Russell Steinberg Articles - Page 20

There are a few beliefs around the Home Run Derby that keep some of the best sluggers in baseball from returning year after year. Some say it messes with their timing, others prefer the extra day of rest, and some just don’t see the draw after doing it once and crossing the item off their […]

Maybe it took us all too long to notice, but by this point in the season, it’s clear: The New York Liberty have an utter embarrassment of riches. Ivana Dojkić knew that two weeks ago when she threw out a word to reporters before a game against the Minnesota Lynx that players rarely use. “If […]

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, Juan Arturo Recio of ESPN Republica Dominica reported. Franco has been on administrative leave from Major League Baseball since last August when social media posts emerged alleging he had been engaged in a relationship with at […]

The New York Yankees were the best team in baseball for the first two-and-a-half months of the 2024 MLB season. Since then, they’ve been the worst, and with the MLB trade deadline approaching, Brian Cashman has seen enough. The Yankees’ general manager is in Tampa to assist the front office with preparation for the upcoming […]

The New York Mets have been open about their desire to add to their bullpen. The team took one step toward doing exactly that on Tuesday by acquiring Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mets expect Maton to join the team Wednesday or Thursday. They designated pitcher Joey Lucchesi for assignment to make […]

Rafael Devers is more than putting up All-Star numbers in 2024, but you won’t see him in Arlington for the Midsummer Classic next week. On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed why. “He’s not gonna participate,” Cora said, per Mass Live. “Obviously, he has been grinding through a few things, especially his left shoulder. […]

Wyatt Langford is the new American League Rookie of the Year betting favorite. The Texas Rangers outfielder has surpassed Yankees pitcher Luis Gil, per FanDuel Sportsbook, with +135 odds. Langford has been a revelation this year for the defending World Series champion Rangers. He’s hitting .273 with 5 home runs and a .752 OPS. That’s […]

Cleveland Guardians slugger Jose Ramirez is headed back to the Home Run Derby. The third baseman confirmed his participation on Tuesday, joining Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Alec Bohm, Bobby Witt Jr. and Marcell Ozuna. MLB should announce the final two spots in the next day or so. Ramirez made the announcement in a tweet, simply […]

The Washington Nationals are entering sell mode as the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline draws nearer. Sources told The Athletic that President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo is preparing to unload talent at the deadline in favor of the future as the team looks to build around its existing stable of young players. Washington sits at […]

Without presuming to speak for all Major Leaguers, it stands to reason that most would want to be their own children’s favorite player. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas admits he may be losing that battle to his teammate, centerfielder Michael Siani. Mikolas confirmed as much while speaking to reporters on Monday after the Cardinals […]

The New York Mets are in that gray area between trade deadline buyers and sellers, but leftfielder Brandon Nimmo thinks the team should look to add. He’s made sure to let Mets owner Steve Cohen know about it. “Any chance that I get, I kind of throw that in there,” Nimmo said in an interview […]

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna added his name to the 2024 Home Run Derby field, becoming the fifth player to accept an invitation. Ozuna joins fellow NL East players Pete Alonso and Alec Bohm in the Derby, along with Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. Those five and three more will square off next […]

The defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for their playoff lives, and this week against the Atlanta Braves, they’ll rely on a top prospect to help get them there. 23-year-old right-hander Yilber Diaz will make his Major League debut on Monday night, starting for Arizona in the series opener in Atlanta. The No. […]

The Detroit Tigers made two key roster moves ahead of their series against the first-place Cleveland Guardians on Monday, activating Javier Baez from the Injured List and calling up Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers optioned infielder Ryan Kreidler to Toledo and placed centerfielder Parker Meadows on the 10-day Injured List as corresponding moves. […]

For the first time since 2020, Nolan Arenado isn’t headed to the MLB All-Star Game, but the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman views the upcoming break as a turning point in his season — and a chance to shake any injury concerns. Through 83 games played, Arenado is hitting a respectable .270, but with only […]

Detroit left fielder Riley Greene has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024 MLB season, as he and Tarik Skubal both earned spots in the All-Star Game for the Tigers. With 17 home runs, however, it’s only natural that fans might speculate about Greene playing in the Home Run Derby as well. Tigers beat […]

Teoscar Hernandez is enjoying a strong first season for the Los Angeles Dodgers — one that’s landed him a spot in the All-Star Game. With the Home Run Derby field also taking shape, Hernandez is hoping for more. The 31-year-old outfielder has swatted 19 home runs so far in 2024, putting him on track to […]

The New York Liberty lacked urgency in the first and fourth quarters on Saturday against the Indiana Fever, and they paid for it. The Fever came away with the win, 83-78, one month after New York beat them by 36 in Brooklyn. After the game, Sabrina Ionescu reflected on how her team’s energy level was […]

Sabrina Ionescu summed up the importance of the Liberty’s 76-67 win over the Minnesota Lynx Tuesday night in three words: “This was personal.” Not only are the Lynx the only team to beat New York twice this year, but the Liberty felt they missed opportunities in both games. They didn’t play to their potential, and […]

The New York Liberty have gone from fighting injury to fighting illness and it hasn’t mattered one bit in the standings. New York beat the Atlanta Dream, 81-75, on Sunday afternoon for their 12th win in their last 13 regular season games. Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton were fully back in the rotation, but Jonquel […]

When the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx met a month ago, Minnesota was the better team. They were stifling on defense, crisp on offense, and overall made a veteran Liberty team look disorganized. A month later, the two teams met in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game and the Lynx held off the Liberty, 94-89. […]

If it wasn’t already clear that the New York Liberty are having as fun as anyone in the WNBA, Breanna Stewart left no room for doubt in New York’s 98-88 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday afternoon. Her teammates, coaches, and another sellout crowd at Barclays Center were treated to a show, punctuated […]

As the New York Liberty’s roster continues to shrink, the connection between Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu only seems to run deeper. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sat out Thursday with a knee injury, making three New York players unavailable against the Los Angeles Sparks. It ultimately didn’t matter as the Liberty won 93-80, bouncing back from a […]

Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty have found their three-point touch. Their 99-93 loss on Tuesday night at the hands of the Phoenix Mercury wasn’t the result they wanted, as Rebecca Allen and Diana Taurasi shot down their eight-game winning streak, but the takeaways paint a much more promising picture for the Commissioner’s Cup […]

If there was any doubt before, it should be clear now. With a win over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday afternoon, the New York Liberty have established themselves as the best team in the WNBA right now. They are 12-2, have won eight in a row, and just beat the two-time-defending champions 90-82 on […]

When a team is 11-2, undefeated in Commissioner’s Cup play,and off to their best start in franchise history, any criticism can be seen as nit-picking. But with a few days off for the first time in what seems like ages, New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello can step back and reflect on the first quarter […]

The New York Liberty have played five games in the last eight days, and in that time, they’ve learned how to draw on contributors up and down the bench. The Liberty needed nearly everyone available on Sunday in their 93-88 grind-out win over the winless Washington Mystics at Barclays Center. It was their seventh win […]

The New York Liberty had every reason to lose their Saturday matinee with the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. Instead, Sabrina Ionescu and company outlasted the only team ahead of them in the WNBA standings, winning 82-75 to improve to 10-2. “We understood this was a huge game for us, a statement game,” Ionescu said. […]

In a year where the WNBA is more competitive than ever, the New York Liberty are off to their best start in franchise history at 9-2 through 11 games. The scary part? Head coach Sandy Brondello says the team has yet to play its best basketball. The Liberty’s 78-61 road win over the Atlanta Dream […]

A quarter of the way through the 2024 WNBA season, it’s become clear that as Jonquel Jones goes, so go the New York Liberty. Through their first nine games, Jones averaged 18 points in New York’s seven wins. In their two loses, she’s only averaged six points. In their 88-75 road win over the Chicago […]

The New York Liberty flirted with their old habits again on Sunday, but instead of letting the Indiana Fever claw back from a double-digit deficit, Sabrina Ionescu made sure the Liberty stayed focused and poised. The Liberty, as they’ve come to be known for, jumped out to an early double-digit lead. Then, also as they’ve […]

The No.1 pick in any draft is going to face pressure. Caitlin Clark, however, is facing something unlike any player in the history of the WNBA has had to face. She became the most popular player in the league before she played her first game with the Indiana Fever — a team so bad it […]

NEW YORK — Kayla Thornton has never made a WNBA All-Star team but ask around and you’ll find out that opponents hate to play against her. The ninth-year WNBA vet spent 34 minutes showing exactly why on Friday night in the New York Liberty’s 90-79 win over the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center. It wasn’t […]

However you interpreted the scuffle between the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter of their game Wednesday night, you can’t deny that a switch flipped. The Liberty didn’t go on an explosive run after that to close it out, but it was clear that they were the more composed and in-control […]

NEW YORK — In a league where everybody knows everybody — personally and professionally — there’s nowhere to hide in the WNBA, especially from yourselves. The New York Liberty have lost two straight games, and they haven’t looked good in the process. At least, not like the team that went to the WNBA Finals last […]

New York Liberty fans got to see the good and bad that they’ve come to expect from their team this year in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx. Unfortunately for them, the bad outweighed the good to the tune of an 84-67 loss in Minneapolis. The Lynx started the game red-hot, leading 31-17 after the […]

Coaches usually hate the tired cliché about how teams on a winning streak need to lose a game so they could learn from it. That’s why it was strange to hear head coach Sandy Brondello bring it up, unprompted, after the New York Liberty lost 90-81 on Thursday night to the Chicago Sky. It was […]

NEW YORK — The New York Liberty have a perfect record to start the 2024 season, but they’ve yet to play a perfect game. Now 4-0 with a 74-63 win over the Seattle Storm on Monday night at Barclays Center, the reigning WNBA runners-up have had some moments of sheer brilliance. The Liberty have also […]

BROOKLYN — By 10:30 on Saturday morning, the plaza in front of Barclays Center was swarming with seafoam green. Fans young and old were lining up to get into the arena a full 90 minutes before doors even opened for the New York Liberty’s home opener against the Indiana Fever. When the game finally tipped […]