Browsing: Bailey

Baileyâ€s triumph came as no surprise, as he continued to burnish his reputation as the best defensive catcher in MLB by picking up his second consecutive Gold Glove.

The 26-year-old Bailey is the first Giants catcher to earn multiple Gold Gloves and the first National League backstop to win in back-to-back years since Molina won eight straight from 2008-15. He also was named the 2025 Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the top defensive catcher in MLB, by Sports Info Solutions on Oct 23.

“To this day, heâ€s always trying to get better,†Webb said. “He cares a lot. He wants to be the best defender in baseball. He wants to be known as the guy whoâ€s the best defender in baseball. He takes a lot of pride in that. Seeing the work he put in, thatâ€s the type of guy he is. He wants to be the best.â€

Webbâ€s first career Gold Glove was a little less expected, though the recognition was well-earned given the strides he made in holding runners this year. The 28-year-old sinkerballer paced NL pitchers with +7 defensive runs saved this season and finished with +5 net bases prevented, up from -5 in 2024.

Webb came into the season wanting to make a concerted effort to get better at controlling the running game, as he felt he got exposed by opposing teams last year. He hit a low point during a start at Busch Stadium on June 23, 2024, when he allowed the Cardinals to steal four bases off him. One of those was by catcher Pedro Pagés, who ranks in the 12th percentile in sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant.

To clean up that part of his game, Webb decided to focus on holding runners for as long as he could and mix up his times during Spring Training, which gave him some much-needed momentum heading into the regular season.

“Honestly, I just wanted to get better at playing defense,†Webb said. “The last couple of years, I think Iâ€d finished in the bottom five in holding runners and some of the defensive stats that they have. I just wanted to get better at it. I didnâ€t necessarily think it would result in a Gold Glove, but I always thought maybe I could do it. I feel like I get enough ground balls hit to me and a lot of get-overs. I just kind of had to fix some of the other stuff. Itâ€s a really cool accomplishment. Iâ€m super excited about it.â€

Webb is only the second Giants pitcher to win a Gold Glove, joining Rick Reuschel in 1987. (Itâ€s worth noting that Reuschel began that season with the Pirates before he was traded to the Giants in mid-August.)

“To be able to say youâ€re one of the best defenders or the best defender at your position in your league is really cool,†Webb said. “Itâ€s a huge part of baseball and a huge part of what the Giants try to be. I think thatâ€s why weâ€ve had so many around here. Itâ€s cool to be a part of that now.â€

San Francisco also had multiple Gold Glove winners last year, when Bailey and third baseman Matt Chapman were voted the top NL defenders at their positions. Chapman has five Gold Gloves — and two Platinum Gloves — to his name, but he wasnâ€t among the finalists at third base this year after landing on the injured list twice with a right hand injury.

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AEW/Lee South

Not too long ago, reports claimed that MVP and the Hurt Syndicate had heat with their then-rivals, Jet Speed, particularly MVP taking issue with Mike Bailey and requests for the faction to drop the AEW World Tag Team Championships to the tag team at All In: Texas. Since then, the veteran has dismissed these reports in an episode of his “Marking Out” podcast.

“At no point did I ever say that I dislike Speedball Mike Bailey. I don’t have an issue with Speedball. We work together, we see each other, we shake hands, and we keep it moving; like, there is no issue there,” MVP proclaimed, before setting the record straight that he has no problems with any of the talent that he works with in AEW. “Mike Bailey’s one of the nicest guys around; I don’t have a problem with him.”

“It’s bulls**t. Just straight bulls**t,” MVP added, explaining that he’s never been a fan of the dirtsheets, and noted how his personal opinion about the dirtsheets are that they’re leeches. “They make a living off my profession and they give absolutely nothing,” he said, before admitting that there are some wrestlers who do benefit from the dirtsheets and expressed that he actually understands why they leak information to cause noise on social media.

Despite having strong opinions on the dirtsheets, MVP understands why they exist

Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

MVP, despite echoing his sentiment on how the dirtsheets are leeches to the sport of pro wrestling, further explained how he sees wrestlers use dirtsheets to their advantage in the industry. “When you have one of these influential dirtsheet writers give you a positive review, then, because, for whatever ridiculous reason, and I’ll get into that, so much gravitas is put on these idiots’ opinions, it can get you more bookings! It can get you more money,” he admitted.

“So, I think, one of the problems is: we have a generation of wrestlers that are wrestling for an audience of one,” MVP boldly proclaimed. “Instead of the audience that’s in the House, because they want somebody to, you know, give them a favorable star rating.” The veteran further expressed that he doesn’t blame the wrestlers for doing this and understands it from a fan perspective as well, as fans all simply want to peek behind the curtain.

However, MVP stood firm in his resolve about dirtsheets despite this. “But as a wrestler, I feel these people make a living off my career, my business. They take and they give nothing,” he noted. “Professionally speaking? What happens in the booking room, what happens in the locker room? Should stay in the locker room. Should stay in the office.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Marking Out” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Cummins was ruled out of Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress in his back.

He has a history of back injuries, with flare-ups in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss three Australian summers in four years.

He said he would be “aggressive” and “take risks” in his recovery in order to play in the Ashes.

Bailey said he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but that it was “getting tight” for him to be fit for the first Test.

Should Cummins not be fit in time for the opener in Perth, former captain Steve Smith will skipper the side.

All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out of Australia’s squad for their one-day international series against India as a precaution because of soreness in his side.

Bailey described it as a “minor” injury and said Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be “in a good place to be ready to bowl”.

“We put so much time and energy into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder,” Bailey said.

“He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively.”

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Dallas Mavericks fans got their third look at rookie Cooper Flagg on Monday as the Mavs beat the Utah Jazz 114-101 in the NBA preseason.

In the grand scheme of things, Flagg’s third preseason game will likely be forgotten, but he showed some flashes of what’s to come. The No. 1 overall pick had 11 points, seven boards, two steals and a pair of blocks in the win.

He struggled to find his shot, hitting just three of his 13 attempts from the field and one of his six shots from deep, but that’s to be expected for a young player still adjusting to the NBA game.

Jazz fans were hoping to see more of Ace Bailey after the No. 5 pick impressed in his first two preseason games, but he played just 11 minutes before exiting with knee soreness.

With Bailey out for most of the game, Flagg was the story of the night. Fans applauded the 18-year-old as he continues to figure things out, taking note of what he did on the defensive end.

Flagg hasn’t done much to impress on offense in three preseason games, but that shouldn’t be a huge concern. For now, the Mavs just want to see him get comfortable going up against NBA talent, and his shots will eventually start to fall.

Even if he isn’t a major threat on offense, it seems like he’ll be a reliable defender from the jump.

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  Tim BontempsSep 24, 2025, 12:11 PM ET

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  Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.

Utah Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey has parted ways with manager Omar Cooper and is in the process of getting new representation, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Bailey, the No. 5 pick by the Jazz, made the decision in the wake of a peculiar draft process that included — as ESPN reported in June — his representatives telling a team inside the top five that they didn’t want it to select him and that he wouldn’t report if it did.

At the time, the belief was that Bailey and his team were hoping to guide him to the Washington Wizards, who had the sixth pick. But Utah — in the first draft helmed by newly hired president of basketball operations Austin Ainge — took Bailey fifth, opening a brief window where it was unclear whether he would report.

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The former Rutgers star wound up reporting without incident and took part in summer league games with the Jazz.

Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for Rutgers and is expected to compete for a starting spot in Jazz coach Will Hardy’s lineup.

The Athletic first reported Bailey’s decision to part with Cooper.

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Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey parted ways with manager Omar Cooper on Tuesday, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Bailey is “in the process” of searching for new representation, per Jones.

Cooper was reportedly attempting to ensure that Bailey landed on an East-Coast team in the 2025 NBA draft. Instead, the Jazz selected him with the No. 5 overall pick.

After Bailey was selected, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that Utah “was not one of his preferred destinations.” He declined a workout invitation from the Jazz prior to the draft.

On Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Bailey’s camp “refused to engage” with teams looking to bring him in for individual workouts leading up to the draft in an attempt to be selected by the Washington Wizards at No. 6.

While Bailey eventually joined the Jazz without any type of resistance following the draft, a unique situation emerged at the Summer League.

Cooper’s son, Omar Cooper Jr., was briefly expected to serve as a guest coach for Utah during the Summer League before he was eventually removed by the team after the NBA contacted the organization and raised concerns.

Meanwhile, expectations are high for Bailey as he enters his rookie season with the Jazz.

He’s coming off a freshman year at Rutgers in which he averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point territory.

Bailey is expected to headline a young core for Utah that also includes Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, Walter Clayton Jr. and Kyle Filipowski.

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Middlesex had started the week 30 points behind second-placed Glamorgan. They realistically needed victory in Manchester and for the Welsh…