Browsing: fun

Larry is the very best boy, and now heâ€s a radioactive one ahead of Halloween.

The Zombie Sailor toy company announced it has produced a green, glow-in-the-dark “radioactive†Larry action figure. The Larry action figure is in stock now, and proceeds from every Larry figure sold will be donated to PAWS Chicago. The charity holds a special place in CM Punk and AJ Leeâ€s hearts, as itâ€s where they adopted Larry from in 2015.

The figure is officially licensed by CM Punk and Larry, and it is only available on http://ZombieSailor.com.

Radioactive Larry is IN-STOCK NOW!

For Halloween Larry has gone RADIOACTIVE and he glows-in-the-dark!

Proceeds from every Larry figure sold will be donated to @PAWSChicago

Officially licensed by CM Punk and Larry!

only on pic.twitter.com/MMPzPThD8i

— Zombie Sailor (@TheZombieSailor) October 29, 2025

This is Larryâ€s second figure through Zombie Sailor; the original one came bundled with a retro-style CM Punk action figure after his WWE return in 2023.

Cody Rhodes previously said that Larry was “killing it†in the merch game. The dog, named after Lon Chaneyâ€s character, Larry Talbot, in The Wolf Man,has had other officially licensed merchandise, like a werewolf-themed “Itâ€s Slobberin†Time†shirt. He also has a “Larry: Best In The World†shirt on the Fanatics website that looks like it was inspired by the Victory Records “bulldog†logo.

Read More: Update On Chelsea Greenâ€s New WWE Contract — Report

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Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma (X) Rain may have washed out the first T20I between India and Australia in Canberra, but it still offered plenty of moments to smile about — especially the sight of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma sharing laughs on the sidelines. The two Punjab boys, who have grown up playing cricket together since childhood, are now opening the innings for India in the shortest format. Seeing them together in national colours, teasing each other and chatting during the rain delay, was a reminder of how special their journey has been.Watch: Gill and Abhishekâ€s bromance Before the rain took over, India got off to a brisk start after being asked to bat first. Abhishek began confidently, striking four boundaries and setting the tone early on. However, he couldnâ€t convert his start and fell for 19 off 14 balls, caught at mid-off while attempting to loft a slower delivery from Nathan Ellis. Gill, on the other hand, looked composed and fluent, racing to 37 not out from just 20 deliveries. His partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav added 62 runs off just 35 balls, and India were cruising at 97 for 1 in 9.4 overs when the heavens opened up again. For Suryakumar, this innings was more than just a fluent cameo. His 39 not out from 24 balls included two towering sixes, taking him to a special landmark — 150 sixes in T20 internationals. He became only the fifth player in history to achieve the feat, joining Rohit Sharma, Muhammad Waseem, Martin Guptill and Jos Buttler. While rain denied India a strong finish, the chemistry between Gill and Abhishek, combined with Suryakumarâ€s return to form, gave fans plenty of positives to take forward. The focus now shifts to Melbourne, where both sides will hope for better weather and a full game on Friday.

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The Vegas Golden Knights absolutely demolished the Calgary Flames 6-1 in Sin City on Saturday night NHL action.

The Flames have now lost five in a row and are dead last in the overall NHL rankings for the season.

Here are the takeaways:

What’s Going on with Dustin Wolf

As of the end of this game, Wolf has given up 15 goals in five games in even-strength hockey and has an Expected Goals Against (xGA) value of 8.33. That is below expected by 6.67, the BIGGEST in the league.

Safe to say he is in a sophomore slump, but it’s still early in the season to pick it up.

Second Period Slump

You could make the argument the Flames just got unlucky in the first period. The first shot of the game ended up being a Mitch Marner goal. After that shot, until the 11:25 mark of the first period, the Flames and Knights were even at 5-5 in shots on goal, including trading PP goals, that put the Knights up 2-1.

Calgary then outshot Vegas 8-1 until the second-last minute. Unfortunately, that lone Knights shot found the back of the Flames net, putting them up 3-1 at the first intermission.

That’s pretty unlucky.

But there was no excuse for the nightmare that was the second period.

Forget about the shot count: The Golden Knights had 15 scoring opportunities while the Flames had two. In terms of high-danger scoring opportunities, Vegas had five, including a shorthanded attempt. Two of those ended up being goals.

Calgary had zero high-danger scoring opportunities. They were no threat for Vegas goalie Adin Hill. The second period was basically a walk in the park for him.

The Flames would stage a comeback in the third period, but could not produce any goals.

Poor Penalty-Kill

The Flames went 0-for-3 on the penalty-kill. You cannot expect to put on a respectable season record if the penalty-kill is zero on the dot.

Bottom Line

As for as what I liked with the Flames, Nazem Kadri was 11-of-15 (73.3%) on the face-off.

That’s about it.

The Flames will now come back home to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

To know how bad the Calgary offense was going into this game, check out this to see who had the most individual total shots for the team all season.

HINT: It’s a defenceman…

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With the preseason concluding on Friday, October 17, many fantasy leagues usually hold their drafts now. There are no games to worry about over the weekend, and NBA teams will finalize their rosters. We’ll have a general idea of each team’s rotation, including factoring in how they’ll compensate for players who won’t be available when the regular season begins on October 21.

The NBA returns to NBC and streams on Peacock on Tuesday, October 21 with an Opening Night doubleheader featuring the Houston Rockets vs. the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m.

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With many fantasy basketball drafts being held this weekend, Rotoworld’s Raphielle Johnson, Noah Rubin and Zak Hanshew have some tips that should help make the fantasy basketball process fun and hopefully rewarding.

NBA: Playoffs-Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers

How to Play Fantasy Basketball 2025-26: Draft tips and beginnerâ€s guide

With fantasy basketball drafts beginning this month, hereâ€s everything first-time players need to know about how to play and win their league.

1. Enter the draft with a list of “your guys,†but donâ€t be afraid to pivot

No matter which draft guide you’ve read during the preseason, writers will have lists of their “guys” that they’re high on entering the season. You can and should use that information and your gut feelings to craft a list of players you’re hoping to land in your draft. However, whether or not you get those players will be impacted by the roster build and the moves made by other managers. Don’t be afraid to go in a different direction based on who’s still on the board. – Raphielle Johnson

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2. Reach for your guys

I’ve broken this rule enough to know it never feels good when you leave your draft without that player. For me, Jalen Johnson and Ausar Thompson fit this description best this season. Last season, it was Dyson Daniels. The year before, it was Derrick White. This isn’t me saying that it will always hit; I have definitely had players I just HAD to have that ended up having a terrible season. But the worst thing is when you try to wait for your guy at ADP, and they get scooped up by someone else. Don’t let it happen. – Noah Rubin

3. Read and React

If you’ve played or watched basketball at any level, you’ve heard the phrase “Read and React.” You’re taking what the defense gives you on offense rather than running a play and going through the motions. See the backdoor cut, find an open three-point shooter, drive the lane if the defense is spread out. You get the idea.

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The same is true when drafting a fantasy basketball team. I may come into a draft with certain players on my “Do Not Draft” list, but lists like that should be loose. I won’t take Joel Embiid in the first three rounds, but if he’s available at Pick 50, you bet I’ll be scooping him up! RJ Barrett at Pick 120? Say less.

Don’t be stubborn in your strategy. Be adaptable. Take what the Draft Room gives you. Read and React. – Zak Hanshew

4. Youâ€ll want to draft a high-level big man early

The good news is that, after Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama, there will still be more than a few post players on the board who can return excellent value. So, this advice won’t apply to the first round alone. You may want to draft at least one high-level frontcourt player early. Alperen Åžengün appears poised for a big year in Houston, while Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis has consistently offered excellent value (his ADP may be a bit high for my liking). Being able to build out a roster and not have to worry about the center position can be helpful, as it will likely be easier to find solid guards and wings in the later rounds than big men. – RJ

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5. Do Your Homework

Pay attention to the latest news. Preseason injuries have piled up quickly this year, and being out of the loop can have dramatic consequences. Guys like Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Williams and Jalen Green are all set to miss time to start the season. Ditto LeBron James. Oh, and don’t forget Paul George.

Joel Embiid? He might actually play in the season-opener. Staying up-to-date on the latest news can keep you from reaching for a player who may not be readily available. It can also give you insight into who might pick up the slack. Is Cason Wallace a sneaky upside pick in standard leagues? What about Aaron Wiggins in deeper formats? Can Grayson Allen provide early-season value as a starter for the Suns? Is Embiid worth a look in Rounds 4-5? – ZH

6. Draft players that you want to watch

Is it fun to draft players and watch the box score to see who wins? I mean, maybe for some people, but getting a little skin in the game makes things more entertaining for me. Get someone from your favorite or local team. Watch them in person if you’re able. Fantasy basketball is most fun when you’re watching your team’s stars shine. – NR

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7. Remain flexible when it comes to your draft strategy

Sometimes, it can be easy to lock yourself into a particular strategy early in a draft. For many who draft Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s easy to decide at that point that you’ll be punting free-throw percentage and/or three-pointers. However, one should remain flexible in this approach. One can never know what the other managers in a league will do with their draft picks, so stay flexible. The ability to do so could be the difference between winning some money and ending the season empty-handed. – RJ

NBA: Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks

Fantasy Basketball Category Punt Guide for 2025-26

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Depending on the category youâ€re willing to punt, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo will have greater fantasy value.

8. “To Thine Own Self Be Trueâ€

Polonius’ immortal words from Shakespeare’s Hamlet fit aptly into the realm of fantasy basketball.

There are so many excellent fantasy analysts, and they deliver a TON of content on the web, in apps and on social media. Absorb the information, and seek other points of view so you’re not lost in an echo chamber. Digest that information, but don’t let it change how you draft. Like a guy in the mid rounds, but his “expert ranking” is in the later rounds? Take him where you think it’s appropriate. High on a player labeled as a “consensus bust?” Draft him anyway.

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Stay true to yourself when drafting your fantasy basketball team. Whether you like playing it safe or prefer to swing for the fences with high-risk, high-reward players, do what feels right. Take in the outside noise, but don’t let it change your strategy. – ZH

9. Check your leagueâ€s scoring settings

It’s not fun to draft a team that would’ve been good in a different league but doesn’t have the same juice in the one you’re playing in. This is more for points leagues, though it can still be important in category leagues if it isn’t the standard nine categories. I’ve played in leagues with bonuses for double-doubles and triple-doubles, leagues that take points for ejections, leagues that give you two points per rebound and another for an offensive rebound and a bunch of other weird rules. If you know where to take advantage early on, you can exploit the rankings in your draft room. – NR

10. Know the league roster rules

This may not be the “sexiest” piece of advice when competing in a fantasy league, but it may be the most important. If you don’t know what your league’s roster is supposed to look like, how are you supposed to win? Managers who neglect to understand their rosters fully can certainly come out on top, but you’re saving yourself some potential aggravation by knowing that information before the draft begins. How many centers do you need to have in your lineup? Does your league have standard IL spots or the far superior IL+ spots?

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Also, be sure to know the rules for free agents. Is it “first come, first served,” or will you have to place a bid for all, whether the player is a free agent or on waivers? If you don’t have to worry about knowing the rules, that’s a big part of the battle regarding winning your league. – RJ

Orlando Magic Media Day

2025-26 Fantasy Basketball: Franz Wagner, Zion Williamson headline staff favorites

Rotoworld basketball analysts Cole Huff, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew pick their “guys†for the upcoming fantasy season.

11. Mock Draft

Practice makes perfect. Mock draft from multiple different spots and with many different people. Start early and continue throughout the offseason to understand trends, track ADP risers and fallers and get a general feel for how you like to approach the early, middle and late rounds of drafts. A good opening is important in chess, but Garry Kasparov wouldn’t have become one of the greatest of all time without a strong endgame. Ensure you are prepared for as many scenarios as possible so you don’t get stumped on draft day. – ZH

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12. Play with people you know

This isn’t saying you can’t have fun playing with strangers, but I have found that the optimal experience for me is to play with people I want to talk to throughout the season. Whether it’s friends I can meet up with in person for a draft or people I know online, it makes it more fun to talk trash, tell jokes, or communicate throughout the year. It also makes it easier to make trades. If you’re playing with people you don’t know, get to know them! Use a league chat, whether it’s on your fantasy platform or on a different app, create a space to talk to your league mates. – NR

13. This one is serious. Know your limits, whether itâ€s financially or what “forfeit†youâ€re willing to do if you finish dead last

Losing is no fun; quite frankly, no one wants to plan for the possibility. But, be sure only to take on what you’re willing and able to handle, whether it’s a financial loss or potentially having to do something silly if your team finishes dead last (like getting a tattoo, for example). Failing to do so can result in a negative fantasy experience, and possibly some hard feelings if playing amongst friends. Be sure to keep things fun. – RJ

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14. Branch Out, Have Fun!

Of course, you’re going to take it seriously. Of course, you’re going to dive into analytics and mock drafts. Of course, you’re going to do your homework and keep up-to-date on the latest news. But at the end of the day, don’t forget that fantasy hoops is about having fun. Get your guys. Try playing using a new format. Play with new groups of people. Get your family and friends involved. Enjoy yourself! Otherwise, what are we doing here? – ZH

Too on the nose? I don’t care! One last plug for the content we’ve worked on throughout the preseason. Mock drafts, rankings, strategy guides and player profiles to help you win your league. Utilize the free content to help you make decisions! – NR

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This is DK Metcalf’s first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it didn’t take him long to poke fun at an AFC North rival.

“I don’t want to get into divisional rivalries or anything of that nature. But I mean, it was fun kicking the Browns’ ass on Sunday,” the wide receiver said Tuesday following Sunday’s 23-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns, per Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

That was Pittsburgh’s first divisional game of the year, although it won’t have to wait long for its next one with a Thursday matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals looming.

The Steelers largely cruised in the 14-point win and never trailed a single time. Metcalf posted four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown as the offensive leader, but it was Pittsburgh’s defense that set the tone.

Cleveland never found the end zone while averaging 3.8 yards per rush and attempting 52 passes with Dillon Gabriel. The rookie completed 29 of those throws for 221 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions and was also sacked six times.

It was an ugly showing for the 1-5 Browns and more of the same in this rivalry. Pittsburgh is 41-11-1 in head-to-head matchups against Cleveland since the 2000 season and has now won two in a row after a rare two-game losing streak in the rivalry.

As for Metcalf, he has 19 catches for 356 yards and four touchdowns through five games for the 4-1 Steelers and has demonstrated clear rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He will continue to endear himself to Steelers fans with so many touchdown catches, especially if they come in victories.

But taking shots at rivals is also going to make him even more of a fan favorite.

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Adjusting expectations is never easy, whether watching our children grow, assessing our self-worth, or planning a golf buddies’ trip. Twelve months ago, I signed up for what looked like an idyllic excursion: a golf-themed cruise in Canada’s Maritimes on a four-mast power sailboat. Operated by Expedition Experience, the 12-day “Fiddle & Sticks” voyage included ports of call in Québec’s bucolic Îles-de-la-Madeleine; Newfoundland’s outports, villages exclusively accessible by water or air; Nova Scotia and St. Pierre, a French territory (euros and passport required), with golf on world-class courses along the way. Despite my acute seasickness, I’d sailed much of this voyage before and loved it. But it was the promise of golf in Cape Breton that checked the “must-go-again” box for me.

Then came the curveball. As I queued in Toronto for my connecting flight to Nova Scotia, I received a text from my friend and traveling companion, Halifax-based Breton Murphy, alerting me that the sailing had been scrapped due to a logistical issue: our captain had unexpectedly left for Central Europe. Undeterred, and so near to playing Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs I could taste the salty air, we swapped a keel for a car and off we sped to Cape Breton.

Murphy, my impromptu chauffeur with Poulter-esque fashion tastes, was raised in Sydney, a historic mining town on Cape Breton’s eastern shore. He spent his youth sailing on Bras d’Or Lakes, the island’s inland sea and visiting relatives’ lakeshore cabins, escapes he continued while in college at St. Francis Xavier University. His anecdotes fueled our odyssey better than my English breakfast tea.

As a Pacific Northwesterner, I can’t approach Cabot Cape Breton without drawing comparisons to Bandon Dunes. The similarities are not coincidental. When Cabot founder Ben Cowan-Dewar was shown the headlands between Inverness and the Atlantic Ocean, he reached out to Bandon Dunes founder Mike Keiser.

Fully occupied by his fast-growing Oregon resort, Keiser passed on the investment opportunity until, that is, he visited the Nova Scotia parcel or, more specifically, the 40 parcels Cowan-Dewar had pieced together. The pair formed a partnership, with Keiser in the role of mentor rather than manager. Canadian architect Rod Whitman was hired to design Cabot Links. Like David McLay Kidd, who was plucked from obscurity to design Bandon Dunes, Whitman had never been commissioned a project of this magnitude before. Cowan-Dewar and Whitman broke ground in 2009, an inauspicious year to launch an audacious project on the eastern edge of North America. The course opened three years later.

It would be a crime to focus solely on drives and not driving here, given that Cape Breton is one of the most beautiful chunks of terrain in North America, best viewed from the Cabot Trail, a 186-mile route that courses around the island. When the fall colors set in, it’s as pretty as any place on the planet. My first visit to Cape Breton centered on hiking, paddling, and chasing moose in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Gaelic, Acadian and Mi’kmaq cultures add still more patterns to the tartan.

The Celtic Colours International Festival, arguably the finest celebration of Celtic music and culture in the world, launches in early October when the sugar maples, birch and beech transform into an arboreal kaleidoscope. The artistic spectrum also dazzles, with more than 200 events and 50 musical performances spanning nine days.

Celtic Colours corresponds with the end-of-season rates at Cabot Cape Breton. Though October weather can be temperamental, strolling these tracks in cloud-filtered sunlight and crisp autumnal temperatures is a delight, and all the better at a discount. The Cape’s geography won’t disappoint any other time of the year either, with vast swaths of alpine forests embracing glacial lakes.

Cape Breton was no stranger to excellent golf prior to Cowan-Dewar’s arrival. In 1939, the National Park Service hired Stanley Thompson, Canada’s dean of golf architecture, to design nine holes within the park. Thompson, insisting on an additional nine, crafted Cape Breton Highland Links, a former fixture on GOLF’s list of Top 100 Courses in the World and among the most stunning and varied 18-hole walks anywhere.

From its parkland starting point, the routing works uphill through the pines, then down toward the coast. The par-3 3rd hole requires a carry over a baby loch; the par-5 7th ducks into the woods, cutting a narrow passage through a sylvan gorge; the 9th, a short par 4, features a blind approach, while the par-3 10th drops precipitously into a dell; the par-3 12th calls for a beastly carry along the Clyburn river. Then it’s out into the highlands and back toward the Atlantic for the closing holes. Eighty-five years on, Thompson’s Cape Breton Highland Links should be added to any Cape Breton golf junket, especially now that recent attention has improved the track’s previously scruffy complexion.

Murphy and I had prepped for two days by playing a lesser-known but only slightly less challenging layout, The Lakes at Ben Eoin. Situated on the eastern shore of Bras d’Or Lake, these 18 meander the hillside and present several gorgeous vistas of the eponymous lake. Forest flanks every fairway. Brooks slither across favored landing areas. The par-3 17th at golden hour, framed by the lake, presents as beautiful a picture as one could paint without an ocean in the backdrop.

Which brings us to the Atlantic-framed masterpieces of Cabot Cape Breton. More than out and back nines, a sandy base, tee-to-green fescue, and other classic characteristics, I believe a links is best defined by surprise: blind shots, hidden greens, crazy contours. It’s an insult to call a course “tricked out.” But I consider “boring” to be the most slanderous descriptor for a course, a moniker that is most liable to cancel future visits, suitcase closed.

Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs never feel mundane. True, these courses, poised above the ocean like an infinity pool, have an unfair aesthetic advantage, but it’s the dual layouts – siblings but not twins – that make me giddy.

Play the Links first, if possible, as the Whitman design doesn’t bear the Cliff’s teeth. You’ll still have to concentrate, as I failed to do on the 465-yd par-4 6th when, consumed with the indented bay waiting to drown my lefty fade, I drove my ball through the fairway and into the native juniper. Trouble also lurks in plain sight on the 620-yard 11th, a plateau and valley setup I never could quite figure out. It was the only hole on the Links where a caddie’s insights would have proved invaluable.

Ordinarily, I don’t obsess too much about wind, as my ball flight doesn’t exactly tickle the heavens. But the 108-yard, par-3 14th, with an elevated tee facing the Atlantic, nearly left me curled in a fetal position. Murphy soared the green during a break in the gusts; I aimed left of the green and watched my ball sail into a bunker on the right. Triple-bogey. I adjusted my launch angles for the final four holes, a finishing stretch that proved particularly punishing for wayward shots.

Like its counterpart, Cabot Cliffs begins benignly. The opening hole is a 581-yard par 5 with a few well-placed bunkers to hold your focus. Though Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are known as two of the nicest people in the industry, the niceties end on the second hole, which requires a deft tee shot threatened by a brook, followed by a blind shot to an elevated green that lurks behind a shrub-stubbled hill: a pronouncement that the fun has truly begun.

The author’s playing partner on Cabot Cliff’s closing hole.

Crai S. Bower

The giggles continue. The 389-yard par-4 3rd demands the first of countless (okay, nine) carries, not including the six par 3s. (On the Cliffs, pars are parsed into thirds.) Of the nine “say your prayers and swing” tee shots, the gaping 589-yd par 5 7th, with a watery grave below and a shrub-filled cemetery to the right, induces the most frightening nightmares.

There is perhaps no more demanding task for an architect than composing a blind shot. As for the golfer, so much can go awry. It’s a fine line, after all, between a mesmerizing feature and a frustrating gimmick. Coore and Crenshaw provide a masterclass on the 15th hole, a 560-yard par 5 where, should one strike a perfect second shot with a long iron or fairway wood, the ball will streak down the right side of the fairway to the gathering green where eagles, or at least two-putt birdies, alight.

The six par-3s also play out in in a creative cadence with a couple of blind greens and plenty of room for creativity. On the 186-yard 6th, our foursome watched each tee shot disappear behind the knoll, reappear to surmount the back edge, then trundle back into the abyss before gathering, we discovered moments later, within three feet of each other about fifteen paces from the flag.

If the 6th entertained us with unseen gyrations, the 176-yard 16th befuddled our quartet from the start, the flag an apparition so far left of the green that I questioned my yardage book. Faced with a pure ocean carry over spectacular igneous spires, I was certain my five iron was a tap-in birdie were it not for the green’s unforeseen descent toward the imposing Atlantic.

Coore and Crenshaw are right back at it on the 331-yard 17th, a cliff-hugging par 4 where a well-struck drive over the bluffs to an unseen fairway can catch a speed slot and spill down to the green’s mouth, assuming it avoids several menacing bunkers.

Were both courses situated on my side of the continent, I’d hit Cabot Links when I could, but I’d play Cabot Cliffs with a headlamp if it meant accumulating more rounds.

We wrapped up at Cabot’s Whit’s Public House before making the hour drive back to Baddeck, a Bras d’Or Lake harbor village where we’d launched our day with a two-hour lobster-boat cruise and where we planned to close the evening over fresh lobster at the new Main Street Restaurant.

The next morning, while collecting a scone at the fabulous Herring Choker Deli outside of town, I purchased a hand-painted lighthouse magnet to carry home, a symbol of Cabot Cape Breton’s charms.

The owner of Expedition Experience assures me that “Fiddle & Sticks” will be back on the books in 2026. I’m ready to rosin my clubs, grab my anti-nausea acupressure wristbands, and jig my way back across the continent to the Maritimes.

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  Tim MacMahonOct 6, 2025, 11:47 PM ET

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  • Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
  • Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
  • Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

FORT WORTH, Texas — No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg takes pride in his ability to impact winning in a variety of ways, and that versatility was evident in his NBA preseason debut.

Flagg filled the box score during his one half of work in the Dallas Mavericks’ 106-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena on Monday night. The 18-year-old rookie scored 10 points and contributed 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot in 14 minutes.

“That’s a fun brand of basketball to play when the ball’s moving around,” Flagg said. “It was fun.”

All of Flagg’s points came during a two-minute, 38-second flurry in the second quarter. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Flagg went coast to coast for a contested layup for his first points with 5:32 remaining in the quarter. He knocked down a 3-pointer as the pick-and-roll ball handler the next possession. Flagg also made a pair of free throws after getting fouled on a spin move in the paint and hit another 3 off the dribble.

Flagg shot 3-of-6 overall and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He did not commit a turnover, playing a clean game while handling some of the Mavs’ point guard responsibilities.

“Just taking whatever the defense gives me,” Flagg said. “Just keep it simple, making the right play — pass or shot, whatever that is.”

Flagg’s most impressive highlight occurred 85 seconds into the game, when he swooped in from the weak side to swat Isaiah Joe’s driving layup attempt, a stop that sparked a fast break Anthony Davis finished with a dunk on the other end.

“You got to see the defensive side, you got to see the playmaking and then the scoring,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He was really, really good.”

The defending champion Thunder did not bring any of their regular starters on the back-to-back preseason trip, which included a win over the Charlotte Hornets in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday night.

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The new season of Prime Videoâ€s behind-the-scenes hockey series FACEOFF: Inside the NHL dropped on Friday.

Florida Panthers fans are going to enjoy a lot of what the new season has to offer.

While there are fun Panthers tidbits that can be seen throughout, there are some key episodes that focus much of their runtime on Panthers-related content.

First, Episode 1 features the life of Ottawa Senators star forward Brady Tkachuk on and off the ice.

Much of it focuses on his time at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he and his brother, Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk, were key elements of the Team USA squad that came within an overtime goal of winning the tournament.

The injury suffered by the elder Tkachuk was also a main point of emphasis in this episode.

Another episode that Panthers fans are going to love is the final one, Episode 6.

That one is all about the Cats and their quest for a second straight Stanley Cup, and it give the same incredible, in-depth access that we received during the first season of FACEOFF.

Similarly to last year, we get some great micâ€d up moments from the players, including another frustrated Oilers screaming moment in their locker room and some great bytes from Panthers Head Coch Paul Maurice.

No surprise there.

Let us know in the comments below which moments were your favorites from the new season of FACEOFF!

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Photo caption: Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

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Not everything went the Yankees’ way in Thursday’s 4-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Wild Card series, and Giancarlo Stanton can tell you that first-hand.

Leading off the second inning and with the game scoreless, the Yankees slugger launched a curveball from Connelly Early deep to left center field. Stanton and the 48 thousand-plus in attendance thought the ball was destined for the bullpen and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Before the ball landed, Stanton turned to his dugout and started hyping his teammates up while walking to first base.

The ball was hit 114.5 mph off the bat and went 393 feet, but the launch angle wasn’t high enough, as it hit off the middle of the wall and fell to the warning track. When Stanton turned from his teammates, he noticed the ball did not go out and he hustled to make it to second base.

YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits spoke to Stanton after the team’s win and asked if there was any doubt the team would find a way to get the win. And the Yankees slugger had the perfect answer.

“The only doubt was if that was a homer or not whenever I hit it. Thank goodness for that bonehead play that the team was resilient enough and Cam [Schlittler] was resilient enough. And it didn’t mess up the chemistry or the moment,” he said. “So that’s good. Kids at home, don’t do that. Future opponents, please do that. Bonehead play. Just glad it worked in our favor and it won’t happen again.”

Although the Yankees were not able to drive him home, it was a good sign that Stanton reached base at all. He entered Game 3 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and looked lost at the plate. And although the double was his only hit of the game, Stanton looked much more comfortable.

The Yankees will need their slugger’s power when they go up against the Blue Jays in the ALDS starting Saturday.

Giancarlo misses a homer by a couple feet. He gets a double pic.twitter.com/lLdXIcHi2Y

— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

Giancarlo thought he hit a home run pic.twitter.com/QWAXRRq8AT

— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

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The dawn’s early light broke slow and heavy Friday over Bethpage State Park, a pale wash creeping through the trees as if reluctant to reveal the chaos already under way. Fans clad in red, white and blue had been congregating outside since 3am, trotting down floodlit paths to the 1st-tee grandstand when the gates finally swung open at 5am. By 6am, thousands were already wedged together in the dark, swaying to chants and clutching cardboard cups of coffee, tallboys of hard seltzer and greasy breakfast cheeseburgers.

When the clock ticked toward the 7.10am start time, the atmosphere boiled over in the 5,000-seat amphitheater. The chants ricocheted around the stands: “We want Bryson! We want Bryson!†Some wore DeChambeau’s name scrawled across their bare chests while others waved handwritten signs. Their wish was his command. Bryson DeChambeau, golf’s most polarizing showman, emerged with Justin Thomas by his side. They strode through the tunnel shoulder to shoulder, an American flag draped across their backs, DeChambeau pounding his chest as if priming for combat. Across from them waited Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, the Spanish-English duo clad in Europe’s blue and gold, Rahm already stone-faced, Hatton muttering to himself.

A flyover of military jets rattled the sky. Security helicopters hovered above in anticipation of Donald Trump’s arrival later in the day. Those who hadn’t made plans to arrive hours early were stuck in the residential streets outside the grounds in scenes resembling World War Z. On the grandstand video board, Rory McIlroy appeared, warming up on the range, drawing jeers and obscenities. As Keegan Bradley, the rookie US captain, barked into a microphone minutes earlier – “Let’s fucking go, boys!†– this was not golf as country club pastime. This was the bloodsport the masses were promised.

DeChambeau had teased the possibility the day before: the 397-yard opening hole was “definitely drivable†downwind, he said, if you could carry 200mph of ball speed. Rahm promptly missed right into the rough to sarcastic roars. Then DeChambeau turned to face the crowd, took two violent practice swings, then smacked a drive into the New York morning. It bounded down to 10 yards short of the green. Promises made, promises kept. Thomas pitched to 16ft. DeChambeau buried the putt. One up after one. A thunderclap of noise, a fist pump from Thomas, a barbaric yawp from DeChambeau. The crowd nearly shook the stands apart. America had landed its opening punch, just what Bradley wanted from his fiery leaders.

For a moment, it seemed a tone was set. The Ryder Cup was back on home soil, the US determined to avenge Rome, the crowd primed to explode with every red numeral on the board. But the wave never built. The course, softened by rain, played toothless. Europe absorbed the opening haymaker and struck back with prejudice. By the turn, the blue numbers began to bleed across the giant leaderboards. Rahm and Hatton steadied, clawing back. Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley sputtered against Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood silenced Collin Morikawa and Harris English with cool precision. The sound inside the amphitheater and around the grounds dimmed, chants turning flat, one side starting “U-S-A!†while the other trailed off.

The knockout came at the par-four 7th, where Xander Schauffele tugged his drive into the rough left. From there, he and Patrick Cantlay stumbled, Cantlay missing another tentative putt from nine feet, failing to save par. The last flicker of red vanished from the board. The partisan crowd, primed for pandemonium, sagged into uneasy silence. It was around now that Air Force One lifted off from Joint Base Andrews, bound for Farmingdale. You wondered if Trump, peering at a leaderboard update on the flight deck and tethered to an exhaustively documented aversion for losers, considered turning the plane back.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton congratulate each other on a productive first morning’s work. Photograph: David Davies/PA

By the finish, the wreckage was clear. Rahm and Hatton closed out DeChambeau and Thomas 4&3, a rout disguised by that opening birdie. McIlroy and Fleetwood overwhelmed Morikawa and English 5&4. Åberg and Fitzpatrick battered Scheffler and Henley 5&3. Only Schauffele and Cantlay salvaged a point, holding off Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre to escape with a two-up win that prevented the first away-team sweep of any session since 1987. The scoreboard read 3–1 to Europe, the Long Island cauldron quieted.

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By lunchtime, the carnival had dulled. The United States, needing a fast start to rattle Europe, had been rattled themselves. DeChambeau’s opening blast still echoed – an act of theater as brash as his personality – but the American party was muted. Every Ryder Cup insists on being louder and rowdier than the last. Bethpage certainly sounded like it in the opening minutes, when the ground shook under 5,000 stamping feet and DeChambeau nearly drove the green. But memory has a way of being selective. For the fans who had turned up at three in the morning, the image that may linger is the uneasy hush that followed, when the bravado slipped and the Europeans seized control.