Blackhawks Big Defenseman Should Only Get Better
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Payton Tolle, 'one of the better pitching prospects' in the Red Sox' farm system, promoted to Triple-A Worcester
WORCESTER — Chad Tracy didn't parse words when describing his newest pitcher Payton Tolle. 'From the things I've heard, this is one of the better pitching prospects (we've had) roll through here in my time,' the four-year WooSox manager said, 'and I'm excited to watch him throw.' Currently ranked as Boston's top pitching prospect, according to Tolle has been terrific in his first full season inside the Red Sox organization. The 22-year-old left-hander was promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. Tolle, who stands at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and sports a major league mustache, possesses a 2.93 ERA with 116 strikeouts across 76⅔ innings in the minors this year. He comes in as Boston's No. 3 prospect overall. 'This guy's a bulldog and has just ripped through the minors,' Tracy said, 'and his stuff is great, and he throws strikes, and he's big, and he's strong.' Selected by Boston in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian, Tolle began this season with High-A Greenville — going 1-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 11 games (10 starts) for the Drive. Following his call up to Double-A Portland on June 24, the Oklahoma native posted a 1-1 record with a 1.67 ERA and 37 strikeouts in six games (5 starts) with the Sea Dogs. 'He's got a lot of electric stuff,' said WooSox pitcher Connelly Early, a teammate of Tolle in Portland before Early was called up to Triple A last week. 'When he's out on the mound, he's got that bulldog mentality, which is what you need. Seeing him go out there, it seemed like every single time he went out there he was just dominating, and it was amazing to watch.' Tolle's collegiate career first started at Wichita State, where he starred as a two-way player from 2022-23. He then transferred to TCU as a pitcher only in 2024, when he was a finalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy — which is given to the best amateur player in the U.S. and the national collegiate player of the year, respectively. Now, after being drafted by the Red Sox and experiencing a rapid rise through the organization, Tolle finds himself one call away from the big leagues. 'I was talking to one of my family friends back home, and he's like 'You do realize, you did get drafted last year?' ' Tolle recalled. 'I was like 'Yeah, it's kind of a whirlwind, I guess, but in the best way possible.' 'Just couldn't be more thankful.' While Tolle's fastball has touched 98 miles per hour this year, the tall lefty usually sits in the mid 90s with his heater. To strengthen his arsenal, though, Tolle has implemented an improved cutter, changeup and curveball to his pitch mix this season. 'Just having more weapons than just the fastball,' Tolle said ahead of his first game on the WooSox bench Wednesday. Tolle's repertoire, skill and size make him one of the more intriguing prospects in the Red Sox farm system at the moment. His personality plays a part, too. 'He's a big giant, but at the same time, he's a teddy bear to all the guys he's around in the clubhouse,' Early said. 'Great guy to have, from a team perspective, and, obviously, out on the mound.' Said Tracy: 'I haven't heard a single negative thing about him at all.' 'I'm going to have a whole lot of fun on the mound,' Tolle added. 'And I hope people have as much fun watching me pitch.' While Tolle is scheduled to start for the WooSox Aug. 10 at Polar Park, in his Triple-A debut, there is a strong possibility the Red Sox prospect could move to the bullpen — like new teammate David Sandlin did earlier this week — at some point down the road to help Boston with its stretch run. 'I think it's good to kind of let that carrot dangle,' Tolle said. 'But, at the same time, trying (the best I can to be where my) feet are. It can be very difficult, especially being this close (to the majors) now, but just trying to take it one day at a time.' When it comes to being a starter or a reliever the rest of the way, Tolle says he's game for whatever. The tall left-hander has enjoyed his rapid rise through the Red Sox ranks the past year. He hopes it continues. 'The end goal of this whole thing is to have a long, prosperous big-league career,' Tolle said. 'And whatever that role may be, whatever is going to put the organization in the best position possible. So whether that's bullpen, whether that's starting, whether that's handing out water, like, whatever. 'Whatever I need to do to give myself the best career, but also the most successful in the team aspect as well.' The returns on Payton Tolle have been good so far in Worcester. And he hasn't even thrown a pitch. 'We're definitely excited to have him,' Tracy said. —Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@ Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Top Red Sox pitching prospect Payton Tolle promoted to Triple-A Worcester
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dricus du Plessis 'begged' UFC to let him fight Khamzat Chimaev in enemy territory, vows to 'shock the world'
Dricus du Plessis' first walk into Chicago's iconic United Center was a memorable one. The UFC middleweight champion is set to defend his belt against one of the sport's most fearsome fighters — undefeated Chechen mauler Khamzat Chimaev — atop the UFC 319 pay-per-view card at the home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls on Aug. 16. Though du Plessis hails from South Africa, he has studied the mentality of one of America's most revered and ruthless sporting heroes, Michael Jordan. So it's no surprise that he stood in awe at Jordan's statue, reading the simple yet powerful 11-word inscription that adorns it: 'The best there ever was. The best there ever will be.' 'That's goals, for any athlete," du Plessis said Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." 'Michael Jordan is one of my sporting heroes. I've read so many books on his mindset and how he approaches things.' Now du Plessis plots his own pathway, not just to another championship defense, but to outright dominance in the sport. The 31-year-old told Uncrowned that he is targeting MMA's No. 1 pound-for-pound spot. He wants to go out like Jordan, as a bonafide legend of the game he plays. He's not just basking in the legacy of others — he wants to continue forging his own. Du Plessis already beat former UFC champions Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland (twice) and Israel Adesanya. Regardless, he's the underdog to the surging bookmakers' favorite, Chimaev. 'He is a special fighter … incredibly good,' du Plessis acknowledged of his challenger. Spend any time around du Plessis and it becomes quickly apparent that he has no qualms acknowledging the greatness of his opponents. That's because he is so confident in his own growth as a fighter and as a champion. It is something his critics have perhaps been slow to recognize. Yes, du Plessis has an awkward style of striking. And though it looks like he's breathing heavily after only a round, he really possesses one of the best engines in the entire roster. That's no accident. It's a product of a lifetime's work. And it's work he continues to fine-tune to this day. 'I don't care if people say, 'Dricus isn't a good champion,'' he explained. 'I'm getting paid, I'm defending the belt, twice, and now a third time. I've never had a boring fight. 'Up until a month ago, I had fought everyone in the top five except Nassourdine Imavov. That's the résumé. I want to fight the best guys, and I wanted the Khamzat fight so bad. 'I'm getting respect from more people now, but I'm proven, I'm winning. My style is not for everyone, it's awkward.' It's awkward on purpose. 'It's something they've never seen," du Plessis said. "So that's why it's awkward. How do you defend that? I do things in a way that my coaches and I have been training for. We look at a fighter, 'This is the way they do it, and this is a better way to do it.' Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 'If you throw your strikes like everyone else, eventually somebody will be able to figure that out. It's not that I'm awkward … I'm different. While people were critiquing, they should be taking notes because they'll fall behind and have to play catch-up.' Though du Plessis has found his groove as a champion, he grades his current abilities as merely a six out of 10. 'I'm far from giving the performance that I know I can,' he pledged. 'I'm chasing the perfect round, and the perfect fight. I think it's impossible, but it's worth chasing.' It's a mindset that bears comparison to Jordan, who constantly battled himself to stay elite. For du Plessis, it's finding that punch-perfect performance — something he feels may be within himself. The comparisons don't stop there. No matter how brutal it may sound to a neutral observer, Jordan's killer instinct was so fierce that coach Mike Malone once said the shooting guard would "reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game." Du Plessis has that in his soul too, because he'd fight anyone for the championship. He said he even requested the UFC to book the fight in enemy territory, in front of his opponent's own fans. "I begged them, actually — I wanted to fight [Chimaev] in Abu Dhabi, fighting in his neck of the woods, like I have been doing with with so many other opponents," du Plessis said. "I've grown quite fond of that. 'I'd fight my brother for my title, if I had to, and I'd try to kill him. I promise you that. And he's my best friend. When we get in the [Octagon], there are no friends. There are no relationships in a fight.' Fortunately, on Aug. 16, du Plessis isn't fighting a friend nor a relative. He's fighting Chimaev, someone he doesn't think much of as a person, but still holds in high regard. 'From the first time I saw him fight, I knew he was going to be special," du Plessis said of his challenger. 'There was never a stage where I thought he was overrated. He's as good as people think. But I'm better than people think.' If, indeed, du Plessis is better than people think, and he does leave the United Center with a resounding win over Chimaev, then it may well push him higher on the pound-for-pound list. Du Plessis lauds UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria as the sport's latest No. 1 for the way Topuria vanquished Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in back-to-back-to-back bouts. 'Absolutely incredible,' du Plessis said of the striker. 'Merab [Dvalishvili] is also incredible. People have gotten so used to [Islam] Makhachev winning that they've forgotten how amazing he is.' Considering the proven exploits of those top three, du Plessis said it will be a tough ask to leapfrog any of them with one win over Chimaev. Yet before his career is done, he'll have 'been ranked at the top,' regardless. That, he promises. "[Chimaev is] incredibly good,' du Plessis said. 'But jeez, I can't wait. This win? This is going to be history. I'm going out there and will shock the world once again. 'You will see the boogeyman break in there, and realize there will be only one boogeyman in the division. 'And that man will be me.'
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pau Gasol congratulates Luka Doncic on Lakers contract extension
Los Angeles Lakers mystique is alive and kicking, as 26-year-old superstar Luka Doncic agreed to a three-year contract extension on Saturday. He will be under contract with the Lakers for at least the next three years, and he has now set himself up to receive a gargantuan payday in 2028 when he will be eligible for a supermax extension. Doncic immediately made an announcement on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account that he's giving back a bit of his newfound wealth to help others. He's going to give out $5 million to help 77 young athletes achieve their dreams, and he has also become an ambassador for the Take Back Sports initiative, which encourages kids to play sports. Former Lakers star big man and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol congratulated Doncic on not only his extension but also his philanthropy. Gasol wasn't just a Hall of Fame player for the Lakers — he's also one of the most compassionate people who has ever played in the NBA. He has been involved in humanitarian efforts such as UNICEF and the "Hoops for St. Jude" charity program, and he and his brother Marc started the Gasol Foundation to promote healthy lifestyles and fight childhood obesity. Months ago, just after coming to the Lakers in that huge February trade, Doncic donated $500,000 to help with the recovery efforts following the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires that ravaged the Southland this past winter. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Pau Gasol congratulates Luka Doncic on Lakers contract extension
