Mar 14, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers logo on the hardwood court against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
A new era for the Philadelphia 76ers will also extend to the name of their home arena.
Wells Fargo, the major banking company, announced this week that they won’t be renewing their naming rights partnership with the Philadelphia arena currently known as the Wells Fargo Center. As a result, the arena will be getting a new name upon the expiration of the partnership in Aug. 2025.
“Wells Fargo regularly reviews and adjusts our overall sponsorship strategy,” a spokeperson said in a statement to NBC10. “As such, we have made the business decision not to renew the naming rights contract to Wells Fargo Center. We value our relationship with Comcast Spectacor and we look forward to collaborating on live entertainment and sporting events at the Wells Fargo Center through the end of our contract in August 2025.
The Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor, is the home of the 76ers as well as of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). It was originally called the CoreStates Center when it first opened in 1996. It then became known as the First Union Center from 1998-2003 and the Wachovia Center from 2003-10 before the Wells Fargo partnership went into effect in 2010.
As for the 76ers specifically, their lease with the building runs through 2031. At that point, the team will be able to move to a different home. For the time being though, the 76ers (as well as all of their new signings) will be getting one final year of playing at the Wells Fargo Center (as currently named).
Dylan Cease on Thursday threw the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, and he essentially had to intervene on his own behalf to get it done.
Cease no-hit the Washington Nationals with three walks and nine strikeouts in Thursday’s game, completing the feat with a career-high 114 pitches. By Cease’s retelling, the effort nearly did not come to pass, however.
In his postgame interview with the Padres’ TV broadcast, Cease admitted that manager Mike Shildt had told him he was done after seven no-hit innings. That was not going to fly with Cease, who successfully lobbied his manager to let him go back out for the eighth inning.
"I've thrown 113 pitches this year. Thankfully they let me talk him into it, and here we are."
After lobbying to stay in the game after the 7th inning, Dylan Cease needed one more pitch (114) than his season-high to finish the no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/808Sx3XQxG
“He said, ‘Nice job.’ And I looked up, and it was like 94 pitches,” Cease admitted. “I just said, ‘I feel great, and if we get through the next one in 105, I’ve thrown 113 this year.’ Thankfully, they let me talk them into it, and here we are.”
Cease had, in fact, thrown 94 pitches through seven innings. He then put together a nine-pitch eighth, allowing him to start the ninth at 103 pitches. He needed just 11 to get the final three outs.
Not coincidentally, Cease could be seen thanking Shildt on the field after the game.
In a time when pitchers are pulled increasingly frequently during no-hit bids due to their pitch count, Shildt deserves credit for giving Cease a shot at finishing things. After all, the Padres only led 3-0, so even a single baserunner had the potential to make things interesting. Cease very much rewarded his manager for the decision.
Mar 9, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Phoenix Suns are trying their best to build a village around new head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports this week that the Suns are looking to add James Posey as an assistant coach on Budenholzer’s staff. Posey, 47, has spent the last two years as an assistant for the Washington Wizards (including for the latter part of Suns guard Bradley Beal’s tenure with the team).
Posey first made a name for himself as an excellent role player during his NBA days. A former first-round pick back in 1999, Posey played on seven different NBA teams and was a member of two different NBA title teams (the 2005-06 Miami Heat and the 2007-08 Boston Celtics). Known for his defense and three-point shooting, Posey retired after the 2010-11 season with career averages of 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
After retiring, Posey served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-19 (including for Cleveland’s championship victory in 2016). He then joined the Wizards in 2022 and could now become the latest former NBA champion to join Budenholzer’s staff in Phoenix.
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY NETWORK
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not accepting any narratives that the 2024 season may be Dak Prescott’s last with the organization.
Jones was asked Thursday whether he had considered that Prescott could be embarking on his final season with the Cowboys, but Jones was not on board with that. He made clear that he did not spend time thinking about that, as he simply does not buy it as true.
“I don’t think so,” Jones said, via Jon Machota and Larry Holder of The Athletic. “Just to be very specific. I do not think this will be his last year with the Cowboys, at all. Am I being psychotic relative to my mirror? No, no.
“It’s pretty clear, I think. I want to say if it hasn’t been clear — of how much we appreciate what Dak Prescott has meant to this team in a positive way. The players do play better when he’s out there. He does make his teammates play at a higher level there’s no question about it. So I’m right there in line with his best fan.”
What Jones says is one thing, but Cowboys fans are still waiting for Jones to act. Prescott is entering the final year of his contract and is on a cap hit of over $55 million for 2024. The team has repeatedly asserted that they want to get a long-term contract done, and talks have been held, but progress appears to be very slow.
Jones also maintained that the Cowboys were “all-in” before a very quiet offseason. It is understandable that people are not going to take his claims about Prescott seriously until the team acts to get him locked down.
Jun 5, 2021; Port St. Lucie, USA; USA manager Mike Scioscia (49) watches from the dugout in the 1st inning against Venezuela in the Super Round of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier series at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Scioscial Network is officially back.
Team USA Baseball announced on Thursday that former Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia will be leading them at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 Tournament in November. Scioscia is taking the helm as manager for Team USA at the 12-team international competition (which will take place from Nov. 9-24).
“I am honored and proud to have the opportunity to put the Team USA uniform on again,” Scioscia was quoted as saying. “I am looking forward to being back in the dugout as we put all of our efforts into winning a gold medal at the Premier12 Tournament.”
The 65-year-old served as the manager of the Angels from 2000-18, a stretch in which he won two Manager of the Year Awards, six division titles, and a World Series title in 2002. Scioscia stepped down from his job with the Angels after the 2018 season with a career record of 1,650-1,428 (.536).
In the years since then, Scioscia (who was also a former All-Star catcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers during his playing days) has already served as the manager for Team USA. He led the team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, guiding them through the qualifying round with a perfect 4-0 record and eventually helping them win a silver medal. While Mark DeRosa coached Team USA for the World Baseball Classic last year, Scioscia will be taking the lead for the Premier12 Tournament this fall.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network notes that the Premier12 Tournament is a major competition that is expected to feature the best global talent outside of 40-man MLB rosters. While Scioscia has sometimes been viewed as a bit too old-school for the modern game, he looks like a strong hire by Team USA, especially in light of his recent success with them.
Mar 31, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill (44) looks on in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
19-year MLB veteran Rich Hill looked like he might be done pitching, but the 44-year-old is now eyeing an MLB comeback.
Hill is hoping to return down the stretch run for what would be a 20th MLB season, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Hill has already received some interest from the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rich Hill is back on the mound and has interest from the Yankees and Dodgers. At 44, the lefty is hoping to get back for what would be a 20th season in the majors.
As easy as it is to look at Hill’s age and be dismissive, it is easy to see why some teams would still be interested in him. The lefty posted a 5.41 ERA last season, but has been effective at times in recent years and could probably help fortify a bullpen. He turned down opportunities to join a team at the start of the season, wanting to spend time coaching his son in Little League, but left the door open to an eventual return.
Hill has over 1,400 MLB innings to his name and has spent time with 13 different teams. He could potentially make it 14, though he has already played for the Dodgers.
Apr 24, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) leaves the field after throwing to the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago White Sox have been seen as likely to trade pitcher Garrett Crochet before the July 30 deadline, but Crochet may be seriously complicating matters.
Teams interested in trading Crochet are increasingly concerned that he might not be available for a potential playoff run, according to Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal, and Will Sammon of The Athletic. Crochet wants a contract extension from any team that trades for him before he agrees to pitch into October.
Crochet and the White Sox had previously worked out a plan to manage his workload in his first full season as a starter. Crochet is already close to his innings cap, and wants to protect his long-term health by either sticking to the plan or getting a guaranteed long-term contract that would ensure he is still taken care of if he were to get hurt.
In addition, Crochet is said to be uninterested in taking on a relief role, even for a playoff team. He believes remaining on a starter’s schedule would be best for his long-term durability.
Interested teams could theoretically trade for Crochet and essentially dismiss his demands. However, poisoning the well with Crochet immediately after acquiring him probably would not be in any team’s best interests. Instead, they face the risk of having to give Crochet a new contract without knowing whether he is durable or capable of pitching into the playoffs. For that reason, the report suggests that the White Sox may wait until the offseason to try to trade Crochet when more teams may be interested and would have time to work on an agreeable plan with Crochet.
The temptation to trade for Crochet may still prove too strong for some teams to resist. After all, he has a 3.07 ERA and and a league-leading 157 strikeouts in 111.1 innings. He is in his first season ever as a full-time starter, a role that he did not even have in college at Tennessee, and underwent Tommy John surgery two years ago. One team has been consistently linked to him, but a deal may be too tough to pull off right now.
Sep 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney questions the side judge after a replay during the first quarter of the Chick-fil-A kickoff game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Is Clemson coach Dabo Swinney anti-transfer portal? Many feel that he is, but he does not feel that tag is an accurate one.
At ACC Media Days on Thursday, Swinney addressed that perception and argued that it was not the case. He claimed that Clemson simply does not need to use the transfer portal as frequently because they are good enough at developing their own recruits.
“I’m not anti-portal, I’m pro the young men, talented young men, that I believe in on our team that believe in me, that believe in Clemson,” Swinney said, via Kaiden Smith of On3. “If you look at the guys that have left Clemson, the great majority of them, they just want to go play and that’s the majority of guys that are in the portal. They’re guys that want to play.
“We’ve had 14 top-15 recruiting classes in a row, so we’re very consistent. We sign the great players, this year we think we’ve got one of the best classes in the country and that’ll probably prove out. It always shows up four years later when it really counts, but we love the kids on our team, we believe in them.”
Swinney is adamantly sticking to a long-term player development approach in a sport that is increasingly in search of short-term success. There is nothing wrong with that, but Clemson’s on-field results have indisputably slipped in recent years. In 2023, the Tigers lost four games for the first time since 2011. Criticism grew regarding Swinney’s perceived refusal to use the portal to bolster his team.
Swinney has previously suggested that the bulk of the players in the portal simply are not good enough to play for Clemson. Perhaps that is true, but it is tough to look at the team’s results over the last few years and consider them good enough relative to the lofty standards Swinney has set for the program.
The Milwaukee Brewers are adding the son of a team legend to their organization.
The Brewers agreed to a contract with undrafted infielder Jadyn Fielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 19-year-old Fielder is the son of former Brewers All-Star Prince Fielder.
The son of Prince Fielder is joining the Brewers’ organization, a source tells @TheAthletic. The team has signed Jadyn Fielder, who went undrafted out of TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, FL. Fielder, 19, plays second and third base.
Fielder went undrafted out of TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Florida. He had previously committed to play collegiately at North Florida, but the lure of playing for his father’s original team appears to have been too much for him to pass up.
Prince Fielder had a 12-year MLB career and remains most associated with his time in Milwaukee, where he hit 230 home runs over seven seasons. Fielder also spent time in Detroit and Texas, where Jadyn was a regular ballpark presence with his father.
Feb 16, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant looks on against the LA Clippers during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant’s injury status for the start of Team USA’s Olympic campaign remains in some doubt, though Durant is apparently not happy with that information being out there.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst had speculated earlier this week that Durant does not appear likely to play in Team USA’s Olympic opener against Serbia on Sunday due to a lingering calf issue. In a follow-up on Thursday, Windhorst indicated that Durant had not been happy about that information being reported.
"[KD] was not happy with me when he saw the TV report that I made a couple of days ago… playing for the national team is extremely important to him."
“Kevin was not happy with me when he saw the TV report that I made a couple of days ago, that I wasn’t sure that he was going to be able to reach all the steps in order to play against Serbia on Sunday,” Windhorst said. “That’s because he is working very very hard to get back from this calf injury. Playing for the national team is extremely important to him. But the truth is that Steve Kerr has delayed his window. Initially, they said that he was going to able to hopefully play in one of the two games in London. Not only did he not play in London, Steve Kerr then spelled out he wanted him to go through several practices and a scrimmage before considering playing him ahead of Serbia. They’ve slowed him down.”
Windhorst added that Durant took part in non-contact drills on Thursday. He plans to take part in Friday’s scrimmage, at which point Team USA will assess his status.
