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Cooper Flagg speaks out after brutal end to his Duke freshman season

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Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg tried to keep things in perspective Saturday despite the tough end to his first year at Duke.

Flagg and the Blue Devils completely melted down late against the Houston Cougars in their NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Duke held a seven-point lead with just over a minute left in the contest. But Houston outscored Duke 11-1 in the final 74 seconds to pull off a stunning 70-67 comeback victory.

Flagg, who many expect to declare for the NBA draft in the coming weeks, spoke candidly about what will likely be his lone year in Durham. Despite being in an understandably somber mood, the 18-year-old relayed the “incredible” experience he had at Duke.

“It was an incredible season,” Flagg told reporters during Duke’s postgame press conference. “Incredible people. Incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”

Flagg put on a stellar performance Saturday in what could potentially be his final college basketball game. The 6’9″ swingman scored a game-high 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.

But Flagg will likely be haunted by the midrange jumper he missed with eight seconds left that would have given Duke a 69-68 lead in the closing moments.

Despite coming up short on his go-ahead attempt, Flagg described it as a “shot I’m willing to live with.”

The Maine native had one of the best college freshman seasons in recent memory. Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across 36 games for a Duke team that was ever so close to making the national championship game.

Fans slam Final Four referees over controversial call against Cooper Flagg

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A controversial foul called against Cooper Flagg loomed large over the final seconds of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Final Four game between Duke and Houston.

With a spot in the national championship game on the line, the Blue Devils led the Cougars 67-66 in the closing moments inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Duke guard Tyrese Proctor got fouled and was awarded a one-and-one with under 20 seconds left in the contest.

Proctor missed the first free throw, leading to a mad scramble for the rebound. Flagg was whistled for a loose ball foul while battling with Houston forward J’Wan Roberts for the loose ball. The foul sent Roberts to the line, where he made both to give the Cougars their first lead of the second half.

Here’s another angle of the foul called against Flagg. Even the CBS announcers felt the referees should have let the contest play on, especially given the game situation.

The last thing spectators want is an iffy call completely changing the outcome of a big game. While many felt Duke still deserved most of the blame for its late meltdown, several fans and media members were left scratching their heads over the call on Flagg.

Flagg led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. But his efforts were not enough to prevent Duke’s monumental collapse in the 70-67 loss to Houston.

Cooper Flagg called for unbelievable foul at end of Duke collapse

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Cooper Flagg was called for an unbelievable foul toward the end of Duke’s stunning 70-67 loss to the Houston Cougars in their Final Four game of the NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday.

The Blue Devils led by 14 points with just over eight minutes left and collapsed, allowing Houston to take the lead with 19.6 seconds left. If it weren’t for a controversial foul call on Flagg, Houston might not have taken the lead.

Flagg was called for a foul while going for a rebound following a missed free throw by his teammate, Tyrese Proctor.

Fans could not believe the call, and neither could the announcers.

The foul call gave Houston a one-and-one. J’Wan Roberts made the most of the moment and nailed both free throws to give the Cougars their first lead since early in the game. The Cougars hung on for a stunning 70-67 victory.

What do you think: Should Flagg have been called for a foul on that play? Seeing a call of that magnitude go against Duke was stunning. A foul call really seemed unnecessary there.

Kelvin Sampson had 4-word message after comeback win over Duke

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Kelvin Sampson is into the NCAA Tournament championship game for the first time ever, and it’s thanks to a big comeback by his Houston Cougars.

Houston came back from down 14 points with just over eight minutes left and beat the Duke Blue Devils 70-67 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday night. Duke fans likely thought they had the game in hand leading by double-digits with eight minutes to play, but Houston kept chipping away until they finally took the lead with 19.6 seconds left on two free throw makes by J’Wan Roberts.

Houston closed the game on an 11-1 run to claim the stunning victory. The win left Houston coach Sampson sharing a four-word message about his team: “Don’t sleep on Houston.”

Sampson shared his message during a postgame interview with CBS’ Tracy Wolfson.

“I hear what people say. ‘Duke this. Duke that.’ Duke’s great. Jon Scheyer is awesome. But don’t sleep on Houston. Don’t sleep on Houston. We weren’t 34-4 playing in the Toy Poodle League,” Sampson said.

Houston went 19-1 playing in the Big 12, and they are now 35-4. They will face another 35-4 team in the championship game in the Florida Gators.

Houston pulls off unreal last-minute comeback to stun Duke in Final Four

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Houston on Saturday snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Duke to punch its ticket to the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball National Championship Game.

The Blue Devils led the Cougars for almost the entire second half of their Final Four matchup at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, Houston simply would not give up.

A pair of Cooper Flagg free throws gave Duke a 66-59 lead with 1:26 left. Cougars junior Emanuel Sharp hit a huge three with 33 seconds left to cut the deficit to 67-64. Then a stunning inbound turnover committed by Duke led to a Joseph Tugler dunk, further trimming the lead down to one.

The Cougars outscored the Blue Devils 11-1 over the final 74 seconds to pull off the 70-67 comeback. Flagg missed a potential game-winning jumper with eight seconds left, which allowed Houston to close the game out at the free throw line.

LJ Cryer led Houston with 26 points on six triples to keep his team afloat throughout the contest. Cryer also made the final two free throws to ice the game in the closing seconds.

Houston takes on Florida for the national championship on Monday.

Former Duke star goes viral over his parental drama while watching Final Four

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A former Duke standout had one of the more awkward viewing experiences during Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Final Four doubleheader.

Duke alum Justise Winslow had tickets to watch his alma mater take on Houston at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Winslow shared on social media that he was attending the game with his parents.

Winslow started his string of X posts with a humorous plea for fans to “pray for me.” He explained why shortly after.

“I’m on the way to the final four with my parents (divorced),” Winslow’s post read. “My dad was part of phi slamma jamma at U of H. Lost in the national championship against Georgetown. And my mom is a devout Duke fan because of me”

Winslow then revealed that he was going on a three-hour drive with his divorced parents to make the trip to the Alamodome. The family was likely making the three-hour trip down the I-10 from Houston to San Antonio.

Justise’s father, Rickie Winslow, played four seasons at Houston from 1983 to 1987. The 6’8″ forward averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 124 games with the Cougars.

The younger Winslow was born and raised in the City of Houston but played one college basketball season at Duke. He was a key part of the 2014-15 Duke squad, the last Blue Devils squad to win the national championship.

Winslow became a top-10 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He signed on with an Eastern Conference team earlier this season but has yet to play a game during the 2024-25 campaign.

The 29-year-old has earned over $44 million throughout his NBA career thus far. But even multi-millionaire NBA players aren’t immune to being caught in uncomfortable family situations.

Charles Barkley has classy gesture for Auburn star after loss

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Charles Barkley is a true Auburn Tiger, both in victory and in defeat.

The retired NBA legend Barkley went viral after Auburn’s loss in the Final Four to Florida on Saturday over his classy gesture. Barkley, who was doing on-site studio coverage for CBS Sports, was waiting in the tunnel area as the Tigers walked off the floor. When Auburn star Johni Broome came by, Barkley went out of his way to comfort him and give Broome what appeared to be an encouraging message.

Here is the video, per Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle.

Take a look at a closer angle of the classy moment.

Barkley, an Auburn alum who played for the Tigers from 1981-84, was obviously rooting hard for Auburn to win. Cameras caught him visibly reacting as the game was slipping away from the Tigers down the stretch.

But even so, Barkley made sure to acknowledge Broome and the Tigers for a job very well done this season. The SEC Player of the Year Broome in particular was a shining star for Auburn, battling through a big injury scare in the Elite Eight to finish with 25 points and 14 rebounds in a Tigers victory.

Against fellow No. 1 seed Florida on Saturday, Broome’s 15 point and seven rebounds were not quite enough. But Barkley made sure to let Broome know to hold his head high, especially with an NBA career (as a projected late first-round pick) now beckoning for the talented 22-year-old.

5-time NFL Pro Bowler announces his retirement

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5-time Pro Bowler Terron Armstead is calling it a career.

The standout left tackle is retiring after 12 seasons in the NFL, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. He last played for the Miami Dolphins.

The 33-year-old spent the first nine years of his pro career with the New Orleans Saints. The third-round selection out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff became the Saints’ full-time starting left tackle in his second season.

Armstead came into his own in 2018, earning himself a 2nd-Team All-Pro selection and the first of three Pro Bowl nods in a Saints uniform.

The Dolphins signed Armstead away from the Saints in 2022, offering the O-lineman a five-year deal worth $75 million with $43.37 million in guaranteed money. Armstead earned two more Pro Bowl selections in Miami while also taking a leadership role in his three years with the team.

Armstead dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career as the self-described “most injured guy in NFL history.” But Terron enjoyed his healthiest campaign yet in 2024. He tied his single-season career high with 15 games played and remained as effective as ever on the field.

Pro Football Focus gave Armstead an 89.4 grade for his final season, which ranked fourth in the entire NFL among offensive tackles.

Stephen A. Smith makes embarrassing Cade Cunningham mistake

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Stephen A. Smith’s ball knowledge continues to deterioriate.

The ESPN personality Smith was roasted on social media Saturday for the embarrassing mistake that he made in a post to his X page. Smith was reacting to Florida’s comeback win over Auburn in the Final Four and shouted out Gators star Walter Clayton Jr.

But in an attempt to give praise to Clayton by comparing him to Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, Smith had a major whiff and referred to Cunningham as “Wade Cunningham.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, just in case you did not know: this brother from @GatorsMBK, his name is Walter Clayton Jr, and he is something special,” Smith wrote. “This brother is the real deal. Reminds me of @DetroitPistons big time guard Wade Cunningham.”

Smith’s post promptly sparked comedy hour on X from users joking about his “Wade Cunningham” mistake.

Wade Cunningham is actually the name of a former professional race car driver, which was one of the other jokes that Smith sparked there.

Clayton, a 22-year-old combo guard who was a First Team All-American this year, came up big for Florida against Auburn, scoring a game-high 34 points on eight three-pointers. As a result, the Gators were able to rally from a nine-point deficit in the second half and clinch a national championship game berth in an electrifying scene.

But in just one post about the game, Smith managed to both divert attention away from Clayton’s big performance and diss the Pistons star Cunningham all at once. The NBA All-Star Cunningham is having a superb year of his own with 25.7 points and 9.2 assists per game to lead Detroit to a remarkable playoff-berth clinching after losing 65-plus games in back-to-back seasons. Nevertheless, he still became the latest NBA casualty of a brutal Smith mistake.

Ian Eagle had very appropriate call when Florida beat Auburn

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CBS announcer Ian Eagle delivered a very fitting call when Florida beat Auburn in their Final Four game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday.

The Gators came back from down by 8 at halftime and down by 4 with 12 minutes left to win the game 79-73 and advance to the NCAA Tournament championship game. Upon Florida winning, Eagle utilized a humorous play on words.

“A return to national prominence for the Gators. Florida will play for the national title. And what Todd Golden and the Gators will be looking for now is a chompionship,” Eagle joked.

The Gators and their fans have their famous “chomp” they do as a rallying/celebratory gesture, so the play on words worked in that situation.

Florida won back-to-back championships under Billy Donovan in 2006 and 2007. They’re hoping to win their first since then and third overall. This will be their first time back in the championship game since 2007.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the way on Saturday with 34 points, while Alijah Martin scored 17.

Fans all said the same thing about Alijah Martin’s viral Final Four dunk

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Several fans felt like Florida guard Alijah Martin’s dunk Saturday looked pretty familiar.

Florida and Auburn were deadlocked at 57 midway through the second half of their NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Martin picked off an errant pass intended for Tigers star Johni Broome.

Without a single defender ahead of him, Martin had a clear runway for takeoff. The Florida senior started his gather from beyond the three-point line and leaped from well beyond the restricted circle for the slam.

Here’s another angle of the dunk.

Fans on X could not help but compare Martin’s dunk to Michael Jordan’s CGI-assisted dunk from the 1996 blockbuster “Space Jam.”

The 23-year-old athletic freak put on a solo dunk contest in the middle of the Final Four. He somehow topped himself a few possessions later, posterizing two Auburn defenders in transition to give Florida a 66-63 lead.

Martin also had himself a quality game beyond the dunks. He tallied 17 points on 6/10 shooting to go along with 3 rebounds in Florida’s 79-73 victory over Auburn.

Florida’s win also means Martin’s high-flying act is coming to a national championship game near you.

Wayne Gretzky, Alex Ovechkin combined for great photo after tying goal

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Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin combined for a great photo to celebrate the Washington Capitals star tying “The Great One” on the career goals list.

Ovechkin on Friday scored two goals to give his Capitals a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The two goals gave Ovi 894 for his career, which tied Gretzky.

Gretzky was in attendance for the game, explaining that he wanted to continue the hockey legacy by properly passing the torch to Ovechkin. He took a photo inside the Capitals’ changing room that the team shared on social media. Both men were touching the puck that tied Gretzky’s record and smiling in the photo.

Gretzky is 64 and Ovechkin is 39, so the two really are a generation apart. The photo helps show the 25-year difference in age from the previous record holder to the man who is about to break it. The photo also helps contextualize where Ovi is in his career. The 12-time All-Star has thinning hair, with white on the sides and in his beard. He’s been through a full career and is still going strong.

Even though Ovechkin has 894 goals, he’s still over 1,200 assists behind Gretzky in that department. Gretzky still has a comfortable lead of over 700 assists over second place on the list, with no active players anywhere near catching him. In fact, Gretzky has more career assists than any player has career points! Even with Ovechkin tying him for goals, Gretzky’s hockey legacy is still very well intact.

Dodgers now using Shohei Ohtani Decorte gesture as celebration

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Shohei Ohtani did an interesting gesture after slugging a walk-off home run to win the game on his bobblehead giveaway night on Wednesday, and it has now become a thing among the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani was batting for his Dodgers with one out and the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the 9th against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers DH sent an opposite field shot that sailed out to win the game 6-5.

As he approached home plate, Ohtani did a pinching motion with the thumb and index finger on his right hand and dragged it across his face. The celebration apparently was in response to some of his Dodgers teammates mocking him over the gesture he does in an advertisement for a skin care product from Decorte.

Here is a look at the commercial.

The only thing missing was Ohtani doing the wink.

But here’s the thing: this has caught on and become the Dodgers’ new celebration gesture. In the past, Dodgers players would wave their arms back and forth. They’ve since replaced that with the Ohtani Decorte face wipe. Take a look:

The people at Decorte have to be loving this. The gesture Ohtani did in one of their commercials has now become the celebration for the Dodgers. You can’t buy that type of publicity.

Phillies’ Bryson Stott held in-game baby gender reveal for a friend

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Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott helped out a friend on Saturday by taking part in an in-game baby gender reveal.

Stott wore a pink armband to the plate during his first at-bat of Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy, that to announce that Stott’s friend Ryan Stevens is going to have a baby girl.

Stevens has been customizing cleats for Stott since 2023. According to a 2024 profile by Santiago Ortiz of Billy Penn, Stevens has customized over a dozen cleats for Scott since then. The visibility allowed Stevens to works with other Philadelphia athletes, including Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers.

Stevens really hit the big time in February, when Eagles safety Cooper DeJean wore his custom shoes during Super Bowl LIX.

For Stott, this is not necessarily anything new. He has fully embraced custom equipment when given the chance during his MLB career.

Stott ultimately grounded out in the plate appearance and wound up going 1-for-3 in a 3-1 loss, but he certainly created a highlight for his friend. Perhaps he got the idea from Austin Reaves, who pulled off a similar gesture recently for his brother.

Dodgers’ strategy for Shohei Ohtani’s pitching return revealed

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are determined to play it very safe with Shohei Ohtani’s return as a pitcher.

During Saturday’s game between the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provided some context around how the Dodgers are approaching Ohtani’s return to the mound. According to Rosenthal, the biggest factor the Dodgers care about is Ohtani’s availability for the postseason.

“The Dodgers are being intentionally deliberate with (Ohtani’s) process coming off a second major elbow surgery,” Rosenthal said. “The goal: to get Ohtani ready for the postseason.”

To be clear, this does not mean the Dodgers will not bring Ohtani back as a pitcher until October. It does mean the team will be very cautious in when he is brought back, and all of the focus will be on his playoff availability. That may limit how much the Dodgers use Ohtani on the mound until then.

Ohtani has begun through bullpen sessions as he works his way back from his Aug. 2023 UCL surgery. The team has not put a specific timeline on his return to game action, with manager Dave Roberts simply saying it will be “a while” before that happens.

Until that point, Ohtani will just keep hitting. He has already authored one dramatic moment this season, and was hitting .324 with three home runs in nine games entering play Saturday.

Roberto Clemente’s son calls out disrespectful move from Pirates

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Roberto Clemente’s son is not happy with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a disrespectful move they made regarding Clemente’s legacy.

The X account for the Pittsburgh Clothing Co. pointed out Saturday that the Pirates had covered up the special logo honoring Clemente that had previously been on the right field wall at PNC Park. The logo has been replaced by an ad for cocktail brand Surfside.

The change did not sit well with Roberto Clemente Jr. He reposted the photo, simply adding a disapproving “WOW.”

Clemente played right field for the Pirates during his legendary career, and the team has always used that corner to pay tribute to him. The right field wall at PNC Park is 21 feet high in his honor, representing Clemente’s uniform number. The number has also featured prominently around the out-of-town scoreboard. It still does, but is much smaller than it was in previous iterations.

That part of the outfield wall at PNC Park has been used as ad space before. The specific logo in question had been in place since at least the 2022 season, as seen in videos from Opening Day that year. It was still present at the end of last season and can be seen in highlights from the Pirates’ home finale in 2024.

Clemente is regarded as perhaps the greatest player in franchise history, hitting .317 with 3,000 career hits. He died at 38 on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua.

Pirates fans have long disapproved of owner Bob Nutting and have long accused him of being unwilling to spend money on players or turn the moribund franchise around. The decision to replace a tribute to Clemente with a wall ad will only reinforce that perception among critical fans.

Carmelo Anthony reacts to potential honor from Knicks

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Carmelo Anthony on Saturday weighed in on talk of a huge honor he might receive from the New York Knicks.

Anthony was asked about the possibility of the Knicks retiring his number. The former Syracuse star said he would be “ecstatic” if the team decided to grant him the honor, but they should not bother if they have to think about it too hard.

“I would love to see that,” Anthony said, via Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “For me, it’s like, ‘Why wait?’ If you got to think about it then cool, just let it be.

“I don’t know man, to be honest with you. A lot of surprises are happening right now around me, so I’m trying to stay in the moment, and if that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that. I would love to see that jersey hung up.”

Anthony was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame this week, which led to the subject of his Knicks tenure being revisited. Two years ago, it was reported that there were some within the Knicks organization who feel strongly that the team should retire his No. 7.

Eight Knicks players have had their numbers retired, with Patrick Ewing the most recent to receive the honor in 2003.

Anthony spent parts of seven seasons with the Knicks, averaging 24.7 points per game and making six All-Star teams while a member of the organization. However, he never came particularly close to winning a championship, or even having much playoff success. There will be some debate over whether that justifies such a huge honor from the franchise, though Anthony himself does not appear interested in the debate.

Giants WR addresses criticism of Shedeur Sanders’ workout

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One NFL wide receiver addressed some criticism of Shedeur Sanders’ Pro Day workout.

Sanders’ Colorado Pro Day film was scrutinized Friday, with some fixating on the double-taps and hitches in the quarterback’s throws. New York Jets safety Andre Cisco suggested this would be an issue for Sanders in the NFL, arguing that he and other defensive backs would try to use Sanders’ taps as a tell and break early on receivers to get interceptions.

Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton felt differently, however. Slayton was critical of defensive backs who thought the tap would be a tell and said Sanders would be “fine” in the NFL even with the hitch.

“I promise he can pat the ball and be just fine. (If) DB’s was so good at breaking on ball pats they’’’d all have 8+ picks a year,” Slayton wrote on X. “Same guys that fall for a 2 man dagger concept and give up the dig on 3rd & long every season all season long talkin bout a ball pat what a joke.”

Slayton added that defensive backs would not even be able to see what Sanders is doing behind the line, as the quarterback is only 6’1″.

Slayton could very easily be one of Sanders’ future teammates, and he seems to have ample confidence in the Colorado quarterback’s abilities. There are definitely some knocks on Sanders, but there is enough on his tape that quarterback-needy teams will be tempted into picking him high up in the draft.

The Giants made Slayton a fifth-round pick in 2019 and he has carved out a solid role in the team’s offense in his six seasons with the team. Despite the team’s quarterback issues, he caught 39 passes for 573 yards in 2024, and could see those numbers rise with Russell Wilson throwing to him next season.

Jose Altuve has yet another shaky moment in outfield

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Jose Altuve is still experiencing plenty of growing pains in the outfield (no pun intended).

The Houston Astros star Altuve cost his team during Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with another blunder defensively. Altuve had a ball hit to him in left field by Minnesota’s Ty France during the fourth inning with runners on first and second base and nobody out. He played the ball off the bounce and attempted to fire it back into the infield quickly to hold lead runner Byron Buxton of the Twins at third base.

Unfortunately for Altuve, he bobbled the ball on the transfer from his glove, and it squirted away from him. As a result, Buxton was able to score standing up. Here is the video.

Altuve was charged with an error on the play, which proved very costly as the Twins went on to score five more times in the inning to take a 6-1 lead.

The former AL MVP Altuve, 34, was a career-long second baseman but moved to left field this season in order to accommodate Houston’s new infield additions (including Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes). But he was already pretty terrible at the position in spring, whiffing on balls at the wall and even making mistakes on routine fly balls.

Now that it is the regular season, Altuve continues to bumble his way around in left field. Though Altuve did hit a leadoff homer to start off Saturday’s game against the Twins, he also posted a five-strikeout performance (a.k.a a platinum sombrero) against Minnesota the game before that.

Keith Hernandez tries to clarify his crude remark caught on hot mic

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Keith Hernandez is trying to explain himself for something that he can’t just blame on Roger McDowell this time.

The New York Mets legend and television color commentator Hernandez was caught on a hot mic during a game broadcast on SportsNet New York this week making a crude remark. As the Mets were playing the Miami Marlins in extra innings on Wednesday, an irritated Hernandez could be heard angrily muttering about “piss-poor hitting.”

You can see the video here.

On Friday, Hernandez appeared with Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason on WFAN and attempted to clarify his hot-mic remark, saying that it was not directed at the Mets.

“It was intended for the Marlins,” Hernandez said of his crude comment. “I know the Mets left a runner on third as well but … to me it’s just a lost art, I just see it year in and year out, a basic inability to make an adjustment at the plate when a sacrifice fly is in order, particularly when it wins a game late.

“It’s just a pet peeve of mine,” added Hernandez. “I mean, it’s the easiest RBI in the world. Get it done.”

For Hernandez, who was referencing the ghost runner that starts on second base in extras, his comment came right before the beginning of the 11th inning after both the Mets and the Marlins had failed to score in the 10th. Because it was a home game for them, the Marlins were the last team to bat right before Hernandez’s “piss-poor hitting” remark, so his explanation here is at least believable.

The jab by Hernandez, now 71, also could have applied to the Mets, who are currently in the bottom half of MLB in runs scored this season. But at least there are far worse things that Hernandez, who has had his fair share of doozies on the air before, could have said on the hot mic there.

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