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🕊️ Five things to know Friday
- Kyle Busch died suddenly at 41. Details are sparse, but NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing and the Busch family announced in a joint statement that the racing legend died following a hospitalization for a severe illness. Busch acknowledged in recent weeks that he was sick and noted last Saturday that he had a "substantial" cough. With his 234 career victories, Busch was one of the winningest drivers in racing history and found success across series. The two-time Cup Series champion most recently won a Craftsman Truck Series race on May 15. The loss of such an accomplished driver in the middle of his career left the entire sports world stunned, and tributes poured in from fellow NASCAR figures, star athletes and teams.
- The Knicks pulled away for another blowout win. It was just a couple of days ago the Knicks looked all but beaten in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Now they hold a 2-0 series lead over the Cavaliers in what continues to look like an all-time great postseason run. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points in Thursday night's showdown to lead New York to a 109-93 triumph, and in doing so he helped his squad build the largest point differential (+212) in a nine-game span in NBA history. Whoever wins this series is bound to benefit from the war of attrition that is occurring on the West side of the bracket, and it sure looks like the Knicks are ready to pounce.
- Two big names in the NFL secured contract extensions. The Matthew Stafford era in Los Angeles will continue through 2027 after the reigning MVP added one year to his existing deal with the Rams. While he will be 39 when his new contract ends, Stafford proved worthy of a lucrative agreement when he turned in the best year of his career in 2025 and appears to have plenty left in the tank for a couple more Super Bowl runs. Thursday's other extension went to Giants general manager Joe Schoen. It is a multiyear deal for the executive and one that signals confidence in the direction of a franchise that has only reached the playoffs once in his four-year tenure.
- The stage is set for the 2026 French Open. Play begins at Roland Garros on Sunday as tennis stars descend upon Paris for the second major of the year. Thursday's draw placed top-ranked Jannik Sinner atop the men's field and Aryna Sabalenka in the catbird seat in the women's tournament. The career Grand Slam is on the table for Sinner, who has at least one victory in each of the other majors and was runner-up in the 2025 French Open. Two weeks of competition leads to the women's and men's finals on June 6 and 7, respectively.
- Florida is an early winner of the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline. Prospects have until May 27 to pull their names out of the draft, and Rueben Chinyelu became the latest college standout to do so. His return to Florida is a massive development for a Gators squad that already welcomed back Thomas Haugh and looks poised to contend for a second national championship in three years. Who will follow his lead? Our Cameron Salerno named 10 prospects who would be doing themselves a favor if they went back to school. As for those who remain in the draft pool, our first post-combine mock draft projects where they will land.
🏈 Do not miss this: 100 days until college football
Start the countdown. We crossed the 100-day threshold on the road to the 2026 college football season. To celebrate the milestone, we unveiled our annual list of 100 things to know ahead of the upcoming campaign. Our Chip Patterson says the most prominent storyline heading into the year is that Lane Kiffin and LSU are this season's most electric lightning rod.
- Patterson: "The decision to leave the Rebels for a bitter conference rival is a touchstone event in SEC lore that will live on for decades, but it's also a national college football story because of Lane Kiffin as a character and the proven potential for LSU's ceiling with talent."
Kiffin's arrival in Baton Rouge takes the Tigers from a 2025 letdown to a 2026 national championship hopeful. They have the ninth-best odds to hoist the CFP trophy behind these teams and a few others.
- Ohio State (11-2)
- Notre Dame (7-1)
- Texas (15-2)
- Indiana (15-2)
- Oregon (8-1)
Check out Patterson's season preview for more prominent storylines, burning questions, bold predictions, first-year coaches to know, nonconference game rankings and Heisman Trophy hopefuls.
And here's some more reading on the 2026 season as we step one day closer to kickoff:
- SEC post-spring intel: Inside the key QB battles, breakout players, more buzz from across the league
- ACC post-spring power rankings: Miami leads pack, Virginia Tech surges as Clemson languishes
- A fractured SEC looking for consensus on CFP expansion as Big Ten draws clear line at 24-team model
- Inside Florida's rebuild: Jon Sumrall, elite facilities have the SEC "beast" primed to awaken
🔠 Giants, Rams ace NFC offseason test
In Thursday's newsletter, we pondered whether the Raiders or Jets put together the best offseason in the NFL. Their "A" grades on the AFC report card was well-deserved. But today, we present two more candidates for the title of offseason champion. Our Tyler Sullivan dished out high marks to the Giants and Rams on the NFC report card.
Here's the case for New York:
- Sullivan: "The most notable addition the Giants made this offseason was hiring former Ravens coach John Harbaugh. This is the first time the franchise has hired a coach who has previously won a Super Bowl. Harbaugh should immediately raise the floor while also getting the most out of what is an exciting group of young talent headlined by quarterback Jaxson Dart. But Harbaugh was just the tip of the iceberg."
As for Los Angeles, what is there not to love about the moves they made on defense?
- Sullivan: "They traded a first-round pick for former All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie and doubled down at the position by signing Jaylen Watson to a $51 million deal in free agency. Those are two plug-and-play starters who should help lock down the secondary."
You can judge which of those two won the offseason. And while nobody in the NFC failed, you might be surprised by a couple of the teams that earned subpar grades.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- OTAs are underway for nearly one-third of the NFL, and we compiled the most significant observations thus far from each team's workouts.
- Taylor Moore leads the CJ Cup Byron Nelson through 18 holes, but Brooks Koepka is hot on his heels.
- The brackets for the 2026 Players Era Championships are live. For the first time, 24 teams will participate in two separate fields: a 16-team tournament and an eight-team competition.
- Caitlin Clark is probable for tonight's game against the Valkyries, but the Fever remain under the WNBA's watchful eye for their handling of her injury.
- Pat Murphy insists he is coaching a group of underdogs, yet the Brewers now stand atop the NL Central.
- Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith was arrested after allegedly driving 135 mph.
- The torn ligaments in Chris Richards' ankle will not impact his availability for the USMNT in the World Cup, our James Benge reports.
- Conor McGregor promises he's "better than ever" ahead of his UFC return.
- Will Kyrie Irving be on the move after Jason Kidd's firing? If so, here are five possible trade destinations.
- Every team in the top five of our NWSL power rankings moved at least one spot this week.
- Major League Eating will allow Joey Chestnut to compete in the 2026 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest despite his battery charge.
- 1,000 lucky New Yorkers will win $50 World Cup tickets, thanks to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- WWE star Ludwig Kaiser faces battery charges less than two weeks out from the Noche de Los Grandes main event.
📺 What we're watching this weekend
Friday
🥎 College softball super regionals, all day on ESPN2/ESPNU
⚾ Astros at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Atalanta at Fiorentina, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ CJ Cup Byron Nelson, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Guardians at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Twins at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Tigers at Orioles, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Wings at Dream or Valkyries at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Dodgers at Brewers, 7:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏒 Golden Knights at Avalanche, Game 2, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Reign at Legacy, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Thunder at Spurs, Game 3, 8:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Sun at Storm, 10 p.m. on Ion
⚾ White Sox at Giants, 10:15 p.m. on MLB Network
Saturday
🥎 College softball super regionals, all day on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
⚽ Women's Champions League final, Barcelona vs. Lyonnes, noon on Paramount+
🏀 Lynx at Sky, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Rays at Yankees, 1:35 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Bayern Munich vs. VfB Stuttgart, 2 p.m. on ESPNU
⚾ Astros at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚽ Austin at St. Louis City, 2:30 p.m. on Fox
⛳ CJ Cup Byron Nelson, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Courage at Racing Louisville, 4 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Mariners at Royals, 4:10 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Summit at Royals, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
🏒 Canadiens at Hurricanes, Game 2, 7 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Dodgers at Brewers or Cardinals at Reds, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Revolution at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Sparks at Aces, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🤼 WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Knicks at Cavaliers, Game 3, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ NYCFC at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Angel City at Dash, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Whitecaps at San Diego, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Rangers at Angels, 10:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Dynamo at Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV
Sunday
🥎 College softball super regionals (if necessary), TBD
🎾 French Open, first round, 5 a.m. on Tennis Channel
⚽ Sassuolo at Parma, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
🏁 Indianapolis 500, 10 a.m. on Fox
⚽ Premier League final matchday, 11 a.m. on NBC/Peacock
⚽ Udinese at Napoli, noon on Paramount+
⚾ Pirates at Blue Jays, 12:15 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Thorns at Current, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Cagliari at AC Milan, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ CJ Cup Byron Nelson, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Wings at Liberty, 3:30 p.m. on NBC
⚾ White Sox at Giants, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Athletics at Padres, 4:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Nationals at Braves, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Atlanta at Crew, 5 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Stars at Bay FC, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
🏁 Coca-Cola 600, 6 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Union at Miami, 7 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Pride at Wave, 7 p.m. on Victory+
⚾ Rangers at Angels, 7:20 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Thunder at Spurs, Game 4, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏒 Avalanche at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Sounders at LAFC, 9 p.m. on Fox
