He's not Batman. He's Alex Caruso. And he's leading the Thunder in his own way in the NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — Alex Caruso got asked after Game 4 of the NBA Finals if he's aware that he's achieved a level of superhero-type status among fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder during this playoff run.
After all, having zero 20-point games in the regular season followed by two — and counting — in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers tends to have an effect on people.
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Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge create happy moment for Cora's twin boys
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora wanted his twin 7-year-old sons to meet the Yankees' Aaron Judge, the biggest star of his team's AL East foe. 'They were like 'No, no. He's a rival,''' the Boston manager recalled. Cora persisted, mentioning players that have spent time with both teams, like Alex Verdugo. Xander and Isander Cora got to meet the 6-foot-7 All-Star before Boston's 4-3 win on Saturday night. The brothers wore Boston's new alternate jerseys in Fenway green. Cora took a photo of the boys with Judge, who gave one of them a set of batting gloves. 'I only had one pair on me, so that's all I could do,' Judge said, smiling. 'We're rivals when we step on that field for 7 o'clock,' Judge told The Associated Press on Sunday morning. 'He's a dad. He's got two sons that are big baseball fans, so I get the chance to meet them and talk a little baseball with them. ... That's another cool part of the job.' Cora had been hoping for a while to set up the meeting. 'Last week, I texted him and said: 'We need to do this, and he was like: 'Just let me know,'' the manager said. 'I'm a fan of all these guys. These guys, they kick our butt and sometimes we do it to them,' Cora said. 'At the end, we're a fraternity. I've been watching him since 2017. I think last year, we started communicating. I'm in awe with everything that goes on with him because it's (Shohei) Ohtani and Judge. They're the faces of baseball. The way he conducts himself on and off the field.' Cora said one of his sons is outspoken and the other is shy. Cora shared details of the get-together with his wife, Angelica. 'They were kind of like quiet in the beginning and then they were comfortable,' he said, before breaking into a laugh as he finished the story. 'They called Angelica after the fact and said: 'He's shy. They called him shy.'' Judge was marking his first Father's Day as a dad. His wife, Samantha, gave birth to Nora Rose on Jan. 27. 'Definitely, being a dad now, I look at it a little different,' the Yankees outfielder said of the meeting and signing autographs for fans after batting practice. 'Just try to take maybe five minutes, six minutes out of my day. That's a memory they get to have for a lifetime. Even for me, those are special moments I get to share with fans.' Cora's boys can expect a present. Another set of batting gloves, so there is one for each. 'He said he was going to send it,' Cora said. 'They said: 'He didn't sign it.' I said: 'Don't worry about it. You got the picture.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How did Bayern Munich win 10-0 at the Club World Cup? Their opponents were amateurs
Frome the left, Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, Harry Kane and Thomas Muller reacts after a goal during the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Bayern Munich and Auckland City in Cincinnati, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, had billed the Club World Cup as "THE BEST v THE BEST," as the "the 32 best club teams in the world," and the "pinnacle" of soccer. But on the second day of this novel tournament, in the second game, their pitch unraveled when the sixth best team met No. 5,074. Bayern Munich smashed Auckland City, 10-0, and bemused viewers wondered: Huh? How? Advertisement Well, because Bayern Munich is the perennial champion of Germany, and Auckland City is an amateur team. Yes, an amateur team. On one side, there was Harry Kane and $465 million worth of talent. On the other, there was Conor Tracey, goalkeeper by night, supervisor at a veterinary supply warehouse by day. On one side, there were World Cup winners. On the other, there were everyday New Zealanders who work everyday jobs, and had to take leave — some paid, some unpaid — to come play in a soccer tournament. There was Dylan Manickum, a 32-year-old construction site engineer; and Michael Den Heijer, a program coordinator at a youth-focused non-profit. There were barbers and real estate agents, personal fitness coaches and students. There was Angus Kilkolly, a regional manager for a tool company; and Jordan Vale, a schoolteacher; and Haris Zeb, a delivery guy. Advertisement "This week, I'm waking up to load the car with parcels, knocking on doors, dogs are barking mad and chasing me down driveways," Zeb told last month. "And next month I'm playing Bayern Munich. It's like I'm leading a double life!" Collectively, their flights to the U.S. for this inaugural Club World Cup cost about twice as much as Auckland City's annual revenue. Bayern's squad, on the other hand, per Transfermarkt, is worth more than $1 billion. So of course the German giants turned Sunday's game into a stroll and a blowout. Of course Jamal Musiala (price tag: $161 million) scored a hat trick after entering as a substitute in the 61st minute. Advertisement This was, quite possibly, one of the biggest mismatches in men's club soccer history. Why is amateur Auckland City in the Club World Cup? Auckland City are actually veterans of the Club World Cup — the former seven-team version, pre-expansion — because they are, by far, the most powerful club affiliated with Oceania. Over the past two decades, they've won the region's Champions League 13 times. But there are caveats. In New Zealand, where rugby is king, the few legitimate professional clubs compete in Australia's A-League. Those clubs — Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC — are therefore ineligible for the Oceania Champions League. Advertisement And the Champions League was the natural route to this Club World Cup — which, to fulfill its pledge of "making football truly global," needed representation from every continent. FIFA, of course, weighted that representation. It gave 12 spots to Europe, and six to South America, and four each to Asia, Africa and North/Central America. Oceania, though, got one guaranteed spot — and Auckland City easily claimed it. Domestically, and when they fly to Champions League games throughout the South Pacific, the so-called Navy Blues are giants themselves. They control the ball and dominate games. Although they are amateurs or semi-pros, many of them were and are talented players who competed at colleges or elite youth clubs. But they were no match for Bayern Munich. Advertisement Their unsurprising inferiority made for an uncomfortable watch, and an extremely awkward two hours for DAZN's commentators. "I'm almost hoping it doesn't get to double figures," color commentator Steve McManaman said late in the second half. Alas, it did — thanks to Thomas Muller, who capped the afternoon in Cincinnati with his 250th goal for Bayern. Auckland City's other two games in Group C will be against Argentine giant Boca Juniors and Portugal's Benfica.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea train in USA: Liam Delap and Mike Penders in first sessions at the club
Chelsea train in USA: Liam Delap and Mike Penders in first sessions at the club – Santos there Chelsea have had their first training session after landing in the USA for the Club World Cup, and Liam Delap has been spotted. Blues boss Enzo Maresca has already given his thoughts about new signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, and Mamadou Sarr who all join his squad out in America for the Club World Cup this summer. EXCLUSIVE! Mike Maignan to Chelsea is NOT over, Petrovic up for sale, Sanchez available! And it looks like Chelsea are still trying to add another new defender to the ranks as well, with an apparent offer being rejected for a Serie A star this week and other such links that have come up in recent weeks. Advertisement There will be plenty more incomings and outgoings at Chelsea during the long summer transfer window that will reopen tomorrow morning on the day Chelsea play their first Club World Cup game of the tournament that kicked off in the early hours of Sunday morning. Chelsea train As you can see in the images above, Chelsea have landed in the USA and they have taken part in their first training session over there before kicking off their campaign against Los Angeles FC tomorrow night at 8pm UK time. Liam Delap, Mike Penders, and Andrey Santos are all pictured here, with it being Delap and Penders first training sessions for the club. Delap looks ready Delap looks like an absolute unit and will be looking to make an instant impression as he battles Nicolas Jackson for that main striker role at the club. Advertisement He's taken the number 9 shirt, which shows his intentions and a very strong mentality going into his Chelsea career. You can already sense that he backs himself and he is going to be putting himself about up there for Chelsea being a constant nuisance to centre backs.
