Clayton Kershaw took the mound for what could be his final MLB All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday night. Kershaw, wearing the familiar Dodgers No. 22, pitched to two hitters in the top of the second inning before manager Dave Roberts took him out to a standing ovation.

Kershaw was mic'd up during his outing, but MLB cut out the final few seconds before commercial when they posted the segment on social media. What they don't want you to remember about the appearances is that Kershaw walked through the dugout getting high fives from his National League teammates while he shouted, "Suck it, Big Dumper," twice before disappearing into the tunnel as the FOX broadcast cut to commercial.

Kershaw got Cal Raleigh, who leads baseball in home runs and won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, to line out for the first out of the inning. Kershaw also struck out Vladimir Guererro Jr., but the Blue Jays first baseman was clearly not on his mind by the time he got to the dugout.

You can watch Kershaw's complete mic'd up segment below.

Earlier this year, following two more transfer windows of mass-spending by Manchester City, Pep Guardiola became the manager in football history to have spent the most on transfer fees, surpassing the £2bn mark.

Of course, considering he has won 18 major honours since arriving at the Etihad nine years ago, he does get results.

However, many of the players who arrive in Manchester for a huge fee with massive expectations do not live up to them, one in particular springs to mind, so is a repeat scenario in danger of happening for a current sky blue star?

Kalvin Phillips' Manchester City career

When Kalvin Phillips joined Manchester City from Leeds United for £45m in the summer of 2022, he was at the top of his game.

He’d racked up 234 appearances for boyhood club Leeds United, flourishing under Marcelo Bielsa, thereby becoming first-choice for England, starting all seven matches as the Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2020.

However, Phillips has, to date, made just 32 times in over three years for the Citizens, of which only six are starts, accumulating a miserly 921 minutes, the same time it takes to drive from the Etihad to the Eiffel Tower.

After spectacularly unmemorable loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich, the forgotten man returned to Manchester this summer.

He made his first appearance for the Citizens in 690 days when coming off the bench for a six minute cameo at Huddersfield in the EFL Cup but, having not even been named among the substitutes for any other fixture, fair to surmise that he isn’t back in Guardiola’s plans.

So, could a player in the same position, both literally and metaphorically perhaps, fall into the same trap?

Manchester City's next forgotten midfielder

As the table below documents, Manchester City have signed 17 players for £45m or more since appointing Guardiola, yielding mixed success.

Aside from the new recruits, Phillips has made, by some distance, the fewest appearances for the club of any of the expensive signings, but it could be concerning times ahead for one of those listed.

As part of Manchester City’s January spending spree, which saw them pay more than all other 19 Premier League clubs combined, they recruited Nico González from Porto on deadline day for £50m.

A la Masia Barcelona graduate, the 23-year-old arrived with impressive pedigree, viewed as a shrewd addition, with Guardiola labelling him a ‘mini-Rodri’; considering the Ballon d’Or winner was sidelined at the time, he appeared to be a sensible deputy.

However, it hasn’t really panned out that way for Nico, starting only nine Premier League matches last season, despite Rodri’s absence, handed just 16 starts across all competitions, coming off the bench a further ten times, but not used at all on nine occasions.

When Rodri hobbled off at Brentford on Sunday, Nico was the player introduced into midfield, but Guardiola has favoured Tijjani Reijnders since his arrival in June, while Mateo Kovačić’s return following surgery could limit the Spaniard’s opportunities further.

His only league goal for the club, to date, came against Bournemouth in May, rounding off a free-flowing team move.

However, more recently, Nico was in the headlines for conceding a penalty at Stade Louis II, kicking Eric Dier in the face, thereby allowing Monaco to pinch a point in stoppage time.

Speaking on Match of the Day in February, former Man City defender Micah Richards praised Nico’s “intelligence”, adding that “having someone with that kind of football IQ in your team is priceless”.

It is clear that the 23-year-old is a high-quality midfield player, but the same would have been said about Phillips, before he was simply not trusted by Guardiola and lost in the shuffle, with fears the same could happen to the Spaniard.

With Rodri, potentially, sidelined, it’ll be interesting to see if Nico is the man deployed at the base of midfield for Man City’s next fixture, which is Everton at home, after the international break.

Man City have already sold Rodri replacement who can become a "£60m player"

Pep may have let this one slip through his fingers at Manchester City.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 8, 2025

Arsenal secured a seventh consecutive victory and extended their lead at the top of the Premier League this weekend, but not everyone was happy with what they saw at the Emirates.

The Gunners appear in unstoppable form and they capitalised on a weekend where Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all lost by securing a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace to cement their status as the current favourites to win the title.

Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice were sensational in the win, as was Jurrien Timber, who is fast becoming the standout right-back in world football.

The Netherlands international however called for calm ahead of Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash against Brighton: “It is good to stay neutral, and not to get too high.

“Obviously, we’ve been doing well, but it’s still early in the season, and we just have to keep getting better game by game.

“The next game is already in three days, which is a (Carabao) Cup match (against Brighton), and the next Premier League game (against Burnley) is going to be tough as well.

“So, let’s keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard, and then from there, we’ll see what happens.”

Stelling reveals he turned TV off during Arsenal win over Palace

Arsenal’s bid to land their first league title in 22 years has been built on a remarkable defence which has shipped just three goals, and only one from open play, in their 13 fixtures across all competitions.

They have of course dominated in the opposition box as well, scoring just five of their 16 league goals from open play, and former Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling was disgusted by the lack of expansive football during the win over Palace.

“They can’t keep relying on set plays, they just can’t,” he said on talkSPORT on Monday morning.

He continued: “I love some of the Arsenal players, I love Saka, I love Odegaard, I love Eze. But please, please be just a bit more expansive. I mean watching Arsenal against Palace, was watching paint dry. It was purgatory. I started watching that match, and I had enough of it before they had a shot. I’d turned over by then, to watch Villa versus City, which was a much better game.”

Arsenal’s clean sheet against Palace was their fifth in succession, And Timber is proud of their tough to play against style: “Everyone plays a part in it, but it’s a good thing and a good foundation to build on.

“From that standard, you just have to keep getting better and be consistent in what we do, and then throughout the whole season, hopefully we’ll turn it into something beautiful.

“It gives you confidence and it shows that we’re doing really well, and also, if it’s for multiple games in a row, it says something about consistency.

“We just have to keep improving, and look at what we can do better, but also take that feeling with you, that confidence and go into the next game with the same mindset.”

Mikel Arteta awaits news on injuries sustained to William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori, which is perhaps the only damp spot on an otherwise flawless October for the Gunners.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Artur Jorge criticou o Botafogo na derrota para a LDU na Libertadores. Apesar disso, o treinador português enxergou um horizonte após a melhora do desempenho da equipe no segundo tempo.

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Os jogadores procuraram tentar fazer aquilo que tinha sido pedido. Saímos daqui frustrados com o resultado, sabemos que podemos e vamos fazer muito melhor no futuro. Estamos trabalhando em cima do tempo também. Mas com a consciência de que há margem para poder fazer melhor, porque essa é uma obrigação que teremos pela frente, uma vez que o resultado nos penaliza em função do que era esperado para o jogo de hoje

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criticou Artur Jorge. E emendou:

– Satisfeito com aquilo com aquilo que os jogadores fizeram. Satisfeito com a entrega e o empenho, satisfeito com aquilo que procuraram desempenhar como missão, mas o que define o desempenho é o resultado, eu e os jogadores sabemos disso. Sabemos que fizemos algumas coisas erradas que são muito castigadoras a esse nível, mas temos que ver o que fizemos de bom para poder potencializar. Sobre o desempenho estou muito satisfeito porque acredito nos atletas. Acredito que podemos fazer muito melhor. Foi um resultado negativo, mas é uma equipe vai procurar fazer melhor.

O técnico do Botafogo também explicou o que esperava da equipe numa nova formação. O Alvinegro entrou em campo no 4-2-4.

– Aquilo que procuramos depois de algum tempo de trabalho, que não foi muito, foi trazer uma ideia de jogo que trouxesse uma característica que nós, enquanto comissão técnica, pretendemos implementar no Botafogo. A verdade é que nós jogando com dois atacantes mais fixos e dois atacantes mais nos corredores, procuramos criar condições de ter uma equipe mais ofensiva, que possa procurar com mais critério o gol do adversário. E acho que foi mesmo na questão do critério que falhamos no primeiro tempo, fomos uma equipe com muitos erros. Uma equipe que sofre um gol em um arremesso lateral, nesse nível de competição, desta forma, não é aceitável.

Agora, o Botafogo volta a entrar em campo para estrear pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. O Alvinegro encara o Cruzeiro, às 17h de domingo (14), no Mineirão.

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🎙️ MAIS RESPOSTAS DE ARTUR JORGE:

PRIMEIROS TREINAMENTOS
– A experiência tem sido muito positiva para mim. Naturalmente que eu queira fechar essa primeira semana com uma vitória hoje, queria eu e os atletas. Trabalhamos. É um contexto muito difícil para a equipe jogar nessas condições, já sabíamos. Mas a verdade é que nessa altura a minha experiência e minha avaliação pouco contam e interessam tendo em conta o que era mais importante, que era o Botafogo vencer o jogo. Fazer aqui um jogo para conseguir superar um rival que procurou fazer a sua parte e nós não conseguimos ser melhores do que o rival. Sendo que tivemos momentos em que fomos, dentro dos 90 minutos, mas pela falta de critério e de conseguir concretizar as oportunidades que criamos, acabamos sendo penalizados pelo resultado que não é favorável.

OUTRAS COMPETIÇÕES
– Temos Brasileiro e a Libertadores. Não poderia querer melhor companhia, um melhor elenco como este que tenho ao meu serviço. Satisfeito e preparado para outras batalhas que virão.

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As he has done so often in his already-impressive MLB career, Shohei Ohtani achieved a feat no other baseball player has accomplished. Ohtani, who made his seventh start of the season on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitched four innings for the first time in 2025, striking out eight batters while allowing no walks and just one earned run. At the dish, Ohtani belted a two-run homer to give himself some run support in the bottom of the third inning.

Since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, Ohtani is the only MLB player to hit a homer, strike out eight-plus hitters, drive in more runs than he allowed and draw more walks than he allowed, according to OptaSTATS. For good measure, Ohtani's third inning homer was also the 1000th hit of his career. In other words, he was quite busy.

The kicker? The Dodgers lost 5-3.

Ohtani, speaking to reporters through his interpreter Will Ireton after the game, expressed his belief that he could have done more to help the Dodgers win, particularly at the plate.

"A really close game throughout," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "I think it would have been a huge win for us if we were able to flip the script. I could have done better with the quality of at-bats in the middle part of the game."

It's hard to believe that Ohtani could have done more, given just how much he accomplished on the field. But the mindset is admirable nonetheless. He did go on to acknowledge that it was a big day for him "personally", noting he was pleased to pitch through the fourth inning for the first time this season.

But it's clear that he would have been more pleased had the Dodgers managed to earn a win. And wins are becoming even more paramount for Los Angeles, which holds just a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West.

Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is set to miss more time this season with a "significant" left ankle sprain, Houston manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday.

Espada said Alvarez will be "out for a while," so a long-term plan hasn't been decided on yet. There is a chance he could return this season, which ends on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Astros currently sit in the last AL wild-card spot, so Alvarez could be needed for the postseason, too.

“Let’s not get into days or weeks or anything like that,” Espada said, via . “We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal. We don’t have that many days left in the regular season. He’s in there getting some treatment, getting some work done. Hopefully he’s not out for a long period of time.”

Alvarez suffered the injury during Monday night's game vs. the Rangers. Alvarez was sprinting from third base and opted against sliding into home. He touched home plate with his left foot and appeared to roll his ankle after scoring. Alvarez could barely walk off the field under his own power, and was removed from the game as a result of the injury.

The three-time All-Star just returned to the majors on Aug. 26 after being out since May 2 while he dealt with a small fracture in his hand.

Through 48 games this season, Alvarez has averaged .273/.367/.430 with 45 hits, 17 runs, 27 RBIs and six home runs.

يفتتح منتخب المغرب مشواره ببطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بمواجهة هامة أمام جزر القمر، في المباراة الافتتاحية للبطولة القارية.

وتقام مباراة المغرب وجزر القمر على ملعب الأمير مولاي عبد الله في العاصمة الرباط، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة المجموعات في كأس أمم إفريقيا.

ويسعى أسود الأطلس لتحقيق انطلاقة قوية أمام جماهيرهم، وفرض أنفسهم مبكرًا كأحد أبرز المرشحين للتتويج بالبطولة.

مجموعات كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025

يملك المنتخب المغربي تاريخًا طويلًا في كأس أمم إفريقيا، ونجح في التتويج باللقب مرة واحدة عام 1976 عندما حصد الصدارة في المجموعة النهائية بنظام الدوري آنذاك، كما حقق أسود الأطلس الوصافة في نسخة 2004 والمركز الثالث في 1980.

ويتواجد منتخب المغرب في المجموعة الأولى إلى جانب منتخبات مالي وزامبيا وجزر القمر. موعد مباراة المغرب وجزر القمر في افتتاح كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025

تنطلق المباراة يوم الأحد 21 ديسمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، الحادية عشرة مساءً بتوقيت السعودية.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes has taken Major League Baseball by storm, and he has a chance to become the second player to ever win the Cy Young award as a rookie.

Fernando Valenzuela is the only other player to complete that feat, but Skenes' odds to win Cy Young have skyrocketed this month, pushing him into the No. 3 choice at DraftKings at +300 odds. Back on July 11, Skenes was +1200 to win Cy Young, but that number has shrunk all the way down to 3/1 after he tossed 8.1 innings of two-run ball on Tuesday night.

Based on implied probability, Skenes has gone from a 7.69 percent chance to win the award (+1200) to 25.0 percent (+300) in less than two weeks!

Skenes has dominated night in and night out, and it appears that he's in a three-man race with Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale for the NL Cy Young at this stage in the season.

2024 NL Cy Young Odds

• Chris Sale +140
• Zack Wheeler +175
• Paul Skenes +300
• Tyler Glasnow +2500
• Logan Webb +3500
• Ranger Suarez +4000
• Dylan Cease +5000
• Reynaldo Lopez +5000

Our own Jennifer Piacenti recently broke down Skenes' case for the NL Cy Young award, but his odds have moved even more since then (he was +500) after throwing 8.1 innings of two-run ball on Tuesday night.

The body of work for Skenes so far in 2024 can't be denied. He's allowed three or fewer earned runs in all 12 of his starts, striking out a ridiculous 97 batters in 74.2 innings of work.

Does he have enough time to truly catch Wheeler or Sale? It's not impossible, especially if Skenes can keep a pace close to the one he's set through 12 starts.

The rookie has 1.93 ERA (better than Wheeler and Sale who are at 2.55 and 2.70), a 2.58 FIP, and he ranks in the 97th percentile in expected ERA. Not only that, but the Pirates star ranks in the 91st percentile or better in strikeout percentage, walk percentage opponent expected batting average against and pitching run value.

That's the profile of a Cy Young candidate.

Pittsburgh is also 8-4 in Skenes' 12 starts (he has a 6-1 record in games he's earned the decision), and it is in play for a playoff spot in the NL, sitting just 1.5 games back of the final wild card spot.

If Skenes keeps up this pace over the final two months of the season, he's going to have a real case to win the Cy Young in 2024.

How the mighty have fallen at Liverpool.

Expectations for the season heading into this campaign would have been that Arne Slot and Co could achieve the tricky feat of lifting back-to-back Premier League titles, having splashed the cash on the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the summer.

Yet, the Reds are now deep in a depressing patch of form that has seen them lose a staggering nine matches from their last 12 outings – which has left them marooned in mid-table in the top-flight – with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday night surely the pick of a bad bunch.

Not a single Liverpool shirt would trudge off at the end of the shambolic loss at Anfield with much credit left in the bank, as Ibrahima Konate’s error-ridden season continued against the Dutch visitors.

Konate's disastrous season continues

Liverpool will want January to come around in a flash now, having been linked with Marc Guehi to fix their leaky defensive issues.

Konate wasn’t the only ropey figure in the Reds’ porous backline against PSV, though, with Virgil van Dijk setting the tone for what was in store when giving away an early penalty from a brainless handball.

But, after a “nightmare” showing against Nottingham Forest last time out in the Premier League, as it was branded by the Athletic’s James Pearce, the Frenchman did himself no favours in trying to get back into the good books of Anfield supporters, by putting in another shaky showing against Peter Bosz’s fortunate away side.

His woes were summed up when he failed to clear the ball away for PSV’s rampant third of the one-sided affair, which then resulted in second-half substitute Ricardo Pepi breaking forward with pace to play a major part in the Eredivisie outfit’s game-clinching strike.

For Konate’s sake, who has now been in the heart of a “disgraceful” defence – as it was bluntly branded by Reds-based content creator DAVEOCKOP – across Liverpool’s last three games, where ten goals have been given up, Slot should ditch him for the next away match at West Ham United.

Yet, worryingly, Konate was far from the worst performer on a night that will live long in Anfield infamy. Indeed, another underperformer faces the axe for their must-win clash at the London Stadium.

Not just Konate: Liverpool star faces the chop

Indeed, although it meant very little come the full-time whistle, Konate would, at least, come away from the game with just one misplaced pass next to his name and three ground duels won.

Unfortunately for the under-fire number five, though, his horror moment leading to PSV’s third is all that will be remembered, with Cody Gakpo also another figure that generated a lot of criticism come the full-time whistle, as his goalless stretch of form shows no signs of stopping.

Games played

6

Minutes played

315 mins

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

It’s now been six games in November for the Dutchman with no goals or assists coming his way, but it could have been very different against PSV on another occasion, as Gakpo spurned a big opportunity against his former employers when the score was just 2-1.

On top of fluffing his lines to the dismay of Anfield, the hot-and-cold 26-year-old also lacked the same cutting edge that PSV showed throughout when bursting forward with pace, with possession given away 21 times by Gakpo when attempting to set his teammates up for chances.

On an evening when the defence received the majority of the pelters, Gakpo wasn’t completely immune from scathing criticism himself, with Liverpool World’s Will Rooney handing him a very low 3/10 post-match rating after the dust had settled on the harrowing loss, noting that he needed to “be better” in various attacking scenarios to up his score.

Further labelled as “laughable” on the ball by one Reds content creator, Gakpo will surely be worrying now that he will be shoved down to the substitutes bench for the tie with the Hammers up next, as Slot makes selection decisions that he hopes save his skin.

Journalist David Lynch has stated that he doesn’t think Slot can “survive” his predicament, whatever he does next, but it does look like a smart immediate call anyway to drop both Konate and Gakpo, to attempt to steer the collapsing ship back on course.

Ranked: The worst title defences in Premier League history

Look away now, Arne Slot…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 25, 2025

Angels owner Arte Moreno is reportedly eyeing franchise legend Albert Pujols as the team's next manager, according to a report from Sam Blum, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of

Pujols, who played 10 of his 22 years in Los Angeles, remains on the team's payroll on a 10-year, $10 million personal services contract that was inked as part of the $240 million deal that he signed with the Angels before the 2012 season.

Pujols has assisted the team in Spring Training over the last few seasons and has also worked in the Dominican Republic for the organization's prospect academy.

Pujols told reporters last March that he would be interested in managing at some point.

"Yeah, I think. Why not? I think if the opportunity is right one day, I think I'll be ready for that," Pujols said.

Perhaps the time is now for Pujols to take over the reigns from Ron Washington, who was let go earlier this week.