Patriots Insider: ‘A great day' for Drake Maye's leadership growth
Patriots Insider: 'A great day' for Drake Maye's leadership growth originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Mariners president Jerry Dipoto hopes his aggressive deadline moves lead to a World Series run
SEATTLE (AP) — New Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez made a point of interrupting president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto's post-trade deadline news conference. Dipoto, who reacquired the slugging third baseman from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for a trio of minor leaguers, was praising Suárez from the Mariners' dugout when the 34-year-old best known for his home runs and good vibes butted in. 'Stop it!' Suárez said, more than loud enough for all to hear. Suárez, Dipoto and the rest of the franchise had plenty to be pleased about after the trade deadline. The Mariners, who entered Thursday night's game against the Texas Rangers in playoff position, bolstered their lineup by adding more than just Suárez, who has 36 homers this season and is tied with Seattle's Cal Raleigh for the major league lead with 87 RBIs. A week ago, the Mariners made another deal with the D-backs for slugging first baseman Josh Naylor. Dipoto believes Seattle acquired the 'best bats' available, adding power to a lineup that already ranks fifth in the majors in home runs. 'This is the best lineup we've had since I've been here,' Dipoto said. 'Without question.' Dipoto, who was hired as the Mariners' general manager in 2015 and promoted to president of baseball operations in 2021, has overseen a number of competitive clubs in the Emerald City. While Seattle has qualified for the playoffs only once under Dipoto, it has had a winning record in six of the last nine seasons. Dipoto's teams have often been in the playoff race ahead of the deadline, but Seattle's moves haven't been as aggressive as this year's additions of Suárez, Naylor and veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson. Dipoto said his mindset wasn't that different from previous seasons, but he said he was more willing to acquire players who will be free agents at the end of the year. 'We feel like this team deserved it, the opportunity to just go out and see if we can win the World Series,' Dipoto said. 'We feel like we have as good a lineup as there is in our league. Our rotation, if our guys do the things that they do, has proven that they can be as good as anybody in this league.' This team is in many ways deeper than previous squads, too. Raleigh is in the midst of what Dipoto called an 'MVP-type' season, and the Mariners had four other All-Stars. Starting pitchers George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, both of whom missed significant time earlier in the season with injuries, are healthy again, adding to a rotation that's been buoyed by Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo. 'I think if you talk to other clubs in the league,' Dipoto said, 'they're pretty bullish on what we're capable of when we're hitting on all cylinders. And while we had a hot streak early in the season, we haven't hit our next hot streak, and it's coming.' To Dipoto's point, the Mariners' longest win streak of the season was six games and it came at the end of April and early May. The additions of Suárez, Naylor and Ferguson could push Seattle from being a fringe postseason contender to a legitimate threat to win the AL West, in which they entered Thursday trailing the Houston Astros by five games. Manager Dan Wilson was confident that he had a good team even if the Mariners hadn't added talent at the deadline. Unlike previous seasons, though, Dipoto felt compelled to supplement the roster in a meaningful way. 'I believe that adding to this team, adding some energy to the room and just showing the guys that we believe in what we're doing was important,' Dipoto said. 'And I think the response has been great.' ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
3 players vie for starting left tackle at Bears training camp
The Chicago Bears put the pads back on for their latest training camp practice on Thursday, in another opportunity for three players to try and stand out at left tackle. The competition for the starting job in that position has been a healthy one in several ways. With his longest practice so far at just under two and a half hours, head coach Ben Johnson said he wanted to see who is just surviving training camp, and who is thriving to be the king of the mountain. Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie, and rookie Ozzy Trapilo are battling to assume the throne as the starting left tackle. "It's laid out for us," said Amegadjie. "The staff is doing a great job of, you know, communicating with us on what they're looking for, and you know, putting us in position to go take advantage of every rep." Jones, who is returning from ankle surgery, has the most experience with 40 NFL starts. But the Bears did invest a second-round pick in Trapilo. The competition hasn't gotten in the way of their camaraderie. "I'm super-grateful for them. They're both great people, great guys, and they're the first one to help, you know, anytime — any of us, anytime that there's something on the field that, you know, you have a question on, or specific technique — anything like that — they're the first to step up because, you know, they're at the same spot," said Trapilo. "The situation is what it is, but we're all out there trying to be better as a team." "For me, I just am trying to focus on myself, to be honest, and do what I can to help the other guys as well, and you know, constantly learning," said Jones. "I use this phrase, when you're green, you grow, and when you're ripe, you rot." The offensive-minded head coach said it will ultimately come down to consistency and winning one-on-one matchups, and who needs the least amount of help with play calls to determine who wins the left tackle job.
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
UFL adds new billionaire co-owner Mike Repole, who promises big changes
The ownership group of the UFL has gained a new member in Mike Repole, the billionaire co-founder of Vitaminwater and BodyArmor. In a statement Thursday, the spring football league said Repole's private equity firm, Impact Capital, 'will lead the league's business operations' going forward. Repole, 57, joins co-owners RedBird Capital Partners, Fox, ESPN, Dany Garcia and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. The league has not disclosed how much Rapole paid for his ownership stake. Advertisement A UFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'I think today is the first day of the United Football League,' Repole told Sports Business Journal. 'It probably took a couple of years for them to get comfortable and have the right conferences and leagues. I think they learned a lot.' Forbes estimates Repole's net worth to be around $1.6 billion, a large portion of which came from Coca-Cola's purchase of his companies Glaceau — the maker of Vitaminwater and Smartwater — and BodyArmor. The beverage giant paid $4.1 billion for Glaceau in 2007, then $5.6 billion in 2021 to acquire BodyArmor. 'The UFL is thrilled to welcome a visionary like Mike Repole to our ownership group,' said UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon in a statement. 'Mike's entrepreneurial accomplishments are extraordinary, and his dynamic leadership will immediately elevate the league's business and brand trajectory.' Repole's other investments include NOBULL, a sportswear company that merged with Tom Brady's nutrition and apparel brands in 2024. He also owns the Repole Stable horse racing team. The UFL, formed when the struggling USFL and XFL spring leagues merged in December 2023, faced a 20 percent decline in viewership during its second season, according to league numbers compiled by Sports Business Journal. Game attendance dropped 5 percent from 2024, and was down in seven of the eight cities with UFL teams. St. Louis, the league's strongest market, fueled in part by the Los Angeles Rams' departure from the city, saw a 13 percent drop in attendance this season. Detroit did see attendance increase by a third, however. Individual games, on average, have drawn about 10,000 fans. 'The vibe hasn't been to where it should be,' Repole told ESPN on Thursday. 'You can hear a pin drop when someone runs 80 yards. That's not so good. Nobody wants to turn on the TV and see 10,000 fans in a 65,000-seat stadium. It's like watching a COVID game.' Advertisement Repole also told ESPN the UFL plans to move at least two teams before its next season begins, and that he sees the league's number of teams doubling over the next decade. 'We're going to be aggressive as far as being nimble and scrappy and gritty and making aggressive moves,' he said. 'If by 2035, if we can't have 16 teams, I'm going to consider it a personal failure. This is it. Other leagues didn't have the capital that this league has, didn't have the media giants that this league has, didn't have the entrepreneurs that this team has.' Repole confirmed long-simmering rumors that Columbus, Ohio, will be one of the relocation destinations, with games played at the Columbus Crew's stadium. However, he did not say which team will move there or which other new markets are under consideration. The current cities with UFL teams are Arlington, Texas; Birmingham, Ala.; Detroit; Houston; Memphis; San Antonio; St. Louis and Washington D.C., whose team (the DC Defenders) won the 2025 UFL Championship. Both of the UFL's first two seasons had 10-game schedules, but it has not yet said when the 2026 season will begin. It announced on Tuesday that 26 UFL players who appeared during the 2025 season have since signed NFL contracts, one of its key value propositions to attract potential players.
