Drew Timme gets the And-1
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene discuss what he's doing better in 2025 that's helped him achieve his second All-Star Game appearance and what makes teammate and fellow All-Star Tarik Skubal so good.
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Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
With Chargers back in San Diego, players hope to win back their traditional fan base
As the Chargers' team bus rolled down the freeway past Poway and toward San Diego, Tony Jefferson couldn't help but smile. This feels like home. Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn't secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise's contentious departure. 'With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,' said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. 'But I think we're gradually filling that void back.' Read more: 'The Harbaugh way': Even practice jerseys are a source of pride Coach Jim Harbaugh's numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros. More than two decades later, this week's practices are a homecoming for Harbaugh, but it's not an olive branch for the Chargers organization, he insisted. 'It is all about the great fans we have,' Harbaugh said in June. 'We want to go to our fans. We want to go to our Chargers supporters and they're everywhere.' Although the Chargers returned this week, they didn't throw the doors open to all fans. Both of their practices were limited in attendance. Tuesday's practice was open to only active-duty military and veterans. Wednesday's is reserved for season ticket holders. Players signed autographs for almost an hour after practice Tuesday. Quarterback Justin Herbert looped back twice in front of a swath of fans that ran three bus-lengths long. Safety Derwin James Jr., who never played in San Diego after getting drafted in 2018, was in awe of all the No. 3 jerseys he saw in the crowd. 'It made my heart warm just having so much support,' James said. 'I can't wait to give them something to cheer for.' Read more: Why Chargers are confident Justin Herbert will be able to 'attack down the field more' Harbaugh's history as a player has helped the Chargers tap back into their roots while celebrating their most iconic players. The coach who played two seasons for the Chargers called former teammate Rodney Harrison to inform the safety that he would be inducted into the Chargers' Hall of Fame in October. Legendary tight end Antonio Gates will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in less than two weeks. Five years after playing the final season of his 17-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Philip Rivers reversed course to put a more fitting punctuation mark on his career by announcing Monday that he would officially retire as a Charger. Doubling down on the nostalgia, the Chargers unveiled throwback alternative navy jerseys that were a hit among players and fans. Seeing the navy uniform with gold-lined white lightning bolts 'struck me at the core,' Jefferson said. It was just like the first NFL jersey he owned: a Junior Seau jersey he received for Christmas. The Chargers were at the center of almost all of Jefferson's core NFL memories growing up. He sat in the nosebleeds with his girlfriend at his first NFL game between the Chargers and Raiders. He played his last high school football game for Chula Vista Eastlake High in Qualcomm Stadium. But the stadium grew outdated, prompting the Chargers to relocate. Now when Jefferson drives south on Interstate 15, he still hates looking to his right because he misses the familiar venue. 'This type of stuff just happens,' Jefferson said. 'It happened to the Raiders. They're our rival and they're pretty big in what they represent organization-wise and they moved too. It's just the business.' The Padres are the only remaining major pro sports team in San Diego and the city pride runs deep. When the Chargers celebrated the Dodgers' World Series title last year, die-hard Padres fan Jefferson recoiled at the sight of a floor-to-ceiling congratulatory message in the Chargers practice facility. But with no pro football in the city, Jefferson, who still lives in San Diego, tries to remind fans that this team is still the Chargers. 'Us just being two hours away, SoFi is a perfect venue for fans, I don't see why we shouldn't have the San Diego fans,' Jefferson said. 'I think coming here is just opening up the arms again and letting them know.' Read more: With Mike Williams gone, Quentin Johnston confident he can deliver for Chargers Etc. Rashawn Slater missed a third consecutive day of practice and is 'working through something,' Harbaugh said. The coach characterized the undisclosed injury as minor, tip-toeing around suggestions that Slater is trying to wait out negotiations for a contract extension. … The Chargers signed running back Nyheim Hines to bolster a position that is still waiting for Najee Harris' return. Harris remains on the non-football injury list after suffering an eye injury from a fireworks accident, but has been attending team meetings. While signing Hines, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Savion Washington with a failed physical designation. Washington was on the physically unable to perform list. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ty Dillon on NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, focusing on mid-field drivers and more: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: Ty Dillon of Kaulig Racing, who this week faces off with Ty Gibbs in the championship round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions Podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid, and what do you remember about that moment? We went to a bull riding event: PBR (Professional Bull Riders) in Greensboro (N.C.). Ty Murray, the famous bull rider, shared my name. He was married to Jewel, the famous singer, and I remember seeing them sitting there. My grandfather (Richard Childress) walked us over there, and we got his autograph at the PBR. Advertisement In your brother Austin's 12 Questions interview, he said he got Hank Aaron's autograph with you outside the old Braves stadium. Do you remember that at all? I was probably 4 or 5, so I was a little too young to actually remember meeting Hank. But I still have the ball. 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside of a race car? This year in Mexico City. I did it in reverse order — I had the stomach flu Wednesday night, the night before we flew out. I actually got sick in the airport while we were all sitting at the terminal at Charlotte Douglas. I was still going through the full motions of the stomach bug — coming out both ends. So that whole 14 hours of travel was very miserable for me getting there. I slept most of the night, and then the next day in practice I was finally hungry and made a really bad decision: I had the tacos they had made for everybody in the garage (from local restaurant Tacos Atarantados). The tacos were amazing, but my stomach was still messed up. So I was in the car, and that was the first time I felt like, 'I'm gonna make a mess inside the car.' I just didn't know what side it was going to come out of. Those were the best tacos I've ever had. I agree. So were the tacos worth it, even though you got sick? Well, I went back the next day and got them. And I got them Sunday, too. So I would not pass on those tacos again. It wasn't worth the feeling I had inside the race car (on Friday), but the tacos were worth it. They did not deter me after that. 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? Probably something to do with my brother, I'm sure — competing in golf or anything. We've always competed in everything. I've backed it down a little bit now since I've had kids. I leave it all for the racetrack. But man, when we were younger, Austin and I would fight and carry on about competing. It didn't matter what it was — paintball, hunting, or any sport we played like basketball, football, golf. We're going to compete and probably get way too overboard, and everybody around us is going to be embarrassed by the way we're acting. Advertisement 4. What do people get wrong about you? People tell me, 'You're different than what I thought you would be' when they get to know me. A lot of people, especially early in my career, thought my brother and I were just … we were very blessed to have a grandfather that owned a race team. But I don't think they realized that we really appreciated the opportunity, and that we learned a lot of the hard work behind it. People don't realize the gratitude that we do have — or at least for myself, speaking for myself. So a lot of people say, 'You're different than I thought,' and I think most of the time it's in a good way. 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you, and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I prefer, as an Uber passenger, to not talk — but I will start a conversation every once in a while. I like to talk on my terms, when I'm in the mood. I don't want someone who's just immediately going to start talking and keep going. I'd rather it start with no talking, and then let me bring up the conversation. I know that's very picky. Uber rating — it's not something I really think about much. I feel like it's got to be good. If my Uber rating is bad, then the person just didn't like me from the jump, and there's nothing I could have controlled. 6. I'm asking each person a wild-card question: The In-Season Challenge has drawn attention to your team lately, but I feel like it's overshadowed how well you've actually been running all year compared to the preseason expectations. What's your view on the season you've had? I'm grateful you see that, because I feel the same way. … We've run really well. We've had some bad results based off late-race mistakes, but before that, we were running top 15 or top 18. That's kind of where we've been living — and beating a lot of these top teams. It's not all of them in a Hendrick organization, but we usually beat one or two a week. And that's a pretty solid deal for Kaulig Racing. Our points position doesn't really show what we've done. Advertisement What this in-season tournament has done — usually all the focus is on who's going to make the last spot in the (playoffs) and who's winning the race. That's all the TV shows and media usually talk about. But now that the focus has shifted — racing Atlanta (in Round 1) gave us an opportunity to get this far — people are seeing that there are more interesting things going on in the sport. Our team has been really solid the last three weeks: Eighth, 20th, and 17th (and then 20th at Dover, after this interview was conducted). That's not a bad average finish. We've just executed races better at the end. 7. This is my 16th year doing these 12 Questions interviews, and I'm going back to the first 12 Questions we did together in 2016. Back then, I asked: 'What's a chore you do in your daily life?' And you said, 'I love vacuuming. It's very satisfying. Once I start cleaning something, I can't stop.' You have three kids now; can this still be true? Actually, I vacuum less but I sweep more. We have three kids and our littlest, Bear, likes to throw all his food on the ground — but it's all in one isolated spot, and you don't want to vacuum a bunch of food and leave it in the vacuum, because I don't dump it every time. So I've become more of a sweeper. But I'd say my most consistent chore is every Sunday night when I get home from the race, I'm taking the trash and recycling to the road. It's my humbling moment as a dad and a husband. Doesn't matter what I just did in the race three hours ago — I come home and I still have to take out the stinky, overflowing trash and recycling. Even though most people do that, it's kind of like my funny reminder: 'The trash still has to be to the road by the end of the night.' 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver who you would be one of the first people to congratulate in victory lane if they won a race. My brother, for sure. And Kyle Busch (Kaulig has an alliance with Richard Childress Racing). There are a lot of good guys out there. I wish no ill success on anybody, but I'm probably not going to celebrate with too many of them. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? Man, I use ChatGPT a lot for questions. A lot of finance questions, a lot of math questions. I try to incorporate it as much as possible just to learn it, because obviously, it's a wave of technology that's coming. Hopefully, I race for another 10 years, but there's going to be another part of life that incorporates business and running stuff. So I want to learn that for the next life — how to utilize it best as this wave comes — and be ahead of it. 10. What is a time in your life that you felt was really challenging, but you're proud of the way you responded to it? Last year, being out of the sport for the second time and running Trucks again, and then just having four or five opportunities (for Cup races) with Kaulig Racing. Even in that moment, I didn't know what was next in my life or career. It felt like maybe that would be the last year of racing for me. But I never panicked. I never let it affect my personal life. … Sometimes you can put so much pressure on yourself in those situations to perform and try to earn something back. But I felt very at peace throughout that whole year. I remember telling my wife, 'I want to carry the way I feel at the racetrack now when I have less opportunities into when I'm full-time again.' And I've tried to do that. Advertisement 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take the sport to the next level of popularity? We're doing some good stuff as far as going to new places. I think there should be a raised stake for tracks; they should be competing just as much as teams and drivers. Especially this year — we've had so many great attendance numbers and people showing up. But when a track doesn't, now there's something wrong. There should be competition there. If your track doesn't hit a certain attendance threshold, you should lose the race — maybe next year, or in two years, depending on your contract. The tracks should be working just as hard to get fans there and create fun, creative weekends. Also, we need to do a better job of telling the stories of the teams who aren't at the top right now. I've probably been the direct beneficiary of the in-season tournament. We're not a 'key partner team,' but we're beating some of them — teams that have twice the money, twice the people and sometimes five times as many people. … We have to not focus so much on the top guys. We've worn those stories to death, and those drivers and teams aren't really producing much more energy toward the sport. Maybe they're exhausted from being up there, I don't know. But there's a lot of people throughout the field who have stories to tell, and they should get more opportunities to show their personality. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. Last week's question came from Alex Bowman. He asked: What's the worst interview you've ever done, and why was it with Jeff Gluck? I've been pretty genuine in all my interviews. And even if I make mistakes, I'll make fun of myself. So it's hard to have a bad interview if you're not afraid to make fun of yourself in the middle of it. OK, but have you ever had a bad interviewer? Yeah, but you know — a lot of times you can recognize they're new to it, and they're nervous. It gets rough at times, but I try to encourage them to get through it. I'll try to help them out, walk them through it, give them something. But everybody's on a different path. Do you have a question for the next person? What would 10-years-ago-you be proud of you for doing now? If you look back 10 years and look at yourself now, what would you be proud you accomplished? That was a dinner table question my wife and I had.
New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Large contingent of arbitration-eligible Twins weigh trade possibilities: ‘Emotionally torn'
LOS ANGELES — He's on a small-market club with a long list of arbitration-eligible players about to receive significant pay raises. Seeing as the club appears to be a seller, Twins reliever Griffin Jax almost expects he'll be traded before the July 31 trade deadline. Along with All-Star starting pitcher Joe Ryan and closer Jhoan Duran, Jax, who has two-plus seasons of team control remaining, promises to be one of the most discussed Twins over the next week and would certainly bring a windfall if he were traded. Even though the front office intends to listen to offers on the trio, as well as any of the team's eight other arb-eligible players, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports uncertainty surrounding the sale of the team could result in the group staying put. Advertisement Either way, Jax and some of his fellow arb-eligible teammates aren't sure a long-term future with the Twins is in the cards. Jax cited the Twins' 2022 trade of Taylor Rogers and similar deals made by the Milwaukee Brewers, who surrendered Josh Hader and Devin Williams, as reasons he thinks his time in Twins Territory is limited. 'Odds are I'm not going to finish my career here,' Jax said. 'That's just kind of like the trajectory of a lot of high-end relievers. That's typically the path. I'm emotionally torn because a huge part of me wants nothing to do but to spend the rest of my career here. This is basically all they've known. But at the same time, it's exciting to see.' Unless their fortunes turn around quickly, the Twins are likely to deal most of a group of six impending free agents before July 31. Those players earn approximately $34.5 million combined this season. But even with that money coming off the books, the budget will be tight because of an estimated $50 million owed to an arb-eligible group, which includes: Bailey Ober, Ryan Jeffers, Cole Sands, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, Brock Stewart, Justin Topa and Michael Tonkin. 'It's gonna get interesting,' Jeffers said. The internal belief is a large group of suitors would pursue Duran, who was the American League reliever of the month for May, and Jax. Ryan should be extremely popular, too. But Twins are unlikely to move any of the trio unless the return makes a meaningful impact in quick order. Whether pitching-hungry contenders would meet the Twins' excessive price remains to be seen. Of course, none of this would be necessary if the Twins simply played better. 'If we're winning, I think they're going to figure out how to keep all of us in place,' Jeffers said. 'If we are not winning, then maybe they look at ways to reshuffle what's in the locker room. When you're a team that is kind of in a spot to potentially start selling, (trade talk) creeps on your mind more.' Advertisement Twins president Derek Falvey rarely tells opposing teams he won't listen to offers. Listening provides information on players who may be available and can lead to trades down the road. Falvey always notes how the Pablo López trade was the result of talks with the Miami Marlins which occurred ahead of the January 2023 deal. 'We're open to being creative,' Falvey said in December. 'We can't rule anything out before we hear it, no matter who the player is. We'll just be respectful of their process, what they are going through and trying to kick some creative ideas around.' Knowing the realities facing the Twins, Jax is open to entertaining the idea of being traded. Not only would he like to receive a long-term deal, Jax wants to win. Hard as being traded from his only organization would be, securing multiple desires wouldn't bother Jax. 'We know that there's going to be a lot of pieces moved at different times,' Jax said. 'They add and subtract at all times to help boost the major-league roster. … It's a compliment to know that there's other teams out there that really think that I could help push them forward. It's sad, but at the same time, it's exciting.' Three big innings from the offense and an all-out effort by the pitching staff propelled the Twins to a big victory on Tuesday. Christian Vázquez and Royce Lewis each drove in three runs, Carlos Correa scored four times and the Twins received enough from seven pitchers to top the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-7 at Dodger Stadium. Ty France also scored three runs for the Twins, who gained a game in the wild-card race and leap frogged one team in the standings. With the victory, the Twins moved back to within four games of the third-place Boston Red Sox, one of five teams ahead of them for the final wild-card spot. Advertisement 'That's the type of quality winning baseball we need,' pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson said. 'Sometimes it takes everybody to grab an oar and get in the boat together and paddle. Great team win.' Working lengthy, patient plate appearances, the Twins jumped on All-Star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second inning. Correa singled and France walked, which led to an RBI fielder's choice by Lewis. One out later, Vázquez hit a booming double to drive in two runs and make it 3-0. Though they didn't score again versus Yamamoto, the Twins drove up his pitch count and he exited after five innings. The Twins then took advantage of a wild and beat-up Dodgers bullpen, scoring seven runs over the final four innings. They tagged Los Angeles relievers Ben Casparius and Will Klein for three runs each after each walked three batters. Lewis forced in a run with a walk in the sixth inning and Vázquez singled in another as the Twins grabbed a 6-3 lead. They stretched the lead to 9-5 in the seventh when Edgardo Henriquez fielded Lewis's bases-loaded nubber and threw it away, which cleared the bases. TWINS CAPITALIZE!!! — (@twinstv) July 23, 2025 Correa and France each doubled in the ninth inning, which led to another run. 'We stayed very disciplined,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'We tried to just force them into the zone. I think our guys were watching the game, paying attention to other guys' at-bats, and then taking those thoughts to the plate themselves. And when we did get some pitches, we hit pitches good too. … There was a lot of nodding and approval in the dugout.' The sixth of seven Twins pitchers, reliever Anthony Misiewicz tweaked his pectoral muscle in the eighth inning. Working with a four-run lead, Misiewicz walked the first batter he faced and was removed after Baldelli spotted him react poorly to a warmup pitch during an instant replay challenge. Advertisement The injury resulted in Jhoan Duran closing out the contest with two innings pitched. Duran surrendered a homer to Shohei Ohtani, the first he'd yielded since June 21, 2024. Luke Keaschall started at designated hitter for a fourth straight game, finishing 1-for-4 on Tuesday in Triple-A St. Paul's loss. Keaschall is 4-for-16 with three walks during his rehab assignment. … Ober threw a bullpen session Tuesday and will make another rehab start with St. Paul on Friday. (Photo of Griffin Jax: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
