#player-performance

#player-performance

"The reality of what my comments were after Ohio State were, I have two really passionate agendas in regards to this, and that is, I want to be a pioneer of growing the game, period," Close said. "I want to really be a part of the surge that's happening and and I want to be a part of telling these amazing stories that these players have, and they're incredible young women as well as amazing basketball players."

During the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman hinted that Mangiapane could be squeezed out of the Oilers' lineup amid prospects pushing for playing time. Then, more interesting developments hit the airwaves when it was revealed that Mangiapane was a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. As my colleague Thomas Williams also reported, Mangiapane's agent has been granted permission to seek a trade.

It would definitely be fair to label Divock Origi a flop at AC Milan, even a mega flop, as the Rossoneri ended up paying a whopping €6.8m per goal scored by the Belgian (!). After the Scudetto season, i.e. 2021-22, Milan felt that they needed someone who could alternate with Olivier Giroud up front given the Frenchman's age. And so, Paolo Maldini identified Origi as the target and secured him on a free transfer, putting a four-year deal on the table.

Returning from his impressive loan spell at Roma, Massimiliano Allegri put him to use, and the situation was made even better by the switch to the 3-5-2 formation. Thanks to his versatility and work rate, the Belgian has quickly won over the fans too, especially since he has proved to be more clinical than in recent seasons with the Rossoneri. So far, he has two goals and four assists.

The New York Islanders have had one heck of a resurgent season. Entering Friday night's action, the Isles are one point off the Metro Division lead. That's a huge difference over last year's frustrating season. That's nothing to sneeze at. It's been the product of several key players turning things around. For instance, Ilya Sorokin is back to his Vezina Trophy-caliber play. Anders Lee looks rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Bo Horvat, recent injury notwithstanding, is playing at career-best levels.

Third baseman Maikel Garcia and the Kansas City Royals are finalizing a five-year contract extension, sources told ESPN on Friday, locking up the Gold Glove winner with the team that saw him develop through its system into an All-Star. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a club option for a sixth year, sources said. It secures Kansas City one of the best left sides of the infield, with Garcia secured long term and perennial All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. signed through at least 2030.

But with Drouin out of the lineup, Gatcomb has returned to the lineup and has given the Islanders' fourth line a spark. In the four games since his recall, Gatcomb has recorded a team high 22 hits, including nine in Tuesday's OT win against the Vegas Golden Knights, the most for the Islanders since Casey Cizikas back in January. In fact, through five games this season, Gatcomb has registered 22 hits, seventh most of any Islander this season.

There was a lot of optimism that perhaps Giménez could return to the form he had in 2022 when he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances. His month of March was encouraging, as he hit three home runs in his first five games, but his play dropped like a rock from there. As a whole, the second baseman slashed .210/.285/.313 with seven home runs in 369 plate appearances for a career-worst 70 wRC+.

The list of teams connected to Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte continues to grow. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Mariners and Pirates are among the teams interested in dealing for the three-time All-Star. Heyman also linked the Red Sox, Rays, and Tigers to Marte, echoing this morning's report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Those squads join the Phillies and Blue Jays, who reportedly inquired about Marte last month.

Where's my beer,

Slumping Florida finally earned a point in its current six-game homestand, which is turning out to be downright disastrous, in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. New dad Carter Verhaeghe scored the Panthers' only goal, with the assists going to Sam Bennett and A.J. Greer, late in the first period. The Cats couldn't add on and Ryan O'Reilly tied the tilt with 6:19 left in regulation before former Bolt Steven Stamkos won it with 57 seconds left in the extra session.

The Dodgers recently picked up the $10 million option that ensures Muncy will play a ninth season with the organization. That had long been viewed as the most likely outcome, though it was also plausible the sides would come to terms on a new contract extension. During an appearance on the "Foul Territory" show, Muncy said he would still be open to signing a contract extension with the Dodgers if the opportunity presents itself:

Upon closer examination, though, you'll find they're 11-1-10 on the season (if you include the Community Shield, which I do). They've scored and conceded the same number of goals in those 22 games: 35. They're 8th in the Premier League and 13th in the Champions League - more or less mid-table. Not horrible, but certainly nothing the reigning champions of England should be patting themselves on the back about.

There's no doubt Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is having his worst season under coach Mike McDaniel, and that's with him being healthy all season - at least in terms of not having to miss games. Sunday's game against the Saints was just awful from him: 12 of 23 for 157 yards, an interception, another throw that maybe should've been called a pick on review and four sacks.

When Mikel Merino joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in August 2024, few thought they would ever ask if he could be their number nine. He arrived at Emirates Stadium as a 28-year-old Spain international midfielder with more than 200 La Liga appearances and a Euros title to his name. Not once had he played as a striker. But little more than a year on, Merino is a serious contender to be Arsenal's main frontman

In the summer, it seemed Rafael Leao would be transformed by Massimiliano Allegri, and the Portuguese is now shining brighter than ever for AC Milan. Players like Leao are far more difficult than they are easy. Of course, it can be easy, but working out where to make them stand out is the challenging bit. For Allegri, the star is a striker, and so the change was made in the summer.

with the game tied at one apiece, when the Sharks let things get away from them. Vegas reeled off three quick unanswered goals and suddenly it was 4-1. But the good news is that unlike previous iterations of this team, this one rallied back and didn't let the minutes tick by to do it. By the end of the period, San Jose had scored two answering goals of its own and was chasing down a third.

The opposing defense was as stiff as the wind in Cleveland. The 49ers cut right through it. It wasn't pretty, but it was a marginal-stress road victory against an elite unit the kind of win that a playoff team should author against the Browns. Here were the studs and duds from the Niners' 26-8 win, which gave them nine wins on the campaign and a foot into the NFC playoff bracket.

Alavés' goal was a bit of a surprise, but the team handled the situation very well. We stuck to our game plan, I think we dominated, and in the end, we managed to win,

He is a big guy. He has to be a physical and hard player to play against. He is going to make and score his goals around the net, right? A little more puck touches in the offensive zone from the forecheck, and then getting to the net front and winning those battles there and tipping pucks. He has good hand-eye. He has the capability of putting the puck in the net.

Kampf was a serviceable piece for Toronto during the height of the Core Four era. Kampf was part of the replaceable depth pieces that supported the big guns. However, Kampf's role on the team gradually diminished as his limited scoring vaporized, and his defensive play didn't warrant a lineup spot. The situation came to a head this season when Kampf didn't even make it out of training camp.