It’s a beautiful time to be in content marketing. AI writes your blog posts. It drafts your meta descriptions. It can knock out a month of social captions before your coffee goes cold.

There’s just one problem: it all sounds the same. Yours, theirs, and the competitor you don’t even respect. 

Same tidy sentences, same agreeable rhythm, same faint smell of nobody in particular. You can publish a hundred pages a month and still sound like a brand in witness protection.

I taught an SMX Master Class this spring on scaling content with Claude. The question that kept coming up had nothing to do with keywords or rank tracking: How do we get it to sound like us?

The answer is a Claude brand skill: a structured set of voice, tone, visual, and formatting rules that teach Claude how your brand should sound before it writes a single word.

Here’s how to build one that keeps your AI-assisted content recognizable, consistent, and distinctly yours.

What a Claude brand skill actually does

A Claude brand skill is your brand’s walkout song. When I played professional soccer, mine was “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana because apparently I wanted to enter the field like a Roman army with shin guards.

Ridiculous? Maybe. Memorable? Absolutely.

That’s the job of a brand skill. It tells Claude what energy to bring before any words get written. Not just “friendly” or “bold” or whatever limp adjective survived three rebrands. The real stuff: cadence, bite, restraint, humor, visual taste, and what your brand would rather die than sound like.

Do it right, and your content stops reading like a group project between a junior writer, a freelancer, and a chatbot wearing business casual. It starts sounding like one company.

To show how this works, I’ll use a fictional cold brew brand named Hot Take throughout the examples below.

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Step 1: Raid your own archive

You already have a brand. It’s just scattered everywhere.

Before you write any instructions, go gather all your marketing materials. Get the style guide that you forgot about after the rebrand. Pull the deck that your founder makes every new hire read through. Even dig into those customer support emails that customers reply to, saying thank you for. 

The goal here is to round up as much information you’ve got about the current brand voice and herd it into one place for Claude to read.

Save all of this in one working folder. Keep it boring and obvious. Something like:

• Claude Brand Skill Source Materials

Then, make subfolders:

• 01 Brand docs
• 02 Voice examples
• 03 Visual examples
• 04 Content formats
• 05 Don’t sound like this

For visual guidelines, save screenshots or image files of the brand in the wild. Name the files like a person who wants to find them again:

• homepage-hero-example.png
• instagram-caption-tone-example.png
• bad-example-too-corporate.pdf

Then create one audit document. In that file, make three notes for every asset:

• What to keep: The parts that sound right.
• What to avoid: The parts that feel off-brand
• Why it matters: This is the rule Claude will learn from it.

Here’s an example:

• Asset: Q2 product launch email
• What to keep: Short sentences, direct CTA, playful first line.
• What to avoid: The phrase “seamless experience.” Retire it immediately.
• Why it matters: Launch copy should feel confident and useful, not like a SaaS brochure trapped in an elevator.

While you’re in there, you want to be ruthless.

Claude can read a lot, but your job isn’t to throw a junk drawer at it and hope for brand clarity to crawl out like Ripley’s baby in Aliens 4 wearing a tiny crown.

Once you’ve finished the audit, sort the keepers into four piles:

• Who the brand is.
• How it sounds.
• How it looks.
• How the voice changes

Those piles become your core skill files:

• brand-foundation.md
• voice-and-tone.md
• visual-guidelines.md
• content-formats.md

Hold that thought. This is where the fun starts.

Step 2: Build your foundation so Claude doesn’t have to guess who you are

• Template and example: brand-foundation.md

This is where we build your brand foundation file that keeps all your copy from running into traffic. Call it something basic like brand-foundation.md.

Claude needs to know what kind of brand it is writing for before it starts doing that thing where it gets confident, cheerful, and completely wrong.

Keep this file small. Painfully small. This isn’t the place for every tagline, campaign line, founder quote, abandoned slogan, or sentence that begins with “we empower.” Those belong somewhere else. Possibly a folder. Possibly a bonfire.

The foundation file should include six sections:

• Brand summary.
• Mission.
• Audience.
• Positioning.
• Personality traits.
• What we aren’t.

For the brand summary, write one paragraph. Say what the company does, who it helps, and why I should care.

For Hot Take, the summary would sound more like this:

• “Hot Take makes cold brew for people who want it strong, smooth, and a little less precious. No fake wellness glow. Just good caffeine, good flavor, and a morning that doesn’t require waiting behind a lavender mushroom latte with emotional support foam.”

Then write the mission. One sentence. Maybe two if you must. This is the hill the brand would die on.

Not something like this:

• “To revolutionize the beverage experience through innovative cold brew solutions.”

For Hot Take, I would keep the mission stupidly clear:

“Make cold brew that tastes good, works fast, and doesn’t make the morning more annoying than it already is.”

Next, define the audience. Claude doesn’t need “women 25-44 with disposable income” as much as it needs the emotional context.

More like this:

“Hot Take is for people who want coffee to do its job. They may be heading into work, to school drop-off, for a client call, for a creative sprint, or just to the emotional obstacle course known as opening Slack.

They like good coffee, but they aren’t trying to make it their whole personality. They don’t want weak coffee, wellness cosplay, or fake premium vibes.”

Then add positioning. This is where you tell Claude how the brand should sit in the market.

“Hot Take lives between gas station coffee and the $9 Starbucks.

It’s better than the sad office fridge situation. Less sensitive than the coffee shop, where ordering requires courage. Strong, smooth, unfussy, and just opinionated enough to feel like someone awake wrote the label.”

Now get to the part everyone loves to skip: personality traits. Pick four or five traits with teeth. Not “innovative,” “customer-obsessed,” or “authentic,” unless you enjoy words that have been left in the sun too long.

For each personality trait, write enough that Claude can make an actual judgment call.

Not just “sharp.” That means nothing. A knife is sharp. So is a bad email from finance.

Write the trait like this instead:

Sharp

Hot Take gets to the point. The copy should have a little bite, but it shouldn’t draw blood. Use shorter sentences. Make the claim clearly. Let headlines carry some edge.

• Good: “Strong cold brew. No personality transplant required.”
• Too far: “Your current coffee is embarrassing.”
• Too flat: “Our cold brew offers a smooth and enjoyable taste experience.”

Do the same for every trait.

Playful

The brand can wink at the reader. It can’t put on a foam finger and start yelling internet slang. A joke is welcome when it makes the line more memorable. A joke isn’t welcome when someone is trying to understand pricing, shipping, refunds, or anything involving their money.

• Good: “The 12-pack landed. Your fridge is about to get interesting.”
• Too far: “This cold brew slaps harder than your Monday trauma.”
• Too flat: “Our 12-pack is now available for purchase.”

Honest

Say what the product does and what it doesn’t do. Tell the truth about the product, that’s enough. This isn’t a spiritual awakening.

• Good: “Strong, smooth cold brew for mornings that need backup.”
• Too far: “This will change your life.”
• Too flat: “Our beverage supports your daily routine.”

Warm

The brand should sound like a person you wouldn’t mind hearing from before 9 a.m. Helpful. Relaxed. Easy to understand. This should feel like waking up to Bill Withers singing Lovely Day. No baby talk. No “Hey bestie.”

• Good: “Need help picking a pack? Start with the classic. It plays well with most refrigerators.”
• Too far: “Bestie, your caffeine era is calling.”
• Too flat: “Multiple pack options are available for customers.”

Steady

Confidence without feeling like a fan girl at a T-Swift concert. This is the trait that keeps copy from spiraling. The brand can be excited.

• Good: “New flavor. Same strong cold brew. Available now.”
• Too far: “RUN. DO NOT WALK. YOUR MORNING DEPENDS ON THIS.”
• Too flat: “We are pleased to announce a new product offering.”

The trick is to give Claude contrast. A good line. A line that goes too far. A line that dies of beige. That’s how the model learns the edges of the voice instead of just memorizing adjectives.

Then write what the brand isn’t.

For Hot Take, I’d write it like this:

Hot Take should never sound smug.

• No coffee snob routine. No meme-account-with-a-product energy.
• No fake urgency. No fake scarcity. No fake intimacy.
• And please, for the love of every tired person in aisle seven, don’t say ‘fuel your journey.’

The “not” list is usually more useful than the “is” list. It catches the moment a brand starts drifting from playful into try-hard, from confident into cocky, from polished into beige.

End the file with a little pre-flight check. Just a few lines Claude can run through before it starts flinging adjectives around.

For Hot Take, that might look like:

Before writing, make sure this sounds like Hot Take on a good day.

• Is it useful? Does it feel confident?
• Did it get to the point before the reader aged visibly?
• Is the joke helping, or is it standing there waving?
• Would this sound weird coming from a cold brew brand?

That’s your foundation. Everything else in the skill should connect back to this file. Voice comes from it. Visuals should match it. Content formats should bend around it.

Step 3: Build the voice guide people will want to use

• Template and example: voice-tone.md

This is the file I would obsess over. Voice is the part people remember when the rest of the page gets chopped up in the sad little gap between meetings.

Voice is the brand on a normal day. Tone is the outfit it wears for the room.

Hot Take can be louder in a product launch email. It should be calmer in a refund email. It can be funny in a social caption. It should probably not be doing stand-up in a shipping delay message.

That’s the point of this file. Claude needs to know the difference between the brand’s personality and the mood of the moment. Then give it examples. Lots of them.

A trait like “honest” doesn’t help much on its own. Honest compared to what? A priest? A mechanic? A brutally direct aunt at Thanksgiving?

Give Claude the before, the after, and why the after works.

• Before: Our nitro-infused cold brew delivers a smooth, premium caffeine experience.
• After: It’s cold brew. It’s strong. It won’t taste like a compromise.

Now do the same for playful, where the line gets a little more wink and a little less brochure.

• Before: Hot Take is now available in a 12-pack.
• After: The 12-pack landed. Your fridge is about to get a lot more interesting.

Write five or six of these per trait.

Claude learns a voice the way a new hire does. Your before-and-after pairs are that training ground. The more useful contrast you give Claude, the less it has to guess.

Step 4: Teach Claude what the brand looks like

• Template and example: visual-standards.md

Sadly, my visuals always get treated like they were assembled during a minor hostage situation.

Claude doesn’t need every component state, hover color, and button radius that your product designer has carefully hidden inside Figma. It needs the basics. Things like logos, color palette, fonts, and what not to do.

“Deep blue” means one thing to your designer, another thing to your freelancer, and apparently something very alarming to AI.

Give it the actual codes and the job each color is allowed to do. For instance:

• Black: #111111. Use for headlines, body copy, and anything that needs to be easy to read.
• Orange: #F45D22. Use for CTAs and callouts. We aren’t painting a traffic cone.
• Cream: #FFF8EF. Use for warmer sections or background blocks.

Then add usage rules.

• “Use black and cream as the base. Orange is an accent. Aim for 80% neutral, 15% warm background, 5% accent.”

Do the same with type. Don’t just list the font family and call it a day. Tell Claude how the type should feel and how it should behave.

• Headlines should feel bold, clean, and editorial.
• Body copy should be easy to read.
• Use sentence case for headers.
• Avoid all caps.
• Arial or Helvetica if the primary font is unavailable.

Then get painfully specific about layout. “Generous spacing” sounds nice. It also means nothing. One person’s generous spacing is another person’s abandoned parking lot.

Give Claude something to work with:

• Keep the layout rules plain enough that nobody has to interpret them like cave drawings.
• Paragraphs should stay short. Two to four lines is plenty. After that, the reader starts looking for an exit.
• Each section gets one main CTA. Not three buttons fighting for custody of the click.

For imagery, don’t stop at “natural” or “bright.” That’s mood-board language. Give Claude the taste level.

For Hot Take, the image notes are less “brand guideline” and more “please don’t make this look dead inside.”

• “Use real morning stuff. A can on a kitchen counter. A fridge that looks opened by an actual person. Bad lighting? No. Perfect fake lighting? Also no. Somewhere in the middle, where humans live.”

That’s why this file is useful. Claude can help, but only after you show it the taste level. Otherwise, it defaults to safe, and safe is usually just beige wearing better shoes.

And safe is where brands go to become lobby furniture.

Step 5: Teach Claude how the voice changes by channel

• Template and example: content-format.md

A line that works beautifully in an Instagram caption can eat pavement in an investor update. I have seen it happen (no, I didn’t do it, and yes, it was cringe.)

That’s why the content-formats doc (content-formats.md) is created.

This file tells Claude how the brand behaves when the assignment changes. Blog post. Sales email. Support reply. Board deck. Landing page. Social caption. Each one needs its own little rulebook.

For each format, write down:

• What the piece needs to do.
• How it should be structured.
• Which voice traits should be louder.
• Which traits should stay in the back seat.
• One good example.
• One “absolutely not” example.

For Hot Take, here’s an example of social captions:

Turn up: Playful, Sharp, Warm

Turn down: Steady

Keep it short. Let the first line do the work. One joke is plenty. Don’t stack three jokes like a person trying to prove they are fun at a company offsite.

Good: “New 12-pack just dropped. Your fridge has been emotionally preparing for this.”

Too much: “BESTIES. THE 12-PACK ERA IS HERE AND YOUR FRIDGE IS SCREAMING.”

And here’s an example of customer support messages:

Turn up: Warm, Honest, Steady

Turn down: Playful

Be human. Fix the thing. A tiny bit of personality is fine, but nobody wants a stand-up set when their order went missing.

Here’s an example of good: “Sorry about that. Your order should have arrived by now, so we’re checking on it and will make this right.”

And here’s an example of too much: “Uh-oh, looks like your cold brew took a little vacation.”

The goal here is to keep the brand recognizable without forcing it to use the exact same voice everywhere.

Step 6: Write the SKILL.md and stress-test it

• Template and example: SKILL.md

Four files down. One to go, and it runs the show. This is called SKILL.md.

This is the one Claude checks first. 

Think of it as the little bouncer for the whole skill. It tells Claude what the skill is for, when to use it, which files to read, and what to do before handing you copy that sounds like it was microwaved in a corporate kitchen.

Inside SKILL.md, keep it boring in the places that need to be boring:

• Skill name.
• Description.
• When to use it.
• Files to reference.
• Workflow.
• Checklist.

The description matters more than people think.

Claude uses it to decide when the skill should wake up. So don’t write some vague little fortune cookie like:

• “Use this skill to support brand-aligned communication.”

Nobody is typing that. Nobody has ever said that out loud unless there was a webinar involved.

Write the description with the words you use when prompting:

• “Use this skill when writing or editing Hot Take blog posts, landing page copy, email campaigns, social captions, product copy, presentation copy, creative briefs, image prompts, or marketing content that needs to match the Hot Take brand voice and visual style.”

That’s the SEO part playing hide and seek. Use the words people search for. Or in this case, the words you prompt with.

Then add the workflow:

• First, read brand-foundation.md.
• Then check voice-and-tone.md.
• If the request involves layout, slides, images, or creative direction, read visual-guidelines.md.
• If the request is for a specific format, read content-formats.md.
• Before sending anything back, run the checklist.

After that, test it as if you’re trying to break it.

Give Claude a stiff paragraph and ask for a rewrite. Give it a support reply. A homepage section. A social caption. A slide title. A product description. Something boring. Something delicate. Something where the joke absolutely shouldn’t survive.

If the first few drafts are off, don’t keep adding one more to the prompt. That’s how you end up with a final piece that reads like you tried to duct tape your bumper back on.

Open the skill file and find the problem hiding there.Check the stuff you banned. There’s probably a word in there that your team hates but forgot to write down.

Or, maybe you said the brand can be playful, but forgot to mention that refunds aren’t open mic night. Add the line you liked and hated. Then test again.

You aren’t trying to make the prompt longer. You’re trying to make the skill smarter. That’s the whole game.

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Teach Claude your voice before it makes more beige

The real magic of a Claude brand skill isn’t that it makes AI faster.

Speed is everywhere. Taste isn’t. Your competitors have speed. The intern with a Canva password and a dangerous amount of confidence has speed.

The win is that your content stops multiplying like generic office wallpaper.

A good brand skill turns Claude from a polite autocomplete machine into a trained creative partner. It knows when to be sharp. When to shut up. When to use the joke. When to keep the joke in its little cage. It understands the words you use, the words you avoid, the rhythm of your sentences, the way your visuals should feel, and the kind of copy that should be escorted off the premises immediately.

For SEOs like me, the job is getting weirder. Now I’m thinking about what happens after the page gets scraped, summarized, cited, and wedged into an answer box with six other brands wearing the same khakis.

The goal is for Joe in San Diego to read one sentence and think, “Yep, that sounds like Anna.” Maybe he laughs. Maybe he hates it. Either way, I made it through the blender.

This doesn’t happen by asking Claude to “make it more on brand,” which is the content equivalent of yelling “be hotter” at a toaster.

So don’t treat the skill like a cute AI side quest. Build the thing as if it were part of your content infrastructure.

Give Claude the good examples. Give it the bad ones, too. Show it the phrases your brand owns, the phrases you never want to see again, and the little judgment calls your best editor makes without thinking.

That’s where the value is. Make sure your brand survives the blender: search results, AI answers, comparison pages, Reddit threads, and the human being skimming all of it while half-watching Netflix.

Creative testing has become a volume game in paid social, but producing more ads doesn’t automatically improve performance. When accounts become flooded with minor variations, budgets fragment, learning phases stretch longer, and performance insights become harder to interpret.

The strongest advertisers today are focusing less on creative quantity and more on differentiated concepts. They’re testing concepts built around audience psychology, emotional resonance, messaging angles, and formats that give algorithms stronger signals to optimize against.

What meaningful creative testing actually looks like

One of the biggest misconceptions about creative testing is that every new asset automatically becomes a fresh test in the algorithm’s eyes. That’s not necessarily true.

Uploading a high volume of ad variations doesn’t automatically create meaningful differentiation. If the only difference between five creatives is the color of the overlay text, the platform can still recognize that the core message, intended audience, and visuals are nearly identical.

Platforms like Meta typically won’t find new audience pockets when this happens, so your creatives compete with one another, leading to delivery overlap. One or two ads may even cannibalize your budget, leaving some variations with little to no impressions.

Meaningful creative testing is rooted in psychology, messaging, emotional triggers, and differentiated creative angles that change how people experience the ad and how algorithms interpret it.

Creative testing works best when concepts truly differ. Lean into different hooks, emotional drivers, positioning, motivations, and formats. That’s where you’ll see meaningful performance shifts.

Dig deeper: A testing primer for B2B paid social creative optimization

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The hidden costs of creative volume

If creative volume is prioritized too heavily over creative value, it can create performance inefficiencies, waste resources, and add operational drag to your advertising processes. 

When your account is flooded with high-volume, low-value creatives, analysis becomes more complicated and pulls you away from higher-level strategic thinking.

Fragmented budgets and longer learning phases

Every time a new asset is introduced, the platform needs data to determine who to show it to, how to optimize delivery, and where it’s most likely to drive results. 

When budgets are spread across too many creatives with minor variations, data becomes fragmented, and the algorithm struggles to gather enough conversion signals for each asset to move through the learning phase properly.

Instead of concentrating spend on stronger concepts, your budget becomes diluted across micro-test assets that are unlikely to achieve statistical significance. 

Don’t waste budget accumulating inconclusive data that provides little guidance for future creative variations.

The analysis tax

When an account is flooded with assets that contain only minor variations, advertisers get pulled away from macro-level strategy and trapped in the minutiae of the data.

Save yourself time parsing small differences in performance metrics to determine whether the red overlay text outperformed the blue one. Instead, analyze higher-level creative trends.

Misaligned KPIs

While creative production speed and output matter, they shouldn’t be the primary indicators of success. When volume becomes the primary KPI, teams optimize for asset delivery instead of strategic differentiation. There should be a balance between production efficiency and a deeper strategy.

Produce meaningful ads that create measurable impact for both your account and the business.

How to build higher-value creatives

If flooding the system with creative variations that contain only minor tweaks isn’t producing meaningful results, the next question becomes: How do you build high-value creative that actually scales?

Shift away from chasing trends, viral formats, and trendy audio. Instead, use real audience insights from reviews, customer service tickets, social media comments, survey results, and conversations in online forums like Reddit or Quora. Some of the strongest creative inputs already exist within your business.

Look for recurring themes. Are there recurring frustrations, objections, or emotional language patterns? Use AI to analyze them, save time, and uncover messaging insights that will resonate more deeply with your audience.

Once you identify your audience’s vocabulary and pain points, use those findings to shape your messaging and creative concepts. That’s where the real value lies.

High-value creative also doesn’t need high production quality or large budgets. Raw, low-fi content captured on a phone can perform extremely well. I’ve also found that founder-led ad content often performs best because it feels more native and less like polished advertising.

After all, value comes from the message, not the production quality.

Strategically feed the machine

Emphasizing creative value doesn’t mean abandoning testing volume entirely. It means sequencing your testing intentionally by using a two-phase framework that separates the pursuit of value from volume.

Phase 1: Macro-testing for value

This initial phase focuses on concept discovery. The goal is to test creative hypotheses.

For example, test three different concepts against one another and identify the winner. Use different formats, emotional angles, and creative styles across those concepts.

Phase 2: Micro-testing for volume

Once you have a clear winner from Phase 1, introduce volume.

If a founder-led video ad delivers a significantly lower CAC and a spike in hook rate, that creates an ideal opportunity to lean into volume. Take that winning creative and iterate on its components to maximize efficiency and extend its shelf life.

Test:

• Three different hooks in the first three seconds.
• Two variations of pacing or music.
• Several CTAs at the end.

By structuring your workflow this way, volume serves to optimize a concept that has already proven valuable.

Dig deeper: Why PPC tests in 2026 call for nuance, not winners

The weekly creative audit

Shifting from a volume-first approach to a value-first strategy can help pull your organization out of the content mill trap.

Once you implement this process, review your ad accounts each week with these questions in mind:

• Are we launching three unique ads or the same ad three times? Review your latest batch of creatives and make sure they contain distinct psychological angles, not just visual changes.
• What customer insights drove the last three winning creatives? If you can’t identify the exact objection, review keyword, audience phrase, or use case that inspired a winning ad, you’re scaling on luck and using a strategy that isn’t repeatable.
• Is the data telling us a story? Step back from individual metrics and evaluate creative trends holistically. Are videos outperforming images? Are founder-led ads holding attention longer than UGC? Use your metrics systematically to guide your next creative strategy decisions.

Dig deeper: How to read Meta Ads metrics like a system, not a scoreboard

Slow down the content treadmill

Algorithms are powerful and, in many ways, mirror human behavior. They can’t manufacture interest where it doesn’t exist, nor can they turn weak messaging into profits through repetition.

No amount of creative volume will compensate for a lack of strategic value in your ads. Step back, assess the data, identify which concepts are actually working, and give the algorithm something meaningful to learn from to help drive business growth.

Two and a half years ago, I wrote an article for Search Engine Land about how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) was the future of search. That piece argued that RAG was not Google’s reactive answer to ChatGPT. It was the architecture they had been building since the REALM paper in August 2020. SGE (now AI Overviews) was the production manifestation. Everything that has happened since has confirmed it.

The single-shot RAG pipeline I described in that article, query → retriever → top-k chunks → LLM → answer with citations, is already the past. Every major AI search platform has moved on. Google AI Mode, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity Pro Search, Claude with Computer Use, Gemini Deep Research, even the Microsoft Copilot Researcher and Analyst agents, they all run a different architecture now. They plan. They route between tools. They retrieve, read, then retrieve again. They grade their own first drafts and decide whether to go back for more. The retrieve-once-then-generate pattern that defined the first wave is obsolete.

This is agentic RAG, and it is now the default.

If your GEO program is still optimized for single-shot retrieval, you are optimizing for a system that no longer exists. Worse: in agentic RAG, you cannot see the gatekeepers rejecting you. You only see whether you ended up in the final answer. The traditional reverse-engineering playbook (rank checking, citation counting, even prompt-by-prompt sampling) only sees the last stage of a multi-stage pipeline. Everything that happens upstream is a black box.

By the time you get to the bottom of this page you will have a working mental model of agentic RAG, the patent evidence that Google has productized this architecture, what each major platform is actually doing, the six concrete shifts it forces in content engineering, and a reproducible audit you can run against your own brand this week. You will also have the strongest opinion I have published all year: the only honest way forward is model distillation.

What the Search Engine Land article got right and what’s changed

The October 2023 thesis still holds. Passage-level retrieval is the unit of relevance. Knowledge graphs are symbiotic with LLMs, not a checkbox you tick once and forget. Static IR scores are obsolete. The job of a search system is to lower Delphic costs, the cost a user pays to get to an answer, and Google’s organizing principle has always been that traffic is a necessary evil, not a goal. That part of the argument needs no revision.

What has changed is the shape of the retrieval pipeline.

In 2023, RAG was a linear assembly line. A query came in, an embedding model encoded it, a vector index returned the top-k passages, those passages were stuffed into the LLM’s context window, and the model generated an answer. Citation tracking was straightforward because the citation set was the retrieval set. If your content was in the top-k, you had a chance. If it wasn’t, you didn’t. This is the framework I described in that piece, and it was accurate at the time.

But things have changed. 

The pipelines now have four properties that the linear architecture lacks: planning, tool use, multi-hop iteration, and reflection. The implication is that retrieval is not a single event anymore. A single user query triggers somewhere between five and twenty internal sub-retrievals. The agent orchestrates them, evaluates the intermediate results, and only synthesizes a final answer once it has decided the evidence base is sufficient.

This is the upgrade my piece foreshadowed but did not name. 

Why naive RAG broke

Retrieval quality determines output quality and naive RAG has four failure modes that yielded lower quality results. 

1. Classic, single-pass RAG cannot serve compound questions – A prompt like {How does a 1031 exchange interact with a SEP IRA for an LLC owner under 50?} needs five retrievals, not one. A single embedding query against a vector index will land on documents about 1031 exchanges or SEP IRAs, and the synthesis will be incoherent because the model is forced to bridge two retrievals it never made.
2. Classic RAG can’t recover from a bad first pull – If the initial retrieval misses the canonical source because the embedding distance was off, or because the chunk boundaries split the relevant passage in half, or because a more aggressive piece of competing content scored higher on a query the user did not literally ask then the model has nothing to lean on except its parametric knowledge. That’s when hallucinations cascade.
3. Classic RAG didn’t route between retrieval tools – Vector search is the right answer for some sub-questions and exactly wrong for others. “What is today’s mortgage rate?” needs a structured-data API call, not a passage search. “What does the IRS say about Section 179?” needs an authoritative-source filter, not similarity. “Calculate the depreciation schedule on a $50,000 vehicle placed in service in March” needs a code interpreter or a calculator tool. A single retriever cannot make those choices.
4. Classic RAG can’t grade its own work – Once the answer is generated, naive RAG ships it. There is no critic. No second pass. No “wait, this contradicts the source I cited two paragraphs up.” If the model gets it wrong, the user sees the wrong answer.

These four failure modes are why every serious deployment moved to a different architecture. Each one has a corresponding fix, and the fixes together are agentic RAG.

What ‘agentic’ means in agentic RAG

The word “agentic” gets used loosely. Let’s nail it down structurally. There are four properties that turn RAG into agentic RAG, and a system needs all four to deserve the label.

1. Planning

Before any retrieval happens, the system decomposes the user query into a research plan. Sub-queries get generated, tools get pre-selected, retrieval order gets determined. In the AI Mode piece I called this “a latent multi-query event” when discussing query fan out.

Agentic RAG goes a step further: the system does not just fan out, it plans the fan-out. The foundational paper is ReAct (Yao et al., 2022), which framed the move directly: “we explore the use of LLMs to generate both reasoning traces and task-specific actions in an interleaved manner, allowing for greater synergy between the two: reasoning traces help the model induce, track, and update action plans… while actions allow it to interface with external sources, such as knowledge bases or environments.”

That interleaving is the planner. The production version is in every frontier model now, plus the planner-executor patterns that LangGraph and LlamaIndex have made standard.

2. Tool use, also called function calling. 

Retrieval is one tool among many. The agent can choose to query a vector index, hit a BM25 index, hit a structured-data API, run code, browse a live web page, call an MCP server, or call another agent. Each tool has a schema, and the agent picks the right one for the right sub-query.

Toolformer (Schick et al., 2023) made the case bluntly: “language models can teach themselves to use external tools via simple APIs and achieve the best of both worlds… a model trained to decide which APIs to call, when to call them, what arguments to pass, and how to best incorporate the results into future token prediction.” That sentence is the spec for every router we’ll discuss later.

3. Iteration, sometimes called multi-hop retrieval

The agent retrieves, reads what came back, and then retrieves again based on what it learned. Bridge entities or the entities the first retrieval surfaced that the second retrieval needs to investigate, become first-class behavior, not edge cases.
IRCoT (Trivedi et al., 2022) defined the loop as “interleaving retrieval with steps (sentences) in a chain of thought, guiding the retrieval with CoT and in turn using retrieved results to improve CoT.” The same paper reported retrieval improvements of up to 21 points on multi-hop QA datasets when the loop was applied.

4. Reflection, also called self-critique

After drafting an answer, the agent grades it. Sufficiency, contradiction, freshness, source diversity. If the critic flags a problem, the agent goes back and retrieves more.

Self-RAG (Asai et al., 2023) is the most-cited paper in this lineage and the cleanest articulation: “a new framework called Self-Reflective Retrieval-Augmented Generation that enhances a language model’s quality and factuality through retrieval and self-reflection… the framework trains a single arbitrary LM that adaptively retrieves passages on-demand, and generates and reflects on retrieved passages and its own generations using reflection tokens.”

CRAG, Reflexion, and Self-Refine extend the same pattern in different directions, but the core mechanism is right there.

Anthropic’s December 2024 essay “Building effective agents” defines the same four properties under cleaner terminology, and one of its lines belongs in every GEO deck this year: “Agents are systems where LLMs dynamically direct their own processes and tool usage, maintaining control over how they accomplish tasks.” With so much confusion around what an agent is or what agentic means, let’s use that as the working definition. Ultimately, the terminology varies by vendor; the four properties do not.

A picture is worth more than the definition list above. Imagine the classic RAG architecture as a single arrow pointing right: query enters one end, answer comes out the other. Now imagine agentic RAG as a loop with five labeled stops — planner, router, retrieval tools, critic, synthesizer — and bidirectional arrows that allow the agent to revisit any stop until the critic signs off. That loop is what your content has to survive.

The agentic RAG reference architecture

Let’s walk through the canonical components, because you cannot reverse-engineer a system you cannot draw.

• Planner / orchestrator – Reads the user query, generates a research plan. Same LLM as the rest of the system, run with a planner-specific prompt. Outputs a list of sub-queries and a tool assignment for each.
• Router – Decides which retrieval tool fits each sub-query. Vector search? Lexical? A hybrid retriever? A live web fetch? A SQL query against a structured database? A function call into a calculator? An MCP server exposing a domain-specific API? An agent-to-agent call? The router is the most underrated component in the entire stack because it determines whether your content even gets a chance to be retrieved. If your domain has a tool surface and you do not expose one, the router skips you.
• Retrieval tools – Each tool is its own subsystem. Vector retrievers run cosine similarity over dense embeddings. Lexical retrievers run BM25 or rank-modified TF-IDF. Structured tools call APIs and return rows. Code interpreters execute scripts. Web browsers fetch live URLs. The agent treats them all uniformly: input goes in, evidence comes out.
• Memory – There are typically two layers of memory. Short-term scratchpad for the current research thread. This includes things like what sub-queries have run, what evidence has come back, what the critic has flagged. Then there’s long-term memory for user
• Critic / reflection module – Judges sufficiency and quality of the draft answer. This is sometimes a separate model, but often the same model with a critic-specific prompt. The Reflection module decides whether to ship or to re-query. The critic is the gatekeeper that nobody talks about, and it is the gatekeeper that drops the most content from final answers

• Synthesize – Composes the final answer with inline citations, often after a final pairwise re-rank against the surviving candidates. 

A clarification before we move on. Most production systems are not literal multi-agent constellations. They are a single LLM running tight loops with different prompts at each stage, plus tool calling. Do not conflate “agentic” with “multi-agent.”

Multi-agent setups exist. Anthropic’s research stack uses them, and so does Microsoft’s Researcher / Analyst pair, but the dominant production pattern is single-LLM, multi-prompt, multi-tool. When the marketing team tells you their AI is “multi-agent,” nine times out of ten what they mean is “we have a planner prompt and a critic prompt.”

Patent evidence: How Google is actually doing agentic RAG

Google has been quietly building toward this architecture for years, and the patent record maps almost cleanly onto the four-property definition from §3. Five Google LLC patents do the heavy lifting. Read them in this order and you can watch the agentic loop assemble in IP filings, one component at a time.

• Planning — query decomposition and fan-out. US11663201B2 — Generating Query Variants Using a Trained Generative Model was filed in April 2018 and issued in May 2023. It describes systems that use a trained generative model to produce query variants at runtime from a single submitted query. The patent enumerates eight variant types — equivalent, follow-up, generalization, canonicalization, language-translation, entailment, specification, and clarification queries — and explicitly handles “tail” queries with low submission frequency. This is the planner. When AI Mode receives one query and decomposes it into five-to-twenty sub-queries, the mechanic the patent describes is what is running. The companion filing, WO2024064249A1 — Systems and Methods for Prompt-Based Query Generation for Diverse Retrieval, is the Google Research version of the same idea. “Promptagator” which uses few-shot LLM prompting to generate synthetic queries for training dual-encoder retrievers across diverse domains. Plan-then-fan-out, productized.
• Tool use — routing among retrieval sources. US20240362093A1 — Query Response Using a Custom Corpus, assigned to Google LLC and published October 31, 2024, is the cleanest router patent in the stack. The system has the LLM process a user query and generate API calls to external applications, each of which has access to a respective custom corpus. The external applications return documents, which the LLM uses as context for generation. Tool selection. API calls. Multiple corpora. The behavior every frontier vendor now ships under the label “function calling” was filed by Google in this patent.
• Memory — stateful, multi-turn orchestration. US20240289407A1 — Search with Stateful Chat, assigned to Google LLC in March 2024, describes augmenting traditional search with a “generative companion” that maintains and updates user context across multiple chat turns. The patent explicitly handles synthetic query generation tailored to that ongoing state. This is the long-term memory layer of the architecture in §4 — the same layer that ChatGPT calls Memory and Gemini calls Saved Info. Google patented the mechanic before any of them shipped a UI for it.
• Reflection — pairwise ranking inside the loop. US20250124067A1 — Method for Text Ranking with Pairwise Ranking Prompting, assigned to Google LLC in October 2024, is the patent I covered in How AI Mode Works. The system ranks passages by having an LLM perform pairwise comparisons — “of these two passages, which is better for this query?” — and aggregates the comparisons into a final ranked list. This is relative, model-mediated, probabilistic ranking, and it is the inner loop that runs inside the agent’s reflection and synthesis stages. Your content is not competing in isolation. It is being compared head-to-head against every other surviving candidate, by an LLM that reads both passages and picks a winner.

• Synthesis — generative answers grounded in retrieved evidence. US11769017B1 — Generative Summaries for Search Results was filed in March 2023 and issued by September of the same year. The patent describes generating natural-language summaries of search results using LLMs, with explicit provisions for processing additional content to mitigate inaccuracies and improve summary quality. Industry analysts have correctly identified this as the patent foundation underneath SGE and the AI Overviews product. The “process additional content to mitigate inaccuracies” language is reflection in early form — the synthesizer is checking its own work before shipping the answer.

Five patents. One planner mechanic. One router mechanic. One memory mechanic. One reflection mechanic. One synthesis mechanic. Lay them on top of the four-property definition and it’s clear that Google has filed IP on every component of the agentic loop. The agentic stack is not a startup-vendor framing borrowed from the open-source agent ecosystem. It is a production architecture that Google has been building toward in its patent filings since 2018.

The other major platforms do not have the same patent footprint, but they have the same architecture. Patents are evidence, not boundaries. The fact that Google has chosen to file IP on these specific subsystems tells you which subsystems they consider strategic and which subsystems your content has to win at if you want to be cited in AI Mode.

How each major platform actually uses agentic RAG

Different platforms emphasize different pieces of the loop. The platform-by-platform read matters because the same content can win in one system and lose in another based on which gatekeeper does the heaviest lifting.

• Google AI Mode – The most aggressive agentic implementation in production. Planner-driven fan-out. Multi-pass retrieval into Search. Pairwise re-ranking per US20250124067A1. A reflection module that drops sources that fail the critic. The visible “expansion” UI shows you a fraction of the sub-queries, but the actual fan-out is wider. This is the platform where breadth and pairwise survivability matter most. 
• Google AI Overviews – A lighter agentic pattern. Shorter loops. Less iteration than AI Mode. AIO is closer to classic fan-out than full agentic RAG, but the trajectory is clear, every AIO update adds more reflection and more router intelligence.
• ChatGPT Search and Deep Research – Deep Research is the cleanest user-facing demonstration of the pattern. It literally exposes its planning, sub-queries, and reflection in the visible UI. You watch the agent decompose your question, route to tools, and grade its own progress. Standard ChatGPT Search runs a smaller version of the same pipeline without the visible plan. If you want to study agentic RAG empirically, run ten queries through Deep Research and read the trace.
• Perplexity Pro Search and Deep Research – Agentic from the start. Multi-step retrieval, source diversification by design, draft critique. Perplexity tends to be the most generous about source attribution, which makes it the best canary for whether your content is making it into intermediate retrievals.
• Claude with Computer Use, Projects, and Skills – Tool use as a first-class primitive. Claude features long-running multi-step tasks where retrieval is interleaved with action. The system can read a page, decide to fetch a different page, decide to run code, decide to query an API, all inside the same task. Claude is overrepresented in enterprise deployments where the action layer matters as much as the retrieval layer.
• Gemini Deep Research – Explicit research-plan-then-execute loop. Multi-source aggregation. Draft critique. The visible plan in Gemini Deep Research is a useful diagnostic. If your content does not show up in any of the planned sub-queries, you are not just losing the citation, you are losing the consideration set.
• Grok DeepSearch – An emerging real-time agentic pattern leaning on X data. The retrieval surface is fundamentally different in that it uses fresh social signals over a structured public corpus, but the loop architecture is the same.
• Microsoft Copilot Researcher and Analyst agents – Enterprise agentic RAG over SharePoint, Microsoft Graph, and the open web. The Researcher and Analyst pair is closer to a true multi-agent setup than the others on this list. Two specialized agents, each with their own tool stack, coordinating on a single research goal.

Here is the comparison across the eight major platforms. Iteration depth is rated on a five-point scale from minimal (single-pass with light reranking) to deep (10+ sub-queries with multiple critic loops). Visibility ratings reflect what is exposed in the user-facing UI as of mid-2026.

The honest summary: every major AI search system is now agentic. The differences are about which gatekeepers they expose and which ones they hide. None of them expose all five. The Deep Research surfaces — across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity Pro — are the most useful diagnostics you have for studying agentic-RAG behavior in production, because they show the planner and partial reflection in the UI. The non-Deep surfaces are what most users actually run, and those hide nearly everything.

What this changes for Relevance Engineering

You know I’m not going to leave you without anything actionable. Here are the six concrete shifts that follow from everything above.

1. You have to win across many sub-retrievals, not one. A single “good ranking” page is no longer enough. Agentic systems decompose your topic into five to twenty sub-queries and retrieve against each one independently. Coverage breadth and topical depth are not nice-to-haves anymore, they are structural requirements. Pages that exist as standalone pillars without depth in the surrounding subtopic graph get cited once, maybe, and then dropped from the consideration set on the next sub-query. Pages that anchor a dense, well-linked topical neighborhood get cited five times in the same answer.
2. Atomic, scoped passages beat monolithic articles and now they have to win pairwise. Each agent sub-query retrieves chunks, not pages. Then those chunks get pairwise-ranked against competing chunks from competing sources, by an LLM that reads both. The line I used in the AI Mode piece holds: your passages have to survive pairwise scrutiny. That means you need self-contained logic, named entities up front, explicit scope conditions (“for businesses with under 500 employees”). You also need evidence density, tables, and lists that an LLM can quote without ambiguity. Anything that requires a human to scroll up two paragraphs for context will lose pairwise to a passage that does not.
3. Bridge entities determine multi-hop inclusion. When the agent’s first retrieval lands on Entity A, the second retrieval is about A’s relationships. If your content is the canonical bridge between A and B, you get cited in answers where the user never typed your brand. This is the most underexploited GEO surface in the industry today. I’ll talk more about it in another article.

4. Reflection cycles reward source diversity and contradiction-handling. When the critic grades the draft, it looks for corroboration and contradiction. Content that explicitly addresses counterarguments, edge cases, and “when this doesn’t apply” survives reflection passes that strip out one-sided sources. Salesy content with no acknowledgment of failure modes is a tell to the critic that the source is biased, and biased sources get filtered.
5. Tool-callable content is a new content type. Calculators. Structured-data endpoints. APIs. Comparison engines. When a tool exists, the router calls the tool instead of citing prose. If you are in a domain where a tool is more useful than an article like mortgage rates, drug interactions, tax brackets, product specs, ETF performance, fund characteristics, you should build the tool and expose it through an MCP server, an API, and structured data. The brands that ignore this and keep writing 2,500-word “ultimate guide” articles will be replaced in the answer by a function call.

6. Freshness is a reflection-stage gate. The critic checks freshness explicitly. dateModified in your schema. Version numbers in body copy. Explicit “as of [date]” framing in the prose. None of this is cosmetic. All of it directly affects whether your content survives the reflection pass when the agent is grading source quality. Stale content gets dropped at the critic, even if it won the pairwise re-rank, because the critic decides it cannot trust it.

The unifying point under all six: classic SEO content engineering optimized for one moment of judgment — the SERP. Agentic RAG content engineering has to win at five different moments for every subquery in the fan-out: planner, router, retrieval, pairwise, critic. That is roughly an order of magnitude more surface area, and the brands that build for it will see citation gravity that compounds.

The opacity problem — and why distillation is the smart way forward

Here is the part nobody else is willing to write yet, because saying it out loud has uncomfortable implications for the entire GEO measurement category.

In single-shot RAG, you could at least observe inputs and outputs. Your page either showed up in the retrieval set or it didn’t. You could reverse-engineer the retriever by sampling enough queries. You could correlate content changes with citation changes. The system was a black box, but it was a black box with measurable inputs and measurable outputs.

In agentic RAG, every gatekeeper between the user query and the final answer is opaque.

You don’t know which sub-queries the planner generated. You don’t know which tool the router picked for each sub-query. You don’t know which corpus was searched, which passages were returned, or which competitor passages your content lost to in the pairwise re-rank. You don’t know what the critic flagged. You don’t know which sources the critic dropped before synthesis. You only know whether you ended up in the final answer.

The implication is uncomfortable. Traditional reverse-engineering — “rank checking,” “citation tracking,” even prompt-by-prompt sampling at scale only sees the final stage. Every citation tracker watches what shows up in the published answer. They are all measuring the survivors of a five-stage filter without observing the filter. You are optimizing against a black box behind a black box behind a black box.

The honest path forward is model distillation.

Distillation, in plain English: training a smaller, observable model to imitate the behavior of a larger, opaque one. You cannot see inside Google’s planner, but you can stand up your own planner-router-critic stack on inputs and observed outputs, calibrate it against the citations you actually see in production, and use that as the diagnostic harness. When your local agent’s planner generates ten sub-queries that closely match the visible Deep Research plan for the same prompt, you have a calibrated proxy for the upstream gatekeepers in production systems. The proxy is not the production system, but it is observable, and observable beats invisible.

What this looks like in practice for a GEO program:

Stand up a local reference agent on Google Gemma 4 — the 31B Dense variant for the planner and critic loops where reasoning fidelity matters, or the 26B A4B MoE variant when latency and cost dominate. Pair it with LangGraph or LlamaIndex for the agent framework, a hosted embedding model, and a small custom index over the open web for your topic. There is a thematic point worth making out loud here: Google ships the open-weights model that powers the local distillation harness used to reverse-engineer Google’s own production stack. That is not a coincidence. That is a category opening up that the smart agencies and software companies will own.

Feed the harness the prompts you care about ranking for. Observe its planner output. Log every sub-query the router generates. Capture the retrieval candidates at each stage. Score the pairwise comparisons. Read the critic’s notes. Where your local agent’s behavior matches the production system’s visible behavior like the Deep Research plan, the Perplexity sub-question list, the AI Mode expansion then you have a calibrated harness. Where it diverges, you have a calibration target. When your content fails to make it past the router or the critic in your distilled local agent, that is a strong signal it is failing in production.

This is preferable to the current dominant playbook of “spam more prompts at ChatGPT and count citations” for one reason: distillation gives you a causal story for why content fails at each stage. Citation counting only gives you a correlational story for what survived. When a client asks “why are we losing to Competitor X in AI Mode,” the answer “your passages keep losing pairwise comparisons in the calculator-ratio sub-query” is defensible. The answer “our citation count went down 12 percent this month” is not.

The candid caveat: distillation is not free. It requires engineering investment, an evaluation harness, and continuous calibration against production-system behavior. The agencies and in-house GEO teams that build this capability now will have a measurement moat that compounds. The ones that wait will be running the same dashboard their competitors are running and wondering why their reports cannot answer the questions executives are asking.

You cannot optimize what you cannot observe. Reverse-engineering the production black box is a dead end. Distilling your own version of it is the only path to durable GEO performance.

What this changes for measurement

The measurement category is going to fragment, and the brands that pick the right side of the fragmentation will have a significant advantage for the next two years.

Citation counts under-report your real footprint by a factor of three to ten in agentic systems. If you appear in four of twelve sub-retrievals but get cited once in the final answer, classic citation tracking misses 75 percent of your actual impact. Worse, it misses the why. You can have a citation rate that looks healthy and a sub-query coverage rate that is collapsing, and a year from now the collapse shows up in citations and you have no warning.

The new metric layer needs:

• Sub-query coverage — what percentage of the agent’s planned fan-out includes at least one of your sources.
• Retrieval-to-citation ratio — for sub-queries where your content is in the retrieval set, how often does it survive to citation.
• Reflection survival rate — for content that makes the synthesis pool, how often does the critic drop it.
• Bridge-entity centrality — whether your content is positioned as the canonical link between key entities in your topical graph.
• Tool-call inclusion — whether the router is calling your endpoints when a tool fits the sub-query.
• Distillation stage-failure rate — from the local agent, where in the loop your content most often gets dropped.

Existing tools watch the survivors of a five-stage filter. The next generation of GEO measurement infrastructure will sit underneath them and watch the filter itself, partly through the visible UI of Deep Research and AI Mode, and partly through a distilled local agent that fills in everything the production systems hide.

A reproducible test you can run this week

You know I always want to leave you with something actionable. So, I’ve got two things you can do to make improvements on your AI Search performance. The first requires no engineering. The second is engineering-light, single-engineer effort.

Part A — The Observable Agentic RAG Audit.

The first one is a workbook for you to collect data and see how you are being interpreted by agentic RAG systems. Here are the steps:

1. Pick five high-value queries. Pick the ones where citation actually moves your business. The queries your sales team wishes you ranked for, the queries that drive demos, the queries that show up in customer support tickets. I understand that these are difficult to measure, so use your traditional search queries as a proxy if you need to.
2. Run each query through ChatGPT Deep Research, Gemini Deep Research, and Perplexity Pro with research mode enabled.
3. Capture the visible research plan for each. Deep Research and Perplexity show this directly; AI Mode partially exposes it through the expansion view.
4. Log every sub-query the agent issues. Save them in a spreadsheet, one row per sub-query, three columns for the three platforms.
5. For each sub-query, run it as a standalone search and check whether your content appears in the top retrieval set. If yes, mark hit. If no, mark miss.
6. Compare your sub-query coverage to your final-citation rate on the original five queries. The gap is your reflection-loss problem or the places where your content makes it into retrieval and then loses pairwise or fails the critic.
7. For every sub-query you miss entirely, classify why: no content on the topic, content too broad, poor chunking, missing schema, missing tool surface, freshness gap. The classification is the input to your content roadmap for the next quarter.

This will give you a sense of where you’re falling out of the pipeline and what improvements you need to make to your content.

Part B — The Distillation Audit.

This approach is more technical. Part A told you what the production agents publicly admitted. Part B tells you what they didn’t. The planner sub-queries you couldn’t read, the reranker verdicts you couldn’t see, the specific stage where your content fell out.

I built the harness so you wouldn’t have to: https://github.com/iPullRank-dev/agentic-rag-audit. It’s a local, observable version of the agentic-RAG loop the production systems run with the same five-node shape (planner, router, retriever, synthesizer with pairwise reranker, critic with reflection) on Google Gemma 4 via Ollama, with SerpAPI seeds, Scrapling fetching, Trafilatura extraction, and an opt-in LangExtract chunker. Strictly speaking it’s structural distillation, not model distillation. The point is diagnostic — observable end-to-end.

1. Install. Python 3.10+, Ollama running on a workstation GPU (8GB+ VRAM is fine), a SerpAPI key, your brand domain.

Set OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=8192 in your system environment variables and restart Ollama — the 2048 default silently truncates prompts. Verify with ollama ps that the model lands at 100% GPU.

2. Run the same five queries from Part A. One at a time:

It’ll take roughly 90–120 seconds per query. You get eight diagnostic sections in your terminal — plan & routing, retrieval funnel, pairwise verdicts, brand journey, critic verdict, pipeline timing, final answer, citations — plus a trace JSON and a log file.

Here’s an example terminal output:

3. Read the brand journey. This is the section you came for. For each of your URLs that was surfaced, it shows which sub-queries found it, what the chunker actually extracted, whether it made the reranker pool, the head-to-head verdicts that named it, and whether it ended up cited. When your content falls out, you see your URL’s actual opening passage side-by-side with the URLs that did make the pool with targeted recommendations based on the observable diff (opening sentence, query-term overlap, passage density).
4. Roll up the metrics across the query set. After running all five Part A queries:

You’ll get six metrics: sub-query coverage, retrieval-to-citation ratio, reflection survival rate, tool-call inclusion, and stage-failure rate by stage. Here’s an example:

The stage-failure rate is what drives the content roadmap. Failing at retrieval is one kind of work — traditional SEO for the specific sub-queries the planner is generating. Failing at the reranker is another — passage-level content density and directness. Failing at synthesis selection is a third — unique-signal coverage. Each demands different work.

5. Calibrate against Part A. Capture each production Deep Research plan as YAML (template at examples/production-template.yaml) and diff:

Where the two converge, you have a calibrated harness. Where they diverge sharply, your planner prompt or your seed-page provider needs work. Re-calibrate quarterly or after any major prompt change.

Note: The local agent isn’t the production system. Gemma 4 E2B is the smallest variant; reranker quality and critic decisions improve materially with E4B (one-line model swap in .env). The retriever depends on SerpAPI, so brand visibility upstream is still a hard prerequisite. Pairwise verdicts on small models are directional, not authoritative. You should read the actual reasoning in section 3 of each run to judge confidence.

What this gives you that Part A can’t: the specific stage where your content falls out, your URL’s actual extracted passage compared to the winners, the reranker’s stated reasoning when you lost a head-to-head, and the specific sub-queries your topic neighborhood doesn’t yet cover. That’s the diagnostic baseline you turn into a content roadmap.

Finally, as with any open source code I share, we likely have an internal version that is more robust. You should look at this as a starting point, build your own solutions on top, and share them back with the community.

Get the audit pack and let’s talk

Classic SEO playbooks are obsolete. Single-shot RAG playbooks are obsolete. The brands that win in 2026 and beyond will run agentic-RAG-aware content engineering on top of distilled measurement infrastructure, and they will lock in citation gravity that compounds for years. The brands that don’t will spend the next two years arguing about why it’s just SEO and watching their citation count keeps going down.

Download the Part A Audit Sheet and, if you’re more technical clone (and contribute to) the Part B distillation starter repo. And if you have not already, check out the AI Search Manual for the longer-form reference for much of what we’ve discussed in this article.

The retrieval-once playbook is over. The agentic loop is the new default. It’s time to build and analyze for it if we want to be serious about driving results.

This article was originally published on the iPullRank blog and is republished with permission.

B2B PPC advertisers have more options than ever for measuring success. In the past, you had to rely on form-fill data alone. Now, you can feed a wealth of offline conversion data into Google Ads and Microsoft Ads.

It’s tempting to measure every possible metric, but optimizing toward all of them isn’t a good idea. If you’re optimizing toward everything, you’ll probably end up succeeding at nothing.

So how do you know whether you’ve actually driven incremental value, and what are the right success metrics for B2B PPC campaigns? The metrics that matter might not be the ones you’re focused on.

The advertising metrics that matter

I’ve seen advertisers set up offline conversions and get excited because their total conversions increased. Then frustration sets in because they don’t see corresponding increases in their bottom line.

Usually, those conversion increases happen because the advertiser added more conversion actions and set them all to primary. Before making changes, they were only tracking form fills. Afterward, they were tracking form fills, leads, marketing qualified leads (MQLs), sales qualified leads (SQLs), and opportunities.

Instead of one conversion action, they now have four. But the same person could complete all four, meaning leads are being quadruple-counted. A similar issue can happen with platform-reported return on ad spend (ROAS). If you’ve attached conversion values to each action — which you absolutely should do — you’ll also see ROAS increase. Both are false signals created by faulty math.

Focusing only on average cost per action (CPA) can also be misleading. Average CPA can mask your marginal CPA — the cost of acquiring one additional conversion as marketing spend increases. You might be overspending on incremental conversions as you scale your account.

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Set up conversion values correctly

Setting up conversion values is a must for offline conversions. A lot of B2B advertisers get hung up on this step. They say, “We don’t know the value of the conversion at the time it happens. We won’t know that until it works its way through the system.”

While using actual conversion values is ideal, don’t worry if you can’t. Just assign relative values to each conversion action. Here’s a simple example:

In this case, the advertiser is measuring four conversion actions: video views, ungated asset downloads, form fills, and MQLs. MQLs come from offline conversions. The rest are measured through Google Tag conversions.

Each conversion is worth 10x the previous action. Ungated asset downloads are worth 10x a video view, and so on. MQLs are worth 1,000x a video view. The advertiser would rather get one MQL than 999 video views.

If you set arbitrary values, make sure to validate them against real data to ensure they’re directing bidding algorithms accurately. Setting values that are too high for lower-funnel actions can cause the algorithm to favor those easier-to-generate actions while deprioritizing lower-funnel actions.

This happened to us recently with a client who was getting a lot of leads, but very few MQLs and SQLs. We reduced the value of leads by a factor of 10, which made MQLs and SQLs look more valuable to the algorithm and increased MQLs and SQLs relative to leads.

Within two weeks, MQL and SQL volume increased significantly, while leads stayed flat. That might not sound like a good thing, but it was. The client was getting higher-quality leads for the same cost.

By using the right conversion values, even relative ones, you can measure incremental conversion value more effectively.

Dig deeper: Why incrementality is the only metric that proves marketing’s real impact

Get more specific with campaign-specific goals

If you want Smart Bidding to focus on down-funnel actions, you can use campaign-specific goals. You can assign conversion actions at the campaign level, so Smart Bidding only optimizes toward those actions.

You can find the feature in campaign settings in both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads.

Here’s what that looks like in Google:

And here’s what it looks like for Microsoft:

Let’s say you have a campaign that’s driving a lot of leads, but few MQLs and SQLs. You could use campaign-specific goals to optimize only for MQLs and SQLs and ignore leads, even though leads are a primary conversion in the account.

Note: If lower-funnel actions have low volume, this technique may not work. Automation still needs a clear enough signal to optimize toward. So if you only have one or two MQLs in a month, the automation might struggle.

Dig deeper: Why Google Ads, GA4 and CRM numbers never match

The success metrics for measuring incremental conversions

Looking at simple CPA and ROAS metrics isn’t enough to measure success. You also need to look at each conversion action and measure incremental conversions. A basic way to measure incremental conversions is to establish your baseline first and then measure the CPA and ROAS of conversions at a higher spend level.

For example, let’s say you’re currently spending $5,000 per week and getting an average of 50 conversions, so your CPA is $100.

Now let’s say you increase your weekly spend to $7,500 and end up getting 70 conversions, for an average CPA of $107 — not much higher than the previous CPA of $100.

Your marginal spend is $2,500, marginal conversions are 20, and marginal CPA is $125 — 25% higher than the original CPA.

The difference in CPA may or may not be acceptable for your goals. It might make sense to invest more to increase sales. But you need to understand where your upper limit is. At some point, you may exceed the amount you’re willing to invest for an additional lead while still making fiscal sense.

If you want to get more sophisticated, you can use a marketing mix modeling tool (MMM) to run an incrementality test.

There are several MMM tools you could use to do this. Some are expensive, and some are low-cost or even free. 

For example, Google’s Meridian is an open-source tool and it’s free, but the trade-off is that it requires technical know-how to set up and use. 

MMMs also require a significant amount of historical data — two or more years’ worth — but once the data is ingested, they’re fantastic for measuring incrementality. 

Dig deeper: How to avoid marketing mix modeling mistakes that derail results

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The true test of whether your success metrics are working

MQLs, SQLs, and closed deals are important. But the true measure of incremental value is revenue or pipeline. That means you need to make sure you’re actually measuring for it.

Not all sales are created equal. You might see one deal for $5,000 and another for $2 million. Both register as closed sales in the CRM, but the two are nothing alike. Which would you rather have?

It’s easy to undervalue conversion actions if you’re using proxy values like the ones described above. Yet pipeline and revenue are often determined outside the 90-day conversion window required for offline conversions.

It’s crucial to look at the data in your CRM and map it back to your paid search campaigns. Are there campaigns or content assets driving relatively few leads and MQLs, but a lot of pipeline? If so, don’t devalue them. Make sure you keep them running and give them enough budget to succeed.

Also, don’t forget about incremental revenue.

If you’re scaling your spend, keep an eye on incremental revenue to find the point of diminishing returns. Doing this can prevent overspending on campaigns or channels once they’re no longer cost-effective.

"We see PC building as a creative platform, not simply a hardware category," said Dennis Liu, CEO of Levelplay. "As modern hardware becomes increasingly standardized, many products are starting to lose some of the personality and interaction that made PC DIY fun in the first place. With this year's lineup, especially Newtro, we wanted to bring some of that feeling back. Not just through retro styling, but through physical interaction, industrial inspired details, and products that feel more memorable to actually use and build with."

Higher memory prices are expected to make their impact on the PC and server markets in the second half of this year and the first quarter of 2027, says investment bank UBS. The bank discussed computer hardware firm Dell in an investment note where it bumped the share price target to $440 from $243 and lifted the firm's earnings estimates for the fiscal years 2027 and 2028. UBS' coverage came after Dell's fiscal first quarter earnings report saw it post an 88% annual revenue growth on the back of a 757% AI server revenue bump. Memory Pressure On Dell's Server […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/sharp-memory-price-jumps-will-be-felt-more-severely-in-dells-pc-server-markets-in-coming-months-says-bank/

It's been a big week for the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was finally revealed, and alongside it came the confirmation that the franchise will finally leave the previous console generation behind, with Warzone and Modern Warfare 4 both leaving PS4 and Xbox One behind. Now, two new ratings from South Korea's game ratings board has players thinking there's another major announcement coming, though it may not be what it seems. Two new ratings for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 spotted on Reddit has players wondering if this […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-black-ops-2-ratings-game-pass-remaster-rumour/

Fulfill.com connects ecommerce brands with pre-vetted third-party logistics providers using a data-driven matching platform. Share your requirements and review curated 3PL recommendations based on location, capacity, technology, and services with transparent pricing and verified capabilities. Fulfill.com streamlines outreach with double opt-in introductions and supports selection, helping you implement faster and build reliable long-term fulfillment partnerships.

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Galatasaray'ın yüksek maliyeti nedeniyle vazgeçtiği Raphael Onyedika'da transfer rotası değişti. Nijeryalı yıldız için masada tek ciddi aday olarak Almanya'da küme düşen Wolfsburg kaldı.

Club Brugge'ün Nijeryalı ön liberosu Raphael Onyedika için transfer piyasası kızışırken, daha önce ısrarcı olan Galatasaray geri çekildi.

Geçtiğimiz transfer dönemlerinde Club Brugge’ü ikna etmek için yoğun mesai harcayan ancak Belçika duvarına toslayan Galatasaray, Onyedika defterini tamamen kapattı. Club Brugge yönetiminin, sözleşmesi önümüzdeki yıl bitecek olan oyuncu için 20 milyon Euro talep etmesi ve net bir tavır sergilemesi üzerine sarı-kırmızılı kurmaylar geri adım attı.

Gelen bilgilere göre, Galatasaray'dan sonra küme düşen West Ham'ın da çekilmesiyle tek bir ciddi aday kaldı: Almanya'da küme düşen Wolfsburg.

Galatasaray'da yeniden başkanlığa seçilen Dursun Özbek ve ekibi, pazartesi günü düzenlenecek resmi törenle mazbatasını alarak yeni dönem için resmen kolları sıvıyor.

Galatasaray’da tarihi seçimin ardından resmi süreç tamamlanıyor. Sarı-kırmızılı kulüpte kısa süre önce gerçekleştirilen olağan seçimli genel kurulda yeniden başkanlığa seçilen Dursun Özbek ve yönetim kurulu mazbatasını devralmaya hazırlanıyor.

Dursun Özbek ve kurmayları, pazartesi günü Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi RAMS Park’ta düzenlenecek resmi törenle mazbatalarını Divan Kurulu Başkanı'nın elinden alacak.

Mazbata töreninin ardından Özbek yönetimi, vakit kaybetmeden kulüp binasında ilk yönetim kurulu toplantısını gerçekleştirecek. Görev dağılımının netleşeceği bu kritik toplantıyla birlikte, Galatasaray’da yeni dönemin yol haritası da resmen çizilmiş olacak.

Beşiktaş'ın Önder Özen hamlesiyle üstünü çizdiği Dino Toppmöller, Crystal Palace ile masaya oturdu.

Beşiktaş’ın teknik direktör adayları arasında ilk sıralarda yer alan Dino Toppmöller için sürpriz bir hamle geldi. Sky Almanya'nın özel haberine göre Premier Lig ekiplerinden Crystal Palace, Alman teknik adamla resmi görüşmelere başladı.

Sergen Yalçın’ın görevi bırakır bırakmaz Eduard Graf yönetime Toppmöller ismini sundu. Hatta operasyon için düğmeye bastı. Graf'ın, başarılı çalıştırıcıyı Beşiktaş’a kazandırmak adına Almanya’da yüz yüze bir de görüşme gerçekleştirdi.

Ancak Beşiktaş’ta futbol yapılanmasının başına Önder Özen’in getirilmesiyle birlikte transfer ve teknik adam stratejisi bir anda sil baştan değişti. Toppmöller hamlesini beklemeye alan siyah-beyazlılar, Önder Özen’in raporu doğrultusunda rotayı alternatif isimlere çevirdi. Kartal'ın listesine giren ilk hocanın ise Filipe Luis oldu. Ancak Luis de reddetti.

Fenerbahçe başkan adayı Aziz Yıldırım'ın yönetim listesindeki güçlü isim Nihat Özbağı, Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadyumu'nun yenilenme projesi için müjdeyi verdi.

Fenerbahçe'de yaklaşan başkanlık seçimi öncesi Aziz Yıldırım’ın listesinde yer alan önemli isimlerden Nihat Özbağı, kulübün geleceğine ve stat projesine dair çarpıcı açıklamalarda bulundu.

Özbağı, Saracoğlu Stadyumu'nun yenilenme süreciyle ilgili camiaya net mesajlar verdi ve zaman kaybetmeden aksiyon alacaklarını vurguladı.

- Saracoğlu Stadı'nı yapmaya izinleri alır almaz hemen başlıyoruz. Hiç beklemeden çalışmalar başlayacak ve maçlar da stadımızda oynanmaya devam edecek.

İnşaat sürecinin takımı ve tribün atmosferini etkilemeyecek bir planlamayla yürütüleceğini vurgulayan Özbağı, hedeflerinin sezon sonunda çifte mutluluk yaşamak olduğunu söyledi. Projenin bitişi ve şampiyonluk hedefi için iddialı bir konuşma yapan Özbağı, sözlerini şöyle tamamladı:

- Mayıs ayında da şampiyonluk kupasını yenilenmiş stadımızda hep birlikte kaldıracağız.

Galatasaray'ın orta saha adayları arasında Milan'dan Youssouf Fofana da bulunuyor. Ancak Fransız futbolcunun maaş beklentisi, işleri çıkmaza sokuyor...

Galatasaray kış döneminde birçok yıldız orta sahayla görüşmeler yapmıştı. Ancak sonuç alınamadı. Bu bölgedeki tek takviye Renato Nhaga'ydı... O da Şampiyonlar Ligi listesine yazılmadı. Cim-Bom'un ara transferde temas kurduğu isimlerden biri Youssouf Fofana'ydı... Fransız futbolcu, Galatasaray seçeneğine sıcak bakmadı.

VERGİLERLE DAHA DA ARTIYOR

Milan önümüzdeki sezon Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde yer almayacak. Youssouf Fofana'nın bu yüzden Sarı-Kırmızılılar'a daha sıcak baktığı biliniyor. Ancak kurulan temaslarda oyuncunun talep ettiği ücret canları sıktı. 27 yaşındaki orta saha, kendisi için yıllık 10 milyon euro net maaş istedi. Vergilerle birlikte maliyet daha da artıyor.

BİR DE BONSERVİSİ VAR

Ayrıca Milan'a da bonservis ödenmesi gerekecek. İtalyan ekibinin oyuncuyla 30 Haziran 2028'e kadar sözleşmesi var. Onların beklentisinin de 30 milyon euro seviyelerinde olduğu konuşuluyor. Özetle resmi imzaların atılması için ağır yükümlülüklerin altına girilmeli... Galatasaray bu sebeple şu anda alternatiflere ağırlık verdi...

Saran yönetiminin organizasyonuyla çarşamba günü Maraton Fenerium'da düzenlenecek yeni sezon forma lansmanı, tarihi bir buluşmaya sahne olmaya hazırlanıyor. Kulübün unutulmaz efsaneleri Aykut Kocaman ve Alex de Souza'nın yanı sıra Oğuz Çetin ve Roberto Carlos da davet edildi.

Fenerbahçe’de yaklaşan başkanlık seçimi öncesi kulisleri hareketlendiren, adeta "seçim hamlesi" niteliğinde sürpriz bir gelişme yaşandı. Sarı-lacivertli kulübün yeni sezon formaları, Sadettin Saran yönetiminin organizasyonuyla çarşamba günü Saracoğlu Stadyumu Maraton Fenerium Mağazası’nda düzenlenecek görkemli bir lansmanla tanıtılacak.

Yeni sezon formalarının 6 bin TL’den satışa sunulacağı açıklanırken, lansmanın davetli listesi camiada büyük ses getirdi.

Saran ve ekibi, kulübün yakın tarihine damga vurmuş isimleri bir araya getirmek için devasa bir davetli listesi hazırladı. Lansmana sarı-lacivertli kulübün eski başkanlarının yanı sıra, taraftarın sevgilisi olan efsane futbolcular da davet edildi. Davetliler arasında en dikkat çeken isimler şunlar:

Aykut Kocaman

Oğuz Çetin

Alex de Souza

Roberto Carlos

Kritik başkanlık seçimi öncesinde yapılan bu hamle, camiada tam anlamıyla bir "seçim stratejisi" olarak yorumlandı. Özellikle mevcut dinamiklerde eski başkan Aziz Yıldırım ile birlikte hareket ettiği bilinen Oğuz Çetin ve Aykut Kocaman’ın bu organizasyona davet edilmesi büyük bir sürpriz olarak değerlendirildi.

Öte yandan, Aziz Yıldırım döneminin simge isimleri ve taraftarın sevgilileri olan Alex de Souza ile Roberto Carlos’un da davetliler arasında yer alması dikkat çekti. Spor kulislerinde bu hamle, "Sadettin Saran yönetiminin organizasyonu olsa da, dolaylı olarak Aziz Yıldırım’ın elini güçlendirecek ve onun ekmeğine yağ sürecek bir adım" olarak yorumlanmaya başladı.

Fransa Galatasaraylılar Derneği, Türk spor tarihinde eşi benzeri görülmemiş bir hamleye imza attı; Paris Belediyesi'nin onay vermesi halinde, dünyanın en ikonik simgesi Eyfel Kulesi sarı-kırmızı renklere bürünecek ve üzerine dev Galatasaray logosu yansıtılacak.

Fransa Galatasaraylılar Derneği, Türk spor tarihine geçecek devasa bir görsel şölen için kolları sıvadı. Derneğin, Paris’in ve dünyanın en ikonik sembollerinden biri olan Eyfel Kulesi için yaptığı sıra dışı başvuru, spor ve diplomasi dünyasında büyük yankı uyandırdı.

Yapılan resmi başvuruya göre, Paris Belediyesi’nin onay vermesi halinde, devasa çelik yapı tamamen Galatasaray’ın renkleri olan sarı ve kırmızıya bürünecek. Projenin en dikkat çekici kısmı ise kule üzerine dev bir Galatasaray logosunun yansıtılması planı oldu.

Fransa Galatasaraylılar Derneği yetkilileri, başvurunun olumlu sonuçlanması adına görüşmelerini sürdürüyor.

Fenerbahçe'nin eski stoperi olan ve Çaykur Rizespor ile sözleşmesi sona erdikten sonra serbest kalan Samet Akaydın, milli takımdaki performansını savundu.

Daha önce Fenerbahçe forması da giyen ve son olarak Çaykur Rizespor ile olan sözleşmesinin sona ermesiyle bonservisini eline alan deneyimli stoper Samet Akaydın, TRT Spor’a dikkat çeken açıklamalarda bulundu. Milli takımdaki performansına yönelik eleştirilere yanıt veren başarılı savunmacı, özgüven dolu ifadeler kullandı.

- Milli takımda bu zamana kadar kötü oynadığım maç belki bir tane, o da Portekiz maçı. Onun dışında milli takım formasıyla her zaman üst düzey oynadığımı düşünüyorum.

Charlotte, takımdan ayrılan Wilfried Zaha'nın boşluğunu Lens forması giyen Allan Saint-Maximin'le doldurmak için harekete geçti.

L'Equipe'in haberine göre; kadrosunda köklü bir değişime giden MLS ekibi Charlotte, takımdan ayrılan Galatasaray'ın eski yıldızı Wilfried Zaha'nın yerini doldurmak için kolları sıvadı. Kulübün hedefindeki isim daha önce Fenerbahçe forması giyen Allan Saint-Maximin.

Charlotte yönetiminin, Saint-Maximin için Lens kulübü ve oyuncunun menajeriyle temaslara başladığı ve bu transferi kısa sürede bitirmek için yoğun mesai harcadığı belirtildi.

Samsung is giving massive bonuses to workers in its chip business because of the growing AI market. The company’s semiconductor division will reportedly pay about $26.6 billion in bonuses to nearly 78,000 employees this year.

Workers making AI memory chips are getting the biggest rewards. On average, each employee could receive around $340,000, mostly in Samsung stock, as per the latest information. Some workers may even get bonuses close to $400,000.

Samsung created a new profit-sharing plan for chip employees. Workers will receive a percentage of the division’s profits, and the deal could continue for the next 10 years if profits remain high.

The agreement was approved after an 18-day strike by workers. Samsung wanted to avoid more delays as demand for AI chips continues to rise around the world.

However, workers in Samsung’s smartphone, TV, and home appliance divisions are getting much smaller bonuses. Reports say these employees may receive only around $4,000 each this year.

The huge difference has created anger inside the company. Some workers even tried to stop the bonus deal through legal action, while smaller union groups showed less support for it.

Last year, Samsung’s average yearly salary was around $105,000. Now, some AI chip workers are earning bonuses worth three or four years of normal pay. The situation shows how the AI boom is creating huge rewards for some workers, while others inside the same company feel left behind.

The post Samsung’s AI chip workers get skyrocketing bonuses, what about smartphone workers? appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Samsung will participate in VivaTech 2026, a big technology event that will take place in Paris, France, from June 17 to 20. During the event, Samsung will show how artificial intelligence (AI) can help people live healthier and better lives.

Samsung’s theme for the event is “Open Invitation to a Healthier Tomorrow.” The company wants to show how smart devices and AI can help people care for their health in simple ways. Samsung believes technology can give useful health information and help people build healthy habits every day.

VivaTech is one of the largest technology and startup events in Europe. This year is special because the event is celebrating its 10th anniversary. More than 4,000 companies are expected to attend, including large technology brands and small startups. 

At the exhibition, Samsung will present health services connected through Samsung Health. The company will also show ideas related to healthy aging and pet care. Visitors can also see new health features that may soon be available on Samsung smartphones, smartwatches, and other connected devices.

Image via Samsung

Samsung says it is working with startups and business partners to create an open and connected system that makes life easier and healthier for users. The company wants people to enjoy simple and smart technology in their everyday lives.

On June 19, Samsung will join a discussion about the future of AI in healthcare. Experts will talk about how AI and connected devices can give people more personal health support and better wellness experiences.

By joining VivaTech 2026, Samsung hopes to inspire people to use smart technology for a healthier future. Stay tuned.

The post Samsung will showcase AI health technology at VivaTech 2026 appeared first on Sammy Fans.

XLM rallied after US financial giant DTCC announced a partnership with the Stellar Network, but it still risks a sharp downside in the coming weeks.

ICE’s CEO said regulators need to create a “level playing field” for launching 24/7 onchain perps contracts, which are already trading on exchanges such as Hyperliquid.

The Samsung Galaxy A57 quickly became one of the popular mid-range go-to options. However, if you aren't relying on a strict budget and you are looking for a better Samsung experience, the Galaxy S25 FE from last year is somewhat close budget-wise, and it's worth considering. While the Galaxy A57 sits comfortably in the mid-range bracket, the Galaxy S25 FE crosses the border toward the upper mid-range segment with some flagship-level features. In some markets, the price difference is smaller than you might expect, making the S25 FE a great deal in comparison, but others will...

Bu gün 2026/2027-ci illər mövsümündə İkinci Liqada çıxış etmək üçün “Biləsuvar” və “Ağstafa Gəncləri” arasında pley-off matçı keçirilib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, qarşılaşma Yevlax şəhər stadionunda təşkil olunub.

Görüşü Rəşad Əhmədov idarə edib. Ona yan xətt hakimləri Rahil Ramazanov və Tərlan Talıbzadə kömək ediblər. Dördüncü hakim funksiyasını isə Ruslan Quliyev yerinə yetirib.

Xatırladaq ki, Ağstafa təmsilçisi 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümündə İkinci Liqanı 11-ci pillədə başa vurmuşdu. “Biləsuvar” isə Region Liqasının bürünc medalçısı idi. Qalib tərəf İkinci Liqada, məğlub olan isə Region Liqasında çıxış edəcəkdi.

Oyun ağstafalıların inamlı qələbəsiylə yekunlaşıb. 3 cavabsız qola sevinmiş bu komanda İkinci Liqadakı yerini qoruyub. “Biləsuvar” isə növbəti mövsümdə də Region Liqasında mübarizə aparacaq.

İkinci Liqa uğrunda pley-off oyunu
29 may

“Biləsuvar” – “Ağstafa Gəncləri” 0:3
Qollar: Əli Bağırov, 9. Adil Tağıyev, 45+2. Eltac Hüseynov, 47.
Hakimlər: Rəşad Əhmədov, Rahil Ramazanov, Tərlan Talıbzadə, Ruslan Quliyev.
VAR: Rauf Cabbarov.
AVAR: Zöhrab Abbasov.
Hakim-inspektor: Babək Quliyev.
AFFA nümayəndəsi: Mübariz Hüseynov.
Yevlax şəhər stadionu, 16:00.

Biləsuvar: 93. Sabir Abbasov, 47. Qoşqar Babayev, 66. Cavanşir Cavanşirov, 77. Sahib Cümşüdov, 12. Emil Həsənzadə, 74. Kənan İbişov (k), 50. Kamran Kərimov, 9. Zaur Nuruzadə, 10. Süleyman Piriyev, 14. Surac Şahbazov, 42. Valid Yusubzadə.
Ehtiyat oyunçular: 1. Əli Fətullayev, 20. Əskər Əskərov, 21. Məmməd Məmmədov, 88. İbrahim Nağıyev, 15. Ruslan Tağızadə, 7. Asim Urufov.
Məşqçi: Adil Bədəlov.

Ağstafa Gəncləri: 1. Elgün Əmiraslanov, 20. Əli Bağırov (k), 8. Elgün Namazov, 22. Adil Tağıyev, 2. İlkin Allahverdiyev, 5. Kamran Hüseynov, 24. Eşqin Kərimli, 17. Elgün Salıfov, 13. Ramin Süleymanov, 15. Nicat Oruclu, 7. Hüseyn Alıyev.
Ehtiyat oyunçular: 16. Uğur Məmmədhüseynov, 18. Elvin Qəmbərov, 4. Sənan Yusibov, 12. Tural Məmmədov, 9. Eltac Hüseynov, 6. Turan Məmmədov, 19. Ayxan Alıyev.
Məşqçi: Aqil Kərimli.

“Mançester Siti”dən ayrılan Bernardu Silva karyerasını “Barselona”da davam etdirəcək.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə insayder Nikolo Skira məlumat yayıb. Portuqaliyalı yarımmüdafiəçi kataloniyalılarla üç illik müqavilə imzalayacaq. Keçidin yaxın zamanda açıqlanacağı gözlənilir.

Silva “Mançester Siti”dən azad agent kimi ayrılıb.

“Barselona” daha əvvəl “Nyukasl”dan Entoni Qordonun keçidini həll edib.

Azərbaycan II Liqasına vəsiqə uğrunda pley-off oyunu keçirilib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Region Liqası təmsilçisi “Biləsuvar”la II Liqanın 11-cisi “Ağstafa Gəncləri” üz-üzə gəlib.

Yevlax şəhər stadionunda baş tutan görüş “Ağstafa Gəncləri”nin qələbəsiylə başa çatıb – 3:0. Komanda II Liqadakı yerini qoruyub.

Despite being just 21 years old, and having had only eight professional outings, Fran Hennessy is hoping to become an undisputed champion within the next 12 months. Such a feat would eclipse the phenomenal achievement of Gabriela Fundora, who became the youngest-ever fighter, male or female, to hold all four major titles at once. She […]

The post Fran Hennessy maintains dream of surpassing Fundora as youngest undisputed champion appeared first on Boxing News.

is still haunted by one of the defeats he suffered in his career. De La Hoya had a career to be extremely proud of, beginning when he won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona before he went on to become a six-division world champion in the professional ranks. He finally hung […]

The post Oscar De La Hoya still feels cheated out of one historic victory appeared first on Boxing News.

Nico Gonzalez remains under contract at Juventus after Atletico Madrid did not trigger the obligation to buy clause in his loan deal, but reports in Italy claim that the Argentine has no intention of coming back to play for the Bianconeri in 2026-27. 

Report: Nico Gonzalez unwilling to return to Juventus

Nico Gonzalez joined Juventus on loan with a conditional obligation to buy from Fiorentina in the summer of 2024, costing Juventus €33m across his loan and transfer fee, not including bonuses and additional fees that could be worth up to a further €8.1m. 

The Argentine spent just one season in Turin before being sent on loan to Atletico Madrid, again with a conditional obligation to buy. 

Atletico Madrid’s obligation to buy clause was linked to a minimum number of LaLiga appearances, which Nico Gonzalez ultimately did not reach. Diego Simeone’s side no longer have to pay the €32m buy-out fee they arranged last summer, but recent reports indicate that Atleti are still keen to keep the winger on board. 

The issue is that Atletico are unwilling to pay the €32m fee for Nico Gonzalez, and are instead willing to pay a maximum of €24m-€25m including bonuses according to the latest updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

This has not been enough to convince Juventus into a sale, and La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that everything has been ‘on standby’ for the last few days. 

Nico Gonzalez’s stance is clear: He is unwilling to return to Juventus in 2026-27 and wishes to stay on in Madrid with Atletico. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that he is pushing to stay at the Metropolitano, but if a permanent transfer does not work out, he is expected to push for a move elsewhere.

It remains unclear where Dusan Vlahovic will be playing his football in 2026-27, and though his current club Juventus are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, reports on Thursday claim that talks are at a standstill due to a disagreement over signing bonuses. 

Where Juventus and Vlahovic stand in contract negotiations

Vlahovic has just over one month remaining on his contract with Juventus, which expires on June 30. On his current deal, Vlahovic is the highest-paid player in Serie A, and though Juventus wish to keep hold of the centre-forward, they are aware that they will have to convince him into taking a significant pay cut. 

Talks have been ongoing for several weeks, but a definitive agreement has not yet been reached. 

According to updates from Calciomercato.com, Vlahovic and his representatives are open to the idea of accepting a reduced salary in order to stay on at Juventus, potentially as low as around €6m per season plus bonuses. It is believed that the Serbian currently earns around €12m net per year. 

However, according to Friday’s update, the two parties are still quite a way off in terms of signing bonuses, as Vlahovic and his entourage are reportedly seeking a lump sum of around €8m, while the Bianconeri are reportedly willing to offer €3m. 

Meanwhile, several other top clubs around Europe have been rumoured to be interested in signing Vlahovic on a free transfer, including the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing the West Ham United attacker Crysencio Summerville during the summer window.

West Ham have been relegated from the Premier League, and the 24-year-old could look to move on. The Netherlands attacker is too good for the Championship, and he will want to compete at a high level.

Joining the North London club could be an exciting opportunity for him. According to a report from Voetbal International, Tottenham tried to sign the player in the January window and are now prepared to make another attempt in the summer. It remains to be seen whether they can convince West Ham to sell the player.

Even though the 24-year-old is a key player for them and they will not want to lose him, they are under pressure to sell him. Summerville will not want to compete in the second division of English football. It would be ideal for West Ham to accept a suitable offer and let the player move on.

Meanwhile, Tottenham need more quality in the attack. They have struggled to create opportunities from wide areas, and they also need more goals from the flanks. The Netherlands attacker could be ideal for them. He has shown his quality in the Premier League with Leeds United and West Ham United. This could be the right time for him to take a bigger step and join a bigger club.

Even though Tottenham have had a disappointing season, they have a quality manager and multiple top players at their disposal. They could bounce back strongly next season. Summerville will help them improve in the final third, and they could provide the player with the platform to push for trophies.

The post Tottenham readying move for 24-year-old attacker after failed January move appeared first on CaughtOffside.

According to multiple sources, Liverpool have been unable to reach an agreement with Ibrahima Konate over a new contract, and the defender will therefore leave the club as a free agent, as his current deal expires. The negotiations between the Merseyside club and the French defender have been long, with reports repeatedly changing the narrative […]

The post Konate to leave Liverpool appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Konate to leave Liverpool appeared first on Soccer News.

Mariners' Colt Emerson has already answered all the questions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Colt Emerson had a case to make the Seattle Mariners' Opening Day roster.

He was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma instead, but since his MLB promotion earlier this month, Emerson hasn't wasted any time proving he belongs.

He has also created some serious questions for the Mariners, who are heading toward an infield logjam when everyone gets healthy.

It's a good problem to have, though. Seattle certainly would've hoped Emerson would hit the ground running like this.

There are plenty of ways to sum up what Emerson is doing. For one, he's super hot lately:

Colt Emerson over his last 4 games:

.429 batting average (6-for-14) with 3 runs scored, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBI and 2 walks with a 1.286 OPS in 16 plate appearances. pic.twitter.com/RdRkMhr1BI

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 28, 2026

MORE: Bryce Harper confuses everyone with viral teeth brushing video

He's also putting up some phenomenal ratios:

Colt Emerson has a 22.2 K%, an 11.1 BB%, a 20.5% whiff rate, and a 23.3% chase rate in his early MLB career. All are numbers you would absolutely consider good.

Makes me wonder what was seemingly going wrong for him in AAA before the callup? pic.twitter.com/9mLewWINue

— Gravel (@Gravel_sense) May 28, 2026

Also a fun one: He nearly tied the MLB record for a "major league cycle."

It took Emerson 29 at bats to have a single, a double, a triple and a home run in his MLB career. The record is 28 at bats.

Cliff Heathcote is the fastest to ever do it at 28 at bats in 1918

So Colt Emerson missed the record by one at bat pic.twitter.com/NRJJFISq0mhttps://t.co/zPBLDb02tr

— JulioIsKing (@JulioIsKing44) May 27, 2026

Even the vibes are good -- "Every day is a highlight, if I'm being honest, with these guys," Emerson recently told the Seattle Times.

Emerson is creating plenty of those highlights himself.

Seattle sure must be glad they've called the kid up. He's certainly phenomenal.

Braydon Johnson swatted a pair of extra-base hits, setting a school record in the process while leading the Lakota West Firebirds in a 10-1 win against the Fairmont Firebirds in Division I tournament baseball play on Thursday, May 28.

Johnson finished 2-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBI, passing his coach Brad Gschwind for the school’s career extra-base hits mark with 40.

Noah Bramble added a 4-for-4 day with another two extra-base hits and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot to spark Lakota West and Cooper Rhoads tacked on two hits with two RBI.

West improved to 15-12 and move on to a district final matchup against St. Xavier on Friday, May 29.

Fairmont finished the season with a mark of 12-16.

Baseball

TOURNAMENT

Division I

Centerville captures first district title in 8 years

*

Oak Hills 4, Springboro 0: ‘Boro closed out the season as district runner-ups with a record of 20-8.

Elder 2, Beavercreek 0: ‘Creek finished the year as district runner-ups with a record of 21-6.

Division II

Anderson 1, Troy 0: Jake Reinhardt took the hard-luck loss with 13 strikeouts and Troy capped off the year as MVL Miami champions and district runner-ups with a record of 22-4.

Division III

Butler 8, Greenville 0: Tate Richardson picked up his 10th win of the season, combining with Carson Heis and Davis Ketterer on the shutout for Butler. Jack Egbert tallied four RBI and the Aviators are set to face La Salle in a district final on Friday, May 29.

Tippecanoe 6, Bellefontaine 0: Cayden McKinney tossed a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts to pace Tipp. Carson Jackson and Brady Liskey added two hits with two RBI apiece and the Red Devils will play Batavia in a district final on Friday, May 29.

Kenton Ridge 3, Tecumseh 1: Kenton Ridge pulled ahead late to improve to 20-5 overall and will face Bellbrook in a district final on Friday, May 29.

Division IV

Fenwick 10, Clinton-Massie 0: Anthony Snyder struck out six in a complete game two-hitter and Fenwick advances to play in a district final on Friday, May 29 versus Urbana.

Ben Logan 4, Valley View 3: Ben Logan laid down a successful sacrifice bunt for the winning run to advance to a district final on Friday, May 29 against Roger Bacon.

Bethel 11, Oakwood 3: Troy Hunt homered and drove in five runs, Mason Stortenbecker scored five times on three hits and Bethel advances to face Indian Hill on Friday, May 29 in a district final.

Division V

Versailles 7, Cin. Christian 2: Sam Deland scattered five hits and struck out seven in a complete game to help Versailles win a district championship.

Summit Country Day 3, Anna 1: Anna finished the year with an SCAL title and district runner-ups with a record of 22-6.

Division VI

Mechanicsburg 2, Liberty Union 1: Conner Eyink and Eli Wilson each scored a run, with Eyink adding five strikeouts in a complete game to help ‘Burg capture a district title.

Troy Christian 3, Northeastern 2: Logan Cool knocked in Ben Knostman for the game-winning run to send Troy Christian to a district final against MVCA on Friday, May 29.

Dixie 2, Ansonia 1: Brayden Puckett picked up the win, tallying six strikeouts and helping Dixie advance to a district final against Dayton Christian on Friday, May 29.

Dayton Christian 8, Riverside 2: Brody Schmidt recorded the win in a complete game for Dayton Christian, aiding his own cause with a double and two RBI.

Division VII

Fort Loramie 3, Tri-County North 2: Carson Arnold delivered the walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth to win a district title for Fort Loramie.

Softball

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Division I

Centerville gets revenge against Lebanon with Division I regional semifinal victory

*

Late rally sends Lakota East past Mason, into D-I regional final

*

Division III

Greenville fights off Tippecanoe in regional semifinal

*

Division IV

Kenton Ridge survives scare from Carlisle, advances to regional final

*

Division VI

Tri-Village 4, Fayetteville Perry 2: Tri-Village bumped to 22-5 with the win and will play Danville on Saturday, May 30 in a regional final.

Boys Tennis

STATE TOURNAMENT

Brumbaugh advances to state final four

*

Girls Lacrosse

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Division I

Springboro 12, Kings 11: ‘Boro won the Region 4 bracket and will move on to a state tournament appearance.

PREP RESULTS

Baseball

TOURNAMENT

Thursday’s Results

Division I

Centerville 5, Lakota East 2: C: Weng W, Kristbaum HR, Muchmore RBI, Vitas RBI.

Elder 2, Beavercreek 0

Lakota West 10, Fairmont 1: LW: Johnson 3-4 2B 3B 4 RBI, Rhoads 2-4 2 RBI, Bramble 4-4 2B 3B RBI.

Mason 5, Fairfield 0

Oak Hills 4, Springboro 0

Division II

Anderson 1, Troy 0

Harrison 7, Edgewood 4

Division III

Bellbrook 4, Franklin 2: F: Rebholz 1-3 2B 2 RBI.

Butler 8, Greenville 0: B: Richardson W 8 K, Egbert 4 RBI.

Chaminade Julienne 2, Xenia 1

Kenton Ridge 3, Tecumseh 1

La Salle 7, Ross 4

Tippecanoe 6, Bellefontaine 0: T: McKinney W 8 K, Jackson 2-4 2B 2 RBI, Liskey 2-3 2 RBI.

Division IV

Ben Logan 4, Valley View 3

Bethel 11, Oakwood 3: B: Stortenbecker 3-3 5 RS, Hunt 2-3 2B HR 5 RBI.

Fenwick 10, Clinton-Massie 0: F: Snyder W 6 K.

Urbana 9, Eaton 0

Division V

Summit Country Day 3, Anna 1

Versailles 7, Cin. Christian 2: V: Deland W 7 K.

Division VI

Dayton Christian 8, Riverside 2: DC: Schmidt W 8 K, 1-3 2B 2 RBI, Hodge 1-3 2B RBI, Thoma 1-3 RBI.

Dixie 2, Ansonia 1: D: Puckett W 6 K, Phillips 1-3 2B RBI.

Fort Recovery 9, Triad 1

Mechanicsburg 2, Liberty Union 1: M: Eyink W 5 K, 1-2 RS, Wilson 1-3 2B RS.

Troy Christian 3, Northeastern 2: TC: Cool W, GW-RBI.

Division VII

Fayetteville Perry 12, Middletown Christian 2

Fort Loramie 3, Tri-County North 2: FL: Arnold GW-RBI. TCN: Heltsley RBI, Powell RBI.

Russia 12, Cedarville 9

Wednesday’s Results

Division I

Lakota East 1, Colerain 0

Division II

Anderson 2, Fairborn 1

Edgewood 7, Sidney 3: E: Vogel W 8 K, Fall 3-3 3B 2 RBI, Gulley 2 RBI.

Softball

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Thursday’s Results

Division I

Centerville 4, Lebanon 2: C: Belcher W 7 K, 1-2 2B 2 RBI, Carr 1-1 3 RS.

Lakota East 5, Mason 3: LE: Crawford W 7 K, 2-4 2B 2 RBI, A. Schulte 1-3 RBI, Thompson 2-3 RBI.

Division III

Greenville 3, Tippecanoe 0: G: Oswalt W 8 K, McMullen 2B RBI, Fourman RBI, Force RBI.

Jonathan Alder 11, Tri-Valley 4

Division IV

Kenton Ridge 2, Carlisle 1: KR: Rastatter W 7 K, Fyffe 2-3 2B HR RBI, Glass 1-3 RBI.

Division V

Arcanum 4, Piketon 3: A: J. Garbig 2-3 HR 2 RBI, C. Garbig W 3 K, 1-2 2 RBI.

Miami East 8, Springfield Shawnee 5

Division VI

Tri-Village 4, Fayetteville Perry 2

West Jefferson 4, Beaver Eastern 1

Wednesday’s Results

Division VI

Margaretta 6, Minster 1

Division VII

New Riegel 3, Covington 1

Southeastern 6, Hardin Northern 0

Boys Lacrosse

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Thursday’s Results

Division II

Mariemont 17, Fenwick 6

Girls Lacrosse

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Thursday’s Results

Division I

Springboro 12, Kings 11

REPORTING RESULTS

Contact Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News with scores and results as soon as possible after varsity high school athletic contests by email only at COPSports@coxincn.com. Please include any details from your contest that you would like published along with a contact name and phone number.

Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom spent some time talking about his feelings about Zuffa Boxing and suggests there will be litigation to follow after he says they’ve just recently taken another fighter from him in Sam Hickey, who he says was under contract. Shalom says he’s not willing to just roll over to Zuffa as he questions their ethics. Here’s some of what he had to say below.

Shalom on his plans to sue Zuffa for allegedly poaching Sam Hickey

“I think they see me and they think ‘oh, he’s a nice guy, he’s not going to do anything.’ You can’t just go in and ignore that fighters are under contract and being paid by another promoter. Look, I know where in the world of Trump and in the world of this and the world of that, but there’s still some sort of business practice.

“I don’t actually know what’s going on. You can’t just ignore things. They ignored that Conor Benn had a matching right, in my opinion. They ignored that we had a matching right on Chris Billam-Smith completely — not just a matching right but an exclusive negotiation period. They’re ignoring that other fighters on that fight are actually completely under contract. What are you supposed to do? It’s crazy, to be honest.

“Thankfully we live in a country where you can’t do those types of things.”

On whether he expects Zuffa to make an offer to Adam Azim

“They will go with anyone with a pulse.”

On his feelings towards Zuffa

“I don’t really understand what they’re saying at Zuffa or TKO or whatever…My concern is American conglomerates deciding or wanting to decide or wanting to disrupt how the sport is run in this country. This is the place that boxing’s probably the most popular in the world at the moment in terms of the big fights and the big nights and the consistency. And it’s always been British promoters that care about the sport…I can’t keep up [with Zuffa]. One minute there’s no titles, then they’re suing a governing body — it’s just disruptive.

“The IBF are probably the most honorable governing body there is and it’s just like — we know what [Zuffa] are trying to do but it’s confusing.”

Shams Charania: Mitchell Robinson has undergone surgery on his broken right pinky finger -- and fully plans to play in the New York Knicks' Game 1 of the NBA Finals against OKC or San Antonio next Wednesday while wearing a brace on his hand, sources tell ESPN.

bsky.app

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Mitchell Robinson plans to play in Game 1

?Tom Orsborn?: Spurs worked hard to get Harper in right mindset after Game 5: "When he's switched on mentally and aggressive, he's pretty damn good," Mitch said. "He's got all the talent in the world, makeup to do whatever he wants. He's capable of those nights when he's in the right place between the ears."

bsky.app

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "When he's switched on mentally and aggressive, he's …

The Houston Astros had their dynasty. They won two World Series, made two others, and had an impressive streak of reaching the ALCS. This team was one of the best in MLB for nearly a decade; however, in the last few years, they’ve been teetering on the edge of holding on or beginning their descent. The biggest reason as to why they are still relevant is Yordan Alvarez. And that is no different in 2026. In fact, Yordan Alvarez should be the 2026 American League MVP if everything continues on its current path.

MORE: MLB set to propose salary cap in new CBA negotiations & it could be a disaster

Aaron Judge Is the Main Competition

Standing in his way is likely just one man. That man is Aaron Judge, the back-to-back American League MVP winner.

Judge is having another excellent season and remains firmly in the MVP conversation. However, what he is not doing right now is matching the offensive dominance of Yordan Alvarez in 2026.

There is still plenty of baseball left to be played, and the race could look completely different by September. But through the first two months of the season, Alvarez has built a compelling case to be considered the frontrunner.

Carrying an Injury-Riddled Astros Team

Say what you want about the Astros, but the injury problems they have dealt with over the past few years have been remarkable.

This season alone, Jeremy Peña and Jake Meyers have both spent time on the injured list. Carlos Correa is out for the season, while Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz are currently dealing with significant absences.

Despite all of that, Houston remains just 2.5 games out of first place in the American League West and 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. The biggest reason? Alvarez continues showing up every day.

Alvarez’s Numbers Are Simply Ridiculous

Alvarez recently posted back-to-back two-homer games during a critical series against the Texas Rangers, further strengthening his MVP case. While Houston has been cautious with his workload, including limited appearances in the outfield, his offensive production has been nothing short of spectacular.

Through 57 games, Alvarez is hitting .307 with 20 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 37 runs scored. The underlying metrics are somehow even more impressive. He owns a .346 ISO, an 18.8% barrel rate, and a 53.3% hard-hit rate.

Perhaps most remarkably, his expected numbers suggest there could be even more production coming. Alvarez’s .349 expected batting average exceeds his actual .307 mark, while his .754 expected slugging percentage dwarfs his already incredible .654 slugging percentage.

If that’s not an MVP résumé through two months, it’s hard to imagine what is.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

In recent weeks, Peterson has conducted several interviews with lottery teams. Two NBA sources with different lottery teams said that Peterson interviewed quite well. One of them noted that Peterson presented himself well, even if he’s more on the reserved side. Peterson’s quieter nature, compared to that of the outspoken Dybantsa, is a topic of discussion.

Kansas City Star

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Two NBA sources with different lottery teams said that …

?Alex Golden?: Six more prospects are working out for the Pacers today, and I wrote about all of them. Ernest Udeh Jr - Athletic Big Nate Johnson - Physical Guard Jaxon Kohler - Stretch 4 Kowacie Reeves Jr - 2 Way Wing M.J. Collins - 2 Way Guard Barry Dunning Jr - Wing www.si.com/nba/pacers/o...

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Six more prospects are working out for the Pacers …

The NBA is creating a new league office position responsible for all aspects of the local media business and has hired NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh COO MATT VOLK to fill the role of GM/Local Media beginning June 22. Volk will lead a newly formed local media group and will be hiring a team that is expected to include both external hires and roles filled by existing NBA employees. Volk’s team, which will also cover the WNBA, will partner with teams, media partners and other stakeholders and be responsible for local live game production, programming, broadcast operations and commercial execution across team markets.

Sports Business Journal

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The NBA is creating a new league office position …

?NBA Stat?: The Thunder arrive back in Oklahoma City, following their Game 6 Loss, and are greeted by the fans at the airport, despite the late hour (at 2:30 AM). (via @mrbuckbucknba.bsky.social ) #NBA

bsky.app

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The Thunder arrive back in Oklahoma City, following …

Phillies set to promote ex-Blue Jays switch-hitting OF to replace Otto Kemp originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies, coming off a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, are trending in the right direction. But there's still plenty of room for improvement.

One of the ways to improve the roster would be to add a star right-handed batter, but such a move, if it happens at all, is months away. Instead, the Phillies can improve the depth chart right now by adjusting their bench.

Otto Kemp has struggled mightily for the Phillies this season, and according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are going to replace him for the Los Angeles Dodgers series by promoting a former Toronto Blue Jays switch-hitting outfielder with good speed and defense.

Phillies to promote ex-Blue Jays OF to replace Otto Kemp

"The Phillies optioned Otto Kemp to triple-A, Lehigh Valley, team sources told The Athletic," Gelb reports. "They are expected to add Steward Berroa, a switch-hitting outfielder, to the active roster."

This is an interesting roster move for the Phillies. Kemp was a decent player last season for the Phillies, but couldn't stick in the Majors this season, and now he is being sent down for the second time.

Expected to take his place is Berroa, a 26-year-old outfielder who has previously played in the Major Leagues during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with the Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively.

MORE: Phillies’ Aidan Miller finally beginning baseball activities amid back injury

Berroa had a .167 batting average and a .504 OPS across 42 at-bats in his MLB career so far. He was released, claimed by the Phillies off waivers, and will now get his chance in the Majors again as a bench option.

With his elite speed and quality defense, he will be a nice late-game substitution or pinch-runner if needed, while also being a decent depth option for a spot start here and there.

This season for the Phillies in Triple-A, Berroa has a .761 OPS in 38 games with four home runs, 20 RBIs, 25 walks, nine stolen bases, and a .250 batting average.

Berroa replacing Kemp is an interesting roster move, and one that will give the Phillies a fun switch-hitting option off the bench who also will bring solid defense and base running to the Majors.

More MLB news:

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Roman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red Sox
• Dodgers still have a Roki Sasaki problem
• Chase Burns becomes first Reds pitcher with elite stat line since 1922
• Yankees’ Aaron Judge on track to become first player in MLB history with five 50+ homer seasons

The biggest obstacle at the 2026 French Open for most players isn’t their opponent, it’s a court-side advertisement. Turkish player Zeynep Sönmez was forced to retire Friday after tripping over a court-side advertisement and sustaining a knee injury.

Sönmez, who was taking part in a women’s doubles match with Tatjana Maria, sustained the injury just two games into the match. The injury occurred as Sönmez was chasing down a ball near the back wall of the court.

As Sönmez was running after the ball, she tripped over a small, raised Lacoste advertisement placed on the court.

Sönmez was forced to retire from the match after sustaining a knee injury. After the match, she said the injury required two stitches.

She also called for the French Open to remove the advertisements from the court, citing other incidents in which players have collided with the ads. In a post on X, Sönmez asked, “Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these court-side boards are removed?”

Sönmez was responding to a tweet by British tennis player Katie Boulter, who also tripped over one of the raised Lacoste advertisements during a match.

This story will be updated.

Another one of the Washington Huskies' top defensive back targets has been added to the second major official visit weekend set to commence on June 5.

Crean Lutheran High School cornerback Evan Mack, a three-star recruit in the 2027 class per 247Sports' rankings, has been added to the contingent of prospects headed to Montlake this weekend. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound multi-sport athlete has already made one official visit to Arizona State at the start of May, and also has 20-plus offers to all four Pour Four conferences.

Over the past five months, secondary coach John Richardson and head coach Jedd Fisch have continued to put a strong effort into landing the rising Irvine, California native, including a trip down to Southern California in January to see Mack at his high school after he made an unofficial visit last fall for the Huskies' 42-25 victory over then-No. 23-ranked Illinois, and again in Aprile for a spring practice.

Mack will be the third uncommitted defensive back recruit on campus that week for UW, joining four-star IMG Academy cornerback Censere Gaylord and four-star safety Jaden Walk-Green, with Richardson holding one verbal in the '27 class from Graham-Kapowsin athlete Maurice Williams.

In his first season at Crean Lutheran last fall, after transferring in from Long Beach Wilson, Mack boasted 49 total tackles, 10 pass breakups, and a pair of interceptions over 11 games.

Thank you @CoachJeddFisch & @CoachJRich for stopping by last week!! pic.twitter.com/x5cdmf1IOJ

— Evan Mack 4⭐️CB (@evanmackk) January 26, 2026

On tape, Mack is similar to a number of long, former UW cornerbacks from Southern California with strong instincts and plus-ready ability, able to put himself in a strong position to record a PBU or interception without drawing a flag.

Given that both Loud (June 5-6 to Arizona State; June 13-14 to Utah) has officials scheduled to other schools after this weekend, Mack could be positioned to jump at the opportunity to shut his recruitment down with a pledge to the Huskies.

However, Mack could opt to keep his options open with recruits able to make visits until after June 21, until the summer dead period.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies Add 3-Star California CB To Official Visit Weekend

The Denver Broncos are set to begin organized team activities (OTAs) next week, and there will be several new faces on the offensive side of the ball.

The Broncos added running back Jonah Coleman, offensive lineman Kage Casey and tight end Justin Joly in the mid-rounds of the draft in April, and tight end Dallen Bentley joined the squad as a late-round pick. Denver also added several undrafted wide receivers and two undrafted offensive linemen this spring.

While we wait for OTAs to begin on June 2, we've put together a quick offensive depth chart projection. Note that this is a projection, not an official depth chart from the club. The Broncos are not required to release an official depth chart until preseason begins this summer (and they still call that an "unofficial" depth chart).

Broncos offense depth chart

Quarterback (3)

• QB1: Bo Nix
• QB2: Jarrett Stidham OR Sam Ehlinger

Stidham and Ehlinger are set to battle for the backup QB job this summer, and Nix (ankle) might not be ready to fully practice before July, creating more reps for Stidham and Ehlinger this spring.

Running back (6)

• RB1: J.K. Dobbins
• RB2: RJ Harvey
• RB3: Jonah Coleman
• RB4: Tyler Badie
• Depth: Jaleel McLaughlin, Cody Schrader

Coleman's arrival is particularly bad news for Tyler Badie, who served as the team's primary passing-down back last season. Coleman is an upgrade over Badie as a runner and as a receiver, and he's also a skilled pass blocker, which was Badie's main role in 2025.

Wide receiver (13)

• WR1: Courtland Sutton
• WR2: Jaylen Waddle, Marvin Mims
• WR3: Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin
• Depth: Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy, Mike Woods
• UDFAs: Cam Ross, Kolbe Katsis, Dane Key, Sean Brown, Joseph Manjack

Waddle figures to immediately take on a large workload, but Sutton remains the "X" receiver in Denver. It will be interesting to see how involved Mims will be as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Tight end (7)

• TE1: Evan Engram
• TE2: Adam Trautman
• TE3: Justin Joly
• TE4: Nate Adkins
• Depth: Dallen Bentley, Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner

Adkins is well-regarded in Denver, so he probably has a good chance to make the active roster again in 2026. Last year, the Broncos carried four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster. If that's the plan again this season, Adkins, Bentley, Krull and Lohner are set to have a fierce battle for one roster spot this summer.

Offensive line (16)

• LT: Garett Bolles, Frank Crum
• LG: Ben Powers, Kage Casey, Nick Gargiulo
• C: Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth, Michael Deiter
• RG: Quinn Meinerz, Calvin Throckmorton, Matt Peart
• RT: Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski
• Depth: Tyler Miller, Gavin Ortega, Nash Jones

Several linemen will be backups at multiple positions, such as Palczewski and Casey providing cover at both tackle and guard. Throckmorton and Peart will be key veteran swing backups to watch this summer as younger linemen push for their spots.

Up next on Denver's offseason calendar are OTAs (June 2-4; June 9-11) and mandatory minicamp (June 16-18). Players will then have a summer break until training camp, which usually begins in late July.

Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.

This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Projected offensive depth chart going into OTAs

Sitting out the fourth quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has done that regular hobby twice this series — all for the absolute wrong reasons. Once again, the two-time MVP looked anything but his Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume. With a chance to deliver a loud knockout punch, he was mostly blanketed in a game where the scoreboard kept ballooning at Looney Tunes levels.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were a no-show in their 118-91 Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The 2026 Western Conference Finals is now tied up 3-3 apiece. With a decisive Game 7 on the way.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, four assists and one rebound. He shot 0-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.

The Jekyll and Hyde series experienced a new low. Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander look galaxies away from his usual self, but he also became a detriment to OKC's ambitions of finishing this up in six. Just another flat-out bad game for the reigning MVP. Don't have the numbers in front of me, but it feels like this series alone has exceeded his letter-F grades throughout the whole dang regular season.

Nothing went right for Gilgeous-Alexander. The total scoring dipped to about what he's usually accumulated in one half of basketball. The savvy playmaking went up in smoke. Suddenly, he's forgotten how to score in transition when the Thunder have the man advantage. And while he had a nifty baseline jumper over Victor Wembanyama, seldom did you see him create his own semi-open looks around the mid-range.

"I'm not too sure, to be honest. A lot of the shots that I'm shooting, I've shot plenty of times before and they feel good. They're just not going in," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's too late to abandon my work and abandon my game and who I am this late in the season. I got to trust it and live or die by it."

Throughout this playoff series, it just feels like Gilgeous-Alexander is dealing with some sorta physical ailment. The finishing around the rim has gone from 100th percentile to struggling to finish two-on-one breaks multiple times. Give credit to the Spurs, but the two-time MVP has looked like a shell of himself. The automatic jumper has mostly abandoned him. Alas, he won't use any possible physical limitations as a crutch to excuse his worst career playoff series.

"I'm good. I'm ready to go," Gilgeous-Alexander said about Game 7. "Biggest game of my career."

Regardless of what happens in Game 7, this has easily been Gilgeous-Alexander's most volatile playoff series to date. His whole run to NBA all-time greatness has been about how safely consistent he is. He might not have the fireworks that appease the average fan, but he always provided a steady floor you can walk on. That just hasn't been there this series. He has one more chance to either make that a footnote in a series win or a headliner that follows him everywhere all summer.

"Honestly, anything can happen in a Game 7. It's win or go home. Being in your building is nice, but it doesn't really mean anything. You have to go out there and be the better basketball team or else your season's done. That's what it comes down to," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's going to be nice having our fans behind us and cheering us, but we've got to go out there and do better. If we're not better, our season will be over."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Game 6 struggles in loss to Spurs puzzle him

The 2026 NCAA Men's Golf Championship is underway.

The best teams in men's college golf are at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's North Course for the third straight year battling it out for a national title. Oklahoma State is the defending national champion, but Auburn is the No. 1 team in the field this week. Play started Friday morning, kicking off four rounds of stroke play.

Follow along below for live updates from the opening round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship:

NCAA Men's Golf Championship live leaderboard

Follow along here for live scores from the 2026 NCAA Men's Golf Championship.

NCAA Men's Golf Championship first-round tee times

All times EDT

1st Tee

• 9:52 AM – Matt Moloney (Georgia); Carson Brewer (Florida State); Raghav Gulati (USC)
• 10:03 AM – James Earle (Georgia); Wilmer Edero (Florida State); Jack Buchanan (USC)
• 10:14 AM – JD Culbreth (Georgia); Jack Whaley (Florida State); Jose Antonio Safa (USC)
• 10:25 AM – Grayson Wood (Georgia); Jack Bigham (Florida State); Jaden Dumdumaya (USC)
• 10:36 AM – Carter Loflin (Georgia); Tyler Weaver (Florida State); Nicolas Dominguez (USC)
• 10:47 AM – Drew Wilson (Mississippi State); Jake Lile (Arkansas State); Jenson Forrester (Purdue)
• 10:58 AM – Ugo Malcor (Mississippi State); Cole Kirby (Arkansas State); Supapon Amornchaichan (Purdue)
• 11:09 AM – Jackson Skinner (Mississippi State); Milan Reed (Arkansas State); Kentaro Nanayama (Purdue)
• 11:20 AM – Dain Richie (Mississippi State); Jake Wallis (Arkansas State); Will Harvey (Purdue)
• 11:31 AM – Garrett Endicott (Mississippi State); Thomas Schmidt (Arkansas State); Sam Easterbrook (Purdue)
• 11:42 AM – Steen Zeman (CSU Long Beach - IND); Jorge Martin Sampedro (UTRGV - IND); Jacob Lang (Kentucky - IND)
• 3:12 PM – Josh Duangmanee (Virginia); Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson (Oklahoma State); Thomas Curry (Arkansas)
• 3:23 PM – Michael Lee (Virginia); Gaven Lane (Oklahoma State); Cam Smith (Arkansas)
• 3:34 PM – Bryan Lee (Virginia); Eric Lee (Oklahoma State); John Daly II (Arkansas)
• 3:45 PM – Paul Chang (Virginia); Ethan Fang (Oklahoma State); Erich Fortlage (Arkansas)
• 3:56 PM – Ben James (Virginia); Preston Stout (Oklahoma State); Gerardo Gomez (Arkansas)
• 4:07 PM – Michael Riebe (Vanderbilt); Tianyi Xiong (Arizona); Boston Bracken (Arizona State)
• 4:18 PM – Will Hartman (Vanderbilt); William Wistrand (Arizona); Michael Mjaaseth (Arizona State)
• 4:29 PM – Jon Ed Steed (Vanderbilt); Zach Pollo (Arizona); Pongsapak Laopakdee (Arizona State)
• 4:40 PM – Ryan Downes (Vanderbilt); Taishi Moto (Arizona); Bowen Mauss (Arizona State)
• 4:51 PM – Wells Williams (Vanderbilt); Filip Jakubcik (Arizona); Connor Williams (Arizona State)
• 5:02 PM – William Jennings (Alabama - IND); Malan Potgieter (Louisiana - IND); Michael Lugiano (Liberty - IND)

10th Tee

• 9:30 AM – Bruce Murphy (Tennessee); Kris Kuvaas (Texas A&M); Parker Bunn (BYU)
• 9:41 AM – Jackson Herrington (Tennessee); Jaime Montojo (Texas A&M); Tyson Shelley (BYU)
• 9:52 AM – Chase Kyes (Tennessee); Shiv Parmar (Texas A&M); Peter Kim (BYU)
• 10:03 AM – Josh Hill (Tennessee); Wheaton Ennis (Texas A&M); Simon Kwon (BYU)
• 10:14 AM – Lance Simpson (Tennessee); Aaron Pounds (Texas A&M); Kihei Akina (BYU)
• 10:25 AM – Daniel Choi (Duke); Alex Papayoanou (UCLA); Andrew Tan (Louisville)
• 10:36 AM – Oliver Mukherjee (Duke); Kyle An (UCLA); Easton Johnson (Louisville)
• 10:47 AM – Ethan Evans (Duke); Tyler Loree (UCLA); Brady Smith (Louisville)
• 10:58 AM – William Love (Duke); Baylor Larrabee (UCLA); Warren Thomis (Louisville)
• 11:09 AM – Bryan Kim (Duke); Josh Kim (UCLA); Cooper Claycomb (Louisville)
• 11:20 AM – Reid Piron (San Diego); Griffin Law (Chattanooga); Tobey Kim (Memphis)
• 11:31 AM – Cooper Humphreys (San Diego); Ethan Whitaker (Chattanooga); Christian Morneau (Memphis)
• 11:42 AM – You Seong Choi (San Diego); Ward Harris (Chattanooga); Cian O’Connor (Memphis)
• 11:53 AM – Reed Arnaldo (San Diego); Evan Rogers (Chattanooga); Diego Do Patrocinio Lourenco (Memphis)
• 12:04 PM – Ian Maspat (San Diego); Camden Braidech (Chattanooga); Yixiang Wang (Memphis)
• 2:50 PM – Logan Reilly (Auburn); Parker Sands (Florida); Matt Comegys (Texas)
• 3:01 PM – Jake Albert (Auburn); Zack Swanwick (Florida); Daniel Bennett (Texas)
• 3:12 PM – Cayden Pope (Auburn); Matthew Kress (Florida); Tommy Morrison (Texas)
• 3:23 PM – Josiah Gilbert (Auburn); Jack Turner (Florida); Christiaan Maas (Texas)
• 3:34 PM – Jackson Koivun (Auburn); Luke Poulter (Florida); Luke Potter (Texas)
• 3:45 PM – Matthew Dodd-Berry (LSU); Finn Meister (Ole Miss); Andrew Riley (UNC)
• 3:56 PM – Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson (LSU); Collins Trolio (Ole Miss); Sihan Sandhu (UNC)
• 4:07 PM – Dan Hayes (LSU); Cohen Trolio (Ole Miss); Grant Roscich (UNC)
• 4:18 PM – Jay Mendell (LSU); Tom Fischer (Ole Miss); Carson Bertagnole (UNC)
• 4:29 PM – Noah McWilliams (LSU); Cameron Tankersley (Ole Miss); Niall Sheils Donegan (UNC)
• 4:40 PM – Carson Kim (Pepperdine); Ethan Gao (Stanford); Matthew Troutman (Oklahoma)
• 4:51 PM – Byungho Lee (Pepperdine); Edan Cui (Stanford); Clark Van Gaalen (Oklahoma)
• 5:02 PM – Brady Siravo (Pepperdine); Jay Leng (Stanford); PJ Maybank III (Oklahoma)
• 5:13 PM – Willy Walsh (Pepperdine); Nathan Wang (Stanford); Ryder Cowan (Oklahoma)
• 5:24 PM – Mahanth Chirravuri (Pepperdine); Dean Greyserman (Stanford); Jase Summy (Oklahoma)

NCAA Men's Golf Championship TV information

Golf Channel is the TV home for the NCAA Championships. All times ET.

• Monday, June 1
  • 5:30-9:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 2
  • 1-3:30 p.m.
  • 6-10 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 3
  • 6-10 p.m.

NCAA Men's Golf Championship format

Finals play for both championships consist of three days of stroke play on Friday thru Sunday (54 holes), after which the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday.

NCAA Men's Golf Championship tickets

Fans must have tickets to attend this year's NCAA Golf Championships. Here's how to buy them.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: NCAA Men's Golf live updates: Scores, results for 2026 first round

Centre-back Aaron Drewe has left Woking after failing to agree a new contract.

The 25-year-old played in all bar one of the Cards' 46 National League games last season, after joining from Oxford City.

"We brought Aaron in from the level below and he developed into one of our most consistent performers," said Woking's director of football Jody Brown.

"We were in discussions with Aaron long before the season ended, but it's important to maintain our values, and the alignment with our longer-term vision, as opposed to being driven by emotions."

The New York Mets (22-33) welcome the Miami Marlins (26-31) to Citi Field, one week after Miami swept New York down at loanDepot Park. Miami promptly went out and lost two out of three to the Blue Jays, much like how the Mets lost two of three to the Reds following the sweep.

The Mets ended up dropping the next two games after getting swept, falling by an identical 7-2 score on Monday and 7-2 on Tuesday. Even weirder still, both games had the same score and the same time of game (2:56). They did rebound to win, mercifully, by a 4-2 score on Wednesday, which halted their five-game skid. The win was primarily aided by the Reds’ inability to bring home runners, as they stranded a small army (17 in total) on the base paths. Despite having runners on base in every single inning, the Mets held Cincinnati to two runs on the evening, and the pitching, which was essentially a bullpen game with Jonah Tong serving as the bulk arm, did just enough to secure a win.

The offense scored eight runs across the three games, which feels like an embarrassment of riches compared to the two runs they scored last weekend in Miami, but it’s hardly enough to consider the offense “back”. Meanwhile, the pitching faltered in each of the first two games, first with Nolan McLean getting knocked around for a second straight start, and then with David Peterson reverting back to his struggles after some encouraging outings earlier in the month. Speaking of Peterson, he made a mental lapse in the field which was the topic of much conversation in the booth, and with some starting to question whether apathy is setting in for a group that appears to be going nowhere fast.

Carson Benge, who struggled so mightily in April, continues to emerge as a might spot in another relatively dim month for the Mets—this is again probably an overreaction given that the team is hovering around .500 this month, but still hardly well enough to be celebrated. Benge has the second-highest wRC+ (122) and second-best fWAR (0.6) among Mets hitters this month, trailing just Juan Soto in both categories. The rookie contributed two run-scoring hits on Thursday, which ended up being the difference, as the only other runs the Mets could muster came on solo shots from the aforementioned Soto and the newly-acquired Eric Wagaman. Benge is also second on the team in runs scored this month with 16 (again, behind Soto) and third in runs batted in with 14, trailing Soto (16) and Mark Vientos (15). He leads all Mets qualified hitters this month with a .302 average.

But two of the veterans the team acquired in the offseason continue to be hugely problematic on offense. Bo Bichette, who has shown some glimpses of turning it around, is still hitting .218/.275/.317 with a 72 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR in May. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien, who did homer in Monday’s loss, has done little else, hitting .207/.250/.326 with a 63 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR for the month. For the Mets to have any shot of digging themselves out of their early-season hole, they will need much more production from these two bats, specifically Bichette, who was brought in for his offense.

The Mets got to enjoy something yesterday that they haven’t enjoyed since May 11: a day off and some extra rest. The last time the Mets had a day off, the Knicks had just wrapped up a sweep of the 76ers on the previous day and were beginning their eight days of rest before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals. In any event, the Mets played a marathon stretch that took them through a homestand against the Tigers and Yankees, back onto the road against the Nationals and Marlins, and then back home again to face the Reds. The stretch encompassed their jubilant 5-1 homestand, their demoralizing 2-5 road trip, and their uneven series loss this week. This is just the second (and final) day off of the month, but it could prove to give them a bit of a boost as they prepare for one final home series before heading back out west to take on the Mariners.

Friday, May 29: Freddy Peralta vs. Max Meyer, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX

Peralta (2026): 61.1 IP. 63 K, 27 BB, 8 HR, 3.52 ERA, 4.13 IP, 91 ERA-

Peralta endured his strangest start as a Met. He allowed a season-high eight hits and matched his season-worst by allowing four earned runs and two home runs (both on Opening Day). However, he completed seven innings for the first time as a Met, struck out a season-high nine and walked just two batters after walking a season-high six in his prior outing. All that said, he still endured a loss to the Marlins, his fourth in a Mets uniform. It wouldn’t have mattered much anyway, as the offense was only able to push one run across.

Meyer (2026): 60.2 IP, 68 K, 22 BB, 4 HR, 2.52 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 62 ERA-

Meyer had no problem handling the Mets his last time out. He hurled seven shutout innings against New York, allowing just one hit and walking three while striking out eight. He has now tossed 13 scoreless innings across his last two starts, and has earned a win in his last three starts and four of five outings in May. For the month, he has posted a 1.76 ERA and a 2.71 FIP in 30 2/3 innings. He has struck out 35 and is limiting hitters to a .168/.246/.271 slash line.

Saturday, May 30: Christian Scott vs. Tyler Phillips, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 25.1 IP, 30 K, 14 BB, 1 HR, 3.20 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 82 ERA-

Scott is coming off his best start of the young season, and his best since coming back from Tommy John Surgery. The right-hander pitched into the sixth inning for the first time all year, throwing 5 2/3 innings against Miami. He held the Marlins off the board, scattering four hits while walking two and striking out five. It was his first time holding an opponent scoreless in 15 major league appearances, meaning that the 26-year-old could be turning a corner after struggling across much of the early part of this year. It’s a sorely-needed development for the Mets, who need all the help they can get on the starting pitching front.

Phillips (2026): 33.2 IP, 31 K, 18 BB, 1 HR, 1.07 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 26 ERA-

Phillips started the year off as a reliever but has transitioned to the rotation in recent weeks. This will be just his second start of the season. His first one went well, as he limited the Mets to just two hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings. He walked two, struck out four, and tossed a season-high 59 pitches. It was his longest outing of the year, though he has gone three innings on four separate occasions in relief. It’s likely he’ll be stretched out enough to go four, and maybe a little further depending on pitch count, but he likely won’t go much further than 60-70 pitches. He has only allowed a run in five of his 16 outings this year.

Sunday, May 31: Nolan McLean vs. Janson Junk, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY

McLean (2026):61.1 IP, 75 K, 19 BB, 8 HR, 4.40 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 113 ERA-

The last two starts have been a disaster for McLean. After allowing 19 runs in his first nine starts, he allowed 16 runs over his last two outings, which drove his ERA up from 2.92 to 4.40. His last time out started on a promising note, with the right-hander striking out the side in the first. However, it quickly devolved from there, and he only lasted 3 1/3 innings, the shortest outing of his major league career. He ended up being tagged for even earned runs (his season high) on five hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. He also allowed two home runs for the second consecutive start and has allowed six over his last four appearances after serving up just two in his first seven starts. For whatever little hope the Mets have of getting back into the playoff race, they will need McLean to be more like the 2025 version and less like what they’ve seen the last two times out.

Junk (2026): 60.0 IP, 43 K, 13 BB, 8 HR, 4.80 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 118 ERA-

Junk had a nice bounce back outing after suffering two really bad starts in a row against the Rays (5 2/3 innings, seven earned runs, ten hits, three walks, four strikeouts, two home runs) and the Braves (five innings, eight earned runs, eight hits, three strikeouts, zero walks, two home runs), both of which resulted in losses. Against the Blue Jays, he went five innings and allowed just one earned run on eight hits while striking out three and not issuing a walk. It was an encouraging outing and got the right-hander back in the win column after his recent string of losses. Surprisingly, the Mets did not see Junk at any point last year while pitching for the Marlins and in fact this will be his first regular season appearance against the Amazins.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, owner of Newcastle United, is not actively looking to sell the club, but rather just a minority stake, as that remains a possibility as part of long-term planning.

“A cash injection into the club from the Public Investment Fund is set to be revealed… and this money will be used to help fund the purchase of the Leazes Terrace buildings,” the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope reported on May 21.

The move is being framed internally as a sign of commitment rather than a step toward PIF’s exit from Tyneside.

“Sources say the continued injection of capital demonstrates PIF’s commitment,” Hope writes. “Talk this week of selling a stake… was not instigated by them. Rather, it was an idea proposed by those close to institutional investors.”

Any potential deal, however, would be limited in scope and focused on funding growth.

“If it did happen… it would only be a minority share with a view to raising funds towards infrastructural projects such as a new stadium and training ground,” Hope writes. “For example, a 10 per cent stake for £150m would value Newcastle at £1.5billion.”

There would also be minimal impact on the control of the club by whoever lands a chunk of Newcastle.

“We are told any new investor would be very unlikely to have a major say in the running of the club,” Hope reports.

Ultimately, the plan reflects a broader ambition rather than a shift away from ownership, with PIF seemingly reaffirming its willingness to keep trying to build NUFC into a powerhouse.

“It has been stressed that PIF are not looking to dilute their share to any significant level… on the contrary… it shows an ambition to deliver on key developments,” Hope writes.

The Comets and Drillers won comfortably as Tulsa managed to get at least one of the games in, pushing the doubleheader to this Friday.

Player of the day

The standout player in the Dodgers’ minor league system early in the season, James Tibbs III, returned to the spotlight with one of his most impressive performances since being acquired in a trade with the Red Sox.

Tibbs III had his first multi-homer game since early April when he managed to hit three of them and now has 14, already closing in on the 20 he had across multiple levels last season.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

There was a mix-up in plans, with eight of the Comets’ nine hitters committed to a death by a thousand cuts approach, only to see James Tibbs III smash through the opposition for a blowout 9-2 win. Scoring at least one run in five of the game’s first six innings, the Comets were relentless, and at the heart of the scoring, you had not one but two three-run shots from Tibbs.

Tibbs’ outstanding player display was maximized by a top of the order that thrived with both Tommy Edman and Zach Ehrahrd reaching base multiple times. Moving over to the pitching side of things, River Ryan allowed just one unearned run in six terrific innings, striking out eight and walking none. It was the first time Ryan pitched into the sixth inning this season.

Double-A Tulsa

While he couldn’t limit walks as well as Ryan, Tulsa starter Adam Serwinowski also struck out eight on his way to a superb pitching performance, allowing just one run in 5.1 innings as the Drillers beat the Naturals 6-1. A double-header was supposed to be played, but the second of these games had to be pushed back a day.

Buried in the ninth spot in the lineup, Chris Newell led the action as the Drillers’ outfield combined to record five of the nine hits from the Drillers. Newell hit the game’s only home run and also stole a base, one of five successful steals from the Drillers.

High-A Great Lakes

Starter Jakob Wright had three reasonable to great outings in May, but on either side of it, he was absolutely blown up to start and end the month with a loss. Dayton got the Loons starter for seven runs, four of them earned, in a 12-3 loss for Great Lakes.

Center fielder Eduardo Quintero had a rather unlucky game, recording three hits and no runs or RBI. The leadoff hitter carried on his positive momentum with a couple of doubles, currently boasting a .919 OPS. Lastly, designated hitter Jose Meza hit the Loons’ only home run.

Single-A Ontario

Despite outhomering their opponents three to one and recording a late surge with a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth, the Tower Buzzers fell short of the Rawhide at home in an 8-6 loss. Interestingly, starter Tyler Gough didn’t allow a run in his 3.1 innings of work, as all of the Rawhide scoring came against Ontario’s bullpen, pouncing on Accimias Morales and Jesus Tillero.

Responsible for one of those three home runs, Chase Harlan is about as unstoppable as any other hitter in Single-A these days. The nineteen-year-old third baseman has left the yard in each of his last four games for the Tower Buzzers, accumulating five home runs during this period.

Transactions

Utility player Santiago Espinal was sent to the Comets. The Ontario Tower Buzzers activated right-handed pitcher Tyler Gough.

Thursday’s scores

• Sugar Land 2, Oklahoma City 9
• Tulsa 6, NW Arkansas 1
• Double-A game 2 postponed
• Dayton 12, Great Lakes 3
• Ontario 6, Visalia 8

Friday’s schedule

• 2:30 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Payton Martin) vs. NW Arkansas (Hunter Owen)
• Game 2: Tulsa (Peter Heubeck) vs. NW Arkansas (TBD)
• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Christian Zazueta) at Dayton (Kyle McCoy)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Logan Allen) at Sugar Land (Josh Hendrickson)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Visalia (TBD)

The college baseball postseason begins today with the 64 teams competing in 16 regional rounds. College baseball has, unfortunately, lagged behind college football and basketball in popularity and exposure, largely because many top talents start their professional careers directly out of high school rather than having to spend time in college.

It should come as no surprise that they are behind the two main sports in financial value as well. College football gets massive payouts for media deals, the CFP, and bowl games. College Basketball has value during the season and goes to another level entirely for March Madness. Both allow conferences or teams to get significant paydays for their postseason appearances.

But with the Road to Omaha starting, does college baseball also see a jump in financial payouts or incentives? Unfortunately, it looks like the answer is no.

According to some 2014 message boards on Collegiate Sports Nation, there are no payouts for the teams that make the initial Field of 64. While the info may be outdated over a decade later, there aren’t any more recent articles so things shouldn’t be too different. The NCAA covers travel costs for teams to go to their regionals, so they break even, but they aren’t making money from their appearance. For the eight teams that make the College World Series, there is a significant stipend somewhere around six figures. Travel costs are again taken out of that, so it should be assumed any profits are minimal at best.

Marca says that while the tournament itself makes a narrow profit (about $500,000 in 2023), those profits don’t carry over to players or teams outside of exposure.

It’s unfortunate there isn’t some kind of monetary distribution for the 64 teams, but if there is no money coming in, then it’s hard to have money coming out. This illustrates how large the gap truly is between college basketball and college baseball.

We made it through another week A’s fans! Ready for a huge weekend of A’s baseball?

The Yankees are in town and the series kicks off tonight in Sacramento. The Athletics just got swept for just the second time this season and have fallen out of first place so stacking up a couple wins against a strong Yankee team would be ideal. Definitely can’t afford another sweep and finish the homestand 0-6. The Yankees are a tough opponent though and they just welcomed back their ace in Gerritt Cole (but lost Max Fried). They have the second-best record in the American League and have won four straight entering tonight. Lucky for the A’s they’ll miss Cole in this series as well as emerging right-hander Cam Schlittler. The A’s will instead be tasked with getting to veteran Carlos Rodon tonight before facing 26-year-old starters Ryan Weathers and Will Warren on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Elsewhere, down in the minors the Athletics’ #1 prospect is dealing with a minor injury. Shortstop Leo De Vries has missed a few games in recent days with an unknown problem with a finger (unknown which one):

The 20-year-old shortstop is actually going to get away from the team and travel to Arizona where he will be looked at by an orthopedic hand specialist. That’s a concerning development for the young shortstop, who is off to a solid start in Midland. He’s hitting .281/.360/.401 with five home runs and 16 stolen bases. He had a strong April before going through a tougher May, which will now be cut short. Everyone will be holding their breath that De Vries hasn’t done something major to a finger and hope he can return to game action sooner rather than later. He’s still incredibly young for his level but a promotion to Triple-A has been on the radar all year. That eventual promotion will now certainly be pushed back a bit and could come a lot later than A’s fans hoped, depending on what the doctor says about that finger.

Wrapping your Friday news dump, MLB’s owners have made their first proposal to the MLBPA regarding the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement.

That has always been a huge sticking point for the players as they believe the owners want to keep salaries from continuing to explode. A lot of the league will point to the two-time champion Los Angeles Dodgers as the reason for a need for a salary cap and the logic works, to a degree. The players’ association would almost certainly fight tooth and nail over this, which was a huge cause of the 1994 players’ strike. They won out in that battle but the owners seem more determined than ever to get a salary cap like the NFL and NBA currently have.

If that truly is a sticking point in negotiations, then there is a very real possibility we have a lockout coming up soon. One of the proposed things the owners would be agreeing to for the salary cap would be a salary floor, forcing every team in the league to spend at least X amount on the major league team. That was something A’s have had been hoping for when the team was still in Oakland. How would the recent playoff teams the Athletics had could have done more damage in the postseason had they been supplemented with free agent additions and a sizable payroll increase?

It’s too late for Oakland now but if this is the future parameters of a deal then owner John Fisher will have to finally spend more on the team. He’s begun doing more of that since moving the team and they rank 21st in the league with a $94 million payroll but he’d have to spend close to $77 million more on the team. Add in the great young talent the A’s have accumulated and the potential salary floor would certainly help the Green & Gold go up against high-priced teams like the Yankees and Dodgers. Something to think about and monitor as these negotiations continue over the next few months.

Have a great weekend everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Early MLB Draft Preview
• The A’s may have finally found their new leadoff hitter
• A’s drop the game and Series to the Mariners, fall into second place
• Latest Athletics injuries and transactions
• A’s lose to Mariners 4-1, Kurtz Streak ends with O-fer
• Is A Jump In Talent Nigh?
• What to expect when A’s Jump makes leap to MLB
• What The Mariners’ Slow First 1/3 Means For The AL West
• Wilson takes swings in next step toward return from IL
• After facing Miller for first time, how is blockbuster trade looking for A’s?
• Athletics Drop Series Opener to Mariners 9-2
• A’s Win In San Diego, Beat Padres 5-2
• “State Of The Rotation”: A Projected Weakness, An Actual…?

MLB News and Interest:

• Tigers place Kenley Jansen on 15-day IL with pelvic inflammation
• Teoscar Hernández To Be Placed On IL With Hamstring Strain
• Pirates’ Jared Jones to make 1st MLB appearance since ’24 on Friday
• Red Sox place Garrett Whitlock on IL with knee inflammation
• MLB makes initial CBA proposal to address competitive balance
• Rockies Transfer Jose Quintana To 60-Day Injured List
• White Sox secure 1st winning month since ’23 after latest Martin gem
• NEW Top 200 Draft Prospects list! Here are 7 key takeaways
• Orioles Activate, Option Heston Kjerstad
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Sacramento making a play to somehow keep the A’s/lure an expansion to Northern California:

Improvement!

How accurate would you call this assessment?

Ugh. Hard to bench a guy with that huge contract but how long can the A’s keep marching him out there? Are the offseason surgeries affecting him more than he’s letting on?

From Wednesday:

Following a much-needed sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees enjoyed an off day on Thursday. They next head further west to take on the Athletics, who are very much in the American League’s playoff picture. The first place Rays were also off the schedule, though there were still games of note to take in on Thursday. So, here’s a look at went down around the Junior Circuit.

Toronto Blue Jays (28-29) 2, Baltimore Orioles (26-31) 1

In an evening AL East matchup, pitching was the name of the game, as the Blue Jays did just enough to push past the O’s in Baltimore.

Both starters, Patrick Corbin for the Jays and Chris Bassitt for Baltimore, were excellent in their respective outings. It was Toronto who got to their former teammate Bassitt first, when Andrés Giménez led off the third inning with a solo blast, his sixth homer of the season.

The solo shot would stand as the only real blemish on the veteran righty’s day on the mound. Bassitt finished his day after six innings of work, allowing just that one run on four hits and striking out a pair. Unfortunately for him and the Orioles, Patrick Corbin was just as good on the mound for Toronto.

In fact, his line was nearly identical. The left-hander worked his way through five innings of solid ball, also allowing a single run on four hits, though he tallied a few more strikeouts, racking up four on the evening. His first mistake, and Baltimore’s lone run of the game, came in the fourth, when Coby Mayo teed off on a solo homer of his own, squaring things up at one a piece.

After both starters exited the game, things remained quiet on the offensive side, as this game remained in a 1-1 gridlock into the later innings. In the top of the eighth, the Blue Jays did what they could to change that. George Springer led the frame off with a double, before being advanced by a sacrifice bunt. A pair of walks following this had the bases loaded with just one out. Kazuma Okamoto struck out for the second out, before pinch-hitter Yohendrick Piñango worked a walk to push the go-ahead run across. The bases-loaded walk in the eighth turned out to be the decisive blow, as the Jays skated past the O’s, though both clubs still have an uphill climb in the division.

Other Games

Houston Astros (26-32) 5, Texas Rangers (25-31) 1:

In a matchup of middling AL West squads, early scoring pushed the Astros past the Rangers on Thursday. The game opened with a bang for Houston, as home runs from Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes had them up 3-0 before the Rangers had a chance to hit.

Josh Jung answered with a solo shot for Texas in the second, but the ‘Stros continued to lay it on in the third inning, with a double from Taylor Trammell and a Cam Smith knock putting them up 5-1. A forgettable day on the mound for Nathan Eovaldi (7 IP, 5 ER) had Houston up from end to end. The Rangers could only post a single run on the evening, as they dropped an important one at home. The AL West remains a situation to monitor, as the sub-.500 Mariners lead the division by a half-game, and four teams are within 2.5 games of first place.

Gilbert Arenas wants Victor Wembanyama to work with Dirk Nowitzki so the San Antonio Spurs star can slow his offense down and use his size better.

The advice is not about limiting Wembanyama’s talent. It is about making his rare tools easier to control, especially when defenses try to speed him up.

Arenas sees a simple model in Nowitzki: stay patient, keep the ball high, and make defenders deal with a shot they cannot reach.

Gilbert Arenas wants Victor Wembanyama to learn Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks patience

Speaking on a recent episode of The Gilbert Arenas Show, the ex-NBA star said Wembanyama should borrow from Nowitzki’s slower, cleaner scoring rhythm.

“Slow down. You’re in a rush… Go work with Dirk this summer. Dirk understood to keep the ball high. Shot from above his head,” Arenas said.

He added, “You couldn’t block his shot. Dirk didn’t move very fast or very quick. But got by everybody.”

That is the heart of Arenas’ point. Wembanyama does not need to play smaller or faster just because he can handle the ball like a guard.

At his height, his biggest advantage is already built in. If he catches, stays tall and shoots over defenders, most matchups have no real contest available.

Nowitzki mastered that idea with Dallas, using balance, patience and a high release to turn difficult mid-post possessions into comfortable looks.

Gilbert Arenas says Victor Wembanyama needs San Antonio Spurs post patience before more speed

Arenas then explained the details he wants Wembanyama to sharpen.

“Understanding pump fakes, triple threats. Triple threats still a thing. It is still very powerful. Anytime you catch the ball mid-post, turn and face first. Keep the ball high,” Arenas further stated.

That advice fits Wembanyama’s next development step. He already has range, handle, length and defensive dominance, but his offense can become cleaner if he stops rushing into moves.

The triple-threat game would force defenders to guess before he dribbles. A pump fake can turn his high release into free throws, clean drives, or rhythm jumpers.

Nowitzki has also praised Wembanyama’s impact, saying the French star is changing the game, which makes the potential mentorship even more natural.

Arenas is not telling Wembanyama to become Nowitzki. He is telling him to steal the parts of Dirk’s game that made being tall feel unfair.

Read more:

Good morning everyone and happy Friday!

The M’s will take on the Diamondbacks today for the first in a three-game weekend set. The D-Backs have long been one of my favorite NL squads — they’re geographically close(ish) but harmless to the Mariners in the grand scheme. Though, nobody will top the Nationals for me. What is your favorite NL team?

In Mariners news…

• Max Ellingsen continued his breakdown of possible Mariners draft picks by diving into the profile of Ole Miss right-hander Cade Townsend.
• Adam Jude at The Seattle Times wrote about the positive impression Colt Emerson has already left on the Mariners’ clubhouse.

Around the league…

• Major League Baseball presented its first official Collective Bargaining Agreement proposal, which features both a hard salary cap and floor. Evan Drellich at The Athletic has the full report. ($)
• The city of Sacramento has joined the ranks of major American cities officially vying for an MLB expansion franchise, reports Evan Drellich at The Athletic. ($) Others include Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Austin, Montreal, Raleigh, and Orlando.
• The Tigers placed closer Kenley Jansen on the injured list with pelvic inflammation. Sounds unpleasant!
• Davy Andrews at Fangraphs tried to figure out why James Wood — one of the game’s best hitters — sucks at using the ABS challenge system.
• Keith Law at The Athletic published his updated top 50 prospects list, with a trio of Mariners appearing in the top 20. ($)
• Jim Bowden at The Athletic assessed each team’s potential fit for a Tarik Skubal trade. ($)
• Over at Fangraphs, Ryan Blake wonders how sustainable the Rays’ success really is.
• Spencer Nusbaum at The Athletic dug into the sudden revival of Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz, whose resurgence has blocked Harry Ford from debuting in Washington. ($)

Diamondbacks News

(SI.com) The Diamondbacks Have a Geraldo Perdomo Problem

Franchise shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, who sprung to life with an elite seven-WAR season and a fourth-place MVP placement in 2025, has a mere .671 OPS. He’s on pace to produce his worst full-season OPS since 2022, when (at 22 years old) he hit just .195.

Perdomo’s hit primarily in the three-hole this season, but has only 20 RBI — a far cry from the 100-RBI production that earned him a franchise record in 2025.

So, how bad has Perdomo really been? What part of his game has remained positive this year? Let’s take a look at the numbers:

(ClutchPoints) How a Diamondbacks fan’s mistake ended with 2 Giants Willy Adames home run balls

The Arizona Diamondbacks became part of one of baseball’s strangest fan stories this week after a Chase Field mix-up somehow turned into two Willy Adames home run balls for the same couple.

(AZ Central) Red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks rising in 2026 World Series odds

The Arizona Diamondbacks have won 10 of their past 11 games.

They have surged to the top of the NL wild-card race, tied with the San Diego Padres at 31-24.

And their World Series odds are improving

MLB News

(ESPN) Breaking down initial MLB CBA proposals: Salary cap and more

MLB proposed a salary-cap system Thursday, marking the league’s first foray into overhauling the sport’s economic structure in more than three decades. The long-awaited proposal would set a hard cap of $245.3 million and hard floor of $171.2 million, aiming to shrink the disparity among team payrolls by a significant amount. The league’s proposal — which also called for a 50/50 revenue split and the centralization of all television revenue — came one day after the MLBPA made a wide-ranging opening offer that called for a soft floor, new definitions of revenue sharing and pay increases for younger players.

(NBC Sports) Baseball players ask for expanded free agency, salary arbitration rights, almost doubling minimum

A day before Major League Baseball is expected to make a salary cap proposal, the union outlined its initial economic proposals during a bargaining session at the players’ association office in Manhattan. It included what it called a “competitive integrity tax” that would penalize teams dropping below a payroll floor and called for the luxury tax threshold to rise to $300 million next year.

(CBS Sports) NL Cy Young odds, prediction: Incredible race has current top six that doesn’t even include Paul Skenes

We just got past the two-month mark of the 2026 MLB season, which means there are still four long months to go. Needless to say, so many things can change over the large sample that is yet to come. In looking at the top-shelf pitching on the National League side, however, I couldn’t help but want to run through the race for the Cy Young award right now.

I count at least six pitchers with a very strong case and this doesn’t even include last season’s winner in Paul Skenes. I fully expect him to be in the mix by the time we get to September, but his case thus far in 2026 just doesn’t measure up to our top six.

No. 10 seed Florida State will begin its NCAA Tournament run on Friday, hosting the Tallahassee regional as it welcomes No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina, third-seeded Northern Illinois and No. 4-seed St. John’s.

The Seminoles open play against the Red Storm at 3 p.m. (ACC Network) and will be starting Bryson Moore on the mound.

FSU enters the postseason holding a 38-17 (19-11 ACC) record, hosting a regional for the third season in a row and 38th time overall. Per FSU Sports Info, the Seminoles have swept back-to-back regionals (2024 and 2025) and have won eight consecutive home games in the postseason. As a team, Florida State is hitting .282 with 519 hits, 72 home runs, 105 doubles, 10 triples, 264 walks, 395 runs scored and 351 RBI. The pitching staff has a 4.05 ERA with 211 earned runs allowed on 394 hits with 580 strikeouts and 203 walks in 469.1 innings.

No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina (37-21), last year’s national runners-up, enters the tournament averaging .269 at the plate with an ERA of 5.08. Florida State is 13-1 all-time against Coastal Carolina, all in Tallahassee, including 1-0 in the postseason, with the Chanticleers’ sole victory coming in the program’s last meeting (2015) to avoid a sweep.

No. 3 Northern Illinois (35-17) is making its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and first in 44 years, earning a bid after winning the MAC. The Huskies’ batting average is .279 with an ERA of 5.65. The Seminoles have faced off against Northern Illinois just once before this weekend, a 7-1 victory in Tallahassee on April 8, 1971.

No. 4 St. John’s (33-24) enters the regional as the Big East champion, hitting .279 with a 5.37 ERA. FSU is 2-1 vs. St. John’s, with the only previous meeting a three-game series from March 4-6, 2016.

Northern Illinois and Coastal Carolina will be facing off for the first time ever, while St. John’s and Coastal Carolina have met seven times, with the Chanticleers leading the all-time series 4-3. The Red Storm are 1-0 vs. Northern Illinois all-time.

2026 Tallahassee Regional: Schedule

Friday, May 29

Game 1: No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 4 St. John’s

• Time: 3 p.m.
• Channel: ACCN

Game 2: No. 2 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 3 Northern Illinois

• Time: 8 p.m.
• Channel: ESPN+

Saturday, May 30

Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

• Time: 1 p.m.
• Channel: TBA

Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

• Time: 6 p.m.
• Channel: TBA

Sunday, May 31

Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

• Time: 1 p.m.
• Channel: TBA

Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

• Time: 6 p.m.
• Channel: TBA

Monday, June 1

Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)

• Time: TBA
• Channel: TBA

Game notes, via FSU Sports Info

• One of three teams in the country to host a regional each of the last three years, FSU is 38-17 on the season, 27-4 at home, 10-9 on the road, 1-4 at a neutral site and 7-7 against ranked opponents. Finishing third in the ACC, the team was 19-11 with eight series wins, both the team’s best totals since 2014 outside of the extended 2021 season. The Seminoles’ eight ACC series wins included three sweeps, while four of the 10 series came against top-12 nationally-ranked opponents, three of them on the road.
• Redshirt sophomore right fielder Brody DeLamielleure has a team-best and career-long 18-game hit streak and is hitting .344. Freshman outfielder John Stuetzer has 51 hits and junior center fielder Brayden Dowd has hit 10 home runs with 12 doubles. Junior left fielder Chase Williams has 17 stolen bases in 22 attempts. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes, the ACC Pitcher of the Year, is 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA, having struck out 117 and allowed 28 earned runs on 68 hits in 89.0 innings. Junior right-hander John Abraham has made 17 appearances, all but one out of the bullpen, and has 55 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA in 43.1 innings.
• FSU leads the country with 38 regionals hosted and 19 Super Regionals, as the team is one of three teams to be hosting a regional for the third consecutive year in 2026 and one of five to have advanced to the Super Regional in both 2024 and 2025. Florida State is second in the nation with 211 all-time NCAA wins and 62 postseason appearances (behind Texas’ 259 wins and 65 appearances) and third with 24 CWS berths.
• ACC Network will broadcast Friday’s FSU-SJU opener. While TV designation for the rest of the weekend has not been announced, each game of the regional will air live on the ESPN family of networks and ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Each game also is available around the world on the FSU Gameday App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at NCAA.com. A Regional Central page is at Seminoles.com with direct links to watch, listen and follow along and more. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).

Greg Hardy continues to be one of combat sports’ biggest embarrassments.

The former UFC fighter and NFL player is scheduled to face four-fight UFC veteran Darko Stosic this Saturday at a Fight Nation Championship event in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday. At today’s official weigh-ins for FNC 31, Hardy didn’t come close to making weight, registering at 132 kg or approximately 291 pounds. That’s 25 pounds over the limit for a non-title heavyweight fight, according to Fight Site’s Igor Feješ.

Watch Hardy step to the scale below.

Feješ reported that Stosic is accepting the fight despite Hardy’s egregious weight miss.

This is just the latest stumble for Hardy, who transitioned to a career in combat sports after a disgraceful exit from the NFL. The one-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman was suspended by the league in 2015 after being arrested for assaulting an ex-girlfriend and was later found guilty of assault and communicating threats. Hardy successfully appealed the verdict and charges were dropped when the alleged victim did not appear to testify in court.

At the conclusion of the 2015 NFL season, Hardy was not re-signed by the Dallas Cowboys, and he later committed to fighting. He eventually signed with the UFC in 2019 and went on to go 4-5 along with a bizarre no-contest that saw a unanimous decision win for Hardy get overturned due to him using an inhaler between rounds. Since parting ways with the UFC in 2022, Hardy has competed in boxing and bare-knuckle boxing with mixed results, and recently made a successful return to the MMA world with a win over Phillip Latu in January.

Listen, you’re just here to see how Gage Wood did last night, so let’s get to the good stuff.

Lehigh Valley 9, Buffalo 4

Felix Reyes continued to stay hot with the Ironpigs and makes the question of why not see what he can do again at the major league level one that deserves a longer discussion. Ultimately, the answer is probably somewhere between “he’s a quad-A player” and “they’re simply not going to sit Adolis Garcia right now”. Bryse Wilson was good, throwing five shutout innings, lowering his ERA below 8 on the season. That’s not exactly the way to declare yourself “starting rotation depth” to the organization, but hey, gotta start somewhere.

Reading 5, Harrisburg 1

It was Gage Wood’s home debut for the Fightin’ Phils and he did not disappoint.

You can see from Mitch Rupert’s post that he only went four innings, so clearly they’re still trying to watch his innings, for good or bad. In those four innings, he sat in 94-96 range, hitting 99 at one point.

I mean, yeah, there was some offense tonight too, but the biggest takeaway is that even after two starts, Wood is starting to establish himself as a top pitching prospect in the game. He’ll have to start doing it over longer outings, something I’ll bet the team starts challenging him with as the season goes on, but he’s looking like the jump straight to Double-A is not a difficult one.

Jersey Shore 11, Frederick 2

Sam Highfill was the story tonight for the Blue Claws, firing five innings in which he struck out ten. Trent Farquhar was also in his bag, going two for four with three RBI in the the victory, but a larger story is Keaton Anthony continuing his minor league rehab assignment and going two for four of his own accord, racking up two RBI in the process. Anthony is likely headed for a new destination at some point in his near future. There really is nowhere for him to play at the major league level, so being used as a trade piece makes the most. If there is a team that could use some right handed pop at first base or DH, maybe he can translate minor league numbers into major league success.

Clearwater 12, Dunedin 11

Another offensive barnburner, this time, it was Robert Phelps and TJayy Walton leading the charge. Phelps had three hits, a double among them, while Walton had two hits and scored three times. Both also stole a base to chip in. One of those rare nights where all of the team’s minor league affiliates hit well and won.

Weird.

A man who knows a thing or two about accolades has an encouraging outlook for the Seattle Seahawks’ newest rookie running back.

Shaun Alexander is the franchise record-holder in many rushing categories, as well as the only MVP in Seahawks history. He’s seen great heights in his career leading the Seahawks rushing attack, and recently discussed with Kay Adams the bright future he sees for 2026 first-round pick, Jadarian Price.

It’s also interesting that Mr. Touchdown himself sees Jeremiyah Love’s talent but doesn’t necessarily believe in the Arizona Cardinals offense enough to see him elevating to that level of efficiency. Shades of what happened to Ashton Jeanty last year?

When Kay Adams mentioned how Price wasn’t the RB1 in college, but “he was kind of, right? He’s got that,” Alexander responded with a confident, “For sure.” What makes him so assured that Price will fit as a threat in the Hawks offense?

Alexander explained that Price “ran that stretch run at Notre Dame really, really well.” The stretch run play is a staple of an outside zone run game, a scheme which the Seahawks have prioritized, majored in and reinforced with the hiring of Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator.

Alexander proclaimed that, “I think that this offensive system is going to be really great for him.” That’s an exciting concept to think about, especially as Seattle is not bereft of talent elsewhere in the backfield.

Near the end of the clip, Shaun Alexander added: “It all depends on how [Zach Charbonnet] comes back, too; because he’s going to come back, and that takes carries away. If [Price] comes out blazing at the beginning of the year, he’ll be [RB]1 for sure.”

Earlier in the interview, the legendary No. 37 estimated his expectation of having around 40 grandkids in the future (his 13 children give him a shot at this). Time will tell on both of Alexander’s predictions, but fans will likely be more emotionally invested in if Jadarian Price is the only rookie back to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier this year.

It remains unclear where Dusan Vlahovic will be playing his football in 2026-27, and though his current club Juventus are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, reports on Thursday claim that talks are at a standstill due to a disagreement over signing bonuses.

Where Juventus and Vlahovic stand in contract negotiations

Vlahovic has just over one month remaining on his contract with Juventus, which expires on June 30. On his current deal, Vlahovic is the highest-paid player in Serie A, and though Juventus wish to keep hold of the centre-forward, they are aware that they will have to convince him into taking a significant pay cut.

Talks have been ongoing for several weeks, but a definitive agreement has not yet been reached.

According to updates from Calciomercato.com, Vlahovic and his representatives are open to the idea of accepting a reduced salary in order to stay on at Juventus, potentially as low as around €6m per season plus bonuses. It is believed that the Serbian currently earns around €12m net per year.

LECCE, ITALY – MAY 09: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus FC celebrates the opening goal during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Juventus FC at Stadio Via del Mare on May 09, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

However, according to Friday’s update, the two parties are still quite a way off in terms of signing bonuses, as Vlahovic and his entourage are reportedly seeking a lump sum of around €8m, while the Bianconeri are reportedly willing to offer €3m.

Meanwhile, several other top clubs around Europe have been rumoured to be interested in signing Vlahovic on a free transfer, including the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

This WCG roundtable series was inspired by this Tweet from our guy Jacob, who gave six 2026 Chicago Bears superlatives for the offseason. We’re going to take them one by one, and we’ll give a couple two tree sentences for each.

Yesterday we did the Bears’ best player, and today is the Bear we’re most excited to watch this season.

Jacob Infante: Caleb Williams took a big step in 2025, particularly in the second half of the year. His elite arm talent and creativity were complemented by improved poise and an unrivaled clutch gene. I can’t wait to see him continue to grow in Year 3.

Bryan Orenchuk: Caleb Williams – year two in Ben’s offense should be much more efficient, smooth and explosive. Cannot wait to see Caleb at the helm in 2026.

Sam Householder: Caleb Williams. He has continuity; he has one of the three best offensive minds in the league as his playcaller. He has great pieces around him. I’m excited to see what year two looks like.

Josh Sunderbruch: Dillon Thieneman – I always like watching the rookies.

Erik Duerrwaechter: Dillon Thieneman – The versatile rookie has a big chance to deliver a major impact right away as he fits Dennis Allen’s defense like a glove and brings real speed to a squad that badly needed it. Look for him to make splash plays from numerous spots on the field this season.

Ryan Droste: Luther Burden III – We saw him come on strong as a rookie in the second half of the season, and I think he will continue to make strides this year, perhaps becoming the Bears’ #1 WR by year’s end.

Donald Gooch: Colston Loveland – His rookie year was amazing at a position where players have traditionally taken a few years to realize their potential. Could Loveland be the #1 tight end in the NFL by the end of the season? I wouldn’t bet against him.

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: This is a three-way tie for me. Caleb plays the most important position in all of team sports, and the Bears having a good one is about as exciting as it gets. But Burden has the type of athleticism that doesn’t come around very often, and he’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball. And finally, I love tight end play, and Loveland has All-Pro upside.

Jeff Berckes: Ben Johnson – Imagine where things started last year, to where they’ll start this year. What will Johnson be able to do with the infrastructure built up to a higher starting point, returning skill players like Rome, Luther, and Colston ready to take off, not to mention Caleb’s development?! We have an offensive mastermind we are privileged to witness in the Windy City, and it’s just getting started.

Who is your pick for the most exciting Bear?

For more about the Bears’ offense, check out our latest Bear & Balanced!

Nico Gonzalez remains under contract at Juventus after Atletico Madrid did not trigger the obligation to buy clause in his loan deal, but reports in Italy claim that the Argentine has no intention of coming back to play for the Bianconeri in 2026-27.

Report: Nico Gonzalez unwilling to return to Juventus

Nico Gonzalez joined Juventus on loan with a conditional obligation to buy from Fiorentina in the summer of 2024, costing Juventus €33m across his loan and transfer fee, not including bonuses and additional fees that could be worth up to a further €8.1m.

The Argentine spent just one season in Turin before being sent on loan to Atletico Madrid, again with a conditional obligation to buy.

Atletico Madrid’s obligation to buy clause was linked to a minimum number of LaLiga appearances, which Nico Gonzalez ultimately did not reach. Diego Simeone’s side no longer have to pay the €32m buy-out fee they arranged last summer, but recent reports indicate that Atleti are still keen to keep the winger on board.

The issue is that Atletico are unwilling to pay the €32m fee for Nico Gonzalez, and are instead willing to pay a maximum of €24m-€25m including bonuses according to the latest updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport.

MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 04: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is challenged by Nicolas Gonzalez of Atletico de Madrid during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on April 04, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

This has not been enough to convince Juventus into a sale, and La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that everything has been ‘on standby’ for the last few days.

Nico Gonzalez’s stance is clear: He is unwilling to return to Juventus in 2026-27 and wishes to stay on in Madrid with Atletico. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that he is pushing to stay at the Metropolitano, but if a permanent transfer does not work out, he is expected to push for a move elsewhere.

Hello, and welcome to my column about positivity. Please leave all negative feelings at the door as they won’t be tolerated.

Lol, just kidding, I’m a super negative person. I’m Irish, an attorney, and a Kansas City sports fan. I never stood a chance.

But sometimes I have these terrible bouts of optimism. They’re rare, and rarer do they come to fruition, but despite my nature/nurture, these feelings hit me like a piano falling five stories and landing on top of my head.

With that in mind, I looked back through the history of baseball (mainly the Wild Card Era) to find some teams that started off oh so slowly before kicking into gear and either making some noise down the stretch or winning the whole damn thing. This is not an exhaustive list, just some teams I found interesting.

As the late, great Lou Brown once said about winning streaks, “It has happened before.”

The 2019 Washington Nationals started 19-31 before finishing 74-38, which still wasn’t enough to capture the National League East, but did enable them to get into the playoffs as a Wild Card. After wins against the Brewers, Dodgers, and Cardinals, the Nationals knocked off the Astros in seven games to win the World Series. Led on offense by a 20-year-old Juan Soto and contract-year Anthony Rendon (I’m sure he did well with his next team), the Nats received excellent pitching from Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Mad Max Scherzer.

Go back eight years to that September, and the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals were 10.5 games back on September 5. A furious month capped by a maddening final day of the season boosted them into the playoffs where they beat the Phillies and Brewers. They trailed the Rangers 7-5 in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series before storming back and winning in extras, forcing a deciding Game 7 that resulted in a St. Louis championship.

In 2009, the Colorado Rockies were 12 games under .500 on June 3 with a record of 20-32. Led by star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado finished the season 90-72 before falling in the division series.

Two years earlier, the 2007 Colorado Rockies reached the World Series only to lose to the Boston Red Sox. But on May 21st, the playoffs, let alone the World Series, looked out of reach, as a loss to the Diamondbacks dropped them to 18-27. In June, the Rockies lost eight straight. Despite all that, they swept the Phillies and Diamondbacks on their way to capturing the pennant.

On May 27, 2005, the Houston Astros, then still in the National League, were 15 games under .500 at 16-31. Yet, they finished the season 83-73-1 (yes, they finished with a tie) before taking out the Braves and Cardinals to win the pennant. But then the future Pope showed up and the fun ended.

Let’s get back to another World Series winner: the 2003 Marlins were 19-29 after a loss on May 22nd and had just fired their manager, Jeff Torberg. But under new manager Jack McKeon (who managed the Royals for two-and-a-half seasons in the 70s), the Marlins finished 72-42 before preventing the awful Cubs and equally awful Yankees from winning the pennant and World Series, respectively. Great work, Jack. Also: Moises would not have caught that ball, so says the Billy Goat.

Of course, there were major comebacks in the pre-Wild Card era, such as:

• The 1989 Toronto Blue Jays, who started 12-24 before (a) firing their manager and (b) finishing 77-49 to win the American League East.
• The 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates who were 14 games under .500 as late as June before reaching the pennant.
• The 1973 New York Mets who were 13 games under .500 in August before winning the pennant and losing the World Series in seven games.

Sure, things look dire for the Royals right now, but if those nine teams listed above prove anything, it’s that the season is 162 games long for a reason. It helps, sure, to start off strong, and most championship caliber teams do so.

But not all of them.

There was plenty to like on the offensive end at the lower levels, with some top prospects going off for big games in wins. Isaiah Drake broke a nearly two-week long streak of no extra base hits with an impressive home run in a Rome win, a game that was also marked by another great start from Cedric De Grandpre. The GreenJackets were led by a Tate Southisene masterclass, as he reached base in every single plate appearance on the day. Then there was Ethan Bagwell, who finished up his May without allowing a single earned run.

(29-25) Gwinnett Stripers 0, (32-22) Nashville Sounds 2

Box Score

Statcast

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 0-4, .289/.401/.417
• Luke Williams, 3B: 2-4, 2B, .254/.319/.421
• Elieser Hernandez, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 5.10 ERA
• Rolddy Munoz, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.79 ERA

The Stripers are likely going to look to forget this game rather quickly. There was little offense to speak of, and this game moved at pace due to good pitching out of the Gwinnett staff. Early it didn’t seem like it would be that rough of a game for Gwinnett. They were in good position following a walk and a hit with two out, getting an early opportunity to put up a run for Elieser Hernandez to work with. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. hit what would be one of the hardest batted balls of the game for either side on a line, but within range of the center fielder to keep Gwinnett off of the board. That early push was the closest Gwinnett would get to scoring in the game, as over the final eight innings Luke Williams was the only player who managed a hit. Williams found fortune with a bloop into right center in the third inning that he turned into a hustle double, but the next hitter struck out after a successful challenge from the Sounds to strand Williams at second. In the final inning Williams gave the Stripers just a dash of hope with a base hit, but the other three batters struck out and spoiled the day.

Elieser Hernandez kept the Stripers in this game by posting by far his best outing of the season, though it would end with a sour twist as he couldn’t get through the lineup a third time. It was a bit of a different approach for Hernandez as he largely went away from the changeup that typically makes up around 10-12% of his pitches, but the Sounds were pretty aggressive at swinging the bat in this game and were particularly swinging at breaking balls and cutters at a high rate. This helped both Hernandez and Rolddy Munoz, both of whom commanded the ball well by their standards and were able to work efficiently. Hernandez faced only one batter over the minimum through six innings of work, though the seventh inning proved insurmountable when the Sounds best hitters got a third look at Hernandez. Luis Lara broke the scoreless tie by attacking a slider in the strike zone and yanking it down the line for an RBI double, and the next hitter took a fat fastball and hit it off of the wall in left center field to chase Hernandez from the game. Munoz had one of his best games in relief despite only having the one strikeout over two innings, specifically from a location standpoint. Munoz hasn’t faced much trouble this season, but his tendency to lay his slider in the middle of the plate is a concern for him moving up levels. That was not the case at all in this game as he located his slider well and got whiffs on four of five swings, and he kept his sinker in on the hands of right handed hitters to force weak contact.

Swing and Misses

Elieser Hernandez – 10

Rolddy Munoz – 4

(23-23) Columbus Clingstones, (22-23) Biloxi Shuckers POSTPONED

(26-22) Rome Emperors 5, (28-20) Winston-Salem Dash 1

Box Score

• Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-3, HR, 2 BB, .285/.367/.462
• John Gil, SS: 2-3, BB, .265/.375/.424
• Eric Hartman, DH: 1-3, BB, .302/.384/.610
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 4.60 ERA

It is a fine relief to see a big day from Isaiah Drake at the plate. Drake has undoubtedly had a good season, one that has made a huge impact on getting him the prospect hype that he (I think) unfairly lost following 2024, but his series in Asheville has been doing much of the heavy lifting for his numbers. It had been nearly two weeks since he had an extra base hit, but that streak ended in a big way in the third inning of this game. Drake got a slider on a 1-2 count and was sitting back on that pitch, and was able to go down and hit a low pitch well out of the yard to left field for his eighth home run of the season. Drake’s turnaround in his approach and ability to hit the ball hard on the pull side has been so impressive, and even though there is a bit of an increase in swing-and-miss this season compared to last he is still well within acceptable range while hitting the ball harder and in the air more often. He isn’t the only one in the midst of a rough patch, as John Gil only has one extra base hit since that May 10th multi-home run game in Asheville. He didn’t break that streak, but he did have a multi-hit game to go along with a couple of stolen bases. Lately Gil has had a tendency to get too long with his swing path and that’s led to more swing-and-miss than we’re used to and a lot of swinging over pitches and hitting the ball weakly. There is still a little bit of that even in this game and it’s going to be something to monitor as the season wears on, though for a young player these mechanical habits aren’t something to worry about long term. Gil adding two stolen bases brings him up to 13 in a row since his last caught stealing, dating back over a month to an April 26th stolen base. Eric Hartman hit a laser for a double in the seventh inning as his lone hit of the game, and there is definitely nothing worrying about his game. It was natural he was going to fall off a bit after that insane start, but he’s still consistently hitting the ball hard and putting up much better plate appearances than last season. He’s on one of his worst stretches of the season with three hits and only that double over his past six games, but it’s not come with any sort of concerns at the plate beyond just sample fluctuation.

There is so much positive that could be said about Cedric De Grandpre from the month of May. He’s just been terrific, and the command issues that were slowing him down in April have ironed themselves out and he has been the team’s most consistent arm. The home runs haven’t been great, but this month he has seven walks and 39 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings, and taking away a poor opening game he has 34 strikeouts and only four walks in the past 23 2/3 innings. With his command improvements on his fastball his slider has sharpened up and become a much more effective weapon over these past weeks. Though I did say his command has been much better this month this was the worst he’s been in that category in awhile as he was pulling pitches on his glove side quite a bit this game, though it’s not nearly as bad as some of his early season outings. Most of his issues came in bursts of at bats, one of which led to both walks and the run he allowed, while for the over 4 2/3 innings he was right in line with where he has been over his prior four starts. This is far and away his most successful season as a starter in his career and he’s likely trending towards a mid-summer promotion where it will be nice to see him facing off with guys who are more appropriate to his level of age and experience.

Swing and Misses 

Cedric De Grandpre – 12

Drew Christo – 4

(27-21) Augusta GreenJackets 6, (25-23) Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5

Box Score

• Tate Southisene, 2B: 2-2, 2B, 3 BB, 2 RBI, .297/.436/.488
• Alex Lodise, SS: 1-5, .245/.329/.398
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 2-5, .313/.356/.527
• Ethan Bagwell, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.96 ERA
• Luis Arestigueta, RP: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 6.94 ERA

The GreenJackets had no trouble on the offensive end of the spectrum, but a late bullpen blowup threatened to derail what was trending to be an easy win for them. The Kannapolis pitching staff could not throw strikes in this game, and Augusta just let them get themselves into trouble. In total they drew 11 walks in this game, and they were able to score three of those in just the first four innings as part of them scoring a total of six runs early in the game. The MVP was of course Tate Southisene, who reached base five times and notched his 35th stolen base of the season. Southisene had one of the biggest hits of the game in the second inning, coming through with a clutch two-out double that really expanding Augusta’s lead. He shot a hard ground ball the other way, driving in two runs to make it 4-0 early, and in the next three times up the Cannon Ballers didn’t give him much to hit. Luis Guanipa had a two-run double in the fourth inning that capped off the scoring, and he’s starting to turn in a lot of power at the plate even without really having any big breakout games. He’s just consistently putting up good at bats and over the past nine games he has seven extra base hits and only four strikeouts.

No shade intended towards any Augusta pitcher, but it is nice as a recapper to have a bit of a switch up in the starting rotation order so I can talk about someone different than every other week this season. Ethan Bagwell took the ball for the start today for the GreenJackets, and he continued his incredible work for the entire month of May. Bagwell did finally allow a run for the first time this month, but it was unearned, meaning he is going to finish May with a 0.00 ERA in 24 innings with some impressive peripherals to boot. This is something that has felt like a matter of time for Bagwell as the talent has oozed out of him since he joined the system but finding the consistent footing on his secondaries has been a fit further behind. He has really honed in on his sweeper and that east-west approach that he excels at, showing an ability beyond his years to move his fastball inside and out. He has plenty of run on the pitch and has gotten weaker contact this season than last to go along with the increase in whiffs. Now on to the bad side of things, I have been singing Luis Arestigueta’s praises the past few weeks but he really did not have his mechanics in this outing. Though he battled through the sixth inning despite not locating anything well it eventually fell apart for him in the seventh inning. He let up four runs before narrowly escaping with the lead still intact, and though he finished with a strong eighth it still stung to see him struggle so much after a few good looking games in a row. He had no consistency to his arm path or release point and nothing worked well for him this game, and it’s just a start he is going to have to move on from and get back in rhythm next week.

Swing and Misses

Ethan Bagwell – 10

Luis Arestigueta – 5

There are NASCAR rumors swirling early ahead of a silly season that is expected to have quite a bit of movement. While many of the top drivers are landing new contract extensions, one underperformer in 2026 could be on the hot seat.

During a live episode of Door Bumper Clear, motorsports reporter Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared his belief that there’s a 50-50 chance of Josh Berry remaining with Wood Brothers Racing next year.

Berry, who turns 35 years old in October, won his first-ever Cup Series race in the Pennzoil 400 last season. It earned him a spot in The Chase, creating millions of dollars more in earnings for Wood Brothers Racing in 2025. Unfortunately, this season hasn’t gone nearly as well.

Through 13 races, Berry ranks 31st in points (168). The veteran Cup driver has placed 20th or worse in 10 of 13 races this season, ranking 32nd in average finishing position (26.5), and he doesn’t have a top-10 finish since Martinsville.

With the win-and-in system gone, Berry has put himself in a spot where he stands little chance of making The Chase. He’s also on pace to have his worst average finishing position in his short career as a full-time Cup Series driver, with his laps led (15) just a fraction of what it was last year (207).

While Wood Brothers Racing might not be able to pull in a top driver, there are some young prospects who are thriving in the lower series and might deserve a full-time Cup ride in 2027. Berry’s seat truly seems hot, and if he finishes the second half of the season like this one has started, he probably won’t be a Cup driver next year.

Related Headlines

• NASCAR News: RFK Racing President Reveals 2027 Cup Plans Amid Charter Issue
• NASCAR Entry List Nashville: Cup Series Drivers for Cracker Barrel 400
• NASCAR Silly Season: Chris Buescher Has Interest From 2 Other Teams for 2027

After all the waiting and planning, the opening of the 2026 World Cup is mere days away, as the United States Men’s National Team looks to achieve a new program-best finish and perhaps win the whole thing. There are still a few small opportunities for growth and preparation, as the federation has set up friendlies against two strong opponents in Senegal and Germany. The African side is set to compete in the tournament for the third consecutive and fourth overall time, having reached the quarterfinal round at the 2002 edition and the Round of 16 in 2022. Charlotte, North Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium – a 75,037-seat open-air, multi-purpose stadium – hosts the Allstate Continental Clásico.

This is the first-ever match between the two teams. Ranked 14^thinternationally by FIFA, Senegal reached the World Cup by finishing atop Group B of the Confederation of African Football’s qualifying competition with an undefeated 7-0-3 record, picking up two victories over South Sudan (4-0, 5-0) and Mauritania (1-0, 4-0) and a win and a draw against Togo (0-0, 2-0), DR Congo (1-1, 3-2), and Sudan (0-0, 2-0). The Lions de la Téranga (Lions of Teranga) initially won last winter’s Africa Cup of Nations, but the appeal board awarded the title to Morocco in March, claiming that a mid-match walk-off had caused a forfeit. Recent friendly results include wins against Peru (2-0) and Gambia (3-1).

Faced with the steep task of replacing the high-achieving Aliou Cissé, Pape Thiaw was appointed to lead the program in December of 2024 after holding the position in an interim role: “Rigor, discipline, and respect for essential values” were cited as reasons for his hiring. The 45-year-old retired forward was a member of the Senegal squad that reached the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup, previously was the head coach of his boyhood club (Niarry Tally), steered his country’s B team to the 2022 African Nations Championship, and was an assistant under the previous regime. He has earned “widespread acclaim for his tactical decisions,” with an “ability to execute an attacking game plan.”

Thiaw named a 28-player pre-selection roster that “will have to be reduced before the start of the competition.” The entire group is located abroad; France’s Ligue 1 is home to nine of the call-ups, while seven compete in England and three are on the books of Saudi Arabian clubs. Notable absences include Habib Diallo, Boulaye Dia, Nampalys Mendy, and Abdou Diallo.

***
GOALKEEPERS (3): Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), Mory Diaw (Le Havre), Yehvann Diouf (Nice)
DEFENDERS (10): Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), Krépin Diatta (Monaco), Moussa Niakhaté (Lyon), Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa), El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United), Antoine Mendy (Nice), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), Ilay Camara (Anderlecht), Moustapha Mbow (Paris)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur), Lamine Camara (Monaco), Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern Munich)
FORWARDS (8): Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor), Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain), Assane Diao (Como)
***
Thiaw primarily uses 4-3-3 and is “renowned for his attacking philosophy and dynamic approach,” having “built a team that balances flair and discipline” with “aggression, intensity, and creativity.” He endeavors to “play offensively” and “immediately recover the ball after every loss of possession.” Senegal has embraced “bold tactical choices” and “an increasingly fluid style of play,” including playing with a false nine and having the advancing box-to-box midfielders shoulder the scoring burden.

Far removed from “his meteoric rise” that saw him touted as the best in the world, the “late-blooming” Édouard Mendy is still the number one for his country with his undeniable quality. The 34-year-old Al-Ahli goalkeeper can display moments of supreme athleticism and composure when stonewalling attackers from point-blank range and pulling out gravity-defying stops that require every inch of his six-foot-four frame. He can show a bit of sangfroid with the ball at his feet when making very confident attempts to beat pressure but has a stellar ability to drill long passes that shift the focal point to the final third. Despite “claiming crosses very well and showing dominance in the air when called upon,” his work on leaving the area and winning races or contesting attackers has lagged behind the demands of the modern game.

France-born Kalidou Koulibaly is the cornerstone of the defense and is the primary ball winner when claiming headers, making interceptions, blocking crosses, and shutting down the first dribbler to enter the area. The 33-year-old Al-Hilal centre-back has impressive physicality, speed, and athleticism which enable him to cover every manner of opponent in each zone and make the occasional contribution to the scoreline. Lyon’s Moussa Niakhaté is a high-volume passer and progressor who takes the lead during the build-up, opens up the field with his left-footed distribution, and will advance in order to create. First in the tackle and quick to interpret potential danger, he roams the field and throws himself into challenges with the refinement of a couturier, often coming away with possession before the attacker can react. Standing at six feet, four inches tall, Abdoulaye Seck of Maccabi Haifa is a rumbling, stumbling presence who makes things happen through sheer force of will and is equally comfortable taking charge in either box. When not pushing for a chance to engage in an aerial duel, his positioning tends to drift toward the touchline, which puts him in a spot to bully smaller wingers and showcase his impressive crossing.

One of the younger members of the squad, El Hadji Malick Diouf is a “marauding” presence who constantly makes runs into the final third and is known for his “crossing, heading ability, and speed.” The rangy 21-year-old West Ham fullback can perform the necessary preventative responsibilities of his position and holds his own during possession, but his main contribution is to push the tempo. Monaco’s Krépin Diatta is another dynamic front-footed attacking option who breezes up and down the touchline with zigzagging runs before taking the creative lead closer to goal. He is an impediment to the opponent’s advances and swarms the passing lanes with palpable quickness, providing a necessary “stability” while “conserving energy” that enables him to “stay mentally sharp.” When available and unhampered by injury issues, the manager utilizes Ilay Camara of Anderlecht, an incredibly useful safety valve during the build-up who adds necessary stability with safe play. The former Belgium youth international can still operate on the outside and the interior advanced zones as a straight-line runner and is always looking for opportunities to unleash a low-driven shot. France-born Antoine Mendy is also an option, having broken through at Nice and made his senior international debut in 2025 during World Cup qualifying, the result of an unrelenting style. Pacey, ingenious in distribution, and constantly rising above the crowd to win headers due to his six-foot-two-inch height, the Marseillais can pinch inward and serve as an additional centre-back.

Pape Gueye has a large frame which he uses to carve out a bridgehead between the boxes, winning and holding onto possession while shielding away potential challenges and waiting to play the correct pass. The 27-year-old Villarreal midfielder can force the match to be played at his tempo and can only truly be brought down by fouling, which results in the opponents backing away and giving him the space in which to operate. Monaco’s Lamine Camara is a “maestro” who can take an advanced position for his club and “is tasked with progressing the ball into the final third” and dispensing long distribution with a high rate of “volume and success.” Operating from a deeper spot and then pushing forward, he provides connections throughout the formation, makes timely recoveries, and is capable of hitting the necessary final or penultimate ball. Idrissa Gueye of Everton has earned more caps than any other player in Senegal’s history and continues adding to his number, with a noticeable comfort around the area and occasional sublime finish. With hard work, his heat map covers the length of the field, as his contributions also include necessary defensive stops and providing a pressure valve to teammates beset by pressure. The “multifunctional” Pape Matar has a “close control that belies his stature” and came on strong during qualifying with four goals, including the crucial decider in the 3-2 win against DR Congo in September. His versatility sees him popping up in all manner of situations and making an impact: from dropping to the corners and stripping wingers to shuttling and creating or ghosting into the area for a header. Ismaïla Sarr has become an “unsung hero” and a “constant threat” for Crystal Palace due to his “pace, touch, clever runs, and link-up play” fueling a “searing form” that carried over to the international level. Capable of deploying on the wing, the Coaches’ Voice observes “intelligent maneuverings” and a “direct threat,” perfectly timing onto service and utilizing his long stride and acceleration to overcome a “heavy touch.”

Sadio Mané is well into the back nine of his prolific career that saw him twice named African Footballer of the Year, but his “leadership, creativity, and tactical value” are still immense with six international goals in 2025. The 34-year-old Al-Nassr winger has lost a bit of his sizzling pace and springy agility but can still score in myriad ways, operating as a solo artist and making untraceable runs through the opponent’s lines. Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye “seeks out the central areas to combine, is most dangerous when there are transitional moments, and brings close control, sudden accelerations, and readiness that leaves fans on the edge of their seats.” Hard-working and brimming with “tight-space ability,” he has a rapid, angled turn after receiving service that sees him blowing past hapless defenders and emerging from the pack, ready to place his shot. Assane Diao of Como was forced to miss the Africa Cup of Nations with a “grade 2 hamstring muscle injury,” depriving Senegal of a crafty facilitator, industrious solo progressor, and streaky producer. The former Spain youth international has “powerful and decisive ball carrying” with “long, forceful strides” and a “natural ability to eliminate rivals through direct running rather than elaborate dribbling.”

Nicolas Jackson is still seeking his way at the professional level but has enough underlying talent that top clubs are willing to invest in the hopes that his streaky production alchemizes into consistency. The 24-year-old striker is a few campaigns removed from his breakout 17-goal season at Chelsea and managed a reasonable 11 finishes while on loan at Bayern Munich last season, failing to trigger his flashy 76-million-dollar option to buy. Even when his scoring runs cold, he is serviceable in possession and continually makes himself available as a check-back option, allowing the midfielders to dart into the box through the half-spaces. However, the desire remains for him to exhibit the traditional qualities of the position and convert the high-percentage opportunities from close range that seem to fall into his lap, many of them a product of his six-foot-two size and speed. Samsunspor’s Cherif Ndiaye is the standard target player with a big frame and a poacher’s instincts, finding the hidden creases with shrewd movements, jumping on chances, and shoving opponents out of the way. The Dakar-born forward can also hold onto possession and make plodding progressions into the final third, although his best utility is to be deployed as close to the net as possible, with many of his conversions coming from inside the six. In what could be a coup for the program, then-France youth international Ibrahim Mbaye of Paris Saint-Germain committed to Senegal in November of 2025, quickly racking up three goals and five assists in 10 matches. With darting forays through lines of defenders and a heat map that spans the width of the pitch, his individual dynamism and quick connections with teammates break down packed areas.

The USMNT is heading into the tournament arguably playing a stronger group of opponents than the teams that will be present in the group stage at the World Cup. On paper, Senegal’s roster has a higher level of prestige and more players competing at bigger clubs, which means very little once the whistle blows. The final result is of little importance, but a solid victory for either side could add a bit of optimism heading into the biggest of shows on the largest of stages.

The match is scheduled for Sunday, May 31^st at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Viewing options include TNT, truTV, Universo, HBO Max, Peacock, and FuboTV (free trial).

Under past coaching administrations, Michigan started official visits the weekend after Memorial Day, with the current regime under Kyle Whittingham being no different, as the first set of 2027 recruits will be in Ann Arbor starting Friday.

The unique part about these next few days is that only one target will arrive. Keep in mind the Wolverines are piling on the names for the final slate during Victor’s Weekend on June 17-19 and the two weekends prior to that. Commit numbers are also not a issue facing the program either, with the Wolverines’ having 15 pledges already.

Time and attention will be given solely to four-star offensive lineman Niko Kampas. It’ll be his first time on campus since earning an offer by the previous staff last August.

Reporting at 6-foot-7 and 287 pounds, Kampas is listed as the No. 268 overall prospect and No. 21 offensive tackle in the class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He hails from the NFL Academy in London, England, and grew up in Germany. He’s also considered the top international prospect this cycle.

Michigan currently yields three commits from offensive linemen, with the most recent being four-star in-stater Jakari Lipsey, so the window for further pickups is closing in fast. Right now, Kampas is one of the few remaining guys on the board at the position alongside Lincoln Mageo, Tye Kennedy and others. Of the commits, Lipsey is the lone projected tackle, which is the case for Kampas, too.

How Michigan sets up its pitch in bringing Kampas onboard and how that correlates with his timeline will be worth following as well.

Auburn will have concluded its time with Kampas right before he gets to Michigan. In June, he’ll be at Tennessee and Vanderbilt. A commitment date has yet to be decided.

“From a football perspective, they have a history of developing OL guys, and his next goal will be the NFL after college,” NFL Academy offensive lineman coach Gavin Collins toldThe Wolverine. “The previous staff and current staff have shown the ability to develop OL, so that was important. The history of the school has also been a factor, and I believe the surrounding area (forests) appeal to him on a personal level. And he has also looked at their classes, and seen quite a few that interest him.”

Michigan is all too familiar with recruiting outside the United States boundary and even has one rostered player native to Germany as well in Manuel Beigel. From a scouting perspective, international prospects carry immense potential from a growth and developmental standpoint. Social media and other platforms through organizations like NFL Academy have also helped teams discover talent outside the country.

Kampas fits that mold and Michigan looks to fine-tune his raw ability. Offensive line coach Jim Harding is credited with getting the team in the picture for Kampas after the change in January. He even ventured across the Atlantic Ocean to see the junior.

Check out some of Kampas’ junior highlights below:

Brewers broadcaster Jeff Levering stops by The Crawfish Boxes to preview the weekend series versus Milwaukee.   

Q: Christian Yelich was slowed in May with that groin strain.    Last May when he last faced the Astros, he had some nice at bats against them.  What kind of season is he having this year?

A:  Yelich had a resurgent season in 2025, his most games played since 2022, and arguably his most productive since 2019. With no rehab assignment, and some lingering back issues, he has been somewhat slow to come back from the groin strain. However, he did homer in back to back games in his return. His presence strengthens the lineup.   

Q:  Do you think the NL Central is the toughest in all of baseball?

A:  It has always been a competitive division, but every team got better this offseason. Two months into the season, it is the most balanced division in the league.

Q:  What does Jake Bauers bring to the club?

A:  Great intangibles and a steady approach to the game (and life).  Finally healthy and given an opportunity to play most days, Bauers is thriving with the opportunity. He is solid at first, can play either corner outfield spot and has power to all fields at the plate.

Q:  Kyle Harrison and Jacob Misiorowski have been equally impressive collecting K’s and wins.  What have been their biggest improvements leading to their success this season?   

A:  Miz brings the heat, up to 104MPH, but his command has taken on a new life form this year. He’s not just a thrower anymore, he’s hitting spots with all of his pitches and maintains his velocity throughout the game. 

For Harrison, he’s finally getting a shot. He’s always had the stuff, but moving to the first base side of the rubber has allowed his pitches to become weapons. (He’s added) Additional depth on the slurve, and the fastball sneaks up on the league’s best hitters. 

Quite the 1-2 punch. And both leading MLB’s youngest pitching staff.

The Brayan Bello Experience is turning into a complicated one in Boston on numerous levels. In the short-term, it’s unclear whether he should start or enter the game behind an “Opener.” In the season-long term, it’s unclear if he should be in the starting rotation or the bullpen. In the long, long term, it’s unclear if his extension through 2029 will be a bargain or a burden. 

The word “Opener” gives me the shakes and it’s just one example in a long list of things that the Rays did very well, out of necessity, and the rest of the league copied poorly. It can’t be denied that Bello’s three games as the “bulk” reliever have been astronomically better than his seven starts. 

That being said, Jovani Moran’s splits are an inverse relationship to Bello’s. In a fairly hot take, I don’t think Jovani Moran should start any more games this season. 

Whether it’s Bello or an Opener, the starting pitcher has stunk on ice in each of the ten Bello games this season. This isn’t working, whatever it is.

As Garrett Crochet faces live hitters for the second time this week, a rehab stint seems imminent. It’s unfathomable for any of Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, or Connelly Early to be removed from this rotation (at least not until Sonny Gray is traded at the deadline). It’s also hard envisioning Brayan Bello transitioning into the Greg Weissert role and faring much better. Bello has two minor league options left, but what would that do for his confidence?

When Bello debuted in 2022, out of necessity due to nine starting pitchers being on the IL, he was due to become a free agent after the 2027 season. The Red Sox bought out his arbitration years, and signed him to a six-year, $55M extension running from 2024 through 2029. Bello had been solid in 2023, with a 4.24 ERA in 157 innings, with a 13.0 K-BB% when the team offered the extension. Since that date, Bello’s ERA has stayed at an identical 4.24 ERA, but his K-BB% is down to 10.3%. His velocity has decreased, the barrels allowed are way up, and he disappointed in his playoff start last October. 

What would you do with Brayan Bello … Should he be following an Opener, and if so, whom? When Crochet returns, what should Bello’s role be? Do you anticipate him being in this Red Sox rotation for three more years after this one?

Enjoy the weekend, and be good to each other in the comments. 

Scottish swimmer Toni Shaw believes this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be "absolutely huge" for the Para-sport community.

While the event as a whole has been truncated, it will represent the largest integrated Para-sport programme in Commonwealth Games history.

A record 47 medal events in Paralympic disciplines will be contested across six of the 10 sports.

"There has been so much progress," said Shaw, who won a bronze medal in the pool at the 2020 Paralympics. "I think it is going to have such a knock-on effect everywhere, not just in Scotland.

"I think the Para-sport community will really grow from having this coverage, so I think it is just incredible."

• Nowacki heads Jersey's 2026 Commonwealth Games team

Shaw, 22, recalled watching the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

'When I was in the crowd, it inspired me," she added. "So hopefully other people, if they have a disability, seeing an increased Para-sport participation, it might inspire them to take up a sport.

'It is one of the only competitions where the able-bodied and Para-sports are done side by side, so the increased coverage and everything about that I think is just amazing."

Being in the stands at Tollcross back in 2014 helped convince a then-10 year old Shaw that "this is really cool, I want to do this".

The Aberdonian admitted going there now as a competitor "is a dream come true moment".

Under normal circumstances she would be among Team Scotland's big medal hopes.

As well as that Paralympic bronze, Shaw also boasts an eye-watering collection of other major championship medals, which includes three world golds and two European golds, as well as a Commonwealth Games bronze, which she won in Birmingham four years ago.

However, she said a back injury means it "isn't really achievable" to dream of topping the podium this time round.

"It has been tough to be honest," Shaw added. "I had a back injury in 2024 and I have had a steroid injection in it and I have had some treatment for it, so it is doing a lot better, but it is just I haven't been able to get back to the times I was doing before that.

"It has been quite difficult, but to get on the team was my main goal and to have done that I am really proud and really looking forward to the summer.

"I just want to give it everything I have got."

Like fish and chips, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Harry and Megan, and Paul Weller and Mick Talbot (or Noel and Liam Gallagher for the younger reader), Wigan Warriors and Hull KR have become a double act which has created a much-needed buzz on the cusp of Saturday's Challenge Cup final.

This isn't a rivalry jaded by over-saturation, a tired duopoly desperate for new blood, this is two teams whose encounters have sharpened each other's desire and skill.

It pitches historically successful aristocracy against fresh challengers rattling Super League cages in a golden period.

Since 2023's Grand Final won by Wigan, every domestic trophy has been mopped up by one or the other of the pair and both have toppled the Australian NRL elite to become World Club Challenge winners too.

Wigan won a historic quadruple in 2024, notching everything including the world crown against Penrith in the process, before the Robins snared a treble in 2025 and beat Brisbane earlier this year to collect all four trophies of their own.

Saturday's final at Wembley between these two modern heavyweights has all the ingredients for a stone-cold classic.

Wigan production line chance to shine?

Matt Peet, Wigan's articulate and thoughtful coach, has enjoyed almost unyielding success at the Warriors, but last year was a sobering drought as KR stepped on their toes and snatched away the pots, including handing out a Grand Final thumping at Old Trafford last autumn.

His 2026 side started the campaign with all the bristling energy of a team desperate to avenge that disappointment - running through opponents with ease to record seven straight wins.

However, injuries to key figures Jai Field - who has been back in the mix of late, and surprise inclusion in this weekend's squad Bevan French, saw Wigan steer sharply off course with losses to strugglers Huddersfield and Castleford among the lows, and they let slip a comfortable lead to lose to rivals St Helens in the Good Friday derby.

Slowly but surely Peet's side have rediscovered their mojo, particularly in the cup where a dangerous Wakefield were overcome in the last eight, and in the semis St Helens were routed without a point conceded to put bad memories to one side and secure a Wembley return.

The absence of French in particular has given homegrown product Jack Farrimond a chance to shine, and he has taken that chance with some dynamic displays notably in that semi-final, alongside Wigan's game-managing general Harry Smith.

The record 21-times cup winners have rich history at Wembley, with alumni Billy Boston, Eric Ashton and Martin Offiah among the five greats depicted on the rugby league memorial statue at the stadium.

Adding a new class of winners to the pantheon, and another image of a celebrating team to the walls of their home and training ground, is something that fuels Peet and his team.

"To be remembered as a team, as a player, as a coach at a club like ours, you probably need to have a trophy on your team photo," Peet told BBC Sport.

"We have that chance. I think the cup brings an emotional peak in the season and a break from the norm for everyone, players and staff. You'd hate to watch it on TV, you'd hate to not be involved in these games."

Peters already guaranteed folklore but wants more

While Peet has designs on being around to shape Wigan's mid-term and maybe even longer-term future, for his opposite number Willie Peters, 2026 will be his last at Hull KR.

It was accepted and understood that his remarkable achievements in forging the Robins as a force decades since their last golden period would attract attention and it has come to pass.

New NRL franchise Papua New Guinea Chiefs chose Peters as the man to shape their brave new world from 2027 onwards.

The job former Wigan half-back Peters has done is easily measured in trophies - for the first time in 40 years no less - but also on a deeper level in what he has done for players within his squad.

Jez Litten has been nurtured into a world-class hooker for England and KR, Elliot Minchella into a leader of men who has emulated legends such as Roger Millward in hoisting trophies aloft at Craven Park, and Mikey Lewis honed to a megastar who can deliver in the biggest games. That's just three, there are many more stories.

Pretty much everyone under Peters' guidance has grown a level to their game, and his personal touch has been highlighted for getting under the skin of his squad and engaging with them on a level beyond a 'footy' coach.

The impact on Peters is equally keenly felt, he has developed as his players have and the glut of trophies and final appearances which have followed have been game-changing to the club and its fans.

"Every time I coach KR, every single time I'm in the box, I'm always proud and grateful to be coach of Hull KR," Peters told BBC Radio Humberside.

"Nothing will change this week, you're in a bigger stadium and a little bit more to play for but nothing will ever change.

"My family will always be beside me, and we're in it together. We're looking forward to sharing some more memories with this great club.

"We've had three and a half years of amazing memories and there's more to write yet."

Can Wigan make it 22 cups?

Wigan can stretch out their lead in terms of Challenge Cups won to 22 if they are victorious, with this their third appearance of the decade after 2022 and 2024 wins under Peet's guidance.

Conversely if they lose, it will be their 13th and equally a record final loss.

Hull KR have been regular visitors too under Peters, besting Wigan in the 2023 semis before losing to Leigh and then securing the cup against Warrington last year - their first Wembley triumph since 1980 and only their second in total.

Whatever happens under the arch in 2026, you would not bet against a repeat of this fixture again down the track as a new chapter is forged in this era's hottest rivalry.

Special thanks to Drew Schneider of Hammer and Rails for joining this week’s podcast to discuss Purdue’s roster:

Purdue football has seen some serious ups and downs the past half decade. In the final two years of the Jeff Brohm era, 2021 and 2022, Purdue posted a 17-10 record overall, going 12-6 in Big Ten play and culminating in a conference title game appearance. That was the best two-year conference record for the Boilermakers in twenty years (the peak of the Joe Tiller “basketball on grass” era), which Brohm then parlayed into getting the head coaching job at his alma mater Louisville.

Purdue turned the football program over to then-Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, whom Addicted to Quack has written at length about in the last two years. After a disastrous 2^nd season in West Lafayette that saw the Boilermakers go 1-11 and winless in B1G play in 2024, Purdue decided to cut their losses and let go of Walters less than 2 years after hiring him.

That leads us to the current head coach Barry Odom who is entering his 2^nd season at the helm in 2026. As is the case with nearly all coaching transitions in modern college football, Odom’s first year saw an immense amount of roster turnover resulting in Purdue being one of the final B1G teams Addicted to Quack previewed before 2025 (as the order of this series is reverse order of roster stability).

However, discussed in both last and this year’s interview with Drew Schneider from our sister site Hammer and Rails, Odom appears to be laying down strong roots in Purdue and attempting to build a stable football program from the ground up which is why they’ve been moved up to the 5^th team in this summer’s preview series. If you only looked at Purdue’s record from Walters’ final season in 2024 compared to the Odom’s first in 2025 it would not appear much if any improvement was made. However, if you pop the hood and look deeper there were noticeable signs of improvement in 2025 as Odom attempts to do a slow patient build.

Offense

There’s been some shuffling on offensive coordinator Josh Henson’s staff, though it looks like it was planned in advance. RB coach Lamar Conrad was retained from the previous staff in 2025 and finished out with the backs he’d been working with, and now that those backs have graduated Conrad has moved on to Miami of Ohio. Two of the coaches Odom brought over from UNLV were temporarily tucked away at different spots in 2025 to accommodate Conrad, but now in 2026 they’re back to where they were at UNLV: RB coach Ford who was stashed at WR, and WR coach Marshall who was under Ford as assistant WR coach. Meanwhile OL coach Crabtree, Henson’s protege from USC, did his gap year at Fresno State and takes over for Vance Vice.

Quarterbacks

In 2025 Ryan Browne was the starter while Malachi Singleton was QB for a package of designed runs. Singleton transferred out after the 2025 season and with no significant transfers being taken at the position Browne should be the starter in 2025.

Browne’s Passer Rating in 2025 was quite miserable at 115 and nearly two standard deviations below median which was quite a drop-off from his QB rating in 2024 of 127.5. It’s important to remember the difficult situation Browne has been placed in the past two years but the biggest reason for the drop in his statistics from 2024 to 2025 is largely due to two factors that are likely more the fault of his OC and those are:

1. Purdue calling a higher proportion of screen passes in 2025 versus 2024 that were largely ineffective
2. A disproportionate number of passing plays being called to get the ball to ineffective receivers as opposed to the effective receivers Purdue did have

Improvement from Browne in 2025 will come down to his own natural progression year over year as well as the OC doing a better job for him. If only one or neither of those things happen then Browne’s performance will likely stagnate or regress.

Running Backs

Devin Mockobee was the lead back for Purdue in 2025 and was a very effective back given the line in front of him. Sadly, in the 8th game of the season against Rutgers, he sustained a foot injury and was lost for the rest of his senior season. Antonio Harris and Malachi Thomas had been the other two running backs to receive a meaningful number of carries and were the main backups before Mockobee got hurt. After he sustained his injury the carries were split between the two to finish the season. Harris returns while Thomas has transferred out.

From what Drew has heard, Fame Ijeboi is penciled in as the starter but he suspects this to be a 3-horse race between Ijeboi, Harris (the returning back-up), and Jerrick Gibson (the transfer from Texas who played early in 2025 before getting hurt in late September). These three should then become the projected 3-deep in the room. Purdue also took a running back from Jacksonville state, Travis Terrell, who put up strong numbers at the FCS level but due to his smaller size Drew suspects he will be a gadget scat-back.

With four upper classmen along with the high 3* Prep recruit Izaiah Wright there should be enough bodies in this room, though I question the ceiling of play as the projected starter was a Back-up at Minnesota last year who did not do anything special in the B1G.

Tight End

Five different Tight Ends caught a pass for the Boilermakers in 2025, however only three did so during meaningful play, and none caught more than nine passes during the entire season. A large reason for this lack of returning production was due to the season-ending injury sustained by starter George Burhenn in the 4th game of the year, and his replacement Rico Walker was underwater in per-target success rate.

Burhenn showed promise in the early portion of the season and the year before, and may be Purdue’s number 1 offensive skill player in 2026, which is why we have him as the projected starter headed in to 2026.

Of the back-ups we suspect Kylan Fox will be the traditional back-up Tight End while Luca Puccinelli will be the 12 personnel blocking specialist. Purdue also signed 2 prep recruits in the 2026 cycle.

A healthy Burhenn could be extraordinarily helpful for Purdue’s offence as a whole but specifically helpful for QB Ryan Browne. The problem is the depth in this room is a bit dicey, after Kylan Fox there are 4 additional bodies in the room: two upper classmen who have hardly any on field experience in Puccinelli and Grimmett and then two high school prep recruits.

Wide Receiver

As a result of a lot of both attrition and injuries Purdue hit the transfer portal hard to rebuild the receiver room. They took in 3 transfers and a JUCO who along with De’Nylon Morrissette make up the projected receiver 2 deep. Here are the raw stats for their transfers.

Xavier Townsend from Iowa State
Asaad Waseem from FAU
Bisi Owens from the FCS
Ricky Sampson from JUCO

In our conversation with Drew we were surprised that Xavier Townsend appears to a projected starter on the outside given his stature. But from the perspective of just trying to get the best receivers on the field it makes sense given the production both Townsend and Waseem have put up at the FBS level.

We project Bisi Owens as the other starter on the outside given that he at least gives Purdue one receiver option with the requisite height and was productive at the FCS level.

In the event of injuries the Boilermakers have lots of other options as well to provide depth in this room. The transfers brought in, as well as several returners who missed 2025 but are getting back to full health in 2026, provide a nice floor and should be an upgrade over last year’s situation and the players Purdue lost.

Offensive Line

In 2025 Hank Purvis initially replaced Jalen St. John when St. John was injured mid-season. Upon St. John getting healthy again Purvis took Ethan Trent’s job and appeared to be on his way to becoming a quality returning starter for Purdue in 2026. Sadly for the Boilermakers though, Purvis transferred to South Carolina at the end of the year.

The composition of the projected 2026 starting offensive line will be:

• 1 Returning starter (Tanona)
• 1 Returning developmental (Easley)
• 2 Transfers in pole position for starting jobs (Stanley and Mafi)
• 1 battle between 2 USC Trojans transfers (Nanuelos and Saina)

The loser of the RG position battle figures to be the immediate backup at both Left and Right Guard. In terms of depth, Purdue took 4 high school prep recruits in the 2026 cycle, and beyond them and the 6 players fighting for 5 spots already mentioned there are 10 additional linemen available for backup roles, meaning the size of the O-Line unit is in good shape for future years.

But for immediate purposes this year, needing to rely on three transfers and a questionable returner, none of whom have put on quality tape at the Power Level, leads us to believe Purdue will struggle along the offensive line in 2026.

Defense

Kevin Kane has replaced Mike Scherer at DC. After one season and confusing messaging around his departure from Purdue Scherer has returned to UNLV.

Kane was on the defensive staff at Purdue in 2023-24, then went to Minnesota as the SAM/NB coach last year, but has been welcomed back by Odom this year. Kane was titularly the DC under Walters on Purdue’s terrible 2024 defenseand Minnesota’s confounding blitz design, but we believe his agency there was limited, and Drew described him as “the grown-up in the room” who made the calls Walters didn’t want to. Duck fans may be curious to follow this situation at Purdue as Kane has been heavily involved with both of Oregon’s two most recent high profile transfer additions.

Drew suspects that Kane will be calling Odom’s defense and he doesn’t anticipate major structural changes.

Defensive Tackle

In transitioning from a 3 down front to a 4 down front the Defensive Tackle room in 2025 was a short rotation of only 3 players once starter TJ Lindsey went down with an injury – they evidently didn’t have anyone else they were comfortable replacing him with for the main rotation.

Heading into 2026 Purdue has a known quantity in Ian Jeffries that should provide high level play with TJ Lindsey who showed promise in his limited snaps last year before getting hurt, along with Curt Neal who is now on his 3rd B1G team but finally in a defensive scheme that should suit his body type. This gives Purdue 3 proven quality options and plenty of depth options to find their 4th player in this rotation among some additional transfers and older returners.

Defensive End

There were 4 players in the defensive end rotation in 2025. Sadly for Purdue in 2026, the one player they lost from this room, Nunnally, was by far the best havoc generator in 2025.

Purdue’s defensive end room is the perfect example of why returning production in college football can be overrated (key word can). Yes, they have some players returning but the players returning weren’t that good in 2025 so is it really a good thing?

Drew is hoping Georgia transfer Elo Modozie can win a starting job over the returners but with only 1 other transfer and a JUCO added Purdue is going to need 2026 to be a lightbulb year for one of or all of CJ Madden, Trey Smith, and Breeon Ishmail. Put simply a lot of things need to go right for the Defensive End production to replicate Nunally’s production, let alone improve the overall performance of the unit.

Linebacker

The off-ball linebacker room at Purdue in 2025 was probably one body short. Mani Powell and Charles Correa were asked to work miracles behind a defensive line that was not generating enough levels of havoc. Those 2 hardly left the field and when they did they were spelled by Alex Sanford.

In 2026 Drew suspects that Charles Correa will almost never leave the field and the 2^nd line backer spot will be a revolving door between 2 transfers with the player getting on the field to be determined by the down and distance. The two transfers being Jojo Hayden who played in all 12 games for the Illini in 2025 and Tre Moore was a productive at the FCS level.

This year the LB room will start off with 5 players who should see meaningful play which is 2 more then last year. Another year of development from Correa along with 2 B1G transfers and a productive FCS transfer also keeps the ceiling relatively high for Purdue in this unit.

Secondary

Safety & Nickel

Mangham and Slaughter offer a high floor as Purdue fully rebuilds the room with an eye towards the future with Denson, Hampton, and Dax Noles (another JUCO recruit signed) all having multiple years of eligibiltiy remaining. While in the nickel room Smiley Bradford kicks inside from outside corner and is backed up by an FIU transfer. The Purdue safety room has a good level of depth which provides a nice floor but in 2026 will be lacking a ceiling for high level play.

Outside CB

Hudauri Hines returns and was a productive starter last year and we should expect him to continue to be a value added corner. Traveon Wright also returns to his backup role and is now entering his redshirt junior year.

I do worry about the other 2 corners currently projected to start as one is transferring up from FCS and the other appears to be a player that has attempted to transfer up from FCS but has not successfully caught on at either of his previous power 4 stops.

At the very least these players offer a floor for Purdue and provide bar for the younger depth pieces to clear to be able to break into the rotation.

"Chaotic. I don't think there were many spells during the season where you were worried about something to talk about with Rovers.

"Every time you opened your phone, there seemed to be a club statement, managerial uncertainty or changes.

"Definitely a chaotic season. One that finished on the right side of the line but so much to go over for the season.

"So little known about next season really. One season has finished but it's not really drawn a line under anything.

"It's just going to continue. The themes from last season are still going to be the same moving into next season."

That is how Rich Sharpe, a Blackburn fan and former Rovers journalist for the Lancashire Telegraph, summed up the 2025-26 campaign.

He joined BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor Andy Bayes and fellow Blackburn supporter Aqib Ishtiaq on an end of season special podcast.

Listen to the show in full on BBC Sounds.

The Indiana Fever suffered its third loss of the season on Thursday night at the hands of the Golden State Valkyries. The Fever entered the contest looking like a legitimate title contender, but ended the game with looming questions, especially surrounding superstar point guard Caitlin Clark.

Clark had her least effective outing of the young season, not only struggling from the field, scoring 16 points on 3-of-12 shooting, but also failing to protect the ball, committing five turnovers. To make things worse for Clark, Golden State had massive success attacking her on defense, scoring a whopping 28 points with Clark as the primary defender.

Her struggles on the floor, coupled with a very hostile Valkyries crowd, may have gotten under Clark’s skin, as cameras caught her blowing up at a referee in the middle of a possession after not being awarded with drawn foul.

Caitlin Rage Baiting Cari Champion? pic.twitter.com/VGU1yaDCAP

— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) May 29, 2026

Lacking in maturity?

Fans on social media questioned Clark’s maturity level after the exchange.

“She’s a f*****n baby I hope she don’t even sniff a championship,” one fan wrote on X.

“CC hasn’t matured one bit, while her fans online go after Black W players and anyone who doesn’t praise and excuse her,” someone else wrote.

“You never winning a championship with this woman,” one fan wrote.

“(Clark) throws tantrums every game,” another fan added.

Interestingly, sports media personality Cari Champion called out Clark’s behavior on the court in her Flagrant & Funny podcast before the game.

“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘I don’t like you. I don’t like the way you behave on the court,’” Champion said.

Fans and media members were also frustrated by Clark’s decision to decline a media session after the loss. Clark will have another chance to improve her performance, conduct, and relationship with the media on Saturday night against the Portland Fire.

The post ‘Never winning a championship with this woman’: Criticism rises after cameras catch Caitlin Clark throwing a ‘tantrum’ appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …

2026 NFL offseason: NFC teams’ best and worst deals, picks – ESPN
Best: Signing Riq Woolen to a one-year, $12 million deal. The obvious weak spot for the Eagles in 2025 on an otherwise excellent defense was on the outside at cornerback. With Cooper DeJean in the slot and Quinyon Mitchell locking down one side of the field, teams threw early and often at Adoree’ Jackson. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio went to Kelee Ringo in the same role with little success, and by midseason, the Eagles simply accepted that Jackson was going to be bombarded with attention. He was targeted on more than 20% of his coverage snaps on the outside last season, the fourth-highest rate of any corner in the league with 200 snaps or more. Bringing in Woolen upgrades the Eagles at two spots. In their nickel subpackage, Woolen’s size and ability to disrupt routes should appeal to Fangio. The former Seahawks corner has allowed a passer rating under 80 in each of his first four seasons as a pro. He’ll also play on the outside when the Eagles are in their base defense, allowing DeJean to move to safety in four-DB sets, which will help the Eagles cover for the departed Reed Blankenship. Worst: Losing offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Few positional coaches are more known and beloved locally than Stoutland, who joined the Eagles as part of the Chip Kelly experience in 2013 and stuck around after Kelly was fired. Stoutland has played a huge role in developing a number of Eagles linemen over the past few years, including Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.

Jalen Hurts on A.J. Brown: ‘Nothing can replace all of the greatness we achieved together’ – BGN
The Eagles have started Phase 3 of their offseason program and quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters after their OTA practice on Wednesday. Hurts spoke highly of the team’s new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion, and talked about how they’re working to build the foundation for a new offense. The QB also talked about A.J. Brown and the possibility of him not being on the team this season, and commented on the status of their personal friendship.

Eagles, Patriots ‘not close’ on A.J. Brown trade – SB Nation
But if you thought that deal would be announced right on June 1, you might have to wait a little while longer. Speaking on the NFL Network on Thursday morning, Rapoport noted that the two sides are “not close” on terms, with the Eagles holding out for a first-round pick as part of a deal for Brown.

Reacting To Day 1 Of OTAs With Brandon Lee Gowton! – Go Birds Podcast
BLG joins ESP and James Seltzer to give his thoughts on what the Eagles looked like yesterday in their first OTA practice for 2026 season. The guys discuss whose stock is up and whose is down heading into the summer.

Noteworthy NFL date June 1 is almost here: What does it mean for the Eagles? – PhillyVoice
Over the last week or so, there has been some guessing that other teams (notably the Jaguars, and to a lesser degree, the Chiefs) could be surprise teams interested in Brown. And certainly, Howie Roseman would be smart to continue to gauge interest around the league (a) to ensure he isn’t leaving a better offer on the table, and (b) just in case the Patriots flake out. Ultimately, I still believe the deal with the Patriots will happen, and very soon after June 1. The Eagles are pretending not to be motivated sellers, but, well, they clearly are. At the same time the Patriots are pretending not to be motivated buyers, but they clearly are as well. And if so — again, not reporting anything here — my guess is that the Eagles will get a 2028 first-round pick, with 2027 sprinkles (something like a fourth-round pick). It might not look exactly like that, but my guess is that the Eagles will get roughly that level of value. I have since seen some Patriots beat reporters say that that Pats will give up the 1 in 2028, but that the Eagles would be sending a draft pick back to them. So, there is a range of outcomes, obviously. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on Thursday that the Patriots do not want to give up a first-round pick. I’m sure they don’t in the same way I’d prefer not to have to pay my mortgage, but they know they have to. I would say that a more accurate way of putting it is that they have heavily resisted including a first-round pick in 2027.

For A.J. Brown trade, it’s Patriots or no one – PFT
But what of the report that the two sides are “not particularly close”? Our guess is that the Eagles deliberately leaked it as a Hail Mary effort to get someone else to come to the table. Remember, nothing is done until it’s done. Even if the Patriots and the Eagles have an understanding as to what the terms will be, the Eagles could pivot elsewhere if they want. The question is whether another team will swoop in. Even if that happens, it would have to be a team that Brown is comfortable joining. No, he doesn’t have a no-trade clause. Still, no team in its right mind will trade for Brown if Brown doesn’t particularly want to play for that team. If Brown has decided he craves a reunion with Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown in Tennessee, a new team may not be thrilled about the prospect of giving up significant value for a player who would walk through the door reluctantly.

Albert Breer’s Mailbag: The NFL’s Division Most Up for Grabs in 2026 – SI
Connor, they had a shot at A.J. Brown in March and passed on it. Yes, their situation has changed, with Rashee Rice now in jail, and the idea of signing him to a new deal murkier. Still, when you have a top-heavy salary cap with a big-time quarterback, you need draft picks to fill the roster out with cost-controlled talent, so I don’t think Kansas City is going to reverse course and try to outbid the Patriots for the Eagles’ star. […] I’d say it’s unlikely that both A.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs will be aboard, and it’s very likely that Brown will be a Patriot this time next week, making it less likely that Diggs will be one again any time soon. That, by the way, isn’t about any sort of hard feelings that the Patriots have—in fact, the folks there, to a man, love Diggs. This is about overall fit. Diggs is 32 with plenty of injury history. A.J. Brown turns 29 next month and has a ton of mileage on his legs. Both are accustomed to being the focal point of an offense. The Patriots are also bringing in Romeo Doubs from the Packers, and have Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas back from last year’s team. So if you become reliant on Diggs and Brown, and one or both go down, that’s not great. And there’s only one ball to go around. So, again, this is simply a fit thing. If injuries were to change the Patriots’ situation and Diggs were still available, I’d bet the door would stay open. But I don’t think it’s in the plans now.

How challenging is it to be the guy replacing Jeff Stoutland? – NBCSP
Chris Kuper has a pretty solid resume. He spent eight years playing for the Broncos, starting 79 games mainly at right guard. He’s spent 10 years coaching in the NFL, most recently with the Vikings under Kevin O’Connell. And he was Sean Mannion’s hand-picked selection to be Eagles offensive line coach this year. Despite all of that, until he proves himself, people will just look at him as the guy who replaced Jeff Stoutland. It’s not easy replacing a legend. But that’s the spot the 43-year-old Kuper finds himsef in. Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen and Lane Johnson have played a combined 33 seasons and none of them has ever had a position coach other than Stout. Until now. How do you win over a bunch of guys who worshipped the ground that Stout walked on? Nick Sirianni said as long as Kuper does his job, everything else will fall into place.

Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt embracing challenge with inexperienced Uar Bernard: ‘He’s an unbelievable human being’ – Inquirer
“I’m not putting my stamp on everybody,” Hurtt said Thursday. “If you don’t have a great work ethic, if I don’t believe in your character and who you are as a person, I’m not putting my family’s well-being in anybody’s hands. “But when I saw the kid’s work ethic and character, he’s an unbelievable human being. I know as people get a chance to spend some time with him, he’s a great kid. So I felt good about doing that.“ Hurtt had up-close exposure to Bernard’s work ethic before the Eagles drafted him. While Bernard was training with the rest of the IPP players ahead of the draft, Hurtt got to work him out and get a feel for his football foundation. Hurtt said the Eagles were the first of 12 teams to put Bernard through a workout. The session was scheduled for 9 a.m. Bernard was warmed up and ready to go at 7:45 a.m. That eagerness registered with Hurtt. But Bernard wasn’t finished making a strong impression.

Governor Shapiro, Mayor Parker, Philadelphia Sports Teams, and Regional Partners Announce Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Traffic, Improve Safety, and Support Economic Growth Around the Sports Complex – PA.gov
Today, Governor Josh Shapiro, alongside Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s sports teams, Live Casino & Hotel, and regional stakeholders, announced a comprehensive plan to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and strengthen transportation access around the Philadelphia Sports Complex and the Lower South Philadelphia Region. The first phase will begin immediately, kicking off a multi-year effort to improve mobility for residents, commuters, businesses, and the millions of visitors who travel to the area each year. The nearly $30 million plan will make several important near-term infrastructure upgrades, including a new westbound entrance ramp to I-76, a second left turn lane from Front Street onto I-95 North which opened earlier this month, a new event operations hub, upgraded signage, and new smart traffic signals, designed to reduce bottlenecks and improve safety around one of Pennsylvania’s busiest economic and entertainment corridors. Once the Delaware River Port Authority real estate transfer is finalized to build the new entrance ramp, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will begin engineering work.

Former Eagles cheerleader named “Caregiver of the Year” helping husband with early-onset Alzheimer’s – CBS News
A Doylestown resident and former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader is being recognized for her advocacy on behalf of caregivers for adults with Alzheimer’s disease. CBS News Philadelphia first introduced you to Karen and Anthony Sandone in January 2025. Anthony Sandone was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease when he was 55 years old. “It took us two years to get the diagnosis,” Karen Sandone said. She takes care of her husband full-time.

How the Cowboys picked up an extra win with their schedule – Blogging The Boys
The premise behind the Cowboys and luck smiling upon them is that Dallas does not have to play any short-week road games all year. Consider that three of the most difficult road games that Dallas will play all season occur with longer rest than normal. The Cowboys will visit the Green Bay Packers after playing on a Thursday night (so the mini-bye), they’ll visit the Seattle Seahawks on a Monday after their Thanksgiving Day game, and then they will travel to play the Los Angeles Rams coming off of their bye. That is a pretty sweet way of looking at things.

How will Quan Martin be used in Daronte Jones’ new Commanders defense? – Hogs Haven
As you can see from the clips above, I believe Martin fits best when he’s playing closer to the line of scrimmage as a slot corner or dime linebacker. If this defense is relying on getting quick pressure and making the quarterback get rid of the ball in under three seconds, he may be alright as a traditional deep safety, but I see his true impact being that guy Jones can move around to create coverage confusion and chaos nearer to the line of scrimmage. He started his NFL career as a slot corner so the transition back to that role should come pretty easily for him. He will be allowed to keep his eyes in the backfield more and should be responsible for a man or shallow underneath zone. He can also drop into high-hole coverage from that position. The two players I see pairing more traditionally with Nick Cross as the deeper field safeties are Will Harris, who came into the league as a slot cornerback and Percy Butler, who could see time deep as part of a rotation.

NY Giants, Jaxson Dart meet to ‘work through’ issues after Trump introduction – Big Blue View
The New York Giants “worked through” Jaxson Dart’s recent decision to introduce President Donald Trump at Rockland Community College last week in Suffern, N.Y., during a team meeting, according to NFL Network insiders Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. Dart’s choice, as Giants fans know, drew public criticism from teammate Abdul Carter and inflamed tensions among fans along both sides in a country bitterly divided by its politics.

NFL news roundup: Deadline to cut rosters down to 53 players set for Sunday, Aug. 30 – NFL.com
The NFL informed teams that the deadline for cutting rosters down to 53 players will be Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. ET, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported. Waiver claims will be due on Monday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m. ET, per Pelissero, who added that cutdown day had been on Tuesday in recent years.

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Commanders' 2 replace 1 in key change this offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Washington Commanders made one of the best positional upgrades this offseason, according to ESPN's Ben Solak.

Solak ranks the Commanders' improvement at linebacker as the No. 3 biggest uptick of any position in the NFL this offseason -- behind just the Cardinals at RB and the Raiders at linebacker.

For Solak, it was really about just one departure from the Commanders: Bobby Wagner.

"One of the more brutal declines of the past few years has come from Wagner," Solak writes. "As smart as they come, Wagner has continued racking up tackle numbers even in the twilight of his career, with 162 last season and a career-best 183 in 2023 with the Seahawks. He was making All-Pro teams as recently as 2024 for his incredible durability and nose for the ball carrier. But Wagner's lack of speed was a glaring weakness for the Commanders' defense over the past two seasons. In 2025, Wagner's max speed topped out at 18.2 mph, according to Next Gen Stats' tracking data -- fifth slowest among starting off-ball linebackers. His average speed -- 9.1 mph -- was dead last. The difference between Wagner and second worst (Cody Simon) was as large as the difference between Simon and 14th worst."

MORE: Jason Kelce says the NFL is ruining its most valuable asset

Wagner was picked apart by opposing passing games, and so bringing him back for another season would've risked even further decline and struggle.

Instead, the Commanders signed Leo Chanel, and they drafted Sonny Styles.

"Chenal is younger and faster than Wagner, and in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones' system, he will be used as a rusher from on- and off-ball alignments," Solak writes.

Chenal was just the appetizer. Styles could be everything.

"The stars aligned in the draft when Ohio State LB Styles fell to Washington at No. 7," Solak writes. "Styles is a converted safety who brings the coverage chops sorely lacking in Washington's linebackers room. At his size (6-foot-5 with an 81-inch wingspan) and with his speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash), he occupies a ton more space in zone coverage than the average LB. Styles hasn't taken a snap of NFL football yet, so I don't want to get over my skis here, but this is a player with revolutionary potential."

Styles, pictured atop this article with a big smile, could be the defensive face of the Commanders, joining forces with Jayden Daniels to lead a once-proud franchise back to perennial contention.

More NFL news:

• The Aaron Rodgers problem no one is talking about for the Steelers
• Commanders, Brandon Aiyuk are waiting for the same thing
• Stefon Diggs' best free agent landing spot could be in NFC
• Could the Bosa brothers join forces?
• Saints still waiting for Cameron Jordan news

Jannik Sinner’s Roland-Garros exit already felt like the result that changed the entire men’s draw in Paris.

The Italian led Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 before collapsing physically and losing 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

Then Ben Shelton lost to Raphael Collignon later on Thursday, making an already chaotic tournament look even more awkward for the elite names.

Roland Garros top-10 exits hit level not seen since 2004

According to ESPN, Shelton’s defeat means this year’s Roland Garros has produced the most men’s top-10 seed losses through two rounds since 2004.

Sinner and Shelton are only part of the damage. Alexander Bublik, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev have also gone, while Carlos Alcaraz is sidelined through injury.

That leaves only Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur from the top 10 still alive in the draw.

The opportunity is enormous because recent Grand Slam conversation has been dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz. Paris now has space for another major name to reclaim the spotlight.

Djokovic is the obvious figure. The Serbian is still chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, and this draw has suddenly opened in a way few expected.

Zverev should also feel the moment, as the first two rounds have not just removed favourites, they have turned Roland Garros into the clearest invitation for someone else to seize control.

Read more:

Bryson DeChambeau has shot rounds of 65 and 68 at LIV Golf Korea to trail the leader by one heading into the weekend.

DeChambeau has won twice on LIV Golf this season, but he has struggled badly in the majors, missing the cut at The Masters and the PGA Championship.

So the 32-year-old’s return to form this week will have been extremely welcome.

Bryson DeChambeau is unquestionably LIV Golf‘s biggest star, so having him play well will be a big boost to interest in the tournament in South Korea this week

However, he faces an uncertain future with LIV Golf, with Saudi Arabia’s PIF set to withdraw their funding from the league at the end of this season.

DeChambeau made a few swing adjustments ahead of LIV Golf Korea, but he’s not been completely in-sync so far this week at Asiad Country Club.

Bryson DeChambeau to hold investigation after second round at LIV Golf Korea

The two-time U.S. Open champion addressed the media in South Korea after shooting a round of two-under par 68 on day two.

DeChambeau responded when asked if he was pleased with his score on Friday considering the fact that he didn’t have his best stuff.

“Yeah, definitely,“ he admitted.

“My putting saved me today. I felt like I was hitting it really well yesterday, driving it really well, and today just kind of went sideways.

“Going to go investigate that and find out why it is. Just got to be better, man. I’m so close to playing golf that I know I can play like Greenbrier. It’s just not there yet.

“I need a better understanding of what those right misses are because I feel like I make good passes at it, and it is not going in the right direction whatsoever.

“So I have to understand and feel my body a little bit more, understand why that’s happening.“

Bryson DeChambeau’s stats through two rounds at LIV Golf Korea

DeChambeau’s ball-striking has been nowhere near good enough during the first two rounds in Korea.

He has hit 15 out of 28 fairways and 23 out of 36 greens in regulation.

The American has averaged just 277 yards off the tee as well but in fairness to him, he has hit a lot of 3-woods off the tee this week.

However, his chipping and putting have been sensationally good.

Bryson DeChambeau has got up and down 11 times out of 13 attempts so far this week.

In total, he has had only 51 putts and has averaged just 1.42 putts per green hit in regulation.

DeChambeau cannot continue to rely on his chipping and putting if he is to win this week. He will have to improve his ball-striking in order to have any chance of earning a victory in Korea.

G.Skill showcases ultra-high-speed DDR5-9200 CU-DIMM modules ahead of Computex 2026 G.Skill has unveiled new DDR5 CU-DIMM modules that deliver ultra-fast speeds at relatively low voltages. DDR5-9200 speeds are uber-fast, and achieving this at JEDEC standard 1.1V is commendable. Clearly, memory manufacturers are now tapping the full potential of DDR5 memory. G.Skill’s new DDR5-9200 CU-DIMM modules […]

The post G.Skill unveils DDR5-9200 1.1V CU-DIMM memory modules appeared first on OC3D.

Apple is getting close to using up its existing DRAM supply, which only means that from that point on, it’ll be forced to cough up hefty premiums for future shipments, drastically nullifying its ability to keep a price hike at bay when launching the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, the company is also feeling the same price pressure elsewhere, and surprisingly, it’s due to bringing a unique camera upgrade later this year. The variable aperture camera arriving to the iPhone 18 Pro could be 50 percent more expensive, predicts analyst Aside from mentioning that the iPhone […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/iphone-18-pro-camera-upgrade-result-in-potential-price-hike/

G.Skill demos the capabilities of its DDR5 memory by pushing the Trident Z5 CK "CUDIMM" kit to 9200 MT/s at just 1.1V. G.SKILL Showcases DDR5-9200 1.1V 16GBx2 High-Speed CU-DIMM Memory Kit on MSI Z890 GODLIKE Motherboard Press Release: G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd, the world’s leading brand of performance overclock memory, is showcasing an ultra-high-speed DDR5 CU-DIMM 32GB (16GBx2) memory kit operating at an impressive DDR5-9200 CL74-74-74-148 speed with only 1.1V DRAM voltage, validated on the flagship MSI MEG Z890 GODLIKE motherboard platform. Exceptional DDR5 speed at Ultra-Low Voltage As memory performance continues to advance, balancing high frequency and operation voltage has become increasingly important. Demonstrating […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/g-skill-pushes-trident-z5-ck-cudimm-ddr5-memory-to-9200-mtps-at-just-1-1v/

ASRock is celebrating the completion of 10 years of Taichi, which served as the flagship lineup for enthusiasts. ASRock Unveils New Taichi Products At 10th Anniversary, Including a New Taichi RX 9070 XT, Taichi PSU Lineup, X870E Taichi White Motherboard, And Several More Taichi Products Popular hardware maker ASRock is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Taichi, which began in 2016 with the introduction of the Taichi X99 and Z170 motherboards. The company has been releasing its flagship products in the Taichi series since then, and now it is unveiling more products in the series ahead of Computex 2026. While the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/asrock-celebrates-taichi-10th-anniversary-by-introducing-new-taichi-product-lineup/

A vapor chamber in a premium smartphone has almost become a necessity these days if chipsets are expected to perform at their optimum levels. Thankfully, Samsung went a step further with its Exynos 2600 by introducing its Heat Pass Block (HPB) technology, which drops a copper heatsink on top of the SoC die to help with heat transfer. Now, it appears that this approach has several practical uses, as tests show that even a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with liquid-nitrogen cooling cannot perform as well, not to mention that it’s far too dangerous. Sadly, even the Exynos 2600 undergoes throttling, but […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/exynos-2600-heat-pass-block-performs-better-than-liquid-nitrogen-cooled-snapdragon-8-elite-gen-5/

This might be the first-ever triple-mode gaming monitor that switches through three different resolutions and refresh rates. MSI Showcases MPG OLED 322URDX36, World's First Triple Mode QD-OLED Monitor That Uses RGB Penta Tandem technology Monitor makers have quickly adopted the dual-mode configurations, but MSI has already stepped ahead by launching the world's first triple-mode gaming monitor, featuring the QD-OLED panel. The hardware maker will be showcasing many of its new products at Computex, which will also include its latest MPG OLED 332URDX36, a flagship OLED monitor that runs at 4K@360Hz. However, as it boasts a triple-mode configuration, users can quickly […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/msi-launches-worlds-first-triple-mode-qd-oled-gaming-monitor-switching-between-4k360hz-2k520hz-and-fhd680hz/

Edge of Memories is the second entry in the series by French developer Midgar Studio, which began with Edge of Eternity back in 2018 with its Early Access release. Doing away with turn-based combat, the new entry in the series will be an action RPG heavily inspired by the Mana series, sporting a colorful cast of characters and a setting that seems ripe for adventure. While we wait for the Edge of Memories release date announcement, we sat down with the musical minds behind the game: main composer Cédric Menendez, celebrated arranger and composer Mariam Abounnasr (Xenoblade Chronicles), and legendary […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/edge-of-memories-soundtrack-interview-dynamic-combat-iconic-rpg-collaborations-and-why-ai-cant-replace-the-soul/

Dell Alienware introduced four new high-end gaming monitors, catering to the demands of enthusiasts for every budget. Alienware Unveils Four New Gaming Monitors, Featuring Latest RGB Tandem and Penta Tandem OLED Panels as Well as VA-Based Monitors for Immersive Gaming Dell Alienware will turn 30 this October, and to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the company has decided to launch more gaming monitors. Ahead of Computex, Dell's Alienware launched four new high-end gaming monitors that are built for enthusiasts, which Alienware says bring "premium performance" at a "compelling price". The lineup includes both OLED and VA displays, but the most interesting […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/alienware-turns-30-by-dropping-the-worlds-first-39-inch-5k-oled-monitor/

Breezy Budget helps you track the money in your checking account with simple envelope budgeting. Divide each paycheck into categories like rent, groceries, and fun, then record spending to see exactly what’s left in every category. Import transactions from bank files or add them manually, adjust allocations anytime, and view clear progress bars that show your status at a glance. It offers a 21-day free trial and straightforward pricing at $8.99/month.

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Helium is a student planner and academic calendar that helps you track classes, assignments, grades, and notes in one color-coded place. View your schedule by month, week, day, or agenda, and sync with Google or Apple calendars to keep everything aligned.

Helium recalculates grades in real time, highlights at-risk classes, and shows progress versus pace so you know what to tackle next. Use reminders, a focused Todos view, a rich notebook, and the What Grade Do I Need? calculator across web, iOS, and Android. It’s free and open source.

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Same Page is a live document presenter that syncs page, zoom, and scroll across every viewer’s device. Upload a PDF, PowerPoint, or Word file, share a link or QR code, and present while your audience follows in real time from any browser with no accounts or installs needed.

Use it alongside Zoom, Teams, or Meet to keep faces on one screen and a crisp, native document on the other. Present from phone or laptop, let viewers independently pinch-zoom, and scale from small meetings to events with up to 5,000 attendees, with configurable quality and preprocessed business documents.

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TonesMatch gives you exact amp settings, pickup position, and pedal chain for any song, calibrated to your specific guitar and amp. It analyzes original recordings and uses gear-aware AI plus a large tone database to recompute settings that match the controls on your rig. Explore researched tones sourced from studio notes and community rigs across 2,000+ guitars, 1,500+ amps, and hundreds of pedals. Save gear presets, browse examples, and dial in every real knob and switch on your equipment.

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