Author: PlayActionNews

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox renew baseball’s most storied rivalry when the two teams begin a key four-game series on Thursday in the Bronx. The suddenly hot Yankees (69-57) have won five in a row and sit in second place in the American League East, four games behind the division-leading Jays. The Red Sox (68-59), who have lost three in a row, are in third place in the division, 5.5 games behind Toronto. If the season ended today, New York and Boston would earn the top two wild card spots in the AL playoffs.The Yankees’ winning streak…

PREMIER LEAGUE football clubs have been spotted copying a rugby tactic in the latest stunning move to allow teams to get the upper hand over their opponents. English football saw Pep-ball sweep across the country after the arrival of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.5Premier League clubs have been copying rugby tacticsCredit: TNT Sport5They have been seen booting the ball forward to the corner flagCredit: Sky Sports5It comes straight after kick-off as a way to gain ground quicklyCredit: TNT Sport5It’s a tactic straight out of the rugby tactics handbookCredit: AFPGone were the more traditional and direct methods of scoring goals, and…

The Yankees have signed right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn, who was released last week by the Mets after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers.Blackburn, 31, will work out of the bullpen for the Yanks.In a corresponding move, right-hander Allan Winans was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.Blackburn had a 6.85 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 23.2 innings in seven games (four starts) for the Mets this season.His stint in Queens stretched from the second half of last season to a few days ago, and was marred by injuries (including a cerebrospinal fluid leak that required surgery this past October) and ineffectiveness. In…

We’ve reached the end of our annual offseason rankings. The best of the best of the NBA’s 30 teams in the 2025 offseason. We’ve already gone through teams 30-21 and teams 20-11.The top 10 represent the teams that truly maximized their resources to dramatically improve — or, if already elite (we see you, Thunder), retain — their rosters and/or front offices.Again, these are not power rankings. If they were, there’s no way a 19-63 team would be in the top 10 (and three other teams listed here also didn’t make the postseason). But these rankings are based on the offseason they had, and you’ll see…

Andreas HaleAug 21, 2025, 07:57 AM ETCloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.The…

August 21, 2025 01:40 PM Matthew Berry, Jay Croucher and Lawrence Jackson Sr. go over the wide receivers on the “Hate” list, including DK Metcalf and how the veteran will struggle in a run-heavy offense for the Steelers.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Lamar Jackson is fine, and that an X-ray taken after the quarterback had his foot stepped on during Wednesday’s practice revealed no concerns.Jackson exited Wednesday’s practice with about 30 minutes remaining in the workout and did not practice Thursday, the team’s final session before Saturday’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders. Jackson, the two-time league MVP, has not played this preseason and wasn’t expected to play Saturday, even before he got banged up.“He got his foot stepped on like we said yesterday,” Harbaugh said after Thursday’s practice. “They did a…

Brett OkamotoAug 21, 2025, 12:49 PM ETCloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare…

On Thursday afternoon, the defending Super Bowl champions were hit with some unfortunate injury news. The Philadelphia Eagles have lost a WR for the 2025 season.  Jeff McLane of the Inquirer reported that second-year Eagles WR Johnny Wilson suffered an injury at practice on Tuesday. Wilson limped off the field in pain and was eventually carted to the locker room. The 24-year-old needs surgery due to ankle and knee issues. Wilson will miss the entire 2025 season for Philadelphia. Johnny Wilson will not play for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 #Eagles WR Johnny Wilson will miss the entire 2025 NFL…

Jesse RogersAug 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseJesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.Both of MLB’s 2025 Cy Young favorites came from humble pitching beginnings. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes started his meteoric rise to stardom at the Air Force Academy, while Detroit Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal came of age at Seattle University. Neither place screams baseball immortality, but both pitchers could be flirting with historic achievements for the rest of their careers provided they stay healthy.Skenes was the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, while Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award last…