Top accessory this year at the Little League World Series? A bat that looks like sour gummy worms
Easton's 2026 Hype Fire USA Bat with the neon green grip and the pink-and-neon yellow barrel is hard to miss at the plate. And the players love them.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Pittsburgh Penguins draw interest from a new potential buyer
PITTSBURGH — Mario Lemieux will always be one of one to Penguins fans. But in terms of business, he might have some company. There isn't a 'for sale' sign sitting atop the roof of PPG Paints Arena, but it's becoming increasingly clear Fenway Sports Group is considering selling the Pittsburgh Penguins. Advertisement Or, at the very least, multiple groups in the business world believe the Penguins are available. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday that the Hoffmann Family, a Chicago-based group that owns the ECHL's Florida Everblades, is emerging as a contender to purchase the Penguins. This comes on the heels of numerous Athletic reports reports in June and July that a group including Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse was interested in taking control of the Penguins after selling them to Fenway Sports Group in 2021. Friedman's article stated that a potential buyer would need to spend around $1.75 billion to purchase the Penguins. FSG bought the Penguins for $900 million in 2021. Attendance figures have dropped for the Penguins ever since, primarily because of the rebuilding on-ice product. (NHL teams make nearly half of their business, on average, from ticket sales.) Despite this, the presumed asking price is nearly twice what the Penguins were purchased for, in large part because of the NHL's impending expansion. There is a strong likelihood that the NHL is going to expand by two teams within the next couple of years, and this will flood the NHL with hundreds of millions of dollars, considerably enhancing the value of all NHL teams. An FSG source confirmed they believe a sale is coming at some point, but also that it's not necessarily imminent. 'I would say there will probably be a sale if that price is met,' the source, who requested anonymity, said on Monday afternoon. The source said FSG boasts other business ventures that are more profitable than the Penguins, namely Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Red Sox. Should an offer in the neighborhood of $1.75 billion be thrown at FSG, the source believes a deal could be struck. According to Forbes, David Hoffmann, the founder and CEO of Hoffmann Family of Companies, is worth $2 billion. Advertisement Hoffmann is on record saying that he has been interested in purchasing an NHL or NBA team. FSG announced in January that it was looking for a minority ownership partner. Since that point, the Boston-based group has maintained that the Penguins are not for sale, but rather, a space was available to join the ownership group on a minority level. Sources close to the Lemieux group interpreted the January call for minority help as FSG being willing to put the Penguins up for sale because of declining attendance. The Penguins played before 91 percent capacity crowds during the 2024-25 season, only a few seasons removed from a 15-year sellout streak that ended largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources close to the Lemieux group have maintained that the intentions of Lemieux, Burkle and Morehouse would be to buy the Penguins in full as opposed to being a minority partner with FSG. It's believed the Hoffmann Family would also be interested in controlling interests of the franchise. Friedman's report said a deal isn't imminent and that there is 'work to do' if a sale to the Hoffmann Family is to be completed. FSG does not appear to be in a rush to hand over controlling interest of the Penguins, but there is a growing crowd of groups interested in the hockey franchise that has called Pittsburgh its home since its inception in 1967. In other news: Mike Rupp, a former Penguins winger who has been a part-time contributor for SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcasts as a color commentator, told The Athletic on Monday that he will not be involved with the team's broadcasts moving forward. Rupp shared TV color commentating duties during the past two seasons with former Penguins Phil Bourque and Colby Armstrong. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Peralta allows 1 hit in 6 innings and Brewers beat Cubs 7-0 in 1st half of doubleheader
CHICAGO (AP) — Freddy Peralta allowed one hit and struck out six batters and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 in the first half of a Monday doubleheader. All-Star pitcher Peralta (15-5, 2.78 ERA) shut Chicago out over six innings to help Milwaukee advance to an MLB-best record of 79-45. The Brewers, which had their franchise-record 14-game winning streak snapped by the Reds on Sunday, have won 23 of 28 games since the break. Brice Turang and Caleb Durbin each had two hits, two RBIs and a solo home run to lead the way. Milwaukee's Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig and Grant Anderson held Chicago to one combined hit over the final three innings of relief. The Brewers attacked Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (7-4, 3.08) early. After Turang's homer in the third, Horton allowed three of the next four batters to reach base and was removed from the game with a blister on his right middle finger. Reliever Drew Pomeranz retired the ensuing batter to escape the inning with a one-run deficit. Chicago called up two hitters on Monday in Luke Little and Gavin Hollowell. Little's throwing error in the sixth allowed a run to score, while Hollowell gave up four earned runs on four walks and two hits in the seventh. Key moment Down 1-0, the Cubs had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Peralta walked three consecutive batters to load the bases with one out, but he struck out rookie Owen Caissie and retired Nico Hoerner to end the inning. Key stat Milwaukee surrendered just two hits to Chicago, which drops nine games behind the Brewers in the National League Central. Up next The Cubs and Brewers are set to play the second half of Monday's doubleheader at 7:05 p.m. CT. Neither team had named its starting pitcher. Chicago and Milwaukee will continue the series until Thursday. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Stanford names Oregon State transfer Ben Gulbranson starting quarterback for season opener
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — After spending most of his five seasons at Oregon State as a backup, Ben Gulbranson enters his final college season as the starting quarterback for Stanford. Gulbranson beat out Elijah Brown to earn the job starting, with the Cardinal's season opener under interim coach Frank Reich on Saturday at Hawaii. 'I'm just really grateful to have another opportunity at it with the teammates and coaches and associate staff here that we have at Stanford,' Gulbranson said Monday. 'I think just given the fact that I've played five years in the past, been a part of college football for five years, just knowing that this is my last year and I'm trying to make the most of it and just taking it day by day and do my best each and every day.' Gulbranson transferred to Stanford in late April after being lured by general manager Andrew Luck. He began his career with the Beavers in 2020 and made eight starts in 2022. He started just four games the past two seasons, but his experience helped him win the job over Brown, who made one start for the Cardinal last season as a freshman. 'Ben just did a really good job with the whole thing,' Reich said. 'Good command and mastery of the offense. He did a really good job. Accurate passer, a strong arm guy that can get the ball to all parts of the field. I thought he had good command and control of decision-making. He had good poise in the pocket. So really showed a lot of positive attributes that we're looking for.' Gulbranson's best season came in 2022 when he took over as starter midway through the season and went 7-1 for the Beavers. One of his biggest highlights came in his first start at Stanford when he threw a 56-yard TD pass to Tre'Shaun Harrison with 13 seconds left for a 28-27 comeback win. Gulbranson played in 18 games, with 12 starts for the Beavers, completing 61.8% of his passes for 2,648 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Gulbranson said he was thrilled to be recruited personally by Luck, a quarterback he grew up watching as he starred in the NFL for Indianapolis after a stellar career at Stanford. Now he relishes the chance to learn from Luck and Reich, who has experience as a quarterback and head coach in the NFL. He said he already has filled up several notebooks with tips. 'Just trying to learn as much as I can from those guys,' Gulbranson said. 'Obviously NFL guys that have seen so much football and learned so much. They are just great teachers. They always have something new that I never even really thought about or heard about.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
