The New York Yankees have a decision to make on the future of manager Aaron Boone, but it sounds like they’re leaning strongly in one direction.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is seemingly inclined to keep Boone as manager despite the team’s lack of playoff success. Steinbrenner considers player underperformance a bigger reason behind the Yankees’ struggles than anything Boone did or did not do.
“He likes [Boone], and I don’t think he blames him for what happened,” one source told Olney.
The support for Boone is not unanimous. Some within the organization reportedly question his bullpen management, and feel that he’s too easy on the team in public when they struggle. It’s also possible Boone could accept overtures from other teams, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the World Series. At that point, if the Yankees have not agreed a new deal with him, they won’t be able to stop him from speaking to other organizations.
Boone is 328-318 in his four seasons as manager. His job has never seemed to be in any trouble. Many fans hoped his contract expiring would let the Yankees make a clean break, but that may not be the case after all.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans seemingly broke one of the cardinal rules of baseball during the team’s Game 3 loss on Monday night.
The Dodgers lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to San Francisco, with the lone run coming on an Evan Longoria home run in the top of the fifth inning. It seems something happened just moments before that home run, however. Mere moments before Longoria’s fateful swing, the wave took hold around Dodger Stadium.
Come on, folks. If you’re going to insist on doing the wave, never do it while the opposing team is hitting. This is some pretty basic stuff here.
Dodger fans are frequently mocked for their supposed habit of arriving late and leaving early, though anyone who has dealt with L.A. traffic can probably forgive those transgressions. This one, though? You just have to be better than that.
The Philadelphia 76ers are just a week away from opening the NBA regular-season and after a lengthy hold-out in an attempt to force a trade, it appears as if Ben Simmons has decided to return to the team.
Simmons’ decision to reverse course came as a surprise to many of his 76ers coaches and teammates, including Joel Embiid.
“Personally, I haven’t talked to him since the season ended,” Embiid said on Monday, via Sixers Wire. “Obviously, I tried, but it wasn’t successful as a lot of my teammates have. Like I said, it’s unfortunate the whole situation happened, but like I say we are a better team with him on the floor. I think there’s gonna be some adjustments, but it doesn’t need to be awkward. I mean, we are professionals. We want to win. I want to win. So he gives us the best chance to win so that’s what I’m gonna go with.”
Although Embiid doesn’t feel there’s a need for things to be awkward, they already are.
Simmons showed up in Philly just prior to tipoff between the 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. No one even knew he was in town until he arrived for his COVID-19 test.
“I think he did his COVID test today from reports from [ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski]. I’m gonna call Woj and find out what’s going on, but yeah. It seems like [Simmons is back] which is good,” head coach Doc Rivers said.
After a lengthy holdout, Simmons showing back up without informing the team is an interesting choice. But the 76ers seem determined to just move on and plow ahead. Simmons could even take the court for practice as early as Tuesday.
You know what they say: NFL officials never see the instigator, just the person who retaliates. And Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle took complete advantage of that on Monday night.
Following a second-and-20 pass that picked up just two yards with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Doyle mushed the head of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young into the ground. Young immediately popped up and shoved Doyle, who flopped so bad it made LeBron James jealous.
Officials quickly threw a flag and called Young for an unnecessary roughness penalty. That gave the Colts an additional 15 yards, a fresh set of downs and set them up in field goal range. All Rodrigo Blankenship had to do was connect from 47 yards out and the game would be over.
But divine intervention stepped in. Blankenship’s kick sailed wide, the game was sent into overtime and after winning the coin toss, Baltimore went 68 yards on 10 plays for the game-winning score.
Although Young’s shove of Doyle was undisciplined and nearly cost his team the game, Doyle’s actions should have been penalized and will likely be fined later in the week.
Gavin Lux was utterly stunned to make the final out of Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday night. He thought he had delivered a game-tying home run.
Lux was batting with two outs and his Los Angeles Dodgers losing 1-0 to the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth. Lux had a 1-0 count against Camilo Doval and caught a high fastball that he delivered to deep left-center. Lux thought for sure he had tied the game with a home run. Even Steven Duggar, who made the catch, was sprinting back like he thought it was going far, only to suddenly stop after the ball died.
Lux’s reaction said it all. He was stunned.
And that is how the game ended.
So, why was Lux so surprised?
An extremely high percentage of balls hit as hard off the bat as his was, and with the launch angle he had, go for home runs. His did not.
The winds at Dodger Stadium were terrible Monday night, and some of the worst many covering the team could remember. The National Weather Service even sent out high wind warnings. It’s quite likely that the wind knocked the ball down as it was in flight, preventing it from going as far as one typically would expect it to.
The Dodgers are now down 2-1 in the series after losing Game 3. The Giants, who had the best record in MLB in the regular season, will look to close out the series on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Kiké Hernandez was the biggest bat for the Boston Red Sox in their ALDS with the Tampa Bay Rays that ended on Monday night. So it was fitting to see him be the one to end the series with a walk-off RBI.
Hernandez was batting in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and third and one out in a 5-5 game between his Red Sox and the Rays in Game 4 at Fenway Park. Hernandez ended up hitting a sac fly to center that scored pinch runner Danny Santana from third.
Hernandez is known for his sense of humor, so it’s no surprise he had a joke about his at-bat. He said he felt like he would have to hit a home run when it was originally the slow-running Christian Vazquez at third base. However, when the Red Sox lifted Vazquez for Santana, he felt the pressure lift.
Leave it to Hernandez to find humor after a walk-off RBI.
Hernandez was on fire in the series. He went 5-for-6 with 3 doubles, a home run and 3 RBIs in the Red Sox’s Game 2 win. He went 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs in the team’s Game 3 win. And, fittingly, he ended the series with a sac fly in Game 4.
The Red Sox await the winner of the Astros-White Sox series in the ALCS. They have eliminated their AL East competition — the Rays and the Yankees — from the postseason this year.
Photo: Oct 11, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Enrique Hernandez (5) reacts after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly against the Tampa Bay Rays to score pinch runner Danny Santana (not pictured) during the ninth inning during game four of the 2021 ALDS at Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
John Harbaugh has been inspiring Lamar Jackson at points this season, including on Monday night.
The Baltimore Ravens pulled off a stunning comeback in their 31-25 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts on “Monday Night Football.” They were down 22-3 in the third quarter, but that’s when things began.
The Ravens scored touchdowns on their next four consecutive possessions, first to tie the game and then to win it in OT. They blocked a kick and benefited from a missed field goal before the end of regulation in the win.
Jackson was asked after the game what Harbaugh said to him ahead of the winning touchdown pass to Hollywood Brown. Jackson repeated the message, though he did censor what Harbaugh said.
“Coach said ‘let’s get this b—-,'” Jackson said.
That did the trick.
The comeback was stunning. Jackson threw four touchdowns in the span of a quarter and a half (two to Brown and two to Mark Andrews). His final numbers were incredible: 37/43 for 442 yards and the 4 TDs. And the offensive outburst happened quickly.
Colts head coach Frank Reich probably can’t be too mad considering he was responsible for two of the greatest football comebacks ever and has typically been on the other end of such games.
Between this and what he did in the Chiefs game, Harbaugh sure has a way of firing up Jackson.
Michael Sam on Monday night sent his first tweet since being included in Jon Gruden’s offensive emails.
Personal emails Gruden sent to then-Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen were uncovered as part of the NFL’s investigation into the franchise’s workplace. One email comment Gruden made about DeMaurice Smith leaked on Friday. Then on Monday, more emails leaked that led Gruden to resign from his position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
One of Gruden’s offensive emails reportedly said that the coach was annoyed the NFL forced the Rams to draft “queers,” which is a reference to the team taking Michael Sam with a 7th-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Right after the New York Times’ story containing Gruden’s leaked emails was published, someone tweeted Sam to thank him for being a role model.
Sam wrote back with an emoji showing gratitude.
It seems like Sam is taking the high road for now and recognizing that he served as a role model and inspiration for some.
Sam ended up being cut by the Rams and never played in an NFL game. But him being openly gay helped pave the way for current Raiders DL Carl Nassib to eventually come out publicly over the offseason.
Now 31, Sam, a former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, ended his football career in 2015. A report published in 2016 offered an explanation for why the Rams drafted Sam.
Photo: Feb 28, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Michael Sam sits courtside to watch the Dallas Mavericks play against the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Jon Gruden’s tenure as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders has ended.
Gruden met with team owner Mark Davis on Monday night, according to a report. He ended up informing his coaching staff that he was resigning as head coach.
“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone,” Gruden said in a statement.
Rich Bisaccia, who was previously the Raiders’ assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, is now the team’s interim head coach.
Gruden’s second tenure as head coach of the Raiders ends in disappointing fashion. The first time around, he left after four seasons and went to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl, beating his former team. This time around, he didn’t even post a winning record before losing his job.
Gruden resigned after private emails he sent to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen and others from 2011-2018 were uncovered as part of the NFL’s investigation into Washington’s workplace. A summary of the NFL’s findings reportedly were sent to Roger Goodell last week.
The first email to leak concerned Gruden’s comments about DeMaurice Smith. That story made headlines on Friday and was just the first of many damaging emails for the coach.
On Monday night, the New York Times revealed more contents of emails sent by Gruden to Allen and others. The emails included a gay slur and much more.
The 58-year-old was in the middle of his 15th season as an NFL head coach. He had to be lured away from his broadcasting duties at ESPN by the Raiders with a 10-year, $100 million contract. Now one has to wonder whether he will ever coach in the NFL or broadcast their games again.
Photo: Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden takes the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Old emails Jon Gruden sent to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen (and others) have been publicly exposed, and they are proving to be problematic for the Las Vegas Raiders head coach.
The emails Gruden sent came from the 2011-2018 time period. The emails were uncovered during the NFL’s investigation into the Washington Football Team regarding the franchise’s workplace environment. According to the New York Times, the league completed its investigation and sent commissioner Roger Goodell a summary of findings last week.
One email where Gruden remarked about NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith have Michelin tire lips made headlines on Friday. The email was described as Gruden using a racist trope against Smith, though the coach disputed that and said he was calling Smith a liar.
On Monday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL sent more “damaging” emails sent by Gruden to the Raiders for them to review. The New York Times later revealed the contents of the emails.
According to the New York Times, Gruden used problematic language regarding gay people.
From the Times’ story:
In the emails, Gruden called the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, a “faggot” and a “clueless anti football pussy” and said that Goodell should not have pressured Jeff Fisher, then the coach of the Rams, to draft “queers,” a reference to Michael Sam, a gay player chosen by the team in 2014.
There is more.
The Times says “Gruden exchanged emails with Allen and other men that included photos of women wearing only bikini bottoms, including one photo of two Washington team cheerleaders.”
Gruden also was critical of Eric Reid for kneeling for the national anthem and called out Goodell with disparaging language, the report says. You can read the entire story here.
Gruden is in his second stint as head coach of the Raiders. His team is currently 3-2. The 58-year-old won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 season.
Photo: Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
