Russell Steinberg Articles - Page 20

The New York Mets could be about to lose several starting pitchers to free agency, but don’t be surprised if the team turns around and loads right back up. With a glut of top-end starting pitchers hitting the market this winter, the Mets figure to be contenders for several. ESPN surveyed a bunch of MLB […]

The 2024 MLB offseason is just beginning, but once the wheels are set in motion, don’t be surprised if the Tampa Bay Rays trade Yandy Diaz. Jon Morosi talked about where the first base trade candidate could end up in an appearance on MLB Network on Tuesday, and he suggested that Diaz will have his […]

Starting pitcher Luis Severino will reject the New York Mets’ qualifying offer, Newsday’s Tim Healey reported on Tuesday. A qualifying offer this offseason is worth one year and $21.05 million. Severino and the Mets can still negotiate a new deal, but by making him the qualifying offer, the Mets will receive draft picks as compensation […]

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is the top free agent available this offseason — by a mile. So it’s no surprise that the list of teams interested in his services keeps growing. The Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Tampa Bay Rays could all still meet with the free agent slugger, according to Mark […]

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is already the National League Rookie of the Year. He’s also a finalist for the 2024 NL Cy Young Award, alongside Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies respectively. While it could be a banner three days for Skenes, with MLB announcing the Cy Young […]

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes won the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year award, announced Monday evening on MLB Network. While Skenes’ girlfriend Olivia Dunne shouted and clapped in celebration, Skenes offered a subdued reaction, barely cracking a smile. As Dunne continued to cheer, with a group off-camera joining her, the Pirates’ ace remained […]

The East Carolina Pirates are in the market for a new football coach and Clay Helton, the former head man at USC and current Georgia Southern coach, may be in the running. FootballScoop reported a slew of names linked to the position, which it called “maybe the best job thus far to open up.” ECU […]

The Penn State Nittany Lions are not likely to play in the Big Ten football championship game in a few weeks at Lucas Oil Stadium. But it’s not impossible. Penn State has to contend with the Oregon Ducks, Indiana Hoosiers, and Ohio State Buckeyes either tied or ahead of them in the standings. Oregon is […]

It is no secret in baseball circles that the New York Yankees’ top priority is to re-sign Juan Soto this offseason. In fact, bringing the 26-year-old superstar back might solely determine whether the reigning American League champions had a successful offseason. Bench coach Brad Ausmus knows it. Ausmus spoke to MLB Network Radio and confirmed […]

The Rice Owls have interviewed former Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich for their head coaching position, Pete Nakos of On3 reported on Monday. Rolovich coached only 11 games for the Cougars in 2020 and 2021, joining the program in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was fired in mid-October of his second season for refusing […]

The No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will continue their push toward a College Football Playoff appearance this weekend at Yankee Stadium when they face Army. As of Monday, the team isn’t sure if defensive lineman Howard Cross III (ankle) or running back Devyn Ford (groin) will be available, with both listed as questionable, according […]

The Big Ten football championship doesn’t normally run through the Northwestern Wildcats, but the Wildcats’ athletic department is doing everything it can to elevate the program to the top of the sport. That includes a reimagined $850 million Ryan Field, which the university released plans for on Monday. Expected to be ready in 2026, the […]

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died of septic shock, according to his death certificate, which TMZ obtained on Tuesday. The Medical Examiner also disclosed two underlying causes of his death, “decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis” and “nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis.” He also may have suffered from a rare brain condition called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease only […]

There wasn’t much for the Oakland Athletics to celebrate this season. The A’s went 69-93 and finished fourth in the American League West in their final season in Oakland. Brent Rooker got a consolation prize on Tuesday, earning the American League Silver Slugger as the best designated hitter in the league. In doing so, he […]

Austin Rivers has seen enough of the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama “floating” around the perimeter. Wembanyama is a 7’3 unicorn, who Rivers says should be making his living inside. The former NBA guard aired his frustrations with the Spurs second-year pro on the latest episode of his Off Guard with Austin Rivers podcast. “I […]

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been a basketball phenom long before he ever ended up in New York — or even on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ — radar. Growing up in Piscataway, New Jersey, Towns was an elite high school recruit at basketball powerhouse St. Joseph in Metuchen. That’s where then-Kentucky coach John Calipari first […]

Luol Deng spent one year as part of the Duke men’s basketball program, but he made it count. He helped the Blue Devils to the 2004 Final Four behind 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Deng’s freshman season made him the No. 7 pick overall in the 2004 NBA Draft to the Phoenix Suns. […]

Corbin Burnes is the highest-profile American starting pitcher on the MLB free agent market this winter. Some may assume he’s not going to return to Baltimore, given that the Orioles don’t typically cough up big bucks to acquire superstars. Not so fast. ESPN’s Jeff Passan published his 2024-25 offseason preview on Tuesday and he warned […]

The Chicago Cubs don’t have to trade second baseman Nico Hoerner. It’s probably not at the top of their priority list, but according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, you shouldn’t count it out. Passan published his 2024-25 offseason preview on Tuesday and listed the 27-year-old as a potential trade candidate. Hoerner will be attractive to clubs […]

Maybe Juan Soto to the Toronto Blue Jays isn’t such a long shot after all. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale predicts that Toronto will land his services — and for a hefty price tag. While the New York Yankees and New York Mets are generally seen as the favorites to land Soto, the Blue Jays are […]

Despite winning the National League East for the first time since 2011 and reaching the MLB postseason for the third year in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies are eyeing a shakeup, and that could mean trading slugger Alec Bohm. Bohm had the best season of his career at 28 years old, but the third baseman […]

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes’ monster rookie season added another historic bullet point on Monday when MLB announced that he had finished in the top three of National League Cy Young voting. Skenes is only the fifth rookie ever to finish that high in Cy Young voting in either league, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. […]

The Houston Astros won the American League West this season, clinching their seventh MLB postseason appearance in row. It’s a testament to the culture of success that the franchise has established that the season was still a disappointment. After a 10-19 start to 2024, Houston found its footing, eventually winning 88 games behind a monster […]

The New York Yankees and New York Mets are believed to be the two favorites to land superstar outfielder Juan Soto, but their biggest competition might come from an unlikely source. The Toronto Blue Jays are a “viable obstacle” to the two New York clubs, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Monday. […]

The Miami Marlins have a new manager and it’s former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough. The 45-year-old McCullough is fresh off winning the 2024 World Series with the Dodgers and will take over a Marlins team that lost 100 games and finished last in the National League East. Marlins president of baseball […]

It’s hard to stand out at Peach Jam, especially if you’re not one of the best rising high school seniors in the country. But when Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer saw 15-year-old Cooper Flagg two summers ago, he was hooked. Scheyer told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes about going down to North Augusta for the annual […]

Cooper Flagg has dealt with sky-high expectations for years now. Before Flagg suited up for the Duke Blue Devils, his recruitment was as high-profile as they come, starting when he burst onto the scene as the first freshman to ever be named Gatorade State Player of the Year in Maine. The hype followed him for […]

Yankees captain Aaron Judge will be thinking about the fifth inning of the 2024 World Series Game 5 for a long time. Hopefully, he wasn’t watching Sunday afternoon’s NFL Week 10 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons because broadcaster Greg Olsen casually brought it up to describe what he was seeing on […]

The Yankees’ ace is staying in town, as Gerrit Cole and the Yankees have agreed to continue their current agreement. Yankees fans may not have even had the possibility of their ace leaving on their radar a week ago, but a clause in Cole’s contract briefly allowed for the possibility. Cole had the option to […]

The San Diego Padres did not extend qualifying offers to left fielder Jurickson Profar or shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on Monday with both players set to hit free agency. That doesn’t mean they’ll both be playing elsewhere next season. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports that San Diego has expressed interest in pursuing both this winter. Profar […]

With MLB free agency about to begin, the Los Angeles Dodgers have elected not to extend a qualifying offer to World Series hero Walker Buehler, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported. While that may sound shocking considering Buehler’s track record and 2024 postseason heroics, it may not ultimately mean much. A qualifying offer this season is […]

Fresh off of arguably the best season of his MLB career, Ryan O’Hearn will stay with the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore picked up O’Hearn’s team option for next year, meaning the first baseman and outfielder will make $7.5 million in 2025, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. After spending his first five seasons […]

If the UConn Huskies are going to pull off the first three-peat in men’s college basketball since the days of John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty, they will need players who had minor roles last season to step up big time in 2024-25. Sophomores Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart are probably the first two names many UConn […]

Veteran starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has two World Series rings to his name, and he’s on the market for any team interested in his services. Eovaldi has declined his player option with the 2023 champion Texas Rangers and will become a free agent, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Eovaldi hits free agency after another […]

Utility man Rob Refsnyder is staying with the Boston Red Sox. Boston has exercised its option on the veteran outfielder, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. That option will keep him playing home games at Fenway Park in 2025 for $2.1 million — a modest raise from his $1.85 million salary in 2024. The decision […]

The New York Yankees fans were desperate for something to cheer about, and shortstop Anthony Volpe finally gave it to them in grand fashion on Tuesday, swatting a historic go-ahead grand slam in the third inning of Game 4 of the World Series. With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the World Series 3-0 and on […]

The two-time defending national champions are reloading. The UConn Huskies’ men’s basketball team snagged another commitment on Tuesday night when Australian-born Jacob Furphy announced he will take his talents to Storrs in the 2025-26 season. Furphy is a 6’6 wing who participated in the NBA Global Academy and was part of the Australia Youth National […]

The New York Yankees are on the verge of getting swept out of the World Series, and Yankees fans have had enough of watching their team flail through ugly at-bats. Two fans took matters into their own hands. With the Yankees already down 2-0 in the first inning of Game 4, leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from winning the 2024 World Series and one of their oldest rivals, the New York Yankees, is the only team left in their way. Up 3-0 in what has been a one-sided series so far, the Dodgers can wrap things up on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. While […]