Ex-NFL star named as potential replacement for Shannon Sharpe at ESPN
Shannon Sharpe’s tenure with ESPN ended before it really had a chance to get started, and a fellow former NFL star who is close to him has been mentioned as a potential replacement.
Sharpe has been fired by ESPN less than two weeks after he settled his lawsuit with Gabriella Zuniga, a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct. Sharpe had been considered a huge addition to “First Take” alongside Stephen A. Smith, as he had previously built up a huge following by co-hosting FS1’s “Undisputed” with Skip Bayless.
Sharpe also has two successful podcasts: “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap.” He co-hosts the latter with Chad Johnson. The former NFL star wide receiver also makes regular appearances on “Club Shay Shay.”
In a story he published on Thursday, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports floated the possibility of ESPN hiring Johnson. A source with knowledge of the dynamic between Sharpe and ESPN suggested hiring Johnson would be a “smart idea,” as it might help ESPN retain some of Sharpe’s audience.
ESPN is said to be undecided about whether to pursue Johnson.
Johnson spent a decade with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2001-2010. He also played for the New England Patriots for a brief period in 2011. Johnson had six straight seasons with 1,000-plus yards at one point and was known as much for his quirky personality as his Pro Bowl ability.
Johnson, 47, has had some great interactions with fans over the years, which is why he is a natural fit for a media role. The question is whether he is content simply doing his own thing or if a network like ESPN would have enough interest to make it worth his while.
Sharpe addressed his dismissal from ESPN during his podcast on Wednesday night. He said he has one major issue with the way the split played out.
Phillies acquire Gold Glove outfielder in trade with Twins
The Philadelphia Phillies remain extremely active leading up to the MLB trade deadline, and made another notable move on Thursday.
The Phillies acquired outfielder Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, according to multiple reports. The Phillies gave up two low-level prospects in the trade.
Twins acquired AA outfielder Hendry Mendez, who is ranked #17 in the Phillies farm system by Baseball America, and recent int’l signee Geremy Villoria, a 16 year old pitcher out of Venezuela. https://t.co/RHQSaMF0jH
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) July 31, 2025
The Phillies have had trouble getting production from their corner outfield spots this season. Bader is likely to replace Max Kepler, who has hit just .203 with 11 home runs this season.
In contrast, Bader has hit .258 with 12 home runs. He is best known for his glove, having won a Gold Glove with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021. The Twins signed him in the offseason and got good value for him.
This is the second big trade the Phillies and Twins have made with each other in the last 24 hours, as Philadelphia also landed closer Jhoan Duran in a bigger deal.
Tigers acquire All-Star pitcher in trade with Nationals
The Detroit Tigers have addressed one of their biggest needs as they gear up for a playoff run.
The Tigers on Thursday acquired veteran relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan in a trade with the Washington Nationals, according to multiple reports.
Finnegan has a 4.38 ERA and 20 saves across 40 appearances this season. The right-hander has blown six saves and been knocked around during the month of July.
Finnegan has posted an 11.25 ERA in 10 appearances in July. He was excellent for most of the season prior to that and had a 2.31 ERA across May and June.
The Tigers are hoping Finnegan can regain his pre-July form, as the 33-year-old was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season. Finnegan finished 2024 with a 3.68 ERA and career-high 38 saves in 65 appearances.
Detroit also acquired 35-year-old reliever Paul Sewald in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians earlier on Thursday. Sewald has a 4.70 ERA this season but has been limited to 18 appearances due to injuries.
The Tigers are 64-46 and have a nine-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. They may have missed out on their top trade deadline target, but adding to their bullpen was a major priority.
Russell Wilson does not regret cringeworthy ‘Mr. Unlimited’ video
It has been five years since Russell Wilson gave himself a new nickname in one of the most cringeworthy videos the internet has ever seen, but the veteran quarterback has no regrets.
When Wilson was with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020, he shared a video on social media that poked fun at his reputation for being a boring guy. Wilson said he has an alter ego he calls “Mr. Unlimited.”
The nickname was bad, but the way Wilson kept saying the word “unlimited” was enough to make almost anyone’s skin crawl.
how did Mr. Unlimited allow himself to be limited in an offense so long this vid 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/whrflpDCUw
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 5, 2020
Wilson, who is preparing for his first season with the New York Giants, sat down for an interview with WFAN’s “Boomer & Gio” show at training camp on Thursday morning. Toward the end of the chat, Wilson was playfully asked if he wishes he could take back the “Mr. Unlimited” video.
Wilson laughed and said he has no regrets.
“I would still do it, man. I got kids saying ‘Unliiimited,’” Wilson said proudly.
Russ has no regrets about Mr. Unlimited 😆@GioWFAN @WFANmornings pic.twitter.com/sP58wfsUeL
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) July 31, 2025
You have to admire Wilson for owning the video, especially with all the grief has been given about it over the years.
Wilson is coming off a season in which he threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs. Giants fans will call him whatever he wants if he can help the team turn their recent misfortunes around.
Padres trade their top overall prospect for All-Star reliever
The San Diego Padres made an aggressive move to improve their bullpen ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Thursday, and they gave up their best prospect to do it.
The Padres have acquired former All-Star relief pitcher Mason Miller in a trade with the Oakland A’s, according to multiple reports. San Diego will also receive left-handed starting pitcher J.P. Sears while the A’s get shortstop Leodalis De Vries and right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez.
Miller, an All-Star in 2024, has been Oakland’s closer this season. He has a 3.76 ERA with 20 saves and 3 blown saves in 38 appearances. Miller has struck out 59 batters in 38 1/3 innings.
Sears is 7-9 this season with a 4.95 ERA, which is slightly above his career ERA of 4.48. The 29-year-old has made 22 starts this season after starting 32 games in both 2024 and 2023.
While the Padres kept their own closer, Robert Suarez, in the deal, many feel they gave up far too much. De Vries was San Diego’s top prospect and is ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball by MLB.com. Nett was the third-ranked prospect in the Padres organization.
The Padres entered Thursday with a record of 60-49. They have climbed to within three games of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, and they obviously feel they are a legitimate contender.
San Diego’s bullpen should be better in the short term, but many believe they are going to regret giving up De Vries without getting more in return.
Hulk Hogan had been diagnosed with form of cancer before death
Hulk Hogan died last Thursday at the age of 71, and some new information has emerged about the health issues the wrestling legend had been dealing with.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died following a medical episode at his home in Clearwater, Fla., on July 24. Medical personnel were dispatched to the scene for what was described as a cardiac arrest.
According to records from Pinellas County Forensic Science Center that were obtained by the New York Post, Hogan’s official cause of death was acute myocardial infarction, which is more commonly referred to as a heart attack. Hogan also had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is characterized by an irregular heartbeat.
The documents also showed that Hulk had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells
There had been no known public acknowledgment from Hogan or anyone in his camp that the former WWE champion had been battling cancer.
There had been rumors in recent months that Hogan underwent a significant heart procedure, though his representatives denied that. Longtime radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, who was once friends with Hogan, claimed on his radio show in June that Hulk was in the hospital dealing with some sort of life-threatening condition.
A rep for Hogan said at the time that Hulk had been receiving medical treatment to address lingering neck and back issues but was doing well.
Hogan was arguably the most famous professional wrestler of all time. His popularity in the 1980s led to the rapid growth of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was removed in 2015 over a scandal but reinstated again several years later. Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time in 2020 as a member of the New World Order (NWO), which he joined in 1996 when he made a heel turn while wrestling in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
A six-time WWE Champion, Hogan remained a brand ambassador for the organization up until his death.
Shannon Sharpe shares his reaction to being fired by ESPN
ESPN has cut ties with Shannon Sharpe in the wake of the scandal he was embroiled in, and the Hall of Fame tight end says he has only one major issue with the decision — the timing.
A report surfaced on Wednesday that Sharpe is out at ESPN less than two weeks after he settled his lawsuit with Gabriella Zuniga, a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct. Sharpe shared his reaction to the news during the latest episode of his “Nightcap” podcast, which was released on Wednesday night.
Sharpe said he is “at peace” with ESPN’s decision but that he feels badly that the news came out before Saturday, which is when his brother Sterling Sharpe will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sterling, a former wide receiver, and Shannon, a former tight end, are the first brothers to ever be enshrined in Canton.
“My brother’s going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I really want it to be about him and I want it to be about my family,” Sharpe said. “I said this coming out would overshadow everything that he’s worked his entire life for. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. I profusely apologized to him earlier today.
“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN. They gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. They saw me ‘Lakers in 5’ and they saw me say all these analogies that my grandparents gave me. I was able to bring that to ESPN and I’m very, very grateful for that. They did what they felt what they needed to do and I’m at peace with that. I just wish this thing could’ve waited until Monday, because I hate the fact that I’ve overshadowed my brother.”
Shannon Sharpe starts off his NightCap podcast tonight addressing being fired by ESPN🚨
— SOUND | Victor Baez (@itsavibe) July 31, 2025
"I will not be returning to ESPN, I found out this information a little earlier in the week… I just wish this thing couldve waited until Monday"
Shannon did not want the news to overshadow… https://t.co/kBX4vmgXS4 pic.twitter.com/JEfWp7XAOh
Sharpe was on ESPN for about a year and a half following his departure from FS1 show “Undisputed,” which he co-hosted with Skip Bayless.
Sharpe and Zuniga were in a tumultuous consensual sexual relationship after first meeting at a gym. Zuniga had sued Sharpe in April seeking $50 million over his alleged mistreatment of her. The lawsuit led to great embarrassment and negative attention for Sharpe, who announced on April 24 that he was stepping away from ESPN.
At the time, Sharpe said he would be back on ESPN in the future. The 57-year-old does not seem surprised that the network had other plans, though he wishes those plans were kept under wraps until after Saturday.
Blue Jays land former Cy Young winner in trade
The Toronto Blue Jays have made a big addition to their pitching staff as they look to cling to their lead in the AL East.
The Blue Jays have agreed to a deal to acquire Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive pitching prospect Khal Stephen in the trade, which is pending a physical.
Bieber is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and has not pitched since April 2024. The right-hander made his latest rehab start for Double-A Akron against the Erie Seawolves on Tuesday and looked solid. Bieber allowed three hits and struck out seven across four innings.
Bieber, 30, has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball when healthy. He was named an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020, when he went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA in a pandemic-shortened season.
The Blue Jays entered Thursday with a record of 64-46 and a four-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. They were in need of another starting pitcher, and Bieber offers tremendous upside if he can remain healthy.
Brittney Griner ejected following heated confrontation with WNBA official
Brittney Griner was ejected from the Atlanta Dream’s game against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night after she had another heated exchange with a WNBA official.
Griner was called for a foul while fighting for a rebound early in the third quarter of Atlanta’s 88-85 win at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. She was unhappy with the call and began arguing about it with referee Angelica Suffren, who assessed Griner a technical foul.
Rather than walking away, Griner continued to express her displeasure and tried to get into Suffren’s face as the ref was heading to the scorer’s table. A Dream came over to remove Griner from the situation, but it was too late.
Griner received a second technical foul and was ejected.
Brittney Griner received 2 techs and was ejected from the game for arguing with the referee 👀 pic.twitter.com/eNvjLhvE2o
— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) July 31, 2025
It looked like contact was made with Suffren, which is likely why the second technical was called. The contact appeared to come when the Atlanta staffer stepped in to separate Griner from the official.
Griner, who finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds, continued to yell toward Suffren as Griner made her way to the locker room.
Griner has a history of berating officials when things don’t go her way. She even interrupted her own halftime interview during a game earlier this year to curse at an officiating crew.
Eugenio Suarez heads to AL playoff team in blockbuster trade
Eugenio Suarez is on the move at the stroke of midnight on MLB trade deadline day.
The Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Suarez is headed to the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster trade, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported early Thursday morning. The move ends Suarez’s time in Arizona after just one-and-a-half seasons.
Daniel Kramer of MLB.com adds that the Dbacks are receiving first baseman Tyler Locklear and two pitching prospects from the Mariners in exchange for Suarez.
Suarez, a righty batter, was widely regarded as the top hitter available on the trade market this year. The two-time All-Star had clubbed 36 home runs to go along with an MLB-leading 87 RBIs through 105 games this season for the Dbacks (albeit on an underwhelming .248 batting average). Suarez also memorably had a four-homer game earlier in the year.
With Arizona quickly falling off the map this season at 51-58, it was all but a foregone conclusion that Suarez would be traded ahead of Thursday’s deadline. He did have an ill-timed scare a couple of days ago with a concerning hit-by-pitch (video here) but had since returned to the lineup for the Dbacks.
As for the Mariners, they are going for it this season at 57-52 (currently good for the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL). Suarez had some major MLB teams inquiring about him in recent days, but Seattle ended up winning the sweepstakes for him.
The 34-year-old Suarez, who is capable of playing both third base and shortstop, now heads to a very fitting team. After all, the Mariners just traded for one of Suarez’s former teammates in Arizona a matter of days ago.
Yankees’ Austin Wells commits dumbest baserunning mistake of the year
Austin Wells had an all-time brain cramp on Wednesday night.
The New York Yankees catcher Wells completely embarrassed himself during the latter stages of his team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bottom of the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y., the Yankees were trailing 3-2. However, Anthony Volpe tied the game with a one-out solo homer off Pete Fairbanks, and Wells followed with a base hit to center field.
Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham then decided to bunt Wells into scoring position with the heart of the order due up next. That was all fine and dandy, especially after Grisham laid one down perfectly towards the third base side.
But there was just one problem — Wells forgot how many outs there were. Somehow thinking that Grisham had just made the third out of the inning, Wells touched second base and then … did a 180 and casually walked off the bag towards the dugout. Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda quickly noticed that something was amiss and fired the ball into second base, eventually tagging out Wells in a rundown.
Take a look at the unbelievable video.
Austin Wells gets doubled up because he thought there were three outs pic.twitter.com/Hisfe05Mil
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 31, 2025
Here is just the wider angle of the play that showed Wells walking off the bag after Grisham was thrown out.
Austin Wells horrible baserunning pic.twitter.com/PMhq8o1AKK
— Bobby (@welcomeMLB) July 31, 2025
It is hard to figure out exactly what was going through Wells’ mind there. He had to have known that Grisham was executing a sacrifice, which is only done with one out or less. Yet still, Wells’ situational awareness was on absolute zero there, and he made the final out of the inning to send the game into extras.
Fortunately for Wells though, he was ultimately let off the hook. Ryan McMahon won it for the Yankees in the bottom of the 11th inning with a walkoff hit to score the ghost runner from third base.
Ryan McMahon wins a WILD game for the @Yankees! #walkoff pic.twitter.com/UG1aodGfYd
— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2025
But that didn’t make the gaffe by the three-year MLB veteran Wells any more defensible. We saw another similarly embarrassing mistake on the basepaths by Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox last weekend. But Wells definitely outdid Duran there by doing so in a tied game in the bottom of the ninth inning while representing the winning run.
Cubs acquire former All-Star pitcher in trade
Rotation help is on the way for the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have traded for veteran right-hander Mike Soroka of the Washington Nationals, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Wednesday. Jesse Rogers of ESPN later added that Triple-A outfielder Christian Franklin and 18-year-old infielder Ronny Cruz were headed back to Washington in exchange for Soroka.
At 27 years old, Soroka is a former All-Star who earned the honor as a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2019. That was also Soroka’s best year in the bigs as he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 142 strikeouts over 29 total starts.
But Soroka’s career has since been set back by multiple brutal injuries. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2020 and then suffered a complete re-tear of the same Achilles while still in his rehab process in 2021. Soroka missed two full MLB seasons as a result before returning midway through the 2023 campaign.
This season for the Nationals, Soroka had been more of an innings-eater than anything, going 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA and 87 strikeouts over 16 total starts. But Soroka should benefit from the move to a more pitcher-friendly park in Wrigley Field, and he is in the final year of his contract as well.
The Cubs are a stellar 63-45 this season but are a bit weak in their rotation behind ace Shota Imanaga (who recently missed two months due to a hamstring injury) and 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd. Jameson Taillon (calf) is still on the injured list, leading to rookie Cade Horton and journeyman Colin Rea being relied upon for meaningful starts.
Soroka, who also pitched out of the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox in 2024, should be versatile enough to fill whatever role the Cubs need him to. Meanwhile, the 44-64 Nationals are very much in sell mode and traded away some other notable pitchers earlier in the day as well.
Dodgers provide update on Shohei Ohtani after injury scare
The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have averted a crisis with Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani provided a real scare during Wednesday’s start against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The reigning NL MVP was pulled from the game as a pitcher in the fourth inning after firing six consecutive balls (including two wild pitches). You can see the video of the concerning sequence from Ohtani here.
But about an hour after Ohtani’s exit, the Dodgers shared a positive update. They revealed that Ohtani had simply left the game as a pitcher due to “cramps,” per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Notably, Ohtani remained in the game as a hitter after exiting as a pitcher. That would appear to be further evidence that he was only dealing with a minor issue.
Ohtani, who did not pitch at all for the Dodgers last season, was making just his seventh total start of the year on Wednesday. He was initially throwing only one inning per start but had gradually been ramping up and made it into the fourth inning on Wednesday (sitting at 51 pitches at the time that he was pulled).
The obvious goal for the Dodgers is to have Ohtani fully healthy as a pitcher in time for the 2025 MLB postseason. As such, it is probably the absolute best-case scenario for them that Ohtani was only dealing with cramping against the Reds (though the Dodgers do have countless other injuries to pitchers that they are still dealing with right now).
ESPN had so many alleged criminals on their NBA coverage
Looking back on a particular panel ESPN had for some of their NBA coverage in May reflects poorly on the network.
Within the last several months, ESPN had Gilbert Arenas, Marcus Morris and Shannon Sharpe all providing commentary on the NBA. Take a look at this clip from May 20 where ESPN show “First Take” had Arenas and Morris serving as commentators. The clip received attention because Arenas had slighted Pascal Siakam.
Gilbert Arenas says Pascal Siakam never took that ‘leap’ in his basketball career
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2025
(🎥 @FirstTake )
pic.twitter.com/apeqYzQHuv
Fast forward to now, and the panel looks a lot worse.
Just this week, Morris was accused of stealing over $250,000 from Las Vegas casinos by writing bad checks. Then on Wednesday, Arenas was arrested for allegedly helping to run illegal poker games at a mansion he owned in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. As if that weren’t enough, also on Wednesday we learned that ESPN had parted ways with Shannon Sharpe following his settlement of a sexual misconduct case with a woman who had sued him.
Fans noted that after all the trouble involving those people, it was Stephen A. Smith who was left standing at ESPN.
Shannon Sharpe ❌
— BetHog (@playBetHog) July 31, 2025
Marcus Morris ❌
Gilbert Arenas ❌
Stephen A. Smith on his way out the office today: pic.twitter.com/MmJlBFIzJh
Shannon Sharpe..Gilbert Arenas and Marcus Morris all down bad and whos ironically UP that's connected to all three? Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/J53qAO2bOe
— Popular Introvert⚡〽️ (@svnsxtional_) July 30, 2025
Let’s take a look at some of the guys who covered the NBA last season at ESPN:
— H U N C H O (@HunchoGambles) July 30, 2025
-Shannon Sharpe (accused of rape)
-Gilbert Arenas (arrested for illegal gambling)
-Marcus Morris (arrested for stealing over $265k in Vegas casinos)
-Iman Shumpert (accused of mental & emotional abuse…
What’s transpired this week with some of their personalities reflects poorly upon the network. They do have the “Inside the NBA” team coming over, which should improve things.
Sophie Cunningham has profane rant about disrespect of Caitlin Clark
Sophie Cunningham is defending her teammate Caitlin Clark, both on and off the court.
The Indiana Fever guard Cunningham debuted her new podcast this week. The podcast is called “Show Me Something” and features both Cunningham and co-host West Wilson.
In the inaugural episode released on Wednesday, Cunningham went off on a profane rant against those disrespecting her superstar teammate Clark. In particular, Cunningham took exception to those who make the claim that Clark is somehow not the face of the WNBA.
“It literally pisses me off when people are like, ‘She’s not the face of the league,’” said Cunningham of Clark. “What? There’s really good well-known people in our league. I’m not discrediting them. Like, we have a lot of badasses in our league. Hell yeah to that. I’m all for that.
“But when people try to argue that [Clark] is not the face of our league or if our league would be where we’re at without her, you’re dumb as s–t,” Cunningham added. “You’re literally dumb as f–k.”
You can see Cunningham’s full comments below (but obviously beware of the bad language).
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 30, 2025
Indeed, it is just about impossible to dispute that Clark is the single biggest star in the WNBA right now. She has brought a never-before-seen increase in popularity and revenue to the league ever since her arrival in 2024. While pundits sometimes make the disingenuous argument that other players are also responsible for the recent surge in interest in the WNBA, that claim largely falls apart when you consider how much both ticket prices and television ratings plummet whenever Clark is not involved.
That said, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many of Clark’s WNBA peers are deeply jealous of her. Such jealousy inevitably leads to efforts to downplay Clark’s impact and influence on the league, no matter how absurd and intellectually dishonest those claims may be.
As for Cunningham, she has developed a repuation as the teammate who has Clark’s back no matter what. Cunningham notably retaliated on an opponent who hit Clark with a flagrant foul during a game last month. As a result, Cunningham saw a spike in her jersey sales and even secured a great endorsement deal out of the incident.
Shohei Ohtani pulled from game as pitcher after apparent injury
The Los Angeles Dodgers may be back in “uh-oh” territory with Shohei Ohtani.
While serving as the starting pitcher on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, Ohtani had to exit the game in the middle of an-bat. During the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ohtani fired six straight balls that weren’t even close to the strike zone (including two wild pitches). Dodgers personnel then huddled around Ohtani, and the decision was made to pull him from the game.
Here is the video, in which Ohtani looked visibly frustrated as he walked off the mound.
Shohei Ohtani has left his start in the middle of an at-bat after throwing six consecutive balls, two of which were yanked fastballs that were wild pitches. pic.twitter.com/2sR6Tt3W0Y
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
Ohtani was at 51 pitches thrown through 3+ innings at the time that he exited as a pitcher. Notably however, Ohtani remained in the game for the Dodgers as a hitter. He took his very next at-bat in the top of the sixth inning against Cincinnati’s Nick Martinez and ended up striking out on seven pitches.
Meanwhile, the concerning sequence of the six straight balls thrown by Ohtani right before he left the game as a pitcher can be seen below.
These were Shohei Ohtani's last six pitches before he came out of the game with a trainer pic.twitter.com/yp38l0dnDy
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 31, 2025
Though Ohtani was at 96-99 mph on all of the pitches in that sequence, it certainly didn’t look good that he was missing by that much. Wednesday also marked just Ohtani’s seventh total start of the season ever since his 2023 UCL surgery (he didn’t pitch at all for the Dodgers in 2024). He was ramping up from one inning pitched per start in his first handful of appearances, got up to two innings per start by July, went up to three in his most recent starts, and made it into the fourth inning during Wednesday’s game against Cincinnati.
The Dodgers were extremely cautious throughout Ohtani’s lengthy rehab process, and Ohtani certainly looked to be almost all the way recovered, recently having even thrown the fastest pitch of his MLB career. But now the Dodgers appear to have a new injury concern with Ohtani that is threatening to derail their plan for him to be at full strength as a pitcher by the 2025 postseason.
Details emerge on LeBron James’ meeting with Nikola Jokic’s agent
Contrary to recent rumors, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic might not actually be teaming up any time soon.
Misko Raznatovic, the Serbian sports agent who represents the Denver Nuggets star Jokic, caused a fuss last week with a post to social media about the Los Angeles Lakers star James. Raznatovic revealed that he was meeting on a boat in France with James and James’ longtime business partner Maverick Carter. The caption posted by Raznatovic about “big plans for the fall of 2026” sparked an even bigger frenzy.
You can see Raznatovic’s post at the link here.
In a report on Wednesday, Front Office Sports shared the details about the star-studded meeting. It turns out the trio was actually meeting to discuss the plans for a new international basketball league spearheaded by Carter. Front Office Sports adds that the meeting was neither about the Nuggets nor about the Lakers.
Indeed, word emerged earlier this year that Carter was planning to launch an international league that would look to rival the NBA. At the time, Carter’s efforts were said to involve multiple private equity funds in an effort to raise $5 billion to launch the league. The league would also reportedly consist of six men’s teams and six women’s teams playing games around the globe (full details here).
A couple of months later, Bill Simmons shared the update that the bid to form the league was actually looking very legitimate and was backed by both a concrete plan and by sufficient capital. Now it looks Carter’s efforts are gaining even more steam, especially if Razantovic’s comment about “the fall of 2026” is to be believed.
Fans all said the same thing after Mets traded for Ryan Helsley
The New York Mets on Wednesday acquired relief pitcher Ryan Helsley in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the deal had fans saying the same thing. The Mets sent shortstop prospect Jesus Baez along with pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt to St. Louis for Helsley.
Helsley, 31, had been with the Cardinals since 2019. He had a breakout season in 2022 when he went 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. He made the All-Star team that season, and he made it again in 2024 when he went 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA in 66.1 innings.
This season, Helsley has a 3.00 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 36 innings and a 1.39 WHIP.
In addition to Helsley, the Mets also acquired Tyler Rogers from the Giants on Wednesday. Rogers has a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 9.50 K/BB ratio. Fans all said that it was clear the Mets are building a bullpen for the postseason — one that might be the best in MLB.
The New York Mets are now LOADED in the bullpen, closing games with:
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) July 30, 2025
7th Inning: Tyler Rogers
8th: Ryan Helsley
9th: Edwin Diaz
Now or never for Steve Cohen, David Stearns and the fellas from Queens pic.twitter.com/zAcTV4UHfa
The New York Mets now have the best bullpen in all of Major League Baseball.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) July 30, 2025
Tyler Rogers
Ryan Helsley
Edwin Diaz
My god. That happened fast.
Ryan Helsley this season:
— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) July 30, 2025
36.0 IP
3.00 ERA
41 K
The Mets add one of the best closers in baseball alongside Díaz. pic.twitter.com/Zf0Y9WKVp4
Helsley’s slider has been particularly devastating this season.
Ryan Helsley has been acquired by the Mets
— Baseball Unstitched Podcast (@BaseUnstitched) July 30, 2025
Helsely is known for his 100+ mph fastball, but in 2025 his slider has been one of the most devastating pitches in baseball all!
Slider Metrics:
88.9 MPH AVG
1 IVB (avg)
-4 IHB (avg)
0.92 BAA
.130 wOBA
45.6% Whiff rate
10 RV pic.twitter.com/dV7e2WFXGc
What’s notable is that Helsley has also been particularly dominant against the Philadelphia Phillies, who are competing with the Mets for the NL East title.
FYI. The Phillies have had, um…a hard time against Ryan Helsley in his career. That's being kind. pic.twitter.com/FC78wyT6bf
— D.J. Short (@djshort) July 30, 2025
Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers against the Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies and Padres this year:
— jack (@Jolly_Olive) July 30, 2025
19.1 IP / 1ER / 1BB / 16K
Building a bullpen for October. pic.twitter.com/seGemC7HLF
The Mets weren’t about to let the Phillies be the only team in the division making big moves.
Jhoan Duran traded to Phillies in blockbuster move
The Philadelphia Phillies are once again going all-in for the playoffs by trading for one of the most coveted players on the market.
The Phillies are acquiring closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, according to multiple reports. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Twins will receive pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait in return.
Tait is ranked as the No. 56 prospect in baseball, while Abel ranks No. 92.
Two top-100 prospects is a steep price for a relief pitcher, but the Phillies are getting one of the best. Duran has a 2.01 ERA in 49.1 innings this season, and strikes out 11.2 batters per nine innings for his career. He also boasts one of the coolest closer entrances in the entire sport.
The Phillies already needed some relief help, but that need became more pressing after Jose Alvarado was suspended under the league’s PED policy. The team had tried to close games with former All-Star Jordan Romano and fellow reliever Matt Strahm, but Romano performed poorly and Strahm is a preferred option for the team’s bullpen depth.
Entering play Wednesday, the Phillies were in first place in the NL East with a 61-46 record. Their aging team may not get many more cracks at a deep October run, and they are clearly all-in this year once again.
Daryl Morey addresses his controversial comments about Lakers’ bubble title
Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey backtracked a bit on comments he made about the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA title in the Orlando bubble.
Morey was quoted by Joe Vardon of The Athletic as saying that the Lakers’ title deserved an asterisk because of the circumstances under which it was won. The former Houston Rockets executive also claimed that his opinion was shared by many around the NBA.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” Morey said. “Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”
Naturally, Morey’s comments went viral, with many Lakers fans in particular outraged at what they saw as an attempt to discredit their championship. Subsequently, Morey tried to clean up his remarks.
“I’m frustrated,” Morey told Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. “Of course, I respect that title. I defend it to people all the time. It’s the thing I want the most.”
Morey is casting himself as the person who defends the title when everyone he talks to discredits it. That is probably a tall tale for Laker fans to believe.
On the other hand, Morey is probably not the only one who thinks that way about the 2020 title. One member of that Lakers team has even acknowledged that much. The banner will hang forever, and that is ultimately what matters most.
