Sports
UCLA poised for 2023 title run? Bruins could return much of their core

Sequels hardly ever reside as much as the unique.
UCLA ran it again with everybody from its 2021 Remaining 4 run, solely to careen into heartache two wins wanting a return journey to school basketball’s greatest stage.
The antagonists from a season-ending loss to North Carolina in an East Area semifinal have been quite a few. Heroes from final season stumbled. Rotations that prioritized offense over protection have been questionable. Maybe, most significantly, the Bruins bumped into one other workforce that created its personal future with wild shot-making and an acrobatic inbounds save that might replay of their minds for eternity.
In idea, subsequent season might turn into the ultimate chapter in a trilogy. Everybody on UCLA’s roster has remaining eligibility. But instances change, individuals transfer on and newcomers arrive.
At the very least three gamers should depart to clear spots for freshmen Amari Bailey, Adem Bona and Dylan Andrews as a part of a recruiting class ranked No. 8 nationally by 247Sports regardless of its comparatively small dimension.
Seniors Cody Riley, Jules Bernard and David Singleton have been honored earlier than UCLA’s last dwelling sport, suggesting a farewell. However coach Mick Cronin mentioned Singleton may return for the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even much less sure is the standing of starters Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang, who returned this season in hopes of serving to his workforce elevate a nationwide championship banner whereas boosting his NBA inventory. Juzang is projected as a second-round choice by many mock draft boards within the wake of an inconsistent, injury-plagued season.
Already one of the vital beloved Bruins in latest historical past due to his gutsy play and refusal to succumb to accidents, Jaquez may very well be enticed to return by his devotion to his teammates, to not point out the arrival on campus of sister Gabriela, who shall be a freshman on the UCLA girls’s basketball workforce subsequent season.
UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, left, shoots over North Carolina’s Armando Bacot throughout the second half of the Bruins’ loss Friday.
(Chris Szagola / Related Press)
Campbell has two seasons of eligibility remaining and will very nicely make the most of at the very least one whereas persevering with to offer the Bruins the regular playmaker they’ve come to depend on since Cronin’s arrival.
Rising identify, picture and likeness offers might assist Cronin retain a lot of his core. Campbell has a Fats Sal’s sandwich named after him, Juzang has his personal bobblehead and Jaquez lately introduced a household cope with a lending firm that included his sister, probably additional incentivizing his return.
Not one of the offers present NBA cash, however all of them give gamers helpful alternatives to construct their manufacturers and bolster their financial savings accounts earlier than cashing their first skilled paycheck.
Maybe essentially the most fascinating determination will contain Peyton Watson. Many followers may assume {that a} freshman who averaged 3.3 factors per sport whereas taking pictures 32.2% would haven’t any selection however to return. They’d all be forgetting that NBA groups draft totally on upside, with Watson’s thought-about the very best among the many present UCLA gamers given his superior size and athleticism.
Watson was additionally approaching sturdy towards the top of the season, enjoying extra in management on offense to go together with his persistently stellar protection in restricted minutes. Watson and fellow lockdown defender Jaylen Clark performed a mixed eight minutes towards North Carolina, resulting in a message board meltdown amongst followers.
An absence of enjoying time might additionally issue into the make-up of subsequent season’s roster. As a lot as he’s valued by the teaching employees for his unselfishness and influence in a reserve function, Jake Kyman might depart as a result of his function doesn’t determine to broaden.
The arrival of three extremely coveted freshmen will make minutes even tougher to earn for the fringes of the roster. Bailey is a precocious playmaker and gifted scorer who might instantly problem for a beginning spot. Andrews will give Campbell — ought to the redshirt junior return — his first true backup at level guard. Bona is anticipated to supply the submit offense the Bruins have been lacking with the mixture of Riley and Myles Johnson, who averaged a mixed 3.2 factors on this NCAA match.
UCLA may even add two extra gamers to its rotation with the return of guard Will McClendon and ahead Mac Etienne from knee accidents that ended their seasons earlier than they started.
One may have to enlist math whiz Russell Stong IV, the walk-on guard who’s acquiring levels in mechanical engineering and enterprise economics, to determine all of the attainable roster permutations.
The Bruins might have as many as three first-team All-Pac-12 gamers and three members of the convention’s all-defensive workforce returning. The freshmen might want to be taught Cronin’s nuanced protection and gained’t be gifted beginning spots, irrespective of how a lot hype they generated in highschool (see Watson, Peyton).
So, who will begin? Who cares?
Those that return will achieve this in hopes of giving the Bruins the one factor they’ve lacked for greater than 1 / 4 century, amid Remaining 4 runs and first-round losses and seasons ending wanting the NCAA match.
A Hollywood ending.

Sports
PGA Tour golfer Wyndham Clark banned from Oakmont Country Club after US Open meltdown

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Oakmont Country Club confirmed numerous reports on Wednesday that Wyndham Clark has been banned from the golf course property.
After missing the cut at last month’s U.S. Open, a tournament he won two years ago at Los Angeles Country Club, Clark took his anger out on lockers at the prestigious club.
One alleged photo of the damage made its way around social media, as two bottom portions of lockers were completely caved in.
Wyndham Clark of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during a practice round prior to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
“Several of you have inquired about the situation involving Wyndham Clark and the steps being taken in response to his recent behavior,” Oakmont Country Club President John Lynch wrote in the letter, via ESPN. “Following multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property.
“This decision will remain in effect unless formally reconsidered and approved by the Board.”
Lynch added that the ban could be lifted if Clark paid for the damages, made a “meaningful contribution” to charity and underwent counseling.

Wyndham Clark lines up a putt on the 11th green during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
PGA STAR’S DAD SKIPPING ‘UNWATCHABLE’ RYDER CUP AT BETHPAGE BLACK: ‘AFRAID OF WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN’
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened,” Clark said the following week. “But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of the year and things that come up.”
During the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club last month, Clark damaged a T-Mobile sign during his final round with his driver. He ended up apologizing for his actions.
Clark was hardly the only golfer to show frustration with Oakmont – Shane Lowry outwardly proclaimed, “f— this place” after missing a putt.

Wyndham Clark looks on before teeing off on the 14th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 18, 2025. (Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)
During his first round, after failing to get the golf ball out of the rough, the Irish golfer ended up taking out his frustrations on a microphone. The piece of audio equipment fell to the ground after Lowry knocked it down.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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Sports
Shaikin: How to revitalize baseball's All-Star Game? Bat flips
ATLANTA — We need bat flips.
The home run swing-off to end Tuesday’s All-Star Game was great. Whether you embrace it as a revelation or dismiss it as a gimmick, baseball needs more of that kind of imagination on the national stage. On the morning after the game, it’s what you’re talking about.
But baseball cannot count on a tie score every summer.
The All-Star Game cannot live off old glories. The All-Star Game cannot thrive simply because the NFL turned the Pro Bowl into a flag football game and skills competition while the NBA turned its All-Star Game into a week of parties and 48 minutes of a defense-free scrimmages.
Baseball can say its All-Star Game is the best, but the bar is as low as the final round of a limbo competition. Baseball needs the best players, not the best available players, in the game. And, in an era dominated by social media and short attention spans, baseball needs innovation in the Home Run Derby — not just in an All-Star Game tiebreaker, but in the actual Home Run Derby that is its own Major Television Event on the night before the game.
The first suggestion, from Brent Rooker, the Athletics’ All-Star designated hitter: “I had the idea that we would just stick PCA (the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong) and (the Athletics’) Denzel Clarke in the outfield during the Home Run Derby and just let them run down balls. That’s a fun idea that popped into our clubhouse a few weeks ago.”
An all-in-one Home Run Derby and skills competition of outfielders contorting their bodies in all directions to make highlight-worthy catches? That’s a cool thought.
Bat flips would be better.
The bat flip, once scorned as an instrument of disrespect, is now celebrated by the league itself. It naturally lends itself to the “Did you see it?” reels young fans share on Instagram and Snapchat.
The first round of Monday’s Home Run Derby was exhausting. It took nearly two hours, and what little flash there was felt forced. Besides, the sluggers you most wanted to see — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge — declined to participate.
“I already did it,” Judge said Tuesday. “I don’t know what else you want from me. I think it’s time for somebody else to step up and do their thing and have fun with it. I love seeing new faces in the game go out and do their thing.”
Said Dodgers pitcher and Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting Clayton Kershaw: “It’s a lot of swings, man. It’s not easy to do. When I used to hit, I was tired after taking six swings. I can’t imagine doing that for three straight hours.
“If Shohei and Aaron Judge and those guys, if they had them all in there, it would be awesome. You can’t expect those guys to do it every single year.”
So keep the eight-man field but split it into two groups: four players in the traditional format, and four players in a one-round competition judged not only by how many home runs you hit but with how much flair you toss your bat after each one.
Dodgers veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw, tapping gloves with teammate Will Smith after pitching in the second inning during the All-Star Game.
(Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The creative and outrageous dunks in the NBA‘s slam dunk competition go viral. The All-Star bat flips would too.
“With respect to an event like the Home Run Derby, we should continue to innovate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “It’s fundamentally an entertainment product.”
There’s an idea, Rob. Run with it.
“The game piece of it? Fundamentally, I believe in the game,” Manfred said. “I think what we have to do is continue to work with our very best players to make sure that they’re here and showcasing themselves in front of a fan base that is really, really important to us over the long haul.”
Right now, all the very best players are not here. When MLB announced the All-Star rosters, the league selected 65 players. By game time, with all the replacements for players that withdrew, the All-Star count was up to 81.
That meant that, for every four players announced as an All-Star, one chose not to play.
“Usually, when you think All-Star Game, you think probably the best at the time in the game right now are going to be playing,” Phillies All-Star designated hitter Kyle Schwarber said.
Sometimes they are: On Tuesday, Schwarber was the most valuable player, with the winning swings in the swing-off.
Schwarber and Kershaw noted that, for the most part, the position players are here, and the pitchers dominated the list of missing stars. Pitchers throw harder these days. They need time to recover. Tony Clark, the executive director of the players’ union, talked about the need for players to find “opportunities on the calendar to take a breather.”
And, frankly, the All-Star Game does not mean nearly as much to players as it did before interleague play started 28 years ago. Winning one for the National League used to actually mean something.
“The All-Star Game then and the All-Star Game now are two completely different things,” Clark said. “The requirements for players, the travel and logistics for their family and support, the day to day of a 162-game season is more complex and it’s more challenging than it’s ever been.”
Yet in 1980, when the All-Star Game was played at Dodger Stadium, players had one free day before resuming the schedule. Today, players have two days.
And, in 1980, fans got to see the players they wanted to see. Should each team have an All-Star representative? Yes. Should managers feel compelled to use every one of those players? No way.
On Tuesday, the National League used 13 pitchers and the American League 11.
In 1980, each league used five pitchers. Steve Stone and Bob Welch each pitched (gasp) three innings. The top four batters in the American League lineup — Willie Randolph, Fred Lynn, Rod Carew and Reggie Jackson — each batted at least three times.
Today’s pitchers are reluctant to work even one inning in the All-Star Game if they pitched on the final weekend of the first half. So move the All-Star Game back one day to Wednesday, and move the Home Run Derby back one day to Tuesday. No longer would players have to scramble for Sunday night private jets to get to the All-Star Game by Monday morning.
As a bonus, MLB could play the Futures Game on Monday, when no other games are being played, instead of in relative invisibility because the league insists on putting what it says is a showcase event up against a full schedule of regular-season games.
“It would be great,” Clark said, “to just have a conversation around the All-Star Game and talk about the All-Star Game and the great players that we have, doing so in a way that truly highlights the Midsummer Classic and truly puts players in a position where they are sprinting to come to the game.”
And flipping their bats when they get here.
Sports
Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini found guilty of murdering father-in-law

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Dan Serafini, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the big leagues from 1996 to 2007, was found guilty of murdering his father-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law in 2021, California officials announced on Monday.
A Placer County jury also found Serafini, 51, guilty of first-degree burglary in addition to the first-degree murder and attempted murder of Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood, officials said.
Dan Serafini, #50 of the Cincinnati Reds, throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on Sept. 11, 2003 in Cincinnati. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The incident occurred on June 5, 2021, as first responders arrived at a home in Tahoe City and found Spohr dead from a single gunshot wound and Wood wounded.
Wood recovered from the injuries but died by suicide a year later.
Video surveillance from the home showed a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, face covering and a backpack approaching the house hours before the murder occurred, according to FOX 2 San Francisco. Another video showed the same man walking up the driveway of the home.
BROWNS ROOKIE QUINSHON JUDKINS ARRESTED IN FLORIDA FOR ALLEGED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Dan Serafini, #29 of the Colorado Rockies, delivers the pitch during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on Sept. 5, 2007 in Denver. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Evidence from the two-year investigation pointed to Serafini and his romantic partner, Samantha Scott.
Prosecutors said they believed the murder occurred over a $1.3 million renovation project, according to Field Level Media. One text message provided as evidence, “I am going to kill them one day.”
Serafini is set for sentencing on Aug. 18 in Placer County.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut for them in 1996 and pitched three seasons before joining the Chicago Cubs in 1999.

Italy starting pitcher Dan Serafini, #29, delivers a pitch against Canada during first round pool play at the 2009 World Baseball Classic at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 9, 2009. (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)
He also played for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.
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