Latest news with #CharlesCurtis
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Strands hints today: Clues and answers on Tuesday, May 27 2025
Charles Curtis USA TODAY Sports WARNING: THERE ARE STRANDS SPOILERS AHEAD! DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT THE MAY 27, 2025 STRANDS ANSWER SPOILED FOR YOU. Ready? OK! Have you been playing Strands, the super fun game from the New York Times, the makers of Connections and other brain-teasers like Wordle in which you have to do a search in a jumble of letters and find words based on a theme? It's pretty fun and sometimes very challenging, so we're here to help you out with some clues and the answers, including the "Spangram" that connects all the words. Let's start with the clue: A strange new world. If you want our help? Think about where you might find strange new worlds! As for the answers, scroll below the photo below: Farm, Games, Handmaids, Tale, Animal, Hunger The Spangram is ... DYSTOPIAN NOVEL. Play more word games Looking for more word games?
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Final Four expert predictions for the 2025 Sweet 16: Who's winning the tourney?
Final Four expert predictions for the 2025 Sweet 16: Who's winning the tourney? As the clock ticks down to Thursday, the men's Sweet 16 looms. After this weekend? We'll be down to the Final Four teams left in the NCAA tournament who will fight for a national title. Wondering who will be remaining and who will win it all? Just like we did last week, we've got those predictions from our staffers who know ball, with Final Four picks, along with who's hoisting the trophy while confetti rains down in San Antonio. So as you read up on the best survivor pool picks, the amount of perfect brackets left and some Sweet 16 power rankings, here's a look at our expert predictions: Florida over Duke (with Florida, Tennessee, Duke and Michigan State in the Final Four) I said this would be the result in our first predictions post, and I'm sticking with it. Chalky but this should be epic. -- Charles Curtis Florida over Duke (with Florida, Houston, Duke and Michigan State in the Final Four) Florida was my original pick for a champion, and I feel even better about it now after seeing the Gators play and survive a close game against the defending champ, UConn. -- Prince Grimes Duke over Florida (with Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Duke in the Final Four) You know what? Florida has shown just enough cracks for me to flip my pre-tournament pick. Also, thanks for nothing, Marquette. -- Christian D'Andrea Duke over Auburn (Auburn, Maryland, Duke and Tennessee in the Final Four) I'm sticking with the same group I had before the tournament, except this time, I'm replacing the eliminated Zags with the dancing Vols. -- Bryan Kalbrosky Houston over Florida (Michigan State, BYU, Florida and Houston in the Final Four) The Big Ten is incapable of winning a tournament since Y2K, BYU is a sneaky tough matchup for the Duke-Arizona winner, but ultimately the Big 12 reminds everyone it's still the toughest conference in the country. -- Blake Schuster Duke over Auburn (Auburn, Florida, Duke and Tennessee in the Final Four) As someone who starts watching any sort of college basketball in March, GIMME ALL THE CHALK, BABY. Let's stick with the theme. -- Robert Zeglinski Maryland over Duke (Michigan, Maryland, Duke and Houston in the Final Four) Coach K always said the only way Duke would ever play Maryland again after the Terps left the ACC was in the tournament. Here we go. For all the marbles. -- Mike Sykes Duke over Florida (Florida, Duke, Michigan State and Houston in the Final Four) Duke is the most talented team in the tournament and meets all the historic criteria for past champions. So, I'm sticking with the Blue Devils. -- Andrew Joseph
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB 2025 Predictions: Win total over/unders for every team
MLB 2025 Predictions: Win total over/unders for every team Any baseball fan can go ahead and guess which teams will make the playoffs after all the offseason dust has settled. It takes a true sicko to look at each ballclub and try to predict how many wins each will finish with. Fortunately, we have three such sickos at For The Win willing to take on the challenge. As Opening Day for the 2025 Major League Baseball nears on Thursday, we've gone through every win total line at FanDuel and predicted which teams will finish over or under. For reference, we also added the notorious PECOTA projections from Baseball Prospectus. Let's dig in! American League East Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Baltimore Orioles 88.5 88.7 Over Over Over Boston Red Sox 86.5 79.5 Over Over Over New York Yankees 92.5 89.1 Under Over Over Tampa Bay Rays 81.5 82 Over Over Under Toronto Blue Jays 78.5 85.1 Under Under Under Blake Schuster: This feels like it has to be the year for the Orioles to win the division. The Yankees took a step back, the Blue Jays are teetering on a fire sale and the Red Sox are maybe a year away from contender. You can never count out the Rays, but the collection of talent in Baltimore is pretty hard to top. Charles Curtis: Whew, this is tough. I do love what the Sox did this offseason, which makes them sneaky good. I think I'm going O's to win the East, the Yankees to grab a Wild Card and the rest to be CHAOS. Gotta love it. Prince Grimes: I really want the Orioles to compete for the division title, but the loss of Corbin Burnes is going to hurt that rotation a lot. And the Yankees are still great without Juan Soto. I'm going Yankees, and the Red Sox are a sleeper here. American League Central Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Chicago White Sox 54.5 61.3 Over Over Under Cleveland Guardians 82.5 79.9 Under Under Over Detroit Tigers 83.5 78.8 Under Over Under Kansas City Royals 82.5 81.3 Over Over Under Minnesota Twins 83.5 86.8 Under Over Over Blake Schuster: I know we just saw the Tigers make a triumphant postseason push, but Kansas City really seems like the class of the division and could be for awhile. Minnesota didn't get any better and has the same injury concerns with Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis. Cleveland is a bit older and the White Sox the White Sox. Charles Curtis: Ahh, the AL Central. Good luck forecasting this one, but I'll try: I'll say the Royals take the title and the Tigers take them down to the final week of the season ... but then I wonder if the Twins do Twins things and the Guardians are underrated. Did I forget a team here? Oh, right. Sorry, Sox fans. Prince Grimes: There's a lot to like about four of the teams in this division, but I have a lot of questions about how real the Royals and Tigers are -- which brings me to Minnesota. With better health, I could see the Twins coming out as the surprise winners. American League West Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Athletics 71.5 71.5 Over Over Over Houston Astros 86.5 88 Under Over Over Los Angeles Angels 72.5 74.2 Under Under Under Seattle Mariners 85.5 85.8 Under Over Under Texas Rangers 85.5 90.4 Over Under Under Blake Schuster: It's Texas and then everyone else in this division. That said, I expect we'll see a much stronger Athletics' team than many casuals expect. Not that they'll contend, but the A's won't be as bad as last year. The Astros' reign of terror is over. Charles Curtis: Bold take: I think the A's will be really fun for three quarters of the season. But I could see Texas winning and the Astros at least hanging in the Wild Card. Prince Grimes: The West is ripe for the taking with Houston expected to take a step back. I just don't think Seattle has enough offense to take it, and the Rangers have too many question marks with oft-injured vets. Don't be surprised if you look up at the end of the year, and it's the Astros again. National League East Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Atlanta Braves 86.5 87.6 Under Under Over Miami Marlins 63.5 60.7 Over Under Under New York Mets 90.5 91.7 Over Over Over Philadelphia Phillies 90.5 85.7 Under Over Over Washington Nationals 70.5 67.9 Over Under Under Blake Schuster: The most exciting division in baseball yet again will come down to the Braves and Mets (and likely whichever team can stay healthier). Charles Curtis: I'm a Mets fan, so I'm set up to worry that they won't win the division, especially with their rotation. I'll say it's Mets by a hair over the Braves and the Phils keep in the mix. Prince Grimes: We're probably headed for another photo finish between the Phillies, Braves and Mets. Juan Soto's shuffle might just be the thing that finally pushes New York over the top. National League Central Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Chicago Cubs 86.5 91.7 Under Under Under Cincinnati Reds 79.5 74.5 Over Over Under Milwaukee Brewers 82.5 79.5 Over Over Over Pittsburgh Pirates 75.5 75.1 Under Under Over St. Louis Cardinals 75.5 77.5 Under Under Over Blake Schuster: The Cubs will be better than expected, but they aren't ready to contend yet. The same goes for Cincinnati, but ultimately a healthy Brewers team should win the Central. Charles Curtis: It's probably the Brewers or bust, but don't bet against the Reds. Prince Grimes: The Cubs closed the gap on Milwaukee, which should make for an interesting race, but I get the feeling the Brewers aren't quite done owning this division. National League West Team FanDuel W/L Line PECOTA Projection Blake Schuster Charles Curtis Prince Grimes Arizona Diamondbacks 86.5 87.6 Under Under Over Colorado Rockies 59.5 54.7 Over Over Over Los Angeles Dodgers 104.5 103.2 Over Over Over San Diego Padres 85.5 87 Under Over Under San Francisco Giants 79.5 77.6 Under Under Under Blake Schuster: Thanks for playing everyone else, just give the Dodgers their division title now. Charles Curtis: Yeah, yeah Dodgers yadda yadda yadda. Padres are nice though. Prince Grimes: It's the Dodgers, then everyone else. Not just in the West. That goes for the entire league.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB 2025 Predictions: MVP, Rookie of the Year and more for each league
MLB 2025 Predictions: MVP, Rookie of the Year and more for each league For The Win's MLB predictions roll on with player (and manager) awards for the 2025 season as Thursday's Opening Day draws near. Our panel of eight baseball-obsessed writers had at least some consensus with their team predictions, but for the award races we were all over the place. That might just go to show how wide-open most of these campaigns are in 2025. There were five different Cy Young picks in each league, for example. So someone of us are going to look very foolish this fall and some may just look like geniuses. Let's get to the picks. All odds via BetMGM American League MVP Blake Schuster: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros Charles Curtis: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals Mary Clarke: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees Andrew Joseph: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees Bryan Kalbrosky: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals Christian D'Andrea: Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays Prince Grimes: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals Meghan Hall: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees National League MVP Blake Schuster: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets Charles Curtis: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds Mary Clarke: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers Andrew Joseph: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Kalbrosky: Juan Soto, New York Mets Christian D'Andrea: Juan Soto, New York Mets Prince Grimes: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers Meghan Hall: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers American League Cy Young Blake Schuster: Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals Charles Curtis: Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals Mary Clarke: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox Andrew Joseph: Max Fried, New York Yankees Bryan Kalbrosky: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Christian D'Andrea: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox Meghan Hall: Max Fried, New York Yankees National League Cy Young Blake Schuster: Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies Charles Curtis: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates Mary Clarke: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies, Andrew Joseph: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves Bryan Kalbrosky: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates Christian D'Andrea: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates Prince Grimes: Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks Meghan Hall: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves American League Rookie of the Year Blake Schuster: Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox Charles Curtis: Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox Mary Clarke: Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox Andrew Joseph: Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees Bryan Kalbrosky: Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers Christian D'Andrea: Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees Meghan Hall: Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees National League Rookie of the Year Blake Schuster: Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs Charles Curtis: Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals Mary Clarke: Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers Andrew Joseph: Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Kalbrosky: Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs Christian D'Andrea: Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates Prince Grimes: Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals Meghan Hall: Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs American League Comeback Player of the Year Blake Schuster: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels Charles Curtis: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers Mary Clarke: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers Andrew Joseph: Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays Bryan Kalbrosky: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers Christian D'Andrea: Felix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles Prince Grimes: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels Meghan Hall: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers National League Comeback Player of the Year Blake Schuster: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves Charles Curtis: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds Mary Clarke: Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves Andrew Joseph: Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves Bryan Kalbrosky: Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins Christian D'Andrea: Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins Prince Grimes: Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins Meghan Hall: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves American League Reliever of the Year Blake Schuster: Lucas Erceg, Kansas City Royals Charles Curtis: Mason Miller, Athletics Mary Clarke: Mason Miller, Athletics Andrew Joseph: Mason Miller, Athletics Bryan Kalbrosky: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians Christian D'Andrea: Devin Williams, New York Yankees Prince Grimes: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians Meghan Hall: Mason Miller, Athletics National League Reliever of the Year Blake Schuster: Kirby Yates, Los Angeles Dodgers Charles Curtis: Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves Mary Clarke: Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers Andrew Joseph: Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals Bryan Kalbrosky: Edwin Diaz, New York Mets Christian D'Andrea: Trevor Megill, Milwaukee Brewers Prince Grimes: Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals Meghan Hall: Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers American League Manager of the Year Blake Schuster: Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles Charles Curtis: Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals Mary Clarke: A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers Andrew Joseph: Stephen Vogt, Cleveland Guardians Bryan Kalbrosky: Dan Wilson, Seattle Mariners Christian D'Andrea: A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles Meghan Hall: A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers National League Manager of the Year Blake Schuster: Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds Charles Curtis: Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks Mary Clarke: Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets Andrew Joseph: Craig Counsell, Chicago Cubs Bryan Kalbrosky: Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets Christian D'Andrea: Derek Shelton, Pittsburgh Pirates Prince Grimes: Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks Meghan Hall: Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
USA Today
25-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB 2025 Predictions: Expert picks for each division, league and World Series champion
MLB 2025 Predictions: Expert picks for each division, league and World Series champion And just like that, were back to baseball. The Major League Baseball season opens for every team except the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs this week — the reigning World Series champs officially began their campaign last week against Chicago in the two-game Tokyo Series. Which means it's a perfect time to predict what the standings will look like by October. For The Win asked it's eight baseball-obsessed writers to weigh on a variety of topics and we've got some fascinating answers for who this year's division, league and World Series champs will be. Here's the SparkNotes version: In the American League, no one knows what to make of the New York Yankees, the Central is completely up for grabs for every team (except the Chicago White Sox) and the AL West looks like a two-team race between Texas ballclubs. Over in the National League, we're expecting more NL East chaos ,and a wildly competitive Central across the board, while the Dodgers run roughshod over the West. Here's our best predictions for which teams will have something to celebrate in about six months. American League East Blake Schuster: Baltimore Orioles Charles Curtis: Boston Red Sox Mary Clarke: New York Yankees Andrew Joseph: New York Yankees Bryan Kalbrosky: Baltimore Orioles Christian D'Andrea: Tampa Bay Rays Prince Grimes: Baltimore Orioles Meghan Hall: New York Yankees American League Central Blake Schuster: Detroit Tigers Charles Curtis: Kansas City Royals Mary Clarke: Cleveland Guardians Andrew Joseph: Cleveland Guardians Bryan Kalbrosky: Detroit Tigers Christian D'Andrea: Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Minnesota Twins Meghan Hall: Detroit Tigers American League West Blake Schuster: Texas Rangers Charles Curtis: Texas Rangers Mary Clarke: Texas Rangers Andrew Joseph: Houston Astros Bryan Kalbrosky: Houston Astros Christian D'Andrea: Texas Rangers Prince Grimes: Houston Astros Meghan Hall: Texas Rangers American League Wild Cards Blake Schuster: Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros Charles Curtis: Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees Mary Clarke: Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals Andrew Joseph: Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals Bryan Kalbrosky: New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners Christian D'Andrea: Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, New York Yankees Prince Grimes: New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox Meghan Hall: Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals National League East Blake Schuster: Philadelphia Phillies Charles Curtis: Atlanta Braves Mary Clarke: Atlanta Braves Andrew Joseph: Atlanta Braves Bryan Kalbrosky: New York Mets Christian D'Andrea: New York Mets Prince Grimes: New York Mets Meghan Hall: Atlanta Braves National League Central Blake Schuster: Chicago Cubs Charles Curtis: Milwaukee Brewers Mary Clarke: Milwaukee Brewers Andrew Joseph: Milwaukee Brewers Bryan Kalbrosky: Chicago Cubs Christian D'Andrea: Pittsburgh Pirates Prince Grimes: Milwaukee Brewers Meghan Hall: Milwaukee Brewers National League West Blake Schuster: Los Angeles Dodgers Charles Curtis: Los Angeles Dodgers Mary Clarke: Los Angeles Dodgers Andrew Joseph: Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Kalbrosky: Los Angeles Dodgers Christian D'Andrea: San Diego Padres Prince Grimes: Los Angeles Dodgers Meghan Hall: Los Angeles Dodgers National League Wild Cards Blake Schuster: New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers Charles Curtis: Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks Mary Clarke: Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Diego Padres Andrew Joseph: Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs Bryan Kalbrosky: Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres Christian D'Andrea: Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers Prince Grimes: Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves Meghan Hall: Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs American League Champion Blake Schuster: Kansas City Royals Charles Curtis: Boston Red Sox Mary Clarke: New York Yankees Andrew Joseph: Houston Astros Bryan Kalbrosky: Baltimore Orioles Christian D'Andrea: Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Baltimore Orioles Meghan Hall: New York Yankees National League Champion Blake Schuster: Los Angeles Dodgers Charles Curtis: New York Mets Mary Clarke: Philadelphia Phillies Andrew Joseph: Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Kalbrosky: Los Angeles Dodgers Christian D'Andrea: Philadelphia Phillies Prince Grimes: Los Angeles Dodgers Meghan Hall: Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Champion Blake Schuster: Los Angeles Dodgers Charles Curtis: Boston Red Sox Mary Clarke: Philadelphia Phillies Andrew Joseph: Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Kalbrosky: Los Angeles Dodgers Christian D'Andrea: Detroit Tigers Prince Grimes: Los Angeles Dodgers Meghan Hall: Los Angeles Dodgers
