Blog

May 08, 2023

Mac Engel: Between Kumar Rocker and Jacob deGrom, the New York Mets 'beat' the Texas Rangers

The best way to plan on Jacob deGrom moving forward is to assume his career is

The best way to plan on Jacob deGrom moving forward is to assume his career is over, and anything he does with the Texas Rangers is free money found between your couch cushions.

(Yes, that is one expensive couch).

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Copyright 2023 Tribune Content Agency.

Thursday

Germany's second division threatens to take attention away from the Bundesliga next season with several heavyweights competing at the lower level. Hertha Berlin and Schalke were relegated from the top flight. They join the likes of second-tier teams Hamburg, Nuremberg, Kaiserslautern, Hannover and Fortuna Düsseldorf. They're all teams playing in stadiums with the capacity for around 50,000 supporters or more. Only five of 18 teams playing in the Bundesliga next season can boast such spectator numbers. When Hertha hosts Hamburg in its 75,000-capacity Olympiastadion, or Schalke hosts Kaiserslautern in front of 62,000 fans in Gelsenkirchen, the games will draw more attention than many first-division matches.

England midfielder Declan Rice looks to have played his final match for West Ham. Rice captained West Ham in its victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday. West Ham chairman David Sullivan says Rice has been promised he can leave the club and he wants to go. Sullivan tells British radio station Talksport that "you can't keep a player who doesn't want to be there." Rice has been linked with some of Europe's top teams.

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has signed for Liverpool for a reported initial fee of 35 million pounds ($43.6 million) to mark the start of an expected rebuild by the club. Mac Allister was part of Argentina's World Cup-winning team last year. He completed a move from Brighton on what Liverpool described as a "long-term deal." Mac Allister helped Brighton secure its highest-ever Premier League finish of sixth place. That was one spot below Liverpool. Mac Allister's reputation has soared over the past year after playing a key role in Argentina's World Cup triumph alongside Lionel Messi.

The first big surprise in golf's new world? Seeing PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi wealth fund leader Yasir Al-Rumayyan smiling together. Behind the scenes were a pair of PGA board members. One of them was Jimmy Dunne, a power broker in golf and on Wall Street. That he was involved in setting the first meeting between Monahan and the Saudis is telling. Dunne co-founded an investment banking firm that had offices in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. He lost 66 colleagues that day. Dunne is all about looking for solutions. The tour needed answers.

Von Miller's desire to eliminate artificial fields is personal. The three-time All-Pro edge rusher tore his right ACL playing on an artificial surface in Buffalo's game at Detroit last Thanksgiving. Miller, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Green Bay Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari are part of Pennington's "Flip the Turf" campaign, urging players and fans to sign a Change.org petition calling for the 16 stadiums that use artificial turf to switch to grass. The NFL Players Association has long been calling for all teams to switch to grass fields. The players’ union released studies in April from 2012-22 that show a significant increase in non-contact injuries on artificial surfaces vs. grass fields.

With Lionel Messi heading for Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo already in Saudi Arabia it's time for soccer's next global superstar to step forward. Erling Haaland's record-breaking first season at Manchester City has seen the striker establish himself as arguably the most lethal goal-scorer in the sport. He is also on the brink of firing Pep Guardiola's City to its first Champions League title against Inter Milan in Saturday's final in Istanbul. That would give City a historic treble of trophies after winning the Premier League and FA Cup this season. Perhaps only Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior can challenge the Norwegian to the title of the world's best player in the post-Messi and Ronaldo era.

Barcelona again couldn't do enough to entice Lionel Messi. The club missed out on a chance to bring the World Cup winner back nearly two years after it was forced to let him go against his will because of its financial struggles. Messi announced Wednesday he would not return to Barcelona and instead was going to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. There had been hopes of a reunion between the Argentina great and the Spanish club where he thrived for nearly two decades before leaving to join Paris Saint-Germain. But in the end there was only more disappointment for both sides.

DURHAM, N.C. — On the whole, the Duke basketball staff has been successful in roster building over the nearly three months since the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament loss to Tennessee.

Florida and Miami have better chances of winning the national championship than Florida State does — according to one important number, at least.

The best way to plan on Jacob deGrom moving forward is to assume his career is over, and anything he does with the Texas Rangers is free money found between your couch cushions.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — I liked the Dolphins defense last season. I might love the Dolphins defense this season.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There are three quarterbacks participating in 49ers minicamp and another on the sidelines, but it doesn't seem to matter who is throwing the ball when Brandon Aiyuk is on the field.

Brooks Koepka was being widely congratulated Tuesday morning on Twitter for sending out this four-word message after the news of the LIV-PGA Tour peace treaty exploded:

For decades now, Kansas City has been celebrated as the "Sports Architecture Capital of The World." The distinction is deftly documented in Tom Waggoner's 2021 book with David Smale ("Designed in Kansas City: How Kansas City Became the Sports Architecture Capital of the World") and, among am…

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jordy Bahl threw a two-hitter and struck out 10, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 5-0 on Wednesday night to inch closer to a third consecutive national title. The top-seeded Sooners took the lead in the Women's College World Series best-of-three championship series an…

WASHINGTON (AP) — University of Arizona President Robby Robbins says until Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff gives the conference's leaders hard numbers on a future media rights deal, any talk about schools leaving the league is premature. Robbins spoke to a small group of reporters not f…

The Toronto Blue Jays face the Houston Astros, leading the series 2-1.

The New York Mets look to stop their five-game slide with a win against the Atlanta Braves.

The Colorado Rockies aim to end their three-game slide when they play the San Francisco Giants.

The Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox meet on Thursday with the winner claiming the three-game series.

The Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Washington Nationals after Corbin Carroll had four hits on Wednesday in a 6-2 win over the Nationals.

The Milwaukee Brewers play the Baltimore Orioles after Joey Wiemer's four-hit game on Wednesday.

The Chicago White Sox will attempt to keep a four-game win streak intact when they take on the New York Yankees.

The Chicago Cubs travel to the Los Angeles Angels looking to stop a three-game road slide.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hit the road against the Cincinnati Reds looking to break a three-game road slide.

The Minnesota Twins look to break their four-game slide with a win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jordy Bahl threw a two-hitter and struck out 10, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 5-0 on Wednesday night to inch closer to a third consecutive national title. The top-seeded Sooners took the lead in the Women's College World Series best-of-three championship series an…

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arkansas’ Carey McLeod completed an NCAA indoor/outdoor long jump sweep and Arizona's Jordan Geist accomplished the feat in the shot put Wednesday night at the outdoor track and field championships. Arkansas took the top two spots in the long jump behind McLeod's mark of…

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA baseball tournament moves to super regionals this weekend. The four best-of-three series starting Friday are South Carolina at Florida, Duke at Virginia, Oral Roberts at Oregon and Indiana State at TCU. The series starting Saturday are Alabama at Wake Forest, Texas at…

Elite wrestlers who are demanding the resignation and arrest of India's wrestling federation president for allegedly sexually harassing young athletes have suspended their protests after the country's sports minister promised a swift investigation. The protesting wrestlers have been staging a protest in the center of New Delhi for months seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied the allegations. The protesting wrestlers met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur for talks on Wednesday. Thakur said the police would file charges by June 15. He says the wrestlers assured him they would not hold any protests until then.

Dallas faces Phoenix in a matchup of Western Conference teams. Friday's meeting will be the second of the season between the two teams. Dallas is 3-0 at home, and Phoenix is 0-2 on the road.

Los Angeles plays the Chicago Sky after Nneka Ogwumike scored 22 points in the Los Angeles Sparks' 66-63 loss to the Seattle Storm. Friday's meeting is the first this season for the teams. Los Angeles is 2-1 at home, and Chicago is 3-1 on the road.

THROUGH JUNE 6

Minnesota will attempt to end its three-game home slide when the Lynx face Indiana. The teams square off Friday for the first time this season. Minnesota is 0-3 at home, and Indiana is 1-3 on the road.

Atlanta hosts the New York Liberty after Cheyenne Parker scored 25 points in the Atlanta Dream's 92-87 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Friday's matchup is the first this season for the two teams. Atlanta is 1-2 at home, and New York is 2-1 on the road.

Seattle faces the Washington Mystics after Jewell Loyd scored 25 points in the Seattle Storm's 66-63 win against the Los Angeles Sparks. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. Seattle is 1-3 at home, and Washington is 1-1 on the road.

INCLUDES GAMES OF TUESDAY, JUNE 06, 2023

It has been a small sample size in 2023, but Jaime Barría has so far been one of the Angels ' most solid and reliable starters.

The Denver Nuggets visit the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet for the sixth time this season. Miami is 27-14 at home, and Denver is 19-22 on the road.