Sports

Sanders looking to be the man in Cleveland

Published

1 week ago

June 6, 2025

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The dichotomy that is Shedeur Sanders’ development as a rookie quarterback and the heightened expectations for him with the Cleveland Browns was again evident Wednesday.

Sanders had the best throw of the day during organized team activities when he zipped a pinpoint pass to tight end Caden Davis in the back of the end zone during a 7-on-7 red-zone drill. Whether or not Davis got both feet in before going out of bounds was up for debate on social media.

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However, Sanders was the only one of Cleveland’s four quarterbacks not to take a snap with the first-team offense during 11-on-11 drills. He did take second-team snaps, but slipped and fell on the first play.

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees lauded Sanders for his work ethic amid what some still see as a steep learning curve for the fifth-round pick.

“He’s really put in a lot of work as all those guys are, but you could tell on the mental side of the game and learning the system and calling it and having that rhythm to it, he’s put a lot of work and time and effort into that. And then when you do that, the game starts to slow down and you can focus on finding completions. And he’s done a nice job of that as camp’s progressed,” Rees said.

With three young quarterbacks in camp — third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, Sanders and fourth-year pro Kenny Pickett — Rees said a large amount of the offense has been installed while keeping a close eye on the growth and progression of all three.

“Definitely pushing them and pushing where we want them to go, but also being cognizant of, hey, we want them to go out there with confidence and making sure that it’s beneficial to how they’re learning and the way they’re going,” Rees said.

Joe Flacco and Pickett remain the front-runners to be under center on Sept. 7 when the Browns open against the Cincinnati Bengals. The amount of snaps all four will get during the first two weeks of training camp remain fluid.

“We’re going to find ways to be creative and make sure they all have opportunities to develop and put their best foot forward. And when the time comes, we will continue to push guys forward as they earn it,” Rees said.

The number of snaps all four will receive during the three days of next week’s mandatory minicamp also has to be determined.

When it comes to who may win the starting job, Rees can see valid arguments for any of the four.

“We’re so early in the process and in evaluating it. I think we have a good group of guys that will continue to push one another and by the time September rolls around, we’ll be ready to go,” he said.

NOTES: The Browns announced after practice that Gabriel signed his rookie contract. Running back Quinshon Judkins, who was selected in the second round, is Cleveland’s lone unsigned draft pick. … The Browns also held a groundbreaking ceremony to expand their team headquarters. The expansion will include community, medical and multi-family living and commercial spaces.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Walls, Diaz lift Rays to 8-4 victory and series win over Mets

Published

57 minutes ago

June 15, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa Bay Rays’ Brandon Lowe, left, and Taylor Walls, right, react after Walls scored on a single hit by Josh Lowe during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Saturday, June 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Walls and Yandy Díaz had two hits and two RBIs apiece and the Tampa Bay Rays remained hot with an 8-4 win over the New York Mets on Saturday.

Junior Caminero homered to lead off a five-run fourth inning for Tampa Bay, which has won eight of its last 11 games and leads the majors with a 17-6 record and 134 runs scored since May 20.

Josh Lowe and Brandon Lowe each finished with two hits and an RBI.

Drew Rasmussen (6-4) won his fifth straight decision despite allowing seven hits and four runs in five innings. He struck out three. He had allowed two runs over 29 innings in his previous five starts.

Brandon Nimmo had three hits and two RBIs while Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio each homered for the Mets, who lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid from May 18-20.

The series loss is the first for New York since it dropped two of three against the Boston Red Sox from May 19-21.

The Mets are one of three teams who have not been swept in a series this season, along with the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds.

Tylor Megill (5-5) gave up six runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out five.

Key moment

Walls laid down a safety squeeze to score Jake Mangum with one out in the fourth and put the Rays ahead for good at 3-2.

Key stat

Megill has a 5.79 ERA in his last eight starts after opening the season with a 1.74 ERA in his first six starts. Overall in his five-season career, Megill has a 2.45 ERA in March and April and a 5.01 ERA thereafter.

Up next

The series ends Sunday when Mets RHP Griffin Canning (6-2, 3.22 ERA) starts against Rays RHP Shane Baz (5-3, 4.97 ERA)

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Sports

San Antonio and a new home is not coming soon

Published

9 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Austin Reed

Project Marvel is designed to transform San Antonio

Project Marvel includes a new arena for the NBA team.

The ownership of the National Basketball Association’s San Antonio Spurs franchise along with city of San Antonio officials and Bexar County officials have made a decision. The three potential arena-village partners decided that local property taxes will not be used to fund a basketball arena-village. The three could use hotel and car rental taxes for the project and will be able to make the claim that no local taxes will be used for the venue construction. San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh said the city is considering various sources of revenue. There is some thought of creating a tax zone where all sales tax generated within the zone would be kicked back to the developer. Spurs’ ownership has not publicly committed money to the project.

The Project Marvel plan includes the construction of a San Antonio Spurs’ arena along with renovations to the 31-year-old Alamodome. The plan also calls for the adding of 150,000 square feet to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center as well as building a 20,000-square-foot University of Texas at San Antonio School of Hospitality. Additionally, if all goes according to the plan, the empty John H. Wood Federal Courthouse would be turned into a 5,000-seat concert venue. A convention center hotel would be part of Project Marvel. The price tag of Project Marvel is estimated to be around $4 billion. In the late 1990s, Spurs’ management pushed for a new arena and local voters said yes to building a new venue that opened in 2002. San Antonio officials are also worried that Spurs’ ownership may fall in love with nearby Austin and move operations to the Texas capital. Spurs’ games have been played in Austin because the ownership group wants to expand its fan base. The arena game continues in San Antonio.

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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

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Academy Investment of Marinakis is Transforming Greek Football

Published

17 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Austin Reed

With the record-breaking sale of Charalambos Kostoulas to Brighton & Hove Albion for over €40 million, a definitive statement has been made: the days of undervaluing Greek talent are over, especially from the Olympiacos academy, overseen by Evangelos Marinakis.

Charalambos Kostoulas Record Move Signals a New Era for Greek Football

Greek football just made global headlines—and not for reasons rooted in nostalgia or mythology. With the record-breaking sale of Charalambos Kostoulas to Brighton & Hove Albion for over €40 million, a definitive statement has been made: the days of undervaluing Greek talent are over, especially from the Olympiacos academy, overseen by Evangelos Marinakis.

From Local Starlet to Premier League Prospect

Kostoulas, just 18 years old, has quickly gone from an academy product to the most expensive Greek transfer in history. The move smashes the previous benchmark—Kostas Manolas’s €36 million switch from Roma to Napoli—and eclipses the recent Stefanos Tzimas transfer to Brighton as well.

This isn’t just about a number. This is about Evangelos Marinakis’s vision coming to life. The Olympiacos president’s long-term strategy—anchored in infrastructure, youth development, and global connectivity—is producing tangible results.