Russell Steinberg Articles - Page 6

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper didn’t take kindly to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred‘s meeting with his team last week, and apparently, things got pretty heated. Harper stood nose-to-nose with Manfred, telling him to “get the f— out of our clubhouse” if he wanted to discuss a salary cap, according to a report from ESPN’s […]

The final play of the New York Liberty’s 101-99 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday doesn’t mean much. Rikea Jackson hit a circus shot at the buzzer to win, snapping New York’s five-game winning streak. The problem is how they got there. Breaanna Stewart played only three minutes before leaving the game with […]

Jonquel Jones might not be the best player in the WNBA by pure statistics, but by watching the New York Liberty this season, it’s hard to think of many who are more important to their team. Just past the halfway point in the season, New York is 17-6, but 10-1 when Jones is in the […]

Before the All-Star break, the New York Liberty had arguably the most talented roster in the WNBA — when healthy, at least. Days later, it’s hard to argue for any other team. While all eyes were on the All-Star festivities in Indianapolis, Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb was busy signing Stephanie Talbot and finally convincing Emma […]

The Chicago Cubs are in the market for starting pitching and the Kansas City Royals figure to be trade deadline sellers. With the Royals currently visiting Wrigley Field, it could be a match made in heaven, and the Cubs have checked in with their opponents about their starters. “The Cubs have checked in with the […]

Three days after exiting the Tampa Bay Rays’ game against the Baltimore Orioles, Brandon Lowe is again headed for the injured list. The Rays placed the infielder on the IL, citing left ankle/foot tendinitis, according to Rays reporter Ryan Bass. He has not played since Saturday, meaning the move can be backdated to July 20. […]

Kansas City Royals rookie outfielder John Rave has three career Major League home runs to his name, but his most recent may mean the most — so far. Rave hit a solo shot in the 7th inning of the Royals’ 12-4 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, and he had his […]

With the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaching, the New York Mets are focused on improving their bullpen. Team president David Stearns said as much on Monday, per ESPN. “I think providing our group some reinforcements in the bullpen would be great,” he said. “There are generally relievers traded at the deadline. And so I’m sure […]

The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will take the field on August 2 at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first MLB Speedway Classic. It will be the first-ever MLB game played at a NASCAR venue (and the first in the state of Tennessee), and the teams’ uniforms will match the occasion. MLB and Nike unveiled […]

One day after taking a hit by pitch off his wrist, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is in the lineup and batting cleanup. Freeman left the Dodgers’ 6-5 loss on Sunday to the Milwaukee Brewers after the incident, which manager Dave Roberts initially admitted was cause for concern. The 2025 National League All-Star […]

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is one of the handful of athletes with cameos in the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun, and he’s here to assure us all that stolen bases are a part of the game. Betts’ appearance comes when Liam Neeson, who plays the bumbling detective Frank Drebin, visits ESPN headquarters. […]

The MLB Draft isn’t typically a big TV draw, and that’s almost unavoidable considering even the top picks are usually more than a year away from suiting up in the Major Leagues. But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would like to see some changes to simplify what’s become a complicated draft process. “I think that there […]

Kansas men’s basketball got some good news on Monday when head coach Bill Self announced that guard Elmarko Jackson has been fully cleared for all basketball activities. Jackson tore his patellar tendon last summer, forcing him to redshirt the 2024-25 season. As a freshman the year before, he averaged 4.3 points per game to go […]

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game wasn’t short on young talent, led by a trio of rookies in Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Rookie of the Year runaway favorite Paige Bueckers. All three newcomers spoke during WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis about what the honor means to them — and the hope that it becomes a […]

Outside of college basketball coaches, and conference and NCAA executives, it’s hard to find many people in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo knows that, but gave his pro-expansion point of view nonetheless in an interview with Rick Pizzo for the Big Ten men’s basketball YouTube channel. “There’s […]

The MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and when it comes, you shouldn’t expect the Boston Red Sox to deal Alex Bregman. Once seen as deadline sellers, Boston entered the All-Star Break on a 10-game winning streak, catapulting the team into playoff contention. When ESPN updated its top 50 trade candidates on […]

Natasha Cloud wasn’t with the New York Liberty last year, but she saw the comments about Breanna Stewart. The former MVP will turn 31 in August, and last season, an ESPN writer wrote that she was aging out of her prime. Those conversations have continued into this year, even after Stewart helped lead the Liberty […]

It’s too early to say if the New York Liberty have fully pulled out of their tailspin, but the team has won three of its last four games. Over the past week, Leonie Fiebich has been a major reason why. Fiebich had her best game of the season on Sunday in the Liberty’s 79-72 comeback […]

The Philadelphia Phillies stumbled into the All-Star break with a 5-5 record in their last 10 games and a series loss to the San Diego Padres to close the first half. Still, they’re 55-41 and a half-game up in the National League East with less than three weeks before the trade deadline. The team has […]

The MLB All-Star Game is, at its core, a celebration of baseball. The Chicago Cubs know that and they used the occasion to honor someone who loves the games as much as anyone on Earth, MLB’s Sarah Langs. “Thank you for making baseball the BEST, @SlangsOnSports,” the Cubs’ team account posted via X, alongside a […]

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is at the All-Star Game, and so is Matt Olson, the player who replaced him with the Atlanta Braves. It’s a lot to live up to for Olson. Freeman made five All-Star teams with the Braves, won an MVP award and was part of the team’s 2021 World […]

The Chicago Sky will play their final game before the All-Star break without their two leading scorers. Both Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins will miss the contest with leg injuries. The Sky released their injury report on Tuesday, the day before they close the first half of the season against the Atlanta Dream. Atkins exited […]

Tennessee State and Memphis assistant coach Nolan Smith are finalizing on a deal to make Smith the Tigers’ next men’s basketball head coach, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. Rothstein added that the deal is not official, but “the two sides are working towards an agreement.” Assuming there are no last-minute hangups, Smith will […]

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark has never been one to shy away from sharing his opinions with the media, and he’s made it clear that he does not want a salary cap. Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly pushing for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement. The current deal expires in […]

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres is an All-Star for the third time in his career, and he will reunite with his former manager, Aaron Boone, who will lead the American League team on Tuesday night. Much like Torres did last year down the stretch for the New York Yankees, he will bat leadoff for […]

After four years, Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is back in the All-Star Game. The road back wasn’t easy for the now five-time All-Star. He signed with Texas after establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the game with the New York Mets. But after just six starts that season, he went […]

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is an All-Star for the fifth year in a row and he’s more than earned the title this season. Judge is batting a league-leading .355 with 35 home runs and a bonkers 228 OPS+. He’s also leading the American League in hits, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks and runs […]

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese seems to have recovered from a rough start to the season and is again putting up Reese-like numbers. The second-year pro is averaging a double-double (13.6 points, 12.8 rebounds), and her across-the-board numbers have caused her to make a leap in ESPN’s player rankings. She started the season 25th overall […]

The New York Yankees are only two games out of first place in the American League East, but injuries and ineffectiveness have combined to give the team plenty to work on as the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaches. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal appeared on Fox Sports on Monday, where he laid out exactly what the […]

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is headed to his fifth All-Star Game, and the reigning National League MVP stopped by the Pat McAfee Show on Monday to talk about it. McAfee asked Ohtani who he grew up watching, and his answer should come as no surprise to anyone who started watching baseball in […]

The MLB Draft is usually for finding players to help your team a few years down the road, but the Philadelphia Phillies may have just made a move to improve their 2025 team. Philadelphia took pitcher Gage Wood with the 26th overall pick and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel seems to think Wood can make it to […]

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh isn’t running away from his Big Dumper nickname. Affectionately called that due to his prominent posterior, Raleigh opened up about the moniker in a feature from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “It’s not the one you write up in your mind when you’re thinking of nicknames,” Raleigh said. “But, I mean … […]

There are few sure things in the MLB Draft, as drafted players, particularly out of high school, are usually a few years away from even breaking into the big leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates took a swing on high school pitcher Seth Hernandez with the sixth overall pick in the MLB Draft on Sunday and one […]

As Jonquel Jones continues recovering from her ankle injury, there could be help on the way for the New York Liberty. Players and coaches have played it coy, but they’ve made it no secret that they know free agent Emma Meesseman can help the team. Even better for New York, both head coach Sandy Brondello […]

The New York Liberty trimmed their roster to 11 on Sunday, waiving second-year guard Marquesha Davis hours before they defeated the Atlanta Dream, 79-72. It’s never an easy decision, but Davis rarely saw the court for New York — even in blowouts. And she was one of a handful of players league-wide to lose their […]

When a team is in a funk but finally wins a game, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a blip on the radar or if the group has truly turned it around. For New York Liberty fans, that was certainly the case on Tuesday night, but there’s reason to hope that the worst of this […]

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese became the latest in a wave of WNBA players and coaches to criticize league officiating this season after her team’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. In her next game, Tuesday afternoon against the Washington Mystics, she attempted a career-high 15 free throws. These are professionals doing their jobs […]

There’s no reason to suspect the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to deal starting pitcher Paul Skenes at the trade deadline. But this is early July, which is peak trade rumor season, and that means we can all explore the possibility. ESPN’s David Schoenfield did just that on Tuesday, examining what it would take to send […]

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the early 2000s, ascending to the role of general manager in 2010. Though he’s since moved north, the Mariners and Diamondbacks have become frequent trade partners over the past few years. With the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaching, that could […]