The Panthers start a dynasty, and Caitlin Clark gets in a fight

New York Times

18-06-2025

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Good morning! Hug a Boston sports fan today?
There was no comeback. No best Stanley Cup Final ever, no dream realized of finally taking a title back to Canada. That is how good the Florida Panthers are, an unstoppably demoralizing force of nature. For it, they now reign as back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
Seeing Marchand lift the cup on the same night Rafael Devers suited up for the Giants has to be tough for Boston sports fans. More on that in a bit.
With the win, Florida teams now have won four of the last six Stanley Cup titles, just as the hockey gods intended. Is this Panthers team a dynasty? Not by the literal definition, but they are just the third repeat champions of the salary-cap era.
That counts for something. Let's keep moving:
Caitlin Clark, darling of the WNBA, is not afraid of chirping back. We've seen her get in multiple tiffs during her young career, but last night's fracas against Connecticut could be the spiciest. Let's watch the highlight first:
The Fever and Sun got into a scuffle after Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye by Jacy Sheldon.
Afterwards, Marina Mabrey shoved Clark.
Clark, Mabrey and Tina Charles were called for technicals. Sheldon received a flagrant.
🎥 @NBATV | H/T @nosyone4 pic.twitter.com/TjgaLvPMFA
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) June 18, 2025
Yowza.
Clark scored 20 points in the win, while Sheldon and Mabrey combined for eight points and were a cumulative minus-38. Welp.
Read our full report from the scene.
Devers: I'll play anywhere
In his introductory Giants news conference yesterday, Rafael Devers said he is open to playing multiple positions with his new club, which is sure to enrage Red Sox fans. Boston traded Devers on Sunday after a rift between player and club, which predominantly centered around Devers' refusal to play first base. To twist the knife more, the Giants have asked Devers to start taking grounders at first — and he's game, apparently. Read his full comments here.
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Haliburton pushing to play
Despite what appears to be a serious calf strain, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wants to play in a do-or-die Game 6, a source told The Athletic. Haliburton, a superstar in these playoffs, was clearly hobbled by the injury in a lackluster Game 5 performance, and it's already leading to what-if questions for the Pacers about this finals run. Vegas has already accounted for Haliburton's injury, too.
Monahan to be phased out
Despite earlier reports, Jay Monahan's time as PGA Tour commissioner will indeed be coming to a close at the end of next year, making way for new CEO Brian Rolapp, who was officially introduced to players yesterday. Rolapp will take over day-to-day duties this summer from Monahan, who will turn his focus to bigger-picture items. Gabby Herzig was there at Rolapp's first news conference yesterday, and I was tickled to learn Rolapp only plays five to 10 rounds of golf per year. Read her full report here.
More news
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We'll be quick here. This serves as both a legitimate point of conversation and a tease for what we'll be writing tomorrow, which focuses on the men's Club World Cup. It started this week, by the way, though you may have missed it.
Which is kind of the point — do we care about the CWC? We'll separate this into three camps:
Vote here. We'll fold the results into the newsletter tomorrow.
📺 MLB: Angels at Yankees
7:05 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Normally this would not be on alert for me, but the Angels have secured at least a split of this four-game series and are just two games under .500. Aaron Judge, meanwhile, has one hit in his last four games and the Yanks have lost five straight. Hm.
📺 MCWS: LSU vs. Arkansas
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Pray for my sanity tonight, as my Tigers once again face Arkansas with a trip to the Men's College World Series finals on the line. Root for them with me? Thanks. Catch up with all our MCWS stuff on the live blog.
Get tickets to games like these here.
There are niche things one thinks about more often than they should. One of mine is the 2018 Nigerian World Cup kit, which I still see out and about today. There's a reason for that: it was a cultural phenomenon the moment it was released online. We have the inside story of how it happened.
By name recognition alone, Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is a star. Austin Meek talked to five high school coaches who faced Underwood last year to get a full scouting report.
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Jim Bowden has six deals he'd like to see before the MLB trade deadline, including an interesting Sandy Alcantara swap.
Cristiano Ronaldo paints his toenails black. Why?
Brooks Peck did the job we all dream of: ranking new MLB concession items across the country. Give me a trident's worth of Dr. Pepper, please.
Our writers reviewed the F1 movie called 'F1: The Movie.' It was … fine.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Brendan Quinn's affecting story on Adam Scott, who saw what might be his last chance at a second major roll away Sunday.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Aryna Sabalenka's follow-up apology about her comments following the loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open final.