Elly De La Cruz's two-run home run (12)
So-So Juan Soto: Expectations, Media Scrutiny, and Will He Bounce Back?
Is Juan Soto living up to his massive $765M contract with the New York Mets? In this episode of Big League Buzz, hosts Scott Gulbransen and Evan Groat dive into Soto's underwhelming 2025 season, exploring whether performance, pressure, or sky-high expectations are causing the slump. From his decreased bat speed to the intense New York media scrutiny, we break it all down. Plus, we discuss Soto's move from the Yankees, family influence on his decision, and if he'll hit .300 by the All-Star break. Don't miss this deep dive into one of baseball's biggest stories! - Subscribe for more MLB insights! - Visit us at sportsnaut.com for exclusive baseball coverage! - Check out Evan's interview with Andy McCullough on The Sportsnaut Interview podcast: https://youtu.be/VWyxKKzfylg Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro to Big League Buzz 1:02 - Juan Soto's Mets Struggles Begin 4:00 - Tony Gwynn vs. Elly De La Cruz: Crazy Strikeout Stat 7:00 - Soto's $765M Contract: Pressure or Performance? 12:01 - Yankee Fans Boo Soto: Emotional Impact 19:21 - Family Influence on Soto's Mets Decision 22:02 - New York Media Scrutiny: Is It Too Much? 26:58 - Will Soto Hit .300 by the All-Star Break? 29:50 - Evan's Upcoming Interview with Andy McCullough 33:00 - Outro & Memorial Day Baseball Preview
33:35
Now Playing
Paused
Ad Playing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Community pharmacists in Pa. say they're struggling to absorb Rite Aid's customers
A Rite Aid pharmacy in West Chester, Pa. (Capital-Star photo by Peter Hall) Ron McDermott is a part-owner of six pharmacies in western Pennsylvania and any outsider might think his business has never seemed better. Since the Philadelphia-based retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid declared bankruptcy last month and announced plans to close hundreds of stores across the state, McDermott has seen a flood of new customers looking to transfer their prescriptions. 'A lot of people are walking into our pharmacies. A lot of people are calling,' McDermott said. 'You'd think that's great news, but there are problems.' For most businesses, a major competitor shutting their doors would be welcome. But for pharmacists, taking on new clients can actually pose a risk to their bottom line. McDermott's pharmacies have had to turn away some new customers whose medications would cost them more to stock and package than they could make selling them. 'It's the complete opposite of what we want to do as a caring, community-based pharmacy,' he said. 'We have to be careful when we take on new patients. That's a sad situation in health care. It's not the way it should be.' McDermott blames middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. They're companies that contract with insurance plans to handle their prescription services, and are responsible for reimbursing pharmacists for drugs that they cover. But McDermott and other pharmacists say those reimbursements have been getting smaller for years, to the point where pharmacies are actually losing money dispensing certain drugs. Prescription for trouble: Pennsylvania pharmacists say PBMs are driving pharmacy closures Along with handling administrative work for insurers and reimbursing pharmacies, they also create insurance plans' formularies — their list of approved or preferred drugs. In that role, they negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers, often receiving kickbacks in exchange for placing their products on a plan's formulary — their list of approved or preferred drugs. On the other end, they negotiate with pharmacies to determine how much they'll reimburse them when they dispense drugs to insured patients. The companies' power comes largely from their size. The three biggest PBMs, Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx, are part of healthcare conglomerates that rank among the biggest companies in the country, and have hands in the insurance and pharmacy businesses too. CVS Health, for example, owns CVS, the largest chain pharmacy in America, CVS Caremark, the largest PBM, and Aetna, one of the largest insurance companies. It's the sixth largest company in the U.S. by revenue. The 'big three,' as they're known in the industry, are responsible for processing about 80% of all prescriptions in America. That means pharmacists who refuse to accept the reimbursements that they offer are likely to lose customers whose insurance plans rely on them. Many of those customers only use generic drugs, which cost pennies or fractions of pennies to stock. Generally, generics make up a majority of a pharmacy's drug sales, and can be sold at a profit. But a disproportionate share of their revenue comes from the sale of name brand drugs, which can cost thousands of dollars per bottle and is often where reimbursements fall short of costs. Rob Frankil, the executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists, a trade group for pharmacists, said that McDermott is not alone. 'I'm already having a lot of my members tell me they're not willing to take in Rite Aid patients, because they're already losing money on prescriptions they fill,' he told the Capital-Star. 'It all stems from the same thing: the reimbursement is bad when you fill prescriptions.' Greg Lopes, a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a national trade group whose members include CVS, Express Scripts and OptumRx, rejected the notion that PBMs contribute to pharmacy closures. 'PBMs put patients first by working to lower prescription drug costs,' Lopes said in a statement. 'It makes no sense to blame PBMs for pharmacy closures in Pennsylvania. Independent pharmacies often point the finger at PBMs, instead of acknowledging that there are many factors that influence closures, including customer preferences for online options and changing demographics. ' Lopes added that PBMs 'are supporting community pharmacies in Pennsylvania through programs that increase reimbursement and advocating to allow them to expand the additional clinical services they can offer.' 'Pharmacies as gold' Lucas Berenbrok, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Pharmacy, has been tracking pharmacy closures around the country. Recently, he was part of a study that found around 200 have closed in Pennsylvania alone between January 2024 and March 2025. Berenbrok's research did not dive into the reasons for the closures, but, anecdotally, he said that it often comes back to unsustainable business models and low reimbursement rates. 'This is a big deal because one of the things that pharmacy has prided itself on for a long time is how accessible we are,' he said. 'That's why I got started in this research.' Lately, Berenbrok's work has been focused on identifying what he and his colleagues are calling 'keystone pharmacies.' These are businesses that, if they closed, would create pharmacy deserts in the communities they serve. Berenbrok said his team identified over 200 keystone pharmacies in Pennsylvania, though the list has not yet been made public. 'It's more of a preventative approach to say, 'Hey, let's look at these pharmacies as gold and try to do things to help them stay in business,'' he said. The recent spate of closures has not just affected local, independent pharmacies, but large chains as well. In 2021, CVS announced it would close 900 pharmacies. In 2024, Walgreens announced it would close over 1,200 in the coming years. Last month, Rite Aid declared bankruptcy. In bankruptcy filings, it announced plans to shutter about 150 of pharmacies in Pennsylvania alone, but all of its roughly 350 stores in the state may ultimately close. In a press release, Rite Aid announced that more than 1,000 of its stores nationally will be sold to other businesses, including CVS and Walgreens, with many remaining open through the transition. A spokesperson for Rite Aid did not respond to multiple requests for comment about how many of those are in Pennsylvania, and how many locations in the state may ultimately shutter. 'A pharmacist is one of very few health care providers where you can walk in and talk to a highly educated, highly trained professional, and sometimes you don't even have to have an appointment or copay,' Berenbrok said. 'It's a really great thing, I think, for everyone to understand and recognize how important it is to have a pharmacy around.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall twists continue amid ‘retired' claim
Jon Jones continues to emit mixed messages about the prospect of a fight with Tom Aspinall, 18 months after it was first mooted. Despite Jones holding the regular UFC heavyweight title and Aspinall owning the interim belt, a dynamic that has existed since November 2023, the pair are yet to have a bout booked. Advertisement Britain's Aspinall claimed the interim title by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich, as the pair stepped up after Jones sustained an injury that thwarted his planned defence against Stipe Miocic. That all-American match-up finally materialised 12 months later, in November 2024, with Jones stopping the divisional great – but only after Aspinall defended and retained the interim strap in July, a rare move in the UFC. Jones, 37, and Aspinall, 32, have therefore been poised for a unification fight for six months, yet 'Bones' continues to toy with Aspinall. On Tuesday (20 May), footage emerged of Jones saying, 'I'm done,' while seemingly on a video call with an old friend, who joked that the former light-heavyweight king could go on for another '10 years'. Yet on the same day, Jones posted an Instagram story of a video captioned: 'Have you ever seen a dog correct another dog like this?' The clip shows a dog incessantly barking at another, before a third dog arrives and instantly causes the vocal canine to become submissive. 'What I feel like returning to the UFC after some much needed downtime,' Jones wrote. Advertisement He later replied to a fan who wrote, 'How does it feel to be retired?', responding: 'I don't know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I'll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I've had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I'm genuinely enjoying life, I'm growing in different ways.' Jon Jones shares an Instagram story seemingly referencing his attitude towards a fight with Tom Aspinall (@jonnybones via Instagram) This online activity followed a series of tweets from Jones on Sunday (18 May), when the controversial American hit back at fans. He wrote: 'Yall barkin up the wrong tree, I told the Ufc my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven't shared them with you guys yet. 'Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like [being stripped of the title]? [...] This, this attitude, right here is making me a very wealthy man. This desperation [from fans] is incredibly lucrative, so thank you. Keep it coming.' Advertisement With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to happen before October. UFC president Dana White did vow last week that he would soon announce the bout, but fans continue to await such an announcement. In an interview with UFC legend Demetrious Johnson on Wednesday (21 May), Aspinall said the wait for a fight with Jones has been more mentally taxing than his injury-induced year off, from 2022 until 2023. Jones (right) stopped Stipe Miocic in the third round, before the latter retired post-fight (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) 'Then, I was at a bit of a crossroads really,' said the Wigan heavyweight. 'I'd made a little bit of money then, I'd made enough to buy a house and stuff, and then it was like: Do I want to carry on with this thing? It was obviously devastating to get injured in front of everybody and stuff. But anyway, it was a tough time for me. Advertisement 'Came back, took me a year with the rehab, with the knee and everything… the physiotherapy and all that kind of stuff. So, it was a tough couple of months mentally, but then once I started working towards getting back, I'd see the doctor, I'd see the physio, they'd be like: 'In two weeks, this is what I want you doing in the gym. I want you squatting down to 90 degrees. I want you to be able to jump on this box. I want you to be able to run a mile and then you can start boxing, you can do this, that.' I always had a little goal to work towards. 'So, after a couple of months of being sat on the couch, as soon as I could get in the gym and start working towards different things, it was great and I felt good. I was like: 'I definitely want to come back. Now I'm going to go; I don't have any injuries, I'm going to win the heavyweight championship, I'm going to become this legend, I'm going to knock everybody out.' And all that stuff. I felt great about it. And I was on my recovery path to getting back. 'Now, I've been almost a year inactive with no prospects of anything apart from 'wait'. So, now it's actually a bit more of a tricky time for me mentally than it was then [...] Now, it's just like: 'Just be ready and we'll just let you know.' It's kind of difficult mentally, but this is the fight against Jon Jones. The fight is another thing, this is the tricky bit where I really have to stay switched on, stay motivated, and I'm trying my best. It's tough sometimes.' Tom Aspinall (left) drops Curtis Blaydes before sealing the knockout in their rematch (REUTERS) While some fans view Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, his career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, the American is effectively unbeaten, with his sole loss having come via DQ in 2009. Advertisement Meanwhile, Aspinall is 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. In the promotion, his only defeat occurred due to injury, while all of his career finishes have come via stoppage. In the UFC, Aspinall holds the record for the shortest fight time of an athlete with five or more bouts; all of his wins in the promotion have come in the first two rounds – seven in round one, two in the first minute. Aspinall's decision to defend the interim belt was a rarity in the UFC, as the Wigan fighter aimed to stay active during Jones's absence. In that fight, Aspinall stopped Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, avenging his injury-induced loss to the American in 2022.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Ringo Starr on turning 85, meditation and The Beatles evolution
Sir Ringo Starr sat down with AP entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to reflect on a milestone year: celebrating his 85th birthday next July 7, 35 years of the All-Starr Band and a recent Grammy win ('I'd like a couple more if you don't mind,' he says). He shared stories from his early days as a hopeful dreamer, the musical evolution of The Beatles, and his mindset when behind a drum kit ('I'm in a blackout!'). Starr also opened up about his journey practicing transcendental meditation, photography and the deep bond he still shares with his bandmates.
