Latest Sports News & Rumors by OutKick

Dalton Rushing Said Something Was 'Fishy' About The Rockies First-Pitch Swing Against Dodgers

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:11:38 -0400

The Colorado Rockies entered the weekend tied for last place in the NL West, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 7.5 games just 19 games into the 2026 MLB season. They snapped a six-game losing streak Thursday with a win over the Houston Astros.

The Rockies welcomed the Dodgers to Coors Field for a four-game set, and based on how both teams were playing, it appeared to be an opportunity for the Dodgers to continue their torrid start to the season. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Dodgers roster costs more than a quarter-billion dollars more than the Rockies, but that's for another day.

Instead, Colorado stunned Los Angeles by taking two of the first three games in the series (after the Dodgers roasted the Rockies, 7-1, on Friday). So, how did they do it? Well, according to Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, probably by cheating.

"I think they had a good game plan as an opposing team, and maybe I pitched into their game plan. As far as calling pitches, I'm not 100% sure. I just, I think it's odd some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there, and they were only on the first pitch that was thrown. So it's a little fishy," Rushing said.

The implication by Rushing seems to pretty clearly be that the Rockies knew what pitch the Dodgers were going to throw with their first pitches. That would seem to mean that Rushing thinks the Rockies were cheating, as does the use of the word "fishy."

Now, it seems unlikely that the Colorado Rockies, one of the worst teams in baseball for the past several years, have an elaborate cheating scheme going on. That being said, it's worth noting that the Rockies are 6-3 at Coors Field this season but 3-10 on the road. Of course, those are small sample sizes and don't prove anything.

Also, the Rockies are the most aggressive first-pitch swinging team in Major League Baseball. According to Statcast, Colorado hitters swing at the first pitch of an at-bat 38% of the time, which includes both home and road games.

It just sounds like sour grapes from Rushing, a catcher for a team that simply outspends all the other teams in Major League Baseball.

If any team has an unfair advantage, it's the Dodgers.

Michigan State's Spring Game Shenanigans Are A Crime Against Humanity

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:30:38 -0400

Another round of college football spring games took place across the nation earlier this week, as the weather continues to warm and the campuses farther to the north start their spring football activities.

While most programs are using this time to iron out their quarterback depth chart or figure out what their two-deep looks like along the offensive line, there are others who treat their spring game as a celebration for the fans as well as a culmination of the players' hard work this winter.

To some, that means an open practice, while others will have a seven-on-seven showcase or even a skills competition.

All that is to say, what happened in East Lansing, Michigan, with the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon was not only none of the above, but should have the program under serious consideration for the death penalty.

What in God's name did I just watch?

We have a lot of fun around here, but I have to draw the line somewhere, and dizzy bat relays in lieu of a spring game may very well be that line.

"Oh, but Austin, they're just having fun! They work hard in the winter. They deserve a day to let loose."

Let me ask you something: is losing fun?

Because since their 11-win season and Peach Bowl victory in 2021, the Spartans haven't won more than five games.

I also realize they still played their spring game after this little bat race, but seriously, you're trying to prove to your fanbase that you're here to resurrect a once-proud football program, not organize a Founder's Day at a Fortune 500 company.

And speaking of the fans, what a slap in the face to have this smack-dab in the middle of a spring game that they came to in year one of a new coaching regime.

I can tell you this right now: my team is in year one of a new coaching staff and desperate to get back to their glory days of yesteryear. If that bat race relay happened in the Swamp at any point during our spring game, I would have started a bonfire with every piece of Florida merch I owned.

Our fans would've made January 6 look like story time at the local preschool.

Spartan fans aren't exactly thrilled either, if the comments are any indicator.

The jokes practically write themselves.

Which is another reason why this was a horrible idea: bad optics.

Pat Fitzgerald better pray his team goes 8-4 or better this season, otherwise the GIFs that will be made from this will be legendary.

I'll be rooting for you, Sparty, but we are a far cry from the Mark Dantonio days in East Lansing.

Georgia Star Zachariah Branch Arrested On Peculiar Charges Days Before Expected NFL Draft Selection

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:40:51 -0400

Zachariah Branch's life-changing week got off to a much faster start than anyone, including himself, could have imagined.

The former Georgia wide receiver, who is widely projected to be a second-round pick in this week's 2026 NFL Draft, was arrested in Athens early Sunday morning. According to the Athens Clarke County jail booking report, Branch was charged with obstructing public sidewalks/ – prowling as well as obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Branch was booked at 1:26 AM on Sunday before being released at 3:44 AM on a bond totaling $39 after being charged with a pair of misdemeanors.

The 22-year-old, who led Georgia in receiving yards a season ago, was in Athens over the weekend attending the Bulldogs' G-Day scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. Branch's brother, Zion, plays safety at Georgia. The duo transferred to the Bulldog program from USC ahead of the 2025 college football season. Zachariah was a first-team All-American during his freshman campaign as a Trojan in 2023.

READ: Georgia Bulldogs Add To Arrest Total With Two More Players

In his lone season with the Bulldogs, Zachariah set the single-season receptions record with 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns while also averaging 20.5 yards per kickoff return. His biggest performance of the year came against Florida in November when he hauled in 10 catches for 112 yards.

While his numbers and resume are both impressive, Zachariah turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine by clocking a 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds.

Zachariah Branch is ranked among the Top 100 players available in the 2026 NFL Draft by virtually every draft expert covering the NFL.

Shohei Ohtani Meets 100-Year-Old Nagasaki Survivor In Incredible Pregame Moment

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:12:44 -0400

Before Saturday night's game at Coors Field, Shohei Ohtani was involved in one of the coolest pregame moments we've ever seen.

After finishing a throwing session, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star was told about a woman sitting nearby in a wheelchair. So he walked over, knelt down and introduced himself.

That woman was Momoyo Nakamoto Kelley — a 100-year-old survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Kelley, who was 19 years old when the bomb was dropped on Aug. 9, 1945, later immigrated to the United States and now lives in Salt Lake City. A lifelong baseball fan, she had traveled to Colorado with family, hoping to see Ohtani in person.

Mission accomplished.

"A dream come true," Kelley called it.

Ohtani signed a baseball for her and posed for photos.

Kelley's grandson, Patrick Faust, helped arrange the visit as a way to celebrate her milestone birthday.

"Just the idea that 100 is such a big number," Faust told MLB.com. "I don’t think there are many people [still alive from] when the atom bomb was dropped. She’s had a terrible experience, a big one. So we wanted to [do something] special."

Kelley's love for the game — and for the growing number of Japanese players in MLB — made the meeting even more meaningful.

"Within the past few years, especially, with all the Japanese players in the game, she’s been really into it," Faust said.

She didn't just meet Ohtani, either. Kelley also spent time with Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki and Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, both of whom she has followed closely for years.

"I like so many of the players," she beamed. "[Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Sugano-san."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was moved by the experience.

"It was really a pleasure meeting her," Roberts said. "She was 19 when the a-bomb dropped in Nagasaki. And it’s by a miracle that she lived to tell her story. Just seeing her is a piece of history."

Dodgers broadcaster Stephen Nelson added: "It’s humbling. Just being ‘Yonsei’ [a great-grandchild of a Japanese immigrant], you’re standing on a lot of shoulders. For her to experience what she went through and endure that, and come here to make a better life for herself and future generations … we can’t even fathom that, right?"

Kelley herself has vivid memories of that day in 1945. She described the explosion as being "like the sky was on fire."

And yet, 81 years later, she found herself on a baseball field in Colorado, creating new (and much happier) memories with her family.

Max Homa Throws Golf Club In Anger After Criticizing Players For Doing The Exact Same Thing

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:50:26 -0400

Max Homa launched his golf club in frustration during the final round of the RBC Heritage on Sunday, and it was a tough scene for the six-time PGA Tour winner for more reasons than one.

Homa, who began the final round 18 shots behind leader Matt Fitzpatrick, hit a wayward teeshot and was left in a very tough position in a waste area amongst the trees at Harbour Town. After not making the contact he wanted on a punch shot in an attempt to escape the trouble, Homa chucked his iron into the ground a few yards ahead of him, with the iron ultimately making contact with a tree.

With his name well down the leaderboard and not playing up to his standard, Homa let his emotions take over and let out some frustrations by throwing his club. These things happen, even for a player who has won a half-dozen times on Tour, but the timing of Homa's club toss makes the whole scenario a bit hypocritical.

During his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, Homa was asked about the Masters' code of conduct being tested at Augusta National over the past weekend, following Sergio Garcia's temper tantrum on the second hole in the final round.

READ: It Only Took Sergio Garcia Two Days To Apologize After Damaging Teebox During Masters Temper Tantrum

Garcia damaged the tee box on the hole before breaking his driver after smacking it on a nearby cooler. The chairman of the competition committee at Augusta National reportedly spoke with Garcia on the fourth tee box about his outburst.

While Homa did not specifically mention Garcia by name during his remarks about the code of conduct topic, it doesn't take much to read between the lines.

"I say a lot of bad words," Homa said. "I very much try to do it not when a kid can hear. So I do think there's some, hey, don't say it in front of the wrong person, like be a bit aware of your surroundings. Not saying I've never done it. I don't like when people break clubs. I don't like when people beat up the golf course because we deal with it, and I think breaking clubs makes us look very, very spoiled.

"I try my absolute best not to do it, and when it does happen, as far as slamming a tee box, I'm very upset with myself because we're very lucky to play this game where we do, and I think it is a bad look. But again, this is a very frustrating game, and it happens. I don't know where I'd draw that line exactly, but I definitely think beating up a golf course would be probably -- because the rest of us have to play it."

It's his note about looking "spoiled" that stands out.

Homa didn't damage a tee box with his club throw on Sunday, or even a part of the golf course that another player might see during Sunday's action, but it's still not the best of looks, given his comments just a few days prior.

Bengals, Giants, Dexter Lawrence Happy With Trade That Sends Pro Bowl Lineman From N.Y. To Cincinnati

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:08:06 -0400

The Cincinnati Bengals understand they've been wasting Joe Burrow's prime years because, although the offense is outstanding, the defense has been horrible. So, this offseason the club has been working to improve that side of the ball and the crown jewel of that work is coming in the person of Dexter Lawrence.

The Bengals have traded for Lawrence, the three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle with the New York Giants.

The Bengals are giving up the No. 10 overall selection in the draft in exchange for Lawrence. And they're expected to give him a contract extension or raise on his current contract that still has two years remaining.

The reason the Bengals did this, per a source, is they came to the belief Lawrence is better than any prospect they might land with the No. 10 pick who also happens to upgrade their defense.

We told you this looming NFL draft was about to be a trade-happy exercise but didn't know teams would start before the draft even started.

So Lawrence should get his wish. He's moving on from the Giants and getting a raise after requesting a trade a couple of weeks ago.

The Bengals are getting what they want:

Their defensive upgrades this offseason that already included Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook and Jonathan Allen, now adds a pass-rush threat and run-stopping anchor in the interior of their defensive line.

The Bengals need the help. Their defense finished 30th in points allowed and 31 in yards allowed last season. (That's bad).

The Giants aren't necessarily getting what they might have hoped for. They've valued Lawrence as one of the league's best defensive linemen and a team cornerstone for years.

But they are nonetheless walking away with a top 10 pick to add to the No. 5 pick they already held in the first round.

The Giants now join the handful of teams with two first-round picks in the first round but are the NFL's only team with two picks among the top 10 selections.

The Giants are also avoiding setting a precedent by giving a player with two years remaining on his contract a new deal simply because he's outgrown the scope of his current deal.

Let's see then …

Bengals win.

Lawrence wins.

Giants win.

Everybody's happy.

Lawrence, 28, must still pass his physical to make this move official. He is scheduled to take that in Cincinnati on Sunday.

We know that physicals standing in the way of trades has been a thing this offseason when Maxx Crosby had issues during his doctors' visit with the Baltimore Ravens.

No one is expecting that in the Lawrence situation.

[Sunday morning update: Lawrence passed his physical and got a one-year extension worth $28 million].

This deal is going through as perhaps the biggest pre-draft blockbuster trade in recent NFL memory.

WrestleMania Crowd Crushes Stephen A. Smith With Massive Boos

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:00:17 -0400

WrestleMania 42 is this weekend in Las Vegas — the second year in a row the two-night event has taken place in Sin City — and fans are packing into Allegiant Stadium.

Fans of professional wrestling. Not of Stephen A. Smith.

That was abundantly clear pretty quickly.

READ: WRESTLEMANIA IS BETTER WITH PAT MCAFEE'S NEW STORYLINE

The first match, Night 1, was a three-man tag match between Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and LA Knight against Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and live streamer IShowSpeed. That sounds weird, but it was honestly a way better match than it had any business, capped off with IShowSpeed hitting Logan Paul with the same move through the announce table that he dished out to Jelly Roll at Summer Slam.

The crowd was buzzing, and before they moved on to the next match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu, they showed some celebrities in the crowd, like San Francisco 49ers tight end Greg Kittle and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

Both are big WWE fans and got huge ovations, especially when Kittle chugged not just his, but also Haliburton's beer.

But then they got to Stephen A. and, well, there was a considerable mood change…

Credit to Stephen A. for embracing the heel role. I don't think he has too much of a problem with that, though. Just ask any Cowboys fan.

Of course, Stephen A. was likely in the house because this year's WrestleMania is the first one being streamed by ESPN.

In a pretty interesting move, the first hours of each night are being broadcast for free on ESPN (well, not free. You need cable to see it, but you know what I mean). The hope seems to be that giving a free taste will get people to run to their phone, tablet, or connected device and sign up for ESPN's streaming platform to watch the best.

I'm not sure how well that will work out, but hey, it's a tactic that has worked wonders for drug dealers for decades.

Horrifying Video Shows Fisherman Surrounded By Sharks Off The Coast Of North Carolina

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:50:24 -0400

I'm not a big fisherman, but when I've done it, I've done it from the safety and security of land. The biggest risk I've taken is doing it from a kayak and almost dropping my phone in the drink.

And if I had a desire to start fishing out on the ocean while riding a jet ski, all it took was one video to kill it.

The video was taken by a fisherman off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks. He reportedly moved in when he saw a group of sharks feeding on fish (which is not a "Hey, I need a closer look; let me ride my jet ski over to them" item for me, but to each his own).

READ: SURFER CAPTURES INSANE VIDEO OF HAMMERHEAD SHARK RIGHT UNDERNEATH HIS BOARD

However, once he got there, another group of bigger sharks showed up, and he wound up in the middle of an honest-to-goodness feeding frenzy with a bunch of sharks going to town on a school of drum.

I spent a week on the Outer Banks a couple of years ago, and I spent most of my time hanging out by the pool. This video has only made me more sure that this was a good call.

What do you even do in that situation except give whatever form of watercraft you happen to be on as much gas as you possibly can.

He's lucky he happened to be on something with an engine strapped to it.

Fortunately, the fisherman got out of there with all limbs and digits attached, and better yet, he also managed to hang onto the footage, which has since gone viral.

I mean, you'd think that in the 50 years since Jaws came out, you couldn't freak people out about the ocean more than they already are.

Well, then something like this comes along.

Disrespect Directed At Steph Curry From LeBron Supporters Is Off The Charts

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:29:50 -0400

Over the last decade, Steph Curry has dominated LeBron James in what matters most: Championships.

While Curry can't lay claim to some of the impressive individual accomplishments of the self-professed "King," I'd argue he's been more of a positive to the game of basketball and been wildly more efficient with much less.

That's why I find it funny that so many LeBron fan accounts and other supporters seem to pray for the downfall of Curry in the playoffs lately. They take cheap shots, which they believe somehow legitimizes James' career. I'd say, when your haters have to take so many leaps and bounds to try to delegitimize your Hall of Fame career, in order to elevate their favorite player's career, you've already won.

Take this stat that has been making the rounds on social media for example:

Steph Curry has missed the playoffs 40% of his career. LeBron James has been in the Finals 43% of his career.

While this may not have been used to trash Curry's career, it certainly is misleading.

Put these careers side by side and you'll know that Curry and LeBron both have four NBA Championship rings. Curry has done that in 17 seasons with a 4-2 Finals record, while LeBron has done it in 23 seasons and is only 4-6 in The Finals. Again, Curry is more efficient. Want to celebrate participation trophies, LeBron supporters? Go for it.

Next, let's talk about the Warriors team performance since LeBron James took his talents to the beaches of LA.

BronMuse on X thought it was a perfect time to dunk on Curry after the Warriors failed to defeat the Phoenix Suns in the play-in game for the 8-seed on Friday night. He provided a year-by-year breakdown of the Warriors since 2019 and went as far as trying to diminish the their championship in 2022, which is arguably the most impressive of Curry's career, where Curry won his first Finals MVP, simply referring to it as defeating a "young Celtics team." Give me a break.

Curry and the Warriors went through an absolute gauntlet to beat a stacked Celtics squad in The Finals. They defeated Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, Luka Doncic and the Mavs and Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on the way to The Finals.

Sure, I know this is the nature of social media, but you have to be pretty insecure when it comes to LeBron and lack understanding that you live in a glass house to share something so preposterous. That glass house is obviously the 2020 Championship in the NBA Bubble, which even Anthony Davis doesn't feel good about. Davis questions if the ring is completely sufficient and legitmate saying, "Did I really win a championship?… I know I'm listed as a champion but it's like, I'm not sure" while appearing on the Draymomd Green Show.

My response: While Steph Curry may have missed the playoffs four times in the last 8 years, LeBron James is most likely about to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in 8 years as his depleted Lakers team takes on Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, tipping off Saturday night.

Also, if you factor in injuries, which is a silly what if game at times, but if not for Klay Thompson suffering a hamstring strain in Game 2 and tearing his ACL in Game 6, Kevin Durant suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 and Kevon Looney playing through a non-displaced first costal cartilage fracture, the Warriors beat Toronto and Curry is in elite company with five rings.

This post was also purposely misleading, refusing to provide disclaimers. For example, Curry got hurt in Game 1 vs Minnesota in 2025, so that second round exit isn't on him. Curry also missed 27-straight games this season, while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, both starters, got season-ending injuries. Call them excuses, but that's the reality.

LeBron fans and supporters will have to jump through major hoops if his team gets torched in the first round against the Rockets. You'll be held to the same standard.

All in all, Curry and LeBron have both had storied careers. They're both all-time greats, but some of these petty posts are silly. Enjoy what you have now, because in a few seasons, you'll miss seeing Curry flurries from 3 and a player who has been loyal to one team his whole career.

Did We Just Watch The End Of An NBA Era In Real Time?

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:31:01 -0400

I'm not a big fan of the NBA.

Really, I haven't been a fan in quite some time (and apparently, I'm not alone).

It wasn't always that way, though. I was a diehard Miami Heat fan in my younger years and remember exactly where I was when LeBron James announced he was "taking his talents to South Beach."

But recently – probably right around COVID – I haven't had much of a craving to watch NBA basketball.

I don't even hate it, I'm just indifferent; I don't care.

For some reason, though, I watched the clips from Friday night's game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, and I could feel myself getting just a touch emotional.

Seeing three figures that have been so prominent in the NBA for the last decade in Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr embrace for what is perhaps the final time was a little bit of a gut punch.

When I was younger, I hated players like Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady, because they were all-time great players who didn't play on my team.

It infuriated me to see players that played on teams I didn't root for have success and even impede the good fortunes of my own teams.

However, I once had a family friend tell me that I should cherish watching guys like Brady and Bryant play, because I would miss them when they stopped playing.

I didn't listen to him at the time, because I was a dumb kid who thought I knew everything, but he was spot on.

I often find myself watching Kobe highlights late at night when I'm bored, or I can't fall asleep, which would be seen as an act of outright betrayal to my 17-year-old self, but I digress.

It feels much the same for the Splash Brothers era of the Golden State Warriors.

It already felt like the crew was on life support thanks to their past several seasons ending in April and one of said Splash Bros (Klay Thompson) being shipped off to Dallas, but this 24-second clip feels like watching the end of an NBA era in real time.

What makes it even more heartbreaking is hearing and reading what Kerr was saying to his two most loyal soldiers as the game clock wound down.

I get it. Steph was annoying the way he would chew his mouthguard and hit his stupid celebrations before the ball went in.

Draymond was a scumbag who probably had as many kicked scrotums to his name as he does All-Defensive team selections.

And Kerr, who is perhaps the most insufferable of them all, couldn't go more than a week without injecting his coastal elitist political leanings into a press conference for a game where grown men get paid nine-figures to throw an orange ball into a hoop.

But I still feel some weird longing towards their era of dominance.

Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome. I don't know.

Whatever it is, though (likely nostalgia), I know I will miss watching these guys play basketball.

From the way Curry revolutionized the game with his ability to warp the dimensions of the court and hit shots from anywhere, to their 73-9 season breaking the record for most regular season wins, the 2010s Warriors have earned their place in the history of the NBA.

I just hope you all appreciated them while they were at the height of their powers.

You didn't have to like them. Hell, you likely hated them at some point.

But you have to respect them.

Is This College Baseball Tank Shot REALLY That Impressive?

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:20:50 -0400

For those of you who may be unaware, college baseball season is in full swing.

It may not be my favorite sport, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the ping of a metal bat ringing through my television speakers in the late spring months.

It's all just a distraction, a pit stop, if you will, on the road back to college football, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

On Friday afternoon, the 19th-ranked Oregon Ducks baseball team traveled to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini, and a certain highlight from a rather innocuous conference series is making the rounds on social media.

A true freshman (who looks like he's about 35 years old, but I digress) hit an absolute nuke that is probably still flying through restricted airspace as we speak.

Nearly 500 feet! What a bomb!

But, of course, with anything in life, there are people who will question the validity and awesomeness of something like this.

Let's start with the positives.

Hitting a ball 496 feet is impressive no matter who does it or where it's done.

This kid is also (allegedly) a freshman, and the only other time I remember hearing about a youngin hitting a ball this far was when Bryce Harper was launching Paul Bunyon-esque tank jobs in high school home run contests.

That guy turned out alright.

Also, why is this kid not playing football?

He looks like an NFL defensive end. I'm sure the Ducks could use an extra pass rusher this season.

Now, let's see if we can predict what the negative Nellies on the internet are going to do to disparage this amateur space program of a home run.

"He's using a metal bat."

"It wasn't actually 496, it just looks longer because there aren't any outfield bleachers or obstructions."

"Oh, the flags are really blowing, his ball must have caught a good breeze that carried it."

"Balls are juiced, he never would have done that back in *insert random timeframe*."

How'd I do? Did I nail it?

Yeah, when you're as tragically online as I am, you can almost predict the narratives before they even pop up.

Do you remember about a decade ago when Giancarlo Stanton or Yasiel Puig would hit a 500ft home run and you'd hear all about it on Twitter?

Then you would check the highlight, see it was at Coors Field, and then immediately know 75 percent of the comments were going to be something to the effect of "do that at sea level, then we'll talk."

Time is a flat circle.

Enjoy college baseball season, everyone. Or at least try to before all these Debbie Downers kill the mood.

Ottawa Senators Playoff Hype Video Is A Crime Against Hockey Humanity

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:53 -0400

2026 is a year of dubious playoff droughts being broken in the Eastern Conference of the NHL.

First, the Buffalo Sabres made it back to the dance for the first time since the Arab Spring, giving the fans in upstate New York something to look forward to other than a month and a half of livable weather.

And now, it's the Ottawa Senators getting back in the mix for the first time since their magical 2017 Eastern Conference Finals run.

Unfortunately, the Red Wings pissed down their legs in the final two-month stretch of the season, or this could have been a triumvirate of disappointed fans being rewarded (sorry, Detroit).

Speaking of being rewarded, the Senators likely won't be making it out of the first round this year thanks to a monstrosity of a fan hype video.

Trigger warning if you cringe easily:

Oh yeah, these guys are getting swept.

They probably thought they were so clever with that little dig at the Maple Leafs, too.

It's not quite as bad as the a cappella nightmare the Illinois glee club gave us, but this is pretty awful.

It's also very well produced, so you know these guys are at least somewhat affiliated with the Sens, and it also means a lot of money went into this.

Ottawa already had an uphill battle, as its opening round opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, are basically a lock to at least win a first-round playoff series these days.

They didn't need to go and give a worthy opponent more jet fuel to throw on the fire.

You probably could've guessed it, but these guys are getting raked over the coals for ending the Sens playoff run before it even began.

Forget about liberal reporters trying to publicly shame him, I think THIS is the final straw for Brady Tkachuk demanding a trade.

If the Sens get swept in the first round and then lose their franchise cornerstone/team captain as a result of it, these guys should be tied up in the public square so fans can pelt them with tomatoes.

Better luck next year, Ottawa. And keep these aspiring artists far away from your franchise in the future.

NFL Reporter Dianna Russini Saves An Elderly Man, Dog, From Massive Car Crash

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:40:17 -0400

It's hard to imagine a crazier week than the one Dianna Russini has had.

Russini broke the sports internet when suggestive photos surfaced of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona. Those photos set off a firestorm of speculation, questions, and obvious issues around journalistic objectivity, considering her role at The Athletic.

After initially backing her, The Athletic announced they were going to investigate Russini's behavior. Shortly after that announcement, Russini resigned while rejecting the "narrative" she said had been "constructed" around the incident.

All of that already represented an insane whirlwind that unquestionably changed her life, permanently. But that's not the only wild thing to happen to the NFL reporter this week.

The New York Post's Page Six reported on Friday evening that Russini "mounted a daring rescue of an elderly man and his dog from an overturned Jeep."

The accident occurred around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when, per local New Jersey outlet Patch, a 17-year-old in a Honda Civic collided with a Jeep when making a turn, which flipped the SUV onto its side. In a sign of the severity of the accident, the Jeep's position reportedly trapped the 73-year-old man and his dog inside.

Page Six spoke to an eyewitness, who said Russini was "driving along the same road as the Jeep, and the accident happened right in front of her car."

"She ran out and had a tall man put her on top of the Jeep to open the door, and she and the other guy pulled the driver and his dog out of the Jeep," said the eyewitness. Local police arrived soon afterward.

Russini hasn't spoken about the crash to this point, but it adds to what's been one of the wildest weeks in recent memory.

Has NASCAR Lost The South? Ex-Driver Unloads After Seeing "100,000 Empty Seats"

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:47:03 -0400

It hasn't been the greatest week in the world for NASCAR. Sure, they've had a better week than Dianna Russini, but that's a low bar. Other than her, though?

Yeah, it's been a rough go of it for the folks in the big glass building across from Daytona International Speedway.

Of course, that's because of two major headaches in the racing world: TV ratings, and attendance. Those two things drive folks who make a lot more money than me crazy, and both took a major hit at Bristol last weekend.

Because I'm always ahead of the trends, I already wrote about both. I told you on Monday that the grandstands at Bristol were embarrassing. They were.

I wrote on Wednesday that the TV ratings for Bristol were alarmingly bad. They were.

And now, former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is officially hitting the panic button after what he saw last weekend:

"Check out what the NASCAR grandstands used to look like when I raced at Bristol," Mayfield wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. "When the biggest story is how many people are staying home to watch a golf tournament in Georgia, the sport is in a coma.

"Ty Gibbs gets his first win in front of 100,000 empty seats. It looked like a COVID era race out there. If the ‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ can’t out draw a Sunday at Augusta, then NASCAR has officially lost the south.

"Is it the car? Is it the drivers? Or has the "Colosseum" just become a graveyard? Tell me I'm wrong."

Yikes. Just a brutal takedown from a driver who doesn't exactly have the greatest relationship with NASCAR. That's fair. I will admit, you have to take everything Jeremy Mayfield says with a grain of salt because bridges have certainly been burned.

I don't want to get into it here, but it all stems from a drug test back in 2009. You can look up the rest if you'd like.

Anyway, back to Bristol … Mayfield is 100% right in this case. The stands were half-empty. FS1 averaged fewer than 2 million viewers for the first time in the history of that channel. It was bad in the stands, and it was equally awful in living rooms across America.

For example, the grandstands certainly look … bare … when you watch this in-car camera from Kyle Busch:

Not great!

Has NASCAR "officially lost the south," as Mayfield said? Perhaps. I've long said that NASCAR abandoned its fanbase years ago. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, though.

They left places like Rockingham and Kentucky for Mexico and downtown Chicago. They spent all of 2020, and beyond, virtue-signaling their tails off. Nobody likes the Next Gen car. Steve Phelps was a disaster for the sport in terms of public image.

Now, they've gotten better in recent years. I will admit that. The series has, somewhat, returned to Rockingham. Chicagoland is back on the schedule. The Clash at Bowman Gray is miles better than Los Angeles. Phelps is out, thankfully. The playoff format is gone.

Again, they've taken steps to improve. You can't say they're not trying, because I just gave you 14 examples of how they are.

But is it too late? Maybe. We'll see.

Jeremy Mayfield certainly has his doubts, for whatever that's worth.

San Diego Padres Closer Mason Miller Is An Insane Human Cheat Code Destroying Major League Baseball

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:56:12 -0400

The regional aspect of modern Major League Baseball makes it easy to miss out on stories or players from across the country. The San Diego Padres might be one of the best examples of that, considering most of their games start after 9pm Eastern and finish well after midnight.

So it's forgivable if some baseball fans have not followed Padres closer Mason Miller this season. But boy oh boy, should baseball fans be following Mason Miller. Because what he's doing to opposing hitters this season, along with his performance for much of last season, is virtually unprecedented and may never be accomplished again.

Wednesday night, Miller entered in the ninth inning with the Padres up 5-2 on the Seattle Mariners. He struck out the side, getting J.P Crawford, Mitch Garver, and Cole Young looking. Nothing too unusual about that, right?

But what is unusual is that Wednesday's dominant performance added to what's become an unimaginable run from Miller. To the point where the stats he's putting up would be unrealistic in a video game.

Wednesday's outing meant that Miller had officially passed nine innings pitched this season. And in those 9.1 innings, he's allowed one hit. Not one hit per inning, one total hit. He's also allowed one walk, meaning that out of 30 total batters faced, two have reached base. His batting average allowed this season is .034. He's making professional hitters look worse than when pitchers hit.

But that's just one side of it. The other remarkable side is that of the 30 hitters he's faced, he's struck out 23 of them. Nearly 77% of hitters who've come to the plate against him have struck out. Last season, the MLB leader in strikeout percentage among qualified pitchers was Tarik Skubal at 32.2%.

Put differently, Miller's 23 K's in 9.1 innings correlates to just over 22 strikeouts per nine innings. For reference, the Major League record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game is 20. That's only been achieved four times in baseball history.

Obviously, Miller is a reliever, not a starter, and it's easier to put up these kinds of numbers in sporadic outings compared to one game where hitters have multiple opportunities to face the same pitcher. Still, the scale of what he's doing is mind-boggling. And it's not just this season.

Since June 20, 2025, Miller has allowed two runs. Total. Over 43.1 regular season innings, he's allowed two runs. He's struck out 81 hitters over that same time frame and allowed 10 hits. 149 total batters faced, 10 hits allowed. That's a .075 batting average, to go along with an .098 slugging percentage. Again, he's making big league hitters look worse than pitchers.

Here's another way to think about this. Baseball-Reference has a statistic called ERA+, where 100 would be effectively league average. Last year, Paul Skenes had a 219 ERA+ on his way to winning the NL Cy Young Award. In his time in San Diego, Miller's ERA+ is 780. Then there's this, per OptaSTATS. Miller has struck out, including the playoffs:

"No other MLB pitcher in the last 50 years has matched any of those stretches at any point in his career. Regular or postseason."

So how is this possible, you might be wondering. Rob Friedman, aka Pitching Ninja on X, put together an overlay video of Miller's 103+mph fastball and slider that explains why hitters have so much trouble.

They have to sit fastball, because otherwise it's nearly impossible to catch up to 103-104mph. But his slider looks nearly identical halfway to the plate, meaning hitters are either way too late for his fastball, or way too early on his slider. When he's throwing strikes, as he has been all season, they can't sit back and wait for a 3-0 fastball down the middle either.

Even when they guess right, the quality of his fastball and slider as individual pitches makes him exceptionally hard to it. This bears out when looking at contact rates.

Thus far in 2026, hitters are making contact just 51.6% of the time when they swing at pitches inside the strike zone. In 2025, when hitters swung at pitches in the strike zone from Tarik Skubal, they made contact 77.3% of the time. When hitters chase against Miller, the contact rate drops to just 25.8%. Last year, Skubal's contact rate allowed on pitches off the plate was 50.1%.

His stuff is so good that he can throw it for strikes and still get swings and misses. When hitters swing at balls, they have little-to-no chance of even making contact, let alone high-quality contact. You can't wait him out and hope he walks you, because he's walked one out of 30 hitters this season. And his fastball and slider look the same, despite a 15-18mph speed differential. What we're seeing is a level of dominance that's almost impossible to comprehend. It's only 9.1 innings, so it's possible that these stats regress a bit as the season wears on. But at this point, Miller has essentially broken the modern day hitter. And made the Padres virtually unbeatable with a lead in the ninth inning.

IndyCar Star Pato O'Ward Rips The 'Artificial' Racing In Formula 1

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:00:33 -0400

IndyCar hits the streets of Long Beach, and one of the sport's biggest spots is rightfully pumping the series tires ahead of one of its marquee races.

Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward comes into the weekend in P6 in the standings and is hoping to notch his first win of the season.

However, ahead of the weekend, the Mexican driver was asked by Fox Deportes if he still had aspirations of leaving IndyCar to race in Formula 1.

He had previously expressed interest in making the jump, but that has certainly waned, at least for the time being.

"Every year it has changed more... honestly, the new Formula 1 cars—what the series has done has been a mistake," he said, per Motorsport. "The truth is, when you look at them, they are artificial."

O'Ward is alluding to the new 2026 regulations, which have been highly criticized, especially when it comes to the power units. Like the previous generation, they're V6 turbo-hybrid engines, but now they use a 50/50 energy split between the battery and the electrical system.

This has led to increased "superclipping" — F1 speak for when the batteries start recharging even if the driver has the accelerator flat to the floor — and allows for easy overtaking for the cars behind. It also causes previously high-speed sections of track, like 130R at Suzuka, to be taken much slower than in years past.

O'Ward said that this has hurt his desire to move to F1 because, for him, it was about getting into the fastest, most advanced cars on the planet.

"The hunger I had to get to Formula 1 wasn't for fame or money... it was because the cars were something impressive; driving those cars was something impressive," he said.

So, for now, he's sticking with IndyCar, which doesn't have any of the battery issues currently seen in F1.

"I feel that right now, today, this is the best series for a driver who wants to race —here, in IndyCar... Formula 1 right now is an artificial show, and honestly, I have zero desire for it; it doesn't grab my attention."

Here's What The San Diego Padres Record $3.9 Billion Sale Means For Major League Baseball

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:40:56 -0400

Friday morning, news broke that the San Diego Padres organization had officially been sold. And that news effectively ended much of the debate, disagreement, and complaints about the market size disparities in modern Major League Baseball.

For over a decade, the Seidler family, primarily the late Peter Seidler, owned and operated the Padres. And they turned a perennially bottom-feeding franchise into a juggernaut. How? By treating a competitive sport like a competitive sport, and investing heavily in the on-field product.

Now? It's been sold to billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones, owners of the English Premier League team Chelsea. For a staggering, and record-setting $3.9 billion.

Nearly $4 billion for a team located in one of the smallest markets in Major League Baseball. A team that's never once won a World Series, and hasn't won the National League West in quite literally 20 years. That team sold for $4 billion. Just six years ago, Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets for $2.4 billion.

The New York Mets. In New York City. The largest media market in the country. And the Padres just sold for 63% more, six years later. This is why all the whining and complaining from small market teams across the sport is manipulative nonsense.

What makes this price even more stunning is that the Padres currently do not have a television deal with a regional sports network. While much of the focus and criticism of the Los Angeles Dodgers' spending habits rests on their agreement with Spectrum, Padres games are produced exclusively by MLB.

Fubo and DirecTV+ carry the Padres "channel," but for most fans, they are forced into buying the team's package of games through MLB.tv. And they're still worth $3.9 billion.

How can this be, when teams like the Pirates and Marlins relentlessly cry poor, despite raking in huge amounts of revenue sharing dollars? The Marlins even play in a significantly larger market than the Padres. San Diego County has roughly 3.4 million people, while the Miami metropolitan area has 6.4 million. Yet the Padres can routinely run payrolls at or above $200 million, while the Marlins spend under $100 million. Why?

Because the Seidler family, particularly Peter, spent money to build a competitive product, taking advantage of the window of opportunity that the Chargers' move to LA offered.

Seidler, who had serious health issues for years, invested in the team in hopes of winning a World Series before he died. They signed big name free agents like Eric Hosmer, Xander Bogaerts, and Manny Machado. They were aggressively in trades, bringing in stars like Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Mason Miller, Dylan Cease, and Juan Soto. They signed key players to extensions, like Yu Darvish, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

And what do you know, fans appreciated the effort. Petco Park is routinely sold out, and currently ranks second in average per game ticket sales with 42,395. Turns out, the old adage of spending money to make money is accurate.

This sales price shows that the owners complaining about not being able to compete with big market teams are, to put it mildly, wrong. Money is pouring into the sport, and there's more to be made when teams try to win. Fans buy tickets when ownership shows they take winning seriously. Fans buy jerseys when they have star players to support. And fans will spend money to buy a package of baseball games when there's a reason to watch.

Instead, we have owners like Bob Nutting in Pittsburgh, who hasn't signed a free agent to a contract longer than two years in decades. Literally decades. We have the Marlins, who have taken a community of rabid baseball fans, as the electric atmosphere at the World Baseball Classic demonstrated, and spat in their face by demonstrating a commitment to spending as little as possible. We have the Milwaukee Brewers, who while competitive, trade every single big-name player they have as soon as possible to avoid long-term contracts.

But the Padres sale demonstrates that despite the excuses and gaslighting, the fastest way MLB owners could increase their franchise values is by spending money on players. If you build it, they will come.

Josh Pate Gives Grim Outlook On Florida State's Immediate Future

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:20:23 -0400

I have spent a fair amount of time recently discussing the Florida State Seminoles and, more specifically, just how grim things are looking in Tallahassee right now.

You could argue part of that is because I am a fan of a rival team, but I do think even to the objective, unbiased viewer, the outlook isn't exactly rosy for Noles fans in 2026.

One of those "objective, unbiased viewers" is none other than Josh Pate, and he discussed the murky future for the Seminoles on the latest episode of Josh Pate's College Football Show.

"I think they've got to improve to be mediocre right now," Pate said.

"Everyone hates on average. Average is not the worst thing in the world, bad is the worst thing in the world."

Pate went on to discuss the mirage of Florida State's Vegas win total, stating that while 6.5 wins looks like an improvement on the surface, when given a different, more difficult schedule, it paints a different picture and knocks the Noles down two full projected wins.

"If we changed nothing about Florida State's team, but we give them Florida's schedule this year," Pate said, "their over/under win total would be 4.5… which would be second-lowest in the SEC behind only Arkansas."

Brutal.

So why does Florida State have so far to climb still?

Mike Norvell.

As I had often opined in the past, Pate agrees that FSU's aggressive overreliance on the transfer portal following striking (fool's) gold in 2022 and 2023 may have doomed the rest of Norvell's tenure in the state's capitol.

For everyone who points to guys like Curt Cignietti and, to a lesser extent, Lane Kiffin, as shining examples of how to build a championship roster through the transfer portal, Mike Norvell is the example on the other end of the spectrum.

"I don't know how to sell you on this football team," explains Pate.

"If I were to look at this roster, I'll give you Deuce Robinson. Outside of him, how many top-ten players at their position exist on this roster? I would say not many."

It's a harsh critique, but a fair one.

No one is going to confuse this Florida State roster for the 2019 LSU Tigers, so the strategy as a fan of the program might be to punt on 2026 and pray the team does badly enough that you can FINALLY rid yourselves of that awful Mike Norvell contract.

That may not be what Noles fans want to hear right now, but it's the truth.

Media Attacks Critics Of Broadcaster Angie Mentick For Using AI

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:04 -0400

According to a large quantity of baseball media, you're either not allowed or it's too far to criticize a female broadcaster for having AI do her job for her.

On Thursday, social media blew up after a video of Seattle Mariners broadcaster Angie Mentink went viral. The video, taken by a local Mariners fan, who I will not name because he has now gone private on X seemingly because of the relentless backlash he's recieved, showed Mentink preparing for a postgame interview using Gemini, Google's AI tool.

What Mentink typed into the AI text box is what caused the backlash. She asked for "Good questions after a tough loss in baseball."

My first reaction was astonishment. It was hard to believe a sports media professional would be using AI to do their job for them. This wasn't asking AI to summarize, or contribute to an existing question(s). It was blatantly asking AI to formulate questions from scratch when she is hired to have the wherewithal and professionalism to create a line of questioning that elevates the broadcast, even after a "tough loss."

From the minute this post came across Mariners fans' and sports media member's timelines, and was reshared by Barstool in a now deleted post with the caption, "The future of journalism has arrived", they attacked the fan for recording the broadcaster, making that the main issue, while ignoring the clear issue of how reporters should be properly using AI to do their job.

While I'm thrilled to know Mentink has been able to return to her duties after a stroke, I believe that highlights another aspect of this issue that is worth exploring. I'll discuss that in a minute.

Host Alanna Rizzo of the podcast "Foul Territory" coined the fan "Dork of The Week" and claimed that nobody has "the right to take a picture or say whatever the heck they want."

In Rizzo's lengthy diatribe, she repeatedly defended Mentink as someone who "knows ball", which I would simply reply to saying, "If she knows ball, why does she need AI to generate questions for her?" Mentink is in her 30th year of covering the team. She should know the team and how to do her job better than anyone.

Ken Rosenthal, the lead reporter for MLB on FOX, including postseason and World Series coverage over the last two decades now, and maybe best known for knocking over and staring down the Milwaukee Brewers team photographer during a postgame interview celebration, called the actions of the fan, "ridiculous."

"What she should be judged on is what she does on camera, not what she does sitting in a camera well getting ready to do a postgame interview," Rosenthal added.

In a sense, I can agree with Rosenthal. As a reporter, you should be judged on how you do your job while you are in front of the camera, actually conducting interviews. Attempting to frame the criticism as an indictment on her entire, lengthy career is disingenuous and a strawman, in my opinion, though. We can't ignore the fact that a seasoned MLB broadcaster is asking AI to do what she should be able to do herself and what she's hired for. That's the focus. That's the criticism.

Let's put it this way:

If Ken Rosenthal was caught in the dugout asking AI to give him "good interview questions after a tough loss in baseball", he’d be incinerated online and his credibility would be in question in that moment. Fans would wonder if he still has what it takes to do his job better than the next man (or woman). That’s a fact.

To make myself crystal clear, I'm not calling now, nor have I ever called for Mentink to be fired. I just believe this is an act of unprofessionalism that should be properly addressed, rather than turned into an "attack on women in sports" or an "attack on a stroke survivor."

Mentink's recovery from a stroke is something we all should applaud. I know many who have suffered strokes, and by no means am I making light of that situation. She suffered a stroke in late February and wasted little time before she returned to Mariners' broadcasts about a month later on March 28th. The problem I have is framing this as if criticism is off limits because she's reportedly still recovering. As I said online many times over the last 24 hours, and I will say here, and I mean no disrespect. If Mentink is having to rely on AI to formulate, not perfect or analyze her existing questions, but actually formulate her questions, due to any sort of cognitive issue, she should take more time away from the ballpark to recover. I'm sure the Mariners and their broadcast partner, Root Sports (no relation), would love to help make sure she's taken care of physically and financially, to ensure she can return to perform the duties of her job at a high level like she has for many years.

Many other media colleagues came to Mentink's defense. I can appreciate that, in a sense as well, but what I don't stand for is the constant virtue signaling and distraction/deflection techniques used by media to grandstand in the midst and aftermath of what I believe to be fair criticism.

Evan Grant, Texas Rangers beat writer for The Dallas Morning News posted about being excited to "see Mariners TV reporter Angie Mentink, who is first-class and an absolute warrior" for tonight's game in Seattle. He also rebuked "people on this hellhole", also known as X, for "trying to drag her down." The post was also retweeted by ESPN's senior writer and baseball analyst, Buster Olney.

Is this criticism of Mentink really so unfair that journalists need to call fans and other journalists "dorks" and "fools" for pointing out a sports media professional asking AI to come up with "Good questions after a tough loss in baseball"? Honestly, I think it's laughable and comparative to how media tried claiming the criticism of Dianna Russini was "misogynistic", as if this was an indictment on all female sports media members, which I sarcastically joked about while sharing the video yesterday. Heck, even USA Today's Nancy Armour wrote an opinion piece titled, "Dianna Russini put credibility of all women in sports at risk."

Again, it's a disingenuous way to dialogue, resorting to personal attacks rather than properly addressing the issue and the points of criticism.

Has Mentink received some nasty comments in the wake of this video? I'm sure she has, and I don't agree with nor do I endorse those comments, but the actual conversation is based on journalistic integrity regarding the use of AI. Posts like Grant's make it seem like Mentick should be immune from criticism, especially when he claims, "There is zero about that picture to criticize."

I feel I have to repeat this: The conversation is not whether it's ok to use AI in our profession. It's about HOW we use AI in our profession.

AI is a great tool that I, my colleagues, and countless others in sports media have used in the rise of it's reliability, accessibility, and popularity. When it comes to research, developing scripts for social media content, perfecting a line of existing questioning for interviews, developing more succinct points in articles, and more make AI a useful tool in our industry. Emphasis on "tool". It should be a good addition to what we've developed as professionals. If we present ourselves, or give the public any credible reason to assume we are nothing more than presenters of what AI has generated for us, it's a danger for the industry.

Mentick light-heartedly responded to the backlash on X stating, "Earlier this season I experimented with AI to see if it had any questions to add to my list for my postgame coverage."

What I'd warn Mentink about in this social media and AI-infused world, is be careful that you don't give the public any reason to believe you're taking shortcuts by having AI do your job for you.

Imagine if I was caught at my office asking AI, "Write me a good article based on the video of Mariners reporter Angie Mentink using AI prior to postgame interviews." It would rightfully cause credibility issues, show that this job could be done by anyone with the ability to ask AI somewhat coherent questions, and not rely on the thoughtful, unique mind and perspective of the writer/content creator.

Instead of grandstanding and claiming this is somehow unfair criticism, sports media should have seized this opportunity to discuss what are the proper uses of AI in the industry. Give examples of how it's used now in broadcasts. Discuss what the lines are to maintain credibility and professionalism. But no, they've used this time to trash a fan, give the impression that female broadcasters and reporters should be coddled, and consider critics of that scum of the earth.

Media gonna media.

Megan Rapinoe And Sue Bird Announce They're Splitting

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:40:17 -0400

Former USWNT star Megan Rapinoe and WNBA legend Sue Bird have announced they are splitting up after nearly a decade together.

According to Yahoo Sports, the two sports stars got together in 2017. But, despite having similar backgrounds and pretty similar political views, they couldn't make it work.

"There really is no smooth or easy way to share this news. After a lot of thought, we’ve made the decision to separate as a couple," the now-former couple said in a joint Instagram post (It's 2026, how else would they do it?).

"This hasn’t been an easy decision but it’s one we’ve made together, with so much love, respect and care for each other. We’ve shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we’ll always carry with us."

Man, the last thing I was expecting on this beautiful Friday afternoon was to have the conscious uncoupling of sports' biggest lesbian power couple come sliding across my desk.

Honestly, though, if I were expecting it and it happened, I wouldn't be writing this. I'd be out buying Powerball tickets as we speak.

Now, ‘round these parts, you’re not going to find too many Megan Rapinoe fans thanks to her, uh, "outspoken" (read: bats--t insane) nature.

READ: NO, MEGAN RAPINOE, SCIENCE—NOT SENTIMENT—SHOULD GUIDE WOMEN’S SPORTS

That said, I'm never going to cheer on someone's marital failures. That's just cool.

Something like this isn't just tough on the two people involved; it's tough on their friends and family, too.

You can disagree with people and still wish them pleasant personal lives.

See, it's not hard, is it?

So, all the best to these ladies as they move on to whatever's next.

But there was one question I had as soon as I got word of this relationship's demise: what's going to happen to their podcast?

The two have a podcast together where they — but let's be honest, usually Rapinoe — deliver their takes on hot-button issues like how members of the US Men's hockey team are a bunch of clowns for celebrating with Kash Patel or how the IOC got it wrong when they finally put their foot down and said, "Alright, that's enough fellas in ladies' sports."

Unfortunately (especially for us here at OutKick), they said that they will no longer record on a weekly basis.

Here Are 6 Of The Best Moment From the Flyers-Penguins 'Battle Of Pennsylvania'

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:10:25 -0400

The Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway on Saturday. Without question, one of the best match ups on the docket is the long-awaited revival of the Battle of Pennsylvania between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The two teams entered the league in the same year, 1967, as part of the NHL's first wave of expansion, which doubled the league's size from six to twelve teams.

In the early going, the Flyers dominated the rivalry with the Broad Street Bullies, making back-to-back Stanley Cups and making a few more Cup Final appearances after that.

In the '90s and 2000s, the Penguins have been more successful, buoyed by superstars like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Still, anytime these two teams get together, it can get wild.

So let's look back at some of the most memorable moments of one of hockey's most intense rivalries.

When Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Penguins in 2005, they were bad.

However, within a few seasons, they were Cup contenders, but the Flyers were usually one of the teams battling them toward the top of what was then the Atlantic Division.

Crosby was all in on the rivalry in 2012 when the two teams met in the opening round of the playoffs. In Game 3, he — somewhat childishly — batted Flyers forward and Jakub Voracek's glove away from him.

Obviously, frustration was mounting as Pittsburgh lost that one 8-5. It was the second straight game in which they yielded 8 goals to the Orange and Black.

After the game, Crosby, to his credit, not only owned it, but also dropped one of the most iconic quotes in the rivalry's history.

Our next moment comes from that very eventful 2012 opening round series.

The Flyers entered Game 6 in Philadelphia with a 3-2 lead looking to clinch the series, and it didn't take long for everyone to know the Flyers would be moving on.

The Flyers' biggest name at the time was Claude Giroux, and he took the opening draw against Crosby and then delivered what is still to this day referred to as "The Shift."

Giroux planted the Penguins captain on his ass just six seconds into the game, then scooped up a puck after a great play in the neutral zone by Jaromir Jagr (who knows both sides of this rivalry well) and buried it with an incredible shot into the back of the net behind Fleury.

I mean, it was one of the best 32-seconds I think I've ever seen from a single player.

The Flyers won the series but lost in the next round to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils.

Let's rewind a bit to the end of the 2011-12 NHL regular season and the penultimate meeting between the two teams.

Jakub Voracek scored an empty-netter to seal the deal for the Flyers, but on the ensuing faceoff, the Penguins put their fourth line out on the ice.

A few seconds later, with just over a minute left in the game and the two teams scheduled to meet again days later to close out the regular season, Penguins forward Joe Vitale leveled Flyers star (now GM) Daniel Briere with a clean, but wildly unnecessary hit in a 6-3 game.

That started an all-out line brawl as the Flyers defended their star, and led to Flyers coach Peter Laviolette climbing the glass to give the Pittsburgh coaching staff a piece of his mind.

Meanwhile, Flyer Scott Hartnell was on the bench and started mixing it up with a Penguins fan named Cy Clark, who had a striking resemblance to Hulk Hogan.

Once the season was over and the two teams met in the opening round of the playoffs, guess who the Flyers brought to town to get the crowd fired up?

Sadly, Clark passed away just a couple of years later, with Hartnell paying his respects to him on social media, but there's no doubt he left his mark on this rivalry.

The last time these two teams met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was 2018, and that year, the Penguins were on the hunt for their third-straight Stanley Cup.

Their opening round opponent was the Flyers.

It was a fairly back-and-forth series, but in Game 6, Jake Guentzel absolutely popped off with a four-goal performance that sent the Flyers to the golf course.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, they were bounced in the next round by another major rival, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who went on to win the Cup.

The 2019 Stadium Series between the Flyers and Penguins was the second of a home-and-home series, with the first game being played in Pittsburgh in 2017.

The 2019 game was played at Lincoln Financial Field and had the intensity of a playoff game.

It was ultimately long-time Flyer Wayne Simmonds' final game with the team, and he left his mark with an absolutely bone-crushing hit on Pens defenseman Brian Dumoulin, which led to a massive brawl.

But the big story of that game (which I'm proud to say I was at) came when the Flyers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the final minutes to force overtime.

In the extra frame, Claude Giroux capped off one of the wildest comebacks in outdoor game history (until quite possibly this year's Stadium series in Tampa, which I also happened to be at, so it must be me, I guess).

Of course, we have to mention this one…

The Flyers and Pens met in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Game 4 took place at Mellon Arena on May 4 with puck drop coming a little after 7:30 ET.

Alex Kovalev (who was so nasty, I think people overlook him sometimes) scored just over two minutes into the game, but the Flyers answered back in the third when John LeClair deflected a shot from Eric Desjardins to force OT.

It wasn't until seven hours after puck drop in the fifth overtime that Keith Primeau shot one past Penguins goalie Ron Tugnutt and won the game on a filthy shot from the faceoff dot.

From there, the Flyers battled all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, but lost to the eventual champion New Jersey Devils.

…

So, lots of history in this matchup, and hopefully, we get a bit more this time around.

Texas Tech Has Cracked The Code To Championship-Level Recruiting

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:50:10 -0400

With the college football offseason in full swing, recruiting becomes a huge focus for the average fan.

Recruiting is a 365 day-a-year endeavor for anyone with any skin in the game in college football, but the awareness becomes heightened when you reach the doldrums of late spring and early summer.

With all that being said, I was perusing some of the recruiting classes for this upcoming cycle, and one team stood out to me.

It shouldn't shock anyone who has followed my work at OutKick for the past year, but I believe the Texas Tech Red Raiders are becoming a problem on the recruiting trail.

As of April 17, the Red Raiders have a consensus top-10 class on both of the major college football industry recruiting sites, and have the 2nd ranked class on Rivals.

Tech has had top-10 classes early on in recruiting cycles of the past, but what stands out about this latest batch of commits is that they aren't ranked this high because of quantity, but rather quantity.

In days of old, the Red Raiders would load up on a bunch of three-star prospects long before anyone else filled out their classes, and they would sit comfortably in the upper echelon of recruiting ranking lists until the "bog dogs" started grabbing their preferred targets.

Take a look at this current 2027 class for Texas Tech, and you will find the majority of their commits ranked comfortably inside the top-100.

Of the seven verbal commits the Red Raiders currently hold in their 2027 recruiting class, four are in the top-50 nationally, with two more inside the top-200.

These are uncharted waters for the folks out in Lubbock, and that's good news for the health of their program.

These are early returns that make the Red Raiders' recruiting apparatus look closer to Georgia than Texas Tech teams of the past, but it's not just about the star ranking either.

Tech's two highest-rated prospects in their 2027 class play along the defensive line, including the number one overall player, defensive tackle Jalen Brewster.

Not to be outdone by the d-line, the offensive line is getting a makeover on the recruiting trail as well.

After landing one of the best offensive tackle prospects in the country last cycle in five-star Felix Ojo, the Red Raiders will be looking to spend big on that side of the ball again in 2027.

College football is still a line of scrimmage league, and all the elite programs in the Big Ten and SEC have NFL talent up and down both trenches.

The Red Raiders have figured that out, and have retooled their recruiting approach to reflect that.

I opined last summer that the Red Raiders were starting to get this thing figured out, but I needed to see sustained success on the recruiting trail to consider them one of the "big boy" programs in college football.

The 2027 cycle is still several months away from being completed, but consider this a massive step in the right direction.

It might finally be time to count Texas Tech as a force to be reckoned with in the national landscape of college football, because if their recruiting moves are any indication, the Red Raiders are here to stay.

Will Anderson Jr. Getting Paid Like A QB To Sack QBs Will Have Ripple Effect On Texans' Actual QB C.J. Stroud

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:22:59 -0400

Everyone in the NFL makes a lot of money but sometimes the contract a player gets screams game-changer. We have that on Friday with Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Anderson has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $150 million that includes a reported $100 million fully guaranteed, OutKick has confirmed.

NFL Network was first to report the deal.

And it is a blockbuster.

The extension obviously averages out to $50 million per season on an annual average basis and that makes Anderson Jr. the highest paid edge rusher in the NFL, surpassing the deal Micah Parsons got from the Green Bay Packers last season that averaged $46.5 million.

That's big, but here's something bigger at play: You know who else gets contracts in the $50 million per year neighborhood? Quarterbacks.

Anderson resides in that neighborhood now. He's the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback and joins nine quarterbacks that average between $50-55 million per season.

(Dak Prescott remains the NFL's highest-paid player, averaging $60 million per season).

So, Cha-Ching.

The men chasing quarterbacks and affecting quarterbacks are inching closer to getting paid like quarterbacks.

That's a milestone universally.

And the contract has a big meaning within the Texans. You see, quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was selected in the same 2023 draft as Anderson, also is due for an extension soon.

And there's been debate externally about where that extension should land because Stroud had a great rookie season and has helped the Texans be a playoff team. But he's also been a little inconsistent behind a wobbly offensive line at times.

So the question has been: What's Stroud worth on an extension?

This Anderson Jr. contract strongly suggests Stroud will not be anywhere below $50 million per season on average, because there is no world either he or his representation will accept being paid less as the team's quarterback than the team's top pass rusher.

The Texans may or may not push back on that argument. But it's not one they will win.

Will Anderson Jr. just did and his quarterback a big favor.

Did Tua Tagovailoa Throw Shade At Dolphins Management While At His Brother's UFL Game?

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:40:55 -0400

If you have been following the NFL at all recently, you know that things didn't end well between the Miami Dolphins and former quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Once thought to be the franchise quarterback after being drafted 5th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tua caught his stride with the Dolphins after Mike McDaniel became the head coach in 2022.

He led the league in passer rating that year and was named to the Pro Bowl the following year while guiding the Fins to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth.

But things started to go sour the following season, as injuries and declining play slowly broke down the relationship between quarterback and franchise, and after the 2025 season, Tua was sent packing for Atlanta.

While at a UFL game on Thursday night to watch his brother, Taulia, play football for the Houston Gamblers, Tua made some comments while being interviewed by ESPN's Aaron Murray that had Dolphins fans raising an eyebrow or two.

If you know Tua, or at least how he portrays himself to the press, he's a really nice guy who tries not to say anything too disparaging or controversial, which is why he caught himself when he mentioned "guys he played against" too.

But the sentiment remains. He was definitely throwing some shade at Miami management for how the roster looked towards the end of his time there.

Part of me doesn't blame him.

The offensive line was, to put it euphemistically, in flux throughout his entire time in South Florida, so I get his frustrations there.

But his skill position players were plenty good enough, including guys like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane, just to name a few.

Again, Tua caught himself before he said anything too inflammatory, but fans were clearly split on the matter, with some calling him out while others just viewed this as clickbait.

So, was it a shot at Dolphins management on the way out? Or are we making a mountain out of a mole hill in a classic case of trying to find news in the offseason?

Either way, it's safe to say things didn't end the way they were supposed to for Tua in Miami, and it's time for both parties as well as the fans to move on.

How Have MLB Umpires Performed In The ABS Era So Far? A Breakdown

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:20:22 -0400

Transparency and reliability. That's what Major League Baseball and its fans were hoping for when the new Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) was implemented into the game this season. Everyone involved, whether that's in the dugout, league office, or in the stands, wants to know whether the game is being called properly or not. It's the biggest change since the pitch clock, but the question is: How are MLB homeplate umpires performing in this new system?

The data might shock you.

A quick reminder: the new ABS system gives each team two challenges per game on the home-plate umpire’s ball/strike calls. Only the pitcher, catcher, or batter involved in the play can request a challenge. You get the call right, you keep the challenge. Wrong, it's gone.

After years of watching Angel Hernandez blow calls behind the plate, and seeing the first female umpire in MLB history make one of the worst calls you'll ever see in Spring Training, you'd think these fallible humans we all love to gripe about wouldn't be fairing too well. That couldn't be further from the truth.

So far this season, according to Savant (baseballsavant.mlb.com), a comprehensive tool for MLB advanced analytics, which hosts, analyzes, and visualizes Statcast data, there have been 1,143 challenges through the first three weeks of the season. That's about four challenges per game, which makes sense because each team gets two. But that only constitutes about 1 percent of the roughly 80,000 pitches thrown being challenged.

Here are the stats (as of the morning of April 17):

*Nationals are also second to last in successful challenges when batting. Yikes.

Another fun fact, as stated by Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports, "umpires, outfitted with earpieces, can now get real-time feedback on any pitch (challenged or not) by asking the ABS operator, "Did I miss that?" Those data points should add up to continually improve their accuracy moving forward."

This goes back to what I was saying from the outset. The league, its players, and fans wanted the most accurate strike zone in MLB history and they've got it this season. There has never been a time in MLB history where the strike zone is less arbitrary. That's good for ball. That creates trust in a system based on accuracy, transparency and reliability.

Overall the boys (plus one chick) in blue are doing pretty well, I'd say. Let's hold off on the robot umpires for a little while.