Sports

Acquiring the best player in a trade is usually the goal. While winners and losers of such transactions aren’t often determined until months and, maybe, years later, that tends to be a good starting point.

In the case of the New York Knicks, who, in a blockbuster, Friday night, three-team special acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via Detroit (while sending Daquan Jefferies and draft compensation to Charlotte), the best player is coming to New York. But does that undoubtedly make the Knicks better?

I’m not so sure.

GO DEEPER

Katz: What’s next for Knicks after Karl-Anthony Towns trade?

Towns is the best player in this trade. That goes without saying. He’s a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA talent who, year after year, has given real credence to his 2021 claim of being “the greatest big man shooter of all time.”

Offensively, his skill set alone provides something the Knicks have been absent of in their frontcourt for many years. He’ll score with no problem in New York. Towns will be Towns. Furthermore, he, along with the addition of Mikal Bridges this offseason and OG Anunoby earlier this year, will create optimal spacing for Jalen Brunson, a top-six MVP candidate a year ago, who is the Benjamin Button of the NBA, as he continues to look more attractive as a player as time goes on.

This trade does not, however, address the Knicks’ two biggest needs, particularly following the news that Mitchell Robinson (ankle) could be out until January, which are front-court defense and secondary playmaking. In fact, one could make the case that New York got worse in both departments making this deal. Randle, despite his flaws on that end, is at least a bit more versatile in who he can guard.

With that said, though, defense may be easier to fix, assuming Robinson comes back 100-percent healthy — which should never be assumed. New York’s likely starting lineup to begin the year of Brunson-Josh Hart-Bridges-Anunoby-Towns can easily transform into Brunson-Bridges-Anunoby-Towns-Robinson by the halfway point of the season. That, theoretically, could ease any concerns if all breaks right for the Knicks and Robinson’s recovery. The secondary playmaking, though, which ended up being a large part of the exit in the postseason for New York, will have to come with some show-and-prove in order to progress internally.

Randle has had prolonged moments with the Knicks where he’s been a legitimately good playmaker. You can look no further than last year, particularly when New York was 12-2 in the games Randle played in January before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the season. Randle’s numbers as a pick-and-roll ballhandler — not just in January but the games he played in before injury — were up and the offense tended to be good in those playmaking scenarios.

During the 2020-21 season, Randle had a career year — earning top-eight MVP votes, winning the Most Improved Player award and being picked for both All-Star and All-NBA — and his growth as a passer is a big reason for such accolades. A healthy Randle could have addressed some of the secondary playmaking concerns that faced New York later in the season. Then, of course, DiVincenzo’s chops as a decisive ball-mover will be missed going forward, too.

GO DEEPER

Trade grades: Who won Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle swap?

A lot of the onus to try to improve New York’s playmaking outside of Brunson now rests heavily on Bridges and Miles “Deuce” McBride. Bridges just went through a crash course on what it’s like to be put in that position across the bridge with Brooklyn, but has still yet to be in a spot where he’s had to have such responsibilities on a team that matters. And for all the intrigue that comes with McBride, it can’t just be assumed that the 24-year-old guard will step into such a void with great impact. With Randle, whether you love him or not, it was a bit clearer to see how the Knicks could be a bit more versatile offensively in the minutes Brunson was off the floor. With Towns now in the fold, it’s fair to wonder if a Brunson-less lineup is a bit more predictable because Towns doesn’t quite have the ballhandling skill set Randle possesses.

It always felt likely that Randle, who has a player option after this season, would be dealt this season. The belief around the league was that the Knicks wouldn’t be willing to pay Randle what he wanted, hence the trade. In turn, New York traded a flawed star player on essentially an expiring contract for a flawed star player on a long-term contract. On-court impact aside, that’s solid business.

However, the Knicks are on the doorstep of their most anticipated season in more than two decades, with a championship trophy just on the other side of the locked door. How this impacts basketball for this season, and going forward, weighs equally as heavy as good, logistical business. A championship is right there for them to snatch.

The Knicks got the best player in a trade. New York is more talented than it was on Thursday. However, with that, it’s fair to wonder if the Knicks actually addressed any of the concerns following them prior to the deal. We’ll know sooner or later if New York made the right call.

Until we get an answer, though, it’s fair to wonder.

Required reading

John Hollinger: Why KAT-for-Randle trade may turn ‘best player’ maxim on its head

(Top photo of Karl-Anthony Towns: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By Rustin Dodd, Zack Meisel and Andy McCullough

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped a record 26-game losing streak in December 1977, head coach John McKay tried to look on the bright side.

“Three or four plane crashes and we’re in the playoffs,” he said.

It was hard to blame him. The year before, the Bucs had finished 0-14 in their inaugural season, stamping their place among the worst teams in the history of professional sports.

The list includes the winless, the hopeless, and the talentless. One owner traded all of his good players to his other team. This year, the list includes a new applicant: The 2024 Chicago White Sox.

This year, the South Siders set the modern MLB record for the most losses in a season, topping the 1962 New York Mets Friday night with loss No. 121 — and they’re not done yet. Here’s where the White Sox rank among a baker’s dozen of the worst teams ever.

So awful they were forgettable

13. 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, NBA, 7-59, .106

Before the season, the Bobcats’ owner sized up his team’s chances this way: “Who knows how good we can be? We’ve got some good pieces that can help us get to the playoffs. I’m not waiting until next year. I think we have a good quality basketball team this year.”

It was a rare airball from perhaps the greatest basketball player who ever lived. Michael Jordan won six NBA Finals MVP awards. His Bobcats won seven regular season games during the 2011-12 season. Jordan flirted with immortality as a player, and then as an owner he oversaw the perhaps most vincible NBA team ever assembled.

Sure, that season was shortened to 66 games because of a lockout, but the Bobcats weren’t exactly trending well toward the end. They dropped their final 23 games. Otherwise, 7-59 might have become 9-73 or 10-72 or, hell, 7-75.

Their seven wins were one-third the total of the next-worst team. Their 87.0 points per game are the lowest by any team in the last 20 years. They lost by double digits 38 times and by at least 20 points on 22 occasions. Their .106 winning percentage is the worst in NBA history. Their head coach, Paul Silas, reportedly shoved forward Tyrus Thomas “toward his locker” after a loss to the Boston Celtics because Thomas had been “fraternizing” with the opposition. — ZM

12. 2011 Tulsa Shock, WNBA, 3-31, .088

When the WNBA’s Detroit Shock relocated to Tulsa for the 2010 season, legendary former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson took over as head coach. In 2011, the team put a new spin on “40 Minutes of Hell.”

Gutted by departures, the 2011 Shock began the season with a 1-10 record before Richardson resigned. It didn’t get better. Under new coach Theresa Richards, the team finished 3-31, setting a WNBA record for worst winning percentage (.088). The team finished last in points per game, second to last in points allowed, and set a record for consecutive losses (20) — later matched by the 2023 Indiana Fever. “What can I say?” Richards said. “I’m the one in the seat.”

The Shock lasted just four more seasons in Tulsa before moving to Dallas. — RD

Maybe relegation is a good idea

Derby County’s Steve Howard after yet another loss, this one to Crystal Palace. (Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)

11. 2007-08 Derby County, English Premier League, 1-29-8, .026

In 2023-24, Sheffield United set a Premier League record by allowing 104 goals in 38 games. And yet in terms of sheer awfulness, they can’t touch the Derby County side from 2007-08, which won just one match and accumulated just 11 points, the worst since the league began in 1992.

Manager Billy Davies was out after just 14 matches. His replacement, Paul Jewell, did not experience a win. Neither did anyone during the club’s final 32 matches — a record for top-flight football.

Derby County also set the record for fewest goals (20) and most defeats (29). They were relegated after the season and have never played their way back to the Premier League. As The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander wrote earlier this year, “ … no side will ever go as low as 11 points again, but Derby at least have had the sense to never return.” — RD

There’s no earthly reason they should have been this bad

10. 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, NBA, 9-73, .110

In his memoir, Tom Van Arsdale, a 6-5 shooting guard who joined the Sixers in January 1973, compared the team to a “burnt, faded, broken-down used lemon with the sticker price so low it was almost offensive.”

The team set the NBA record for losses with 73.

Their head coach was Roy Rubin, a New Yorker who was hired from Long Island University to replace Jack Ramsay, and then lasted just 51 games, finishing with a 4-47 record. In a 2023 story for ESPN, center John Block described Rubin as “a nice guy, but he really, really had a hard time coaching.”

Block later moved to Florida and operated an IHOP restaurant.

Philadelphia had been in a general state of decline since losing Wilt Chamberlain after the 1967-68 season. But it had never been this woeful. The Sixers endured a 14-game losing streak that started in December, snapped the skid on Jan. 7, 1973, and then promptly lost another 20 games in a row.

The best player on the ‘72-73 Sixers was guard Fred Carter, who doubled as the best story. The upbeat Carter, who hung around Philly for four more seasons, was later credited with helping popularize the fist bump with his Sixers teammates. — RD

9. 2003 Detroit Tigers, MLB, 43-119, .265

This could have been the team the 2024 White Sox were chasing, if not for a miraculous recovery in the final week of the season. The Tigers started the season 1-17. By late September, they were 38-118 and on the verge of eclipsing those ’62 Mets as the most pitiful outfit to ever step foot on a modern big-league diamond.

It wasn’t as though this came out of left field. As team architect Dave Dombrowski recalled to The Athletic last year: “We didn’t expect to have a good season, by any means.” As the club reached triple digits in the loss column in late August, though, they started eyeing that Mets record and computing how they could steer clear of it.

With 20 games remaining, they knew they needed six more wins to avoid infamy. With six games remaining, they still needed five more wins. They surged to the finish line, though, and now, they’re merely a footnote in the annals of baseball ineptitude.

“It was almost like winning the World Series,” said outfielder Craig Monroe about that frantic finish to the season, which included Detroit’s biggest comeback win in 38 years. “Doesn’t that sound crazy as hell?”

Why, yes, it does. — ZM

Expansion? How about contraction instead?

8. 1992-93 Ottawa Senators, NHL, 10-70-4, .119

The headline writers at the Ottawa Citizen could not contain their glee when the Senators returned to town after a 56-year absence: “Maybe Rome was built in a day,” the paper declared after the Sens defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the first game of the season. “10,449 fans went wild, and it was magical,” a sub-hed read.

They were wrong about Rome — and they were wrong about the new hometown team.

Ottawa did not win again until its 23rd game. The rest of the season went about the same way. The team won just once — once! — on the road. And that happened in the 81st game. The club finished with 24 points, 34 points behind the Hartford Whalers in the Adams division. Not ideal. — AM

7. 1974-75 Washington Capitals, NHL, 8-67-5, .100

When the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts joined the NHL for the 1974-75 season and proceeded to have two of the worst years in league history, a general opinion formed around the league: Expansion was a mistake.

The Scouts were awful. The Capitals were even worse, finishing a shocking 8-67-5, including an incredible 1-39 on the road. The Capitals allowed a record 446 goals. They lost four games by at least 10 goals. The reason was simple enough: The NHL had tipped the scales against the new franchises, allowing the league’s incumbent teams to protect all of their good players.

“It’s not fair,” Capitals GM Milt Schmidt told The New York Times in 1974. “We paid $6 million to join the league, and look how little the other teams have left for us.”

When the Capitals did win their one and only road game, they returned to the dressing room and paraded a trash can around the room like it was the Stanley Cup. — RD

6. 1976 Tampa Buccaneers, NFL, 0-14, .000

Head Coach John McKay and his Bucs didn’t have much, but they did have those distinctive uniforms. (Focus on Sport / Getty Images)

Hamstrung by inequitable expansion rules, the Buccaneers had a roster of aging veterans (many of whom would injure their hamstrings) and unproven young players. They set a new standard for professional incompetence.

The Bucs did not score until their third game and did not record a touchdown until their fourth. They did manage to place 17 players on the injured reserve, an unofficial record. In all the Bucs were outscored 412- to-125, including a 42-0 loss at Pittsburgh and a 34-0 loss at the Jets. And before the season opener, head coach John McKay famously got lost in the Astrodome tunnels.

The creamsicle uniforms were nice, but the team plane was not. In an NFL Films segment, future Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon — as a rookie, perhaps the team’s lone bright spot — relayed a story about how the Bucs’ old plane, which always seemed to break down, was leased from the owner of a chainsaw company, complete with a chainsaw logo on the side: “Right away,” he said, “I was a little worried.” — RD

5. 1962 New York Mets, MLB, 40-120, .250

“Can’t anybody here play this game?” Mets manager Casey Stengel famously asked.

The answer was no. (Well, Frank Thomas and Richie Ashburn were decent.)

The Mets finished 40-120, setting the modern era record for losses. Their exploits were legendary: Their pitchers posted a team ERA of 5.04. They committed 210 errors. Nearly 25 percent of their wins came during a 9-3 spurt in May. Nineteen players would never play another season in the majors. Perhaps no moment symbolized the 1962 Mets like the day Marv Throneberry missed first base against the Cubs while hitting a potential game-winning RBI triple with two outs. When the Cubs appealed to first and Throneberry was called out, erasing the runs, the umpire had a message for an upset Stengel. “Casey, I hate to tell you this,” he said, “but he also missed second.” — RD

The 0-16 Club

The 2017 Cleveland Browns found themselves looking up at pretty much every team ever. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

4. 2017 Cleveland Browns, NFL, 0-16, .000

Hue Jackson guaranteed the Browns would not repeat their 1-15 record from 2016. If that happened, he vowed, he would plunge into the choppy, chilly waters of Lake Erie.

And he was right! The Browns did not produce another 1-15 showing in 2017. No, they went winless.

They ranked last in the league in points per game and second-to-last in points allowed per game. All season, they started a raw second-round pick from Notre Dame, DeShone Kizer, who tossed twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes. Only one player, the bac”kup running back, recorded 400 or more receiving yards.

When the season ended, fans organized a parade to protest the franchise for its annual incompetence. They marched around the stadium in subzero temperatures, shouting: “What do we want? Watchable football! When do we want it? Now!” Some Browns fans sported No. 16 jerseys with the name “Owen” on the back. Some Lions fans made the trip to commiserate with the new members of the winless club.

Jackson finally waded into Lake Erie the following June. “It’s going to be a cleansing of our organization,” he declared. He was fired four months later, leaving Cleveland with a 3-31-1 record. — ZM

3. 2008 Detroit Lions, NFL, 0-16, .000

The question, in retrospect, is one of the funniest in the modern history of American sports press conferences. The Lions had just lost, 42-7, giving up more than 30 points for the 12th time in 15 games. The team’s defensive coordinator, Joe Barry, just so happened to be the son-in-law of head coach Rod Marinelli. As Marinelli spoke to the media, Detroit News columnist Rob Parker could not resist.

“On a light note,” Parker ventured, “do you wish your daughter would have married a better defensive coordinator?”

Enough time has passed that hopefully we can admit it: That’s a good zinger.

The Lions were the first NFL team to ever go winless in a 16-game season. The feat was matched nine years later by the Cleveland Browns. But the 2017 Browns were outscored by 176 points. The 2008 Lions? Try a point-differential of negative-249.

Marinelli, understandably, did not take it well. Parker dealt with plenty of blowback; he was suspended by the newspaper and eventually resigned. But he remains a fixture in the sports media landscape. Marinelli was never a head coach again. — AM

The Applicant

2. 2024 Chicago White Sox, MLB, record unknown

There’s an old adage, often attributed to Mark Twain, that says humor equals tragedy plus time.

There will come a time in the future when the 2024 White Sox will be remembered in a way that most baseball teams are not. Many of the teams on this list have not been assembled or competing for decades, but their exploits will never die.

Two players colliding as the opposing announcer declares the moment “full White Sox?” Andrew Benintendi likening the team to a “dead horse?” A 21-game losing streak that tied the AL record?

At some point, these will be colorful and funny details.

It just takes time.

The White Sox had a 4-40 stretch. They lost 27 of 28 at home. They became the first team since the 1916 A’s to fall 81 games under .500.

You can go on.

History will judge the 2024 White Sox. But they are not the worst team of all time. — RD

The Cleveland Spiders’ legacy lives on. (Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

The Worst Team of All Time

1. 1899 Cleveland Spiders, MLB, 20-134, .130

Frank and Stanley Robison owned both the Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Perfectos, and believing that St. Louis was the better bet to make money going forward, they stripped the Cleveland roster of all its talent and stacked St. Louis instead. Before the season, they swapped Cy Young and other stars with players who did not eventually have distinguished awards named after them. And so the Spiders became the most futile baseball team of all time, a sad-sack bunch destined to fail before they ever took the field.

The Spiders endured a 24-game losing streak. They lost 40 of their last 41 games. They finished the season with a run differential of minus-723. They trailed first-place Brooklyn by 84 games in the final standings. During the summer-long funeral procession, the Cleveland Plain Dealer stopped referring to them as the Spiders and instead dubbed them the Cleveland Exiles or the Cleveland Forsakens.

Following a 4-2 Spiders win on Aug. 25 against the New York Giants, the Plain Dealer printed: “An eighth wonder has come into the world and the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pyramids, the Statue of Zeus and the rest of the seven wonders had better look to their laurels. Cleveland has won another game. How it happened is beyond explanation. … They put up such a sharp, fast game that the 200 people who had gone out to League Park to get a little fresh air and take a quiet siesta were soon aroused to something very close to enthusiasm.” The Spiders wouldn’t win again for three-and-a-half weeks.

Fans bailed on supporting the intentionally depleted roster, so the club wound up traveling for most of its games. They embarked on a 50-game trip in July and August, on which they went 6-44. Even the team’s uniforms stunk, according to the Plain Dealer, which wrote: “Now they are obliged to wear the castoff uniforms of the St. Louis Browns, all of which are plenteously adorned with patches.”

The Spiders were promptly booted from the National League and disbanded. Cleveland baseball was reborn in 1901 as a charter member of the American League with a franchise that still stands today as the Guardians. — ZM

(Illustration by Meech Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Quinn Harris / Getty Images, Gregory Shamus / Getty Images, David T. Foster III / Charlotte Observer / MCT)

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that it will appeal against the “no fault or negligence” finding in Jannik Sinner’s anti-doping case,

WADA is seeking a “period of ineligibility of one or two years,” in which the world No. 1 tennis player and two-time Grand Slam champion would be barred from competing in the sport at all levels. Sinner won the U.S. Open in New York just three weeks ago.

Sinner, who is currently playing at the China Open in Beijing, said he was “surprised” by WADA’s decision.

“Obviously I’m very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me,” he told reporters after beating Roman Safiullin to reach the last eight in Beijing.

“We always talk about the same thing. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position.”

Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, on two occasions: March 10, in-competition at the BNP Paribas Open held in Indian Wells, Calif, and March 18, out of competition.

An independent tribunal convened by the ITIA and conducted by Sports Resolutions ruled that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” for those positive tests in a hearing on August 15, but still found Sinner to have committed two anti-doping violations, for which he was stripped of his ranking points, prize money, and results from that event.

It accepted the Italian world No.1’s explanation that Sinner’s physiotherapist, Umberto Ferrara, had brought an over-the-counter healing spray containing clostebol to Indian Wells. His trainer, physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, cut his hand, and then used the spray on that cut. Naldi then conducted massages on Sinner, which led to transdermal contamination with the clostebol from the healing spray.

Sinner parted company with Naldi and Ferrara on the eve of the U.S. Open.

WADA is now challenging the decision that Sinner was not at fault for his violation. In a statement released today Saturday September 28, it said: “The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that on Thursday 26 September, it lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Italian tennis player, Jannik Sinner, who was found by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to bear no fault or negligence having twice tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024.

“It is WADA’s view that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”

GO DEEPER

World No 1 Jannik Sinner penalised after twice testing positive for banned substance

In response, the ITIA issued its own statement.

“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) acknowledges the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decision to appeal the ruling of No Fault or Negligence in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, issued by an independent tribunal appointed by Sport Resolutions on 19 August 2024. Under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA has the final right to appeal all such decisions,” an ITIA spokesperson said.

“Having reached an agreed set of facts following a thorough investigative process, the case was referred to a tribunal entirely independent of the ITIA to determine level of fault and therefore sanction because of the unique set of circumstances, and lack of comparable precedent.

“The process was run according to World Anti-Doping Code guidelines; however, the ITIA acknowledges and respects WADA’s right to appeal the independent tribunal’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Jannik Sinner won the U.S. Open in the immediate aftermath of the ITIA ruling on his anti-doping case. (Al Bello / Getty Images)

In the ITIA’s full decision, Professor David Cowan said that “even if the administration had been intentional, the minute amounts likely to have been administered would not have had […] any relevant doping, or performance enhancing, effect upon the player.”

A positive test for clostebol carries a mandatory provisional suspension from tennis, but two further independent tribunals upheld Sinner’s appeals against those suspensions, which were active between April 4 and April 5 and April 17 and April 20. The success of those appeals meant that the two positive tests, and the attached suspensions, were not made public until the conclusion of the ITIA’s investigation into Sinner’s case. This drew allegations of double standards from some of Sinner’s tennis peers, but is in line with ITIA protocol.

In a statement released at the conclusion of the investigation, Sinner said: “I will now put this very challenging and hugely unfortunate period behind me.” The best men’s tennis player in the world will have to resume it now.

GO DEEPER

What players’ reaction to Sinner’s doping case says about their trust in their sport

‘The news that Sinner will have been fearing’

Analysis from Charlie Eccleshare, tennis writer

Sinner emerged from months of uncertainty to win the U.S. Open three weeks ago. Now he has been put back under investigation, and the renewed scrutiny of the initial ITIA ruling that will come with it.

It wasn’t as though the world No. 1 necessarily appeared liberated in New York — his post-match press conference after the final was as much subdued as it was celebratory — but there was an air of Sinner having temporarily closed a chapter behind him.

The prospect of a WADA appeal was always there however, and Saturday morning brought the news that Sinner will have been fearing. He was able to compartmentalize pretty well during the five months from being told of the positive test to it becoming public in August. He even won the Cincinnati Open two days before the full decision in his case was released.

But in his post-final press conference in New York, he acknowledged that his demeanor and personality had changed during the investigation.

“Obviously, it was very difficult to enjoy certain moments,” he said.

“Even the way I behaved or how I entered the court in some tournaments was no longer the same as before.”

Jannik Sinner answered numerous questions about his case at his pre-tournament press conference and throughout the U.S. Open. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

This decision from WADA, and the attached seeking of a ban of up to two years, will be another big challenge of his mentality.

When the independent tribunal convened by the ITIA ruled that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” — the key term that WADA is challenging — numerous players, some of them high-profile, expressed a view that the swiftness of his case pointed to double standards in the sport.

In the higher echelons of tennis there will surely be dismay at the world’s best male player facing a doping investigation, as WADA’s appeal will now be referred to CAS.

(Top photo: Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images)

Having etched her name across the record book during the 2024 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark has been named the league’s Rookie of the Year, league sources told The Athletic on Friday.

That Clark won the award came as little surprise considering how prolific her debut season was.

Clark broke both the WNBA’s single-season and single-game assist records. She scored the most points by a rookie ever, and the most points by a point guard ever. She became the first rookie to record two triple-doubles and the first Fever player ever to record a triple-double.

GO DEEPER

Caitlin Clark grades her rookie season as ‘solid’ after playoff exit

Those are just some of her many accomplishments among averaging 19.2 points and 8.4 assists per game — numbers that were even better in the second half of the season — and led the Fever to their first postseason appearance since 2016. Indiana also improved its win total by seven in 2024.

Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, entered the league as the most-anticipated rookie in league history. She flourished at Iowa for four seasons, leading the Hawkeyes to two Final Fours and setting the women’s NCAA Division I and major college women’s basketball scoring records.

The spectacle around Clark followed her to the professional ranks. While Clark dazzled fans and tormented opponents, she also played an instrumental role in a season of explosive growth for the WNBA. Six different league television partners set viewership records this year for its highest viewed WNBA game, and all six included the Fever.

Attendance in Indianapolis hit a record high, with an average of 17,036 fans packing Gainbridge Fieldhouse for home games. Indiana led the league in attendance for the first time in WNBA history.

Friday’s news, however, is not a reflection of the off-court Clark Effect, but her successes between the court’s four lines.

“She’s been special,” Indiana coach Christie Sides said ahead of the playoffs. “She came into the best league in the world, the best women’s basketball league in the world. She found her footing. She’s continued to get better. She’s put herself in position to be called one of the best players in the league. That’s incredible for a rookie.”

GO DEEPER

From shaky start to playoff bound, how Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever revived their season

For the first half of the season, the Rookie of the Year race seemed as if it would be among the tightest ever. Through the first two months of the season, Angel Reese helped the Sky remain in playoff contention. She had 14 double-doubles in 20 games and broke Candace Parker’s consecutive double-double streak.

Reese, like Clark, earned All-Star honors and was awarded WNBA Rookie of the Month in June. She set the league’s single-season total rebound record (446) and recorded the highest per-game rebound average in WNBA history (13.1).

The No. 7 draft pick, Reese would have become only the third player taken after No. 6 in the WNBA Draft to win Rookie of the Year. But her second half proved different than her first. Chicago slumped and Reese eventually was ruled out for the rest of the season on Sept. 8 with a wrist injury. The Sky missed the postseason.

During the season Clark and Reese downplayed the importance of the race.

“I’m sure (Angel) would give you the same exact answer—I’m sure she has given you the same exact answer,” Clark said in late August. “So for us, everybody can write that, but our focus is on winning basketball games. It’s as simple as that.”

Said Reese: “We don’t either care about Rookie of the Year. I think you guys have made it a big thing. We haven’t. We both want to win. We’ve been wanting to win, and that’s what we’ve done in our collegiate career.”

Clark became the third consecutive No. 1 pick to win top rookie honors.

“I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve,” Clark said after the Fever were knocked out of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun. “I feel like I had a solid year, but for me, the fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.”

Collier wins DPOY award

From the beginning of the regular season until its conclusion, the Minnesota Lynx had one of the WNBA’s top defenses. And that defense now boasts the league’s top defender after Napheesa Collier was named the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner, league sources told The Athletic on Friday.

The Lynx finished the year first in opponent field goal percentage (41), first in opponent 3-point percentage (30.1), first in opponent assist rate (18.6), and a close second in defensive rating (94.8). Collier’s versatility was key to all their success as an anchor Minnesota’s defense.

Often Collier was tasked with guarding an opponent’s top frontcourt players. At other moments, she rotated over to provide crucial help.  She was especially impactful against top competition as the Lynx went 7-4 against the other top-four playoff seeds, including Minnesota’s Commissioner’s Cup victory.

Collier finished second in the WNBA in steals per game (1.9) and eighth in blocks (1.4 per game). According to Synergy Sports, opponents shot only 34.3 percent against her.

“I’m so proud of Phee’s defensive work in 2024. Her commitment to all aspects of our defense — deflections, denials, steals, blocks, rebounds — anchored one of the top defensive teams in the league and led to her best season yet as a pro,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve told the AP.

Minnesota finished second in the WNBA standings and swept the Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the playoffs. The Lynx, winners of four WNBA titles, will be looking to win their fifth this postseason. If they do, they would move into first place for titles won by an active WNBA franchise, breaking a tie with the Seattle Storm.

Tipoff for Game 1 of their semifinal series against the third-seeded Sun is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Required reading

(Photo: Dylan Goodman / NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark didn’t like what she heard from a fan late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s playoff loss at Connecticut and motioned for officials to remove the man from his second-row seat. In the relative blink of an eye, security tapped the person on the shoulder and escorted him to a less visible area, where a discussion took place.

Ultimately, the person was allowed to return to his seat. And although the incident lasted only a few minutes, the optics figure to linger within the WNBA community because they raised the question of whether the league has a double standard when dealing with harassment complaints. More starkly, the swift resolution of a complaint from a White athlete stood out against the months of silence Black players received from the league office as they were targets of race-fueled hate on social media and in arenas.

Security had a conversation with a fan after Caitlin Clark pointed them out to the ref. pic.twitter.com/N6RCnAv1qz

— ESPN (@espn) September 26, 2024

The influx of attention to the WNBA that followed Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese into the league has threatened the reputation it has worked hard to cultivate, for inclusivity, empathy and tolerance. It also has called into question the leadership of commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who contributed to the toxicity earlier this month when she ostensibly said racism is good for a growing business.

She was asked during a CNBC interview what the league was doing to stay ahead of the “darker” and “more menacing” commentary from fan bases on social media. Instead of directly condemning the vitriol, she sidestepped the question by suggesting that the rivalry between Clark and Reese is good because it has brought a lot of eyes and interest to the league, not to mention more corporate dollars to players. They should simply ignore unsavory comments, she said.

She may not have meant to imply that increased revenue is an acceptable excuse for overt racism, but that’s how the players union and some of its members interpreted her words. Their public condemnation of Engelbert’s comments caused the commissioner to clarify her remarks the following day on social media — “To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else,” she posted — and send letters to every player in the league promising future engagement.

That was a positive, if obvious, first step for a problem that continues to worsen. Connecticut standout Alyssa Thomas spoke about it Wednesday night after knocking the Fever out of the playoffs.

“In my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced (anything like) the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base,” she said, adding: “It’s unacceptable, honestly. There’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media. There’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names. … Something needs to be done.”

The WNBA issued a statement condemning racism and pledging to work with teams, arenas and law enforcement to address the issue, but what does that really mean? And why should anyone believe Engelbert has the answer? It’s mind-numbing how ill-prepared she has been to meet this moment, even when everyone knew Clark and Reese were bringing large and loyal fan bases to the league that tend to fall along racial and cultural lines.

Engelbert’s failure to get it right the first time was disappointing and disturbing because you only get one chance to make a first impression on a topic of such importance.

Lost lot of respect for wnba this year and I’m a former player. Leadership valued dollars over the protection of their players and now at end of the season we get a statement. Nah. Miss me with that. #isaidwhatisaid https://t.co/K60SwHMbXP

— Tynesha Lewis (@iamtynesha) September 26, 2024

Connecticut wing DiJonai Carrington provided a reminder of the league’s sidestepping before Wednesday’s game with a post on her Instagram story. It featured a screenshot of an email she received after she inadvertently, according to her and Clark, poked Clark in the eye in Game 1. The email called her a “worthless n—– b—-” and said, “I hope someone rapes you and cuts your head off.”

Some fans at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday went beyond the normal cheers and jeers seen at most sporting events. A woman wore a T-shirt that read “BAN NAILS,” and held up hands that featured uncomically long nails made of colored paper, a troubling caricature of Carrington and Black culture. Another man, wearing a red Donald Trump baseball cap, held up a sign that read “Make Basketball Great again #22,” a nod to Clark’s jersey number. So much for those calls to keep politics out of sports, right?

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner said Thursday there should be a uniform harassment policy.

“I don’t appreciate the new fans that sit there and yell racial slurs at myself, my teammates and the people that I play against,” she said, adding: “We all deserve to play in a safe environment.”

GO DEEPER

WNBA denounces negative messages sent to players

Carrrington’s girlfriend is NaLyssa Smith, who plays for the Fever. Following Wednesday’s game, Smith disclosed that Carrington has been followed and received death threats.  Reese has described receiving the same treatment after mocking Clark in LSU’s NCAA championship game victory two seasons ago. She expanded on that Thursday in a social media post.

“For the past 2 years, the media has benefited from my pain & me being villainized to create a narrative,” she wrote. “They allowed this. This was beneficial to them. I sometimes share my experiences of things that have happened to me but I’ve also allowed this to happen to me for way too long and now other players in this league are dealing with & experiencing the same things. This isn’t ok at all. Anything beyond criticism about playing the game we love is wrong. I’m sorry to all the players that have/continue to experience the same things I have.”

Clark on Friday also criticized the attacks in terms similar to comments she has made previously this season.

“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats,” she said. “Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA.”

While Clark’s sentiments are welcome, calling these attackers “trolls” is too simplistic and dismissive. Racist attacks are perpetrated by racists. This isn’t about being edgy or simply gaslighting.

The league and its teams are not helpless in this matter. Hate can never be fully eradicated; it’s as much a part of this country’s history as stars and stripes. But there are steps that can be taken. For one, teams can control who and what are brought into their arenas. The only reason someone would connect Trump’s campaign slogan to a sporting event featuring predominately Black and/or queer women is to provoke a response that has nothing to do with basketball. Ditto for the woman wearing Wolverine-like paper fingernails.

Teams also can cross-check the names on social media accounts that post hateful content with names of season ticket holders. If a match is found, that person can be banned from attending games.

Lastly, Engelbert can hire someone who has the expertise and skill to help the league navigate the intersectionality of race, culture, sexuality and misogyny. That person would help restore the league’s reputation as a place where the concerns of Black and queer players are as important as those of a straight, White, Midwesterner.

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(Photo of Cathy Engelbert: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

The mania around Cooper Flagg at Duke is here. And it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Flagg, the Class of 2024’s most-hyped recruit and projected 2025 No. 1 NBA Draft pick, spoke publicly Friday for the first time since starting his career with the Blue Devils.

Sporting a “Dream Biggest” Duke T-shirt, the 6-foot-9 freshman forward sounded confident and excited about Duke officially beginning practice this week. It has been a whirlwind start to college for the program’s biggest recruit since Zion Williamson — whom even former President Barack Obama came to Durham to see play — but Flagg is handling it as best he can.

goooooo @Cooper_Flagg 😈😈🦾 pic.twitter.com/Ie6lLNpJZK

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 27, 2024

“I think as far as hype and all that goes, that’s something that you learn to deal with. And for me, it’s just about playing basketball, so I’m excited to get going with our team,” Flagg told reporters in Durham.

“We have an incredible group of guys. I’ve gotten to know everybody on the team really well. So I’m just really excited to get going. As far as the hype for me, I just focus on playing basketball and trying to win every day.”

Flagg, who is from Newport, Maine, and already has a shoe deal with New Balance, was originally a member of the 2025 recruiting class, but reclassified to 2024 in August of last year. His parents are Blue Devils fans who often had the basketball team on the family’s television at home while Flagg grew up with his two brothers.

Flagg committed to Duke in October. With him on the floor, the Blue Devils should be a contender against anyone.

GO DEEPER

Cooper Flagg and the small New England town that raised basketball’s brightest young star

“I’ve seen a lot of different seasons, different hype, different expectations. With Cooper, I don’t know if we’ve ever had a 17-year-old with as much attention around him — and a lot of it rightfully so with the high school career he’s had and what he’s done,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer told reporters.

“But we talk about all the things we can control. And that’s been our focus,” Scheyer  said. “Cooper does an amazing job of coming to practice to work every day. I don’t think he likes the attention, to be honest. I think he’s all about, he wants to be just like the other guys in terms of not caring about the attention, wanting to win, wanting to compete.”

Flagg will play in front ofBlue Devils fans next week for the first time at the program’s “Countdown to Craziness” event on Oct. 4, ahead of Duke opening its season on Oct. 19 with an exhibition against Lincoln (Pa.) University. In the meantime, Flagg will continue to settle in Durham.

Coop brings the 🔒🔒🔒 @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/JDOx0BrLSd

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 27, 2024

“He’s 17. So, beginning of the season, he’s going to go through some stuff. That’s part of it,” Scheyer said.

“But being there for him in those moments and growing as a player is why he came to Duke. So I want this to be — I want him to enjoy this year. I want him to enjoy the practices, enjoy being a student at Duke, enjoy with his teammates and obviously work like crazy to become a better player. And that’s what we’re doing on a daily basis.”

Required reading

(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Canadian legend Christine Sinclair announced Friday that she will retire from playing professional soccer at the end of the season.

The 41-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., said in a post on Instagram that she will finish out the National Women’s Soccer League campaign with the Portland Thorns, who are scheduled to finish out the regular season on Nov. 1.

“Portland, thank you will never be enough,” Sinclair posted with a photo of her huddling with her teammates on the pitch. “As I finish out this last ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful and passionate city that I will always call home.”

Sinclair retired from the women’s national team last year after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She helped Canada win gold at the Tokyo Olympics and bronze at both the 2016 Games in Rio and the 2012 Games in London.

She finished her international career as the world’s top goal scorer with 190 goals.

She is also among just five players to appear in six Women’s World Cups, and one of just three players to score in five. But a World Cup trophy eluded her.

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“Christine, your achievements both on and off the field have set a new standard in Canadian sport,” Canada Soccer said in a statement. “You’ve paved the way for future generations, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to shape the future of soccer in Canada and around the world.

“Thank you for the unforgettable moments, for lifting Canadian soccer to new heights, and for your unwavering commitment to the game.”

4:34
Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair hangs up her cleats

Sinclair has played for Portland since the NWSL launched in 2013, and over 11 seasons has scored a team-high 64 goals.

She helped the Thorns win the inaugural NWSL championship, before adding additional titles in 2017 and 2022. She scored Portland’s first-ever goal in a match against FC Kansas City on April 13, 2013.

“Thorns FC is proud to honour the monumental career of our very own Christine Sinclair,” the Thorns said in a release.

“As No. 12 hangs up the boots, we thank her for her long-term commitment to our club and consider ourselves lucky to be able to witness the greatness and progress she created for soccer on a global landscape.”

Vancouver Rise FC of the newly formed Northern Super League has teased that Sinclair may take on a role with the club, posting a photo of her with the caption “Something BIG coming soon.”

“I still have the passion as that young four-year-old growing up in Burnaby, B.C., but as I hang up my playing boots, I vow to channel it in a new way. To continue growing the game I love while inspiring the next generation,” Sinclair wrote.

The Portland Thorns are scheduled to play the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup match at B.C. Place in Vancouver on Oct. 15.

—With files from The Associated Press.

&copy 2024 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter has had a complicated history with the Toronto Raptors, starting as the superstar who put the team on the map before becoming public enemy No. 1 and then finally mending fences with the team post-retirement.

Here is a timeline look at Carter’s key moments, both with and against the Raptors, as he becomes the first player in franchise history to have his jersey sent to the rafters.

—

June 24, 1998 — Carter is selected fifth overall out of North Carolina by the Golden State Warriors at the NBA draft in Vancouver. Soon after, he is traded to Toronto for fourth-overall pick Antawn Jamison.

Feb. 5, 1999 — Carter starts in his NBA regular-season debut as the league returns from a lockout. He scores 16 points to go with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in a 103-92 road win over the Boston Celtics.

March 25, 1999 — Carter scores a season-high 32 points in a 113-104 loss at Houston.

May 26, 1999 — Carter is named the NBA’s rookie of the year after averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, three assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks over 50 games.

Feb. 12, 2000 — Carter wins the NBA slam dunk competition in Oakland, Calif. He clinched the title with a 360-degree windmill jam, famously mouthing “it’s over” to the camera after completing the dunk. The next day he makes his first all-star game appearance after receiving a league-high 1,911,973 votes in a fan ballot.

Feb. 27, 2000 — Carter scores a career-high 51 points in a 103-102 win over visiting Phoenix.

April 23, 2000 — Carter makes his debut playoff appearance as the Raptors advance to the post-season for the first time in franchise history. He is held to 16 points as the Raptors fall 92-88 to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York would go on to sweep the best-of-five series, with Carter scoring 27 points in Game 2 but struggling with 15 in the clinching game in Toronto.

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May 4, 2001 — The Raptors win their first-ever playoff series, beating the New York Knicks 93-89 in a deciding Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. Carter has a team-high 27 points in the win.

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May 11, 2001 — Carter scores 50 points as the Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-78 and take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series.

May 20, 2001 — Philadelphia wins the series by edging Toronto in the decisive seventh game. Carter, who had 20 points and nine assists in the game, missed a 19-foot jump shot at the buzzer. He faces criticism for attending his graduation at North Carolina the morning of the pivotal game in Philadelphia.

Aug. 1, 2001 — Carter signs a six-year extension with the Raptors reported to be worth as much as US$94 million. Mel Lastman., Toronto’s mayor at the time, declares the day as “Vince Carter Day.” The move was seen as the crown jewel of a big off-season for general manager Glen Grunwald, who also re-signed key players Alvin Williams, Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams and added aging star centre Hakeem Olajuwon.

March 19, 2002 — Carter is held to 10 points in his last game of the season as the Raptors are thumped 112-80 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Carter, who had been battling a left knee injury all season, undergoes season-ending surgery eight days later. The Raptors fall to 30-38, below the playoff mark at 11th place in the Eastern Conference, with the loss to the Timberwolves. But the team battles back without Carter, winning 12 of its last 14 games to make the playoffs before pushing the heavily favoured Detroit Pistons to a deciding fifth game in the opening round of the playoffs.

Dec. 17, 2004 — After two seasons of missing the playoffs and amid significant changes in the organization, the Raptors trade the disgruntled Carter to the New Jersey Nets 20 games into the 2004-05 campaign. Hurt feelings in Toronto that Carter “quit” on the team before getting traded — he was averaging a pedestrian 15.9 points per game before the deal — are compounded by the lacklustre return general manager Rob Babcock gets from the Nets. Toronto receives aging centre Alonzo Mourning, journeymen Aaron Williams and Eric Williams and two first-round draft picks. Mourning, the biggest name coming back to Toronto, doesn’t report to the Raptors and is bought out. He later joins Miami for the league-minimum salary and helps the Heat win a title the following season.

April 15, 2005 — Carter makes his return to Toronto for the first time since the trade. The crowd at Air Canada Centre boos him mercilessly, with some fans holding up signs mocking his injuries. One even brings crutches. Carter gets the last laugh, scoring 39 points in a 101-90 Nets win.

Jan. 8, 2006 — Carter silences the ACC crowd again by scoring 42 points, including a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer, as the Nets stun the Raptors 105-104.

April 21, 2007 — The Raptors return to the playoffs for the first time since the Carter era, only to run into Carter and the Nets in the first round. The Nets upset the Raptors 96-91 in the first game of the series, adding insult to injury by wearing their alternate red uniforms to match the red T-shirts given away to Toronto fans before the game. Carter goes on to average 25 points in the series as the sixth-seed Nets bounce the third-seed Raptors in six games.

Nov. 19, 2014 — Carter returns to Toronto as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. As part of the Raptors’ 20th anniversary celebration, a video montage of Carter’s highlights with the team is played during the game. The fans at the ACC give Carter a standing ovation, and, with tears in his eyes, he acknowledges the crowd.

March 11, 2020 — Carter scores five points, including a late three-pointer, as his Atlanta Hawks lose 136-131 to the New York Knicks. It’s the last NBA game he ever plays in, as the season is suspended after the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Carter ends his career at age 43 as the only NBA player to compete in four different decades.

April 6, 2024 — Carter is named as one of 13 inductees making up the Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2024.

Sept. 27, 2024 — The Raptors announce that they will retire Carter’s No. 15, making him the first player in franchise history to receive the honour.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.

&copy 2024 The Canadian Press

Usually when I want to unearth my love of baseball, I call my good friend Carlos Jackson. Nobody in my circle of life loves baseball more than him. His dad took him to the 1990 World Series when he was 7 years old. Some days when school ended at Encinal High, he’d make his way by himself to the Coliseum and just go to the A’s game. If he wasn’t a man of faith, he’d fight you over Ken Griffey Jr.

So on the cusp of the A’s final game in Oakland, allegedly, I called Los. To hear his passion for baseball and the A’s. My best attempt to summon some kind of emotive vibes to match this historic moment. He told story after story. About catching batting practice home runs in the bleachers. About being interviewed at the A’s game by local TV, which happened to be when baseball returned after 9/11, which happened on his 18th birthday. About getting booed by a packed Coliseum after dropping an easy pop-up from New York Yankees slugger Paul O’Neill on the third-base side. About the significance of the A’s, for most of his life, being the only Bay Area jersey he could wear that plastered “Oakland” on the chest — where people from the Town most wanted it plastered.

I listened to him rue this pending day, and the significance of what will be lost. The conversation prompted a moment of reflection and digestion of his thoughts.

I still felt nothing.

This is not a perspective to represent A’s fans. That contingency is too large and diverse to be defined by any one purview. Nor is this declaration on behalf of Oakland natives, though yours truly is such.

GO DEEPER

With both cheers and angry chants, Oakland fans send off beloved A’s in final home game

This is but the revelation of one. The occasion of the A’s final game in Oakland isn’t sad. It isn’t infuriating, though I could feel reputed sports broadcaster Larry Beil when he went off. It isn’t even disappointing.

The search for sentiment on this occasion, instead, revealed a heart that resembles a typical Thursday afternoon game at the Coliseum. Empty.

It’s all dried out over here.

It’s not for a lack of trying. Went and bought the classic A’s hat. Tried to start writing my favorite A’s player at every position. But fond memories of games, of players, of moments are being drowned out by the fatigue of this stadium saga. Memories of the Bash Brothers, mimicking Dave Stewart’s stare while playing strikeout at the park, the 20-game win streak — as Ken Korach said in his final Coliseum call, those memories live forever. But nostalgia is no match for the numbness born of MLB’s abandonment as the A’s try for a heist on a struggling city.

I’ve been reading the great pieces about better days. Listening to people share their memories. But the pangs for the ownership are just too loud. It’s hard to care when it’s so blatantly not reciprocal.

That’s not an insignificant evaporation. I used to walk from Sobrante Park to the Coliseum for the Safeway Saturday Barbecue. I’d wait until first pitch to do my chores so I could listen to Bill King call A’s games on the radio. I’ve broken a couple of dishes frustrated at Dave Kingman strikeouts. I joined half the Oakland kids of my era who claimed Rickey Henderson was my cousin. I still believe the gray road A’s jerseys that said Oakland on the chest is the coldest baseball jersey ever. I’ve had aunts and uncles and homies and neighbors work A’s games at the Coliseum. From middle school field trips to high school fundraisers to boys nights out as adults, attending A’s games was a staple of community.

Now? In the words of the legendary Oakland philosopher on matters of the heart, Keyshia Cole, “I just want it to be over.” Extract them from our presence as the imitators they’ve proven to be.

Manager Mark Kotsay addresses the crowd after Thursday’s win over the Rangers, the A’s last game in Oakland. They’ll play in Sacramento the next three years. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

Perhaps this absence of sentiment is the organic jadedness of being in the industry, 25 years of seeing the sausage get made. Maybe it’s the decades of the A’s threatening to leave, attempting to leave, followed by a couple of unserious pursuits of stadiums in Oakland — one of them included getting owned by a community college district —  with conditions and qualifiers that revealed their true feelings about this place. Perhaps it’s a developing disposition, matured by a society increasingly bent to the whims and wishes of billionaires.

All of the above is reasonable.

Either way, the Oakland Athletics are not worth the emotional investment this moment warranted. Not from me. John Fisher has been a treacherous steward over one of the gem franchises of sports. Everything about the A’s has crumbled under his leadership — winning, fandom, reputation.

Major League Baseball forfeited its right to tug these heartstrings one last time. They’ve allowed this all to happen, preferring frugality and profit margins over culture and history.

That’s why this Athletics’ goodbye to Oakland is lacking in emotion, for me. What made them special to this region has long been squandered. They’ve disparaged the city and fan base for years, blaming their mediocrity on insufficient support from the fan base and the local leaders. As if it isn’t their job to inspire such support.

They’ve refused to pay every player fans love. They’ve opted to rebuild every time they’ve been close to contending. They’ve eroded the relationship for years, all to acquire public funding.

The A’s are leaving now, but they’ve been gone. The recipes lost.

Sports franchises, in our billionaire’s paradise of a country, are no longer a public trust. Not as the norm. They’re big business with little room for municipal motivations. They buy franchises and inherit allegiance, passion and loyalty. Many have forgotten fans’ hearts weren’t part of the purchase.

The A’s actively extinguished the adoration of a proven fan base and then blamed the absence for forcing them to leave. They had a fervent fan base — diverse and affluent and nostalgic — and actively, annually, undermined it.

A’s fans show their opinion of owner John Fisher during a 2023 game. Fisher is moving the team after years of bungled stadium efforts. (Michael Zagaris / Oakland Athletics / Getty Images)

I do understand the hearts that bleed over this. Cognitively, it registers. A’s manager Mark Kotsay walking out to center field with his wife before the final game, it was a poignant illustration. Mason Miller throwing 104 miles per hour on the last pitch in Coliseum history, securing the final out and setting up one last Kool & The Gang “Celebration” outro, was storybook.

But as Kotsay said, it hits everyone at different times. For me, and perhaps others, it hit some time ago. This is but a chance for the nation to remind us of our loss, to be portrayed as unworthy for not unconditionally supporting an unworthy steward in an industry bent on cutting out the less-loaded.

If this final homestand showed anything, much like the reverse boycott, and the grassroots campaign to vindicate the fanbase, and even the energy generated by the Oakland Ballers, the love for baseball lives here. The love for community lives here. The love for history, for relevance, for championships, is here.

The Athletics had it, took it for granted, and had a chance to get it again. But they’d rather take the free money, even if it means crashing on the Sacramento River Cats’ couch for three years. The billionaire A’s owner and his enabling fellow billionaire owners have no interest in earning devotion. Just dollars. They don’t care about cultivating community. Just cash.

My heart, it seems, has grown as cold as theirs.

GO DEEPER

From Tom Hanks to Dame Lillard, mourning the Oakland A’s: ‘It’s pretty heartbreaking’

(Top photo of the Oakland A’s mascot saluting the fans during the team’s final game at the Coliseum: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

Arch Manning has played in five college football games for the University of Texas, including one start and four appearances in which the game was well in hand by the time he took the field. For a quarterback who isn’t expected to be a full-time starter until 2025 and won’t be eligible for the NFL Draft until 2026, that’s not a lot of material to go off.

But for the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of a College Football Hall of Famer and SEC legend Archie Manning, that limited action has been more than enough to stoke excitement about what lies ahead for QB1-in-waiting for the nation’s No. 1 team.

In the wake of Manning’s first start, we spoke with three coaches and evaluators who have studied his early-season performance, turned to the tape to further unpack where he can still grow and compared the opening weeks of his college playing career to those of his famous relatives Archie, Peyton and Eli.

What coaches say

Granted anonymity to offer a candid evaluation of an opponent (or potential opponent as not all of these speakers have seen Manning live or will see him this season), the group describes a quarterback who oozes talent but still has plenty of room for growth.

“He’s just so big,” said an FBS head coach. “He’s fast. He’s got a strong arm. And he’s got the bloodline.”

“(He) throws a great deep ball,” said a Power 4 personnel director.

GO DEEPER

Arch Manning transferring from Texas never would have made sense

Manning has displayed that ability often in his short time in the lineup. Against Louisiana-Monroe, he had 10 pass attempts that traveled 20 or more yards in the air, according to TruMedia. He completed three of them. A fourth potential completion to a diving Silas Bolden was ruled incomplete on replay review.

By comparison, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers had only seven pass attempts of 20 or more air yards in his first two-plus games until suffering the oblique injury that opened the door for Manning’s first start. But Ewers also connected on three of them.

Manning’s 51.7 percent completion percentage against ULM was underwhelming, but Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said that was a byproduct of a game plan in which he and quarterback coach AJ Milwee installed a lot of deep passing plays to take advantage of Manning’s downfield prowess.

“Arch is a really good deep-ball thrower and gives guys chances to go make plays on those shots down the field,” Sarkisian said Monday. “But  … I’m kind of kicking myself a little. I wish I had a few other freebie completions for him just so that there could have been a little bit more balance and getting that completion percentage up, being efficient and moving the chains.”

GO DEEPER

Watching Arch Manning: How the QB navigated his first start at Texas

Sarkisian didn’t scheme up a ton of easy, short completions for Manning, though he does want to see him be more willing to take checkdowns when downfield shots are unavailable.

“They asked him to go run the offense and do the things that they want to do from a (down and distance) standpoint, a situational standpoint,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said Wednesday ahead of the Bulldogs’ meeting with Texas in both teams’ SEC opener. “I didn’t think they tried to protect him in a bunch of different ways. They just let him go play ball.”

Which seems like a sound strategy. If you were creating a quarterback in a lab, it would probably come equipped with a lot of what Manning has.

“When he’s in a clean pocket and has time to throw, he can put the ball just about anywhere he wants,” an SEC scouting director said.

And then there’s his speed — the first thing two of the staffers mentioned and the trait that sparked several jokes after he burned UTSA’s defense on a 67-yard touchdown run in Week 3. The personnel director highlighted Manning’s athleticism, noting that some are quick to assume that he’s slow like his uncles.

“He’s faster than I realized,” the FBS head coach said.

CAN’T TOUCH HIM 😮‍💨@ArchManning pic.twitter.com/65nR57qIR5

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 15, 2024

So what does Manning need to work on?

“You can see him lock onto guys at times,” the Power 4 personnel director said.

“A couple of times, he pulls the trigger late or not at all when he could have,” the SEC scouting director said.

Other growth areas such as working through his reads and progressions can be expected to come with more playing time and practice reps. Sarkisian said he liked Manning’s poise and composure, especially after throwing two first-half interceptions against ULM.

“I’ve just been impressed for a guy early on in his career, the way he rebounded,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of young quarterbacks have a rough start and then that rough start turns into a rough game. And it was a little bit of a rough start for him, but I thought he rebounded and did some nice things for us at the right time.”

One thing everyone agreed on: Manning has a bright future, and the fact that he hasn’t been forced into a full-time starting role early in his career will help him.

“In the long run, it’ll be really good for him to sit for two years (behind) Ewers,” the Power 4 personnel director said. “He’ll be more ready to take over. I think sometimes we try to push these guys into starting roles, or they get greedy and feel like they have to play earlier. Him staying patient will pay off for both sides.”

“Time will tell, but I imagine he’s going to be a first-round pick and the No. 1 player picked, if I had to bet,” the FBS head coach said.

GO DEEPER

How Texas is achieving rare QB harmony with Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers

The family resemblance

All amateur Manning family historians know Cooper Manning was the original Chosen One of Archie Manning’s children. Peyton’s star receiver in high school, Cooper was forced to retire before his Ole Miss career began due to a spinal issue.

A powerful and explosive 6-foot-4 receiver, Cooper was the only one of Archie’s boys to move like him on a football field. Archie Manning was a legitimate dual-threat quarterback — both in college and the NFL. He finished his college career with 31 touchdown passes and 25 rushing touchdowns, including 14 as a junior in 1969. Cooper, of course, is Arch Manning’s father.

In this case: Like grandfather and father, like son. Like uncles? We’re going to find out.

Athletically, Arch Manning is the best of the bunch. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Manning’s athletic burst and straight-line speed are good enough to be a weapon at Texas and at the next level. Not only can he be part of the run game, but Arch’s athleticism also allows him to escape the pocket and make throws on the run in ways neither Peyton nor Eli really ever could. In short: Arch’s margin for error is much wider than that of his uncles. Much more like Archie.

The stuff that separated Peyton and Eli (especially Peyton) from the pack, though, was almost exclusively between the ears. Every member of the Manning family has elite arm talent. Peyton and Eli’s competitive drive, attention to detail, mental toughness and consistency became their signature traits. Peyton Manning worked on his quarterback drops probably more than a golfer works on his swing. Eli became known as an unflappable player who never let the pressure of a moment impact his ability to think two steps ahead.

Frankly, we don’t have enough data yet on how Arch will compare to the rest of the quarterbacks in the family. However, the areas he needs the most growth in right now are the things that made his uncles Hall of Famers — which should be no surprise.

What the tape says

Arch Manning’s footwork is advanced well beyond his age. His processing and general pocket awareness, however, still need more work. To be fair, neither Peyton nor Eli were experts in these areas as first-time starters. No one really is.

There are times when Arch will stick onto his first read (especially if it’s a deep one) for too long, which either forces an errant throw elsewhere or results in him taking a hit. He hasn’t read every concept perfectly. He has thrown multiple balls into double coverage, and he paid for it with two interceptions against ULM. He’s also made some pretty great throws.

Manning’s next start will be the best opportunity to get an early picture of just who he is as a player. He’ll have gotten the first one out of the way, seen his mistakes and had a chance to learn from them.

He’s not there today. We’ll see if it ever happens. However, it’s hard not to see how Arch Manning has a little bit of something from every one of the elder men in his family. And if he can become the type of self-correcting, self-driven player his uncles were, then he’ll have a chance to be better than both of them. Grandpa, too.

How Arch’s debut compares with other Manning family first starts

Archie Manning was actually drafted by the Atlanta Braves before he got to Ole Miss (he would be drafted three more times by an MLB team) and became the program’s first sophomore starter in years.

He started the 1968 opener against Memphis State and finished 8 of 14 for 116 yards, three touchdowns (two pass, one rush) and an interception in a comeback victory. Two weeks later, he completed 11 of 26 passes for 129 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass in a 10-8 upset of Alabama, the program’s first win against the Crimson Tide in nearly 60 years. Though he finished his first year as a starter with a whopping 17 interceptions, Archie Manning would eventually change Ole Miss’ program (and college football) forever as one of the sport’s first nationally televised star quarterbacks. More than two decades later, Archie’s middle son entered college football. And that kid had everything.

GO DEEPER

Arch Manning won’t be only football royalty on field Saturday night. Meet General Booty!

The pre-signing day pressure on Louisiana-born Peyton Manning as the son of an Ole Miss icon was massive. The fact he was a top-15 player nationally (behind fellow Louisiana QB Josh Booty) only made it more intense. If Peyton dropped a bead of sweat, though, nobody saw it. One of his biggest concerns ahead of the 1994 signing day was deciding early. Not because he wanted to get it over with, but because he needed to call 50-odd head coaches and tell them to sign someone else. On the day he committed to Tennessee, Manning also apologized to the people of Mississippi.

His first appearance at Tennessee was actually in relief as a true freshman in 1994. Replacing an injured Todd Helton (yes, the baseball player), Manning went 14 of 23 for 256 yards, two touchdowns (including a 76-yarder) and a pick in a loss to Mississippi State. The following week, Manning slogged through a 7-of-14, 79-yard day in a 10-9 upset win over Washington State.

Though he was a more accomplished prep passer than his older brother, Eli Manning was not the prospect Peyton was ahead of signing day in 2000. Eli had offers and interest from most of the SEC, including Tennessee. But there’d be no Mississippi apology this time, as Archie’s youngest son picked the Rebels and Manning mentor David Cutcliffe. After sitting as a freshman, Manning began the 2001 season as Ole Miss’ starter and proceeded to break multiple records in his debut. Eli went 20 of 23 for 271 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. He also completed 18 straight passes, another record.

Arch Manning’s starting debut would likely finish somewhere between that of his grandfather and uncle Eli: 15 of 29, 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a lopsided win over Louisiana-Monroe.

I win! https://t.co/eziyNxsQAR

— Eli Manning (@EliManning) September 23, 2024

(Illustration photos: Tim Warner / Getty Images)