
Chris Kreider's selfless off-ice Rangers legacy can be summed up in one story
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No. 20 — maybe forever — created an extremely unusual niche here. Who is the comparable in New York sports history? You know what I came up with? Another 20, actually, who, like Kreider, was a fan favorite, never was the best player on his team in any given season and, like Kreider, ranks eighth all-time in games played in franchise history.
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That would be Jorge Posada of the Yankees.
Of course, Kreider lacks the four rings the catcher earned as part of the Core Four, but if Kreider is going to be penalized for it, let's remember this: Just 25 Rangers have had their names etched onto the Chalice over the past 85 years.

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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
NFL stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' ‘multi-sensory' steakhouse is now taking reservations — here's when doors officially open
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are raising the steaks. The Kansas City Chiefs stars have finally announced that their highly anticipated steakhouse, 1587 Prime, will open its doors next month. Located in the Loews Kansas City Hotel, the swanky eatery will welcome customers from Sept. 17th — which also just happens to be Mahomes' 30th birthday. 5 Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes announced an opening date for their highly anticipated culinary debut. @1587prime/Instagram 'Precision in every detail. Power in every bite,' an Instagram post from the restaurant's official account proclaimed. Reservations for opening night 'and beyond' open from tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 12 p.m. CST. 'Be among the first to experience Kansas City's newest steakhouse,' the post further enthused. The restaurant will feature 'multi-sensory dining aspects,' although the account didn't explain exactly what that would entail. The Post has reached out for comment. 5 1587 Prime will open Sept. 17. @1587prime/Instagram Meanwhile, 1587 Steakhouse will feature 'hyper-subtle nods' to Kelce and Mahomes and their on-field accomplishments. One of those nods is the name of the restaurant — Mahomes wears the number 15 on his jersey and Kelce wears 87. 5 Reservations for 1587 Prime will open Aug. 20. @1587prime/Instagram The restaurant spans two 'elegant' floors over 10,000 square feet of space with private dining rooms, access to a world-class chef's kitchen and a 'jaw-dropping' meat display. Word of the restaurant first started in March 2024 and was said to debut in 'early 2025,' but there was no official opening date until now. 1587 Prime will open just two weeks after the 2025-2026 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 4. The Kansas City Chiefs will play their first game the following day on Sept. 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The announcement video shows Kelce and Mahomes taste testing items and gave a sneak peak at the expected menu. As seen in the video, meals listed on the menu include wagyu beef, a chop salad, togarashi fried chicken, shrimp diablo, a smash burger made with Japanese A5 wagyu beef, and a steak flight that comes with a sampling of a wagyu filet, a Black Angus ribeye, and a Japanese New York strip steak. 5 The announcement video shows Kelce and Mahomes taste testing items. @1587prime/Instagram 5 The video gave a sneak peak at the expected menu. @1587prime/Instagram 'We wanted to bring something special for the city of Kansas City,' Mahomes said in the video. 'Kansas City loves food. The city's gonna love it.' 'What's better than to break food with people over good food, good drinks and a cool vibe?' Kelce added.


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Family, community and connection: What it means to be a fan of Mexican soccer in the U.S.
This article is part of our Finding Fútbol series, a special feature produced by The Athletic to chronicle how the U.S.'s Hispanic communities celebrate and enrich the beautiful game. It was, Alvaro Vaquero stresses, not a requirement. He willingly signed up for life as a Chivas fan — a curious decision to anyone who has followed the downs and rare ups of the Guadalajara club over the last several years. Sure, there was some gentle pressure. He certainly was influenced. But as a kid growing up in New York, he didn't have to support Chivas. Advertisement 'My dad would watch Chivas when I was a kid growing up. We'd sit down to watch the games. Back then, they used to play on Sundays at 1 o'clock. It was different then,' Vaquero recalled. 'It wasn't forced, but he would have the game on and I'd sit down and watch it with him. It was always Chivas, so I got brought into being a Chivas fan by default.' Now, Vaquero is the one doing the influencing as one of the hosts of the Chivas del Norte podcast, an independent, English-language show geared at uniting members of the flock in the U.S. He analyzes, celebrates and commiserates with English-speaking fans all over the country after nearly every Chivas men's and women's match through the podcast and in a Discord community. Vaquero still chats with his dad about what's going on with the club. The two also go to games when Chivas are in the U.S., like they were for Thursday's Leagues Cup match against the New York Red Bulls. But he now has a whole community of diehards who have stories just like his. 'We started Chivas del Norte back in 2017, and the inspiration was that we have fans in the States who want to consume content based on Chivas in English. It ended up turning into something pretty big,' he said. 'We connected a bunch of fans from one side of the country to another, West Coast to East Coast, people from Texas. They're all down to meet up, talk about the game and hang. It's cool to see how the initiative we took started up a little movement.' Chivas is well-supported throughout North America and the world, but the team has a policy of fielding only Mexican players. In recent years, it has expanded that definition to include Mexican-Americans and anyone else who qualifies as Mexican under the country's constitution. That cleared the way for players like Cade Cowell to suit up for Chivas but continue to represent the United States men's national team. 'It's different, but I like it,' Vaquero said. 'I think it expands the talent pool for Chivas and also fans here in the States can relate a little more to the team. You've got kids in Cali watching Chivas, thinking, 'It could be me!' It's good for the club.' Dylan Jimenez is a fan of Chivas' biggest rival, Club América, but a group like Chivas del Norte was exactly what he needed when he started discovering the sport during the 2010 World Cup. He was captivated by América's 2013 run to a Liga MX title, capped by goalkeeper Moises Muñoz's headed goal that forced a penalty shootout and sparked jubilant celebrations from manager Miguel Herrera on the touchline and fans throughout Mexico. It also ignited celebrations from Jimenez in his West Texas home. He was hooked. Advertisement Many U.S.-based fans of Mexican soccer are converted by their parents or grandparents, or, like Vaquero, are simply born into the tradition. In Jimenez's case, it worked the other way around. He convinced his dad to start following Mexican soccer, though his dad opted to support Santos Laguna since his family roots are in Coahuila, Santos' home state. 'I found the passion and love all on my own,' Jimenez said. 'Social media has become such a powerful thing. I don't speak Spanish very well — enough to get by and understand a lot — but that was a big barrier for me. I was following these Spanish accounts, the club PR, everything was in Spanish. I felt connected in a sense, but also felt a disconnect.' Jimenez soon found social media accounts and media outlets that cover the league for fans like himself: Mexican-Americans who grew up reading and speaking English and prefer to get their information in that language. 'Here are people who love the game and Mexican soccer like I do, and they're doing it in English! That's how I got plugged in,' he said. In 2018, he and Ivan Pineda, another U.S.-based América fan, launched the Eagle Eye Podcast to track the travails of Las Aguilas. They have built the same kind of community as Chivas del Norte's, aimed at people who may be watching games solo. Despite the popularity of Liga MX, which regularly posts TV ratings that put it atop or just off the summit of the most-watched league in the U.S., and with the Mexico jersey and various club jerseys often bestsellers, per data released by merchandise brands and retailers, following Mexican soccer still can feel like an isolated pursuit in many corners of the country. Even in a city as cosmopolitan as New York, Vaquero knows of several pubs where he can pop in and watch his chosen Premier League team, Arsenal. Ask for Chivas? 'There's no pub that's going to put on the Chivas game because it's prime college football hours or baseball, basketball,' he said. 'They're not going to give you a television at the bar to watch the Chivas game.' It's not only fans who can feel a bit isolated. Sometimes those in the game feel the same. Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas grew up in frigid Alaska, where hockey, hoops, dog mushing and fishing rule the sporting scene. 'My dad worked all day, but when he'd come home, we'd watch Mexican league games,' he said in an interview with Backheeled earlier this year. Now a Mexico international, Vargas recalls watching the club that represented his father's hometown, a team his dad played for as a youth player before making the long move north after realizing he wouldn't make it as a pro player. Advertisement 'I was a Monarcas fan,' the younger Vargas said, fondly listing off the players he rooted for, ranging from his future Sounders teammate Raul Ruidiaz and Chile international Diego Valdez to 'streets remember' icons like Rodolfo 'Pipila' Vilchis and Joaquin 'Shaggy' Martinez. 'Many people won't know who they are, but that was the team I grew up with.' That admiration for the Mexican game and its importance to his father and grandfather played a huge role in Vargas' decision to file a one-time switch and commit his national team future to El Tri rather than the U.S. Not that playing for Mexico has to mean leaving the United States. Even some Mexico fans in the U.S. express a bit of skepticism about the number of matches El Tri plays in stateside, but its five annual Mextour matches often fill stadiums. 'The fans here are fantastic. A+,' Mexico manager Javier Aguirre said this summer. 'I tell my players that whenever you come, you have a commitment to these fans. 'They'll drive for five hours from I don't know where, they spend their money, they come with their family, they pay for their tickets and the least we can return to them is to run and fight for your country.' Aguirre further emphasized that he wants El Tri supporters to identify with the playing style and the effort that the national team puts on the field. Jimenez, a TV reporter and anchor in Wichita Falls, Texas, used to use a Club América lanyard when going around town, but now has a Mexico one. He said he'll share friendly banter from U.S. supporters in the community, something that peaked during the Gold Cup final on July 6 when he displayed his Mexico jersey during a segment with another on-air personality. The community he's built with Eagle Eye has encouraged him to live out his fandom authentically — and also challenge ideas on both sides of the border about what a fan of Mexican soccer looks like. 'I'll wear the América jersey, but also a cowboy hat at the same time. I feel like it gives a unique spin on who an América fan is,' Jimenez said. 'It's helped me be myself but also show who I am as an América fan.' Advertisement That identity and belonging are what so many fans seek. As Mexican clubs look to expand their brands and win over new fans in the U.S., some have struggled to strike the right tone when it comes to making inroads with supporters in the U.S. who may be curious about Liga MX but are not already committed to a club. 'For a while, they weren't targeting any English media or fans that only spoke English, even though they still watched the team. Now, they're doing a better job,' Vaquero said. 'We're seeing the push to include more of the American fan base, which there's a huge fan base over here.' That fan base still relies largely on the cultural connections millions of Mexican-Americans retain to Mexican soccer. Even as foreign leagues and clubs open offices in the U.S. or produce content geared toward an American audience, most English-language content is still fan-created. There is a sense that, with the 2026 World Cup hosted by Mexico, the U.S. and Canada just around the corner, things may be starting to change. 'Despite the flaws Liga MX has, it's good football at the end of the day,' Jimenez said. 'It's a passion of mine, and there's an audience that — despite it being the most watched league in the United States — shows still even more people could be attracted to watch and grow it even further.' As Liga MX contests continue to put up huge TV ratings, El Tri keeps drawing big crowds and efforts to reach new types of fans grow, more and more fans may be coming to the same realization as Vaquero did all those years ago: Sure, it's voluntary to follow Mexican soccer in the U.S., but if you're not careful you may find yourself sitting down, falling in love and finding a community. The Finding Fútbol series is sponsored by Modelo. The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. Spot the pattern. 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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz granted wildcard as US Open confirms pairings for controversial mixed doubles event
The US Open has confirmed 14 teams that will feature in its controversial, revamped mixed doubles tournament this year, with a further two wildcard spots to be allocated at a later date. The organisers announced in February that the mixed doubles event would be radically overhauled, moving to a two-day event before the start of the official tournament, with sets played to four games with a tiebreak at 4-4, no-ad scoring, and a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set. The quicker format, the move to qualifying week, and the huge increase in prize money - up to $1m, an $800,000 increase from the 2024 edition - was designed to attract singles stars to the event. And of the 14 teams confirmed as participants this week, only one team is an established mixed doubles pairing: last year's champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Recent Wimbledon mixed doubles champions Katerina Siniakova and Sam Verbeek are not on the list, but could still receive a wildcard entry closer to the tournament start. Both were among many doubles specialists - Errani and Vavassori included - who objected to the changed format and emphasis on singles players. 'It's a shame they decided to do it,' Siniakova told BBC Sport during Wimbledon. 'I think it's a marketing step, but they are taking (away the) chance of doubles players.' Verbeek added: 'I'm not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there's going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public. But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.' The teams include eight which have directly earned a place as a result of their combined singles ranking, while Errani and Vavassori are one of six teams granted wildcards, with two more to follow. Nine grand slam singles champions are on the list of confirmed pairings, including recently-crowned Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, who have direct entry into the draw alongside partners Emma Navarro and Casper Ruud, respectively. Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz have been given a wildcard, along with all-American pairings Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Townsend - the women's doubles No 1 - and Ben Shelton. Venus Williams, who recently made her singles comeback in Washington, and Reilly Opelka have also been granted a wildcard, as have Serbia's Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic. British No 1 Jack Draper had entered the draw alongside Zheng Qinwen, but has now been granted direct entry alongside Spain's former world No 2 Paula Badosa after Zheng withdrew following elbow surgery. The small draw and popularity of the event among singles players means it's not just established doubles pairings who will miss out: Alex de Minaur took to social media after the announcement to say, 'Katie [Boulter, his fiancee] and I would like to ask for a WC pretty pretty please'.