MLB All-Star Game has slight drop in viewers despite having its first swing-off
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Baseball continues to have the best ratings for an event featuring All-Stars. The NHL did not have an All-Star Game this year, while the NBA's averaged 4.7 million on TNT. The NFL's Pro Bowl games, a series of skills competitions and flag football, also averaged 4.7 million on ABC.
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Chicago Tribune
21 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
NBA veteran Max Strus returns to Stagg to recognize comeback of Oak Forest athlete
Max Strus was choked up. While giving a speech Thursday to end his fourth youth basketball camp at his alma mater, Stagg High School in Palos Hills, the NBA sharpshooter thanked his parents, John and Debra, and joked they were the reason he turned out 'perfect.' But when it came to thanking his 'role models,' his older sister, Maggie Sommer, and older brother, Marty Strus, his voice cracked, and he took a few seconds to compose himself. That show of emotion from the Cleveland Cavaliers guard was just the warmup of an even bigger outburst of emotions from the Castillo family. Oak Forest High School sophomore Paityn Castillo won the inaugural Gary Strong Award from the Max Strus Family Foundation for her fight with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which she suffered in October right after the volleyball season. The foundation, created in January, named the award after Gary Wimmer, the father of foundation official Jake Wimmer. Gary had a four-year battle with cancer before he died in August. Castillo faced paralysis and couldn't breathe on her own, so she needed a ventilator. She spent 98 days in a hospital and was told she might not walk again or get feeling back in her feet. Now, not only is she walking, she is learning to drive, participated at Oak Forest's volleyball camp, tried out and made the Lions South 16 club team and is jump serving. 'I have a new perspective on things,' Castillo said. 'I don't take things for granted and I appreciate the little things in life.' Strus said Castillo is the type of person the foundation wants to help. 'We want to find ways to help different communities, whether that's home around the South Side of Chicago, in Miami where I lived for three years or Cleveland now,' he said. 'These are places near and dear to my heart.' Castillo's story was shared in a five-minute video shown in the Stagg main gym in front of hundreds of campers and their parents. It showed some of the therapy she had to go through. Her father, Reggie, mother, Sandy, and sister, Kamryn, were on hand for the award and to receive a surprise $10,000 check from the foundation. There was plenty of emotion, especially with Reggie, who was crying when he addressed the crowd, and said he wasn't ashamed to be crying. 'I guarantee there weren't many dry eyes today,' Reggie said after the ceremony. Reggie said he was also touched because, between 2003 and 2023, he was an athletic trainer at Stagg and knows the Strus and Wimmer families well. Paityn started to walk in February and, given the severity of what she went through, her family was stunned with her 'It's been crazy,' Kamryn . 'It's hard to believe.' 'It's a miracle — it really is,' Reggie said. Sandy echoed that and said the family has ridden an emotional rollercoaster since October. 'It was hard watching the awful moments with her,' Sandy said. 'But watching her battle and work really, really hard is a highlight. She pushes so hard. When the ventilator went away, it was awesome.' Meanwhile, Strus is not only proud of his camps' philanthropy — raising more than $100,000 for the Andrew Weishar Foundation — he looks forward to being with the young basketball players who are trying to learn the sport. One camp official said Strus is the only player in the NBA who runs a camp and is there for all four days. Whether that's true, the fact is Strus is hands on at the camps and is not just lending his name to the project. In the past, he brought in some NBA chums, including Gabe Vincent. This year, Cavaliers Coach Kenny Atkinson came in for a session. Strus also takes photos with the campers and had some fun Thursday outside the school, handing out Peppo's Subs orders in a truck to campers and parents. When he started the camp, Strus talked about how special it was because he and Marty attended summer camps at the school. Four years, and one foundation, later, it's still special to him. 'I've seen a lot of new faces this year and some faces of those who have been here all four years,' he said. 'The campers and their parents make it all possible and I appreciate that. 'And we want to come back again next year.'
USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark misses early All-Star events but teammates say her presence will be felt
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been absent from the early WNBA All-Star Game festivities, not participating in the orange carpet on Thursday night or media availability on Friday morning. The WNBA announced on Thursday that Clark would not play in the All-Star Game on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse because of a right groin injury sustained against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell said even without Clark on the court, her presence will still be felt. "Caitlin is going to be Caitlin guys, trust me." Mitchell said Friday morning. "She is going to be coaching. You will definitely see the competitive nature. But her body deserves what it deserves, from a break standpoint. "This weekend will still be about what her and other individuals have brought to this league."Clark, who is a team captain, was supposed to participate in the 3-point contest at 8 p.m. ET Friday night. She has been replaced by Fever teammate Lexie Hull. Her replacement for the All-Star Game is Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes. Team Clark coach Sandy Brondello said she plans to let Clark do as much coaching as she wishes. "Obviously, it's unfortunate about Caitlin not being in this game," Brondello said Friday. "But she is still going to have a great impact on this team. I will give the coaching hat to her and much as she wants. We will play around with it a little and have fun. "You have seen it with the Fever, she's been very active on the sideline when she wasn't playing, so we will utilize that as well." Fever teammate Aliyah Boston said they are all supporting Clark, who has missed time this season with injuries to her left quad, left groin and now her right groin. She has missed 11 of the Fever's 23 games. "Just continuing to be in her corner and cheering her on," Boston said. "The biggest thing as a player and a competitor, it's super hard when you have to sit out. "(She knows) we got your back, take your time, but we got you." Team Clark's Sabrina Ionescu said she has been sharing her experience with Clark. The New York Liberty guard fought through her share of injuries during her sophomore season in the league. "The second year, I had three to four soft tissue injuries that I was dealing with," Ionescu said Friday. "You look back and it is kind of a blessing in disguise. You are able to learn and grow and understand the game more. It is all part of your journey."
Newsweek
22 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Red Sox Wilyer Abreu Trade Idea Lands All-Star Starter, New First Baseman
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Boston Red Sox are returning from the All-Star break with a new lease on the season. After bouncing back from a shocking trade of franchise slugger Rafael Devers, the team strung together a 10-game win streak heading into the break. Now, just ahead of the trade deadline, it looks like the front office will be looking to add some key pieces to fortify a playoff run. "After riding a 10-game winning streak into the break, the Red Sox sure seem headed firmly toward buying mere weeks after offloading Rafael Devers," Zachary Rymer wrote for Bleacher Report. "Starting pitching is atop the list of items they need to address, and they're reportedly aiming as high as Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Ryan." Though Ryan would be a formidable option alongside team ace Garrett Crochet, Rymer proposed a trade that would bring in a different reigning All-Star starter, along with a new first base option. He proposed a package of outfielder Wilyer Abreu and prospects Franklin Arias and Payton Tolle to the Washington Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore and Nathaniel Lowe. BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 28: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.... BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 28: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by) More Taetsch/Getty "Should Boston pivot to Gore, it would be to a younger and arguably better pitcher," Rymer added. "He's what they need in a rotation that is a little too unstable behind Garrett Crochet, while Lowe would likewise stabilize a first base spot that remains unsettled months after Triston Casas' season-ending injury." With the Nationals heading toward seller status, it seems Gore and Lowe could be on the trade block. And they would certainly answer some questions about the Red Sox roster as the team looks to make a playoff run. However, the idea of dealing Abreu could be a non-starter. The Red Sox do have a logjam in the outfield, but Jarren Duran seems more likely as the odd man out. Abreu is a reigning Gold Glove Award winner and his defense in right field would be hard for the team to replace. More MLB: Yankees' Aaron Judge Announces Retirement Decision
