Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian has bought a stake in Women’s Super League champions Chelsea.
Ohanian, who is the husband of American tennis star Serena Williams, will have a seat on the club’s board after purchasing a 8-10% share, believed to be worth around £20m.
In a post to X, external, Ohanian said: “I’ve bet big on women’s sports before, and I’m doing it again.
“I’m proud to announce that I’m joining Chelsea as an investor and board member. I’m honored for the chance to help this iconic club become every American’s favorite WSL team and much, much more.”
He also posted images of Chelsea kits with the names of his children, Olympia and Adira, on the backs.
The 42-year-old has invested in women’s football previously, as the largest shareholder in American club side Angel City FC until it was sold in 2024 for £192.3 million – the highest price for a women’s sports team until this deal.
CHESTER, Pa. — Tai Baribo scored two second-half goals, including the winner in stoppage time, and the Philadelphia Union rallied to beat the Galaxy for the first time at home with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.
The Galaxy (0-9-4) continued the worst start by a defending champion in MLS history despite Diego Fagúndez becoming the eighth player in league history to reach 75 goals and 75 assists in a career.
Baribo scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time after tying the match 2-2 with a goal in the 50th for the Union (8-3-2), who are on a five-match unbeaten run. Baribo has a league-leading 10 goals this season.
Defender Mauricio Cuevas scored for the first time this season and the second time in 31 career appearances to give the Galaxy the lead in the 31st minute. Fagúndez scored his second goal this season for a 2-0 lead in the 37th. Marco Reus collected assists on both scores.
Philadelphia tied it in the first five minutes of the second half. Jacob Glesnes headed in a goal off a corner kick by Kai Wagner in the 48th minute.
Homegrown goalkeeper Andrew Rick made the 10th start of his career and did not have a save for the Union.
John McCarthy had four saves as the Galaxy built a 2-0 lead in the first half and finished with seven.
Philadelphia improved to 1-3-2 all time at home in the Galaxy’s first visit since 2018.
The Union travel to play Atlanta United on Saturday. The Galaxy will host rival LAFC on Sunday.
English defender Eric Dier will join Monaco on a three-year deal when his Bayern Munich contract expires on 1 July.
Dier made 47 appearances for Bayern but turned down the chance to stay at Allianz Arena and will leave as a Bundesliga champion.
The 31-year-old initially joined the German club on loan from Tottenham in January 2024 before signing a permanent deal last summer.
He will join Ligue 1 Monaco as a free agent until June 2028, with the option for an extra 12 months.
The German title is the first trophy won by Dier, who has been capped 49 times for England and finished as a runner-up with Spurs in the 2015 and 2021 League Cup finals, as well as the 2019 Champions League final.
Dier made 365 appearances in nine and a half seasons with Spurs, who he joined in August 2014 from Sporting Lisbon.
In a video published on Monaco’s X account, external, Dier posed with the club shirt and said: “I cannot wait to get started.
“I’m really looked forward to wearing this shirt and I can’t wait to meet everyone at the club and the Stade Louis II. I’m going to give everything to the club.”
U.S. and UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles is a two-time Olympian and three-time NCAA individual champion.
She looks completely comfortable in her own skin as she’s performing a floor routine to music by empowering artists like Beyoncé and proudly displaying the more than 20 “amazing art pieces” she has tattooed on her body.
For much of Chiles’ life, however, the body that helped propel her to athletic greatness made her feel “ugly” and self-conscious. But when she first saw photos of herself as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, “I literally started bawling my eyes out,” Chiles recently told People magazine.
U.S. and UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles appears on the cover of the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, on newsstands beginning May 17. The portrait was shot in Boca Raton, Fla., on Nov. 4.
(Ben Horton /Sports Illustrated / Contour by Getty Images)
Chiles said her mother, Gina, reacted similarly.
“My mom actually cried a few times from some of the photos because she’s been there literally every single moment of my life,” Chiles said, “so I think it was more of her realizing how beautiful her daughter is and what I’ve gone through.
“She was there when I would cry and be like, ‘Mom, they’re saying this. They’re saying that.’ Or I would look at myself in the mirror and call myself ugly almost every day. I think it was just really cool for her to know that I get this opportunity and that I get the ability to embrace who Jordan is.”
Chiles was a member of the U.S. Olympic squads that won team silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and team gold at the Paris Games last summer. Chiles was also awarded her first individual Olympic medal, a bronze in the floor exercise, in Paris but it was taken away because of a technicality.
When the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue hits newsstands on Saturday, Chiles will be one of four models appearing on her own cover (Olivia Dunne, Salma Hayek Pinault and Lauren Chan are the others). As opposed to how she felt looking at her own reflection years ago, Chiles said she is “in awe” after seeing herself on the front of the iconic magazine.
“I’ve embraced every single aspect of who I am and I’ve embraced the amazing body that I have,” Chiles said.
Speaking to BBC Sport, consultant colorectal surgeon Professor Gillian Tierney said injuries similar to the one suffered by Awoniyi can be fatal.
“The injury is really serious. It is potentially life-threatening,” said Tierney.
“It is very easy to miss at the point of contact and can take hours to diagnose.
“In a hospital setting we would send a patient for a CT scan which could take up to 10 hours.
“If it occurred to an athlete who was super fit, very muscular and was running on adrenaline then I think it would be extremely understandable to miss it. Fluid leaking from the intestine would not be easy to diagnose straight away.
“Surgery is usually required and the stomach would be opened up. The mortality stat is 9%. So if an athlete – who went through the procedure – was really fit, they would stand a good chance of being OK.
“It would be different if the operation occurred for an 80-year-old, who has other health issues.”
Mr Harpaul Flora, consultant vascular and general surgeon at The London Clinic, said ruptured intestines are “a pretty rare injury”.
He added: “It’s either a compression of the abdominal wall which has led to tearing and liquid seeping out – or the tear of an artery.
“Neither of those would be able to be diagnosed without a scan, there may have been bruising.
“It can be life-threatening. If it wasn’t treated by a hospital it can give you an infection. It could then lead to sepsis, which is a life-threatening consequence.”
YouTube is getting another piece of the NFL by landing its first exclusive live pro football broadcast in the first week of the season.
The streaming platform will have worldwide rights to the Sept. 5 meeting between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs from São Paulo, Brazil. The teams will face off at Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians.
YouTube is already the home for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, which for an annual fee gives fans access to network TV game telecasts outside of their home markets. The Brazil game will be available free to all YouTube users.
Although the NFL has a multiyear media rights deal with Fox, NBCUniversal, CBS, ESPN and Amazon, the league has managed to peel off games for streaming. Netflix landed two Christmas games last season and will be back in the 2025-26 season.
While the NFL values the reach that its traditional TV partners continue to provide, the league is aware that the younger viewers are turning to streaming platforms — especially YouTube — for video content. Executives have made it clear that they need to reach those consumers to replenish its fan base going forward into the future.
YouTube will team up with the NFL for a multiyear deal for the annual Super Bowl Flag Football Game. The event scored more than 6 million live views when YouTube first presented it in February. The game’s teams were led by YouTube stars IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat.
Manchester City hold a meeting with Florian Wirtz, Liverpool have also made contact with the Bayer Leverkusen forward, Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is the subject of Premier League interest.
Manchester City have met with Bayer Leverkusen forward Florian Wirtz, 22, over a potential summer move for the German.(Bild, external)
Premier League clubs including Manchester City and Arsenal are circling Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, 24, amid reports of the Brazilian falling out with club staff. (AS – in Spanish, external)
Real Madrid are willing to pay the £50m release clause to sign Spanish central defender Dean Huijsen, 20, from Bournemouth. (Sky Sports, external)
Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, 23, is a summer transfer target for Inter Milan after the Dutchman’s disappointing campaign. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian, external)
Liverpool will not accept an £850,000 fee from Real Madrid to allow defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, to make an early move to the Spanish club. (Sun, external)
Newcastle have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign English defender Marc Guehi, 24, from Crystal Palace. (Teamtalk, external)
Bayern Munich have agreed a fee with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Germany centre-back Jonathan Tah, 29. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Barcelona are keen to rival Arsenal in moving for Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, 24. (AS – in Spanish, external)
Barcelona are willing to offload up to eight first-team players this summer in order to finance transfers and new contracts. (Mirror, external)
Barca want to sign a central defender, a full-back and a winger as cover for 17-year-old Spain star Lamine Yamal. (Espn), external
RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons is ready to leave the club this summer, despite the 22-year-old Netherlands midfielder only signing a permanent deal in January. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Bristol City want to keep striker Nahki Wells, 34, next season after failing to reach the Premier League via the Championship play-offs. (Sky Sports, external)
When Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that a dead man can no longer be banned from baseball, my first thought was this: If Pete Rose is going into the Hall of Fame, then Barry Bonds is too.
My second thought was this: What if neither one is going into the Hall of Fame?
Sounds silly, I know. There is no reason to reinstate Rose except to make him eligible for the Hall of Fame. Baseball does not need a commissioner setting up a fresh recounting of Rose’s sins every few years because he keeps appearing on a Hall of Fame ballot without getting elected. The Hall of Fame does not need that either, and Manfred is on the Hall’s board of directors.
But, over the years, that very board has made crystal clear who it did not want in its hallowed Hall, Rose and Bonds included.
The Hall did not have a rule against the election of banned players until it hurried to adopt that rule when Rose was banned. And, in 2017, amid the debate over Bonds and Roger Clemens, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan — then the vice president of the Hall — wrote in a letter to voters: “Steroid users don’t belong here.”
Rose’s fate will be decided by a committee selected by the Hall of Fame, since so much time has passed since his playing days. After the Baseball Writers Assn. of America rejected Bonds and Clemens 10 times, their fate was left to such a committee.
In the 10 BBWAA elections, the share of yes votes for Bonds and Clemens ranged from one-third to two-thirds. In the subsequent committee election, the share of yes votes for Bonds and Clemens did not even reach one-fourth.
That committee included 16 members: six Hall of Famers; seven team executives or owners (the Angels’ Arte Moreno included); two baseball writers; and one baseball historian.
The members might be different this time, but the rule is the same: 75% of the vote required for election. Of the six other players on that ballot with Bonds and Clemens, one got elected: Fred McGriff. No one else topped 50%.
Rose is the all-time leader in hits, Bonds the all-time leader in home runs. No one has more MVP awards than Bonds; no one has more Cy Young awards than Clemens. But the Hall of Fame instructs voters to consider “integrity, sportsmanship (and) character,” and the committee voters — Hall of Famers, club officials, writers and historians — all consider themselves guardians of the game.
The Hall of Famers themselves, particularly so. They were not thrilled that Rose repeatedly showed up on induction weekends at Cooperstown, stealing the spotlight so he could peddle his autograph. They may not be amenable to sharing the stage with contemporaries they may believe disgraced the game.
“There will always be a cloud above any discussion about Pete Rose,” Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt told the Athletic.
Even on whether he should get into the Hall?
“I think if you posed the question to all of the living Hall of Famers right now, “ Schmidt said, “I think it would almost be 50-50.”
In his letter, Morgan did not name Bonds or Clemens or anyone else, but it is difficult to imagine his words would not also apply to the Rose situation.
“I hope the Hall of Fame’s standards won’t be lowered with the passage of time,” Morgan wrote.
“For over eighty years, the Hall of Fame has been a place to look up to, where the hallowed halls honor those who played the game hard and right. I hope it will always remain that way.”
The Hall of Fame does not say how individual committee members voted. That lack of transparency, although unfortunate, could be critical in maintaining the independence of the vote, given the pressure applied by President Trump, who publicly campaigned before and after his election for Rose’s induction. Manfred met with Trump last month.
If the purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor the game’s very best players, then of course Rose and Bonds and Clemens should be in it. The track record of the committees that will decide on Rose and Bonds and Clemens indicates that those voters believe in criteria beyond statistics, so jumping to the immediate conclusion — Rose is getting in! — may be no sure thing.
On Wednesday, I checked. Bookies.com put the chance of Rose getting into the Hall at 83.3%.
There will be no parade in the event of a win against Tottenham. Instead celebrations will be restricted to a low-key barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground when Amorim’s squad return on Thursday.
Evidently, Amorim and his players have the financial muscle to pay for their friends and family to get to Bilbao if needed.
However, others who work closely with the first team are not in the same fortunate financial position.
So, at a time when a second round of up to 200 redundancies are planned following the 250 jobs that were axed last year, Amorim and his players have decided to help out by paying for some tickets for the backroom team’s families.
“The situation is simple,” he said. “We have a lot of things, with people leaving and a lot of changes in the staff, so at this moment in our club sometimes it is hard to know when to give and when to take.
“We have to respect the people whose jobs are being taken to survive and rebuild.
“It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff, which makes it a really hard position.
“That situation was explained so my reaction was to help.
“It is not going to change my life [financially]. To help the staff be there and comfortable means they will be better staff for the final.
“We talk to the players and the players have the same reaction – everybody wants their families there.”
Amorim has his own experience of a Europa League final, as a player in the Benfica side beaten on penalties by Sevilla in Turin in 2014.
Aside from the £100m financial windfall that qualification for the Champions League would bring, as a straightforward football match Amorim knows next week is not a game to lose.
“I will never say I was a finalist,” he said. “The feeling has to be ‘what a waste of time’.
“My message to the players is we have to win or it doesn’t matter.”
Wearing a replica of his father’s No. 50 jersey, Kaj had the ball in hand while walking near the third base line and home plate. Betts was jogging into place to be on the receiving end of his son’s ceremonial pitch, which was supposed to be thrown from just in front of the plate.
Kaj had other ideas. He took off in a full toddler sprint, with a look of determination on his face as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
At one point, his 6-year-old sister Kynlee nearly caught up with him, but Kaj turned on the jets and eluded her. He made it all the way to the basepath before pausing just long enough for his mom, Betts’ wife Brianna, to scoop him up and deliver him back to his designated spot.
Kaj Betts runs away with the ceremonial first-pitch ball, with big sister Kynlee in hot pursuit.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
From there, Kaj delivered an on-target pitch/roll to Betts, who brought the ball back to his son. The adventure-seeking tyke immediately turned and took a step toward the outfield before his pops quickly gathered him for some photos.
The adorable antics were probably the most entertaining aspect of the night for L.A. fans, who then had to watch their team get clobbered by the Athletics 11-1. Betts went 0 for 3 but drove in the Dodgers’ only run of the night. In the third inning, Betts hit a ground ball to A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson, who bobbled the ball to allow Betts to reach first and Chris Taylor to score from third.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim says he is “far from quitting” his job after saying he may have to give the “space to different people” if their poor form continued following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by West Ham in the Premier League.
The city of Anaheim is likely to wait until after the baseball season to address the future of Angel Stadium.
With the city expecting to complete a long-awaited assessment of the condition of the stadium this summer, deputy city manager Ted White told the City Council on Tuesday that the prudent course of action would be for his staff to get a “full understanding” of the stadium review before asking the council how to proceed.
“We want to have that opportunity to evaluate it and prepare a presentation for you,” said White, who projected making that presentation sometime that fall.
Angel Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in the major leagues, opened in 1966. The assessment is expected to detail the repairs and maintenance needed to keep the stadium safe and sound for decades to come, at a cost both the city and team estimate would be hundreds of millions of dollars.
The information could guide the city and team in determining what needs to be done to the stadium and who should pay for it, whether the Angels play out their existing stadium lease or negotiate a new deal, one that likely would include development on the sea of parking lots surrounding the ballpark. The Angels have committed to play in Angel Stadium through 2032 and have options through 2038.
On April 4, the day of the Angels’ home opener, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken sent an open letter to Angels owner Arte Moreno, inviting him to share in “an open and honest conversation about the future of baseball in Anaheim.”
Aitken listed eight starting points for negotiations, including her desire for the name “Anaheim” to reclaim its prominence with the team. Moreno and Aitken exchanged greetings at the home opener, but the Angels have not committed to any negotiations.
The 16th Diamond League season is under way as athletics’ Olympic stars build towards their shot at world glory in 2025, with coverage live on the BBC.
The series sees athletes compete for points in 32 disciplines across 14 meetings in a bid to qualify for the winner-takes-all two-day finals in Zurich in August.
That takes place just over a fortnight before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.
It is also the first year in which the Diamond League must compete with Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track for athletes’ attention.
However, there has been only one direct clash between the two competitions – with the Miami Slam on 2-4 May having taken place at the same time as the meet in Keqiao, China on 3 May.
The Diamond League has increased its prize money to the highest level in its history, with a total prize pot of $9.24m (£6.95m) on offer across the series.
That includes $500,000 (£375,000) at each of the 14 series meetings, and $2.2m (£1.7m) at the Diamond League final.
BBC Sport has agreed a deal to broadcast the Diamond League for the next five years.
Watch the Doha Diamond League action on the BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app from 17:00 to 19:00 BST on Friday.
Like pretty much every other time the Dodgers have found themselves in a self-made mess, the task of downplaying a major problem once again was made the responsibility of manager Dave Roberts.
The point relayed by Roberts was basically this: Sasaki underwhelmed in his eight major league starts because of a shoulder pain that he kept secret from the Dodgers “for the last weeks,” and not because the 23-year-old rookie right-hander wasn’t as good as they previously thought.
“He hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked because he was compromised,” said Roberts, who added that Sasaki revealed his condition to the team after his most recent start.
The explanation raised an equally alarming possibility, however.
If Roberts’ story was accurate, and Sasaki experienced a shoulder impingement to the one that slowed him down last year in Japan, wouldn’t that point to a chronic problem?
As it was, Sasaki was already viewed as a high injury risk. He never remained healthy for an entire season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.
At this point, what’s worse? That Sasaki’s lack of control and decline in fastball velocity were because of a chronic shoulder issue? Or because he just was too raw to compete in the major leagues?
Either scenario would be problematic.
So, what now?
As much as the Dodgers sold Sasaki on how they could one day guide him to a Cy Young Award, his future isn’t their only priority. They also have to consider what’s best for their team, which is positioned to become baseball’s first repeat champion in a quarter century.
Even if the Dodgers acknowledge that Sasaki is more of a long-term project than a short-term solution and want to send him to the minor leagues when he returns, they might not have the luxury of doing so. They have signed four potential frontline pitchers in the last two years, and three of them are currently on the injured list — Sasaki, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The other, two-way player Shohei Ohtani, isn’t expected to pitch until after the All-Star break.
Snell was examined by a team doctor on Tuesday but the team didn’t provide any details about his condition. Glasnow played catch but Roberts didn’t provide a timeline for his return.
The rotation is in such a state of ruin that not only were the Dodgers forced to start Landon Knack on Tuesday, they were desperately awaiting the return of 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw four days later.
Roberts described Sasaki’s injury as “benign” but didn’t say when he might resume throwing. The manager insisted there were no thoughts of sending him to the minors, despite Sasaki posting a 4.72 earned-run average and completing six innings in just one start.
“I think our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong, make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us,” Roberts said.
In other words, Sasaki will return to the mound in the major leagues. He will have to gain familiarity with low-quality American baseballs in the major leagues. He will have to become more comfortable with the pitch clock in the major leagues. He will have to strengthen his body to prevent future injuries in the major leagues. He will have to learn to throw something other than a fastball, forkball and slider in the major leagues.
The Dodgers knew Sasaki would require an adjustment period but they couldn’t have imagined anything this drastic.
The introductory news conference they staged for Sasaki in January was matched in scale in recent years only by Ohtani’s and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s. That was where president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman declared Sasaki would start the season in the Dodgers’ rotation and general manager Brandon Gomes compared him to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Back then, the Dodgers’ plan for Sasaki was simple: Insert him into the rotation and watch him develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Sasaki can still become everything the Dodgers envisioned, but his path to greatness has become infinitely more complicated. Roberts remained characteristically upbeat, saying Sasaki concealed his shoulder problems from the team not because he was selfish but because he didn’t want to let down an injury-ravaged team.
“He’s a great teammate,” Roberts said.
With his rotation crumbling, Roberts didn’t have the luxury of viewing the situation any other way.
Australia’s code-crossing star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is to have surgery to fix a fractured jaw, putting the 21-year-old under pressure to be fit for the British and Irish Lions tour.
Suaalii was concussed in a collision with Waratah’s team-mate Andrew Kellaway during their defeat by Queensland Reds on Friday.
It was then found that he had a “small, undisplaced fracture” which needed an operation.
Suaalii is likely to be sidelined for at least four weeks.
“This is unfortunate for us and especially for Joseph. We wish him all the best in his recovery and return to full health,” Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said.
“We will do all we can to facilitate his recovery in consultation with Rugby Australia to have him in the best shape possible for his availability for the Wallabies.”
From Benjamin Royer: The Dodgers’ pitcher injury woes are continuing to pile up, this time with heralded Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki out of action.
Sasaki did not throw at his scheduled bullpen session Tuesday and got his right shoulder examined by the team doctor.
The Dodgers soon after announced Sasaki was put on the injured list after he was diagnosed with right shoulder impingement.
“I think that our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong,” Roberts said, adding that there is no timeline for Sasaki’s return. “Make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us. Now with the information we’ve learned, he hasn’t been as productive as he would’ve liked because he was compromised.”
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson, banned after his participation in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, also was reinstated in a sweeping decision by commissioner Rob Manfred that included other deceased players from the list. All are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame.
An MLB statement released Tuesday referred to it as a “policy decision.”
“This issue has never been formally addressed by Major League Baseball, but an application filed by the family of Pete Rose has made it incumbent upon the Office of the Commissioner to reach a policy decision on this unprecedented issue in the modern era as Mr. Rose is the first person banned after the tenure of commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to die while still on the ineligible list.
“Commissioner Manfred has concluded that MLB’s policy shall be that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.”
Rose had been exiled from the sport since 1989, after he was found by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti (yes, the father of actor Paul Giamatti) to have been betting on his team’s games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Rose died Sept. 30, 2024, at the age of 83.
Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Click here to vote in our survey. Results will be announced Monday.
NBA PLAYOFFS RESULTS
All Times Pacific
Conference semifinals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) at Oklahoma City 149, Denver 106 (box score) at Denver 113, Oklahoma City 104 (OT) (box score) Oklahoma City 92, at Denver 87 (box score) at Oklahoma City 112, Denver 105 (box score) Thursday at Denver, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Oklahoma City, 12:30 p.m., ABC*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) at Minnesota 117, Golden State 93 (box score) Minnesota 102, at Golden State 97 (box score) Minnesota 117, at Golden State 110 (box score) Wednesday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Cleveland 126, at Indiana 104 (box score) at Indiana 129, Cleveland 109 (box score) Indiana 114, at Cleveland 105 (box score)
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) New York 91, at Boston 90 (box score) Boston 115, at New York 93 (box score) at New York 121, Boston 113 (box score) Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Friday at New York, 5 p.m., ESPN* Monday at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
ANGELS
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run 430-foot walk-off homer to centerfield to give the San Diego Padres a comeback 6-4 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night.
Tatis dropped the bat emphatically and watched the ball fly after he connected on a cutter against Angels closer Kenley Jansen (0-2), who took the loss.
Padres reliever Jason Adam (4-0) earned the win with a scoreless ninth.
Matthew Lugo hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh to give the Angels a 4-2 lead. Lugo’s homer followed an RBI double in the seventh by Jo Adell, igniting a three-run rally after the Angels had two outs and no baserunners.
From Kevin Baxter: Angel City defender Savy King, who was carted off the field at BMO Stadium after collapsing in the 74th minute of the team’s game with Utah last week, underwent successful surgery to repair a heart abnormality Tuesday, the team said.
King received emergency care at California Hospital Medical Center after leaving the field Friday and was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday, where doctors detected the heart issue.
“Her prognosis is excellent,” the team said in a statement.
King’s family issued a statement of its own.
“Our entire family, along with Savy, have been so moved by the love and support from Angel City players, staff, fans and community, as well as soccer fans across the country,” it read. “We are blessed to share that Savy is recovering well and we are looking forward to having her home with us soon.”
From Ben Bolch: After seeing a series of bullet-point slides and hearing a slew of buzzwords about UCLA’s athletic department finances, Bob Myers put the crisis facing his alma mater in much simpler terms.
“It’s like water’s coming in the boat and you’re trying to get it out, but how does this thing not sink?” Myers asked Tuesday afternoon at the UC regents meeting. “Or how can we help, I suppose?”
Myers, who sandwiched a hugely successful run as the Golden State Warriors’ general manager between his time as a reserve forward on the Bruins’ 1995 national championship basketball team and his appointment as the newest member of the UC board of regents, was inquiring about an athletic department deficit that has ballooned to $219.5 million after running in the red for six consecutive fiscal years, including a $51.8-million shortfall in the 2024 fiscal year.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The Chargers’ season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be the NFL’s first game streamed exclusively on YouTube, the league announced Tuesday, further expanding the NFL’s streaming footprint to include the ubiquitous free video platform.
Despite now having a home team and TV partner for the matchup, the Chargers’ opponent was the only piece of the NFL’s seven-game international slate that was not announced Tuesday. Front Office Sports reported the Chargers will face AFC West rival Kansas City on Sept. 5 at Arena Corinthians. The Chiefs have won seven consecutive games against the Chargers while becoming one of the league’s most popular TV draws.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Rams will be the visiting team against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 19 at Wembley Stadium in London. The game will kick off at 6:30 a.m. PDT and will be broadcast by NFL Network.
The full NFL schedule will be announced Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Edmonton 5, at Vegas 4 (OT) (summary) Vegas 4, at Edmonton 3 (summary) at Edmonton 3, Vegas 0 (summary) Wednesday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Dallas 3, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Winnipeg 4, at Dallas 0 (summary) Dallas 5, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) at Dallas 3, Winnipeg 1 (summary) Thursday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Dallas, TBD* Monday at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida 3 (summary) at Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT) (summary) at Florida 2, Toronto 0 (summary) Wednesday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN* Friday at Florida, TBD, TNT Sunday at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Carolina 1 (summary) at Carolina 4, Washington 0 (summary) at Carolina 5, Washington 2 (summary) Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., TNT Saturday at Carolina, TBD* Monday at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1919 — Four days after his Kentucky Derby victory, Sir Barton, ridden by Johnny Loftus, wins the Preakness Stakes by four lengths over Eternal.
1977 — The Montreal Canadiens edge the Boston Bruins 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup in four games.
1981 — The Boston Celtics win the NBA championship with a 102-91 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 6.
1989 — James Worthy scores 12 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers rally from a 29-point first-half deficit to beat Seattle 97-95 and sweep the Western Conference semifinals.
1994 — FA Cup Final: Manchester United defeat Chelsea 4-0 at Wembley Stadium, London.
1995 — Kelly Robbins overcomes a three-shot deficit in the final seven holes to win the LPGA Championship by a stroke over defending champion Laura Davies.
1997 — FC Barcelona of Spain win 37th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Paris Saint-Germain of France 1-0 in Rotterdam.
1999 — Annika Sorenstam shoots an 11-under 61, the best score in LPGA history on a par-72 course, to take a two-shot lead over Michelle McGann after the opening round of the Sara Lee Classic.
2003 — Jean-Sebastien Giguere stops 35 shots for his third straight shutout, and the Ducks beat Minnesota 4-0 for a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. He’s the first goalie in modern NHL history to record three consecutive shutouts in the next-to-last round of the playoffs.
2004 — Richard Jefferson scores 18 of his 31 points after regulation to lead New Jersey to a 127-120 triple-overtime victory over Detroit and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The last playoff game to be decided in three overtimes was Phoenix’s 129-121 victory over Chicago in Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals.
2010 — The Philadelphia Flyers overcome a couple of 3-0 deficits to finish off the Boston Bruins. Simon Gagne scores on a power play with 7:08 left to cap a comeback from a three-goal deficit, and the Flyers win 4-3 for a berth in the Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins become the third team in NHL history to lose a series after winning the first three games.
2011 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,643): Manchester City beats Stoke City, 1-0; Yaya Touré scores 74′ winner; Citizens’ 5th title.
2017 — Stephen Curry scores 40 points and hits a tying 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining, and the Golden State Warriors rally after Kawhi Leonard is lost to an ankle injury to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-111 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Draymond Green gives Golden State the lead for good on a three-point play after the Warriors trail by as many as 25 points in the first half.
2017 — PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: 21 year old South Korean Kim Si-woo shoots final round 69 to win by 3 strokes ahead of Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter.
2018 — The Supreme Court clears the way for states to legalize betting on sports, breaking a longtime ban and creating a potential financial boon for states and the gambling industry. Despite opposition from the major sports leagues and the Trump administration, the high court strikes down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.
2018 — Arsenal finish EPL season in 6th place on 63 points; fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1997.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1913 — Washington’s Walter Johnson gave up a run in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Browns to end his streak of 56 scoreless innings. The Senators won 10-5.
1914 — Jim Scott of the Chicago White Sox pitched nine innings of no-hit ball against the Washington Senators, but lost 1-0 after giving up two hits in the 10th inning.
1920 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators recorded his 300th victory with a 9-8 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1927 — Chicago pitcher Guy Bush went the distance for the Cubs in a 7-2 18-inning win over Boston. Charlie Robertson of the Braves almost matched the feat, leaving with one out in the 18th.
1965 — Carl Yastrzemski of Boston hit for the cycle and added another home run for five RBIs in a 12-8 10-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers.
1966 — Roberto Clemente’s sixth and final career home run off Sandy Koufax is another no-doubter. It comes during Koufax’s final season, the net result being one less shutout for Sandy and one more moon shot for Clemente
1967 — Mickey Mantle’s 500th home run, off Stu Miller, lifted the New York Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
1972 — In his first game with the New York Mets, Willie Mays hit a fifth inning home run off Don Carrithers for the difference in a 5-4 triumph over the San Francisco Giants.
1977 — Jim Colborn of the Kansas City Royals no-hit the Texas Rangers for a 6-0 victory.
1986 — Angels slugger Reggie Jackson hits his 537th career home run to move past Mickey Mantle on the all-time list. Jackson delivers the milestone blast against Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox.
1988 — Jose Oquendo became the first non-pitcher in 20 seasons to get a decision, taking the loss in the 19th inning when Ken Griffey’s two-out, two-run double led the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5.
1989 — Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game in nine years when he caught the ninth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Mike Squires caught two games with the Chicago White Sox in 1980 and Dale Long caught two games for the Chicago Cubs in 1958.
1993 — Jay Gainer of the Colorado Rockies hit a home run on the first major league pitch he saw. The first baseman became the fifth National Leaguer and 12th major leaguer to accomplish this feat. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Rockies 13-5.
1996 — Dwight Gooden pitched a no-hitter as the New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0. Gooden struck out five and walked six.
2000 — Although Sammy Sosa collects five hits, Henry Rodriguez has seven RBI and Eric Young steals five bases, the Chicago Cubs still manage to lose to Montreal, 16-15. Young’s five stolen bases are the most by a Cubs player since 1881 when George Gore stole seven.
2010 — After Twins manager Ron Gardenhire orders an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira and brings in righty Matt Guerrier to face Alex Rodriguez in the 7th, the Yankee third baseman blasts his 19th career grand slam to pass Frank Robinson for 7th on the all-time career home run list and give New York an 8-4 win.
2012 — Major League Baseball fires arbitrator Shyam Das after 13 years on the job. The Commissioner’s office was incensed at Das for overturning Ryan Braun’s suspension for PED use on a technicality on February 23rd, and the last straw comes when the same ruling is used today to justify ending Eliezer Alfonzo’s 100-game suspension early.
2016 — In his final season, David Ortiz is still a master of the clutch hit. Today, he hits a two-out 9th-inning triple off Luke Gregerson to drive in Xander Bogaerts and tie the game for the Red Sox against the Astros, then hits a two-out double in the 11th off Michael Feliz that again drives in Bogaerts and gives the Sox a 6-5 win. The double is the 600th of his career, making him only the third player after Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds to hit 500 homers and 600 doubles; he had hit homer #513 in the 3rd inning.
2017 — The Yankees officially retire uniform number 2 in honor of Derek Jeter and unveil a plaque in his name in Monument Park at New Yankee Stadium between games of a doubleheader against the Astros.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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Scottish referee Hollie Davidson will become the first female to take charge of a European Professional Club Rugby final when she officiates Bath v Lyon in the Challenge Cup final at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 23 May.
Davidson has been part of on-pitch officiating teams in the past two Six Nations championships and the 2024 Rugby Championship.
She will also be the first Scot to referee an EPCR final since Jim Fleming in 1998, which Bath won against Brive in Bordeaux.
And in July, Davidson will take charge of South Africa v Italy in Pretoria.
“European rugby is the pinnacle of the professional game, and to be named as the Challenge Cup final referee is something that I never thought was possible when I was starting out,” Davidson told Scottish Rugby.
“It has been a long time since a Scot has done a final, so I am just absolutely over the moon to be named as the referee for such a big game.”
Mantovani’s death in 1993 was “the beginning of the end at Sampdoria”, according to Italian football journalist David Ferrini.
He added: “Mantovani’s reign attracted talent and kept them happy in Genoa, but his passing – combined with the hangover of the Scudetto success – meant that Sampdoria’s best players became prime transfer targets.”
In 1992 they had lost Vialli to Juventus for a then world record £12m, while Inter Milan paid £7m for Pagliuca in 1994, a record for a goalkeeper at the time.
Vierchowod joined Juventus 12 months later before Mancini followed Sven Goran Eriksson – who had replaced Boskov as manager in 1992 – to Lazio in 1997.
Experienced stars Gullit and Platt joined for brief spells, but Sampdoria no longer had the same appeal they once did.
Enrico Mantovani took over as president but failed to replicate his father’s success – and a steady decline followed the Coppa Italia triumph of 1993-94. In 1999 the club were relegated to Serie B.
Things improved under the presidency of local entrepreneur Riccardo Garrone, who guided them back to Serie A in 2003 and signed future cult heroes Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Cassano.
Yet the highlights of the 21st Century have been losing the Coppa Italia final in 2008-09 and a fourth-place league finish the following year.
Outspoken film producer Massimo Ferrero bought the club in 2014 – taking on its growing debts – but what followed was seven years of selling their best players, spending little on replacements and flirting with relegation on a regular basis.
“He seemed more concerned with bolstering his own image, as the bizarre star of his own one-man reality football show, than making sure Samp prospered,” says Kasiewicz.
In December 2021 Ferrero was arrested and jailed as part of an investigation into corporate crimes and bankruptcy, unrelated to the club. He resigned as president.
“The club effectively ceased to function. It’s been like a house of cards,” says Nima Tavallaey, Italian football journalist and co-host of the Italian Football Podcast.
With no funds available and Ferrero refusing to relinquish control, Sampdoria narrowly avoided relegation from Serie A in 2022. But in 2023 they did go down, amid reports of unpaid player wages.
With the club staring down the barrel of bankruptcy and demotion to the fourth tier, a consortium led by former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani and London-based financier Matteo Manfredi – and his company Gestio Capital – bought the club, although Radrizzani has since divested his shares.
Gestio Capital and its investors control 99.96% of the club, with investment vehicle Kickoff Ventures owning 58% of those shares.
Kickoff Ventures is owned by Singaporean businessman Joseph Tey Wei Jin, who was named in the 2015 Panama Papers.
