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The countdown is on for the 2025 NFL draft. It's time for my one and only mock draft, where I project Round 1. As always, this isn't what I would do if I were the general manager for every team -- it's how I'd sort through the top 32 picks based on what I'm hearing from my sources around the league.

Round 1 begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC, ESPN App), and you can catch me throughout the weekend from Green Bay. Let's get to the picks, where I'm projecting two trades -- one in the top 10 and one in the mid-20s. Here we go:

Jump to a team's first-round pick:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

1. Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Ward has aced this process, and the Titans' brass is quite excited about not only the player but the person and leader they're getting. It's a new day in Tennessee.


2. Cleveland Browns

Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

This is a fun one. I'm hearing there are a few teams that have been making calls to get to No. 2. We might hear more of this in the next 24 hours.

Hunter can be an elite defensive back from the get-go, but he also has the potential to be a top wide receiver. He's perhaps the rarest prospect we've seen in years. The Browns can -- and will -- consider using him on both sides of the ball. Coach Kevin Stefanski & Co. will get the very best out of him on offense.


3. New York Giants

Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State

A few days ago, it sounded as if it was Carter or Hunter, but the Giants are having fluid conversations all week. I could imagine a host of teams calling if Carter is not a slam dunk.

In the end, the Giants passed on Micah Parsons in 2021, instead trading down and taking wide receiver Kadarius Toney. I can't see them passing on another star pass rusher from Penn State.


4. New England Patriots

Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Campbell is smart, tough, dependable and a leader in a position of great need. He might not be built like Hall of Famer Orlando Pace, but the Patriots would be getting a day one starter and a culture guy on their offensive line.


5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

General manager James Gladstone won't be timid in his debut draft, and new coach Liam Coen is an offensive mastermind, looking for playmakers. Jeanty is everything they could ever want in a first pick.


6. Las Vegas Raiders

Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

Membou has the best physical traits of any tackle in this class. The Raiders can keep building from the trenches. New general manager John Spytek was in the Tampa Bay front office when the Bucs struck gold with Tristan Wirfs in 2020. Membou at No. 6 isn't too early.


7. New York Jets

Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

I've been hearing Warren to the Jets for a few weeks. This might seem early for a tight end, but in this draft -- teams should just take their guy where they can get him. In Warren's case, the new regime can turn to its owner, fans and locker room, and say, "This is what we are about."


8. Carolina Panthers

Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

The Panthers could trade back. If they stay, Walker makes sense. Play him inside, play him on the edge, play him wherever. A coach's son, Walker has won over every coach I've spoken to and would be a day one starter in Carolina.


9. New Orleans Saints

Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

I don't see quarterback Shedeur Sanders as the pick here, despite all the assumptions when the Derek Carr injury news trickled out earlier this month. (Does anyone actually know what the story is there?)

Instead, I see the Saints with one of the early "wow" picks of Round 1, grabbing an elite defender who'll carry the torch from Cameron Jordan for the next decade.


Projected trade: IND moves up for a playmaker

My first trade is a fun one. The Colts give up Nos. 14 and 80 to move up four spots in a deal with the Bears.

Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard needs to do something to help his offense, no matter if Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback. So who does he pick?


10. Indianapolis Colts (via projected trade with CHI)

Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

GM Chris Ballard & Co. get a 6-foot-6 tight end who has many teams enchanted ahead of Round 1. This pick would be about instant offense for a team that needs it.


11. San Francisco 49ers

Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

I'd be shocked if Nolen fell out of the top 15 at this point -- he might be the fastest riser in this draft. He's quick, is a people mover and has had a great predraft process. Everyone is focused on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, but Nolen is the Rebels' prospect I hear about more. Don't be shocked if he goes before Mason Graham, the more heralded defensive tackle.

The defensive line was once a real strength of the 49ers. It's time to return to that era.


12. Dallas Cowboys

Tyler Booker, G, Alabama

Booker, a bully of a guard, could help add some much-needed beef to the Cowboys' line. Having had Zack Martin retire this offseason, there's going to be a desire to fill the interior with a plug-and-play lineman.

Everyone will be clamoring for the Cowboys to take a running back or receiver. Let's go guard, though. That's how I see it.


13. Miami Dolphins

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Graham has been viewed as a likely top-five pick for the past few months, and he could still go there. If he falls to No. 13, this is a nice win for Miami, who would be getting a Day 1 culture changer and a can't-miss prospect.


14. Chicago Bears (via projected trade with IND)

Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

Banks could end up going before Membou as the top tackle in this class. He has the better tape and is more consistent. If the Bears trade back and still get him, that's a major win.


15. Atlanta Falcons

Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

For the first time in four years, the Falcons will go defense in Round 1. Campbell is a do-everything linebacker who'll make an immediate impact. His 117 tackles were the most in a season for an Alabama player since DeMeco Ryans.


16. Arizona Cardinals

Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

The Thorpe Award winner is the top corner in this class not named Travis Hunter. The Cardinals have been quietly adding premier talent through the draft the past few years. Remember: Head coach Jonathan Gannon is a defensive backs coach by trade. This one makes a lot of sense.


17. Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

The pass rusher who led the FBS with 17 sacks last season could go even higher than this. The unfortunate truth is that whichever defender Cincinnati takes here will be pitted against veteran Trey Hendrickson, who hasn't been happy with contract negotiations and has requested a trade. It wouldn't be fair to Green, who is a great prospect and fit for the Bengals.


18. Seattle Seahawks

Grey Zabel, C/G, North Dakota State

I've heard some buzz that Zabel could go as high as No. 12. That's a little too rich, but I do think top 20 could happen. The Senior Bowl star turned heads and has been as consistent through the draft process as anyone.


19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

The all-world athlete would be the perfect addition to a wide receiver room with a mix of veterans and young players. The Bucs love Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan is coming off a solid rookie year. McMillan would be the perfect student for the veterans to teach.


20. Denver Broncos

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Bar none, Egbuka is the most universally well-liked prospect in this draft. He is smart, reliable and sure-handed. He could be a 10-year captain somewhere and is most often compared to fellow Buckeyes legend Terry McLaurin.

Coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton hit a home run with Bo Nix a year ago. This could be another no-brainer.


21. Pittsburgh Steelers

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

I know Sanders had a good meeting in Pittsburgh when he visited a few weeks back. I also know the Steelers still don't have a QB1 on their roster. This might be viewed as a "slip" down the board for Sanders. He could go anywhere from No. 3 to the Giants to the second round.

Going to Pittsburgh here as the second quarterback in the class wouldn't be so bad.


22. Los Angeles Chargers

Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

Coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz went big-school prospect with their first four picks a year ago and ended up with an outstanding class.

Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter know Grant well from their time at Michigan. They'll be able to get the best out of the 331-pounder inside.


23. Green Bay Packers

Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

I know it's out of character for Green Bay to take a receiver in Round 1 -- they haven't done it since 2002 -- but in this scenario, Golden could slide right to them. And I can't see him sliding much more.

Green Bay could go in several directions. I doubt anyone thought the Packers could get the consensus top wideout on many boards, though.


24. Minnesota Vikings

Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

The Vikings have needs elsewhere and wouldn't list running back as a clear hole on their roster. But if Hampton is on the board, he'd be a wonderful addition to a young core that the organization hopes can grow old together.


25. Houston Texans

Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State

The Texans could look to their offensive line and add a guard who has the potential to kick outside to tackle. They're rebuilding their protection in front of quarterback C.J. Stroud. This isn't an attention-grabbing pick, but it's a sensible one in this draft.


Projected trade: NYG makes a move up

It's time for another trade, this one with the third quarterback coming off the board.

In this deal, the Giants would send pick Nos. 34 and 99 to the Rams to move up to No. 26. And crucially, New York would keep its original third-round pick -- No. 65 -- to continue to add talent to its roster.


26. New York Giants (via projected trade with LAR)

Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

If the draft falls this way, I think the Rams would be OK with this. They don't currently have a second-round pick, but if they agreed to this deal, they'd have four picks on Day 2.

I think the Giants would pounce on Dart. I just am not 100% certain.


27. Baltimore Ravens

Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

Simmons could slip because of an injury -- he sustained a torn patellar tendon in October -- but he might be the best of the bunch in the offensive linemen class. The Ravens could add another potential star, and watch -- he'll be a difference-maker in no time.


28. Detroit Lions

Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Johnson's stock has slipped a bit. He had a foot injury last season and was inconsistent for the Wolverines. He also sat out Michigan's pro day because of a hamstring injury.

He's a top-level talent, though, and he'd be the perfect corner to complement Terrion Arnold.


29. Washington Commanders

Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

Stewart slipping this far? It could happen. He'd make a lot of sense for the Commanders given how their run defense performed in the NFC Championship Game.


30. Buffalo Bills

Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Starks played safety and nickel corner for the Bulldogs, and he'd make an immediate impact for Buffalo. Starks is all ball and one of the safest prospects in this draft.


31. Kansas City Chiefs

James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

The Chiefs could add another player with stellar physical traits to their defense. Pearce has double-digit sack potential and a ton of upside, though most have him sliding to the second round.


32. Philadelphia Eagles

Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

The Eagles took cornerbacks with their first- and second-round picks a year ago, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't add to the defensive backfield considering the turnover this offseason.

Hairston is a speedster -- he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the combine -- who is just scratching the surface of his talent.

Sources: Bucks, Horst reach multiyear extension

Published in Basketball
Thursday, 24 April 2025 09:10

The Milwaukee Bucks and general manager Jon Horst have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

The Bucks' ownership and Horst's agent, Brian Elfus, reached a new deal late Wednesday night for the NBA championship executive and 2019 NBA exec of the year before his contract expired.

The Bucks have made the playoffs in all eight of Horst's seasons as general manager and have a .647 winning percentage -- second-best in the NBA during that span, per ESPN Research. Horst, 42, started in basketball operations roles in Milwaukee and Detroit before being promoted to Bucks GM in 2017.

Horst, the architect of the Bucks' first championship in 50 years in 2021, has made several signature transactions as the leader of the franchise's basketball operations. In 2018, he led the hiring of head coach Mike Budenholzer and signed Brook Lopez as a free agent. He traded for Jrue Holiday in 2020, and then he landed Damian Lillard in a blockbuster deal right before the 2023 NBA season.

The Bucks (48-34) finished this season with the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee is down 2-0 to the Indiana Pacers in their first-round playoff series.

THE DETROIT PISTONS' team plane has often turned into dance parties after wins this season. Rookie Ron Holland and third-year center Jalen Duren, at 19 and 21 years old, respectively, are the two youngest players on the team. They are usually in charge of the music and lauded by the locker room for their mixture of selections from different eras.

Up and down the aisle, the players will hit their best dance moves until, at some point, a request comes in for an old-school hit -- "Family Reunion" by The O'Jays is the go-to -- which prompts 32-year-old Tobias Harris to put on his best moves, much to the delight of his younger teammates.

"He hits his little one-two every now and then," Duren told ESPN. "We really might have put some youth into him."

"Give Tobias a 9.5," Pistons forward Ausar Thompson told ESPN. "The 0.5 is the stiffness, but he's just tall and he's just built like that so he can't control it. And he's getting up there in age. Maybe younger Tobias would have a 10."

Harris, who is a decade older than most of his teammates, is in his second stint with the Pistons and just completed his 14th regular season in the NBA. The reunion was part of an effort from first-year Pistons president Trajan Langdon to bring in some veterans to mix with the team's collection of lottery picks. Those young players affectionately refer to Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley as "uncs" -- the uncles of the team.

"Him and Beasley pulling out little unc moves we like to call it," Holland told ESPN. "They got a little handshake they got going on."

"I'm not part of the unc crew," Beasley clarified. "I'm still that cool cousin that's a little bit older."

Harris just shakes his head.

He's not even the oldest Pistons player -- that belongs to Hardaway Jr (33 years old). But Harris knew what he was getting into when he signed a two-year, $52 million contract with the Pistons, a team that entered the season with an average age of 24.3 years old, the fourth-youngest team in the NBA. The young team was also coming off a 14-68 season, one of the worst the league has ever seen.

"There's a lot of talent here, kind of just need a few adults in the room," Harris told ESPN. "Guide these guys a little bit, and really boost their confidence up, boost the professionalism, morale of the whole team, and see where they could take us.

"I knew that coming in that this was going to be a breath of fresh air for me, but I've truly enjoyed it. It's the most fun I've had playing basketball my whole career with this group and this team."

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, in his first season with the franchise, refers to Harris and the team's vets by a different nickname.

"My safety blanket," Bickerstaff said earlier this month. "Every time things are going awry, I can put those two guys in the game and I know they're going to settle it down."

And so they have, injecting a calming presence to an inexperienced team bursting with talent, including 2021 No.1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, who made his first All-Star team and has a strong case to make an All-NBA team. Bickerstaff, established clear and defined roles for both his younger and veteran players at the start of training camp and helped emphasize the characteristics -- defense and grit -- that fueled Pistons success in the past.

What nobody could foresee was just how swiftly Detroit could pull off a historic turnaround.

The Pistons were a league-worst 14-68 in 2023-24, including a record 28-game losing streak. They surged to 44-38 this season and claimed the No. 6 seed in the East -- the franchise's first season with a winning record since 2015-16. They are the only team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season, and no team had ever won fewer games in one season and went on to make the playoffs in the next in league history.

On Monday, the Pistons won a playoff game for the first time since the 2008 Eastern Conference finals, beating the New York Knicks 100-94 at Madison Square Garden. It snapped a streak of 15 consecutive playoff losses, also the longest in NBA history. Their first-round series, a destination that seemed impossibly distant just a season ago, returns to Detroit on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, TNT) tied at 1-1.

"It feels like it's been a two-to-three year thing, but for us to have done it so quickly, it's just a testament to the group of people that we brought into the building," Cunningham said last week.

"The guys that have been around, we're super thankful for that. Now it's about trying to find ways to win the championship."


LANGDON SMILED AND shook his head when he looked back on his approach. When he first took the job to run Detroit's basketball operations last May, making the playoffs -- especially as one of the top six teams in the East -- wasn't even among his wildest ambitions.

Shortly after the Pistons' cleaned house -- general manager Troy Weaver stepped down and then the team dismissed former coach Monty Williams after the first year of a six-year, $78.5 million contract -- Langdon began devising a plan to make the team more competitive, and fast. He believed the pieces were in place to do so. He began by hiring Bickerstaff, who had been fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers after a disappointing second-round playoff exit. Langdon knew him as a no-nonsense leader who could establish identities and roles -- a clear focus after Williams had used 36 different starting lineups in 2023-24.

Three days later, the Pistons traded for Hardaway, a volume 3-point shooter who had just helped the Dallas Mavericks make the 2024 NBA Finals. He joined a roster that ranked 27th in offense, 27th in 3-point attempt rate and 26th in overall 3-point percentage.

Later that same day, Langdon signed Beasley, another volume shooter, to a one-year, $6 million deal after he had shot 41.3% from deep on nearly seven attempts per game with the Milwaukee Bucks. Two days later, he added Harris, who was fresh off a disappointing end to his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"The main thing was trying to put together some people around these young guys that could help them develop," Langdon told ESPN. "It's not only the on-the-court and between-the-lines that I thought was important, but also the character, the experience and the postseason experience."

Harris, who previously played with Detroit from 2016-2018, has embraced his role, mentoring his younger peers about life off the court, helping them manage their finances, diets and sleep schedules. But he has also been a major contributor on the court, finishing the regular season averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game over 73 games, before upping his play in the playoffs, posting an average of 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds through the first two playoff games.

"I think it's amazing to have somebody like that in your locker room on your team," Cunningham said. The other vets have been instrumental too. Hardaway started 77 games during the regular season and shot 37% from 3 on nearly six attempts per game. Beasley set a franchise record with 319 made 3-pointers, ranking second in the league this season. He joined Anthony Edwards, Klay Thompson, James Harden and Stephen Curry as the only players in NBA history to make at least 300 3s in a season.

"This group has definitely been a blessing to be around," Beasley told ESPN. I've been a part of teams where I came in the gym and I don't want to be there every day. I come in here, no matter what I got going on in my life, I feel like these guys bring me energy, they bring me life."

Langdon says he first saw a spark during training camp -- the competition level was high, he remembers -- but it was a December trip out West, during which the Pistons beat the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, that he began to lift his own expectations on this season.

After a 10-6 January, the Pistons ripped off an eight-game win streak sandwiched around the All-Star break, culminating in blowout victories over the LA Clippers and Boston Celtics. It was the longest win streak by the Pistons since 2008 and moved them into the top six in the Eastern Conference.

"That was probably the first time I was like, 'Oh, we're beating some pretty good teams,'" Langdon said. "We have a chance to compete, be as competitive as we'd like to be. But playoffs still wasn't in that thought process at that point."

Langdon was focused, still, on changing the culture, turning process into results after so much losing. Before this season, Cunningham had never played on a team that had a winning record deeper than five games into the season.

"When you're losing, it compounds every single day," Harris said. "Coming in, I could tell that was something that happened for them last year. To see their excitement, like, winning is fun, how can we get some more of that?

"I had very high expectations for this team and this group, and I knew that with the pieces that we were bringing in as well, that we could make something happen. So could you say it was a little gamble? Yeah, from a team that hadn't won that much. But I was very confident that this team was going to be better than a lot of people expected."


play
0:19
Cunningham finds Duren for Pistons alley-oop

Cade Cunningham lobs it up for Jalen Duren to bring back down for the Pistons vs. the Knicks.

ISAIAH STEWART POINTED toward the ceiling at the Pistons' practice facility at the championship banners from 1989, 1990 and 2004 hanging over the court.

It was a few days after the Pistons forward had returned to the court following a two-game suspension for his involvement in a brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The meaning of his gesture was unmistakable -- and intentional. Despite being ejected several times in his five-year career for his roles in various skirmishes -- or perhaps because of them -- he has become known for a style of play that was a hallmark of the Pistons' glory years, when the Bad Boys terrorized Michael Jordan and the league in the late '80s and early '90s.

"You talking about Detroit value," Stewart told ESPN. "You got to have that grit, physicality."

Detroit finished 10th in defense this season, the team's first top-10 finish in seven years. The Pistons also ranked in the top 10 in offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding and rebounding percentage, second in transition points, and fifth in the most points off turnovers.

Stewart is holding opponents to 43% shooting in the paint as the closest defender, the second-best mark in the NBA. Teammate Ausar Thompson, who missed the start of the season while recovering from a blood clot, ranks second in the league in field goal percentage allowed and total steals since Jan. 1.

"We know that even a lot of the older Pistons guys come to the game, they watch, they got our backs," Thompson tells ESPN. "I feel like we try to compliment them by kind of playing their style of ball. We don't necessarily have a thousand superstars on the team, so just everybody come in and do their piece, and everybody go as hard as possible and bring that Detroit energy."

The connection to the past is intentional. It's something Bickerstaff wanted to foster with his young players.

"Those who come before you are extremely important," Bickerstaff said. "That's what we've done is try our best to pay respect to those who come before us and emulating what's been successful for this organization in the past."

That defense complements the dynamic offense Cunningham provides. The former No. 1 pick averaged a career-best in points per game (26.1), assists per game (9.1), effective field goal percentage (52%) and 2-point field goal percentage (52%), making him the favorite to win the Most Improved Player award. Detroit is shooting 53% off Cunningham's passes this season, sixth-best among players with at least 500 assists, according to ESPN Research.

"Sometimes you get lost in the shuffle of what happened last year," Harris said. "But he's a great leader for this group. His voice is impactful in the locker room and he's a real deal and what he brings to the table night in, night out."

But when the Pistons clinched their playoff berth with a win late in the season against the Toronto Raptors on April 4, and they all boarded the plane back to Detroit, there was no dance party, no music blaring, no real celebration to speak of.

Inside the quiet plane, the Pistons recognized their accomplishment but acknowledged there was still more work to be done.

"We're still hungry," Stewart said. "Yes, we're thankful and we're proud of ourselves for putting ourselves in this playoff setting, but, man, we some dogs. We want more. We don't want to just be happy to be in the playoffs. We want to go do some things."

Alcaraz said he intends to travel to Rome for the Italian Open, which begins on 6 May, before the French Open starts on 25 May.

Even if he is not able to play competitively before Roland Garros, Alcaraz remains confident he will still be able to challenge for the clay-court Grand Slam title.

"The tennis that I've played in the past few weeks has been great," he said.

"Mentally I think I'm strong to play good tennis again, so this is not going to take my confidence away.

"If I don't play Rome, or if I don't play any tournaments before Roland Garros, I don't care about it.

"I know what is my level, I know what I have to do to play good tennis."

Long-serving Yeandle agrees new Exeter deal

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 24 April 2025 04:37

Exeter Chiefs club captain Jack Yeandle has signed a new contract to stay with the Premiership side.

The 35-year-old hooker, who is the club's longest-serving player, has scored 34 tries in more than 300 appearances.

The Devon-born forward joined Exeter from Doncaster in June 2012 and has been part of the sides that have won two Premiership titles and the 202 European Champions Cup.

"Jack is one of the players that's been here, seen it, done it with Exeter Chiefs," director of rugby Rob Baxter said.

"Without doubt, he's one of the leaders who has really driven the culture here, and what we expect from players.

"The one thing he will do, and always has done, is turn up in pre-season training with the highest standards, the best fitness levels and works the hardest out of every other player. He still maintains that.

"He's a great trainer, playing very well currently and someone who is a very good influence on both young and experienced players."

The club has not disclosed the length of Yeandle's new deal.

He provides continuity in the front row with the club losing Dan Frost and Jack Innard in the summer and bringing in Australian Julian Heaven and South African Joseph Dweba.

"This is a special place to me," Yeandle told the club website, external. "It's a club I watched for years, enjoyed back at the County Ground as a youngster.

"I've seen some pretty amazing games here at Sandy Park and got to play in some too.

"I have countless favourite moments from my time as a Chief. The amazing highs of winning finals, then the old cliché of the jokes that go on in the changing room or silly moments in the gym it's all of it.

"It's also about seeing boys you train with go on to achieve amazing things boys getting picked for their countries or going on British and Irish Lions tours. To watch them progress in their careers as well is an honour.

"It's an amazing job, and I still pinch myself that I get to continue to do it."

Friesen Wins From 12th In Fonda Mod Opener

Published in Racing
Thursday, 24 April 2025 04:29

FONDA, N.Y. Opening day at Fonda Speedway was delayed until Wednesday night, but Stewart Friesen didnt disappoint.

Friesen romped from 12th on the grid to win the modified headliner, holding off ninth-starter Matt Sheppard for the victory.

Anthony Perrego, Cody Clark and Bobby Hackel IV completed the top five.

Dylan Madsen started fifth and claimed the 25-lap crate sportsman feature. Ken Gates won the pro stock main event.

The finish:

Feature (32 Laps): 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[12]; 2. 9S-Matt Sheppard[9]; 3. 4AP-Anthony Perrego[5]; 4. 4-Cody Clark[1]; 5. 97-Bobby Hackel IV[17]; 6. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[3]; 7. 93-Danny Varin[11]; 8. 79-Rocky Warner[13]; 9. 28T-Michael Trautschold[2]; 10. 9J-Marc Johnson[4]; 11. 21C-Brian Calabrese[10]; 12. 24-Adam McAuliffe[14]; 13. 3-Luciano (Pep) Corradi[19]; 14. 76-Jamike Sowle[6]; 15. 20C-Craig Hanson[15]; 16. 71-Eric Mack[16]; 17. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[8]; 18. 1Z-Jessica Friesen[7]; 19. 85-Jack Lehner[18]

Hunt, Leffler & Pierce Earn Little 500 Hall Of Fame Nods

Published in Racing
Thursday, 24 April 2025 04:39

ANDERSON, Ind. Three key individuals will be inducted into the Little 500 Hall of Fame during the 35th annual induction ceremony on Wednesday evening, May 21.

This years class includes two drivers and one team owner/race sponsor.

Tony Hunt of Fair Oaks, Calif., competed in 11 Little 500s from 2002 to 2013 and was honored as rookie of the year in 2002. Hunt scored three podium finishes including a runner-up finish in 2003. In 2012, Hunt earned the pole position aboard the No. 56 sprinter fielded by Mike Phulps.

Greg Leffler, a native of St. Paul, Ind., was the 1981 Little 500 winner in one of the most dominating performances in race history. Driving the No. 43 sprinter owned by Sherman Armstrong, Leffler earned the pole position and then led throughout the early stages of the race.

After regaining the race lead on lap 186 Leffler was never headed, ultimately leading 330 laps and cruising to a 12-lap margin of victory.

Sam Pierce, a native of Muncie, Ind., has been active for more than 20 years in multiple roles at the Little 500. His role as team owner began in 2004 and in the ensuing years the team earned top-five finishes with drivers Aaron Pierce, Joey Schmidt, Austin Nemire and Mickey Kempgens. The team earned two pole positions (2006, 2011) with Aaron Pierce.

Sam Pierce Chevrolet, located in Daleville, Ind., has also served extensively as a sponsor at several Little 500-related events.

Founded in 1990, the Little 500 Hall of Fame is a 501(c) organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the Little 500 sprint car race held annually at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway.

Kane set to end trophy drought as Bayern eye title

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 24 April 2025 06:36

Bayern Munich will secure the Bundesliga title on Saturday with a win over top-four hopefuls Mainz if rivals and reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen fail to beat Augsburg.

The potential scenario puts Harry Kane on the brink of ending a career-long trophy drought, having failed to lift any silverware with Tottenham Hotspur or England.

The Bavarians, who last year saw Leverkusen clinch a league and Cup double undefeated, are eager to seal their 34th German league crown and reestablish their domestic dominance.

It would also help put last week's bitter Champions League quarter-final exit to Inter Milan behind them.

For 31-year-old forward Kane, who has scored 60 goals in his 60 Bundesliga matches for Bayern so far, it would be the first major club trophy of his career.

With 24 league goals so far, Kane is also on track to become the first player to win the top scorer title in both of his first two Bundesliga seasons.

Bayern are on 72 points with four matches left to play, and with Leverkusen second on 64.

For 35-year-old Bayern veteran Thomas Müller, who will be leaving at the end of the season after 25 years at the club, it could be his 500th league game for Bayern.

Only three other players in Bundesliga history have ever reached that mark playing for just one club: Charly Koerbel (602 games for Eintracht Frankfurt), Manfred Kaltz (581 matches for Hamburg SV) and Michael Lameck (518 for VfL Bochum).

While Bayern's title win looks all but certain and Leverkusen are sure of Champions League football next season being 12 points ahead of third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, there is a battle raging for the last two spots in the top continental club competition.

The top four finishers qualify automatically for the Champions League.

Eintracht, third on 52 points, host fourth-placed RB Leipzig, on 49, on Saturday. Freiburg, on 48, are fifth.

Mainz, sixth on 47 points, and seventh-placed Borussia Dortmund on 45, are still in with a chance, albeit slim, of finishing in the top four.

Dortmund, who travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday, have had a disappointing domestic campaign, dropping outside of the European spots.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League, a competition in which they reached the final last year, would be a major financial and sporting blow to the publicly-traded Ruhr valley club.

But club bosses know that the horror scenario would be missing out on European football completely next season.

Ancelotti scolds Endrick for 'clowning' vs. Getafe

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 24 April 2025 06:36

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has scolded Endrick after his missed goal-scoring opportunity in Wednesday's 1-0 LaLiga win at Getafe.

The 18-year-old earned his first LaLiga start since arriving at Madrid in July 2024 and had two chances to score during the match.

The second opportunity came in the 55th minute, when he had Getafe goalkeeper David Soria left to beat. The failed attempt upset manager Ancelotti, causing him to scold the young Brazil international for "clowning around."

Endrick attempted to chip the ball over the keeper but failed miserably with the ball going straight into his hands.

"He had two chances," Ancelotti said of Endrick. "He couldn't have done any better with the first one, and with the second, he may have been offside but he can't be doing that.

"He's young and he has to learn but he has to shoot as well as possible and quit clowning around. There's no room for drama club in football."

Endrick also had the opportunity to assist teammate Arda Güler -- the scorer of Madrid's goal -- to put his side 2-0 up, but instead attempted to find the back of the net himself.

Ancelotti took Endrick off in the 64th minute and replaced him with Jude Bellingham.

The forward has scored seven goals in 33 games in all competitions for Real Madrid since joining on a permanent transfer from Palmeiras last summer.

Madrid are second in LaLiga, four points adrift of Barcelona with five league games remaining.

Ancelotti's men are back in action on Saturday when they face rivals Barça in the Copa del Rey final in Seville.

Sources: Arsenal confident in Zubimendi deal

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 24 April 2025 06:36

Arsenal are confident they will make Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi their first major summer signing despite interest from Real Madrid, sources have told ESPN.

Reports in Spain suggested Madrid had made a late move for the 26-year-old, while Liverpool have also been credited with an interest.

However, sources have told ESPN that Arsenal are at an advanced stage in negotiations to seal a deal for Zubimendi, who has a 60 million ($68m) release clause in his Sociedad contract.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a keen admirer of the player while new sporting director Andrea Berta is also in agreement that Zubimendi would strengthen a midfield which could be set for a reshuffle this summer.

Arteta revealed last Friday that Arsenal were keen on extending Thomas Partey's contract, although it remains to be seen whether an agreement can be reached.

Partey's deal expires at the end of the season and one source has suggested he would need to take a pay cut in any deal to remain at the club.

Italy international Jorginho is also out of contract in the summer and he faces a race against time to play again this season after suffering a rib injury earlier this month.

The 33-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Brazil after his representatives met with both Palmeiras and Flamengo during the January transfer window.

Flamengo are the current front-runners for his signature, although extending his stay at Arsenal has not been entirely ruled out.

Regardless, Zubimendi's arrival is widely expected at Emirates Stadium and his signing would be seen as something of a coup given Liverpool's concerted effort to sign the player last summer, only for the Spaniard to opt to remain at Sociedad.

Sources have told ESPN that Real's interest would increase should Xabi Alonso replace Carlo Ancelotti as head coach at the Santiago Bernabéu. But there remains uncertainty over Ancelotti's future amid speculation he may not be in charge for Real's Club World Cup campaign, which begins in June.

Arsenal are targeting multiple additions this summer with a striker and a wide forward among the positions they want to strengthen. The Gunners have funds available but, as with many clubs, would be open to allowing certain players to leave to help bolster their spending power.

Kieran Tierney will join Celtic on a free transfer this summer while Oleksandr Zinchenko is among those allowed to leave should a suitable offer arise.

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