Kiké Hernandez continues to be Mr. October for the Dodgers.
Hernandez delivered a huge 2-run home run in the top of the sixth inning of NLCS Game 3 between his Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. on Wednesday night.
Hernandez was facing Reed Garrett with Tommy Edman at second and two outs. He swatted a 1-2 pitch deep to left field for a home run to make it 4-0.
If Hernandez homering in the playoffs seems familiar, that’s because it is. That was Hernandez’s 15th career postseason home run, which places him 8th among active players. He also homered in the NLDS Game 5 win over the San Diego Padres.
The 33-year-old utilityman was batting .316 with a .982 OPS in the postseason following that home run.
Dec 6, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; A view of the Chicago Bulls logo on a pair of game shorts at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 102-91. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jerry Reinsdorf could be putting the Chicago White Sox up for sale, but fans of the other pro sports team that Reinsdorf owns may not be as lucky.
The news broke Wednesday that the longtime White Sox owner Reinsdorf, 88, is now “open” to selling the team (with a former All-Star pitcher already said to be in talks to possibly purchase the White Sox). This comes after the White Sox just lost an all-time MLB record 121 games in 2024, completing their transformation into the laughingstock of baseball.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on the status of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, also owned by Reinsdorf, amidst the reports. Cowley writes that the White Sox rumors mean “very little” for the fate of the Bulls. This is because Reinsdorf and his son Michael reportedly view an NBA team as an “investment to keep in the family.” The salary-capped nature of the NBA as well as its continued growth are cited by Cowley as reasons for that belief.
That is certainly a defensible stance from Reinsdorf. The NBA’s yearly revenue continues on an impressive upward trend, surpassing $10.5 billion in the 2022-23 season. While that is still below the $11.3 billion that Major League Baseball pulled in during their 2023 season, there is still plenty of room to the upside for the NBA with a new TV deal kicking in during the 2025-26 season and possible expansion from 30 to 32 teams rumored to be coming in 2027.
Reinsdorf purchased the Bulls in 1985 and oversaw all six of their NBA titles during the Michael Jordan era. Chicago has mostly been stuck in mediocrity since then though with just a lone conference finals appearance in the 21st century. While some current Bulls players may even be in favor of Reinsdorf selling their team, it sounds like that one is going to stay in the family for a long time to come.
May 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) works out at at the New England Patriots rookie camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Drake Maye’s encore act as the starting quarterback may be in jeopardy.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported Wednesday that Maye went for an MRI on his knee after practice that day. While Maye was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, the MRI news adds a measure of uncertainty to his status for Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 22-year-old rookie Maye made his debut as the starting QB for New England in Week 6 against the Houston Texans after Jacoby Brissett started the first five games of the season. Maye had his moments, throwing for 243 yards and three touchdowns and adding five rushes for 38 yards as well. But Maye also tossed three interceptions, and the Patriots got blown out by a 41-21 final score.
Volin adds that Maye, whose development is the most important thing for the 1-5 Patriots right now, “banged up” his knee during that Houston game. Though Brissett has been all class with Maye ever since getting demoted, it is possible that the veteran could get another start against the Jaguars if Maye cannot go.
Oct 23, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
When you think of the most untradable players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be high on the list. That’s why it’s hard to really read too much into what he said about being traded recently.
A quote shared by Antetokounmpo that was published in a story from The Athletic’s Sam Amick on Wednesday received attention. Antetokounmpo was illustrating the point of how much the NBA is a win-now business. He said that everyone’s job is at stake in the cut-throat business, including his own.
“If we don’t win this year, would you get fired?” Antetokounmpo asks a co-worker, according to Amick’s story. “Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody.”
That quote from the story was copied, pasted and shared by many aggregators, who all suggested Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee future might be in doubt.
Antetokounmpo is making $48.8 million this season and will begin a 3-year, $175 million extension after that. So it doesn’t seem as if the 29-year-old is going anywhere, nor would it seem as if the Bucks would want to move him. It doesn’t even seem like Antetokounmpo wants to go anywhere. His point is more about the pressure to win and perform, and how it’s felt by everyone in the organization, including himself.
Dec 13, 2018; San Antonio, TX, USA; A general view of the San Antonio Spurs logo on the court prior to a game between the Spurs and the LA Clippers at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Exactly a decade after winning it all with the San Antonio Spurs, one veteran big man is ready to go golfing.
Former Spurs center Aron Baynes has retired from basketball. Baynes’ agent Daniel Molodovan made the announcement in a post to X on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old Baynes, who is of Australian descent, began his pro career in Europe in 2009 and then made the leap to the NBA in 2013. Baynes was a member of the San Antonio Spurs team that won the championship in 2014 and also later went on to play for Detroit, Boston, Phoenix, and Toronto.
While Baynes never made it back to the NBA after his 2020-21 Raptors stint (following a freak fall he suffered while representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics), he managed to resume his playing career in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) with the Brisbane Bullets from 2022-24. With his NBA championship ring, roughly $38 million in NBA career earnings, and the ability to have gone out on his own terms, Baynes is ready to call it a day.
Veteran forward Doug McDermott has a new NBA team.
McDermott finalized a 1-year deal with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
McDermott played in 64 games last season and came off the bench for all of them. Known for his outside shooting, McDermott had shot 43.9 percent on threes with the San Antonio Spurs last season. The team traded him to the Indiana Pacers in Feruary as part of a three-team deal that sent Buddy Hield to Philly.
McDermott only shot 32.1 percent on threes during his 18 games with the Pacers. That was McDermott’s second stint with Indiana, as he also played three seasons with them from 2018-2021.
For his career, McDermott is a 41-percent shooter on threes. Last season, McDermott averaged 5.5 points over 14.1 minutes per game across 64 contests.
McDermott remains a strong outside shooting option and someone who can help space the floor.
The Kings have had consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2005-2006. They are hoping to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Dec 10, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the field after the game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick asked an interesting question about Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers did not protect teammate Mike Williams following the New York Jets’ 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. Williams had run the wrong route on a play that resulted in an interception that sealed the Jets’ loss.
How do we know that Williams ran the wrong route? Because Rodgers told us.
During his usual Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers was asked by McAfee why the quarterback publicized Williams’ error.
Rodgers said that he begins every press conference by talking about himself and what he himself could have done better. Rodgers then said that he was asked specifically what happened on that play and told the media what had transpired.
“There were a lot of mistakes throughout the night, but if you’re looking at just that play, that’s what the question was. ‘What happened on that play?’… I wasn’t calling Mike out for anything other than his responsibility and the details in that play. I have a lot of love and respect for Mike — he does some nice things for us. On that play, he wasn’t in the right spot,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers does not believe there is an issue with being transparent.
“We all should be held to a standard, and I hold myself to a standard of greatness. And when it hasn’t been there, which it hasn’t been at certain times, I’ve stood up there and I gotta play better. … hopefully that’s an example for everybody else to start with themselves,” Rodgers said.
Fitzpatrick feels otherwise.
The former 17-year pro, who is now an analyst for Amazon, questioned Rodgers’ need to tell the truth publicly about what happened. Fitzpatrick shared his thoughts in a post on X (that was one very long run-on sentence).
“This response is the biggest thing I don’t understand about Aaron….can be super charismatic, his swagger gives teammates the ultimate confidence BUT why can’t he shoulder ALL the blame in the media and then get behind closed doors with Mike Williams or the whole offense or the whole team or anyone else that isn’t doing their job and tell them he needs more out of them
“The need to set the record straight at the expense of someone lesser than just hurts me,” Fitzpatrick wrote on X.
Quarterbacks are often regarded as the leaders of teams, and it’s not uncommon for them to shoulder blame publicly in order to protect teammates. That wasn’t the case there with Rodgers, and the 40-year-old QB does not have regrets about how he handled things.
What do you think about Rodgers’ approach?
Jun 2, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) warms up prior to the game against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Caitlin Clark was named first-team All-WNBA on Wednesday as the league announced the final vote tallies for the honor. However, some were once again scratching their head over another potential snub.
Clark received 52 out of a possible 67 first-team votes, with 14 people voting her second-team All-WNBA. That meant one voter left Clark off their ballot entirely in a rather confusing omission.
Many did not see it as coincidence that Clark was also denied unanimous Rookie of the Year honors by one vote as well.
Clark started all 40 regular season games for the Indiana Fever and averaged 19.2 points per game to go with a league-best 8.4 assists per game and 122 three-pointers. Statistically, she had a fairly overwhelming case for All-WNBA honors, but it certainly looks like one anonymous voter keeps registering some form of protest.
The WNBA does not make awards balloting public, though some would like to see that change. Unless the voter in question decides to reveal themselves, the person who omitted her — and whether it is the same voter in both instances — will remain a mystery.
Feb 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) takes the field prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Shohei Ohtani’s playoff performance includes a statistical split so bizarre, manager Dave Roberts is addressing whether it might prompt a change in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ batting order.
While Ohtani has been outstanding in the playoffs, one particular stat shows that he has been at his best with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers DH has gone 6-for-8 with a home run and three walks with runners on base, and 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position. In contrast, Ohtani of 0-for-19 with 10 strikeouts in the postseason when batting with the bases empty.
Should the Dodgers consider moving Ohtani out of the leadoff spot to try to maximize his opportunities with runners on based on those numbers? Roberts more or less laughed off the suggestion on Tuesday, pointing out that previously there had been concerns about the opposite problem.
“No, there isn’t,” Roberts said, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “I just think that it’s just funny how things change, where early on there was a lot of concern about Shohei not being able to get hits with the runners in scoring position, and now we’re all trying to find ways that — we have to get guys on base so he can hit, right? I kind of find that comical, a little bit.”
Needless to say, these are small sample sizes, though Ohtani’s numbers with runners on are undoubtedly amazing. Whether this is a repeatable skill or just some unusual variance is also a fair question.
One thing Roberts is undoubtedly keeping in mind is that it is a lot harder for opponents to pitch around Ohtani with the likes of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman batting behind him instead of ahead of him. The Dodgers have made it pretty clear they don’t care what outsiders think, so Ohtani evidently won’t be moved to a different spot anytime soon.
Oct 18, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts at the end of the fifth inning in game five of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Judge finally broke out of his playoff slump with a home run during Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, but he had some gripes with one of his New York Yankees teammates for what happened while the ball was in the air.
Judge blasted a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, hitting it out to center on a cold and windy night. Because it was not immediately clear that the ball was going out, Gleyber Torres took a very conservative baserunning approach before the ball landed, going all the way first to tag up before the ball cleared the center field fence.
Judge had some fun with that, jokingly calling out Torres for not respecting his power enough.
“He did that this year earlier too when I hit, so I was pretty pissed then. I was pretty pissed again!” Judge said, via Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media.
To be clear, Judge knew Torres was doing the right thing, and pointed out that first base coach Travis Chapman was telling the second baseman to go back and tag. Still, Anthony Rizzo admitted Torres took some grief in the dugout over the move.
“I’m a little disappointed in Gleyber for not knowing Judge’s pop there,” Rizzo joked. “We were ribbing him a lot about that. It’s a big swing for Judgey.”
Torres made a baserunning gaffe in a September game that had Judge publicly calling him out for real. Plus, they made a few big gaffes on the bases even in their Game 2 win. Nobody is actually going to fault Torres for doing the right thing and playing it safe.
