[Posted Sunday p.m.]
College Sports Quiz: Texas State is expected to become the ninth member of the new Pac-12 conference. Name the first eight to be formally named for the start of the 2026 season. Answer below.
MLB
—The slumping Mets won their final two games against the Atlanta Braves in New York, Wednesday and Thursday, but learned Friday that starter Griffin Canning had a ruptured left Achilles, ending his season, and much of next year, the injury suffered in Thursday’s 4-0 win. Canning had been a pleasant surprise, 7-3, 3.77 ERA, and was a one-year, $4 million contract.
So then the Mets traveled to Pittsburgh for three and promptly got blown out Friday, 9-1.
Saturday, the Mets up 1-0 bottom of the second, when the rains came and we had a 1 ½-hour rain delay. At which point manager Carlos Mendoza made the quizzical choice of bringing back starter Paul Blackburn, who promptly got drilled, five straight hits, he exits, Pirates score 3, and then 6 in the eighth (Mets relievers with 4 walks), and New York falls 9-2.
Two straight blowouts in Pittsburgh. After Saturday’s non-effort, it was time for a players-only meeting. Twelve losses in 15 games. So much for the positive mojo from Wednesday and Thursday.
During Sunday’s broadcast, I was reminded the Mets, 48-36, had started out 21-9 and thus were 27-27 since…54 games, a .500 team. Ugh.
And then what happened today? The Pirates roughed up starter Frankie Montas for six runs in the first two innings and it was game over…Final 12-1.
The 30-4 combined score of the three games made it the most lopsided series in the 64-year history of the Mets!!!
–The Phillies took over the lead in the NL East with a 13-0 blowout of the Braves in Atlanta, Friday, after losing three in Houston by the scores of 1-0, 2-0, and 2-1. Eegads.
But then the Phils lost Saturday night, 6-1, though still up by a half-game over the Mets.
Philadelphia (49-35) then won today, 2-1, and sits 1 ½ ahead of the now woeful Mets. Drat!
Ranger Suarez threw seven innings of one-run ball for the Phils to move to 7-2, 2.00. As Ronald Reagan would have said to Nancy, her Ronnie reading the Monday morning sports pages, while she’s making blueberry pancakes, ‘Not bad…not bad at all…’
–The Yankees hosted the A’s at the Stadium this weekend and Friday night, Will Warren and four relievers shutout the Sacramento boys, 3-0. Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz was 1-for-3 with a walk, an opportunity for his fans, such as moi, to see him with each at bat, as I’m trying to do. He’s had a helluva start to his MLB career.
Saturday, Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a walk, but the one hit was a biggie, a 3-run homer to make it 4-0, after Brent Rooker had homered for the A’s, snapping Yankee starter Clarke Schmidt’s scoreless innings streak at 28 1/3, the A’s going on to win it 7-0.
Kurtz has 11 homers in his last 22 games.
Aaron Judge, 0-for-3, is now 11-for-60 his last 17 games, sending his average from .396 to .354. The Yankees are 7-10 in that stretch.
But the Yanks (48-35) blew out the A’s (34-52) 12-5 Sunday, Judge breaking out with two home runs, Nos. 29 and 30. Kurtz was 1-for-4, an RBI single. [Go Deacs!]
Last Wednesday, New York’s Max Fried became the majors’ first 10-game winner in a 7-1 win over Cincinnati. He’s 10-2, 1.92, and there’s a chance he could start for the AL in the All-Star Game, which is being held in Atlanta on July 15, his old stomping grounds. That would be a big scene.
Meanwhile, the A’s finally broke ground on their new ballpark in Las Vegas, a $1.75 billion, 33,000-seat capacity, that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season.
Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project.
Sacramento remains the home of the A’s for 2026 and 2027.
–Speaking of Cincinnati, another former Demon Deacon and first-round draft pick, Chase Burns, made his MLB debut Tuesday night for the Reds against the Yanks and he was electric, 8 strikeouts in five innings (though he yielded 3 runs), with Burns striking out the first five batters he faced; the first starting pitcher in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to do so.
Burns had a no-decision in what would be a 5-4 Reds win in 11 innings.
And then Friday night, the Reds’ Nick Martinez* (5-8, 4.12) threw eight innings of no-hit ball against the Padres before giving up a double in the top of the ninth, the Reds winning 8-1, Spencer Steer with three home runs.
*My next-door neighbor, Michael C., reminded me that Martinez is a Fordham boy; Michael, friend of Digger, knowing all things involving the Rams.
The Reds are a solid 43-39 and entertaining. Oops, make that 43-40…suffering a 6-4 loss to San Diego Saturday. But now 44-40, beating the Padres 3-2 today.
—Shohei Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his career at 101.7 Saturday night, going two scoreless innings in his third mound start for L.A., though the Dodgers lost it 9-5. Ohtani was 0-for-4 at the plate with three strikeouts.
–The Angels announced that manager Ron Washington will remain on medical leave for the rest of the season, the team announced Friday.
Bench coach Ray Montgomery (another Fordham boy, as the aforementioned Michael C. reminded me) will manage the team for what remains of 2025.
Washington, the oldest manager in the major leagues at 73, was placed on leave last Friday because of an undisclosed medical issue. He experienced shortness of breath and appeared fatigued toward the end of a four-game series at the Yankees that ended on June 19. Washington flew back to Southern California, underwent a series of tests and was placed on medical leave.
L.A., 41-41, has played better than most people had expected, after a major-league worst nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons.
—Last Wednesday we had a biggie in Milwaukee…young gun Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers vs. the Pirates’ Paul Skenes, and Misiorowski got the better of Skenes, 4-2, in what many hope is just the first of many duels against each other.
Misiorowski is now 3-0 in his first three starts in the big leagues, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out eight and lowering his ERA to 1.13.
Since being promoted from Triple-A Nashville, the kid has given up all of three hits and two runs in 16 innings. He’s the first MLB pitcher since at least 1901 to allow five hits or fewer combined across his first 3 career starts – all as a starter (min. 5 IP in each).
Skenes, the reigning Rookie of the Year, allowed all four runs in the second inning, his ERA rising to 2.12.
–Finally, sometimes life just isn’t fair. Dave Parker, a month from finally being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, died in hospice care after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was 74.
As Mets announcer Ron Darling said on the broadcast from Pittsburgh Saturday, Parker, “the Cobra,” was truly “larger than life,” a true 5-tool player who dominated wherever he played, and a commanding presence, 6’5”, 230 lbs.
Parker was a 7-time All-Star, NL MVP (1978), two-time batting champ (1977-78), 3-time Gold Glove winner in the outfield, and two-time World Series Champion with Pittsburgh in 1979 and Oakland in 1989.
That 1989 season, age 38, Parker slammed 22 home runs and drove in 97. The next year, now 39, he had 21 homers and 92 RBIs for Milwaukee.
Overall, Parker had 339 home runs, 1,493 RBIs, 2,712 hits, 154 stolen bases and he batted .290. But he didn’t get into the Hall until the Veterans Committee selected him and he will be going in with another late slugger, Dick Allen.
“Man, I am crushed,” former Oakland teammate Dave Stewart, one of Parker’s closest friends, told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. He had such a presence when he walked into the room.
“He was always the biggest in the room with his size,” Stewart said, “but when you add in his personality, he’s suddenly 7 feet tall. Just an unbelievable human being and was so charismatic. Everyone loved him.”
RIP, Dave Parker.
NBA Draft
–With my Knicks not having a first-round pick this year, my interest in the draft was essentially zero, and there was no drama in the first overall selection, Cooper Flagg to the Mavericks.
But for the record, the first ten….
Mavericks: SF Cooper Flagg, Duke
Spurs: PG Dylan Harper, Rutgers
76ers: SG VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Hornets: SF Kon Knueppel, Duke
Jazz: SF Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Wizards: SG Tre Johnson, Texas
Pelicans: PG Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Nets: PG Egor Demin, BYU
Raptors: PF Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Suns: C Khaman Maluach, Duke
Maluach was a very popular selection and he’s someone to root for. Dylan Harper’s mom was a big hit.
And speaking of Rutgers, with Bailey going No. 5, that memorialized a record that may never be broken…a school with two top 5 draft picks that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.
Duke became just the third school with three top-10 picks in the modern draft era (since 1966).
In 2019, Duke produced Zion Williamson (No. 1), RJ Barrett (No. 3) and Cam Reddish (No. 10). In 2007, Florida produced Al Horford (No. 3), Corey Brewer (No. 7) and Joakim Noah (No. 9).
–The Nets became the first team in league history to make five selections in the opening round, with four of the five selected being guards, including three point guards.
It was thought Brooklyn would trade one or two of the five picks. But with D’Angelo Russell hitting free agency and the team having had a revolving door of point guards since Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas in 2023, the rookie draft picks are going to have a chance to run the show.
Brooklyn received a fifth first-round pick as a result of the earlier in the week trade of Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta in a three-team deal involving the Nets, who got Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick from Atlanta; the Hawks got a second-round pick in addition to Porzingis; and the Celtics received Georges Niang from Atlanta and a second-round pick.
The Celtics needed to trade Porzingis, and before that Jrue Holiday (to Portland) for major cap/luxury tax purposes.
–Among the final thoughts of the ‘experts,’ the New Orleans Pelicans received a ton of scrutiny. In the first splash of Joe Dumars’ tenure, the Pels traded up 10 spots in the first round to select Derik Queen, a solid big man prospect out of Maryland.
But Dumars gave up the Pelicans’ unprotected first-rounder next year to get Queen and New Orleans, 21-61 this year, could easily have another poor season with the pick being a top-five, and even No. 1 if things go poorly – which means they lose out on AJ Dybantsa, the kid who will play his one year at BYU and then go No. 1 next June.
—Portland stunned everyone by picking 7’1” Chinese center Yang Hansen – projected to be a second-rounder – at No. 16.
—Hunter Sallis of Wake Forest was projected to be a late second-round selection, but he went undrafted, at which point the Sixers snapped him up on a two-way deal…a steal.
Sallis is a terrific defender at guard, 6’5” with length, and has a great midrange game. He wasn’t selected because his 3-point shooting last season for the Deacs fell to 28%. The guy will be a definite rotation piece come year 2, if not by end of his rookie season.
–Meanwhile, Julius Randle signed a three-year extension with the Timberwolves for $100 million after a very solid regular season, 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and then a superb 25.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists across the five-game series win over the Warriors, though he struggled in the conference finals against the Thunder.
–And LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, agent Rich Paul told ESPN today.
But reading between the lines, James knows the Lakers are in a sort of rebuilding mode, but he wants to see the team make moves this offseason where he can still contend for a title…as in, I’m not so sure you couldn’t have a blockbuster move, even in the first half of the season, where James asks to go to Team X or Y, and no one in the sport deserves to be able to dictate the way he finishes his career more than him, frankly.
Golf Balls
–Ahead of the Rocket Classic tour stop, new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp held a mandatory players meeting for the 156-man field on Tuesday. The players also heard from Commissioner Jay Monahan and Sam Kennedy, representing Strategic Sports Group, which has invested $1.5 billion in the Tour’s new for-profit entity. Kennedy is highly-regarded for his work as the president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox and CEO of Fenway Sports Group.
And they heard from player reps Camilo Villegas and Peter Malnati. And then Rolapp, who did his best to ingratiate himself.
“He’s a fresh set of eyes,” Aaron Baddeley said. “It’s like having a new coach for your swing without pre-conceived ideas and not looking at all the things that are good and bad.”
Rolapp promised to speak to 100 members before he even starts officially as CEO this summer and intends to speak to the entire membership during his first month on the job. He told them he would ask them each three questions:
- What do we do well?
2. What do we do that you don’t like?
3. What can we do better?
As per Adam Schupak of Golfweek, the players loved it.
But on the issue of LIV Golf, Matt Kuchar said when he asked a question about the negotiations, he was told the two sides are at loggerheads with no resolution in sight. The Tour refuses to capitulate on certain matters, especially Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s obsession with the team concept and his refusal to budge on having it be a future component as part of any deal.
And then there’s the issue of the Tour cards being reduced to 100 and the number of return trips via Korn Ferry Tour trimmed from 30 to 20, with livelihoods at stake. On this, the regular Tour pros weren’t satisfied with what they heard, but most want the Tour to at least make an adjustment on the field for the eight Signature events, which have all the money and the FedEx Cup points. The regulars are hoping to see Signature event fields go from 70-80 to 100.
As for the golf at Detroit Golf Club, it was a largely no-name field but with an intriguing story line for today’s final round.
The 54-hole leader was 20-year-old South African Aldrich Potgieter, a potential star in the game down the road, making just his 14th PGA Tour start.
Potgieter, -19, held a two-shot lead over five others at -17.
And it was a highly entertaining final round, Chris Kirk first in at -22, Potgieter -22 thru 17, local NJ boy Max Greyserman -22 thru 17 as well, and these last two head to the par-4 18th, Greyserman with a great birdie opportunity, but he misses it…Potgieter with a 4-footer for par…he makes it…-22, joining Kirk…Greyserman does the same….
A three-way playoff…Kirk, the 40-year-old six-time PGA Tour winner; Potgieter and Greyserman, 30, seeking win No. 1.
And on the first playoff hole, Kirk has a very makeable birdie putt for the win and he misses it!
The three-man playoff continues and I’m going to post…time to move on with my Sunday night…I will have all of the details in my Add-on…including major moves in the FedEx Cup standings.
—Padraig Harrington won the U.S. Senior Open at the beautiful Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs by one over Stewart Cink. Harrington thus joins only two others to win multiple The Open Championships and U.S. Senior Opens.
Stuff
—Lando Norris claimed a big victory at the Austrian Grand Prix today after overcoming McClaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri in what I read was a thrilling on-track duel (forgot to watch it). It was Norris’ third win of the season.
Piastri’s points lead over Norris was cut to 15, about halfway through the season.
“F1: The Movie” had a terrific opening weekend, $55.6 million domestically, $88.4 million overseas, where it will thrive. Good to see. Go Brad Pitt, but, boy, that sucked his home was ransacked by a bunch of dirtballs.
—Chase Elliott won Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series event at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway), passing Brad Keselowski in Turn 2 of the final lap.
Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, snapped a 44-race winless streak, capturing career win No. 20.
–The New York Islanders selected 17-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft.
“I think it’s just my mom, for sure,” an emotional Schaefer said through tears on stage. “I miss her a lot and I wish she could be here today.”
His mother, Jennifer, died of cancer last year just two months after his billet mom*, Emily Matson, died of suicide.
*The billet mom is the term for where the kids live during their junior golf seasons.
Schaeffer, 6’2”, is apparently a terrific puck handler. Just needs to fill out some and while he may not stick with the big team immediately, he will be there shortly after no doubt.
–Former Jets defensive end Gerry Philbin has died. He was 84.
Philbin was a third-round pick out of the University of Buffalo. At 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, he went on to win a Super Bowl with Gang Green in 1969. Philbin recorded 10+ sacks each of 1966-69 (sacks were unofficial back then, but the records are accurate), and he was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2011, earning two Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods in his career.
Ah, the good old days, when I was becoming a massive sports fan and fan of the Jets. Fun times, with Joe Willie throwing the ball all over the field.
–Since I last posted, I have to note the passing of teen-idol Bobby Sherman, 81.
He was a fixture on the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines back in the late 1960s/early 70s and had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – “Little Woman” (#3, 1969), “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” (#5, 1970) and “Easy Come, Easy Go” (#9, 1970), as well as “La La La (If I Had You…#9, 1969).
Sherman, with sky blue eyes and dimples, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, singing Ricky Nelson songs and performing with a high-school rock band.
He was studying child psychology at a community college in 1964 when his girlfriend took him to a Hollywood party, which would change his life. He stepped onstage and sang with the band. Afterward, guests Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo asked him who his agent was. They took his number and, a few days later, an agent called him and set him up with “Shindig!”
Sherman hit true teen-idol status in 1968, when he appeared in “Here Come the Brides,” a comedy-adventure set in boom town Seattle in the 1870s.
Top 3 songs for the week 6/25/66: #1 “Paperback Writer” (The Beatles) #2 “Strangers In The Night” (Frank Sinatra) #3 “Paint It, Black” (The Rollings Stones…the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll tune…was #1 weeks earlier…)…and…#4 “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?” (The Lovin’ Spoonful) #5 “I Am A Rock” (Simon and Garfunkel) #6 “Red Rubber Ball” (The Cyrkle) #7 “Barefootin’” (Robert Parker) #8 “Cool Jerk” (The Capitols) #9 “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” (Dusty Springfield) #10 “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” (The Chiffons…A- week…)
College Sports Quiz Answer: The new Pac-12 is set to include current members Oregon State and Washington State, along with new members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State and Gonzaga (non-football). It all starts in the 2026-27 academic year, and the expansion to eight members satisfies the NCAA’s requirement for a conference.
As for Texas State, an invitation was extended to them to join the league in July 2026, and barring any late changes, the school is expected to officially accept the invitation on Monday.
The Bobcats would become the conference’s eighth football-playing full member.
The fledgling conference is completing a media deal with CBS to be the primary TV partner, with the main CBS network committing to broadcast at least three regular-season Pac-12 football games and the conference championship game, along with basketball, including the conference tournament championship game. The conference will have a regular-season presence on CBS Sports Network.
Now you might say who cares about Texas State, but it’s a school on the rise (much like Sacramento State), including in big-time sports. It’s in the town of San Marcos, a booming place nestled between Austin and San Antonio. Its football program moved up to FBS in 2012, and the team is coming off their first two bowl seasons in program history, with a rising coach in G.J. Kinne.
It’s a big move for the Pac-12 to get into the Texas market. Texas State now has more than 40,000 students! Goodness gracious.
Very brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
