NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires are getting called up to the big leagues next season.Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee on Tuesday approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System in the major leagues in 2026.Human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game and get additional appeals in extra innings. Challenges must be made by a pitcher, catcher or batter — signaled by tapping their helmet or cap — and a team retains its challenge if successful. Reviews will be shown as digital graphics on outfield videoboards.New York Yankees outfielder Austin Slater, one of four…
Author: BostonSportsNews
The New York Knicks are expected to be a serious NBA Finals contender in 2025-26. After getting within two games of the Finals last season, the Knicks made some key offseason additions (Jordan Clarkson, Malcom Brogdon, Guerschon Yabusele) and will be playing in an Eastern Conference weakened by the absences of Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. New York put the NBA on notice during last season’s playoffs when they ousted the defending champion Boston Celtics, who lost Tatum during the series to an Achilles tear. What’s in danger of being swept under the rug about that Knicks-Celtics series is that…
Better days ahead. That’s the mantra Jayson Tatum delivered over the summer while detailing the early stages of his rehabilitation from Achilles surgery. We can’t help but think it might be a bit of slogan for the 2025-26 Celtics, too. Because regardless of how the season plays out — and we still believe this team is going to surprise some pundits out of the gates — every day is one step closer to Tatum being back on the court. And that means even better days are ahead. But when exactly do we think Tatum might be back in an NBA…
Jayson Tatum won’t be on the court when the Celtics begin training camp next Monday. He won’t be available when Boston’s regular season tips off on Oct. 22, or for several months thereafter. But could the perennial All-NBA superstar return from his Achilles surgery at some point this season? He’s not ruling it out. “I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “The most important thing is a full recovery — not rushing at all. But also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing.” Tatum echoed those points during…
You know what happened. The Patriots lost four fumbles and threw a brutal pick, yet still had a chance to win Sunday. Then they blew that opportunity with another kind of turnover, failing to convert on fourth-and-1 in Pittsburgh territory with barely a minute left. By now, DeMario Douglas knows he can’t move backward with the ball on fourth-and-short. Rhamondre Stevenson has surely been told he can’t fumble anymore. That goes for Antonio Gibson, too. And Drake Maye continues to wrestle with the risk-reward balance of creating plays outside of structure, while not risking turnovers on extended plays that can…
The New England Patriots need a bounce-back win in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. After a frustrating loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, the Pats will be facing a Panthers squad coming off an impressive 30-0 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. What used to look like an easy game on the schedule for New England might be far more challenging than anticipated. On the other hand, the Panthers will be missing a key piece from their offensive attack when they step foot on the turf in Foxboro. Starting tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is expected to miss multiple…
All the drama. All the highs. All the lows. All the emotions………the 2025 season comes down to these next six days, folks. We will know the fate of the Boston Red Sox’s Wild Card bid by the end of the weekend.In an attempt to try and bring some levity into what ought to be a stressful week, why don’t we bring in some holiday cheer? Maybe the spirit of the holiday season can rub off on us at the end of the baseball season.What better way to do that than with a good ol’ Advent calendar?Here’s how we’ll do it:…
The 2025-26 Celtics will assemble for their first official practice next Monday, marking the end of a transformative offseason for the franchise. Boston lost five rotation players from last season’s squad – including leading man Jayson Tatum, who will miss at least a large portion of the upcoming campaign while he recovers from Achilles surgery – and added five newcomers to their 15-man roster. As the start of training camp approaches, here’s a look at what the Celtics can expect from each of those five new additions: Anfernee Simons The Celtics’ first offseason acquisition should be their most impactful. Simons,…
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots did something they haven’t done since the Tom Brady era during Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Steelers.It’s something they hope not to duplicate anytime soon.New England’s five turnovers marked the first time since 2008 that they’ve had that many giveaways in a game. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled twice, quarterback Drake Maye had a fumble and an interception, and running back Antonio Gibson also lost a fumble.Not helping matters was that two of the turnovers came at the Pittsburgh 2-yard line, denying New England points in a game that wound up being decided by one score.After watching…
The Patriots’ loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday stirred up some uncomfortable memories for former New England center David Andrews. During 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand,” Andrews said that Sunday’s loss reminded him of New England’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “This game reminded me of the 2017 Super Bowl,” Andrews said Monday. “Offensively, we broke records for yards that game, and then we had the one play, the strip sack, but it wasn’t five turnovers. That was a game I walked away feeling like, man, we dominated and should’ve won.” New England outgained…