Sports

8:00 AM ET “DO YOU HATE baseball?” I pose this question to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred deep into an interview at Citi Field in New York. “It is the most ridiculous thing, among some fairly ridiculous things that get said about me,” he says. “The assertion that I hate the game — that

Jun 29, 2022 Sam Bruce Close ESPN Associate Editor Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPNscrum after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Tom Hamilton Close Senior

8:07 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com LONDON, England — Serena Williams lost in her eagerly-anticipated return on Tuesday night at Wimbledon in a hard-fought 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7) marathon thriller to Harmony Tan, and questions about the 23-time major champion’s future in the sport were immediate. “That’s a question I can’t answer,” the 40-year-old said in

6:14 PM ET The New York Knicks are considered strong favorites to sign Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson in free agency, sources told ESPN. It’s widely anticipated that Brunson will agree to a four-year deal in excess of $100 million to sign with the Knicks soon after free agency opens on Thursday evening, league sources

12:30 PM ET Quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t completely rule out the possibility of a reconciliation with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday in the event that the NFL suspends his replacement, Deshaun Watson, for the entire 2022 season. Mayfield, however, added that the Browns would have to be the ones to start that process, and that

9:00 PM ET Pete ThamelESPN AUSTIN, Texas — In the wake of the commitment of one of the most decorated football recruits in school history, Texas is in the midst of one of the most impressive recruiting flurries in the sport. Coach Steve Sarkisian can’t specifically talk about Arch Manning’s verbal pledge to Texas because

12:43 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Nathan MacKinnon raised the Stanley Cup over his head and then lowered it to his lips. The Colorado Avalanche, a team he dreamed of playing for as a child, were champions for the first time since 2001. MacKinnon, their 26-year-old superstar, had a goal and an assist in their

5:02 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — – The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels engaged in a lengthy full-team brawl in the second inning Sunday after tensions over two days of inside pitches boiled over. Both managers and six players were ejected after the brouhaha, which stopped and started twice before Angels

6:37 PM ET Associated Press LEBANON, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier routed the field at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday for his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season. The JR Motorsports driver led 134 of the 188 laps in his Chevrolet and beat Trevor Bayne by 4.513 seconds on a hot, steamy afternoon in which

3:30 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent “A healthy dressing room is worth more than 100 hours of tactics,” the legendary Spain and Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque told El Pais in 2014. Del Bosque, who lifted the World Cup and Champions League during his career, knew a thing or two about winning. But so does

8:26 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Gegard Mousasi put on a dazzling show four months ago in Dublin. That it was not an epic-length performance made it all the more magnificent. The Bellator MMA middleweight champion needed less than a minute and a half to lay waste to an undefeated challenger in the Bellator 275 main

4:34 AM BST Wallabies great Mark Ella needed to be persuaded to have his name as part of the new trophy to be contested by Australia and England from Saturday week, but he says it is a great honour and “probably time” that two former players were recognised. Rugby Australia [RA] and the Rugby Football

6:10 PM ET Associated Press The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert for one year Thursday for repeated medication violations, A panel credited Baffert for time served from an initial suspension that makes the two-time Triple Crown-winner eligible to saddle horses in New York again Jan. 26. The final decision marks the end

The PGA Tour is in Cromwell, Connecticut this weekend for the Travelers Championship. The course is one of the shorter ones on the tour but carries an $8.3 million purse. Some of golf’s best talent will look to get a win at TPC River Highlands this weekend. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2

7:47 AM ET In boxing, we are always looking forward to the next fight. Even before an upcoming fight is over, the focus is often on what lies ahead, especially when it comes to the sport’s biggest stars. While pressures come from many avenues — fans, social media posts or even beat writers — it’s

9:58 AM ET Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, a prominent minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, is selling his stake in the Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment company that owns the Sixers and New Jersey Devils, he announced Wednesday. Rubin, who sources say holds a 10% equity stake in HBSE, is divesting his 11-year stake in

2:31 PM ET Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski is again calling it a career. The 32-year-old Gronkowski announced his retirement Tuesday via social media. “I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team. I

5:07 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The Eastbourne capacity crowd was on its feet as Serena Williams made her entrance from the tunnel to Centre Court with “What a Feeling” from “Flashdance” blaring over the sound system. She gave a wry smile and a wave as all eyes were locked on her every move. By the

7:00 AM ET The 2022 season is within sight, which means it’s time to put a bow on the annual crystal-balling exercise known as Future Power Rankings. The team list is here. If you’ve already digested top-25 rankings for quarterbacks, offenses and defenses, you have a decent idea of what will follow. The team rankings

7:00 AM ET DENVER — Steven Stamkos answered question after question, dark circles under his eyes above an unkempt playoff beard. He stared straight ahead. He certainly wasn’t going to look behind him at the smoldering mess that was Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. “People are gonna be watching this game and probably