New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone called it a "terrible week" for the organization. Aaron Judge would certainly agree after Saturday’s loss.
The Yankees dropped their sixth consecutive game Saturday, suffering a crushing 12-6 loss to the New York Mets.
The loss marked the second losing streak of six games this year, their first was from June 13-18, and the first time since 2000 that the organization has endured two six-game losing streaks in a single season.
Adding insult to injury, Aaron Judge was left bloodied just after the fifth inning thanks to teammate Anthony Volpe.
Yankees players tossed the ball around as they headed toward the dugout when Volpe got the ball. He lobbed it up in the direction of an unsuspecting Judge. The ball came down on the slugger’s right eye, knocking his sunglasses to the ground.
Boone said he was concerned at first, but Judge only appeared to sustain a small cut.
He approached home plate the next inning with a small bandage next to his right eye.
"Yeah, I mean, confusion. I didn't know what happened initially. I just saw kind of a, what felt like something happened," Boone said. "So yeah, of course I was concerned. Had a little cut. In the end I don't think anything too serious, obviously. But yeah, initially, obviously very concerned."
The Mets have a chance to sweep the Subway Series on Sunday.
"It's just the little things. That's what it kind of comes down to – but every good team goes through a couple bumps in the road," Judge said Saturday.
"We'll clean some things up. We know what we need to do. We'll take care of business."
The Indiana Fever dropped a close game to the previously 5-13 Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night, prompting fans to take to social media to hit back at ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck after she argued that the team was "more dangerous" without star guard Caitlin Clark.
Clark missed her fifth straight – her second lengthy absence of the season – on Saturday night as she remained sidelined with a groin injury. Earlier in the week, Peck argued that the Fever were "more dangerous" without Clark.
"I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play, because she’s a ball-dominant guard," she said. "The ball’s in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons."
Fans initially hit back after Peck’s comments on Thursday, but after an 89-87 loss to the Sparks, the critics returned.
"Saying the Indiana Fever are better without Caitlin Clark is the dumbest take I've heard in a long time. It's almost like they needed her today against a team that was 5-13," FOX Sports Radio host Brian Noe said in a post.
Including Saturday’s loss, the Fever are 2-3 without Clark. Indiana missed its last five shots, four in the final minute against the Sparks, including Aliyah Boston’s missed shot in the final three seconds.
Boston led the team with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Natasha Howard had 21 points and nine rebounds and Kelsey Mitchell added 19 points.
There’s no clear timeline for Clark’s return. She was selected as one of the two captains for the WNBA All-Star Game, which will be hosted in Indiana on July 19.
Ben Shelton may have secured his place in the sibling hall of fame.
After defeating Hungarian tennis player Marton Fucsovics in straight sets in his third-round match at Wimbledon on Saturday, Shelton made a pitch to investment bank Morgan Stanley to have his lucky charm hang around for one more week.
"I’ve been playing well this week. It’s not just been me here. I have a great team. My parents are here. My girlfriend’s here. Also, my sister’s here. She’s been here for every match that I’ve played this tournament so far. She’s been the lucky charm," Shelton said of his sister, Emma.
"But she has work back in the U.S., starting on Monday. She works for Morgan Stanley."
The revelation was met with boos from the crowd, but Shelton interrupted to make his pitch.
"If any of y’all have some (connections) and get her a couple extra days off so she can (stay). We can keep this rolling, that’d be great," he said with a laugh.
"Yeah, you got the week off or what?" Shelton said in a video posted to his Instagram Stories. In response, his sister was seen jumping up and down in excitement, seemingly confirming that her PTO was approved.
"Shout out, Morgan Stanley," Shelton said as the video ended.
Shelton has won all nine sets he played at the All England Club last week and advances to the fourth round where he’ll face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Monika Burzynska said she was assigned the locker next to Lia Thomas when the transgender athlete joined the women's swim team in 2021. Burzynska previously knew the athlete as Will Thomas, a member of the men's swimming team at UPenn.
"He wasn't very social," Burzynska told Fox News Digital, adding she had only ever had short, passing conversations with Thomas.
She thought Thomas had already graduated when her team was dealt the news that the athlete would be transitioning to join the women's team starting in the 2021-22 season.
When that season eventually began, and Thomas became a fixture in the women's locker room, Burzynska often retreated to the corner of the room to change. Other times, Burzynska timed exactly when she changed to coincide with when Thomas showered. Eventually, Burzynska opted to only change in the stalls or in the family locker across the hall.
"Around Lia, I wasn't going to risk anything," Burzynska said, regarding the possibility of the trans athlete seeing her undress.
Burzynska has never spoken out about her experience of being on a team with Thomas until now, amid the recent news that UPenn agreed to apologize to all the female swimmers, rescind Thomas' program records, and adopt a new policy that applies strict biological definitions for males and females.
She said the news gave her "a deep sense of peace and validation."
"Not only for me, but for all the girls on the team, for all the girls in the swim world and in the sport world. And I think this decision, it brought back – at least for me – a sense of fairness that had been lost," Burzynska said. "Women's records belong to women and that protecting the integrity of women's sports still matters."
Still, the memories of what Burzynska and others had to endure lingers.
Burzynska identifies as someone with conservative values, but says she grew up feeling "compassion" for transgender people. Her views changed when she was placed next to Thomas in the locker room.
"I thought it must be terrible to feel like you're trapped in the wrong body. Just be so out of touch with who you really are," Burzynska said. "You have these issues that are from afar and you never really quite think they're going to touch you personally until you're on a team with Lia Thomas and your locker is directly next to this biological male. And you would have never believed that you'd be facing this issue directly.
"And then when that happens, your views change where you still feel sorry for this person because they're clearly so deeply lost. But then it turns into more, ‘OK, this is not fair,’" Burzynska added.
As a native of Colonia, New Jersey, Burzynska explained that she grew up in a liberal environment with prominent pro-LGBTQ sentiment. Those values followed her when she went to UPenn in the deep blue city of Philadelphia.
"We have a very, very, how should I call it, like deep LGBTQ presence on campus where the campus buildings or the dormitories, rather than flying the U.S. flag, the trans flag, the LGBTQ flag [were flown]. Whenever I visit Penn, I see it's like this huge skyscraper dorm, and they have the biggest rainbow flag you could imagine," Burzynska said.
"So I guess, in a sense, you could say it encourages it if a person is very confused about their identity, and then there's this group that seems so accepting, so loving, telling you could be whatever you want to be… that might kind of, yeah, encourage people to turn that way."
Burzynska, and the other female swimmers on the team at the time, were allegedly coerced into silence and submission by UPenn administrators.
A lawsuit by three other former Thomas teammates, Grace, Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, alleged that university officials pressured them not to speak out about their thoughts on Thomas joining the team publicly.
"The UPenn administrators went on to tell the women that if the women spoke publicly about their concerns about Thomas’ participation on the Women’s Team, the reputation of those complaining about Thomas being on the team would be tainted with transphobia for the rest of their lives and they would probably never be able to get a job,’" the lawsuit alleged.
Burzynska, having grown up in a liberal New Jersey town, was already accustomed to the consequences of sharing conservative values in a liberal setting.
Burzynska recalls, from a young age, often being criticized for having "conservative or Republican values."
"I had been experiencing that forever. And even UPenn, I think it's every university at this point, but UPenn is very, very left-leaning. And so I was kind of ready to embrace that, that my views wouldn't be welcomed because, yeah, I've been conservative most of my life. My beliefs are grounded in faith."
Burzynska recalls a futile conversation she had with her head coach, Mike Schnur, when she confronted him with concerns about being on a team with Thomas.
"We had this long meeting, I don't know, almost two hours long. And he said, 'Listen, Monika, I understand all your concerns. They're all valid. I don't think any of them would deter you from continuing onto your senior year and having a successful senior year. I think the one thing that would deter you is that Lia is changing in your locker room and there's nothing you could do about it,'" Burzynska said.
"I told him in that meeting, ‘What are you talking about? Like, how is this fair?’ And his response was, 'It's not fair, but if you have any issues with it, come to me… Don't talk about it with everyone else. Come to me. We'll talk through it'"
Burzynska said she never took Schnur up on that offer, believing that he wouldn't do anything about it anyway.
Still, she alleges she witnessed her teammates having those futile conversations with Schnur, from a distance.
Then came the administrators that allegedly pressured the women's swimmers who objected to Thomas to go to pro-LGBTQ counseling. Burzynska said she called the counseling session "brainwashing meetings."
She never attended the sessions.
Burzynska has since moved on from the situation and has embraced her life and career beyond it.
Still, she admits that parts of the situation instilled "trauma" in her, and she is grateful that President Donald Trump's administration made it a priority to instill consequences on UPenn.
"Those [women's] rights at Penn were clearly compromised so it's amazing that they looked into it and Trump took it so seriously," Burzynska said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to UPenn for a response to Burzynska's statements.
New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara will not be making the transition to the baseball diamond anytime soon.
Kamara, 29, threw out the first pitch before the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals played at Wrigley Field Saturday, and it did not go well.
Kamara, wearing a Cubs' jersey with his name and the No. 41, yanked the first pitch. The Saints star running back threw it about 45 feet and nearly outside the lefty batter's box.
The Cubs' mascot, Clark the Cub, who was catching Kamara’s first pitch, had to reach over and make a nice backhand pick just to keep it in front of him.
Kamara was so displeased with his pitch he started flapping his glove and asked for a do-over. Clark the Cub obliged and threw the ball back to Kamara. The running back got a second chance, and the Cubs’ faithful booed after the ball was thrown back to Kamara.
The second pitch was much better for the Saints star. Kamara fired one, still a little wild, but in the air for all 60 feet that Clark the Cub snared. Kamara raised up his arms and gave Clark the Cub a hug in celebration.
Saints fans have seen Kamara celebrate a lot over his eight-year career. The star running back has scored 60 rushing touchdowns and 25 receiving touchdowns.
Last season, in 14 games, Kamara rushed for 950 yards with six rushing touchdowns while hauling in 68 passes for 543 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Kamara will be relied upon heavily next season to carry the load after quarterback Derek Carr retired earlier this offseason, leaving the team with a quarterback competition to begin training camp.
"None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts."
Jenks was a fifth-round pick in 2000 out of high school, made his MLB debut in 2005 and immediately burst onto the scene. In 32 games, he pitched to a 2.75 ERA and struck out 11.4 batters per nine.
Because of his rapid success, he earned the closer's role ahead of the postseason. He appeared in all four games of that Fall Classic and got the final out that snapped the Sox's 88-year championship drought.
Jenks was named an All-Star in 2006 and 2007, finishing his career with a 3.53 ERA.
He retired after the 2011 season, spending six of his seven seasons in Chicago and the other with the Boston Red Sox.
During his heyday, he became the second-youngest pitcher to record back-to-back 40-save seasons, doing so in his consecutive All-Star campaigns. He also set a record by retiring 41 consecutive batters in 2007.
Jenks struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction that effectively ended his career, but he became sober in 2012.
Jenks had been undergoing treatment in Portugal when he died. He was diagnosed with the disease shortly after losing his home in the Palisades wildfires earlier this year.
He is survived by his wife and six children, four of whom were from a previous marriage.
The Houston Texans have pledged $500,000 to the community after a deadly flash flood in Texas Hill Country claimed the lives of at least 32 people, including children, Friday.
The Texans released a statement Saturday, adding the donation will provide support and resources for the communities "impacted by the devastating flooding."
"We are heartbroken by the loss and damage that our neighbors in the Texas Hill Country have endured. We are especially devastated to hear about the children who are still missing, and we are praying they are reunited with their families soon," the statement said.
"Our hearts will remain with everyone affected and, in addition to our donation, we will continue to support the search, rescue and recovery efforts in the coming weeks."
Panic ensued Friday night when more than two dozen campers from Camp Mystic, an all-girls private Christian camp in Hunt, Texas, were reported missing. There were 750 attendees at the camp when the flood hit.
Anne Hunt confirmed to Fox News Digital that her daughter Janie was one of the campers killed in the flood. Renee Smajstrla was identified as another deceased camper.
On Saturday, Kerr County announced the flooding killed 32 people, nine of whom were children. The Kerr County Sheriff's Office said that more than 850 uninjured people and eight injured people had been evacuated as of Saturday morning.
The Kerr County Sheriff's Office is encouraging those with missing loved ones to call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 for information.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Schmidt, 29, has emerged as a key starter for the Yankees this season as he has a 3.32 ERA in 14 games started this season. He recently set the franchise record with 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
If Schmidt does indeed need Tommy John surgery, it will be the second time the right-handed pitcher has undergone the surgery in his career. Schmidt underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2017, just a month before the Yankees selected him in the first-round of the MLB Draft out of South Carolina.
"Any time you’re getting an MRI on your forearm, or whatever the body part is, you’re not feeling happy about it," Schmidt said before learning the results of the testing.
Schmidt was initially placed on the IL with right forearm soreness, which he said began in his June 4 outing against the Cleveland Guardians.
Schmidt only pitched three innings in the team’s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. He allowed three earned runs on four hits in those three innings before he left the game due to injury.
With the loss of Schmidt for the foreseeable future, the Yankees starting rotation is in disarray.
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are a formidable one-two punch, but after them the rotation is full of question marks.
Ryan Yarbrough is on the injured list with an oblique injury, and he has not started throwing. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, threw to hitters for the first time on June 21 as he ramps up from a lat injury.
Marcus Stroman has made two starts since coming off the IL with a knee injury, but he cannot be relied upon as he has a 7.45 ERA in five starts this season. Rookie Will Warren has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled at times as he has a 5.02 ERA in 18 games started.
The Yankees are calling up Cam Schlittler to replace Schmidt in the rotation, according to a report from the New York Post.
Schlittler has a 3.52 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) across Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Fried, Rodon, Stroman, Warren and reportedly Schlittler currently makeup the rotation for a floundering Yankees team that has lost five in a row.
The Yankees fell out of first place for the first time since April and trail the Toronto Blue Jays by two games.
The Yankees (48-40) will look to bounce back and snap their losing streak when they take on the New York Mets (51-38) in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Super Bowl champion and former NFL linebacker Bryan Braman is "in the fight of his life" after being diagnosed with a "very rare" form of cancer.
Braman, who helped the Eagles defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up on his behalf in February.
The fundraiser did not mention what form of cancer Braman was diagnosed with, other than describing it as "very rare," but stated that he would need to undergo an "extensive 12-week treatment program" in Washington.
Braman's agent, Sean Stellato, told KPRC 2 that the 38-year-old former NFL player "is in the fight of his life," but was hopeful that he would beat the cancer.
"At Stellato Sports, Bryan Braman has always stood for strength, resilience and leadership," Stellato said. "He is a pillar and a staple of the underdog. Now, in the face of cancer, he embodies those qualities more than ever. If there is one person that I know that can beat cancer, it is Bryan Braman, who I have always considered family.
"He's in the fight of his life. Please support Bryan and keep him in your prayers."
The latest update on the fundraiser from last month stated that Braman had undergone "CAR-T cell reprogramming treatment." While initially showing signs of being effective, the organizer of the fundraiser said that "the cancer has grown exponentially faster, and is now growing around his vital organs."
Braman spent the majority of his seven-year NFL career with the Eagles. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans in 2011, where he played for three seasons. He signed with the Eagles in 2014 and rejoined the team again right before the playoffs in 2017. He would go on to register one tackle in their Super Bowl victory.
The fundraiser for Braman raised over $70,000 by Saturday.
Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos had some words with fans after the team’s 9-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.
As the camera panned to the Phillies' dugout after the final out, Castellanos was shown standing on the top step, gesturing towards the crowd and yelling towards a fan.
Jace Kaleikau, a producer for the Phillies, who witnessed the interaction, said Castellanos was sticking up for second baseman Bryson Stott, who made the last out of the game.
Kaleikau said the fan "crossed multiple lines," while yelling towards Stott in a post to X.
Stott entered the game in the eighth inning to replace Edmundo Sosa and grounded out to second base. With a man on first and two outs in the ninth inning, Stott came up to bat again and popped out to Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte to end the game.
Stott has struggled this season, as the second baseman has a .236 batting average with five home runs and 35 RBI. Castellanos is one of the clubhouse leaders for the Phillies, as evidenced by the right fielder sticking up for the 27-year-old Stott.
Castellanos has been a key bat in their lineup, as the right fielder has a .278 batting average with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. However, while Castellanos is a good hitter, he is a subpar defender in right field.
The Phillies started out fast, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Phillies’ 3-0 lead quickly vanished as the Reds scored six unanswered runs, highlighted by a five-run third inning.
Despite the loss, the Phillies have a half-game lead over the New York Mets in the NL East.
The Phillies (51-37) will look to rebound against the Reds (46-42) when they play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Duluth Huskies third baseman Ethan Surowiec fielded a groundball, as a baserunner, during the team’s 5-4 win over the La Crosse Loggers on Tuesday at Wade Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota.
The bases were loaded in the bottom of the inning with one out, and the Huskies were up to bat. Surowiec was the runner on second base when a ground ball was hit to Loggers shortstop Mikey Ryan III.
After the ball was hit, Surowiec took a couple of steps to his right and fielded the ball himself, like a shortstop, instead of letting it through to the actual shortstop, Ryan, to avoid a potential double-play.
"Oh my goodness, I have never seen that on a baseball field," the announcer said.
"Ethan Surowiec picked up the baseball (and) purposefully gave himself up."
The umpires deemed the play a "fielder’s choice 6," which allowed for the bases to remain loaded. The runner on third base remained, while the runner on first base advanced to second base, and the batter went to first base.
Surowiec’s quick-thinking gave the Huskies a chance to capitalize, as giving himself up allowed the inning to continue.
However, according to the Baseball Rules Academy, the umpires got the call wrong. Rule 6.01(a)(6) states that both Surowiec and the batter should have been ruled out.
"If, in the judgment of the umpire, a baserunner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. The umpire shall call the runner out for interference and also call out the batter-runner because of the action of his teammate. In no event may bases be run or runs scored because of such action by a runner," the rule states, according to the Baseball Rules Academy.
If the umpires had enforced the rule according to what the Baseball Rules Academy stated, both Surowiec and the batter would have been called out to end the inning.
Surowiec’s seemingly ingenious play would have resulted in the same outcome he was trying to prevent: an inning-ending double play. His deliberate play to interfere with the baseball ended up as a moot point, as designated hitter Paul Gutierrez Contreras then hit a flyout to right field and stranded the three runners.
The Huskies improved to 3-1 with the win, and they sit atop the Great Plans East division in the Northwoods League, while the Loggers fell to 2-2 with the loss.
LeBron James' future is speculated to be in limbo, so when he was training at another team's facility, it raised some eyebrows.
James exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season, and with it has some rumors of retirement at the end of the season, or even a potential trade incoming.
In the midst of the conversation, it turned out that James wound up training at the practice facility of his former Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, who is from nearby Akron, was drafted first overall to the Cavs in 2003, and played there until 2010 when he spent his next four seasons with the Miami Heat. James then returned to Cleveland in 2014 before heading to Los Angeles prior to the 2018-19 season to play for the Lakers, where he's played ever since.
James has since opened his "I Promise" school in Akron, and his entertainment company, "SpringHill Entertainment," is named after the housing complex where he was raised.
With the player option, James is set to enter his 23rd NBA season, which will be a new record.
In 2016, James helped the Cavs to the city's first professional sports championship in 52 years by leading the 3-1 comeback against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
Page Six, citing a source, reported that the two are "very serious," and "wedding bells" could be chiming.
"She’s so happy! She’s finally found happiness. She’s found happiness for the first time in her life," the source told the outlet.
Woods announced his relationship with Trump, Donald Jr.'s ex-wife, on March 23.
"Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.," Woods wrote in his post.
Woods' son, Charlie, and Vanessa's daughter, Kai, are both competitive golfers. Kai has committed to play at the University of Miami, while Charlie has played alongside his father at tournaments. Charlie has also played at the U.S. Open qualifiers, and both Charlie and Kai played at the same tournament last month.
Woods was photographed with Kai at the Genesis Invitational. Vanessa and Kai also took in a TGL match last month, which was created by Woods and Rory McIlroy.
After his highly publicized divorce from Elin Nordegren, Woods was linked to Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn in the 2010s. He was dating Erica Herman at the time he won the Masters in 2019, but they, too, had a very public breakup that included sexual harassment allegations and an NDA lawsuit filed by Herman.
Woods and Nordegren have appeared to be amicable in recent years as they co-parent Charlie and Sam Woods.
Woods is currently rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles he suffered just before the Masters.
He has played in just 18 events since the start of the new decade, and his best finish in a major during that span is a tie for 38th at the 2020 Masters.
Jason Kelce was just like plenty of Americans on the Fourth of July, taking in some of the best fireworks.
However, when the Philadelphia Eagles legend took to social media to celebrate, he was met with plenty of vitriol.
"Man I love the 4th! One of the great days we all can set aside our differences in this country, and enjoy the one thing we all share in common. That we are American! Cheers to you oh beautiful America," Kelce wrote in an Instagram post of a video of some fireworks.
Almost immediately, he was ripped in the comments.
Kelce's post came hours after President Donald Trump signed the "big, beautiful bill," which seemed to be the catalyst for the backlash in the former NFL player's comment section.
"Set aside differences? One party wants to feed children. The other wants to feed brown people to alligators," one person wrote.
"Unfortunately Jason this is not real life for many. They signed the worst bill for so many Americans today just to rub it in our faces. I know it’s hard to understand, but so many will suffer," another added.
Another user called his post "tone deaf."
"love u bud but this is so out of touch, i beg you please read the room rn. so many are suffering," added another.
One more user said there is "nothing beautiful about this country right now."
The post had over 2,000 comments at the time of publishing. His three previous posts combined for just over 1,000 comments.
The Kelces have normally been silent about their political beliefs, but Travis Kelce's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election.
They posted a video to Instagram of themselves dancing outside their car on the road on Friday.
"We sailing away," they wrote.
After rupturing his right Achilles tendon for the second time in three months, it remains unclear whether Watson will miss out on the entire 2025 season. He was initially injured during an October game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he later ruptured his Achilles for a second time in January.
Earlier this month, the Browns reworked Watson’s contract to clear more cap space before the start of the new league year. According to the Associated Press, the restructuring cleared up nearly $36 million in cap space.
It was the second time in three months that the team restructured his lucrative contract.
Watson was acquired by the Browns in 2022 after he signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. But the 29-year-old quarterback has only appeared in 19 games for the team after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 and an Achilles tendon injury this past season.
He was also suspended for 13 games due to sexual misconduct allegations during his time with the Houston Texans, and he hadn't played the entire 2021 season.
Cleveland made several moves regarding the quarterback position, trading for Kenny Pickett, bringing back Joe Flacco, and drafting both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Orel Hershiser opened up old wounds on Friday night when he brought up the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal during the team's historic 18-1 rout at Dodger Stadium.
The Astros put on a show in Friday night’s series opener between the two teams and handed Los Angeles its worst loss in the history of Dodger Stadium. The beatdown was so bad that Hershiser, now a broadcaster for the Dodgers, seemed to suggest foul play.
"I don’t want to open an old wound, but in some ways, they’re swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming," Hershiser said in the third inning after Astros outfielder Cam Smith doubled off Dodgers rookie Ben Casparius in the third inning.
Hershiser was referring to the Astros' 2017 World Series win over the Dodgers. It was later revealed that Houston was stealing signs with the help of video and relaying pitches to batters by banging on a trash can.
Jose Altuve, who was a member of that championship-winning team, was met with relentless "cheater" chants and boos during his at-bats. But the home crowd didn’t distract him as he homered twice while reaching base five times and driving in five runs.
"Yea, that was one you want to flush as soon as possible. I don’t think there were many positives from this night," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said bluntly of the 17-deficit loss.
"I don’t think Ben [Casparius]was good tonight. It seemed like they were on everything he threw tonight."
Caparius allowed six runs and nine hits in three innings and struck out three.
Roberts said on Friday that Caparius will likely make his return to the bullpen.
"At the end of the day, he's just got to execute better. There might have been 60 throws tonight, and probably only a handful executed where he wanted them to be. And that's tough to do," he said.
"I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play, because she’s a ball-dominant guard," she said. "The ball’s in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons."
Peck gave specific praise to Fever players Kelsey Mitchell, Aari McDonald and Aliyah Boston. Peck did not appear to give praise to Fever stars Sophie Cunningham or Lexie Hull.
"When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I’m gonna tell you: Indiana, they are a threat. And it’s specifically on the defensive end," Peck said.
Peck's comments went viral on social media, inciting the wrath of Clark's loyal supporters.
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy reposted the clip of Peck's comments on X, writing, "I knew this was gonna happen."
The popular sports commentary X account "BricksCenter" also shared the clip, writing, "Their hatred toward CC needs to be studied."
Hundreds of smaller accounts made their criticisms of Peck's analysis known.
"ESPN would be a lot more 'dangerous' without Carolyn Peck," one user wrote.
Another user wrote, "All of Peck's takes on CC last year ended being wrong and I don't expect anything different from this season."
One user even went so far as to say, "ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck is a hater and a fool."
Peck was the women's basketball head coach at Purdue when current Fever head coach Stephanie White was a player there. Together, they won the NCAA title in 1999.
Clark has missed the team's last four games with a groin injury and will miss a fifth on Saturday against the LA Sparks. She previously missed five games with a quad injury.
With Clark, Indiana is 5–4, averaging an 85.0 offensive rating.
Without Clark, the team is 5–4 with an average 80.2 offensive rating.
In games she has played, Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.9 turnovers.
Caitlin Clark is set to miss her fifth straight game with a groin injury on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks, as she is listed to be out on the team's injury report ahead of the matchup.
Clark has been out since a June 26 game against the Sparks, which the Fever lost 85-75.
It will be the ninth regular-season game she misses this year, and 10th overall including the Commissioner's Cup final. She previously sat out five games earlier in the season because of a left quad strain.
Clark never missed a game prior to this season during her pro or college career.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said Friday that Clark went through some drills but was not at full speed in practice. White added that Clark was going to be evaluated Saturday morning.
Clark has averaged 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and five rebounds per game this season.
The Fever hold a 9-8 record and have won four of their last five games heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Sparks.
Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White was given a technical foul and a fine during Thursday's win against the Las Vegas Aces for yelling at WNBA referees. Now, White has suggested that Clark offered to pay the fine.
The foul came when White was yelling toward officials during an Indiana possession with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Fever leading the Aces by 23, when one referee signaled for a technical foul on the coach.
Clark was not playing in the game due to a persisting groin injury, but jumped up and started clapping for her coach amid the incident.
After the game, White suggested that Clark will be paying the fine.
"I don’t know about frustrations boiling as more to just like making a point," White told reporters. "Caitlin said she got me, though. She just got a bonus."
During White's first year as head coach, and Clark's second year in the WNBA, the Fever have taken on a seemingly more rebellious tone in team culture.
The Fever won the WNBA's Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament, with their 74-59 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night, and the team celebrated in the locker room with some champagne and vodka seltzers.
Fever forward Aaliyah Boston took to Instagram Live to give a behind-the-scenes look at the celebration when Clark, who did not play due to a groin injury, took a shot.
"Guys, I just know everybody in the league is sick," Clark is heard saying from out of the shot.
The teammates replied with laughter, with Boston adding, "They're p---ed."
While celebrating, Clark also voiced an opinion on the tournament and the $500,000 prize for the winning team.
"You get more (money) for this than you do if you’re the (WNBA Finals) champion. It makes no sense. Someone tell [WNBA commissioner] Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out," she said in another video.
Meanwhile, Fever newcomer Sophie Cunningham, who has quickly become a fan favorite after starting a fight with Connecticut Sun players in defense of Clark, said "no one likes us" after a recent game against the Dallas Wings.
"I think so far this season, we’ve had a lot of distractions. Some injuries. Don’t know who’s playing. Just a lot of distractions. But I think that’s really good for us," she said, via the Indy Star. "Let’s go through the adversity early. Let’s learn from it. Good news is we’re not going to peak too early, so I mean, that’s a positive. It’s not an excuse. Everyone’s playing a back-to-back. Everyone has this kind of rough schedule. For us, we get another opportunity tomorrow, and we’ve got to capitalize on it. Dallas is a team that’s hungry for a win.
"We’ve talked about this, we’re circled on everybody’s schedule. No one likes us, right? So, everyone in our locker room? That’s the only type of people that we have that we can lean on. We’ve got to be better in that area. We have got to stay disciplined, we have to stay focused, we need to get consistent, and we’ve got to lean on each other. I think that we’ve kind of wavered a little bit on that. We have our own islands."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday she expects boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. to be deported to Mexico to serve a sentence for alleged arms trafficking and organized crime, after he was arrested by ICE in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Chávez was found to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residency based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen.
"The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico," Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing Friday, referring to charges that Chávez faces for arms and drug trafficking.
The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up on Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, near Hollywood.
The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.
Chávez split his time between both countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that he entered the U.S. with in August 2023 and expired in February 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
According to the department, Chávez Jr. has been charged with several crimes while in the U.S.
On Jan. 22, 2012, the California Highwaay Patrol arrested Chávez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and driving without a license. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chávez of the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
On Jan. 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chávez for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges and explosives without the corresponding permit.
On Jan. 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chávez and charged him with Illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture or import of a short-barreled rifle. The court convicted Chávez of these charges.'
DHS also suspects Chávez is allegedly believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Chávez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to DHS.
According to DHS, in December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had made a referral to ICE that Chávez was an "egregious public safety threat," but he was allowed to reenter the country on Jan. 4, 2025 after records indicated the Biden Administration had not made him an immigration enforcement priority.
The Biden administration allowed Chávez to re-enter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry, accorrding to DHS.
