Samsung has signed a deal with Parques Reunidos, one of Europe’s bigger theme park operators, to let Galaxy device owners buy park tickets and the Bono Parques multi-park pass directly through the Samsung Wallet app.

You pull out your phone, buy the ticket, and the pass sits in Wallet until you tap through the turnstile. Samsung Wallet handles the payment side, which means you’re not typing card details into yet another checkout form.

Parques Reunidos operates parks across Europe, and the integration goes live across that network. The companies also left the door open for future joint projects, which is the kind of language that usually means neither side knows exactly what comes next.

Samsung isn’t the only one building this kind of ecosystem play. Apple Wallet has been at it longer and Google Wallet too. Samsung is catching up in the partnerships race, and theme park tickets are a pretty non-glamorous way to do it.

With this move, Samsung aims to centralize everyday essentials into a single digital environment, offering control, accessibility, and security directly from Galaxy devices.

“More and more people manage their daily lives from their smartphones. Our goal is to make that process simple and natural. Integrating payment and access into a single digital experience helps reduce friction and offers a solution that is convenient, secure, and aligned with how we live today,” said Álvaro Galán, Head of PM Ecosystem at Samsung Spain.

The company has been slowly repositioning Wallet from a payments tool into something closer to a personal digital hub. Cards, boarding passes, government IDs in supported markets, loyalty cards, event tickets.

The Parques Reunidos deal fits that pattern.

The post Samsung Wallet now lets users buy and store Parques Reunidos theme park tickets appeared first on Sammy Fans.

The Oppo Find X9s initially became official last month, and Oppo is launching it in India on May 21. Earlier this month, a rumor claimed it would start at INR 70,000 ($729). Today a new rumor says the Find X9s will actually start at INR 79,999 ($834) instead. That's a pretty wild difference, and obviously we don't know which rumor is accurate, so take all of this with a hefty pinch of salt still. The Oppo Find X9s comes with a 6.59-inch 1256x2760 AMOLED touchscreen with 120Hz refresh rate and 3,600-nit peak brightness, the Dimensity 9500s SoC at the helm, 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 256/512GB...

In a recent PPC Live podcast conversation, Dean Kadi, Head of Paid Growth at One Link Media, shared a real-world agency experience where a client insisted on replacing high-performing Meta ads with heavily branded creative — despite clear evidence that the existing strategy was delivering strong results. The discussion highlights the tension agencies often face between expertise and client preference, while offering valuable lessons on communication, testing, tracking, and why data should always lead decision-making in PPC.

The campaign was performing exceptionally well

Dean Kadi and his team at One Link Media built a highly successful Meta advertising strategy for premium woodworking brand Rubio Monocoat using user-generated content (UGC). By testing multiple creators, hooks, formats, and messaging angles, they improved the account’s ROAS from around 2.1x to consistently between 3x and 4x. Their testing revealed that the biggest purchase driver was not the product’s variety of colours, but the fact that customers only needed one coat of product, saving significant time and effort.

The client wanted to pause all winning ads

Despite strong performance, the client unexpectedly requested that all successful UGC ads be paused in favour of heavily branded static and video creatives. The new ads looked polished but failed to feel native to the Meta platform, which is often critical for engagement and conversion. The decision wasn’t based on performance issues but on the client’s preference for more traditional branding.

The dangerous assumption behind the new strategy

The client based their new creative direction on a survey suggesting customers liked the brand’s colour range, assuming this was the primary reason people purchased. However, the agency’s testing data had already proven otherwise. This highlights a common mistake in marketing where internal assumptions or isolated feedback override broader performance data and real-world customer behaviour.

“We’d prefer this to be a winner”

One of the most telling moments in the discussion came when the client admitted they simply wanted the new creative approach to succeed. Dean pointed out that paid media doesn’t work based on preference or hope — audiences decide what resonates. No matter how strongly stakeholders feel about a campaign direction, performance data ultimately determines success.

What agencies should do in situations like this

Dean advised agencies to stay calm, professional, and evidence-led when disagreements with clients arise. Rather than arguing emotionally, marketers should clearly communicate risks, explain their reasoning, and document recommendations in writing. By maintaining professionalism and allowing the data to speak for itself, agencies can protect relationships while still standing behind their expertise.

The results tanked — exactly as expected

The new branded creatives quickly underperformed, with rising acquisition costs and declining efficiency across Meta campaigns. Although the agency continued testing audiences and optimisation strategies, the core issue remained the creative itself. After approximately eight weeks of poor results, it became clear that the client’s new direction was not working.

Returning to UGC restored performance

Once the client agreed to reintroduce the original UGC ads, campaign performance improved rapidly within just a couple of weeks. The return of native-looking content and proven messaging angles restored the account’s efficiency and validated the agency’s original strategy. Interestingly, Google Ads performance remained relatively stable because those campaigns relied more heavily on branded search activity.

The bigger lesson: let data tell the story

Dean’s biggest takeaway was that agencies should rely on data rather than emotion when navigating difficult client situations. Sometimes clients need to see underperformance firsthand before accepting recommendations. By consistently presenting clear reporting and measurable outcomes, marketers can use evidence to guide conversations and rebuild trust.

Common PPC mistakes agencies still encounter

Beyond this client story, Dean highlighted poor tracking setup as one of the most common mistakes still seen in PPC accounts today. Missing server-side tracking, incorrect event configurations, and weak conversion tracking setups can severely impact optimisation and reporting. Even the strongest campaigns struggle if the underlying data infrastructure is flawed.

AI won’t fix a bad strategy

Dean also warned against overreliance on AI tools in marketing. While AI can improve efficiency and speed up workflows, it cannot compensate for weak strategy or poor thinking. Marketers still need to critically evaluate outputs, refine prompts, and apply human judgment, because clients ultimately hold people accountable — not AI systems.

Final thoughts

This story serves as a reminder that successful PPC campaigns rely on testing, data, and strategic discipline rather than internal opinions or branding preferences alone. Agencies must balance professionalism with confidence in their expertise, document their recommendations carefully, and trust performance metrics over assumptions. In the end, audiences decide what works — and the data almost always reveals the truth.

Tigers' Spencer Torkelson delivers walk-off single against Blue Jays, breaking up bad MLB season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With the Milwaukee Brewers leading the Detroit Tigers by one run, Brice Turang stepped into the batter's box at Comerica Park with the bases loaded and one out. 

The Brewers'  infielder had a chance to break the game open against relief pitcher Tyler Holton. On the first pitch, Turang hit a bouncer to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, who started alertly, threw home for the force out before retreating back to receive the double-play replay, finishing a rare 3-2-3 double play.

Two innings later, Torkelson delivered a walk-off home run, sparking the Tigers to a 5-4 win April 23.

Are these actions of one of the worst players in the majors this season?

Outside of creating brief offensive momentum with five homers in five consecutive games in April, the 2020 first-overall draft pick continues to tease his power potential, but has mostly endured an underwhelming five-year career.

Considering he was sent down to Triple-A Toledo to work on fundamental flaws in 2024, this season continues to prove to be one of his most uneventful.

Tigers' Spencer Torkelson ranks poorly among MLB first basemen

Through the opening 23 games, Torkelson, who matched his career-high 31 home runs last season, failed to connect on a round-tripper and did not produce much secondary power. He registered just six doubles and 12 RBI through April.

More troubling signs have popped up in Torkelson's game, his defense. Entering Friday's season-opening matchup against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, Torkelson ranked as the league's worst first baseman, posting a minus-seven mark for defensive runs saved. Former Tigers farmhand Kody Clemens ranked first plus-five. Overall, Chicago Cubs center fielder paced the majors at plus-13.

Torkelson continues to be an enigma. League insiders suggest he has cut down on his chase rate; despite striking out 55 times in his opening 145 at-bats this season, he drew 25 walks.

Dropped down seventh in most of the Tigers' recent batting orders, Torkelson dropped below the Mendoza line before delivering a walk-off single Friday, leading the host Tigers to a 3-2 victory. 

At least his average rose to .200 with the game-winning hit.

Will Friday's effort help Torkelson start ascending from the bottom of the league's player rankings?

Spurs vs. Timberwolves live score, updates, highlights from Game 6 2026 NBA playoffs 2nd round series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Antonio Spurs look to advance to the Western Conference Finals when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center Friday for Game 6. 

The Spurs hammered the T-Wolves crushed in Game 5, 126-97, to take a 3-2 series lead. Victor Wembanyama bounced back after being ejected early in Game 4 for elbowing Minnesota's Naz Reid. Wembanyama had 27 points and 17 rebounds in the victory.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been a force despite being injured before the series. He's averaging a team-high 23.6 points in this series on 50.6% shooting and 40.0% from behind the arc. Minnesota will need him to go off in hopes of forcing a Game 7. 

Spurs vs. Timberwolves live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 6

1st Quarter- 4:28: Timberwolves cut the lead to five, 25-20

1st Quarter- 6:13: Spurs up 23-12 after going 11-13 from the field. 

1st Quarter- 7:17: Spurs jump out to an early 18-11 lead on the road. 

1st Quarter- 12:00: Tip-off from Minnesota

How to Watch Game 6 Western Conference Semifinals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 

Friday, May 15

Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. ET

TV: Prime Video 

More NBA Playoff news:

• San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 1983
• Nuggets legend slams 'frugal billionaire' owner Stan Kroenke, doesn't expect offseason moves
• Everyone is saying the same thing about how the refs treated Lakers in Game 2
• Tyran Stokes is all over social media after tough adjustment before future NBA journey

It turns out we’ll have at least one Game 7 in the NBA conference semifinals.

The Detroit Pistons, the No. 1 seed in the East, played with more intensity and energy, and their shot-making responded in kind Friday, May 15 in a 115-94 victory over the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6.

The Pistons finally got some help for Cade Cunningham, as they saw six players reach double-figures in scoring.

Later Friday night, in the Western Conference, the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs visited the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, who have fallen into a 3-2 series deficit and were looking to avoid elimination.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Friday night’s Game 6s of the NBA Playoffs:

Cleveland’s effort, in a closeout game at home, was unacceptable

The Pistons were clearly the more desperate team, but Cleveland compounded that with effort at times that could be described only as casual. And it started early in the game.

Players like James Harden, who stood around on defense – and often didn’t get back on after most of his 8 turnovers – were emblematic of Cleveland’s issues Friday night. Detroit, time and time again, won the hustle plays.

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell did play with some effort, but a poor shooting night (6-of-20) marred that energy. The biggest issue was that many of his teammates didn’t follow suit.

The most fight the Cavaliers showed Friday night was with 0.3 seconds left in the game, when Cleveland’s bench players who were on the floor in garbage time, shoved a few Pistons players.

Early turnovers and offensive rebounds allowed put Cavaliers in a hole

The most concerning part was that these effort problems led to many of the same issues that have plagued the Cavs throughout the postseason: turnovers and offensive rebounds.

Through the first 14:34 of the game, the Pistons had generated six offensive rebounds (and 15 boards, overall) compared to Cleveland's two (and 9). In both the regular season and playoffs, the more intentional and aggressive teams tend to be rewarded with rebounding.

Somehow, early turnovers were even worse. Through that first 14:34, the Cavs gave the ball away 11 times, which turned into 14 Pistons points off turnovers, compared to five Detroit turnovers (for six Cavaliers points off those).

Cleveland let itself down with its lack of energy and careless attention to detail.

Jalen Duren (finally) responds

Give Jalen Duren credit. The Pistons All-Star center was benched in Game 5 and didn’t play the entire fourth quarter and overtime, ceding that time to backup Paul Reed.

Just two days after that, Duren played his most impactful game of the series. The stats (15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal) don’t necessarily paint the entire picture. Duren’s activity led to contested shots and Cavaliers players backing away from drive attempts and his performance was closer to what he showed during the regular season.

It’s telling, too, that Duren came back after rolling his left ankle in the third quarter and continued to make plays.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pistons beat Cavaliers in Game 6; Spurs seek close out Timberwolves

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — A'ja Wilson scored 45 points to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the short-handed Connecticut Sun 101-94 on Friday night.

Wilson was 15 for 18 from the field and made all 13 of her free-throw attempts for the Aces, who have responded well since their opening-night loss to Phoenix, winning the next three games.

Chennedy Carter added 18 points for the Aces, continuing her stellar start to the season. She returned to the league this year after not signing with a team last season. She did play overseas. Coming into Friday's game, she was averaging 19.7 points in 21 minutes while shooting 73% from the field.

The Sun trailed 69-56 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter before Saniya Rivers sparked a 14-3 run with consecutive 3s to get Connecticut within 72-70. That was as close as the Sun got.

Wilson silenced the crowd with a 3-pointer off a timeout and converted a three-point play on the next possession to make it 78-70. Those shots started a 16-4 burst spanning the third and fourth quarters.

Connecticut (0-4) was missing Brittney Griner for a second straight game because of a left foot injury. Olivia Nelson-Ododa also missed the game with a right ankle injury. She got hurt in the middle of the second quarter of Wednesday’s 98-69 loss to Las Vegas. Nelson-Ododa came back to play in that game but sat out Friday.

The Sun got some good news with the return of Aaliyah Edwards. She made her season debut after missing the first three games with a left thigh injury. Edwards had six points in 17 minutes.

Hailey Van Lith scored 17 points to lead Connecticut.

Wilson was nearly unstoppable in the first half as she scored 19 points. She made six of her seven field goal attempts, including all five in the first quarter, to give the Aces a 54-44 lead at the break.

Up next

Las Vegas completes a four-game trip at Atlanta on Sunday.

Connecticut plays at Portland on Monday.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Aliyah Boston was unable to finish Friday’s game due to what the Indiana Fever called a lower leg injury. She totaled 9 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. Boston previously injured her lower leg while playing in Unrivaled during the offseason. It’s unclear if this is a reaggravation of the same injury or a separate injury.

Two days after being held without a made field goal for the first time in her career, Boston quickly rebounded from her quiet outing against the Los Angeles Sparks and made her presence felt early against the Washington Mystics.

The three-time All-Star finished with just 4 points on Wednesday in Los Angeles, missing all three of her shot attempts while fouling out, but she eclipsed that total in the first quarter Friday night. Boston made her first shot attempt in the paint off a pass from Caitlin Clark, and followed that up with a wing 3-pointer on the Fever’s next possession.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Indiana Fever, WNBA

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Projecting the Boston Celtics moves for the 2026 NBA offseason is no easy task with Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens hinting at significant change in the wake of the Celtics first round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Will the team be making minor moves around the margins to change the structure of the ball club? Or could bigger trades be coming down the pike, up to moving a core player like Derrick White or even Jaylen Brown? And what about potential extensions and player options the front office needs to make decisions on -- and the 2026 NBA Draft?

Whatever happens, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" and HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo teamed up to project how it might go down in their latest episode. Check it out below!

Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:

Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp

iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47

YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Projecting the Celtics moves for the 2026 NBA offseason

Longtime NFL coach and Tennessee Titans radio analyst Dave McGinnis passed away in April at the age of 74. “Coach Mac” had been the color commentator for Titans radio broadcasts since taking over for Frank Wycheck in 2017, and he was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000 to 2003.

The search has been on for McGinnis’ replacement, and it appears the Titans have landed on one.

Paul Kuharsky reports on Friday night that Ramon Foster “is the Titans’ choice to replace Dave McGinnis as color analyst for Titans Radio, multiple sources say.”

The #Titans are turning to Ramon Foster to succeed Dave McGinnis as radio color analyst, bypassing several of their own former players tied to media work. https://t.co/x71I6rj0Xo

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) May 15, 2026

Foster played 11 NFL seasons (2009-2019) as an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he played high school football in Ripley, Tennessee, as well as college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. He co-hosts the morning show Ramon and Will on 104.5 The Zone, the flagship radio station for the Titans. He was the sideline reporter for the Titans before joining the University of Tennessee, where he began serving as the color commentator in 2025.

“In selecting the familiar Foster, the Titans bypass several candidates who played for their franchise, including Keith Bulluck, who expressed an interest in the job on his podcast, Jason McCourty, who does some games for CBS, and Brad Hopkins, who appears on SiriusXM,” Kuharsky explains.

Kuharsky also posted to X that former Titans star offensive lineman Taylor Lewan said about the team’s radio analyst position, “I would have definitely considered it depending on the money.”

Taylor Lewan on @TitansRadio job:

“I would have definitely considered it depending on the money.” #Titans

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) May 15, 2026

Foster will join play-by-play announcer Taylor Zarzour in the Titans radio booth. The Titans hired Zarzour ahead of the 2025 NFL season after longtime Titans play-by-play announcer Mike Keith left to become the radio voice of the Volunteers.

The post Titans choose Ramon Foster as radio analyst replacement for Dave McGinnis appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Arman Tsarukyan is once again a backup fighter for a UFC lightweight title fight, and he's got mixed feelings about it.

Tsarukyan, considered to be the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, finds himself once again the odd man out in the UFC lightweight title picture. Tsarukyan will be serving as a backup fighter for the unification title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, which is set to go down in the main event of UFC Freedom Fights 250 at the White House on June 14.

"It's confirmed, but I haven't signed contract yet," Tsarukyan told Jaxxon Podcast in reaction to Dana White naming him the official backup.

Tsarukyan had this same role last June, as he served as a backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Topuria and Charles Oliveira. Although he's always up for a shot at the belt, he admits these aren't the ideal circumstances to accomplish his dream of being champion.

"I'm excited; if something happens, they call me," Tsarukyan said. "I'm the first guy, who's going to jump in, and I'm getting ready for that. I'm already on my diet. It always sucks to be backup, but I have to do this, you know?"

It's already tough to prepare for one elite-level opponent, let alone two. However, Tsarukyan is not stressing about the idea of getting either Topuria or Gaethje last minute.

"They're pretty same, they don't wrestle, right?" Tsarukyan said. "They strike, right? If one guy was a wrestler and one guy was a striker, yeah, you have to bring two sparring partners – one striker, one wrestler. I just need a striker because they're not going to shoot and try to take you down."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tsarukyan: 'It always sucks' to be backup for UFC title fight

The Brooklyn Nets have developed their teams through a number of strategies over the decades, and their front office has put together considerable success through the NBA draft. Many of the franchise's best players have joined the Nets either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades made on that day.

Moreover, it is not only the star players who have been acquired by the Nets through the draft. Several prominent alumni have been selected by the team each offseason during this annual event, with certain colleges being more prominently represented than others. An analysis of the players from different schools reveals that both prestigious programs and smaller institutions have contributed top talent to the Nets' roster over the years.

So without further ado, let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Nets out of Duquesne.

Joey Myers - forward

Draft year and position: eighth round (17th pick, 179th overall), 1983 NBA Draft

Seasons at Duquesne: four

Seasons played with Nets: did not make the team

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Every Duquesne player drafted by the Nets

The first two rounds of the PGA Championship have been completed, with the 156-player field now cut down to 82.

The 15 players tied at +4, such as Shane Lowry and Luke Donald, have made the weekend by just one stroke.

However, everyone at +5 or worse will soon depart Aronimink Golf Club, if they have not already.

Here are the 10 biggest names to miss the cut at this week’s PGA Championship, including Bryson DeChambeau.

The 10 biggest names to miss the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship

DeChambeau (+7) is the most notable player to miss the cut at the PGA Championship after two frustrating days.

Even three consecutive birdies to end his second round at Aronimink were not enough to move inside the cut line.

Tommy Fleetwood (+5) is another superstar who will not play in the final two rounds of this year’s PGA Championship.

Fleetwood came up one stroke short despite birdieing the last hole, continuing his disappointing 2026 season.

Fellow European Ryder Cup stars Viktor Hovland (+4), Robert MacIntyre (+5), and Tyrrell Hatton (+6) also missed the cut.

2025 US Open champion J.J. Spaun (+6) has exited the tournament after a six-over-par second round.

Meanwhile, Russell Henley (+5), Akshay Bhatia (+5), and Keegan Bradley (+6) were among the other top Americans who struggled.

Former world number five Max Homa (+12) had back-to-back days to forget at Aronimink, carding rounds of 75 and 77.

Read more:

The NFL offseason has entered the heart of organized team activities, with OTAs now underway. Teams will soon begin minicamps as they move closer to the preseason.

The Carolina Panthers still have several issues to address before minicamp and training camp begin, and the team received an unexpected update on Friday.

Reports indicate that 2025 free-agent addition Tershawn Wharton underwent neck surgery earlier this month. He is expected to begin the regular season on the PUP list.

MORE: Atlanta Falcons’ rookie Avieon Terrell sets new standard with record contract

Wharton missed eight games during the 2025 season because of injury and has now taken another step to address the issue. The encouraging news is that he is reportedly expected to return in 2026.

Proceeding with care

Neck injuries have become especially delicate situations for NFL teams in recent years. Players such as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah continue working toward a return from similar injuries.

Unfortunately, injuries like these remain highly unpredictable. Teams must approach them cautiously rather than risk a player’s long-term health and career.

Wharton joined the Panthers in free agency last offseason, signing a three-year, $54 million contract. Although injuries limited him last year, he still flashed potential in limited action. He even appeared in Carolina’s Wild Card game.

MORE: 5 most expensive NFL games for 2026 season

Before joining the Panthers, Wharton entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri University of Science and Technology. He spent his first five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wharton developed into a productive interior rotational lineman during the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl LVII and Super Bowl LVIII championship runs. In 2024, he earned the largest role of his career.

Playing alongside Chris Jones, Wharton started 10 games and appeared in all 17 contests. He finished the season with 6.5 sacks, 29 tackles, one forced fumble, and seven tackles for loss.

His breakout 2024 campaign made him one of the top free agents available in 2025. During the 2025 season, Wharton recorded two sacks, a career-high 39 tackles, and two tackles for loss.

Once healthy, Wharton should again provide a strong presence on the Panthers’ rising defense.

DETROIT (AP) — Spencer Torkelson drove in the winning run with an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak by edging the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Friday night.

Matt Vierling reached on a bloop single with one out and stole second after Gage Workman struck out. Jeff Hoffman (2-3) intentionally walked left-handed hitting Zach McKinstry to face the righty Torkelson, who spoiled that strategy with his opposite-field hit.

Riley Greene had an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest active run in the majors. He has also reached base safely in a career-high 25 consecutive games.

Dillon Dingler reached base three times and scored a run. Drew Anderson allowed only one hit in four innings of scoreless relief and Kenley Jansen (1-2) pitched the ninth for the victory.

Starter Trey Yesavage allowed two runs and struck out six in six innings, but had three wild pitches for the defending AL champion Blue Jays, who have lost eight of 11 and are 19-25 this season. Andres Gimenez knocked in both of Toronto's runs with a double.

Detroit right-handed reliever Ty Madden left in the third after being struck on his pitching arm by Yohendrick Pinango’s line drive.

The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead in the second on Gimenez's two-out, two-run double off Brant Hurter.

Kevin McGonigle scored in the third on one of Yesavage's wild pitches. Greene tied it in the sixth on his double.

Up next

Detroit RHP Casey Mize (2-2, 2.90 ERA) will be activated from the 15-day injured list and start the middle game of the three-game series Saturday. The Blue Jays hadn't announced a starter, but RHP Spencer Miles (1-0, 3.00) is expected to pitch multiple innings.

—

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Yankees' Aaron Judge is in historic company when playing against Mets originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It is rivalry weekend around Major League Baseball, and that means that the New York Yankees and New York Mets are settling the score. In a 4-1 game entering the eighth inning, there is a lot that can be said about the stark difference between the cross-borough rivals. 

In this type of game, the action is high, and the stakes are even higher. The Yankees are the big brother in this arrangement, thus having to be better when the two teams play. They have the money, the starpower, the legacy. 

They also have a player, whom they call "The Captain", who seems to take over this game whenever these two teams play. The best part is, he is in some historic company when looking at his OPS against the Mets. 

In at least 100 plate appearances, Judge's OPS is a staggering 1.120. That is on a list that features two St. Louis Cardinals' legends, Stan Musial (1.198 OPS) and Mark McGwire (1.129) as the only two batters in history that are higher than No. 99. Behind Judge is Texas Rangers legend Michael Young at 1.097 OPS, and then the "Big Hurt", Frank Thomas at 1.078 OPS. 

What a list to be a part of, and to be sandwiched between historic baseball figures like that paints a picture of how crucial a hitter Judge is for the Yankees.

This 4-1 game is heading the Yankees' way, as is their season, thanks to Judge. Over this three-game series, could we see that power show to raise that OPS even higher, in hopes of reaching McGwire?

More MLB News:

• How Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Elmer Rodriguez are impacted by Max Fried's IL news

• What happened to Max Fried? Why Yankees' ace is headed to injured list

• Mets projected to use trade deadline plan that's incredibly boring

Bruins Rookie Earns Player Of Game Honors In First IIHF World Championship Game originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It feels like just yesterday the Boston Bruins' season ended at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Still, the team is well represented at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship.

There are eight current Bruins who went to the tournament, including rookies James Hagens and Fraser Minten. 

Hagens is, of course, representing the reigning champions, the United States of America, alongside teammates Mason Lohrei and Alex Steeves. Whereas his playoff linemate Minten is the only Bruin skating for Team Canada in the two-week tournament. 

Minten made his presence known immediately with an impressive outing in the first game of the event against Sweden on Friday night. 

Minten patrolled center ice, winning 58.3% of his faceoffs and playing more than 14 minutes of ice time. The Bruins' rookie also tallied two assists on his way to being named the Player of the Game.

Center is the one position that Bruins president Cam Neely says the team will be really targeting this offseason. If the 21-year-old can continue to make strides over the offseason, perhaps Neely won't have to look too far.

More NHL: What Bruins Players Are Going To World Championships?

What channel is the PGA Championship on today? TV coverage, live streams for Saturday's Round 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's moving day at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Penn.

The course has not seen a PGA Championship since 1962, when Gary Player won with a 2-under score. That is set to change this weekend.

Last year's champion, Scottie Scheffler, will look to become the first golfer since Brooks Koepka in 2018-19 to win back-to-back PGA Championships, after he was victorious last year at Quail Hollow. Back-to-back Masters winner Rory McIlroy will also be among the players in the field.

Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup feature in the rest of the field, who are still vying to hoist their first Wanamaker Trophy.

Below is everything you need to know about today's PGA Championship schedule, including tee times, TV channels, and how to stream the action from start to finish.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP HQ:Live leaderboard | Tee times | TV schedule

What channel is the PGA Championship on today?

• TV channels: ESPN | CBS
• Live streams: fubo | Paramount+ | ESPN app

Coverage of the 2026 PGA Championship will air live on ESPN and CBS.

ESPN will carry portions of the primary broadcast for all four rounds, with CBS airing part of the primary broadcast for the third and fourth rounds.

The main network broadcasts will be available to stream all four days on fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Rounds 3 and 4 can also be streamed with Paramount+. In addition, ESPN+ will have streaming coverage of select holes and featured groups across the tournament, providing fans with in-depth access via the ESPN app.

PGA Championship schedule 2026: Day-by-day TV, streaming coverage

Thursday, May 14 (Round 1)

Friday, May 15 (Round 2)

Saturday, May 16 (Round 3)

Sunday, May 17 (Final Round)

If there is one thing this Orioles team has been good at this year, it’s failing to maintain any momentum. They are coming off a feel-good series win against the Yankees and could have kept the good vibes going with a solid game tonight against a pitcher who has had no success this year. But they did not. They opened up their road trip with a dismal loss to the Nationals. They made some noise in the ninth to make the score 3-2, but in the end it was another loss.

Nats pitcher Zack Littell has been the worst starting pitcher in baseball this year. He came into the game with an ERA of 6.94 and a FIP of 8.25. He has given up a ton of homers. He doesn’t strike a lot of guys out. His season has been a disaster.

Enter the Orioles, who managed just two hits and two walks against this pitcher. They did hit him hard at times and had some bad luck, but they just couldn’t get the job done against a pitcher who has struggled again and again this year.

Both walks came in the second inning, sandwiched around three outs. They looked like they might score in the fifth inning when Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Gunnar Henderson absolutely scorched a ball to right field. It got off his bat at 111.9 mph, a ball that would have been a home run in 19 parks. As part of the bad luck by the Orioles tonight, it hit off the wall and bounced directly to the right fielder. Mayo was unable to score and both runners were stranded on a Taylor Ward groundout.

The only other hit Littell allowed was a single by Ward in the second inning.

As for bad luck, in the first, Adley Rutschman was robbed of extra bases by center fielder Jacob Young. In the second, Pete Alonso hit what looked like a homer off the bat, but it stayed in the park. Tyler O’Neill had two flyouts that looked like they might go out. They did not. It wasn’t a warm night in DC, and at least a few of those may have been out of the park on a hot, humid day in the Mid-Atlantic. That doesn’t help the Orioles tonight, though.

Littell exited the game after five innings and was relieved by Andrew Alvarez. The lefty was activated before tonight’s game. He made five starts for the Nationals last year and was pitching as a starter at Triple-A with a 5.29 ERA. So naturally, he dominated the Orioles for three innings. He allowed just two hits, both in the seventh inning. Mayo singled ahead of Jeremiah Jackson, who doubled. Like Henderson’s double, Jackson’s 110.0 mph hit was too hard to give Mayo time to score.

Alvarez allowed just those two base runners in innings six, seven, and eight. He struck out five and looked in control. It did not extend to the ninth, where he allowed a Basallo single and O’Neill walk prompting his removal from the game.

From there, the Orioles made it interesting but couldn’t come all the way back. Pinch-hitter Leody Taveras took a walk from the new pitcher to load the bases with no outs. Mayo, who had been on base twice in the game, flailed at strike three out of the zone. But Jackson hit a sac fly and Henderson lined a single back up the middle to make the score 3-2. Ward walked, but Rutschman struck out to end the game. It was an off night for Adley, who went 0-for-5 with three Ks.

Lost in the offensive futility was a solid start from Shane Baz. Like Littel, Baz got hit hard early on without much damage. He worked around a single in the first inning and got out of trouble again in the second after allowing two baserunners. His first run allowed came in the fourth on a sac fly after back-to-back singles.

With the score just 1-0, it felt like the Orioles were still in the game. But then in the sixth inning, Baz walked Curtis Mead before giving up a big home run to Daylen Lile. It was Lile’s third hit of the game and the 3-0 lead felt insurmountable. Turns out it was. Baz ultimately finished seven innings with pretty good results despite a lot of traffic on the bases. His final pitching line: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Orioles lose, 3-2. These two teams meet again tomorrow at 4:05 with Chris Bassitt on the mound vs Cade Cavalli.

Cade Cunningham scored 21 points as the Detroit Pistons staved off elimination from the NBA playoffs with a 115-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday.

The top-seeded Pistons -- trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series before Friday's must-win game in Cleveland -- produced a dazzling early onslaught to build a double-digit lead that proved the difference between the two sides.

Cleveland, unbeaten at their Rocket Arena home so far this postseason, will now have to win on the road in Sunday's decisive game seven in Detroit to advance.

Cunningham's 21 points included five three-pointers, while at the defensive end, Detroit center Jalen Duren delivered a dominant performance that included 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

Cunningham was one of six Pistons players to finish in double figures, with Paul Reed adding 17 off the bench, and Duren and Daniss Jenkins scoring 15 points apiece.

"We're just playing our brand of basketball, coming out competing, trying to execute our system to the best of our ability, and we're together," Cunningham said afterward.

"We stick together through everything, so it's a great win for us." 

James Harden led Cleveland's scoring with 23 points while Donovan Mitchell was restricted to 18 points.

The Cavs started Friday's game brightly, opening up a six-point lead in the first quarter before the Pistons started firing to take a grip on the contest.

A devastating 22-4 run by Detroit saw the visitors accelerate into a commanding 39-27 lead in the second quarter and although Cleveland closed the gap to 54-51 at halftime, the Pistons regrouped impressively to snuff out the Cavs' threat with a 30-19 third quarter.

That left Detroit leading by 14 points heading into the fourth and the result was never in doubt, with the Pistons maintaining a double-digit lead to close out victory.

rcw/pnb

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Cedric Mullins homered and singled three times in four at-bats to help the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Miami Marlins 7-2 on Friday night for their 11th victory in 13 games.

Tampa Bay has won 11 straight at home.

Mullins also stole a base. He had his most hits since May 21, 2023, when he had five while with Baltimore.

After Yandy Díaz’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first, the scrappy Rays built a 4-1 lead with two second-inning hustle plays. Richie Palacios turned an elusive pop fly into a double and Mullins moved him to third by beating out a bunt.

Palacios scored on Hunter Feduccia’s sacrifice fly. Mullins, who stole second and took third on Feduccia’s out, sprinted home on Taylor Walls’ weak chopper to first.

Feduccia and the Rays were robbed of back-to-back homers in the sixth by their own ballpark. Following Mullins’ solo shot, the catcher launched Janson Junk's fastball into right center, but the hit ricocheted off the Tropicana Field catwalk and fell to the turf for a ground-rule double.

Tampa Bay opener Ian Seymour needed nine pitches in the first inning and retired the first five Marlins before Connor Norby’s second-inning homer. Jesse Scholtens (4-2) took over in the third and threw five strong innings in relief. Miami center fielder Jakob Marsee (3 for 4) gave Scholtens his only blemish, a sixth-inning homer.

The Rays, who retired the final 10 batters in order after Marsee’s home run, are 4-0 this year when using an opener.

Junk dropped to 2-4.

Up next

Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.90 ERA) was set to start Saturday against RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.70).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

For most national soccer teams, playing a tournament on home turf is a huge advantage. For the United States, it can be the opposite.

In the Gold Cup final last year, the US lost in a Houston stadium overwhelmingly packed with rival Mexico fans. The semi-final in St Louis, Missouri, was a sea of light blue for their opponents Guatemala.

There were similar scenes at the US-hosted Copa America a year earlier.

It is a huge concern for the US players under extraordinary pressure to deliver as co-hosts at this summer's World Cup, documentary filmmaker Rand Getlin told AFP.

"It devastates them. It hurts them. It makes them sad. They're disappointed in themselves for not giving fans more to cheer for," said Getlin, who spent the past four years embedded with the US team for an HBO series.

"They're like, 'I want to go out and I want to do something spectacular with this men's national team at the World Cup, so we can change the way the sport is viewed in this country forever,'" he explained.

Getlin's five-part docuseries is appropriately titled "U.S. Against the World."

It takes viewers into the homes and locker rooms of several US stars including Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.

The series charts their journeys from humble backgrounds in a then-soccer skeptical country to unlikely success playing for Europe's top clubs.

It also depicts the sacking of Gregg Berhalter and the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach less than two years before the World Cup.

Pochettino, the Argentine former coach of Tottenham Hotspur, was quick to note the contrast between the ferocity of the "unbelievable" Guatemala fans and US supporters.

"That is the connection that we would like to see in the World Cup. That connection that makes you fly," said following the Gold Cup clash.

"To see (Guatemala), how they fight, how the fans behave, that is an important thing that we need to learn in this country," he added.

- 'Pressure' -

Soccer has boomed in North America over the past decade or so. But the focus of fans' support is often glamorous European clubs or, for immigrant communities, their nation of ancestry.

In recent weeks, outlets including The Athletic have reported below-expectation ticket sales for the United States' World Cup games, though sky-high prices are mainly deemed responsible.

The US will play more Latin American opposition in the group stage opener, against Paraguay, before coming up against Australia and Turkey.

In the documentary, both Pochettino and the players are careful to avoid blaming the US fans for being frequently outnumbered.

For one thing, Getlin said, they are meticulously media trained, especially in "what not to say."

The series shows the vitriol Pulisic received just for opting not to play in the Gold Cup after an exhausting season, in part to prepare for the World Cup.

Pulisic had to delete social media and hurled his phone at the wall in anger at his treatment. In the series, he discusses the mental health toll it took. 

"It was brave of him to invite us home at that time," said Getlin, who considers the sometimes prickly Pulisic a "profoundly misunderstood" character.

But there is also a sense among US players that have not yet earned the vast, vociferous home support and loyalty that they witness from other nations. 

The US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, did respectably at the 2022 edition, but then suffered embarrassing failures at the Copa America and last year's Nations League.

For every recent loss and poor performance, there is "pressure that's mounting toward the World Cup," admits goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Getlin's hope is that the documentary -- which was made in association with the US Soccer Federation -- can give American fans an "emotional on-ramp" to get behind their side at the World Cup.

"We wanted to give the United States something to cheer for," said Getlin.

"And in order to cheer for this team, I think you have to know and care about them before the tournament kicks off."

amz/rcw

Dangling above field level at the biggest stadium of the 2026 World Cup, eighteen giant metal arms flood a newly laid grass pitch in an eerie pink glow.

The mission: make sure the turf at the AT&T Stadium is match-ready -- and controversy free -- by the time the tournament kicks off.

The 94,000-capacity venue in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, will host more matches than any other venue during the World Cup, including group games involving Lionel Messi's Argentina and Harry Kane's England, as well as a semi-final.

Like other repurposed NFL stadia being used at the World Cup, organizers have replaced the synthetic turf with fresh grass.

A specially engineered natural grass pitch was laid last Tuesday, some 60 centimeters above the Cowboys' normal playing surface.

By Thursday, the seams between each individual roll of turf -- each measuring 1.2 meters wide and 15 meters long -- were still clearly visible.

AT&T Stadium general manager Tod Martin is confident, though, that the surface will be in pristine condition by the time the Netherlands face Japan in the first game at the venue on June 14.

- Copa controversy -

"Over the next few days and weeks, those will absolutely go away as that grass gets established and then just the grooming, the maintenance continues," Martin said. 

"By the time match day one gets here, it'll just be completely flush."

The elaborate efforts to ensure perfect pitches at the World Cup come two years after playing surfaces at the Copa America held in the United States faced sharp criticism.

Peru coach Jorge Fossati said the hastily laid grass pitch at the AT&T Stadium at the Copa in 2024 may have contributed to an Achilles injury suffered by defender Luis Advincula.

"It came out of nowhere," Fossati said at the time. "I realize that this is a grass field today but it's not normal grass."

Similar criticism was leveled at the surface used at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2024, another venue which will feature prominently at the World Cup.

"You're playing on a football field, with laid grass that's all patchy and it breaks up every step you take -- it's frustrating," USA midfielder Weston McKennie said at the time.

- Nothing to chance -

In Dallas, stadium chiefs are leaving nothing to chance as they aim to avoid a repeat of the Copa America controversies.

Martin says some 45,000 man hours were used to install the new pitch, which was made up of a Kentucky ryegrass blend of sod grown in Colorado before being transported to Texas on 24 refrigeration trucks.

A full irrigation system will ensure the surface is properly watered, while the pitch will also be reinforced with plastic fibers ahead of the World Cup.

The metal arms suspended from the roof of the stadium and lowered above the pitch house grow lights that bathe the grass in a striking pink, but more importantly, boost photosynthesis.

Martin devised the system after visiting Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where similar pitch maintenance techniques are in place.

"We specifically went to Wembley and Tottenham and talked with those guys ... and it was a sight to see for sure," Martin said.

Wembley's grow lights are mounted on wheeled structures rolled onto the pitch, while Tottenham's system is raised hydraulically from the sidelines. 

Dallas's set-up uses a similar technique, with frames suspended from the ceiling that can be raised.

Ewen Hodge, FIFA's Head of Pitch Infrastructure, described the Dallas set-up as a "very innovative step forward by the stadium."

mav/rcw/bb

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, who has not pitched since the 2024 World Series, went through another setback on his way back to the mound.

Graterol has been pulled from his rehabilitation assignment to undergo evaluation after his back flared up, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

There will be imaging and tests on the pitcher to determine exactly what is wrong, though this will create a clear setback for Graterol, who was hoping to join the team as soon as possible.

News of Graterol’s injury came around the same time as Blake Snell was put on the injured list. If Graterol does, in fact, go on the IL, he will continue the team’s injury run.

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Graterol missed the entire 2025 season recovering from shoulder surgery, one of the more devastating injuries any pitcher can suffer, due to the complex nature of the part of the arm.

Despite hopes that Graterol could potentially come back at the end of 2025, he ended up missing out on the action, though he entered Spring Training with a clean bill of health and ready to get back to pitching.

However, he failed to make an appearance during spring ball after getting shut down due to velocity concerns.

He has spent the start of the year trying to rest his body and figure out the velocity problems, which have led to a Triple-A Oklahoma City rehabilitation assignment.

How has Graterol done in the minor leagues

During four appearances, Graterol has mainly struggled. He had a strong start during his first outing, needing fewer than 10 pitches to complete an inning’s worth of work.

However, he has struggled. On the whole, he has pitched 3.1 innings and allowed four hits, three runs, three walks, with just three strikeouts.

His ERA totals at 8.10, and his velocity was down during his final appearance before the back injury was picked up.

With the results looking rough, it was likely the Dodgers would need to give Graterol more time even before the injury, and now he will certainly require a break.

Commanders, Chiefs, Rams linked to same $63 million star WR released by Patriots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It’s no secret the New England Patriots want to upgrade at one particular position this offseason: wide receiver. 

The obvious move would be to trade for the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl champion WR A.J. Brown next month, as a potential deal would give the Patriots one of the best go-to wideouts in the league. 

However, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, New England’s failure to do so could open the door for a reunion with recently released 32-year-old star Stefon Diggs. If Brown does join New England, though, Breer noted that the Washington Commanders, Kansas City, and Los Angeles Rams are among the franchises that could express interest in Diggs.

"Now, I believe the Patriots love (Stefon) Diggs, and Diggs would love to return," Breer wrote Wednesday. "But any realistic talk about his return, to me, hinges on whether the Brown trade happens.”

“Assuming Brown does become a Patriot, I think Diggs will probably be somewhere in that one-year, $10 million range. The (Kansas) Chiefs could make sense. The (Washington) Commanders might, too, since Diggs is from D.C. The (Atlanta) Falcons and Rams would also be interesting landing spots." 

The Commanders and Chiefs make the most sense for Diggs, given that the Rams have solidified a superstar core with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. 

Assuming Deebo Samuel doesn’t return to Washington for another season, pairing Terry McLaurin with a formidable WR teammate will be a must for the franchise. 

Likewise, the Chiefs are as average as it gets on the receiving front, making it wise for them to prioritize providing Patrick Mahomes with more high-level weapons before the start of the new season.

Of course, with several teams expected to be in the mix for Brown this summer (49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars to name a few), there’s a chance he could land with a franchise not named the Patriots, making the possibility of the New England signing Diggs more likely. 

It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the next few months.

More NFL: 

• Eagles blockbuster trade rumor could result in shocking deal with 49ers or Chiefs

• Bears named landing spot for $123 million 115-sack Steelers star LB

• Eagles named top landing spot for former Cowboys $21 million starter

Keerthika Uthayakumar: James Harden is now 4-14 in Game 6s in his career, the second-worst record in Game 6 in NBA playoff history.

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: James Harden is now 4-14 in Game 6s in his career, the …

Kellan Olson: James Harden has tied the record for most games in a postseason with 7+ turnovers by doing it for the fourth time tonight, per @Stathead. He is the only player to do it in at least two different postseasons and this the third occurrence.

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: James Harden has tied the record for most games in a …

Keerthika Uthayakumar: Donovan Mitchell is now 1-6 in Game 6s in his career. He hasn't won a Game 6 since April 2018!!

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Donovan Mitchell is now 1-6 in Game 6s in his career.

Keerthika Uthayakumar: Cavs have given up 20+ points off turnovers in 8 games this postseason, tied for 3rd-most such games in one playoff run in the play-by-play era.

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Cavs have given up 20+ points off turnovers in 8 games …

Dalton Johnson: Steve Kerr says his politcal stance and how he speaks his mind "literally" never came in talks with Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Steve Kerr says his politcal stance and how he speaks …

Fullcourtpass: Dillon Brooks called Jared Vanderbilt a ‘dumb NBA player’ "I'm going to throw a shot. I can't even lie. This guy doesn't even like me, to be honest with you. Jared Vanderbilt. On the Lakers. They call him Vando” (h/t @PurpGoldLakers)

x.com

Dillon Brooks called Jared Vanderbilt a ‘dumb NBA player’

"I'm going to throw a shot. I can't even lie. This guy doesn't even like me, to be honest with you. Jared Vanderbilt. On the Lakers. They call him Vando”

(h/t @PurpGoldLakers) pic.twitter.com/6th3eIlsCI

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 16, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I'm going to throw a shot. I can't even lie. This guy …

Jason Beede: Sitting courtside at Oak Ridge to watch the Ones Basketball League is former #Magic and current Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. @OBLhoops

x.com

Sitting courtside at Oak Ridge to watch the Ones Basketball League is former #Magic and current Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. @OBLhoopshttps://t.co/Gf3QivCgRLpic.twitter.com/bzrN8bpQ6m

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) May 16, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Sitting courtside at Oak Ridge to watch the Ones …

SEATTLE (AP) — The San Diego Padres recalled right-hander Alek Jacob from Triple-A El Paso on Friday and placed righty Matt Waldron on the 15-day injured list with a right upper arm injury.

Waldron allowed six runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, dropping his record this season to 1-2 with an 8.49 ERA in six games, three of them starts. His injury is to the brachialis muscle, below the biceps.

Jacob was recalled from the minor leagues for the second time this season. He threw two scoreless innings in his sole appearance for San Diego this year.

Lucas Giolito, who agreed to a one-year contract guaranteeing just under $2.8 million in April, is expected to make his Padres debut this weekend. Giolito has made four minor league starts.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Prime Video, the new global broadcaster of some NBA games this season, will not be broadcasting the NBA Finals in the United States. However, the Amazon-owned platform is preparing a show with an international cast to cover the season's final game in all its other territories. According to our sources, Frenchman Nicolas Batum will be among the panel of commentators appearing on the massive 1200 m² set, located in Culver City, amidst the MGM studios . The Clippers player, also expected to commentate on the 2027 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup for TF1, will speak in English, but the show will be broadcast in France with subtitles.

L'Equipe

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: According to our sources, Frenchman Nicolas Batum will …

NBA Playoffs bracket 2026: Updated schedule, TV channels, scores for every round of postseason games originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NBA Playoffs are officially here. After 82 games of grinding through the regular season, the marathon has finally turned into a sprint, as the 2025-26 postseason field is set to narrow through the high-stakes crucible of the Play-In Tournament.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons completed a historic resurgence to claim the top seed but had to rally from a 3-1 deficit to reach the second round alongside the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers.

In the West, the defending NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder locked up the No. 1 seed and had a far easier time in the opening round, moving on with the San Antonio Spurs right behind them and the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves also still alive.

The margin for error has vanished, and the quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy is finally underway.

Here's everything you need to know for the 2026 NBA playoffs, from schedule to streaming information.

NBA playoffs bracket 2026

Click here for the 2026 NBA Playoffs bracket from The Sporting News and see below for series schedules and scores. 

SN

Where to watch NBA Playoffs 2026: TV channels, live streams

• TV channels: ABC | ESPN | NBC
• Live streams: DIRECTV | ESPN app | Peacock | Prime Video

NBA Playoff action is spread across ABC, ESPN, NBC and Prime Video, though the NBA Finals remain the exclusive domain of ABC. Fans have a wide range of streaming options to catch the postseason, including Prime, the ESPN app, and Peacock, with each service carrying specific games depending on their broadcast rights.

All games airing on ABC, ESPN and NBC are also available via DIRECTV Stream. 

Catch every game – try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live MLB, March Madness, soccer and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1, and NFL Network—all included with DIRECTV.

Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.

NBA Playoffs 2026: Updated schedule, scores for every round

Eastern Conference second round

(1) Pistons vs. (4) Cavs - Tied 3-3

(3) Knicks vs.  (7) 76ers - New York wins 4-0

Western Conference second round

(1) Thunder vs. (4) Lakers - Oklahoma City wins 4-0

(2) Spurs vs. Timberwolves - San Antonio leads 3-2

* If necessary

Eastern Conference first round

(1) Pistons vs. (8) Magic - Detroit wins 4-3

(2) Celtics vs. (7) Sixers - Philadelphia wins 4-3

(3) Knicks vs. (6) Hawks - New York wins 4-2

(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Raptors - Cleveland wins 4-3

Western Conference first round

(1) Thunder vs. (8) Suns - Oklahoma City wins 4-0

(2) Spurs vs. (7) Trail Blazers - San Antonio wins 4-1

(3) Nuggets vs. (6) Timberwolves - Minnesota wins 4-2

(4) Lakers vs. (5) Rockets - Los Angeles wins 4-2

Play-In Tournament

NBA Playoffs round-by-round schedule 2026

• Play-In Tournament: April 14-17
• First round: April 18
• Conference semifinals: May 4-5 (possible move up to May 2-3)
• Conference finals: May 19-20 (possible move up to May 17-18)
• NBA Finals: June 3-June 19 

Related Links

• Latest NBA news and rumors
• Full 2025-26 NBA schedule and scores
• How to bet on the NBA
• The GOAT Debate: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

NBA Playoffs schedule 2026: Full bracket, dates, times, TV channels, live streams to watch every series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2025-26 NBA regular season has reached its conclusion, setting the stage for a postseason defined by high-stakes matchups and a brand-new broadcast landscape.

The journey to the Larry O'Brien Trophy officially began with the Play-In Tournament, and now the main contenders are in the mix. With dominant forces like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons having secured the top seeds and moved on to the second round, the focus is on what other teams can compete for the NBA championship.

This year marks a significant shift in how fans will consume the playoffs, as a landmark media rights deal introduces a three-pronged distribution model featuring ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video. While the NBA Finals remain the exclusive property of ABC, earlier rounds will be split across these platforms, including the entirety of the Play-In Tournament moving to Prime Video.

Whether you are a cord-cutter relying on Peacock and Amazon or a traditional viewer tuned into ESPN and NBC, navigating the 2026 bracket requires a clear roadmap of where and when to find each game. From the opening tip of the play-in games to the final buzzer of the NBA Finals on June 19, every series offers a different path to glory.

Below is the comprehensive guide to the 2026 NBA Playoff schedule, including a full look at the current bracket, confirmed tip-off times, and a breakdown of which streaming services and cable channels you'll need to catch every minute of the action.

Where to watch NBA Playoffs 2026: TV channels, live streams

• TV channels: ABC | ESPN | NBC
• Live streams: DIRECTV | ESPN app | Peacock | Prime Video

NBA Playoff action is spread across ABC, ESPN, NBC and Prime Video, though the NBA Finals remain on ABC. Fans have a wide range of streaming options to catch the postseason, including Prime, the ESPN app, and Peacock, with each service carrying specific games depending on their broadcast rights.

All games airing on ABC, ESPN and NBC are also available via DIRECTV Stream. 

Catch every game – try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live MLB, March Madness, soccer and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1, and NFL Network—all included with DIRECTV.

Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.

NBA Playoffs schedule, scores 2026

Eastern Conference second round

(1) Pistons vs. (4) Cavs - Tied 3-3

(3) Knicks vs.  (7) 76ers - New York wins 4-0

Western Conference second round

(1) Thunder vs. (4) Lakers - Oklahoma City wins 4-0

(2) Spurs vs. Timberwolves - San Antonio leads 3-2

* If necessary

Eastern Conference first round

(1) Pistons vs. (8) Magic - Detroit wins 4-3

(2) Celtics vs. (7) Sixers - Philadelphia wins 4-3

(3) Knicks vs. (6) Hawks - New York wins 4-2

(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Raptors - Cleveland wins 4-3

Western Conference first round

(1) Thunder vs. (8) Suns - Oklahoma City wins 4-0

(2) Spurs vs. (7) Trail Blazers - San Antonio wins 4-1

(3) Nuggets vs. (6) Timberwolves - Minnesota wins 4-2

(4) Lakers vs. (5) Rockets - Los Angeles wins 4-2

Play-In Tournament

NBA playoffs bracket 2026

Click here for the 2026 NBA Playoffs bracket from The Sporting News, which updates live as series are completed.

SN

NBA Playoffs round-by-round schedule 2026

• Play-In Tournament: April 14-17
• First round: April 18
• Conference semifinals: May 4-5 (possible move up to May 2-3)
• Conference finals: May 19-20 (possible move up to May 17-18)
• NBA Finals: June 3-June 19 

Related Links

• Latest NBA news and rumors
• Full 2025-26 NBA schedule and scores
• How to bet on the NBA
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Pistons vs. Cavs schedule: Dates, times, TV channels, scores for 2026 NBA Playoffs series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After Sunday's double Game 7 slate, both the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers walked away to decide their second-round matchup.

Despite falling into the feared 3-1 series deficit against the Orlando Magic, Cade Cunningham and his Pistons powered through to win three straight games. From Games 5-7, Detroit's star averaged 36.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. If he can limit his turnovers, Detroit should be on a collision course for its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2008.

Cleveland started the series hot, taking the first two games at home. However, Toronto was able to equalize back at home during Games 3 and 4. The home team went on to win every game that series, which could bode badly for a team that doesn't own home-court advantage for being the higher seed. The Cavaliers' main route to victory involved limiting Cunningham's involvement in the game. The Magic series showed that victory can come if he turns the ball over frequently. Let's not forget that Orlando had the Pistons on the ropes in the first round, but a historically bad shooting performance during the second half of Game 6 saw them blow the series.

During the regular season, Detroit and Cleveland each won two games apiece. At home this season, the Pistons boasted a 35-10 record and shot 48.6% from the field.

The winner of this series will take on whoever comes out of the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers series in this year's Eastern Conference Finals.

Here's what you need to know to watch Detroit vs. Cleveland, including broadcast information and start times.

Pistons vs. Cavs schedule

Series tied 3-3

Where to watch Pistons vs. Cavs: TV channel, live stream

• TV channels: NBC, ESPN
• Live streams: DIRECTV | Peacock | Prime Video | ESPN app

The Pistons vs. Cavs series will air across multiple platforms thanks to the NBA's expanded broadcast deal, which will see games split among the NBC networks and Peacock, and Prime Video. 

Games on NBC can be streamed live on DIRECTV, which offers a free trial to new users. 

Fans can also turn to the streaming homes for each broadcast partner — Prime Video or Peacock — for games on those platforms.

NBA Playoffs bracket 2026

Click here for the updated 2026 NBA Playoffs bracket from The Sporting News.

NBA Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2025

Here are the key dates to know for the NBA Playoffs and offseason. 

* Can move up depending on earlier series

Related Links

• Latest NBA news and rumors
• Full 2025-26 NBA schedule and scores
• How to bet on the NBA
• The GOAT Debate: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

CLEVELAND — Before Game 6, Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that you would have to “choke the life out of” his team. Those words proved to be prophetic.

The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t up for the challenge. They didn’t value possessions like they needed to, and overall didn’t have the attention to detail you need to close out a 60-win opponent. That came back to bite them as they dropped their best chance to go to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2018 with a 115-94 loss in Game 6.

Now, it all comes down to Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday.

The Cavs once again got off to a sloppy start, which has been a trend throughout the playoffs. Turnovers were once again to blame. Good three-point shooting allowed them to close the first quarter just down one, but the giveaways caught up with them in the second.

Detroit pushed its lead to 12 before Cleveland responded. A 7-0 run, capped off by a Max Strus triple, cut the deficit to just three at the break.

The Cavs had all the momentum going into the half. It seemed like they were going to turn things around and take control of the game coming out of the third quarter. Instead, it was the Pistons that did so.

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Detroit opened the third on a 14-4 run to push their advantage back to 13 and went into the fourth up 14.

Cleveland never mounted a serious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. They weren’t able to bring the deficit below double digits as Detroit cruised to a somewhat stress-free victory.

The Cavs have talked this series about letting anyone but Cade Cunningham beat them. They weren’t able to do so. Instead, it was Cade and also everyone else who beat them.

Cunningham was once again the best player on the court. He got to his spots and was efficient with the opportunities he got. This led to 21 points on 7-19 shooting with 8 assists.

This was in stark contrast with Cleveland’s star guards.

Donovan Mithell wasn’t able to find a rhythm. He had a difficult time finishing when he got into the paint, going 3-12 on shots there, which included going 3-9 on shots in the restricted area. This led to an 18-point night on 6-20 shooting with three assists and as many turnovers.

Turnovers were an issue all evening. James Harden was front and center. It’s difficult to have a functional offense when your starting point guard gives it away eight times. Those turnovers wiped out any good that game came from his 23 points on 6-13 shooting.

This theme carried over in the other position group matchups.

Jalen Duren had his best game of the series (15 points and 11 rebounds), while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley couldn’t get anything going.

Detroit’s role players also significantly outplayed their counterparts. Paul Reed had 17 points, Daniss Jenkins had 15, Ausar Thmopson had 10, and Duncan Robinson — with a bad back — put up 14 points on 4-7 shots.

Meanwhile, Sam Merrill was the only Cavalier outside of the core four with double-digit points. Max Strus, who hit multiple clutch shots in Game 5, had just six points on 2-9 shooting.

Every time you want to believe in the Cavs, they show you that there’s no reason to quite do so yet. We’ll see if they can respond with their season on the line.

Game 7 will be on Sunday in Detroit.

When the NFL officially dropped the 2026 schedule, New Orleans Saints fans immediately circled Week 4. On October 5, Monday Night Football returns to the Caesars Superdome. But this isn't just any primetime slot; it is a momentous, emotionally heavy night designated to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the historic 2006 "Dome-coming" game—the night the Saints reopened their doors after Hurricane Katrina and proved to the world that New Orleans was still standing.

Naturally, the script dictates that the opponent must be the Atlanta Falcons. It is one of the NFL’s most storied, bitter rivalries.

Yet, as The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan revealed, the Falcons wanted absolutely no part of it. According to Duncan, Atlanta actively lobbied the league to not be the sacrificial lamb for New Orleans' anniversary party.

And the NFL, in a rare moment of poetic justice, scheduled them for it anyway.

I heard the Atlanta Falcons wanted no part of being the opponent for the Saints' Monday Night Football game, commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the historic "Dome-coming" game in 2006. And the NFL scheduled them for it anyway.#SacrificialLambs

— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) May 15, 2026

The Anatomy of Football Cowardice

Let’s call this what it is: incredibly soft.

In the hyper-competitive, alpha-male landscape of the NFL, teams usually beg for primetime exposure. Players want the bright lights; coaches want the national stage to prove their mettle. For an organization to look at a calendar, see a monumental historical milestone for their chief rival, and essentially say, "Please, Mr. Goodell, don't make us go into that loud building," is a hilarious admission of fear.

What exactly are the Falcons afraid of? They are terrified of a ghost. Specifically, the ghost of September 25, 2006.

Twenty years ago, the Falcons walked into a traumatized, defiant, and deeply emotional Superdome. Less than two minutes into the game, Steve Gleason blocked a Michael Koenen punt, Curtis Deloatch recovered it in the end zone, and the Superdome shook with a force that felt like it could rip the roof right back off. The Saints went on to blister the Falcons 23-3 in a game that transcended sports. It wasn't about football; it was about the rebirth of an American city.

Atlanta doesn't want to play a football game on October 5 because they know they are walking into a religious experience. They know that for three hours, the crowd in New Orleans won't just be cheering for a win, yet they will be channeling two decades of resilience, survival, and pure, unadulterated hatred for the dirty birds.

Why the NFL Made the Right Call

The league deserves credit for ignoring Atlanta's pleas. The NFL is an entertainment business built on narrative, and there is no better narrative in the sport than the Saints, the Falcons, and the legacy of the Rebirth.

Since that fateful 2006 night, the Saints have dominated the rivalry, winning 26 of the last 39 meetings. 

By forcing Atlanta to step onto that field, the NFL is preserving the authenticity of the rivalry. You don't get to opt out of the history you helped write just because you ended up on the wrong side of the highlight reel. The Falcons are a fundamental part of the "Dome-coming" lore. Without the villain, the hero's triumph isn't as sweet.

What to Expect in Week 4

The Saints are coming off a tough 6-11 season last year, starving for a return to the national spotlight after a one-year primetime hiatus. They start the 2026 season with a grueling two-game road trip before returning home. By the time Monday night rolls around in Week 4, the city will be a powder keg of anticipation.

"A team specially requesting the NFL not schedule them for an opponent's specific home game is sooo incredibly soft. I've never heard of that before." — Warren Sharp, Sharp Football Analysis

When the Falcons run out of the tunnel on October 5, they will be met with a wall of sound twenty years in the making. They tried to run from the schedule-makers, but they couldn't hide. Now, they have no choice but to face the music—and the history—in the Big Easy. WHO DAT!

With the Philadelphia 76ers now eliminated from the playoffs, it's time to look at some former Sixers who are still in the playoffs helping their respective teams get the job done.

The Detroit Pistons feature two former Sixers in the form of Paul Reed and Tobias Harris. The Sixers selected Reed in the second round of the 2020 draft while Harris spent 5.5 seasons with Philadelphia before leaving in free agency in 2024.

With the Pistons facing elimination, they earned a tough 115-94 win on the road over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6. The win tied the series at 3-3 and will force a Game 7 back in Detroit on Sunday. Reed had a playoff career-high 17 points and six rebounds off the bench and Harris had six points and five rebounds. Another former Sixers star, James Harden, had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Paul Reed in Game 6:

17 PTS
16 MIN

Leading all non-guards in points per minute this playoffs. pic.twitter.com/xquTLj4jUD

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 16, 2026

The Pistons will be looking for their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2008 while the Cavs will be looking for their first since 2018.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Couple of former Sixers help Pistons force Game 7 with win over Cavs

WASHINGTON — The Orioles pushed the tying run to 90 feet away, but eight innings of scoreless offense did them in.

Despite a two-run, ninth-inning rally, Baltimore lost, 3-2, to the Washington Nationals on Friday night as Zack Littell, who entered the game with a 6.94 ERA and the most home runs allowed in MLB this season, pitched five scoreless frames to outduel Shane Baz.

The Orioles (20-25) loaded the bases twice in the final frame and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeremiah Jackson and an RBI single by Gunnar Henderson, but Adley Rutschman struck out swinging to end the game.

It spoiled a breakout performance for Baz, who delivered his best start as an Oriole. The right-hander shook off back-to-back five-run outings by setting a season high in innings (seven), allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Though the Nationals’ lineup had been a formidable unit this season, ranking second in MLB at 5.36 runs per game, Baz worked around some hard contact and stranded six base runners.

Left fielder Daylen Lile delivered the only big blow against him — a two-run home run in the sixth as he finished a triple short of the cycle. Third baseman Brady House accounted for the only other run of the day with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

The Orioles, meanwhile, had no answers for Littell or left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who pitched three innings in relief before putting two runners on to open the top of the ninth. Nationals manager Blake Butera, a close friend of Orioles skipper Craig Albernaz, who played under him in the Tampa Bay Rays’ farm system, then brought in right-hander Gus Varland.

Varland walked Leody Taveras to load the bases with no outs and secured the first two outs before Butera went back to his bullpen for right-hander Richard Lovelady, who gave up the run-scoring single to Henderson before hanging on for the save.

The San Francisco 49ers schedule is now set for the 2026 season. And save for a to be determined time slot for the season finale we know when and where the 49ers will play.

The Niners are set to face a well-balanced schedule when you break it into four game increments. The NFL did a reasonably good job making the schedule not too overwhelming for the team with more winnable matchups mixed in with the challenging ones.

The first set of games sees the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia before three straight home games against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. The Rams (12-5) and Broncos (14-3) were expected to be among the tougher games of the season, but the level playing field in Australia against Los Angeles and the home game against the Broncos gives the Niners a chance to go 4-0 in that stretch. Count us among those that think the 49ers go 3-1 in that stretch.

The next four games see the Niners travel to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, host the Washington Commanders, go to Atlanta to take on the Falcons and take on the Raiders following a bye week. The Niners may be likely to drop the road game to the Seahawks but should win the next three to get to 6-2 after Week 9.

The next four games could provide a sneaky test. San Francisco faces the Dallas Cowboys on the road before taking on the improved Minnesota Vikings in Mexico. Then they host the Seattle Seahawks before facing a Giants team that could be on the rise. The 49ers will play the Giants at 10 a.m. PT meaning an early morning of warmups for the players. Look for the Niners to go 2-2 in that stretch to get to 8-4.

IT’S HERE ‼️

🎟️: https://t.co/40qhMKitdf@Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/x5QqXtThKt

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 14, 2026

The final five games of the season are difficult but winnable. The 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams before going on the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. Then they come home to face the Philadelphia Eagles and end the season in Arizona against the rebuilding Cardinals.

The Chargers could end up contenders, but, like the Eagles, struggled against top competition last season. The Chiefs have plenty of uncertainty of their own with Patrick Mahomes II returning from injury at quarterback. It's reasonable to see the Niners drop one of the five games, but the team finishes 12-5 on the year.

The 49ers have a tough schedule, but it is spaced out well enough to give the team a chance to duplicate its 2025 record. The Niners will look to have a better postseason should they get there in January.

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Samsung’s next-generation flagship chipset, the Exynos 2700, could adopt a new packaging design, according to a recent report. The company is reportedly planning to move away from Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP) technology for the upcoming SoC. Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP), which Samsung has used since the Exynos 2400, reportedly helped improve thermal performance. However, the technology is said to have been less profitable for the company due to its complex and costly manufacturing process. According to the report, which cites an industry official, Samsung plans to...

There still is no certainty about Álvaro Arbeloa’s continuity as Real Madrid manager, but it is almost certain that he will not come back. In that search, many names have been mentioned, with Jose Mourinho being the most prominent one. For former Spain international Gaizka Mendieta, that would not be the best choice, as he explained in an interview with PlayUK.

Mendieta said: “To me personally, Mourinho going back to Real Madrid is a surprise. I think sometimes a second spell is risky. In my experience, there are not many cases where it works. A third time, I do not think it is appropriate. I also think he is not the same Mourinho he was years ago, the first time. I think a lot has changed for Mourinho himself.”

The former midfielder has plenty of experience in the sport, having starred for Valencia before moving to Barcelona, while also playing for Spain’s senior team. Mendieta’s thoughts also included his preferred replacement as manager.

Mendieta picks Raúl as Real Madrid manager

The former player chose a club legend as the best possible manager: “I think that if Florentino Perez called him, he would obviously go, but that is not going to happen. And Raúl is not waiting by the phone because he knows that his moment probably passed years ago, maybe just before Xabi Alonso.”

Hiring a Real Madrid legend like Raúl could create a big reaction in the dressing room, which may seem like the main issue. Even so, that looks almost impossible, as the former striker has not been in the running.

Mendieta said: “It was then that he thought it was his moment. I would have loved to see him there. I think he was ready, especially when they made a managerial change that was not new to the team, like what happened with Arbeloa.”

The future manager

There are many things the new manager will need to succeed. Tactical knowledge is a must, while being able to manage players with difficult personalities may be even more important. For the former left-footed midfielder, the squad should also be heavily revamped.

Mendieta said: “There are two sides to it. One is that they have not won a title in two years and the manager they hire must do better than the others. But at the same time, it is a risk because it is clear the club needs to sign players, almost one for each line. That is what Alonso wanted.”

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is currently headed by Chair Michael Selig, with no public statement from Donald Trump about fully staffing the five-member panel of commissioners.

The crypto ATM company reported financial difficulties amid a changing regulatory environment and ongoing litigation, which have cost it millions of dollars.

The fighters competing on Saturday's MVP MMA 1 fight card on Netflix officially weighed in on Friday morning. At 9 p.m. ET they'll participate in the event's ceremonial weigh-in.

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey returns to the cage after nearly a decade to take on fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano in the fight card's main event.

The event takes place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and will be the first mixed martial arts event promotion by Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix.

Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Ceremonial Weigh-In Video

Patriots Scheduled For 2 TNF Games, But NFL Says Rest Disparity 'Isn't Real' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It seems like anybody with a brain can watch an NFL football game and understand the competitive disadvantage a team could be put at when they have four days to recover instead of seven. However, the NFL maintains that there is simply no such thing as "rest disparity," and they are asking you to ignore the countless players who have spoken out against "Thursday Night Football" in the past.

ESPN's Stephen Holder asked NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North about the fan theory that states their teams are at a disadvantage when they play on a short week. 

"Rest disparity is not a thing," North said. "You do not have a competitive advantage when you're coming off your bye. You certainly don't have a competitive advantage when you're one day or two day or three days more well rested. If that data suggests that there's a there, we will adjust."

This is good news for the New England Patriots as they are scheduled to play a game on four days of rest, not just once, but two times in the 2026 season.

The first TNF clash comes in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears. It'll be a mid-October trip to Soldier Field, but fortunately, the tough game is sandwiched between two games against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, respectively. 

They are not so lucky the second time around. Their home TNF battle with the Minnesota Vikings comes four days after they host the Buffalo Bills and a week before they have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Cheifs on "Monday Night Football."

I hope Patriots fans have their Amazon Prime subscriptions ready.

More NFL: NFL Says Controversial Patriots Schedule Decision Is 'Good' For Fans

Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith has been diagnosed with viral meningitis and is expected to be hospitalized for at least a week, the team announced Friday.

Smith, 28, is receiving treatment at a Dallas-area hospital. He’ll stay there until he’s fully recovered, per the team, which projects a 7-10 day timeline.

Viral meningitis, according to the CDC, is the most common type of meningitis, which is the swelling of the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by a viral infection, and common symptoms include a fever, headache and stiff neck, although others — such as nausea, vomiting and even an altered mental state — can occur, too.

The Rangers, per The Associated Press, said Smith saw a doctor on Wednesday after feeling under the weather.

“Our only concern right now is Josh’s health,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said, via the AP. “This is obviously an unexpected illness, but we hope to see him return to full health and rejoin the club very soon.”

Smith was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round in 2019. The LSU product has been with the Rangers since July 2021. He made his MLB debut with the team in 2022, and he was part of the 2023 squad that won the franchise’s first World Series. He’s played a larger role in the years since, though.

In 2024, he delivered 30 doubles, 13 home runs and earned a Silver Slugger Award while clocking out with a career-high 62 RBI.

So far this season, he’s started 26 games at second base. He took over at that position after the Rangers traded Marcus Semien to the New York Mets this past November. Previously, Smith served as a utility player for Texas.

That said, Smith’s role as primary second baseman has been interrupted. On May 4, he landed on the injured list with a right glute strain. Plus, he’s dealt with left wrist inflammation during his rehab process, according to the AP.

The latest hurdle in his return to play is viral meningitis.

A key Michigan State football recruiting target in the 2027 class has reportedly set his commitment date.

Michigan State recruiting target Ronnie Gomiller of East St. Louis, Ill. will reportedly announce his college decision on July 1. Greg Smith of Rivals reported the notable development in Gomiller's recruitment, also stating he's finalized his list of schools he'll be visiting: Michigan State, Utah, Purdue, Cincinnati and Iowa State.

Gomiller is listed as a four-star prospect, with a recruiting rating of 89.04 in 247Sports' composite system. He ranks as the No. 54 wide receiver and No. 433 overall prospect in the 2027 class.

It was announced earlier this week that Gomiller will be taking an official visit to Michigan State on June 12. The Spartans are currently considered the favorite for his commitment on 247Sports, but the next month will ultimately decide who comes out on top in this key recruiting battle.

Click on the post below to learn more about where things stand on Gomiller's recruitment:

East St. Louis WR Ronnie Gomiller just finalized his official visit schedule — Utah, Purdue, Cincinnati, Michigan State and Iowa State all get a shot

But one program holds an edge heading into decision day July 1st.

Story: https://t.co/7qlar9PyJ1pic.twitter.com/JZNiipnCBk

— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) May 14, 2026

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Priority MSU football target, 4-star WR Ronnie Gomiller reportedly sets commitment date

Pistons vs Cavaliers final score, results: Pistons force a Game 7 with Jalen Duren's best game of the series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Pistons have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 in Game 6, forcing a Game 7 in Detroit. This was not a story of two different halves. It was a story of one quarter vs the remaining three. In the first quarter, neither team had more than a three-point lead. In the second quarter, the Pistons began to create separation. In the second half, Detroit enjoyed leads between 11 and 17 points. 

Unlike most games in this series, there was no one player carrying either team. The high scorer in this game was James Harden with 23, while Cleveland had two other starters with 18. As for Detroit, Cade Cunningham led the way with 21, but Detroit had four starters in double figures and two players off the bench that combined for 31 points, going 5-for-8 from three. 

Detroit was the clear aggressor through most of the game, while Cleveland seemed sluggish. Donovan Mitchell's 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting and 2-for-6 from three just is not going to cut it. The Cavaliers are not built to win playoff games if Mitchell and Harden aren't combining for at least 50. In addition, the Cavaliers got a bad shooting night from Evan Mobley and the fifth starter Dean Wade only added three points in 22 minutes. 

After this dominating performance by the Pistons, momentum has swung back to Detroit as they prepare for a Game 7 at home. A very noteworthy bright spot for Detroit is the return to expectation for Jalen Duren. He contributed 15 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks while shooting 70% from the floor in 27 minutes. If they can get that again from Duren and Cade Cunningham is still Cade Cunningham, it should spell good news for Detroit on Sunday. 

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracket

Cavaliers vs. Pistons live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 6 

Together through everything 🤝 pic.twitter.com/g56UJklnvT

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

Final Game Team Stats

YOU KNOW THE PISTONS WON AGAIN pic.twitter.com/6VBe4vRWEb

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

The Detroit Pistons have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 in Game 6

4th Quarter-1:19: Paul Reed makes a 24-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-2:00: Jaylon Tyson makes a 9-foot floater. 

4th Quarter-2:22: Daniss Jenkins makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-3:00: Jalen Duren makes a two-point shot. 

4th Quarter-3:37: Daniss Jenkins makes a 22-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-3:56: Ausar Thompson has fouled out. Jarrett Allen makes both free throws. 

4th Quarter-4:31: James Harden makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-4:42: Paul Reed makes a two-point shot. 

4th Quarter-6:07: Dean Wade slips on the floor Tobias Harris picks up the loose ball and makes a running dunk. 

Unc getting up pic.twitter.com/oHKNixhxTL

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

4th Quarter-6:40: Jalen Duren makes a layup. 

4th Quarter-7:14: James Harden makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-7:46: Evan Mobley makes a 1-foot tip in dunk. 

4th Quarter-8:08: Jalen Duren makes a turnaround jump shot. 

BIG DAWG MOVES × 2 pic.twitter.com/vXA7ZbwHpK

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

4th Quarter-9:37: Donovan Mitchell makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-10:03: Donovan Mitchell makes a driving layup. 

4th Quarter-10:20: Marcus Sasser makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

4th Quarter-11:16: Evan Mobley makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

Needed that one from the corner! @evanmobley | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/K5ABb7M2Z5

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 16, 2026

4th Quarter-11:46: Duncan Robinson makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

The Detroit Pistons leads the Cleveland Cavaliers 84-70 after three quarters

3rd Quarter-0:01: Marcus Sasser makes a 1-foot running jumper. 

SASSER TO FINISH THE THIRD pic.twitter.com/F7Y2QBwmAA

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

3rd Quarter-0:28: Paull Reed makes a layup. 

3rd Quarter-1:10: Evan Mobley makes a 1-foot dunk. 

3rd Quarter-1:37: Paul Reed makes a layup. 

3rd Quarter-2:07: Duncan Robinson makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-3:26: Sam Merrill makes a driving layup. 

3rd Quarter-4:00: Sam Merrill makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-4:22: Duncan Robinson makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-4:53: Paul Reed makes a driving layup. Fouled on the play. Reed made the extra free throw. 

3rd Quarter-5:24: Jarrett Allen makes a two-point shot. 

Both teams have been scoreless for almost 3 minutes of game action

3rd Quarter-8:06: James Harden makes a 14-foot fade away jump shot. 

3rd Quarter-8:50: Ausar Thompson makes a tip in dunk. 

3rd Quarter-9:28: Daniss Jenkins makes a driving layup. 

3rd Quarter-10:21: Daniss Jenkins makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

3rd Quarter-10:59: Tobias Harris makes a running layup. 

3rd Quarter-11:36: Cade Cunningham makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

1st Half Team Stats

The Detroit Pistons lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 54-51 at halftime

2nd Quarter-1:02: Max Strus makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-1:31: Donovan Mitchell makes a running dunk. 

SPIDA STEAL. SPIDA SLAM. @spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/k6ikRXgodr

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 16, 2026

2nd Quarter-2:02: Jalen Duren makes a driving layup. 

2nd Quarter-2:45: Jarrett Allen makes a 1-foot dunk. 

The Fro with the flush! #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/wVyyRTNdEN

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 16, 2026

2nd Quarter-2:57: Cade Cunningham makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-3:25: Max Strus makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-4:01: Jarrett Allen makes a finger roll layup. 

2nd Quarter-4:18: Cade Cunningham makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-5:26: Dean Wade makes a 23-foot three-point shot. 

👌 DEANER! @deanwade3232 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/MwfWdEvoi2

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 16, 2026

2nd Quarter-5:42: Jalen Duren makes a driving layup. 

2nd Quarter-6:10: Caris Levert makes an 11-foot fade away jump shot. 

2nd Quarter-6:38: Sam Merrill makes a 22-foot three-point shot. 

🎂 A birthday triple! @smerrill05 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/EXDx2RcBS4

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 16, 2026

2nd Quarter-8:04: Ausar Thompson shoved Sam Merrill through a pick. Foul elevated to a flagrant one for hand contact to the neck area. Merrill hit both free throws. 

2nd Quarter-8:14: Ausar Thompson makes a two-point shot. 

2nd Quarter-8:48: Donovan Mitchell makes a 13-foot driving floater. 

2nd Quarter-9:30: Cade Cunningham makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

MotorCad3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/QjYyUBaud2

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026

2nd Quarter-10:21: Cade Cunningham makes a 13-foot turnaround jump shot. 

Cade is too smooth pic.twitter.com/2zfizwVtmf

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 15, 2026

2nd Quarter-10:53: Paul Reed makes an 8-foot shot. 

2nd Quarter-11:47: Paul Reed makes a layup. 

The Detroit Pistons lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 27-25 after the 1st quarter

1st Quarter-0:30: Caris Levert makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-1:25: Duncan Robinson makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-3:34: Evan Mobley makes a 24-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-4:14: Caris Levert makes a 26-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-4:54: Jalen Duren makes a driving layup. 

1st Quarter-5:13: James Harden makes a 12-foot step back jumper. 

James for 2 (at the shot clock buzzer)! @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/MkgGy0yQeA

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2026

1st Quarter-6:42: Jalen Duren makes a driving layup. 

1st Quarter-7:00: Donovan Mitchell makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-7:40: James Harden makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

James for 3! @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/wYFWhH76jb

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2026

1st Quarter-8:25: Jarrett Allen makes tip shot. 

1st Quarter-8:43: Ausar Thompson makes a running layup. Fouled on the play. Thompson made the extra free throw. 

Daniss with the bullseye to Ausar 🎯 pic.twitter.com/ZYmu117Y5Z

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 15, 2026

1st Quarter-9:01: Cade Cunningham makes a 25-foot three-point shot. 

1st Quarter-10:09: Evan Mobley makes an 11-foot fade away jump shot. 

1st Quarter-10:16: Cade Cunningham makes a driving layup. 

1st Quarter-11:08: James Harden makes a 12-foot floater. 

James for 2! @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/5NrBbD1tVZ

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2026

Jarrett & Evan are the first pair of Cavs teammates to average at least 1.80 BPG in the postseason, and first in the NBA since 2019. #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/QWTQbRKHmv

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2026

let's hoop pic.twitter.com/sqPejLuYAC

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 15, 2026

It's going to take all 19,432 of us. #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/xPxX1dH6sa

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2026

CLE📍 pic.twitter.com/vrM7rQVHjO

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 15, 2026

How to Watch Game 6 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) vs Detroit Pistons (2-3)

Friday, May 15

Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET

TV: Amazon Prime Video 

More NBA Playoff news:

• San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 1983
• Nuggets legend slams 'frugal billionaire' owner Stan Kroenke, doesn't expect offseason moves
• Everyone is saying the same thing about how the refs treated Lakers in Game 2
• Tyran Stokes is all over social media after tough adjustment before future NBA journey

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Chevrolet engines that caused some consternation earlier this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway performed just fine on Fast Friday.

Scott McLaughlin, the 2024 Indianapolis 500 pole winner, turned the fastest no-tow lap of the day at 232.674 mph and had second-fastest four-lap average. Alexander Rossi, the 2016 race winner, turned the second-fastest overall lap at 232.932. And Rossi's teammate, driver-owner Ed Carpenter, was seventh on the speed chart at 232.470. Carpenter has won three Indy poles.

All three made engine changes Tuesday or Wednesday because of mechanical issues, prompting the engine manufacturer to ship each engine back to Detroit for additional inspection.

“Chevrolet is aware of some isolated engine issues experienced by a small number of Chevrolet-powered entries during Indianapolis 500 practice this week,” the company said Friday in a statement. “We are working closely with our teams to review. Our focus is on understanding the facts as quickly as possible while continuing to provide our teams with the performance, reliability and support they need as preparations continue for qualifying and the Indianapolis 500.”

But the Chevy drivers had no problems Friday when IndyCar added about 100 horsepower to each of the 33 cars for race qualifying, The Chevy drivers claimed two of the top three fastest laps of the day and six of the top 10 while also posting four of the six fastest four-lap averages.

Qualifying begins Saturday on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval. The 12-car pole shootout is set for Sunday and all of the estimated 275,000 reserved seats have been sold for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on May 24.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Things just got real for the Dallas Cowboys with the release of the 2026 NFL schedule. The team will travel 27,980 miles this season, taking on division rivals, same-place finishers like the Green Bay Packers, and teams from the AFC South and North and NFC West. Dallas will be featured in six primetime games and will have quite a few intriguing matchups fans should circle on your calendars.

This collection of games all have various reasons they're notable and should carry more weight compared to the rest of the schedule. Whether it be for future playoff positioning or figuring out where the Cowboys stand among the best teams in the league. Each game will be of particular importance for Dallas and can help them figure out if they are truly going in the right direction.

Week 1 - Christian Parker's debut vs. the New York Giants

The biggest headline surrounding this matchup is John Harbaugh making his debut as the Giants’ head coach. On the Dallas side, the spotlight shifts to new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who will be calling plays for the first time after a season in which the defense struggled to stop the majority of opposing offenses.

Parker was hired for his ability to coach up players quickly, along with his defensive knowledge and schemes in the secondary. He faces an immediate challenge against a dynamic Giants offense featuring a young, mobile quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a physical downhill runner in Cam Skattebo, and a true No. 1 receiving threat in Malik Nabers who will test him early.

Week 4 - Guyton and Steele vs. the Houston Texans pass rush

The central storyline against the Texans will be how well Cowboys tackles Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele can hold up in pass protection for Dak Prescott. Led by edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, Houston fielded the league’s top defense in 2025.

Guyton and Steele surrendered a combined 83 pressures and nine sacks a year ago, while Anderson Jr. and Hunter generated a combined 168 pressures and 27 sacks. If Dallas is going to win this game, both tackles must elevate their play; otherwise, Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense could be in for a long day.

Week 6 - Rashan Gary vs. the Green Bay Packers Micah Parsons

The Cowboys and Packers square off once again. Edge rusher Micah Parsons will draw plenty of media attention, both coming back from his torn ACL and ongoing conversations about who won the trade amidst his fallout with Jerry Jones. On the opposite sideline, the Cowboys' new edge rusher is Rashan Gary,and he has just as much reason to prove his Green Bay doubters wrong. With the teams essentially swapping edge rushers a year apart, both now get a showcase against their former squads.

Parsons had his opportunity last season, coming up with a game-saving tackle. This time, it’s Gary’s turn. After a down 2025 season and criticism from then-teammate Parsons, Gary has a chance to turn the page with a win against his former team. Being one of the main reasons they won would be the icing on the cake.

Week 10 - Matching the physicality of the San Francisco 49ers

Recent history has shown the 49ers to be the Cowboys’ kryptonite, whether in the regular season or the playoffs. The big question now is whether Dallas can finally break through, but to do that, they’ll have to play some of their most physical football of the year.

These games against the 49ers have been decided in the trenches, with Dallas being the team bullied in their past matchups; whichever team controls the line of scrimmage will have the upper hand. If the Cowboys want to change the narrative they’ll need to prove they can match and overpower one of the most physical teams in the NFL.

Week 12 - The tiebreaker scenario vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

Week 12 against the Eagles could have major implications in the race for the NFC East in 2026. The Cowboys will host Philadelphia on Thanksgiving for just the third time, but the head-to-head history hasn’t been kind to Dallas, which has lost the two previous meetings. ON the contrary, Dallas has won on Turkey Day for the last four seasons.

Whoever comes out on top could gain a crucial edge in the division. If the Cowboys want to control their own destiny, they’ll need to win this matchup, or at the very least split the season series to avoid falling two games behind and giving the Eagles a tiebreaker. If they can’t, and the Eagles make it three straight on Thanksgiving, it will add insult to injury.

Week 13 - Dak Prescott vs. the Seattle Seahawks talented secondary

Given the chance to face the defending Super Bowl champions, teams look to make a statement, and Dallas is no different. The Seahawks bring one of the most balanced and physical rosters in the league on both sides of the football, and they won’t make it easy for the Cowboys.

For Dallas, the key to winning this game will be Dak Prescott’s ability to solve Mike Macdonald’s complex coverage schemes and consistent pressure up front. It's something very few quarterbacks managed to do last season. If Prescott can crack that code and lead the Cowboys to a win, it won’t just be an upset, it will send a message to the entire league that Dallas belongs among the true contenders in the conference, not the pretenders

Week 15 - The prodigious Parker vs. offensive guru Sean McVay

This game is all about the chess match between Rams' offensive mastermind head coach Sean McVay and the Cowboys' up-and-coming defensive coordinator Christian Parker. McVay has consistently found ways to light up opposing defenses, but he hasn’t faced a defense led by Parker yet. But, with the game falling later in the season, McVay will have plenty of game tape to study.

Parker’s biggest challenge will be disguising coverage and throwing new wrinkles at McVay to throw him off his game early. If he can do that, he’ll neutralize McVay’s biggest strength, his photographic memory.  If he can’t, then Parker's defense will be picked apart by McVay’s high-powered passing game.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Schedule: 7 most intriguing games of 2026

The wait for the final Brazil national team squad for the 2026 World Cup is coming to an end.

The CBF has already officially submitted to FIFA a preliminary list containing 55 names (49 outfield players and 6 goalkeepers). From this group, head coach Carlo Ancelotti will select the 26 players who will chase Brazil’s sixth World Cup title in North America.

The final announcement will be made next Monday (18) at 5 p.m., at the Museum of Tomorrow, in Rio de Janeiro.

But the question hanging over fans is: can a player who is not on this list of 55 names still go to the World Cup?

According to FIFA’s official World Cup regulations, the short answer is no, unless an extraordinary situation occurs.

The Rules

Before the final squad announcement: The preliminary list can only be changed up until the moment of the final call-up in “exceptional cases,” a term FIFA does not define specifically, but which generally refers to sudden serious injuries or legal/medical issues that prevent the original player from taking part.

After the final squad announcement (cuts): If one of the 26 called-up players suffers a serious injury up to 24 hours before Brazil’s opening match in the tournament, he may be withdrawn and replaced. FIFA’s medical committee must certify the severity of the injury.

The replacement: The golden rule is that the player called up to fill that vacancy must necessarily be on the original preliminary list of 55 names submitted by the federation.

The goalkeeper rule: FIFA’s only permanent exception concerns goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper suffers a serious injury at any point during the competition, he may be replaced by another player, even if that replacement was not on the original preliminary list.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be among the most intriguing teams in the NFL next season after seeing their 2025 campaign end in disaster.

Near the end of Kansas City's 2025 season, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustained a serious knee injury that had the potential to alter the trajectory of his already-legendary career.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid gave veteran pundit Rich Eisen the inside scoop on Mahomes' rehab in an appearance on 'The Rich Eisen Show' this week. In his comments, Reid said that the former MVP is "getting better every day" and hinted at Mahomes' potential availability in Week 1 of the regular season.

Take a look at Reid's appearance on 'The Rich Eisen Show' in this video, which was posted to Twitter by SleeperChiefs:

“He’s getting better every day, he’s not taking any setbacks — it’s a day to day thing, maybe you have a chance to see him the first game”#Chiefs HC Andy Reid gives a injury update on Patrick Mahomes a day after the NFL schedule release.

Via @RichEisenShowpic.twitter.com/PdjYTIFdkT

— SleeperChiefs (@SleeperChiefsKC) May 15, 2026

But, just a few months removed from his injury, Mahomes' recovery seems to be progressing faster than expected.

While it is still too soon to tell if Mahomes will be prepared to take the field against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on 'Monday Night Football' in Week 1, Reid's positive update should come as a welcome surprise for Kansas City's fans.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rumors: Andy Reid provides update on Patrick Mahomes' injury

US PGA Championship second round

-4 M McNealy (US), A Smalley (US); -3 H Matsuyama (Jpn), C Gotterup (US), A Potgieter (SA), S Jaeger (Ger), MW Lee (Aus), M Greyserman (US)

Selected: -2 S Scheffler (US), C Young (US), JJ Thomas (US), L Aberg (Swe); -1 J Rahm (Spa), A Rai (Eng); +1 R McIlroy (NI), X Schauffele (US), J Spieth (US); +2 M Wallace (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Full leaderboard

The second day of the US PGA Championship crystallised what was already becoming clear: Aronimink is a course for the smartest-thinking golfers who adapt quickly.

Maybe there should be little surprise that Maverick McNealy, an intelligent but unheralded American who once considered snubbing golf for a business career, is leading the way.

Just like on day one, the majority of the world's leading players were again left befuddled and bemused by a punishing course set-up.

Those who were able to think strategically and problem solve were rewarded.

The later starters in round two, including McNealy and Rory McIlroy, also had chance to take advantage of slightly more benign conditions in the late evening sun.

McIlroy's pre-tournament prediction of being able to take the sting out of the Pennsylvania course by smashing his driver as far as he could proved wide of the mark in a disappointing opening round.

On Friday, the Masters champion demonstrated his ability to reconfigure and recover. He bounced back with one of only two bogey-free rounds - a three-under 67 which left him one over par and five shots behind the leaders with two rounds to play.

Given the volatile nature of this tournament, McIlroy knows the value of his unflustered round.

"It was a day to get back into the tournament and that's what I managed to do," McIlroy said.

• US PGA Championship round two: McIlroy back in contention as Smalley and McNealy lead - reaction
• US PGA Championship round three tee-times

McNealy, the son of a Silicon Valley billionaire, sits alongside fellow American Alex Smalley atop a bunched leaderboard which continues to feature some surprising names.

The pair are a shot ahead of compatriot Max Greyserman, Germany's Stephan Jaeger - who had an unusual round of 18 pars - and South Africa's rising star Aldrich Potgieter, although the presence of American Chris Gotterup, Japan's former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Australia's Min Woo Lee - all in form on the PGA Tour this year - is far from leftfield.

Lurking below the frontrunners are a host of superstars eager to pounce at the weekend.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, fellow American Cameron Young and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg are in a group on two under par, while Spain's Jon Rahm is one under.

Three-time major champion Jordan Spieth - aiming to finally end a nine-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam - is alongside McIlroy at one over.

Fifteen players are within two strokes of the lead - the third-highest total after two rounds in major championship history.

Only six shots separate 58 players - mearning the second men's major of the season remains impossible to call.

"Anybody who makes the cut will feel they're right in this golf tournament," added McIlroy.

Differing approaches by McIlroy & McNealy pay dividends

Going into the tournament there was a lot of talk centering on how Aronimink could prove too easy for the world's best.

The last men's tournament held here, a PGA Tour event in 2018, was won by Keegan Bradley who defeated Justin Rose in a play-off after they finished on 20 under par - although rain helped soften the greens and contribute to low scoring.

And this week, even if bombed drives missed wide fairways, the belief was that players would be able to gouge wedges out of the thick rough onto greens and lead to a putt-off.

The PGA of America has responded by setting up the course in a manner which aimed to disprove that.

The rough has largely been penal for those who have been unable to keep the ball on the fairways, while the severity of the slopes on the greens have generally caused havoc, with more three-putts after two rounds than during the whole of the Masters.

McIlroy suffered on Thursday when his wayward driving was heavily punished, but spending extra time on the range after his opening round to "find feeling" paid off on Friday.

Hitting more fairways set up more birdie chances and eliminated mistakes in one of only two bogey-free rounds.

"I saw that no-one was really getting away so I thought if I could get back to even par for the tournament I'd be right in there," McIlroy told BBC Sport NI.

"I didn't quite get there but I still think at one over I've got a great chance over the last couple days."

Missing fairways did not hamper McNealy too much, however.

The 30-year-old former world number one amateur ranks tied 143rd - out of a 156-man field - with his driving accuracy - but has used his short irons superbly to launch a challenge.

"I think this is one of the few courses I can compete on without hitting enough fairways, I think the missed fairways penalty isn't as bad as other places," he said.

"Fairways are definitely easier to control the ball and I hope to hit more this weekend."

How 'absurd' pins are creating intrigue

The putting surfaces have always been considered as Aronimink's best defence and the placement of the holes - particularly given the tricky, windy conditions - have been incredibly punishing.

Following his second round, defending champion Scheffler described Friday's pin positions as "absurd".

"They are the hardest I've ever seen," said the 29-year-old American.

"They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be. It's just challenging."

Sympathy might well be in short supply for Scheffler.

Purists will enjoy seeing the top players have to patiently plot their way around as they rely on strategy.

Gotterup managed the conditions better than anyone else in a five-under 65 which was the round of the day, but he still described the pin locations as "extreme".

"A lot of the holes feel like, with the wind, you have no margin for error," he added.

Former world number one Justin Thomas fared better than most with a second round of one-under 69, but conceded the testing wind made carding birdies difficult.

"You have to hit the right shots, or the shots that are being asked," he said.

"Just because you have a wedge in your hand doesn't necessarily mean that you're trying to make birdie."

Slow play & six-hour rounds cause frustration

More casual fans, however, may counter that the punishing conditions have ruined the tournament as a spectacle.

The expressions of some players as they trudged around Aronimink indicated they tended to agree.

American player Sahith Theegala was seething when his ball vanished on the 10th hole following a shot from a fairway bunker, meaning he had to take a penalty drop in the sand as he posted a triple-bogey seven.

England's Tyrrell Hatton is rarely able to contain his displeasure at what he perceives to being wronged by the course and his patience snapped when his ball did not do as he expected on one green.

The sluggish nature of the rounds - some taking almost six hours - added to the sense of frustration.

Thomas and playing partner Keegan Bradley remonstrated with officials after they were put on the clock for falling out of position.

"We were behind," said Thomas. "But we weren't holding up the group behind us.

"It's so hard out there and the last thing I'm going to do is make a mistake because I feel like I'm rushing."

As well as the tough conditions, the congestion was fuelled by several shared tees and greens in close proximity.

McIlroy closed his eyes - seemingly meditating rather than napping - as he sat propped against an advertising board while waiting for several minutes on the 10th tee.

After also being forced to wait on the fairway, McIlroy stuck his approach to the green well below the hole and exasperatedly moaned about how long he was having to wait between shots.

"For someone like me that likes to play fast, it's hard when you're waiting and standing on a tee box for 10, 15 minutes," he told BBC Sport NI.

"It gets you out of your rhythm a little bit but fortunately it'll be quicker for the weekend."

Kentucky outfielder Braxton Van Cleave suffered a scary injury in the bottom of the third inning against Arkansas on Friday, May 15. 

Van Cleave was attempting to stretch a two-out, RBI single into a double after the throw home, but ran into an Arkansas defender Camden Kozeal in the basepaths, which resulted in a hard collision on the field. 

He’d be later stretchered off from the field after being tended to on the ground for an extended period of time. 

Here’s the latest injury update on Van Cleave: 

Braxton Van Cleave injury updates 

Van Cleave sustained an injury after a collision on the basepaths during the third inning of Friday’s SEC clash vs. Arkansas. 

He was immediately tended to by members of Kentucky’s medical staff on the field, and was down on the field for an extended period of time. He eventually was carted off the field on a stretcher. 

He’d then be taken to an ambulance that arrived at Kentucky Proud Park behind the outfield gate. 

"That was tough," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said on the SEC Network+ broadcast when asked about the incident.

Kentucky players gathered in prayer after fallen teammate Braxton Van Cleave carted off the field on stretcher after violent base path collision. pic.twitter.com/t5ioHiPbza

— John Huang (@KYHuangs) May 15, 2026

This story will be updated

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braxton Van Cleave injury update, status after being stretchered off

As the 2026 PBR World Finals has moved from the Cowtown Coliseum to the Dickies Arena, the bulls have not stopped bringing their best to the dirt. World No. 1, Pegasus, and World No. 2, Ransom, both posted monstrous scores at Night 5 of the Finals. Almost more shocking than their high scores, however, is the fact that both of the top 2 bulls in the 2026 PBR World season were bested by their bested by their riders, ridden for 8 monumental seconds. Despite the shock in both bulls allowing rides in same night of the 2026 PBR World Finals, it’s no surprise that these rides were both well over 90-point scores.

Pegasus was the first of these two bulls to storm out of the chutes at the Dickies arena, and he brought his best to the finals yet again. Rider Alex Cerqueira was able to secure a 94.35-point ride, thanks to his skilled riding and Pegasus’s rank control providing a 46.3-point out. This was the highest scoring ride of the event, blowing Sage Steele Kimzey’s 92.6-point ride on Lights Out in Round 2 out of the water. That is, until Random stepped up to the chutes.

Ransom came with a note for rider Eduardo Aparecido, and Aparecido had an answer. With an absolutely outstanding performance from both bull and rider, this ride was a 96.10-point ride; the third-highest score in a PBR World Final in history. This ride was one for the history books, and it only added to Ransom’s reputation as one of the rankest bulls in the world.

As the 2026 PBR World Finals continue, the rankings for the No. 1 Bull in the World have only become closer and closer. With both Pegasus and Ransom expected to make one finals out in the 2026 season, the question of which bull will be able to secure the title will soon be answered.

In the meantime, PBR fans will be watching closely as the world’s top bulls continue to buck their best under the bright lights of the Dickies arena, and one thing is certain; there will not be a lack of bull power.

Throughout the 2026 PBR World Finals event, every bull that has stepped out of the chutes has brought their best. This is important, especially at the World Finals, because it is continuing to give riders the opportunity to receive the highest scores possible on their rides. This is because the score assigned to every ride is half from the bull and half from the rider. Overall, when the bulls are performing as well as the elite athletes currently bucking in Fort Worth, Texas, there is a door opened to the riders to make history and secure high-scoring rides. But only the best will be able to best these beasts and take control for those 8 seconds.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — For Julian Hill, it's truly a full-circle moment as the tight end finally gets the opportunity to play with one NFL star that he grew up idolizing.

Linebacker Harold Landry and Hill have a connection that takes them all the way back to their hometown.

"We went to the same high school, from the same area. I was in eighth grade, he was a senior at the time," Hill told reporters on Thursday. "They had a freaking phenomenal year. Obviously, Harold was a big-time recruit coming out of high school. So I get a chance to play with him."

So, when he officially signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots, Hill revealed that his head coach from high school called both him and Landry, expressing how excited he is about them being on the same team. 

"First time getting a chance to really meet him. Great guy, great competitor," he said. "I've gone against him a couple times. He's a tough (guy) to block. But I'm excited to work with him, go against him. Just get better and represent where we're from."

"He was a guy that you always try to scheme up because he can be a game changer, a game wrecker," Hill added. "Just to see him do what he did, that's who he is. He's not in this position; he's not in this year that he's in right now with the money he has for nothing. So, he's a guy who represents it the right way."

Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots newcomer shares unique bond with star defender Harold Landry

Americans Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley shared the lead after Friday's chaotic second round of the PGA Championship as cold, windy conditions contributed to carnage at Aronimink.

Six others were only one adrift after 36 holes with seven more, including top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler, just two strokes off the lead entering the weekend.

McNealy, never in the top 25 after 36 holes in 14 prior major starts, fired a three-under par 67 to match Smalley on four-under 136 at the midway mark.

"This is unfamiliar territory to me," McNealy said. "I was surprised to be that high on the leaderboard."

McNealy, a back-nine starter whose best major finish was 18th at last month's Masters, holed out a 54-foot bunker shot for eagle at the par-five 16th, then made birdie putts from 12 and 18 feet on the first two holes.

The world number 33 squandered the solo lead, however, with three-putt bogeys at the sixth and par-three eighth holes.

"My putter is going to have to be my best club," McNealy said. "That's the reason I still have a job out here."

Smalley fell out of the solo lead with three bogeys in a row but a closing birdie put him on 69.

"It was difficult, it was chilly this morning, the wind was up," Smalley said. "Some of the hole locations are very difficult. They're right on the top of a crown."

Sharing third on 137 were Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, plus Americans Chris Gotterup and Max Greyserman, South African Aldrich Potgieter, Australian Min Woo Lee and German Stephan Jaeger, who made 18 pars.

A bogey-bogey finish doomed 21-year-old Potgieter's bid to become the youngest 36-hole major leader since Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters.

"Looking at those last two holes as kind of unfortunate, but I felt like I was in control most of the round," Potgieter said.

Gotterup closed with three birdies to shoot 65.

"Just really battled all day," Gotterup said. "It was very hard out there. It was cold. There were some pins it didn't even look like were on the green."

Joining Scheffler in ninth on 138 were fellow Americans Cameron Young, Justin Thomas and Harris English plus Spain's David Puig, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and South Korean Kim Si-woo.

Scheffler tumbled from a share of the lead with three bogeys in his first four holes but closed with a birdie at nine to shoot 71.

The four-time major winner missed seven fairways after hitting 13 of 14 on Thursday but complained most about hole positions.

"Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd," Scheffler said. "You've just got to try to continue to hit good shots."

- McIlroy in hunt -

Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, fired a bogey-free three-under par 67 to stand on 141 with Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele among others.

"Some of these hole locations have been brutal," McIlroy said. "It's a really bunched leaderboard because guys are finding it tough to make putts."

McIlroy spent hours on the driving range after a 74 on Thursday and seemed to solve his woes.

"I just needed to try and find the feeling with the driver. I felt like I found a feel last night and I definitely drove it much better today," McIlroy said.

"It was a day just to get back in the tournament and that's what I felt I was able to do."

Germany's Martin Kaymer made bogeys on five of the first seven holes and shot 75 to stand on 142.

England's Justin Rose chipped in for eagle from 76 feet on his final hole to shoot 73 and made the cut with a total of 143 despite two double bogeys and four bogeys.

js/bb

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Chelsea and Manchester City will face off for the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, with the Blues looking for their ninth trophy and Man City seeking their eighth. Man City currently sit at No. 2 in the Premier League, while Chelsea have sunk to ninth.

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A win would lift the struggling London team, which has not won a Premier League game since March. Man City, meanwhile, haven’t lost a Premier League game since January, and beat Chelsea 3-0 when they last met in April.

At a Glance: How to Watch Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup Final

• Date, Time: May 16, 10 a.m. ET @ Wembley Stadium
• Channel: ESPN2
• Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Sling, ESPN

While Chelsea is unsurprisingly the underdog for the FA Cup Final, the tournament is famous for producing some truly shocking upsets. The knockout competition, the oldest soccer tournament in the world, pits teams from across the English football system, giving small clubs the chance to face off against top teams.

Man City have been in every FA Cup Final since 2023, but lost the last two, including last year’s upset by Crystal Palace. Head coach Pep Guardiola criticized the match officiating, saying, “We lost the two finals of the FA Cup because the referees didn’t do their jobs they should do, even the VAR” and added that he considers video assistant referee reviews to be “a flip of a coin.”

The tournament kicks off at 3 p.m. UK time, 10 a.m. ET. If you’re looking to stream the game in the U.S., it airs on ESPN2, with pregame coverage starting an hour before kickoff.

How to Watch the FA Cup Final: Chelsea vs. Man City

Here’s what to know about streaming the soccer game live, including options with free trials.

DirecTV

get free trial

DirecTV has numerous packages with ESPN, including the MySports pack, which starts at $45/mo for the first two months. The Entertainment plan, meanwhile starts at $85/mo. You also get a five-day free trial with DirecTV.

---

Fubo

get free trial

Sports-focused streaming service Fubo includes a free trial, and the Sports + News plan includes ESPN Unlimited. That said, Fubo does not have NBCUniversal channels.

---

Sling

sign up now

While Sling does not have a free trial, it does have affordable short-term passes. The Sling Orange plan includes ESPN2, which is carrying the game live.

---

ESPN Unlimited

sign up now

ESPN offers its own streaming service, which gets subscribers access to all of its networks for $30/mo. It’s also available as a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.

---

FA Cup Final Date, Start Time

The Chelsea vs. Man City match kicks off on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. ET. at Wembley Stadium in London.

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Rousey vs. Carano fight week will conclude Friday evening with ceremonial weigh-ins, where the entire card will engage in a final set of staredowns.

The weigh-ins will take place outside Intuit Dome, which hosts Saturday's historic card set to stream on Netflix.

UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano return from long layoffs in the women's featherweight headliner. Nate Diaz takes on Mike Perry in the welterweight co-main event, and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is also in action against Philipe Lins.

Before the 22 fighters on the card step into the cage, they will face off in front of fans and media at ceremonial weigh-ins beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Check out the video above for a live stream.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Rousey vs. Carano ceremonial weigh-ins live stream

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Felix Rosenqvist took advantage of the friendly, late afternoon weather conditions to reach the top of the Indianapolis 500 speed charts on Fast Friday.

Scott McLaughlin needed just seven laps in the middle of the afternoon to send his message on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's iconic 2.5-mile oval — Team Penske intends to reclaim the pole.

Rosenqvist posted the fastest lap of the day, 233.372 mph though it came with a tow, and the fastest four-lap average, 232.828 in the final practice before qualifying. But it was McLaughlin who waited through the two-hour rain delay and two more hours of inactivity before turning heads with the fastest no-tow lap of the week, 232.674, and the second fastest four-lap average, 232.572.

It sets up a potentially dramatic qualifying weekend between the New Zealander who won Indy's pole in 2024 and Rosenqvist, who will try to put Meyer Shank Racing on the front row.

“It was better than going upside down, that was the last time I was here on this boost level," McLaughlin said after finishing his day with three hours of practice time still left. “I think we got a really good test point for the team and we'll go back, scratch our heads a little bit more. But it's just going to get harder as the weekend goes on.”

The only other driver with a faster lap than McLaughlin was Alexander Rossi with a 232.93. Rossi and McLaughlin both changed engines earlier this week because of mechanical problems.

Penske's cars were so dialed in that McLaughlin and his teammates — two-time Indy winner Josef Newgarden and David Malukas, last year's Indy runner-up — logged the fewest laps of any team after IndyCar officials gave each driver an additional boost of about 100 horsepower.

But most of the 33 drivers attempting to make the traditional starting grid for the May 24 race recognize things could change quickly Saturday.

Rain is in the forecast for the first four scheduled hours of qualifying. If it stays dry for the final three hours, the weather conditions could be quite similar to what they had Friday. Then it's expected to heat up substantially Sunday, causing even more changes.

“It's going to get hotter, a bit of rain coming in as well, so we've just got to make every run count,” McLaughlin said, who got a boost by drawing the No. 6 spot in the qualifying line — ahead of Rosenqvist at No. 11, Rossi at No. 20 and points leader Alex Palou at No. 31. “I felt like that was my best run of the weekend, so really happy to do that at that (increased) boost level.”

What else could be in play? New strategies to comply with the revised qualifying format.

Race organizers have eliminated the last row shootout because there are only enough driver-car combinations to fill the traditional 33-car starting grid, meaning none will be bumped.

Instead, there's a new wrinkle in pole qualifying. The fastest 15 cars will advance to Sunday's round with the top nine locked into the 12-car pole shootout and the other six vying for the final three spots. The six fastest cars in Round 2 will compete to determine the pole winner.

“Our goal is to be solidified in the top nine, to be honest,” Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood said. “I think that’s probably everyone’s goal. You know, in the past couple of years we’ve had chances to be at the front and it just kind of hasn’t materialized when Saturday comes along, but I think this year feels a little bit different.”

Kirkwood is second in points heading into next weekend's race, but struggled to stay with the Fast Friday leads.

Palou, the defending 500 champ, had the second fastest no-tow lap at 23

The Spaniard who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing has won three of this season's first six races and posted the second-fastest no-tow lap Friday at 232.532.

“Qualifying sims on yesterday’s boost, I don’t want to say it’s easy, but you feel like there’s a ton of grip, like the car is not on the limit," Palou said. "Today or this weekend it’s going to feel like the car doesn’t like it, it’s not as happy, you start sliding, need to work more with your tools. You cannot go aggressive with the amount of trim you are doing.”

And it will set up a memorable qualifying weekend for one lucky driver.

“I've kind of gone through every emotion possible in the last two weeks,” Rosenqvist said, reflecting on the recent birth of his first child. “It's cool, it's kind of hard to explain and it becomes like the No. 1 coolest thing you've ever done. But I feel like a driver it kind of makes you a bit calmer, a bit more confident or a little less worried about things. You just kind of go out and drive.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Washington's starting lineup

The Huskies have not submitted their lineup card yet.

How to watch Washington vs. South Florida

The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2 and is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. PT, but it will begin much later, depending on the end result of Arkansas vs. Fordham in the opening game, which was delayed due to lightning in the area.

Click here for more information.

Regionals GAME DAY!

🏆 Fayetteville Regional
📍 Bogle Park
🥎 vs. South Florida (5 p.m. PT)
📺 ESPN2
📊 https://t.co/jGyMVR2g8spic.twitter.com/c8DcCsVStl

— Washington Softball (@UWSoftball) May 15, 2026

Washington takes on South Florida in the Fayetteville Regional

The Washington Huskies will open their 32nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a matchup with the South Florida Bulls on Friday night in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as coach Heather Tarr's team is looking to make it past the regionals for the first time since 2023.

The Huskies will have plenty of star power to rely on in the lineup, led by All-Big Ten First Team and NFCA All-Mountain Region First Team honorees Alexis DeBoer and Giselle Alvarez. The former followed up on being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2025 with a strong sophomore campaign, leading the team with 18 home runs, 45 runs scored, 1.221 OPS, and 36 walks, while her .359 batting average, 122 total bases, 60 hits, and 51 runs batted in all ranked inside the top five on the roster.

The latter's .376 batting average, 68 hits, 53 RBIs, and 126 total bases all led the Huskies, while her career-high 15 home runs trailed just DeBoer, and she added 37 runs scored, 11 doubles, a 1.110 OPS, and 5 stolen bases on the year to anchor the middle of the order, which should prove to be quite a challenge for Bulls ace Annie Long.

Regional ready. pic.twitter.com/oAC2YPCO5J

— Washington Softball (@UWSoftball) May 14, 2026

Long, who was named the American Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Year, has been dominant all year. She holds a 21-5 record with a 1.62 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and .207 batting average against with 14 complete games and a 106:51 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

At the plate, the Bulls are led in practically every category by All-AAC First Teamer Alex Wilkes, who boasts a .339 batting average and 1.006 OPS with 57 hits, 16 doubles, 9 home runs, and 48 RBIs.

The winner will move on to play the winner of Arkansas vs. Fordham as the Huskies look to return to the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2023.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies vs South Florida live updates- Scores, highlights

For most of the past three years, the Senators and their fans have been bracing themselves for the loss of an upcoming first-round draft pick. And for much of this season, it looked like this was going to be the year.

After former management failed to disclose that Evgenii Dadonov had a 10-team no-trade list when trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, the league came down hard on the Senators, docking them a first-round draft pick. It was something they would have to forfeit in either 2024, 2025 or 2026.

Many Senators fans were steamed with the Golden Knights for lobbying the league as hard as they did to penalize Ottawa for what had happened. After all, the punishment didn’t help the Knights at all, and it's not like they lost the asset. They successfully traded Dadonov to Montreal a few months later.

Now, a little over a month away from the NHL Draft, in a stunning turn of events, it’s suddenly Vegas that will lose a 2026 draft pick, not the Senators.

Two months ago, after considerable lobbying of the league by the Senators, the NHL agreed to take their forfeited draft pick off the table. They amended the penalty, giving the club back a first-round pick, although it will be 32nd overall, while insisting on a $1 million fine.

Meanwhile, it’s Vegas that will suddenly have to give up a pick this summer.

The league punished the Knights on Friday for their behaviour following the clinching game against the Ducks on Thursday night. Head coach John Tortorella, who needs to be the centre of controversy as badly as he needs oxygen, declined to speak with the media after the game and the Ducks did not open the dressing room to reporters.

As a result, the NHL announced Friday that, because of “flagrant violations” of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs media regulations, the Knights will forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, while Tortorella was fined $100,000.

Apparently, for the Knights, this was not a first-time offence. The league’s press release went on to say that the penalties came after previous warnings had been issued to Vegas regarding compliance with media regulations and other associated policies. The Knights will have the chance to appeal at the commissioner’s office in New York next week.

They did make two players, Brett Howden and Mitch Marner available to the media. Before taking questions, though, Marner  warned reporters he would have to wrap things up within 10 minutes for fear that Tortorella would order the team bus to leave without them.

And it was truly hard to say if he was kidding or not.

It’s possible this was a protest or statement, similar to what the Barrie Colts did the night they advanced to the OHL Final. In that case, after the Colts were told they couldn't have the whole team in on the media availability, head coach Dylan Smoskowitz and captain Kashawn Aitcheson answered every media question by saying, “Nobody cares. Work harder.”

According to Elliotte Friedman, the Knights post game behaviour was also a protest.

“I guarantee you that thing last night was in reaction to the McNabb suspension,” Friedman said on Friday, guesting on The FAN Hockey Show. “They were really upset about it.”

Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb was suspended for one game for his late hit that injured Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling during Game 5 of the series.

A second-round pick and $100,000 fine is a pretty damn expensive protest, especially when you consider that McNabb’s one-game suspension (for Game 6) was now over.

Whether it was a protest or not, how could a Senators fan do anything but chuckle at all of this?

I mean, imagine that. It's Vegas that will lose a pick in next month’s draft and not Ottawa. For Sens fans, the irony is delicious.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Our One-On-One With Senators Winger Drake Batherson
Senators Defenseman Goes From 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs To Signing In Switzerland
Rasmus Ristolainen: A Deeper Look Into A Potential Senators Trade Target
What’s The Plan For Senators UFA Lars Eller?
Archive: The Year Erik Karlsson Became Ottawa's First Norris Trophy Winner At 22

What do the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Raiders have in common?

They’re the five NFL teams that don’t currently have a primetime game in the 2026 NFL season.

That’s the luck of the draw, or misfortune as it were, as NFL scheduling is very much a merit-based system. When you’re good, or perceived to be good, you get more high-profile spots and national access.

It might seem surprising to some that the Raiders have been left out, given all the hype around No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza. However, much like Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans last year, the unknowns heading into the season make it hard to count on them as a worthwhile team to showcase. It also doesn’t help that the Raiders’ plans for Mendoza remain unclear.

On a Friday conference call, NFL VP of broadcasting planning Mike North was asked whether that uncertainty was factored into why Las Vegas was left out of the primetime opportunities, and he offered some insight into the decision-making process.

“As far as the Raiders go, I mean, nobody knows if or when Mendoza might play,” North said. “It would certainly be great if we knew. We don’t. But they went out and signed a very competent veteran quarterback, and if they find themselves, you know, hovering around .500 and playoff-relevant in the middle of the season, they might be a little more reluctant to pull the trigger and move to the rookie. And if they are playoff-relevant, they will find themselves flexed into bigger national television windows, whether it’s Sunday night, Monday night, or just a bigger footprint on a Sunday afternoon.

“Not to point fingers, but I think the best comp is probably Tennessee from last year. They drafted No. 1 overall, took a quarterback who looks like he can play in this league, [and] they didn’t happen to get a national television appearance last year, either. … We don’t draft our way into primetime. We play our way into primetime.”

The Raiders likely aren’t too concerned about whether or not they show up on Sunday Night Football this season as they get Mendoza used to NFL gameplay and figure out if he or Kirk Cousins will be the signal-caller for the season.

It’s entirely possible that one or more of the above teams will get flexed into primetime, but that’s mostly up to them from here on out.

The post NFL VP Mike North shares simple explanation for teams without primetime games appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano have just one final step before their historic Netflix comebacks.

The two women’s MMA pioneers are set to take the stage Friday evening, May 15, for ceremonial weigh-ins at the Intuit Dome Outdoor Plaza in Inglewood, California. Rousey and Carano, in addition to the other 20 fighters on this weekend’s MVP MMA card, will square off for their final faceoffs and make their final pre-fight remarks at the event, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and can be watched live on Uncrowned above.

Rousey, 39, and Carano, 44, both successfully made weight Friday morning for their women’s featherweight clash. Rousey tipped the scales at 142 pounds for the non-title bout, while Carano came in a tad lighter at 141.4 pounds. Afterward, Carano revealed that she lost 100 pounds in the 20 months since the Rousey fight first came onto her radar.

Rousey vs. Carano is set to take place Saturday, May 16, inside Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome. The card, which also features the MMA returns of former UFC stars Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou and Mike Perry, will broadcast live on Netflix — the first-ever MMA event to do so for the streaming giant. Rousey last competed in MMA in 2017, while Carano has been inactive since walking away from the sport to focus on acting in 2009.

Complete Rousey vs. Carano weigh-in results:

Main Card

• Women’s featherweight: Ronda Rousey (142) vs. Gina Carano (141.4)

• Welterweight: Nate Diaz (168) vs. Mike Perry (169.6)

• Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (257) vs. Philipe Lins (220.6)

• Featherweight: Salahdine Parnasse (154.8) vs. Kenny Cross (155.4)

• Heavyweight: Junior dos Santos (245.4) vs. Robelis Despaigne (258.8)

Preliminary Card

• Welterweight: Namo Fazil (170.8) vs. Jake Babian (171)

• 130-pound catchweight: Adriano Moraes (129) vs. Phumi Nkuta (129)

• Welterweight: Jason Jackson (170.8) vs. Jeff Creighton (168.2)

• Featherweight: David Mgoyan (145.2) vs. Albert Morales (143.8)

• 130-pound catchweight: Aline Pereira (128) vs. Jade Masson-Wong (129)

• 165-pound catchweight: Chris Avila (164) vs. Brandon Jenkins (164.2)

Into Coors Field for the first time this year go the Diamondbacks. Always an… interesting experience, shall we say. No lead should ever be considered safe, and it tends to be where bullpens go to die. But the D-backs’ relief corps has, by and large, been performing quite well so far in May. And that’s putting it mildly. I was shocked – SHOCKED! – to discover that the Diamondbacks actually have the lowest bullpen ERA for the month so far. They have allowed only seven earned runs so far in May – and three of those came in Paul Sewald’s outing in Texas on Wednesday night.

It’s worth noting the D-backs also have the fewest number of relief innings pitched for the month. This is mostly due to starters who have been pitching much deeper into games, since Torey Lovullo has his “come to Jesus” meeting with the rotation in Chicago. As a result, the D-backs have needed only about 2.2 innings per game out of the bullpen. Compare that to the Tigers, who have taxed their bullpen for a whopping 63.1 innings – twice as much as the Diamondbacks, using them for an average of more than five innings per game. That has helped the overwork issue Jack previously noted: things are much more under control there now.

We will see whether that remains the case after three days at altitude. As usual, Colorado is a tougher proposition in their home park: 8-11 vs. 9-16 on the road. Though we are only a quarter of the way through the season, that 171-point gap in win percentage is a lot more than it was in 2025, when the difference was only half as much, at 86 points. It’ll be interesting to see what reaction Nolan Arenado gets. While he played there with the Cardinals, of course, this will be his first return to Coors since being dealt to a divisional rival in the NL West. Maybe his departure cursed Colorado. Since then they have been the worst team in the majors and it isn’t close, with 27 fewer wins than anybody else.

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for our Victory of the Week (VOTW) post! This evening’s conversation prompt is straightforward: What was your victory this week? Did something remarkable happen? Is there a small achievement worth celebrating? This could relate to the Miami Dolphins, your professional life, or your personal life. We all experience victories, big or small, and we want to hear about yours.

This post is for you, our site members, who are part of our Phinsider family. This is your opportunity to share your successes from the past week. Your triumphs can be significant, such as the birth of a new child or grandchild, or finally landing that job or promotion you’ve been working hard for. They can also be smaller victories, like winning $100 on a lottery scratch-off ticket, or any other positive experience you’d like to share.

This is your post to celebrate your achievements, so feel free to share them in the comments section below.

The PWHL is bringing women’s hockey to the Bay Area by choosing San Jose, California, as its fourth and final market during the league’s latest round of expansion, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday.

The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the league had not made an announcement. The Hockey News first reported the development earlier in the day.

With the addition of San Jose, the PWHL increases to 12 teams, doubling the league's size since it started in 2024 and broadening its geographical reach.

The city is home to the NHL's Sharks and gives the league a four-team foothold in the West. Las Vegas is another expansion market, and Seattle and Vancouver, joined the league last year. The team would likely play at the Sharks' arena, the SAP Center.

The PWHL also added franchises in Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario, over the past two weeks.

Executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer previously told the AP that the league's priorities include geographic diversity and reducing travel time between markets. Scheer also said the PWHL has been exploring splitting into two conferences or divisions.

The PWHL’s original six franchises are Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Minnesota.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

It’s yet another blow to the Toronto Blue Jays‘ battered and beaten pitching staff. As they await the final word on the next steps for injured hurler Jose Berrios, manager John Schneider says that “surgery is on the table.”

“It’s an option at this point,” Schneider said on Friday. “We’re just trying to figure out if that’s the route we’re going to go.”

Although Berríos met with renowned elbow surgeon Dr. Keith Meister earlier this week, the manager says there is no ligament damage involved, as far as he knows. Of course, Schneider is not a doctor, nor does he play one on TV (or in the clubhouse).

He did, however, mention “loose bodies”, as noted by beat writer Keegan Matheson. It seems we’re still talking about the stress fracture that Berríos had been pitching through in spring training, without any ill effects at the time. But he’s had some elbow soreness in his last two rehab starts, with reduced velocity.

“He’s just trying to make the best decision for now and for the long term,” Schneider said, indicating that the 31-year-old pitcher will have the final say on which way they go. “He’s back and forth a little bit on it, I think, and just wants to get it right.”

Berrios has surgery decision coming up, and contract decision after the season

Making this even more of a crucial decision for his future is the fact that Berrios has an opt-out after the season. He’s due for two more years at $24 million per, on the seven-year, $131 million contract he signed with Toronto back in 2021. Unless he decides to opt out and become a free agent. But that’s looking more and more like a moot point as his injury drags on.

What’s making this even more difficult for Berrios, is that he’d been the picture of health throughout his major league career until this season. He didn’t miss a single start for six straight years (32 starts per season) until 2025… When he missed just two. In this day and age of pitcher injuries and Tommy John surgeries, it’s really a remarkable feat.

But in the final proof that no pitcher these days can escape the injury bug forever, Berrios is facing a career-defining moment any day now.

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Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

After one round, Aronimink is proving more difficult off the tee than originally anticipated, and one of the early leaders is navigating that challenge with golf’s rarest club.

Yes, Aldrich Potgieter is gaming a 1-iron this week, and it’s helped him contend at the PGA Championship (tied for the lead after the first round and the solo leader at the time of this writing on Friday).

Off-the-tee play wasn’t much of a story in the lead-up at Aronimink, which is hosting a PGA for the first time in 64 years. The Donald Ross gem measures just 7,394 yards, short by modern major championship standards, and players contemplated bomb-and-gouge strategies for the layout.

“Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent,” Rory McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference. “It’s basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there. … When these traditional golf courses take a lot of trees out, it makes strategy not as much of a concern off the tee.”

That comment came back to bite McIlroy, as he hit just 5 of 14 fairways and lost nearly a half shot to the field off the tee in an opening-round 74. Turns out the wild undulations and firm conditions of Aronimink’s fairways made them difficult to hold. Missing the fairway also proved unexpectedly penal, as the average proximity difference between the fairway and not on Thursday morning was nearly six feet worse than the average PGA Tour host course, according to Justin Ray.

While many players opted to keep their typical top-of-bag setups, Potgieter took the interesting approach of adding a 1-iron in addition to his regular PXG 2-iron. The slightly longer build checked in at just over 15 degrees of loft, which gave the club a touch of right bias.

Now, like many of the 1-irons you see on the PGA Tour from time to time, this isn’t your grandfather’s 1-iron. This is a hollow-bodied club with a graphite shaft designed to get the ball in the air. I wouldn’t advise anyone to hold Potgieter’s 1-iron (which he referred to as a 3-wood in a press conference) up during a lightning storm.

The club is rare by PGA Tour standards and if ever seen, it’s usually during the Open Championship or Scottish Open.

But Potgeiter’s 1-iron has some unique abilities even among other butter knives. As PXG’s Justin Shepherd told GOLF, the new Gen 8 driving iron’s weight adjustability allowed Potgieter to add the club in place of his fairway wood because they could straighten out his ball flight more easily.

“Playing with the weight and lie angle, as I went a little more upright … he actually was losing some ball speed, so he obviously wasn’t hitting it as well,” Shepherd said. “We moved back to the lie angle fit, then we could work on the ball flight without changing the two things.”

Potgieter’s 1-iron features a 12g weight in the heel and a 7g weight in the toe to help him turn it over. His 2-iron is more neutral.

With the 1-iron, which is 5/8 of an inch longer than the 2-iron with the same Nippon Modus GOST shaft, Potgieter carries the ball only a few yards farther than the 2-iron, but its runs out nearly 30 yards farther while reaching 170-172 mph ball speeds.

While Potgieter hit driver off the tee 11 times on Thursday, his driving irons came in handy on three tee shots and his approach to the par-5 9th. It all added up to a share of the first-round lead.

Flatstick swaps

One thing that has rung true about the challenge of Aronimink has been the difficulty of its signature Donald Ross domed greens. Was that the reason a number of players chose to make putter changes when tweaks during major weeks are usually more subtle?

The most notable move was Brooks Koepka, who moved into a new TaylorMade 2026 Spider Tour V from his previous 2025 Spider Tour X. Koepka reportedly broke his previous putter at the One Flight Myrtle Beach Classic last week, necessitating the change. He spent several hours working through various mallet putters on Monday before settling on the new Spider Tour V.

We still don’t know much on the new Spider Tour V, which appears to have been redesigned from the previous version that’s in Shane Lowry’s bag. The previous Spider Tour V was the most forward CG mallet in the TaylorMade lineup, making it feel like a blade.

Koepka’s new Tour V appears more compact and the weight ports are forward in the head, which seems to indicate a similar goal. Koepka is likely looking to find something that feels like his previous Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Teryllium putters.

But more surprising was that Alex Fitzpatrick, fresh off a Cinderella three-week run after winning the Zurich Classic team event, swapped putters.

The young Fitzpatrick went from his silver Odyssey Ai-ONE No. 7 S to a Navy Ai-ONE No. 7 CH.

While the change from silver to navy is interesting, it turns out the change from a slant neck to a crank hosel is the key switch.

Odyssey Ai-DUAL #7 S Custom Putter

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Odyssey reps Harry Shih and Cody Hale handled the change because Fitzpatrick, a gear-free agent, said he felt like he was leaving the face open at impact. In his first two events as a PGA Tour member, Fitzpatrick lost nearly a half-shot per round on the greens.

“Just gave him more face awareness,” Shih told GOLF. “He felt like the face was hanging open so we went to the crank so he could square the face up easier. Quintic data confirmed it.”

Hale added that the Crank Hosel matched his stroke rotation better.

“We also went 1 degree more upright to better match the shaft plane to his forearms, which he and his putting coach Andy Paisley like to see in his arm structure,” Hale said.

Sahith Theegala also went back to his Anser 2 gamer after a one-week trial with an Ally Blue H mallet.

And continuing a trend of what might become the PGA Tour’s next hot putter, Tom Hoge added a new Phantom 9.5R, the same model putter Cameron Young uses and Justin Thomas recently added.

Spieth goes longer; Fowler goes shorter

Thursday was a bit of a trip back in time for Jordan Spieth as he chases the career Grand Slam, but it was the driver that was dialed for Spieth, unlike how it was 10 years ago.

Spieth gained 1.93 strokes off the tee on the field in Round 1, ranked second in the field. He missed just two fairways.

Turns out he made a tweak to his GTS2 driver last week after putting it in play at Doral, going to a longer, 46″ Fujikura Ventus Black shaft.

Thanks to the increased stability of the GTS2 head he found he was able to go longer and down in loft (from 10 to 9) to get more speed. Spieth also has his GTS2 front weighted with 9g in the front and 3g in the back to get even more speed.

He gained .663 strokes a round off the tee at the Cadillac but then picked up more than a stroke a day at the Truist with the longer build. Since adding the GTS2, he’s gone from 113th in SG: Off the Tee to 77th in just two weeks.

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But on the flip side, Rickie Fowler shortened his driver this week.

After using a 45″ driver for the last few weeks, Fowler is back again using a shorter build, but this time at 43.25″, almost certainly the shortest driver on the PGA Tour. In fact, it’s the same length as his mini driver.

Fowler is having one of his most accurate seasons on the PGA Tour in terms of driving accuracy and has used a 44.125″ driver for much of the season. He opened with an even-par 70 on Thursday.

Golf Pride again dominates grip count

As is typical, the overwhelming No. 1 grip at the PGA Championship was Golf Pride.

All but 11 of the 156 players in the field at Aronimink played Golf Pride grips this week, continuing the most dominant run in golf equipment.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s new PXG 0317 Tour prototype irons.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout added PXG’s 0317 Tour Proto irons (above) with KBS Tour 125 S+ shafts … Lucas Glover switched to the GTS2 driver after adding the fairway woods last week … Max Greyserman added Callaway’s Quantum TD driver with Ventus Blue 6-X … Viktor Hovland added a Ping G440 Max 3-wood and G440 3-hybrid to his bag … Greyserman and Ryo Hisastune switched to Vokey’s A+ grind to get faster through the turf … Haotong Li is following in the footsteps of Fowler and Gary Woodland by adding a Scotty Cameron GOLO 7 CS … Denny McCarthy (GTS2 9.0) and Luke Donald (GTS3 9.0) added new Titleist GTS drivers non-contracted … Fujikura lead the driver shaft count with 46.2% of the field … Maverick McNealy switched to the new Fujikura Ventus TR Black+ 6-X in his driver.

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Hideki Matsuyama is golf’s most notorious tester. Here’s what makes his bag | Bag Spy – Take a deep dive into the bag of Hideki Matsuyama and see why, even as he tests more than anyone, he continues to play mostly the same stuff.

This Aronimink feature has pros re-thinking their wedge setup at the PGA – Aronimink is the first chance for PGA Tour players to see bent grass this season. See what Vokey’s Aaron Dill says is the key to handling northeastern turf.

Cameron Young reportedly playing golf ball that would conform under rollback– Cameron Young revealed on Wednesday that his Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot golf ball passed the new rolled back conformance test. See what that means and what it’s a big deal.

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Golf’s rarest club is making a PGA Championship appearance | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

PGA Championship cut line winners and losers: Maverick McNealy emerges from pack, Bryson DeChambeau stumbles originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The PGA Championship is on its way toward deciding a winner, as the tournament has now cut down its participants in half.

This tournament includes one of the bigger fields among the four men's majors, giving a wide array of players a chance to make it to the weekend. In some cases, making the cut is just one step towards the ultimate goal, but in others, missing the cut is the end to a very disappointing week.

Aronimink played tough over the first two days and required players to overcome difficult greens and thicker rough. Players who shot a +4 or better survived to the weekend, while the rest of the field can now head home early.

Therefore, here's who came out of Friday's second round in good shape, and who should be most disappointed.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP HQ:Live leaderboard | Tee times | TV schedule

PGA Championship cut line winners and losers

Winners

Maverick McNealy

McNealy has been a pretty steady player for a few years, and that is now starting to translate to majors. The 30-year-old has made the cut in each of the last six majors, and after four top-40 finishes last year, had a tied-for-18th finish at the Masters this year for his best major finish.

Therefore, McNealy's presence at the top of the leaderboard isn't too much of a surprise even if he's never finished in the top-15 at a major. This presents McNealy's best chance to compete for his first major title, and at the very least, should give him experience competing in a big tournament.

Alex Smalley

Smalley makes an unlikely appearance at the top of the leaderboard after shooting two under-par rounds to begin the tournament. The 29-year-old shot a 67 on Thursday to tie for the -3 lead entering Friday, and at one point had a two-shot lead at -5, but came back to the back with three-straight bogeys.

Still, this is clearly Smalley's best performance at a major tournament. He's played in four prior majors, appearing in the last three PGA Championships along with one U.S. Open appearance in 2017. Even if he doesn't win, Smalley is in line for a finish that could help him get into other majors moving forward.

Aldrich Potgieter

The PGA Tour's longest driver, Potgieter was the PGA Championship leader for much of the first two rounds before bogeying two-straight holes to end his Friday. Still, Potgieter is in prime position entering the weekend and looks like he can compete at a major for the first time.

Potgieter is still just 21 years old and has only played in four majors in his career, which includes three missed cuts. This is already his best performance ever at a major, and he still has two rounds to make it a more memorable weekend.

Ben Kern

Kern is the lone PGA of America to make the cut at the PGA Championship, an impressive feat in itself. Kern manages the Hickey Hills Golf Club near Columbus, Ohio, and he shot a 67 on Friday to post a +1 through two rounds and beat out many of the game's best.

While Kern won't win this tournament, making the cut should be considered a success for him regardless of where he finishes.

Losers

Bryson DeChambeau

Amid the LIV Golf drama, DeChambeau hoped to compete for another major at Aronimink. Instead, he had a disastrous two days and missed the cut for the second time at a major.

DeChambeau opened his tournament with a 76 that included five bogeys and a double bogey before making his lone birdie of the day on his final hole. Then, it didn't get much better on Friday as DeChambeau continued to go backwards.

Tommy Fleetwood

Fleetwood is one of the best players in the world without a major in his career, and this week seems to be another wasted opportunity. The Englishman wasn't a mess, but did shoot +2 on Thursday and +3 on Friday to miss the cut.

This is just Fleetwood's second missed cut at a major since 2022, but he hasn't finished in the top 15 in his last nine major starts. Now that Fleetwood has a PGA Tour win on his ledger, the pressure mounts for him to perform on a major weekend.

Garrick Higgo

Higgo made waves on Thursday when he was penalized two shots for missing his tee time, which ended up being the difference between making and missing the cut. Higgo ended his first two rounds at +5, which was a shot behind the cut line at +4.

This will be a learning experience for Higgo, as he'd only appeared in six majors prior to this year. Still, this is an incident that will stick with him for a while.

Dystany Spurlock has moved up from motorcycle racer to making her first start on Friday in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Dover, Delaware. It was great experience for the 34-year-old.

Earlier this year, she finished seventh in the Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, N.C., making her the first Black woman to compete in a NASCAR affiliated race.

On Friday, she became the first Black woman to compete in one of NASCAR's three touring series.

“I never got into NASCAR to be the first — I just so happen to be the first,” she told Andscape.com. “And I think that’s great, but my goal is to just inspire little girls and little boys that look like me. Whether that’s to be a racer, or to be on the pit team, or be an engineer … whatever it is, I want them to know that there is space for them."

Spurlock completed 36 laps before an incident knocked her out of the Dover race. She finished 36th.

Here’s @DystanySpurlock after her Truck debut ends early with a crash. She became the first Black woman to race in NASCAR today. pic.twitter.com/cU2gDvoFgi

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 15, 2026

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Spurlock

This article originally appeared on The List Wire: NASCAR Truck Series driver Dystany Spurlock

When the week started at the 2026 PGA Championship, there were 11 LIV Golf players in the field. That number has been trimmed to seven with Friday's cut, and a few big names were sent packing after 36 holes.

The lone past PGA champion at Aronimink who plays on LIV, Martin Kaymer, was tied for the lead after Thursday's opening round but struggled Friday, shooting 75. He's on to the weekend, but others aren't as fortunate. Here's a look at which LIV golfers made the cut and those who are heading home from Aronimink.

Which LIV golfers made the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship?

Leaders: -4

• David Puig (-2)
• Jon Rahm (-1)
• Cameron Smith (Even)
• Joaquin Niemann (+2)
• Dustin Johnson (+2)
• Martin Kaymer (+2)
• Elvis Smylie (+4)

Which LIV golfers missed the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship?

• Thomas Detry (+5)
• Tyrrell Hatton (+6)
• Tom McKibbin (+7)
• Bryson DeChambeau (+7)

When was the last time a LIV golfer won the PGA Championship?

Brooks Koepka won the PGA while competing on LIV Golf in 2023, but Phil Mickelson is the last current LIV player to win the PGA after his victory at Kiawah Island in 2021. Mickelson is not in the field this week at Aronimink.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Championship 2026: Which LIV Golf players made the cut?

The Oklahoma women's softball team never had to worry much about an always unlikely upset Friday. The Sooners dispatched Binghamton with ease in the first game of the Norman Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

OU, the top-seed in its quarter of the bracket, handled the Bearcats, 11-0, in five innings, scoring in all four frames in which it came to bat.

Kasidi Pickering hit a two-run home run in the first, highlighting a four-run opening inning. Kai Minor and Ella Parker each went yard in the second, giving the Sooners three more runs. Ailana Agbayani hit a two-run single in the third. And Kendall Wells clubbed a two-run homer in the fourth to provide OU with its last batch of necessary runs to enact the run-rule.

Coach Patty Gasso used three pitchers in order save arms for the rest of the weekend, no matter how long it may run. Audrey Lowry pitched two innings before Berkley Zache picked up the win by working the next two. The pair of Sooners pitchers and Allyssa Parker gave up just two hits over their five innings.

Oklahoma will play the winner of Kansas and Michigan in the next round while Binghamton gets the loser. Whichever teams comes out of the winner's bracket game would need just one more win to qualify for Super Regionals. Oklahoma, which is playing this Regional in Norman, lost just one game at home during the regular season.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma handles Binghamton in NCAA Softball Tournament

World number one Jannik Sinner will resume his Italian Open semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev on Saturday with a lead after it was interrupted by rain.

Sinner, who is bidding to become the first Italian winner in Rome since 1976, had to overcome fitness issues from the second set onwards to go within just two games of victory, leading 6-2, 5-7, 4-2.

The Italian was looking to win his 33rd-straight match in a Masters event and started in dominant fashion as he broke Medvedev twice to cruise through the first set 6-2 in just 33 minutes.

But he started to encounter problems with his fitness in the second as Medvedev stormed into a 3-0 lead and it looked like Sinner was beginning to really struggle when he vomited in the corner.

However, Sinner somehow broke back to make it 3-3 and – as it looked like the game was heading into a second-set tiebreak – Medvedev broke again in Sinner's final service game to make it 1-1 after a gruelling game which lasted around six minutes.

Sinner broke early in the third set to put himself in the driving seat before the rain came and made sure the game would continue on Saturday in what was Sinner's toughest game of the tournament so far.

Vikings' Justin Jefferson reveals what he wants out of QB battle originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Minnesota Vikings' training camp this offseason is going to be one of the most-watched across the league because of the quarterback battle that will capture the imagination.

J.J. McCarthy has it all to do to prove himself "the" guy to lead Kevin O'Connell's offense, as Kyler Murray was signed this offseason to be the starter.

For most, the job is Kyler's to lose, but as we know, the NFL is unpredictable.

And for receiver Justin Jefferson, who will be catching passes from both this offseason, he's eager to see how the battle plays out.

"Just competition, for real," Jefferson said on Good Morning Football via NFL.com. "Just to see, who's gonna be that last man standing? Who's gonna be that dawg? Who's gonna be that leader to carry us throughout the season? Because that is definitely a missing piece that we're looking for and something that is very important to our team, which is the quarterback spot.

MORE:Chiefs' Andy Reid offers 3-word comment on Patrick Mahomes that will thrill fans

Who will win Vikings' QB battle?

That is perhaps the biggest question of the offseason.

For a lot of people, McCarthy is fighting a losing battle because if Minnesota was confident that he was "the" guy, it wouldn't have signed Murray.

Plus, Kyler will need reps to prove himself, reps that McCarthy desperately needs, so everything is pointing to Murray being the guy for O'Connell.

Of course, things could change and McCarthy could beat Murray outright, but for most, that isn't likely.

How it plays out over the coming months is going to be fascinating to watch.

More NFL news:

• Bengals' Tee Higgins aiming for career-first in 2026
• Broncos' Nik Bonitto makes stirring plea for 3-time All Pro
• Analyst details Steelers' brutal task to repeat as AFC North
• Vikings lauded offseason plan thanks to 1 key move
• Chiefs' schedule release 'wish' is a little odd

May 15—COLUMBIA — Hilton Head and South Pointe high schools were the cream of the crop May 14 in the state AAAA championship track and field meet, and Aiken County had several athletes on the winners' podium and at least one school record being broken in the process in more than four hours of action at Richland Northeast High School.

The girls overall title went to Hilton Head, with Westside and Bishop England as the nearest competitors, in that order, and the boys championship went to South Pointe with May River second and Seneca third.

North Augusta's girls were Aiken County's best, placing 23rd overall, and Aiken's girls finished 28th. Among the boys, Midland Valley led Aiken County's corps, finishing 14th, followed by Aiken and North Augusta, tied for 22nd; and South Aiken, 32nd.

Jade Council, with North Augusta, plowed some new territory, breaking the school record by handling the girls' 400-meter hurdles in one minute and 6.58 seconds, to place third overall.

North Augusta's leaders also included Ayden Young, who placed second in the boys' high jump, reaching 1.95 meters. Among his competitors were South Aiken's Jamaal Wilson, who reached 1.80; and Midland Valley's J.P. Gaston, at 1.75.

Kaleb Hester, with Midland Valley, had two trips to the podium, as he nailed down second in the boys' 100 hurdles, clocked at 14.66 seconds; and third in the 400 hurdles, at 54.86. South Aiken's Gage Frazier placed 11th in the boys' 100 hurdles, at 15.93, and Christopher Baxley, with Aiken, ran the 400 hurdles in 55.63, placing fourth.

The boys' 400 dash included three Aiken County finishers: James Howard, Aiken, fifth, at 49.62 seconds; Bruce Hobbs, Midland Valley, sixth, 49.64; and Johnathon Wright, Midland Valley, 11th, 50.96. The boys' 3200 had Brayden Ramsey, with Aiken, in 15th, at 10 minutes and 32.33 seconds.

Howard's outing also included 10th place in the boys' long jump, as he reached 6.08 meters.

Sandi King, with Aiken, placed third in the girls' javelin, at 38.92 meters; and 14th, in the 800, at two minutes and 30.49 seconds.

The girls' 4X100 relay had Aiken 11th, at 50.26 seconds, and South Aiken was 12th, at 50.30.

The boys' 4X800 relay had Aiken ninth, at eight minutes and 40.02 seconds, and South Aiken placed 10th, at 8:42.29.

South Aiken's Nyla Pope placed 15th in the girls' 200, finishing at 26.26, and Aiken's Aubrey Shoaf covered the girls' 3200 in twelve minutes and 47.96 seconds, finishing 14th.

South Aiken placed 12th in the girls' 4X400 relay, at four minutes, and 16.42 seconds. The boys' 4X400 relay had Aiken fifth, at 3:23.07; and Midland Valley sixth, at 3:23.51.

Aiken had two finishers in the boys' pole vault: Ayden Mcleod, 10th, at 3.35 meters; and Delance Walton, 11th, also at 3.35.

Xanasha Geter was the top local finisher in the girls' discus. She placed ninth, reaching 28.04 meters; and Aiken's Ka'lea Dobbs placed 11th, at 26.70.

Geter also placed 13th in the girls' shot put, reaching 9.74 meters. Aiken County's leader was Celena Grant, of North Augusta, at 10.30 meters, to place fifth.

The boys' discus had Jared Langworthy, with South Aiken, fourth, at 43.78 meters; and North Augusta's Joshua Simpkins ninth, at 40.55.

North Augusta's Celena Grant placed fifth in the girls' shot put, reaching 10.30 meters.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Sometimes it's OK to celebrate heartbreak, even if it still stings.

In Cleveland, where a World Series title has remained elusive since 1948, finishing second is still reason enough to throw a party.

Ten years after losing a drama-drenched World Series in seven games to the Chicago Cubs, who ended their 108-year title drought at Cleveland's expense, the Guardians are honoring their 2016 AL pennant-winning team this weekend while triggering memories mixed with joy and pain.

Nearly all the members of Cleveland's '16 team — known as the Indians back then — and including former manager Terry Fracona, now with the Cincinnati Reds, were on hand at Progressive Field on Friday to relive that unforgettable year spoiled by the Cubs.

It was a chance for the former players to reconnect, share laughs and swap stories from a season and postseason they'll never forget. They'll talk about Rajai Davis hitting his iconic homer off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7. They'll grumble about a rain delay that many Cleveland fans remain convinced saved the Cubs. They'll consider what might have been.

Mostly, they'll be teammates again.

“It's so good to see so many of these guys’ faces,” said Jason Kipnis, Cleveland's starting second baseman in 2016. "We could have a group text and all that stuff, but to get back and get that hug and reminisce with them, that makes it a lot of fun.

"There’s always people who are like would you rather not go to the playoffs than go to the World Series and lose it? No, because the memories of that run have lasted a lifetime already.”

Strengthened by the acquisition of elite reliever Andrew Miller at the trade deadline, the 2016 Indians went 94-67 in the regular season to win the AL Central before beating Boston and Toronto in the playoffs to set up a date with the Cubs in a Series pitting two teams with generational championship dry spells.

After splitting the first two games at home, the Indians won two straight at Wrigley Field and opened a commanding 3-1 lead. However, the Cubs squeaked out a 3-2 win in Game 5 at home and clobbered Cleveland in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all finale.

Chicago carried an 6-4 lead into the eighth inning, and with the flame-throwing Chapman on the mound, Cubs fans could taste Champagne they had only sampled in dreams. That's when Davis turned on a fastball and lined it over the left-field fence for a home run that would rank among the greatest in baseball history if it hadn't come in a loss.

All these years later, Kipnis' body still reacts when discussing the moment.

“The noise, the looking around, I’m getting chills right now,” Kipnis said, peeking at bumps rising on his forearms before Friday's game. "For the first time I felt like, oh, that’s what pandemonium is. It’s hard to describe the noise and just everybody going crazy and the momentum shift and just what it meant to us right there.

"God, you could run through a wall right then and there.”

But it wasn't meant to be as the Cubs, perhaps aided by a 17-minute rain delay that allowed them to regroup before extra innings, scored two in the 10th and hung on for an 8-7 win.

Chicago's suffering ended on Nov. 2, 2016. Cleveland's endures.

For Corey Kluber, who started three games in the series, looking back isn't fun.

“I feel like it’s easy to reflect on October, November, not so much," said Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner. "I try to avoid thinking about. The further you become removed from it, I don’t want to say that wounds heal, but they become less deep.

"You’re able to look at the bigger picture and realize what we were able to accomplish. Even though ultimately it didn’t go the way we wanted it to at the end, leading up to that was special and you appreciate that.”

Francona's fondness for the '16 team has only grown over the past decade.

“I don’t think you have to win the final game,” he said. “They’re a special group and they always will be. They played the game right. They played hard. They were selfless. They put the team first. All the things you talk about on Day One of spring training, they lived it out and it made it really fun."

While they didn't win a title, to Francona, they finished on top.

“I wish we could have had a parade, but pride won out over disappointment,” he said. “I was so proud of that group.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Ireland's Paddy Donovan took a major step towards a second crack at world honours with victory over Ukraine's Karen Chukhadzhian in a final eliminator for the IBF welterweight title in Mannheim, Germany.

Donovan, who lost to Lewis Crocker in a fight for the vacant title last September, scored two knockdowns on his way to a majority decision verdict - 115-111, 114-112, 113-113.

Crocker makes the first defence of the title against Liam Paro in Brisbane, Australia on 24 June and Donovan is now in line to face the winner.

The Limerick man improves to 15 wins with two defeats - both to Crocker with the first by way of disqualification in May 2025 - and is keen to face the Belfast man for a third time,

"I wanted to put on a tremendous performance for the fans and now [get] back for the trilogy - come on Lewis Crocker," he told DAZN after.

Chukhadzhian was also seeking to return to a world title fight having lost to former champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis in 2024 - his second defeat by the American - but the 30-year-old's record now slips to 26-4.

It was a tentative start, but Donovan's fast hands saw him land a couple of crisp shots out of his southpaw stance with Chukhadzhian seeking to solve the puzzle.

The Ukrainian began to apply more pressure in the second but was open to the counters and a was picked off with a counter left hook at the end of the third that had him on unsteady legs.

Donovan was boxing with patience, seeking to draw the mistake and counter without applying much by way of pressure, but his speed and accuracy was telling with Chukhadzhian unable to get much going of his own.

That speed told in the sixth as Donovan drew the Ukranian in and on the spin, delivered a left hand that dropped Chukhadzhian who did beat the count comfortably, but was beginning to look more frustrated.

Chukhadzhian was given a count in the eighth when countered again, but this time protested he had been pushed over, yet there seemed to be an awareness he was now a long way back on the cards and needed to go for broke.

That he did as he began to apply pressure on the inside, this now a fight on his terms as he rallied well, but had given himself too much to do as Donovan saw it out to claim victory.

McKenna signs with Zuffa Boxing

Monaghan's Stephen McKenna is the latest name added to the Zuffa Boxing roster, signing a long-term promotional contract with the fledgling company.

The 29-year-old middleweight will begin the next chapter of his career at Zuffa Boxing 07 - topped by the cruiserweight clash between former world champion Chris Billam-Smith and Ryan Rozicki - when he takes on USA's Casey James Streeter.

McKenna has been out of the ring since suffering his first career loss in December 2024 when out-pointed by Lee Cutler, seeing his record slip to 15 wins and one defeat - 14 of his wins by stoppage.

He will return in an eight-round bout against 34-year-old Streeter (15-3-2) who is also seeking to get back into the winning column following February's stoppage defeat by Leo Ruiz in Las Vegas.

• Boxing schedule and results 2026
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May 15—PARKSTON, S.D. — Something got into the water at The Pond last summer.

After going 6-6 through their first 12 games, the Parkston Rays reeled off a 14-3 record in the second half of the season en route to winning the 2025 Class B amateur baseball state championship in the club's tournament debut.

This season, those Rays are determined to show they have staying power at the top of the Sunshine League and further establish the club as an emerging power within South Dakota amateur baseball.

"When they first organized the team (in 2023), they all came in hoping to have really good success, and it didn't quite go their way," said player-manager Doug Sudbeck. "All those kids knew that they were better than that, and finally, they kind of put it together last year, and we went on a run.

"Some of those guys stuck around when things weren't going so good, and they're still here to see some good times," he added. "If we can keep that core together, that's what it takes to have a successful team."

Sudbeck credits the Rays' core coming together to form a cohesive team as the biggest reason for increased success in 2025. The Rays went 20-9 last season, a huge turnaround from a 14-36 combined mark over their first two years as a club.

Compared to many of their peers in the Sunshine, the Rays' roster is young, with much of it still well under 30 years old. Plus, last year, the club benefited greatly from an infusion of talent from the Parkston Post 194 American Legion squad.

"I think our talent is just as good as anyone in the state. We have a great bunch of guys who can play a lot of different positions, and our pitching staff is good," Sudbeck said. "Day in, day out, our top 10 or 11 guys are just as good as anyone."

Jake Helleloid, a former Mitchell High School standout who pitched at Northern State, was named state tournament MVP for the Rays. For the season, he posted an 8-0 record over 16 appearances with nine starts, a total of 79 1/3 innings. Along the way, Helleloid had a 1.235 earned-run average, .170 batting average against and 129 strikeouts, leading a Rays pitching staff with a team ERA of 3.31.

At the plate, the Rays owned a team on-base percentage of .382. A balanced lineup produced seven players with at least a dozen runs batted in, led by Dylan Soulek, another former MHS player who went to NSU, who had team-highs in RBIs (25) and home runs (six). Seth Muth, Tanner Dyk and Carter Sommer were the other Rays named to the all-tournament team last August. All of them are back on the roster for 2026.

Though a limited sample size so far this season, Caden Donahue and Ty Neugebauer are among the Rays' leaders, combining for 12 RBIs in three games.

This spring hasn't brought on quite the hot start the Rays were hoping for, as they're 1-2 through three outings. They dropped their opener against Menno, beat the Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks in a rematch of the 2025 championship game and, most recently, got clipped by Platte to start Sunshine League play.

But, according to Sudbeck, the Rays are still coming together this early in the season and getting settled in for the long haul.

"I think we're excited to get together, and it's just a matter of getting things put back into place so that we hopefully get going on the right foot," Sudbeck said. "Having won last year, we're kind of playing with house money, but we definitely don't want to lay an egg either. We want to be competitive all the way through and, hopefully, give it a good run again this year."

But Sudbeck, a longtime veteran of the league, primarily with Dimock/Emery, stressed that there is no straightforward path toward a potential repeat. Even with their strong showing last year, the Rays went 11-5 in Sunshine League action. That tied them in the final standings with Alexandria, who ultimately got the tiebreaker nod for the No. 2 seed in the district tournament.

As such, Sudbeck said the goal in focus for now is simply doing what it takes to make the state tournament field for a second time. Only then can concrete conversations about making another push through the bracket start.

"There's no slouches right now in the Sunshine League, just a lot of tough teams, so there's no guarantee that just because we won last year that we'll even make it back to the state tournament," Sudbeck said. "So every year you have that same goal. You want to get to the state tournament, then we can see how things pan out from there."

Aronimink has provided a far tougher test for players at the PGA Championship than expected.

Some said the winning score could be as low as 20-under, which would threaten the lowest score in major championship history. But instead, four under par leads the field after two days of action.

The combination of wind, long rough, and tricky pin positions meant there were plenty of bogeys out there for players. But not Stephan Jaeger, who finished even par on Friday to keep him one shot off the lead.

And in doing so, he did something that’s only been done twice in the last 40 years at the PGA Championship.

Stephan Jaeger third player in 40 years of PGA Championship to make 18 pars in a round

Jaeger achieved his score of even par without a birdie or a bogey, and in doing so, he became the third player since 1986 to score 18 straight pars in a round at the PGA Championship.

The other two players to do so were Franklin Langham in 2001 at Atlanta Athletic Club and Richard Green in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Jaeger joined them in his second round in 2026.

Jaeger is also the first player to hold at least a share of the first round lead at the PGA and follow it up with a bogey-free round two since Nick Price in 1994. Price went on to win the event.

That’s the good news. The bad news is he didn’t make a birdie either, but you can’t have it all!

Stephan Jaeger says if he’s ever had a round with 18 pars before

It would usually be a frustrating day of golf to not record a single birdie, but not in this case for Jaeger. Aronimink was playing tough, but he held firm near the top of the leaderboard.

After his round, Jaeger said if he’s ever done this before: “I actually don’t know if I’ve ever made 18 pars. I just mentioned I think if you do it at John Deere, I think you’re not going to be too happy because the cut’s 5-, 6-, 7-under.

“But at a major it’s, you know, it’s an even par 70. But I actually I don’t know if I’ve made 18 pars in a round before. I feel like I have, but I don’t know that answer.”

It says a lot about a player’s level of optimism when they shoot 18 pars. On one hand, no birdies, on the other, no bogeys. So, which is Jaeger focusing on?

He said, “Yeah, I think the way I hit it today it could have easily been 3-, 4-under. If I made some putts like I did yesterday. I felt like I actually hit it better today than I did yesterday, which I think is a positive I’m going to take out of it.

“The golf course is not going to get easier on the weekend; it’s going to get firmer, it’s going to be a little hotter. So being able to hit it out of the fairway and give yourself those looks, that’s what I kind of kept telling myself, you know, just give yourself that 15 to 30 foot range where you can make a few.

“If you’re in the right spot you actually can hit a wedge close on the front nine for sure.”

If there’s no rain, which is what the forecast suggests, then expect an even tougher weekend of play around this brutally tough golf course.

Texas Tech’s first game of the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament is on pause after lightning and heavy rain hit Lubbock, Texas on Friday evening.

The first round of the regional between the host Red Raiders and Marist went into a delay in the top of the fourth inning, with Texas Tech leading 9-1.

REQUIRED READING: NCAA Softball Tournament schedule, bracket, score updates

For NCAA Softball Tournament games, a 30-minute delay goes into effect anytime there is lightning in the area. That clock restarts each time there is a lightning strike within a six-mile radius following the initial spotting of lightning. The game between Texas Tech and Marist first went into a delay at 6:43 p.m. ET.

Texas Tech’s offense was cooking before the game was paused. Taylor Pannell connected on an 0-1 pitch that was low in the strike zone and sent it over the left field wall for a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. In addition to striking out four batters in 3 2/3 innings from the circle, pitcher Kaitlyn Terry has scored two runs for the Red Raiders as well.

Texas vs Marist weather updates

Raining kinda hard and got some lightning… not ideal Amiright?!?!

Please let us start playing soon https://t.co/ein7uojLIV

— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) May 15, 2026

Lubbock, Texas weather forecast

Here's an hour-by-hour weather forecast for Lubbock, Texas, courtesy of AccuWeather:

All times Eastern

• 7 p.m.: Thunderstorms (47% chance of rain)
• 8 p.m.: Cloudy (4% chance of rain)
• 9 p.m.: Mostly clear (1% chance of rain)

NCAA lightning delay rules

NCAA rules state that once lightning is detected in the area and the game goes into a lightning delay, it is either delayed or suspended for 30 minutes. The 30-minute clock resets for every lightning strike within a six-mile radius following the initial strike, meaning delays can extend for several hours.

The NCAA uses the "flash-to-bang" method, meaning that if lightning is observed, officials must count the seconds until thunder is heard and divide the number of seconds by five to obtain the approximate distance in miles.

"To resume athletics activities, lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and after the last flash of lightning is at least six miles away, and moving away from the venue," the NCAA states. "If lightning is seen without hearing thunder, lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat.

Click here to read more on the NCAA's lightning and weather delay protocols.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Softball Tournament weather updates: Texas Tech vs Marist delayed

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