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New York Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
New Penguins coach Dan Muse won't win on words alone, but he's off to a good start
PITTSBURGH — Judging coaching hires in the direct aftermath is a fool's game. Maybe Dan Muse will win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Maybe he'll be fired in a couple of years. No one knows. Sometimes, though, you can learn something from a first impression, like at Wednesday morning's news conference at PPG Paints Arena. Advertisement Muse, a relative no-name with no connection to Pittsburgh who was hired last week to be the Penguins' new head coach, had the opportunity to introduce himself to fans. He did very well. While I only met him for the first time on Wednesday, his honesty and humility were notable. The word on Muse is that there's nothing phony about him, and that seems to be true. One brief sentence late in the news conference got my attention. It might not have registered with most people, but it impressed me. There's a great scene in 'Moneyball' where Brad Pitt, portraying general manager Billy Beane, meets with John Henry — the primary leader of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox and the Penguins — about taking the job in Boston. Pitt's character is asked why he's interested in the job. 'It's the Red Sox,' he said. About 46 minutes deep into his news conference on Wednesday, Muse was asked about the interview process and about taking the job. 'This is the Pittsburgh Penguins,' he said with a smile. There was more to his answer, but it was an endearing moment. Something real. Something honest. He didn't walk in like he owned the place, but there's nothing meek about him. He was oozing confidence but also took the time to appreciate his accomplishment. What does that mean for Muse as a coach? Perhaps nothing. But I suspect it tells us something about the person. Muse's first act as Penguins coach was to introduce the room to his wife and four young children, all of whom were sitting with the media. You don't always see that at these kinds of events. But again, it felt honest. It felt genuine. The rest of his answer, by the way, was telling. Muse was asked what set him apart from the other candidates, why he was the right man for the job. He initially joked that Penguins president and GM Kyle Dubas, sitting to his right, was the more appropriate person to answer that question. He was right. But Dubas deferred to him anyway, and I'm glad he did. Advertisement 'I was just myself,' he said. 'Honestly.' Then he made an interesting, vulnerable admission. In a room full of strangers, the 42-year-old coach opened up about the interview process, past failures and where he had gone wrong. Being himself was the key. Talk about a life lesson. 'Maybe that's different than any interview process I've gone through in the past,' he admitted. You don't hear that at news conferences very often. Maybe Muse tried to be somebody he was not in the past. Maybe, in trying to impress would-be employers, he talked a big game that he couldn't quite back up, or perhaps he emulated someone else. If that's the case, he didn't do it this time. After Dubas called Muse and said he wanted to chat about the Penguins' job, Muse gave himself a moment to consider what it meant. 'It was a huge honor,' he said. 'Pretty quickly, when I got over the fact that 'This is awesome,' I wanted the job.' He went out and got it, despite bigger names being interested. It would appear that he stayed true to himself throughout the process. 'I wanted the job,' he said. 'I decided that I was going to be me. If they like me, they like me. If they don't, they don't.' They liked him. Coaching the Penguins in 2025 comes with two primary objectives. First and foremost, the organization's talented, young players must be properly developed. Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke, Sergei Murashov and the bushel of draft picks coming to Pittsburgh in the next couple of years are the future. If the Penguins want to become championship contenders again, those young players must hit. That can only happen when the head coach is a straight shooter. Then, there's the delicate part of this job. This team features two separate generations: the young guys and the future wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame. When next season starts, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang will be 38. Evgeni Malkin will be 39. Erik Karlsson will be 35. Advertisement Those four have about 80 years of NHL experience between them. They can smell horse excrement from a mile away. The Penguins are led by their stars. It's in the franchise DNA. As fate would have it, I counted to see how many people were in the room on Wednesday morning. The answer? There were 87 people, naturally. Crosby is the ultimate captain and will play hard for anyone. The other three are great competitors, great characters in their own right, but coaching them can be tricky. You had better be direct with them. Mike Johnston wasn't. They chewed him up and spit him out. Same with Dan Bylsma in the end. Muse is well aware of what he faces. 'You have guys in different places in their careers,' he said. 'That's very clear. My job coming in here is going to be to help maximize each person and help each person work toward what their highest level can be right now.' There was great honesty — theme of the day — in that statement. Muse was behind the Rangers bench during the past two seasons, so he knows Crosby remains Crosby, one of the great forces in hockey history who, after 20 NHL seasons, remains a marvel. He also knows that the other three seem to be in significant levels of decline. 'I want to create the best environment for everyone to grow,' he said. Perfectly said. Maybe Muse will work, or maybe he won't. I don't know. Neither do you. By all accounts, he's a terrific teacher of the sport. After speaking with him briefly after his news conference and simply from observing his gathering with the media, I believe it. A good teacher can't be a conman. Whether you're dealing with kids or legends, you have to show a certain character, a directness, an honesty. Kids can sniff insincerity. So can hockey legends. Longtime coach Mike Sullivan, who parted ways with the Penguins this offseason and was hired as Rangers head coach, had that same honesty, and it worked. Advertisement The degree of difficulty is much higher now compared to when Sullivan arrived in 2015. Still, in Muse, I sense many of Sullivan's wonderful traits that made him a winner. We'll see if Muse is the right coach. From what I've been told and what I saw with my own two eyes on Wednesday, I think he's the right person. You can't have one without the other, so it's a start. Getting better each day is his simple goal. 'It's going to be working together as a staff to make sure that's happening,' he said. 'That's the job. That's what I'm coming in here to do. That's what we're building a staff to do. And that's what we're going to do.' I believe him.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Liverpool tell Barcelona Diaz is not for sale
Liverpool have rejected an approach from Barcelona to speak to forward Luis sources told BBC Sport that Colombia international Diaz, one of Liverpool's key players in winning the Premier League title last season, is not for 28-year-old joined Liverpool from Porto in January 2022 and has a contract with the club until scored 13 goals and made seven assists in the league as Liverpool won the title by 10 was of attracted interest from Manchester City last summer and also has admirers in Saudi Arabia. He is currently away on international duty. Speculation about Diaz's future increased after he and his girlfriend both wrote lengthy posts on social media to Liverpool fans that could be interpreted as farewell sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football Michael Edwards have looked to refresh Arne Slot's squad early in the transfer week the Premier League champions completed the £29.5 million signing of Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer are close to agreeing a club-record £109m fee to sign Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz from Leverkusen, and are in talks to sign Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez for between £45m and £ goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili will join the squad after joining Liverpool last summer but spending the season on loan at April, prolific forward Mohamed Salah ended speculation about his future by signing a new two-year contract to keep him at Anfield until 2027, while captain Virgil van Dijk signed a new deal later that Alexander-Arnold has joined Real Madrid one month before the end of his Liverpool contract, while goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has been sold to Brentford for an initial £12.5m Darwin Nunez has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabian sides as well as Barcelona.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Liverpool reject Barcelona approach over Luis Diaz transfer, tell them he is not for sale
Liverpool have rebuffed an approach from Barcelona to discuss signing Luis Diaz, telling the champions of La Liga he is not for sale. The 28-year-old Colombia international joined from Porto in January 2022 on a deal that runs until the summer of 2027 and, as things stand, there is little expectation of a fresh agreement. Advertisement It has led Diaz to be linked with leaving Anfield and Barcelona contacted their Premier League counterparts on Wednesday about recruiting him. But Liverpool's formal reply was unequivocal; the Catalan club and their sporting director Deco were immediately informed that no appetite exists to trade a squad member who head coach Arne Slot is planning with for the 2025-26 season. Diaz was of interest to Manchester City last summer and also has admirers in Saudi Arabia. Yet the recent pursuit of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, by Al Hilal helped Liverpool establish Diaz's market price. The winger played a key role in bringing a 20th English title to Merseyside and has so far given no indication of wanting to depart. Unless that or Liverpool's stance changes, the club would be happy to let Diaz see out his final 24 months. Liverpool's new-look hierarchy, led by sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football Michael Edwards, has sought to address the contract issue — however progress has not materialised. At Diaz's age, their current preference would be to maximise his performance value — even if that means exiting as a free agent — unless Liverpool receive bids that enable them to land a replacement of similar or superior quality. (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Liverpool ready to pay full £126million asking price for Florian Wirtz to avoid drawn-out transfer saga
LIVERPOOL are preparing to pay the full £126million asking price to capture Florian Wirtz as soon as possible. The Bayern Leverkusen playmaker is understood to have agreed a five–year deal. Although the clubs have yet to agree a final fee. But boss Arne Slot wants to avoid a drawn–out saga. His club first offered £110m then went back with an improved offer. Now Anfield's chief executive of football Michael Edwards has been given permission by owners Fenway Sports Group to go all–in. There is growing Kop optimism that the 22-year-old will put pen to paper after the end of the international break on Sunday. Wirtz featured in Germany's Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal. He opened the scoring at the Allianz Arena with a well-taken header just after half-time. But Francisco Conceicao and . Julian Nagelsmann's side will now face either France or Spain who play tonight in Sunday's third-fourth play-off. After that, Wirtz will be free to have a medical. And, as is now all but certain, become the showpiece signing of Slot's squad summer splurge with £29m Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong already on board. Liverpool had been prepared to go to £120m including add-ons for Wirtz. But they now accept the Bundesliga club will not back down on their original valuation. They are hoping all negotiations can now be completed by the weekend and that Wirtz will be signed and sealed before heading out on holiday in readiness to join his new club for pre-season training which starts early next month. The attacker's number at Anfield remains unclear. Reports suggested he wanted to take the No10 off Alexis Mac Allister - but he quashed those suggestions with an Instagram post. Wirtz, who wears No10 for Leverkusen but No17 for Germany, wrote: "Who says I want the 10 [emoji]. "I respect players. "Don't believe everything that's written," followed by a clown emoji. Elsewhere, Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez is also expected to sign next week for £45m – taking the Anfield spend to £200m. 2
Boston Globe
04-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Red Sox ownership unveils new office building that would rise above Fenway's Green Monster
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'While a formal agreement is still in progress, the current plan is for the building to serve primarily as the future home of the Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group's main offices, who are expected to occupy the majority of the space,' a Fenway Corners spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Advertisement For decades, the Red Sox and FSG have based their operations within ancient Fenway Park itself, along with rented space nearby at 82 and 92 Brookline Ave. Moving out would afford them more modern space, while also opening more of Fenway for fan amenities, a spokesman said. Advertisement 'Relocating those operations will allow them to repurpose existing office areas within Fenway Park for enhanced fan amenities, meeting spaces, and new activations that improve the overall ballpark experience,' the Fenway Corners spokesperson said. The seven-story property would face both Fenway Park and the Massachusetts Turnpike. Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler Project renderings from Morris Adjmi Architects and Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects were 'The two structures work very much in harmony,' said Yanni Tsipis, senior vice president of development with WS Development in Boston, at the June 2 public meeting. 'This building will not compete with the soul and character of its surrounding context — it will step away very respectfully.' As proposed, the building would stand 129 feet — high enough to be visible above the Green Monster and make it even harder to hit a ball clear to the Turnpike. And while the famed Citgo sign will still be visible from many vantage points in the park, 'views from certain angles will change with the addition of this building,' the Fenway Corners spokesperson said in an email. Beyond the Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group also owns Liverpool Football Club, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and two regional sports news networks. (Fenway Sports Group's principal owner, John Henry, owns The Boston Globe; the project spokesperson said there was no plan to move the Globe to the new building.) Advertisement The earliest the project could start construction is mid-to-late 2026, with an expected 2½-year construction timeframe. An artist rendering of Landsdowne Street with a new building being proposed by the Red Sox on what's now the site of a small parking garage. Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler The project comes at a time of overall sluggishness for new real estate development, and follows a period of dramatic transformation of the blocks surrounding Fenway Park. 'No one thought the Fenway could ever be what the Fenway is today,' said Tim Horn, a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee overseeing the Fenway Corners development. And Genevieve Day, co-executive director of the Fenway Alliance, a guild of 22 cultural and educational institutions in the neighborhood, praised the project's design. 'It really looks like one of those buildings that has always been there,' said Day. 'It almost looks like a warehouse building that you're repurposing for this usage.' And the 55 Lansdowne project could eventually grow much larger. Plans for the seven-story building include a two-story passageway that would connect to a building developed over the Turnpike — a building the Fenway Corners development consortium has air rights to build — and would, in time, create a pedestrian connection between Lansdowne Street and Kenmore Square. The project was scheduled to appear in front of the architecture review board the Boston Civic Design Commission on Tuesday evening. The team also needs to review its project agreements with its citizens' advisory committee before starting construction. The Landsdowne Street building would be part of a larger development around Fenway Park that has been approved by the Boston Planning & Development Agency. Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler Catherine Carlock can be reached at
