip outlet said the two "discussed marriage," which wasn’t "out of the question."
The report added at the time that Hudson didn't "put any pressure on Bill at all to propose, and she feels like it will happen when and if the time is right."
The couple has been a lightning rod of controversy in recent weeks after an interview on CBS Sunday Morning that saw Hudson forbid Belichick from answering a question about how the couple met. The interview was part of a promotional tour for Belichick's new book, "The Art of Winning — Lessons from My Life in Football." At times during the conversation, Hudson was accused of attempting to assert her control.
Hudson also faced criticism over her reported involvement in North Carolina losing out on the opportunity to be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks." According to The Athletic, Hudson played an "instrumental role" in HBO pulling the plug on the potential production of the UNC-focused docuseries.
The report also noted that Hudson had asked to be "heavily involved with the project."
Belichick has been publicly linked to the 24-year-old Hudson since 2023. In a statement released after the CBS interview, Belichick said he met Hudson on a flight in 2021.
The sports world was rocked by the death of legendary Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay on Wednesday.
The news struck especially hard for many of Irsay's former Colts players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
Manning, who played his first 13 seasons for the Colts and helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, shared his respect for Irsay in an Instagram post Wednesday night.
"I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay’s passing. He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL. His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone in the Colts community. He will be missed. Jim, rest in peace my friend," Manning wrote.
Many of Manning's old Indianapolis teammates expressed their condolences too.
Former Colts punter and current ESPN host Pat McAfee shared a long story in an X post on Wednesday, detailing his experience with Irsay throughout the punter's career.
"The 1st time he and I really had an extended convo was at training camp after the lockout in 2011.. players and front office weren’t allowed to communicate with each other during the lockout but, Jim followed me on Twitter throughout the CBA negotiations, his first day at training camp, immediately after the lockout ended, he drove his golf cart over to where I was and started firing off questions about Twitter.. He enjoyed the thought of being able to connect with Colts fans all over the world," McAfee wrote.
McAfee even credited Irsay for helping the punter succeed in his post-NFL career.
"When I decided to retire.. he and I had a 2.5 hour conversation in his office. He was sitting at his desk.. hitting the s--- out of his vape .. and we talked about everything I was hoping to go do. He tried to stop me for a few minutes.. even offered to renegotiate my contract.. and then once he realized my decision was made.. the convo turned into him trying to give me as much game as possible about running a business and maintaining authenticity," McAfee added.
"Jim has done everything he can to help me succeed.. He’d join our show anytime I asked, no matter where he was in the world.. He’d send me motivational messages when he heard I was going thru something.. he’d forward articles that he’d come across that he thought I should read."
Legendary NFL kicker Adam Viniatieri expressed his condolences to Irsay in an X post. Viniatieri cemented his legacy by helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls from 2001-2005, often beating the Colts on the way there. However, when Irsay's team signed the kicker in 2006, it immidietly helped change the fortunes of both teams, as Viniatieri kicked the game-winning field goal against the Patriots in that year's AFC championship game to send the Colts to the Super Bowl.
"I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Jim Irsay. He was more than just an owner, he as a man of the people and his generosity was unmatched. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to have played under his leadership, and his impact on my life. Rest in peace, Jim," Viniatieri wrote.
Former Colts star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who played for Irsay's team from 2012-2021, making four Pro Bowls, shared his love for Irsay in a post on X on Wednesday night.
"Please don’t ask me if I’m ok. Cuz I’m not. Thank You Sooo Much Mr.Irsay. I will forever hold our talks close to my heart. Love You! RIP Mr.Irsay," Hilton wrote.
Several other current and former pro athletes paid respect to the owner on social media as well, including Robert Griffin III and the son of former legendary Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Marvin Harrison Jr.
Irsay's father purchased the team in 1972, when they still played in Baltimore, for $12 million and moved the team in 1984. Irsay was the general manager of the team from 1982 to 1996 and became the NFL's youngest owner at age 37, shortly after his dad's death in 1997.
Irsay had several health issues over the years and battled drug and alcohol addiction, once admitting he had been to rehab "at least 15 times."
The Colts announced in January 2024 that Irsay was being treated for a "severe respiratory illness." That February, he posted on X that he was "on the mend."
"It's a long road, and you have to be patient. The great news is everything is going well," a hospitalized Irsay said that March after he underwent a procedure on his right leg.
Irsay said by that point he had undergone "26 surgeries over the last seven years."
Over his tenure running the day-to-day operations of the organization, Irsay won 258 games, the fourth-most in the NFL in that span. He also won 10 division titles, went 1-1 in Super Bowls and made the playoffs 18 times.
He is survived by three daughters and 10 grandchildren. He and his ex-wife divorced in 2013.
American tennis player Danielle Collins had some choice words for the cameraman during her Internationaux de Strasbourg match against Emma Raducanu on Wednesday afternoon.
Collins was in the middle of a changeover when she felt the cameraman’s hovering was a bit too close for comfort in the middle of the third and defining set. She got off the bench and made the point clear.
"I need to get water. We’re on a changeover. You don’t need to be that close to me, and you don’t need to be on top of Emma. It’s wildly inappropriate," Collins said. "It’s not that difficult to give space."
The camera was kept on Collins as she filled up her water bottle with Raducanu in the shot to the right.
Collins ended up winning the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, and is set to take on Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Raducanu weighed in on what she heard from Collins during her outburst.
"I was standing up because I did not want to sit down in the third set because of my back," Raducanu said, via The Tennis Gazette. "I was staying standing because it was a bit more comfortable, and then she came to fill her bottle up and was just saying how the cameraman was really close and felt a bit inappropriate, but that is all she was saying."
The two are preparing for the French Open later this month.
Former ESPN NFL reporter Ed Werder ripped CNN broadcaster Jake Tapper as he promoted his new book, "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," and acknowledged "humility" in past coverage of former President Joe Biden.
Tapper, and co-author Alex Thompson, have received criticism about the cover-up of the former president’s decline while he was in office. Tapper has been on multiple shows admitting to failures in how the reporting on Biden’s health was done.
Werder, the longtime ESPN journalist, offered his two cents in a post on Wednesday.
"He sold his credibility as a journalist for access to power - and now expects to profit from the very audience to whom he lied," Werder wrote on X.
Werder was far from the only journalist or pundit who has called out the coverage.
Jon Stewart, Charlamagne Tha God, and "The View" hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg all made their feelings known about the book and the coverage around it. Some were specifically scolding CNN for promoting it, while some "View" pundits wondered whether Tapper would write a book about President Donald Trump’s decline.
MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski, a noted Biden supporter, pushed back on the authors over the notion of a "cover-up" while speaking to Tapper and Thompson on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." She questioned the notion of a "cover-up."
Naomi Biden also defended her grandfather in a post on X upon the book’s release.
"Just read a copy of this silly book, and if anyone is curious for a review from someone who lived it first-hand: this book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class. The ones who rarely enter the arena, but profit from the spectacle of those that do. Put simply, it amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck," she wrote.
Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
