The Reds wear special hats for the 4th of July Weekend during the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, July 2, 2021. An RBI double scoring two runs off the bat of Joey Votto secured the win for the Reds. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC
The Cincinnati Reds have signed a guy who sounds like he was just born to play baseball.
Cincinnati made a notable international signing this week, agreeing to terms with infielder Ichiro Cano. The 18-year-old Cano is a Baja California native and graduated from Academia Beisbol Alfredo Harp (a popular baseball academy in Mexico that produced MLBers like Giovanny Gallegos, Julio Urias, Isaac Paredes, and Victor Gonzalez).
Much of the attention though went straight to Cano’s incredible baseball name. It gets even better too as it was revealed that Cano’s full name is Ichiro Cano Hernandez (though he appears to go by just Ichiro Cano).
The memes quickly ensued as fans could not get over Cano’s name. Many joked that it was a combination of Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, and Felix Hernandez and that the Seattle Mariners had to find a way to acquire him.
Here were some of the posts on X about Cano.
“Cano” and “Hernandez” are probably just a matter of happenstance here since those are fairly common names in the Latin world. But with Ichiro Suzuki making his MLB debut in 2001, he may have had an influence on Cano’s parents (Cano was born in 2005).
Cano is a switch-hitter who plays both shortstop and third base and hit .250 during limited run in the Mexican League last season. But for now, we can lump him into the category of the generational baseball names we’ve seen this MLB offseason.
Sep 8, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay on the field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Irsay is on the road to recovery following his health issues.
Last month, the Indianapolis Colts said that team owner Irsay had been receiving treatment for a “severe” respiratory illness. Irsay had been quiet on social media while recovering, but he did share a message via X on Tuesday.
“On the mend. Grateful for all the messages of love and support,” Irsay wrote.
Irsay is typically very outspoken on social media, so seeing him pop back up on X is a good thing.
The 64-year-old was found unresponsive in his home in December after a suspected overdose. It’s unclear whether that incident was related to the serious illness that had Irsay being treated.
Prior to the post he shared on X Tuesday, Irsay’s most recent post came nearly a month earlier on January 8.
Dec 27, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Kansas City Chiefs helmet before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs were without one of their best players for the AFC Championship Game last week, and that could be the case again in the Super Bowl.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Tuesday that it is a “long shot” that left guard Joe Thuney will play in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers.
Thuney suffered a pectoral injury in Kansas City’s Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. The two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman said Tuesday that he is taking things day by day and is unsure if he will be able to practice this week.
Thuney signed a 5-year, $80 million contract with the Chiefs in 2021 after spending the first five seasons of his career with the New England Patriots. He won two Super Bowls in New England and is looking to win his second with the Chiefs.
The 31-year-old Thuney has been more than worth the investment for Kansas City. He has made the Pro Bowl two straight years and was recently named a First-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Thuney has played through significant injuries in the past, so he will do everything he can to be on the field next Sunday. If he is unable to go, the Chiefs’ offensive line will face an even more daunting task trying to slow down Nick Bosa and company.
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Nov 27, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) warms up before action against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA is rectifying one of the big wrongs from this year’s All-Star vote.
The league announced Tuesday that Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes have been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as injury replacements. They will be filling in for reigning MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
For Young in particular, his initial snub had been a major talking point around the NBA. Young is averaging a stout 27.3 points and 10.9 assists per game this year. No other player with those numbers has ever failed to make an All-Star team (though Young himself was also snubbed last season with similar stats). Young even received shows of support from some top NBA superstars over the slight.
It is all a moot point now though as Young officially steps onto the All-Star roster as the effective replacement for Embiid, who is expected to be out for significant time after deciding to undergo knee surgery. The up-and-comer Barnes also gets to make the first All-Star appearance of his career (with the injured Randle vacating a spot of his own), so the fans have to be satisfied with how everything played out.
May 6, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball up court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
D’Angelo Russell might be respawning in 2017 all over again.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports this week that the Los Angeles Lakers veteran guard Russell has recently been mentioned in trade conversations with one of his former teams — the Brooklyn Nets. McMenamin also names the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks as two other teams that have been involved in Russell trade talks.
The 27-year-old Russell is an expected trade candidate, especially since he is on an affordable new two-year, $36 million contract (one in which Russell chose to waive his implied no-trade clause to boot). The Lakers, who drafted Russell in 2015, already traded him to the Nets once — in 2017 along with Timofey Mozgov in a deal that netted the Lakers a package of Brook Lopez and the draft rights to Kyle Kuzma. Russell thrived over his two seasons in Brooklyn, averaging nearly 20 points per game overall and making his only career All-Star team in 2019. But Russell would eventually be dealt by the Nets to the Golden State Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant in the summer of 2019.
This time around, Russell is making an appealing case for himself once again, averaging 22.2 points and 6.4 assists per game over the last month. The Nets also have multiple trade assets that the Lakers are interested in, making a Russell return to Brooklyn seem like a very real possibility here.
Sep 26, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the better teams in the NFC for the majority of the last decade. But to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, they are just another opponent.
Samuel, who is in Las Vegas preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, was asked about the Eagles during his media availability on Monday. While many anticipated spirited future matchups between Philadelphia and San Francisco after the two teams met in the NFC Championship Game last year, Samuel said he does not feel that the rivalry has materialized.
Why? Because of what happened back in December.
“I consider rivalries close games,” Samuel said, via EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We ain’t going to talk about that no more. That’s over with.”
The 49ers dominated the Eagles 42-19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13. Philadelphia entered the game 10-1 and went on to lose six of their last seven games, including their Wild Card Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Samuel and his teammates had revenge on their minds entering that Week 13 game. The Eagles defeated the Niners 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game last year after Brock Purdy went down with an elbow injury. Samuel made headlines when he said that playoff game would have been just as lopsided in the other direction had Purdy not gotten hurt.
There is definitely some bad blood between the 49ers and Eagles, and Samuel is probably just trying to fan the flames more by downplaying it. The two teams got into a scuffle during their regular-season meeting that even involved a well-known Philly staffer. There should be plenty more fireworks the next time Philly and San Francisco meet.
Apr 13, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) returns to the dugout after seven perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The 17th season will be the charm for Clayton Kershaw.
Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that the veteran lefty Kershaw has decided to return for another season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds that the two sides are in agreement on a one-year deal to continue their partnernship.
The three-time NL Cy Young winner Kershaw underwent surgery on his shoulder in early September and is not expected to be ready to pitch again until the second half of next season at the earliest. But Sherman also notes that the Dodgers, starting on Feb. 8, can put a player on the 60-day injured list without using up a 40-man roster spot, which may be what they do here with Kershaw.
About to turn 36 next month, Kershaw was still very effective for the Dodgers last regular season, going 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and making the tenth All-Star team of his illustrious career. But Kershaw’s notorious playoff struggles reared their ugly head again during the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks as he suffered a historical beatdown in Game 1 that set the tone for the 100-win Dodgers to stunningly get swept in the series.
We know now though that a shoulder injury may have been in part to blame for Kershaw’s implosion. While he considered retirement and even the possibility of signing with a different team this offseason, Kershaw will return to the Dodgers and try to end his career on a better note. Come the summer, he should be back in an improved rotation that also now features newcomers Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and James Paxton.
Feb 1, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; The NFL shield logo is seen at midfield at SoFi Stadium. Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals will be played on Feb. 13, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Caleb Williams is a virtual lock to be the first player off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, but there is plenty of disagreement about the order in which other quarterbacks will be taken after him. At least one NFL talent evaluator reportedly believes Drake Maye could wind up experiencing the dreaded draft-day tumble.
In a recent episode of the “Move the Sticks” podcast that was recorded from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein spoke about where Maye and Jayden Daniels might end up. Host Daniel Jeremiah said he spoke with several high-ranking NFL executives in Mobile who are high on Daniels. That prompted Zierlein to share an interesting tidbit he gathered from a talent evaluator he respects.
While Zierlein noted that he does not agree, the former scout said an evaluator for an NFL team told him that Maye could slide down the board. The evaluator compared Maye to Will Levis, who was a consensus top-10 pick last year but fell all the way out of the first round.
“I talked to an NFL guy today who thinks that Maye could be a guy who falls in this draft,” Zierlein said. “He compared him to Levis. I don’t think that’s gonna happen, but this is a guy who I think is a pretty good evaluator.”
For what it’s worth, Zierlein has Maye going No. 5 to the Atlanta Falcons (via a projected trade with the Los Angeles Chargers) in his latest mock draft.
A lot can change in two months, but it is hard to find an analyst who has Maye slipping out of the top 5. The worst-case scenario for the former North Carolina quarterback is probably that he slides to No. 6, where the New York Giants would likely take him.
Maye completed 63.3% of his passes last season for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He passed for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2022. Maybe also rushed for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns with North Carolina.
There are some concerns about Maye not having faced elite competition in the ACC, but the 6-foot-4 prospect is still projected to be an early pick.
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the sideline during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots have added a former New York Giants head coach to their staff.
Ben McAdoo has agreed to a deal to join Jerod Mayo’s staff, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The news of McAdoo and the Patriots having mutual interest was first reported last week by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, who says McAdoo’s official title in New England will be senior offensive assistant.
McAdoo is expected to work closely with Alex Van Pelt, whom the Patriots recently hired as their new offensive coordinator.
McAdoo is best remembered for his tenure as the head coach of the Giants, which lasted less than two years in 2016 and 2017. He went 13-15 and made headlines when he ended Eli Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts by benching the former quarterback in favor of Geno Smith.
Since being fired by the Giants, McAdoo’s only significant NFL job was as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
The Patriots are overhauling their coaching staff now that they have moved on from Bill Belichick. The 37-year-old Mayo has no prior head coach experience, which is likely one reason New England seems to be placing an emphasis on surrounding him with experienced assistants.
Nov 5, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany, ; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) looks on before an NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is still trying to talk his way out of the embarrassing rant he went on hours before the AFC Championship Game, and he has provided yet another explanation.
Toney was inactive for Kansas City’s 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. That marked the sixth consecutive game in which he was not active. The Ravens listed Toney as out due to a hip injury and “personal” reason.
In a vulgar Instagram Live rant not long before kickoff, Toney said he was “not hurt” and called the injury designation “cap,” which is slang for lying. You can see the video here.
Toney was asked about the video during Opening Night ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Monday. He claimed his comments were directed toward New York Giants fans and that he “never said anything about the Chiefs.”
“It kind of started that, but in the process I got interrupted. So it got like a mixed message behind it, I guess you could say,” Toney said. “Then a lot of footage got chopped up in the release, so it made it look like I was attacking the one I love the most. I never attacked the Chiefs, never said anything about the Chiefs. Who I was referring to was the Giants fans in the comments and my comment box, not even on my live recording, so you wouldn’t even know they were there.
“I just wanted to go out there and get my message across as far as my injury, but I shouldn’t have did that. At the end of the day, I’m a man. I can accept my mistakes just like I accept my wins.”
Even if Toney was responding to Giants fans who commented during his Instagram Live (he has gone at them in the past), he was clearly talking about the Chiefs. He essentially said he was not injured and that someone should tell people “what’s really going on with this s—.” Toney also claimed on Saturday that someone edited the footage to make him look bad.
What likely happened is that Toney was benched for poor play but the team was trying to do him a favor by giving him an injury designation. He only made himself look bad by saying he was not injured.
The last time Toney played was when the Chiefs beat the New England Patriots in Week 15. He had a brutal dropped pass in that game that led to an interception (video here). The week before, Toney committed a crucial blunder that cost Kansas City a win against the Buffalo Bills.
Toney has been taken off the injury report ahead of the Super Bowl, so he may have a chance to make an impact against the San Francisco 49ers. If he can find a way to do that, Chiefs fans will quickly forget about everything else.
