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Greenberg: Angel Reese walks the walk in Sky's rivalry win over Caitlin Clark, Fever

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Greenberg: Angel Reese walks the walk in Sky's rivalry win over Caitlin Clark, Fever

CHICAGO — With 43.4 seconds left and the clock stopped after a foul, Angel Reese walked by herself toward the faraway Chicago Sky basket, smiling and clapping with that familiar look on her face.

Forget Vogue and the Met Gala, this was a proper runway.

After two losses to the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis, Reese and the Sky were in the lead, in control, and Reese knew it.

While the remaining basketball after that moment was, to put it nicely, a little frenzied, Reese and the Sky held on for an 88-87 victory over Caitlin Clark and the Fever on Sunday at a raucous, packed Wintrust Arena.

Round 3 goes to Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.

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During the week leading up to the game, Sky forward Marina Mabrey told a few of us that if this really were a rivalry, she hoped it would be billed as “Sky-Fever” and not “Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese.” Mabrey knew the drama was good for the league but didn’t think the two highly scrutinized rookies needed that extra weight.

But let’s be real: Clark and Reese are inexorably linked after their college battles. After two Clark wins in the WNBA portion of this personal series, it was Reese who came out on top in a nationally televised ESPN game, and she needed it.


Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are inexorably linked. (Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)

On the 40th anniversary of the Ryne Sandberg Game on the North Side, Chicago got the Angel Reese Game in the South Loop.

In the win, which moved the Sky (6-9) just past the Fever (7-11) in the WNBA standings, Reese had 25 points and 16 rebounds. It was her eighth consecutive double-double, and she became the first rookie to have a 25-15 line since A’ja Wilson in 2018.

Ryno’s statue outside of Wrigley Field was unveiled at the same time this game tipped off, but there was no better place to be in Chicago other than Wintrust Arena. This was a real-deal, big-time basketball game. There was no viral drama about technical fouls, no talks of jealousy or chips on shoulders. It was just two up-and-coming teams starring rookies with championship dreams.

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It was a sellout crowd of 9,872. Tickets were going for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market and the Sky gave out 75 media credentials.

Celebrities abounded, though most were of the local variety. Caitlin Clark super-fan Jason Sudeikis sat next to Chance the Rapper on one end of the court, while Knicks point guard and suburban Chicago native Jalen Brunson was near rapper Lil Durk on the other. We had a halftime concert from Durk and a pregame set from Vic Mensa. Bears president Kevin Warren probably would’ve given a speech if anyone had asked. Reese got a huge hug from Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes after the game.

“I mean, of course it’s good for the game,” Reese said. “Good for women’s basketball, but also good for women’s sports. You see NBA players, rappers, legends that played in the league for long time, come out and stand and show support. Everybody’s watching right now. I think this is one of the most important times right now. We just continue to keep putting on. I think both teams did an amazing job putting on a show. And it was fun. I had a great time. I’m sure the other team had a great time. So I’m just happy we won tonight.”

Not to doubt Reese, but I’m not so sure the Fever had a great time after blowing a 15-point lead in the third quarter. They had plenty of chances down the stretch but seemed out of sync in their offense, shooting 5-of-17 from the field and committing four turnovers in the fourth. Though she still finished with 17 points and 13 assists, Clark was almost invisible late in the game.

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Meanwhile, Reese was spurring the Sky to the win with 10 points and 5 rebounds in the fourth.

“It was amazing, you know,” said her rookie teammate Kamilla Cardoso, who was pretty amazing herself with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. “Just her energy. I feel like she brings a lot of energy for all of us. It rubs off.”

There was a moment midway through the fourth when Fever forward NaLyssa Smith scored on Reese and gave the “too small” gesture. On the other end, Reese scored on Smith and drew the foul for a three-point play. The two barked each other for the rest of the game, though Reese would later play coy about Smith’s disrespect.

“My teammates had to tell me about that,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t even know she did that. That’s crazy. Me and NaLyssa, I’ve been competing against each other since I was at Maryland and she was at Baylor, so it’s nothing. No hard feelings. Me and Nalyssa just two great competitors.”

Their back-and-forth gave the end of the game a little more juice. That’s for sure. This is just entertainment, after all. And while Clark knows how to command the spotlight, Reese’s game is down in the blocks. While Clark has made her fame and fortune as a long-range shooter and a passing whiz (some of her passes Sunday lifted me out of my baseline seat), Reese can win a game in the paint.

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Just before she walked down the court clapping, Reese got a play called for her out of a timeout and she hit a jump hook just outside the restricted area to put the Sky up 86-84.

“I’m a dog,” Reese told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “You can’t teach that.”

But, she later elaborated, you can teach her how to improve. Film review helps.

Reese, who came into the game shooting below 40 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free-throw line, went 8-of-12 and 9-of-11, respectively. While she had “only” three offensive rebounds, below her league-leading average of 4.7, she led everyone with 13 defensive rebounds. She had only one personal foul in 36 minutes.

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“I was efficient tonight, finally,” she said. “I didn’t get in foul trouble, finally. I got some rebounds. I mean, I turned the ball over three times but I feel like I’m just getting better. I’m gaining confidence. I’ve watched film with T-Spoon (coach Teresa Weatherspoon). I’ve watched film with David (Simon, the player development coach). He showed me every shot that I’ve missed, every shot that I’ve missed around the basket. That’s why I tried to take my time today, finish around the basket. I’m getting and-1s and I’m being more efficient, so I just continue to try to grow every game.”

It wasn’t just her coaches who gave her the advice of slowing herself down with the ball.

“(Atlanta Dream forward) Tina Charles told me I got as much time as I need around the basket, and I that’s what I took today,” Reese said.

Time. It’s something that both Reese and Clark have plenty of. They went right from the NCAA Tournament into the WNBA season, and it seems like it’s been one big news cycle since March. But whenever someone starts going off on something Reese says, I want to remind them that she’s just 22 years old. The same with Clark, who deals with unreal expectations and a never-ending culture war outside of her control.

“I’m a perfectionist,” Reese said. “So it’s kind of hard. I’m really hard on myself, and I don’t try to get myself grace, but I’ve been trying to get myself grace. My teammates and our coaches have done a great job texting me and telling me, like, ‘You’re doing great. You’re fine. You’re doing a really good job.’ I do have a lot on my plate. I do have a lot going on, and (they) just being able to reassure me is something I need.”

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When it comes to their rivalry, we’ll judge them, of course, on wins and losses.

Reese won the national title in 2023 and Clark got her revenge, albeit in the Elite Eight, this spring. Clark got the first two in the WNBA and Reese took the third. They’ll play again at the end of August in Chicago with a possible playoff spot on the line.

I’m predicting that Chicago and the WNBA will once again have Sky Fever.

(Top photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

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Trump support drove wedge between former Mets star teammates, says sports radio star Mike Francesa

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Trump support drove wedge between former Mets star teammates, says sports radio star Mike Francesa

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New York sports radio icon Mike Francesa claims differing views on President Donald Trump created a divide within the Mets clubhouse. 

Francesa said on his podcast Tuesday that a feud between shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who was recently traded to the Texas Rangers, was ignited by politics. Francesa did not disclose which player supported Trump and which didn’t. 

“The Nimmo-Lindor thing, my understanding, was political, had to do with Trump,” Francesa said. “One side liked Trump, one side didn’t like Trump.”

 

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New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor (12) gestures to teammates after hitting an RBI single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in New York City. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)

Francesa added, “So, Trump splitting up between Nimmo and Lindor. That’s my understanding. It started over Trump… As crazy as that sounds, crazier things have happened.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mets for a response.

DODGERS LAND ALL-STAR CLOSER IN RECORD-BREAKING DEAL AFTER BACK-TO-BACK WORLD SERIES WINS: REPORTS

New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor (12) and Brandon Nimmo (9) celebrate after a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 27, 2023, in New York City. The Mets won 7-2. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)

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Nimmo was traded to the Rangers on Nov. 23 after waiving the no-trade clause in his 8-year, $162 million contract earlier that month. 

The trade of Nimmo has been just one domino in a turbulent offseason for the Mets, which has also seen the departure of two other fan-favorites, first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz. 

All three players had been staples in the Mets’ last two playoff teams in 2022 and 2024, playing together as the team’s core dating back to 2020.

Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets celebrates an RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in Game One of the Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Heather Barry/Getty Images)

In return for Nimmo, the Rangers sent second baseman Marcus Semien to the Mets. Nimmo is 32 years old and is coming off a year that saw him hit a career-high in home runs with 25, while Semien is 35 and hit just 15 homers in 2025. 

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Many of the MLB’s high-profile free agents have already signed this offseason. The remaining players available include Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette and Framber Valdez. 

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FIFA responds to fan outrage, establishes new World Cup ticket tier with $60 prices

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FIFA responds to fan outrage, establishes new World Cup ticket tier with  prices

FIFA announced an affordable admission pricing tier for every nation that’s qualified for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The supporter entry tier will make tickets available at a fixed price of $60 for every match, including the final, for each nation’s participating members associations.

The new tier comes after supporters’ groups from Europe called out FIFA on the dynamic pricing of tickets, which changes the value based on the popularity of the teams playing in each match.

“In total, 50% of each PMA allocation will fall within the most affordable range, namely supporter value tier (40%) and the supporter entry tier (10%),” FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday. “The remaining allocation is split evenly between the supporter standard tier and the supporter premier tier.”

FIFA will also waive the administrative fees for fans who secure participating member association tickets. But if their teams do not advance, they can seek refunds.

Tickets sales were rolled out by FIFA in phases, with a third of the tournament’s inventory claimed during the first two phases. The third phase started on Dec. 11 and will go through to Jan. 13. During this period, fans have the opportunity to allocate tickets for a match based on a random selection draw.

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Before the new tier was introduced, the cheapest ticket for the World Cup final in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey would cost fans more than $4,000. The high prices raised concerns among European supporters.

“The prices set for the 2026 World Cup are scandalous, a step too far for many supporters who passionately and loyally follow their national sides at home and abroad,” the FSA, an organization of supporters for England and Wales, said in a statement posted on its website on Dec. 12. “Everything we feared about the direction in which FIFA wants to take the game was confirmed — Gianni Infantino only sees supporter loyalty as something to be exploited for profit.”

FIFA previously stated it adopted the variable pricing because it was common practice for major North America sporting events.

“What FIFA is doing is adapting to the domestic market,” a FIFA official said in the conference call. “It’s a reality in the U.S. and Canada that events are being priced as per the demand that is coming in for that event.”

A FIFA official told reporters before the first tickets went on sale that world soccer’s governing body expects to make more than $3 billion from hospitality and tickets sales and is confident the tournament will break the all-time World Cup attendance record set in 1994, the last time the men’s competition was held in the U.S.

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That 1994 World Cup featured just 24 teams and 52 matches. The 2026 tournament will be twice as large, with 48 teams and 104 games.

FIFA said it received 20 million requests during the random selection draw sales.

SoFi Stadium will host eight matches, beginning with the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12. The Americans will finish group play in Inglewood on June 25, playing the winner of a March playoff involving Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania. Two Group G matches — Iran versus New Zealand on June 15 and Iran-Belgium on June 21 — also will be played in SoFi, sandwiched around a Group B match between Switzerland and the winner of another European playoff, this one featuring Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Northern Ireland.

The teams for the three knockout-stage games to be played at SoFi Stadium — round-of-32 games on June 28 and July 2 and a quarterfinal on July 10 — haven’t been determined, but the possibilities include Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Spain, Austria and Algeria.

Staff writer Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.

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Titans star Jeffery Simmons calls burglars ‘f—ing cowards’ after home break-in during game vs 49ers

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Titans star Jeffery Simmons calls burglars ‘f—ing cowards’ after home break-in during game vs 49ers

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Tennessee Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons ripped into those who burglarized his home while he played against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

There were “at least six suspects” who burglarized Simmons’ Nashville home, which came shortly after 7 p.m., the Metro Nashville Police Department told ESPN.

That was the exact time frame the Titans were facing the 49ers in the Bay Area.

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Jeffery Simmons of the Tennessee Titans looks on during halftime against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)

“What if any of my family members was in my house??” Simmons wrote on social media while showing security camera footage of the burglars trying to enter his home. “All that materialistic s—- you can have but this is crazy!”

Simmons also called the burglars “f—ing cowards,” though he was complimentary of the Metro Nashville PD.

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“I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the Metro Nashville Police Department and the Titans’ security team for their professionalism and swift response,” Simmons said in a statement. “Their dedication to ensuring the safety of our entire Nashville community does not go unnoticed. I remain thankful for God’s protection and grace.”

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The suspects were said to have gained entry to Simmons’ home “after smashing out window glass,” while “multiple items were taken” in the process.

It’s unclear exactly what was taken from Simmons’ home.

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) reacts after sacking Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (not pictured) during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 7, 2025. (Scott Galvin/Imagn Images)

Meanwhile, Simmons was able to find the end zone despite the loss to the 49ers, so a good personal performance came to a screeching halt once he found out the news.

But unfortunately, Simmons isn’t the only NFL star who has been burglarized while playing a game.

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Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had it happen last season, as did Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. All of those burglaries were in connection with a South American theft group that was specifically targeting NFL and NBA players.

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Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders also saw $200,000 worth of property taken from his residence while they were playing the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season.

The Titans’ security team said it is “actively working” with local police to recover the stolen items.

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