Author: PlayActionNews

It’s a fine line. A manager who puts struggling players on blast often will lose his clubhouse. But a manager who consistently defends those players risks losing public credibility.In the view of many New York Yankees fans, Aaron Boone made his choice long ago. His willingness to back players, even amid mental lapses, troubling slumps and defensive meltdowns, overrides any concern from the fans.Boone’s “all is well” demeanor in interviews, no matter how much they inflame fans who believe he is gaslighting them, ultimately means little. What matters is whether Boone behind the scenes is holding his players accountable.If he…

Jeremy WooJul 24, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseNBA draft analyst and writerJoined ESPN.com in 2023Covered the NBA and NBA draft for Sports Illustrated from 2015-2023The 2025 NBA draft has wrapped up, with the rookie class debuting at summer leagues and teams looking ahead to next season.In the wake of the annual Las Vegas showcase, where No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and others turned in standout performances, we polled early opinions on the draft and what NBA teams are expecting from their new faces.ESPN’s Jeremy Woo surveyed 20 anonymous NBA executives and scouts, asking for their thoughts on the incoming rookie class…

Jul 24, 2025, 06:01 AM ETLewis Crocker beat Paddy Donovan in March. Mark Robinson/Getty ImagesThe highly anticipated rematch between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan will take place on Sept. 13 in Belfast.Crocker, of Northern Ireland, will take on Donovan, from the Republic of Ireland for the vacant IBF welterweight title at Windsor Park Stadium.It comes after Crocker won a dramatic first encounter — an IBF title eliminator — in Belfast in March.The fight will be the first ever all-Irish world title fight.Donovan was controversially disqualified for punching Crocker after the bell at the end of the eighth round. He had also…

While it’s important to know who to target as you prepare for your fantasy football drafts, it’s equally as important to know which fantasy football draft landmines you’re avoiding. Our analysts provide players they are avoiding in their fantasy football drafts. Here are a few players they consider overvalued or are otherwise avoiding this fantasy football draft season. You can find all of their players to avoid here: Fitz | DBro | Erickson | Joe Fantasy Football Draft Landmines to Avoid Here are a few fantasy football draft landmines our analysts avoid. Fitz’s Players to Avoid Breece Hall (RB –…

Todd ArcherJul 24, 2025, 06:00 AM ETCloseTodd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.FRISCO, Texas — If there is a minute in his busy day as Dallas Cowboys head coach, Brian Schottenheimer will catch himself looking at his left arm and hand.There he can see four of the five tattoos he has received since 2022. A fifth is on the other side of his left forearm.At some point during the Cowboys’ training camp in Oxnard, California, Schottenheimer will look…

Shara Magomedov has told of a secret inspirational conversation he had with Cristiano Ronaldo after suffering his first octagon defeat.The Dagestani kickboxer is a rising fan favorite, and caught the attention of soccer icon Ronaldo as he headed to Riyadh back in February to face Michael ‘Venom’ Page. He met with the legendary striker before the fight, but it wasn’t enough to earn him victory as he was defeated over three rounds.However, Ronaldo did speak with ‘Shara Bullet‘ after his defeat, sending him words of encouragement. Four months on, the Russian is ready to return at UFC Abu Dhabi on…

Its Thursday, July 24 and the Padres (55-47) are in St. Louis to open a series against the Cardinals (52-51). Yu Darvish is slated to take the mound for San Diego against Sonny Gray for St. Louis.Each of these clubs comes into the series riding a two-game losing streak. The Padres lost for the second straight day to the Marlins in Miami on Wednesday. San Diego’s offense was held in check by Sandy Alcantara who allowed just one unearned run over seven innings as the Marlins won 3-2. The Cards lost their second straight to the Rockies in Denver yesterday.…

After 11 seasons in Dallas, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is in his first training camp in Seattle. And Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is loving what he’s seeing.Macdonald said the effort Lawrence puts into each and every drill the coaches ask him to do is impressive, and a testament to how committed Lawrence is to having a big year in his 12th NFL season.“He’s like the best drill player I’ve ever seen in my life,” Macdonald said of Lawrence. “You could ask him to do any drill known to mankind, and just the trust he has in why you’re doing…

LIVERPOOL have bolstered their title-winning squad further with the signing of Hugo Ekitike.The French forward follows in the footsteps of Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz in joining the Reds for the 2025/26 season.3New kid on the blockCredit: Dream TeamFar from resting on their laurels, Arne Slot’s side seem to be strengthening ahead of the new campaign, in spite of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exit, and Dream Team managers will naturally be intrigued by the new recruits.Ekitike cost Liverpool £69million (plus add-ons) but you can select him in exchange for £5million of your initial budget when he’s added to the game.This…

Jul 24, 2025, 12:31 AM ETTORONTO — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his team’s defensive performance was “just not good enough” after New York made four errors in an 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.”We’ve got to, obviously, tighten it up,” Boone said. “Confident we will. We’ll continue to work at it. We have good defenders here, but tonight was obviously a rough night for us.”Left-hander Max Fried and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. made throwing errors, while first baseman Ben Rice and outfielder Jasson Domínguez made fielding errors.The Yankees also made several miscues that didn’t…