The five words every baseball soul outside of Los Angeles dreaded hearing.
The Dodgers are going to three-peat.
The six words that every baseball soul everywhere must now acknowledge.
It’s over. The chase for baseball’s best pitcher, the hunt by baseball’s best team, the pennant race, the World Series, all of it.
It’s over. The Dodgers just stole it all again, three months early but right on time, their third consecutive championship cemented when they traded for the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner and quite simply the best pitcher in baseball.
Everybody wanted him. The Dodgers were the only team with enough assets to get him. Of course they were. They always are.
And in return, they surely will win a third consecutive championship against a withering and overmatched group of pretenders that could add Skubal only in their dreams.
He cost the Dodgers minor leaguers Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith. So? None of the three is considered a top-five Dodgers prospect in what appears to be a scandalously one-sided deal.
He could be a free agent this winter and may cost $400 million to retain. So? The Dodgers have that much in their couch cushions.
The Dodgers’ injury-scarred rotation needed a stud starting pitcher like Skubal and, as this column noted last month, there was no excuse for baseball’s wealthiest and smartest team not to grab him.
So the Dodgers grabbed him. Of course they did. They are rushing full bore toward that three-peat and, to the delight of the most appreciative fans in baseball, nothing is going to get in their way.
“Everything that we do is in mind with the partnership that we have with our fans, the 50,000 people that come out here every day,” said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, in a Sunday afternoon news conference, later adding, “And so for us, it’s about doing our part to try to back up our end as much as we can in partnership with them to hopefully have another parade.”
Friedman has won many trades in the dozen years he’s run the Dodgers, but this may be his greatest swindle yet. Think about it. He acquired the hottest pitcher on the market for three mostly unheralded prospects nearly two full days before the trade deadline.
Geez, Detroit, you think you could have taken more time to scour the market? And with the prospect-rich Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves in the mix, you think you could have done better than one good outfielder, one injury-prone 28-year-old pitcher and one anonymous dude going nowhere?
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, can’t wait to see Tarik Skubal “in Dodger blue.”
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Dodger player reaction was shock, disbelief then joy.
“They were fired up, obviously,” said Friedman.
Nobody was more excited than Friedman, who showed rare emotion when talking about his latest triumph.
“Watching Tarik Skubal pitch in the playoffs last year was must-see TV,” he said. “I was in awe watching the energy, the dominance he exhibited there, and I can’t wait to see it in Dodger blue.”
The rest of baseball will hate them for this. They don’t care. Critics will say this is yet another example of how they are ruining the game. They could give a rip.
A move like this — the insanely rich getting insanely richer — could be cited this winter as a reason for the game shutting down over a labor dispute. Not their problem.
With a sore Shohei Ohtani looking increasingly doubtful for a meaningful October on the mound, with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow still sidelined because of injuries, Skubal can slide into the No. 2 spot in a rotation that, if everyone gets healthy, could wind up being the best in baseball history.
Tarik Skubal was a two-time Cy Young winner for the Detroit Tigers.
There are still questions, even for a team that has all the answers.
Skubal is a tremendous postseason pitcher, with a 2.04 ERA in six starts, but will his surgically repaired left elbow survive through his third postseason?
After pushing 200 innings the last two seasons, he underwent a newfangled minimally invasive procedure on May 6 to remove a loose body from his elbow. Recovery time for a similar surgery performed the old-fashioned way is two to three months, but he was back on the mound in a game just a month later.
Will this new operation hold up? Time will tell, but the Dodgers will be holding their breath.
After Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Skubal, the Dodgers have another potentially big question. What do they do about Ohtani?
He’s got a balky knee, and now a painful biceps, and the Dodgers have kept him off the mound for a moment, but what happens in October?
By acquiring Skubal, the Dodgers can afford to pull Ohtani out of the rotation altogether and allow him to focus on hitting, which has taken a bit of a hit with the pitching issues. But would he accept such a move, which might feel like a demotion? Ohtani always has put winning first, but he also began the season openly acknowledging his quest for a Cy Young Award. So there’s that.
The Dodgers still will need some good fortune to round out the rotation.
Tarik Skubal returned to the mound in June after surgery to address an elbow issue.
(Jason Miller / Getty Images)
They say Snell and Glasnow are both on the verge of returning from what has essentially been season-long injuries. But, come October, they’ll both be 33, so believe only what you see.
Roki Sasaki has been tremendous since the All-Star break — that new glove has been a giant success — but he’s still never started a postseason game. And for all his surprise greatness this summer, Justin Wrobleski also has yet to start a postseason game.
It all could get interesting. But it shouldn’t be suspenseful.
Skubal solves all mysteries. Skubal ends all arguments. Skubal saves the summer.
The Dodgers are the most championship-driven and fan-devoted team in all of sports. They will do whatever it takes, however it takes, whenever it takes, to win.
July 27 (UPI) — Two locations of a Jewish-owned Toronto bakery chain were damaged overnight, authorities said Sunday, as the incidents are being investigated by Toronto Police Service’s Hate Crime Unit.
The Toronto Police Service said both locations suffered broken windows, but only one appeared to be the result of gunfire.
“At this time, investigators are examining whether the incidents are connected and working to identify those responsible,” the Toronto Police Service said in a statement.
“There have been no reported injuries.”
Founded in 1979, Kiva’s Bagel has three locations in the city.
Duty Insp. Scott Bradbury told reporters that the incidents occurred overnight, sometime between the stores’ closing Saturday and opening Sunday, when police received calls from employees reporting the damage.
Toronto police said they received a report at 8:12 a.m. EDT of a broken window apparently struck by gunfire at the Kiva’s location at Young Street and St. Clair Avenue West. Evidence of a shooting was located, police said, adding there were no reported injuries.
About 20 minutes later, police said they received a report of a broken window at the Kiva’s location at Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue West.
“We understand that this is concerning for those that work and live in this area, especially members of the Jewish community, and we have all the resources available to thoroughly investigate this matter,” Bradbury said.
“Members of our Hate Crime, members of our guns and gangs integrated task force and our divisional units are here canvassing the area. So members of the public can be aware that there’s going to be an increased presence of police in that area conducting our investigation.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow described the incidents as “vile and unacceptable.”
“We all have a responsibility to stand against hate,” she said in an online statement.
“I will always stand with Toronto’s Jewish community against anti-Semitism.”
The incident come after Toronto recorded a sharp decline in reported hate crimes last year.
Toronto police recorded 231 hate-motivated occurrences last year, down nearly 48% from 443 in 2024.
Anti-Jewish occurrences, however, remained the most frequently reported category of hate crime, with 81 incidents, accounting for 35% of all hate crimes and 82% of all religiously motivated hate crimes.
However, police in May said there had been a “concerning” 40% increase in reported hate crimes so far in 2026, compared with the same period last year.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement Sunday that he was following the incidents involving the Kiva’s locations “with concern.”
“While thankfully none were injured, this is the latest attack in a long and horrifying line of violence and intimidation against the Canadian Jewish community,” he said online.
“The Canadian government must confront this anti-Semitic violent wave!”
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has denounced the racist hate and abuse directed at Alyssa Thomas since the Phoenix Mercury forward committed a flagrant foul against star guard Caitlin Clark.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable,” White told the media before the team’s practice on Wednesday. “I think as a league as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia — straight-out hate nonsense. And it is absolutely unacceptable.”
White attributed most of the hateful comments to online agitators rather than true WNBA or Indiana Fever fans.
“I believe this is people who are using our league, using our players, to further divisive agendas,” White said, while acknowledging that certain criticisms and fan dynamics are part of the game. “But it’s not hard to not be a jerk. If you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”
A former Indiana Miss Basketball honoree, White played in the WNBA from 1999 to 2003, including with the Fever, before transitioning to coaching. She was previously the head coach of the Connecticut Sun — where she coached Thomas — before being hired by the Fever.
“Our league is about inclusiveness,” she continued. “Our league is about competition. Our league is about elevating — elevating women, elevating marginalized communities, and being inclusive of all different walks of life. That is what our league has always been about from day one. That is what our league will continue to be about.”
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has denounced the racist abuse directed to Alyssa Thomas.
(Erik Rank / Associated Press)
Thomas was suspended for a game after the WNBA reviewed a viral moment that occurred during the Mercury’s 111-109 win over the Fever last Wednesday. Thomas and Clark were scrambling for a loose ball at around the 6:52 mark during the second quarter and Thomas’ fist pressed into Clark’s throat after she landed on her. No fouls were called at that time, and screenshots and video from the incident quickly made their rounds on social media. Upon review after the game, the WNBA assessed Thomas a Flagrant 2 foul.
The 13-year veteran and six-time All Star told reporters Tuesday that she has received death threats and racist abuse in the aftermath.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball,” Thomas, who had served her suspension Saturday, said. “A lot of us, myself included, didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. Now we’re being painted as thugs. There’s death threats out on us. It’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league and I’m just really sick and tired of it.”
She called out the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not doing more to protect players off the court.
“We’re so concerned about the safety on the court, but time and time again, we’re having people threaten our lives,” Thomas said, explaining that her main concern was not the suspension itself. “Leaking addresses out there. Putting crazy pictures that have nothing to do with basketball. At some point, the league needs to [take] a stand … Time and time again, players are going through this and the league remains silent. I’m sick and tired of it. It’s time for them to step up and have our backs.”
Engelbert released a statement Tuesday night following Thomas’ comments.
“The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate,” the widely reported statement read. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority. We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”
This is not the first time Thomas has spoken out about racist abuse she and her teammates have received following a match-up against the Fever. During the 2024 playoffs, while a member of the Sun, Thomas said that she had never experienced the sort of “racial comments” or “been called the things that [she’s] been called on social media” by so-called Fever fans. The Sun eliminated the Fever that year.
Clark’s fame and popularity have often led to various talking heads, commentators and even politicians who may not regularly follow the WNBA to share their hot takes whenever a situation involves the former college phenom. The ensuing discourse and social media chatter are often divisive.
Thomas’ flagrant foul occurred two days after the teams’ chippy June 22 matchup, which saw Thomas and Clark receive technical fouls along with three other players for their involvement in a scuffle during the final frame of the Fever’s 86-77 win.
“There’s a difference between trolling, and there’s a difference between hatred,” Thomas said Tuesday of the racist slurs she and other players have received. “The hatred that we’re experiencing over a play that, honestly, was a complete accident, no one even knew it happened. It’s just unfortunate. The league has to do better in this instance.”
AS the travel team at the Sun, it’s fair to say we’ve stayed in our share of hotels around the world.
Racking up thousands of hotel stays between us all, it also means we’re pros when it comes to what works – and what definitely doesn’t.
The Sun’s Head Of Travel (digital), Deputy Travel Editor and Assistant Travel Editor (right to left) have joined the rest of the team in sharing their biggest hotel bugbears
So we’ve rounded up 20 of the things we despise in hotels… and you’ve most likely experienced most of them too.
Personally, when I can’t sleep after a long flight, I want something like a chamomile or a mint tea.
Yet hotels seem to forget this and simply give a few – cheap – bags of your classic brew, forgetting about us herbal lovers.
I’ve had to become that person who takes my own teabags on holiday – and I’m not the only one, apparently. – Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
No plugs near the bed
In 2026, it astounds me that you can still get a hotel room without plug sockets next to the bed.
Okay, if you are a tiny guesthouse then I appreciate you don’t necessarily have the cash to be rewiring all your rooms.
But I’ve been to a number of 3-star and upwards properties that have clearly renovated their rooms in the last 10 years and STILL didn’t decide to put a phone charger-friendly socket next to the bedside table.
I really don’t want to be wandering through a pitch black room in the middle of the night to turn off my alarm or check texts. Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
Complicated air conditioning
We all love a sunny, hot holiday, but sometimes it gets too much and you are desperate for a bit of air-con to cool you down as you unpack.
Only to be faced with a room that’s hotter than hell and an air-conditioning display that would challenge even a Mensa champ.
No matter how many times you press the inexplicably-labelled buttons the room temperature remains stubbornly hot. There’s never any instructions and all the displays seem completly counter-intuitive.
While I’ve done battle with air-con systems to cool me down regularly, in some rare cases it works so efficiently you are walking into a fridge every time you return to your room, forcing you to go to sleep in a jumper just to keep warm. Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
Glass walled showers
A glass shower may look nice, but is hardly practicalCredit: Getty
There’s nothing more embarrassing than booking a girls trip away and discovering that a room shared between three friends has a see-through shower.
This happened to me on a recent trip, when my friends and I could see straight from the bedroom into the shower.
I understand the design choice, generally it makes the room look bigger.
But in practice, who really wants to be on full display while having a holiday wash whether or not you’re with your partner? Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
Early swimming pool closing times
One of the best ways to stave off that all-inclusive bloating is a beautiful morning swim. So why do hotels have such strict opening and closing times for their pools?
I’ve been told off on multiple occasions for trying to have a few quick pre-breakfast laps at 7am, despite it only opening at 9am.
And don’t get me started on those 6pm pool closures too… Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Confusing lighting
It’s been a long, hard day of travelling and you are finally ready to settle down for the night and enjoy that lovely big bed.
Exhausted, you begin the lighting lottery, randomly turning unlabelled switches off and on again in an attempt to lose the light.
In most cases, the ones you have by the bed bear no relation to the lights in the room and you’re forced to rise from your comfy bed in the semi-darkness in an attempt to unplug random lamps or work out how the one pesky light in the doorway can be turned off.
Of course, the minute you finally have the room in total darkness you realise you’re no where near the bed – forcing a comic caper of feeling your way back without bumping into unfamiliar furniture. Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
Overeager luggage handlers
Luggage handlers that are too eager, are another pet peeveCredit: pixel8000
I’ve dragged my luggage from taxi to train, up a steep set of stairs, through the airport and out the other side again without a single helping hand.
So what makes you think that I’m incapable of carrying it several yards from the hotel reception to the lift?
Despite my polite pleas that I’d rather take it myself and that I really can manage, so many are way too insistent.
The simple truth of it is, I don’t want to have to wait for my case to be delivered to my room – I want to be able to freshen up and shower or get changed straight into my bikini to catch the last of the sun without unnecessarily wasting time waiting around in my room.
Plus, I find the whole thing rather awkward from he hovering in the door – does this mean I need to tip – to the unnecessary explaining how the safe works. It’s a hard no from me. Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Lack of clothes hangers
I’m both an unpacker and an overpacker – even if I am only staying in a hotel room for a couple of nights, I like to get all my clothes hung up and put away, just like they would be at home.
Suitcase open, you swing open the wardrobe doors to be confronted by one of my least favourite things – those fiendish attached hangers you have to thread back onto a built-in contraption.
Cue frustrating minutes that should be spent enjoying the view or testing the comfiness of the bed instead doing battle as you try – and fail – to attach them in a move similar to threading a needle.
Not only that but what also drives me nuts are miserly hotels that provide you with just four or five hangers for a week-long stay – forcing me to work out a complicated phone system to call housekeeping to ask for enough hangers to put all my clothes away! – Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
Breakfast toast conveyor belts
We’re ditching the annoying toaster machine that is either too cold or burns it instantlyCredit: Getty
There’s no doubt about it, hotel breakfasts are one of the best parts of being on holiday – but can we acknowledge the toaster of doom?
Every hotel seems to have adopted the same conveyor belt toaster, which barely warms your bread on its first cycle, and burns it to a crisp on the second.
I don’t understand why hotels insist on this method of making toast. Why do I have to commit five minutes of my life to watching a piece of bread spin around, only for it to get spat out and land in a pile of everyone else’s crumbs?
I have a question for hoteliers: what’s the average clothing size of guests at your hotel? Because when it comes to dressing gowns, it seems you only provide sizes that could fit a small child – and I can’t see the point in offering an amenity that is simply unusable.
For every hotel with complimentary dressing gowns that I’ve visited in my time on the travel desk at The Sun, I’d estimate that four out of five of them come up short when it comes to gowns – literally.
Rarely is there enough material to wrap around my entire body in the cosy fashion that any proper dressing gown should.
And it’s simply not sexy looking like a sausage sandwiched into too tight a casing. Sort it out, please. Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Loads of bed cushions
They may look nice, but too many cushions that don’t get washed is a no-noCredit: Getty
I have no issue with cushions on a sofa, or even on a bed at home. But on a hotel bed? Gross. You have no idea what people have done with them.
At best, the crime would be multiple guests using it as a pillow and it never getting washed. At worst? Well… what human beings get up to behind closed hotel room doors will never cease to stun me.
There is no need for a cushion on a bed. Four freshly-laundered, white pillows are the perfect amount for both propping yourself up to watch TV and also getting a good night’s sleep.
Any decent receptionist should be happy to send up a couple more if needed. Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
Filtered water taps in hallways
In a bid to be more eco-friendly, there is a new hotel design being rolled out that I despise – filtered water taps in hallways.
They cite the change as being one to reduce water bottles, often providing free glass bottles in rooms to fill up instead.
But I hate waking up in the night and having to throw a dressing gown on to leave me room, wander down the hallway and find the damn tap because I ran out of water.
It was certainly no help during an unlucky bout of stomach flu when I was dehydrated but unable to even leave the room – and with tiny bathroom sinks, barely able to fill a water bottle. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
No bathroom doors
At home, you wouldn’t put your toilet behind a sliding, often frosted glass door.
So I don’t understand why this would be any different on holiday.
In fact, with people having various reactions to travelling when it comes to toilet habits, I’d argue that doors are more needed than ever in a hotel.
Just like with glass showers, it comes down to a matter of privacy. I’d definitely settle for less space in a hotel room if it came with a solid bathroom door so I’m able to use the facilities in peace. Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
Family lounger hoggers
Sunlounger hogging is a pet peeve even if it isn’t always the hotel’s faultCredit: Getty
This is not a hotel fault – it’s all about the guests. It’s the families who reserve four-plus sun loungers by the pool each day, for both the parents and the kids – but the kids never actually use them.
Last summer, I looked around the hotel pool and there were scores of sunbeds reserved with kids’ towels and inflatables.
Mum and dad would spend both morning and afternoon making good use of their beds, while the kids went off for hours at a time.
Come on guys, surely Flipper the inflatable dolphin doesn’t need its own lounger… Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
Receptionless hotels
Commonly seen in city aparthotels, it seems receptionists are a thing of the past.
I’ve stayed at a number recently which brag about having a contactless check in, meaning everything is done via the app.
This might be a joy for some people, but I cannot explain how helpful it is to have a person to ask, often known the best places for dinner, nearby bars or even helpful transport tips.
Google only goes so far, and I miss the personal experience that is sadly being lost. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Confusing spa locations
If I’m booking a spa break and it’s advertised as such, I don’t really want to be walking through the reception and restaurant in my bikini and barely-there dressing gown – especially while other guests are fully clothed.
It feels a little like that common nightmare where you’re in a crowd and suddenly realise you’re the only one that’s naked.
Ideally the spa should be positioned within easy access of most bedrooms and not in an area where guests have to shuffle uncomfortably through public areas.
It’s even better if the onsite lunch spot is for spa guests only. Dining in your dressing gown doesn’t feel so odd when everyone’s doing it – and it’s a proper luxury. Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Telephones with bright lights
You’ve managed to do it all – suss out the six light-switches on the wall, turn the air-conditioning down, and lay down ready for a good night’s sleep, turn the final light off, and all of a sudden – your room is aglow.
Why oh why do hotels choose to put a telephone on the desk opposite your bed with a bright light on it? They’re always coloured red or green and are ridiculously bright. It seems completely necessary to light them up like that.
If the hotel is that concerned you need to use the phone during the night, put it by the bedside table within arms reach.
I always end up having to put a towel over it to dull the glow, or use an eyemask to block out the obnoxious light. Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
Noisy adjoining rooms
Ditch the adjoining rooms unless you are a big group – or you might risk a very bad nights sleepCredit: Getty
For an often-solo traveller, they are my worst nightmare.
I’ve had to ask to move rooms on multiple occasions when I’ve been put in one, due to the lack of noise-insulation they have when next to very loud strangers.
I’ll never forget my 3am pyjama walk to a new room after my neighbours VERY interesting yet noisy argument on the phone. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
TVs that barely work
I get it. Updating TVs can be pricey, but at least give me basic channels that actually work.
I like having some background noise when I’m getting ready in the mornings and the TV helps me unwind after a day of exploration.
In an ideal world, every hotel TV would be fitted with chrome cast so that guests can stream their favourite shows straight from their phone. And perhaps I sound a little spoiled when I say that a lack of smart tvs is my biggest bug bear.
But if you can’t afford to buy more modern TVs then give us the Freeview channels as a basic, otherwise your telly is just a very ugly accessory Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Gyms with barely any equipment
When you book your hotel stay and see that it has a gym, it feels like an absolute win, and for those who work out every day – it’s a must.
But there’s nothing worse than turning up with your gym gear on, only to see one exercise bike and some sad dumbbells in the corner of a windowless, carpeted room.
Then it’s time to come up with some sort of makeshift spin class that completely throws you off your schedule, or walk away with the guilt of missing your workout for the day.
I’d almost prefer if there were no gym at all – but I wish hotels were at least honest about their ‘fitness centres’ so it would save me packing my gymwear. – Jenna Stevens, Travel Reporter
Two gunmen have killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego in what police are treating as a hate crime. Police say the attackers, aged 17 and 19, died from self-inflicted gunshots. A security guard was among those killed.
