Ethan Ampadu, oh my word. His energy... his football intelligence, his technique. Do you remember him early doors at Chelsea? It was so different at Chelsea because he was a centre-half who was good on the ball, now he's playing centre-midfield and dictating play. He's been amazing.
Clearly, Woltemade is an issue for Newcastle. They're trying to work out what's best for him. Is he a No.10? Probably not. They try and play him in more of a midfield role... you see he can't press, because he hasn't got the legs, he hasn't got the energy to do what Eddie Howe's teams have done which have made Newcastle successful over the years.
As implosions go, this one was impressive. The Nets blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena. Brooklyn was cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse. They went without a basket for the final 5:18, giving away turnover after turnover - and a win they seemed to have in the bag.
"I'm just so excited to be here," said Stowers. "So grateful to be in this organization. I was bummed we didn't get something figured out - would love to some day - but at the same time, let's take care of this year, and we'll go from there. ... I can't stress enough how much I love this organization, how much I love being in Miami and playing for this team, [with] this group of guys."
The Angels are in agreement to bring back veteran utility player Chris Taylor, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. It's not clear whether it's an MLB deal or a minor league contract with a Spring Training invite, though the latter seems more likely. Taylor is represented by Meister Sports Management. Taylor finished the 2025 season in Orange County. He signed a big league deal after being released by the Dodgers in May. Taylor made 30 appearances for the Halos.
The NFL is no stranger to innovation. Over the years, teams have adopted new strategies, technologies, and data-driven approaches to stay ahead of the competition. One of the most significant advancements in recent years is the rise of sophisticated analytics and modeling. These tools have become essential for teams seeking to improve player performance, game strategy, and overall team development.
The portent of the 2025 Atlanta Braves season being... really dumb and no fun was Jurickson Profar eating a PED suspension after the first series of the season. By the time Profar came back, his new team was more or less dead in the water as far as playoff potential. Profar also didn't really do anything to revive them - his 1.3 fWAR in 371 PAs, which was only achieved due to a fair bit of xwOBA overperformance, was basically a bog-standard rate. It was better than Alex Verdugo, but it wasn't actually good.
California held Stanford without a field goal for the final 7:41 of the game to beat the Cardinal 78-66 Saturday night, breaking a five-game losing streak in the rivalry. Cal's Chris Bell broke a 60-60 tie on a 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining to start the game-ending 18-6 run. Offensive rebounds and putbacks by DeJuan Campbell extended the lead, and a follow slam by Bell put the finishing touches on a dominant close for the Bears (15-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
It's hard enough to tip in a puck right from the goalie's doorstep. That sucker is small, hard, and moving well above the speed limit, and it's a genuine feat of hand-eye coordination to not just get a blade on it, but to get only just so much blade on it to not halt it but redirect it to the angle of your choosing.
"David knows how to play football," "He might not have that determination and ferocity, in his view every match is the same, he has this nice boy aura, but maybe he needs a bit more experience to be more determined. That is where he has to improve. Apart from the goal, the match is a box you need to fill with other things too, otherwise the opponents force you to scramble in defence."
The decision to trade for Michael Jerrell felt like throwing a water balloon on a house fire at the time, and that's essentially what it was. Jerrell was a healthy scratch nearly the entire season, minus one game against the Bills. According to PFF, he was the worst-performing Falcons offensive lineman this season, by at least 40 points. These grading systems are subjective, but that's a pretty wide margin.
The 41st game of the season for each NHL team has been played, and there's now been enough time for us to digest that first half of the 2025-26 campaign. So as part of this week's updated edition of the ESPN NHL Power Rankings -- led once again by the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche -- we are identifying the midseason fantasy hockey MVP for all 32 clubs, according to analysts Sean Allen (Eastern Conference teams) and Victoria Matiash (Western Conference teams). And a reminder: It's not too late to sign up for ESPN Fantasy Hockey. New leagues start every Monday, and you can sign up for free today. How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday.
