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  • Ole Miss Football Battling Miami Hurricanes, Indiana Hoosiers for Coveted Safety

    Ole Miss Football Battling Miami Hurricanes, Indiana Hoosiers for Coveted Safety

     

    Lane Kiffin and Co. make the cut for the talented defensive back, battling a trio of programs down the stretch.

     

    Courtesy of Cortez Redding’s X/Twitter.

     

    Jonesboro (Ga.) four-star safety Cortez Redding is down to four schools with Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels firmly in the mix for the talented defensive back.

     

    Redding, one of the top prospects in the Peach State, has earned double-digit offers with the likes of the USC Trojans, Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M Aggies and Penn State Nittany Lions extending scholarships.

     

    Now, the 6-foot, 170-pounder has narrowed his focus to four schools with the Ole Miss Rebels making the cut for the Georgia native.

     

    Redding is down to the Rebels, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes.

     

    He’s taken official visits to each of his finalists with Kiffin and the Ole Miss staff getting him over to campus during the weekend of May 30.

     

    The multi-day stay provided a chance for Redding to soak in the scenes of Oxford alongside multiple priority targets that joined him in town.

     

    With four finalists locked in, Redding has also set a commitment date for July 25th as he winds down his recruitment process during the summer months.

     

    “I want to go where I can play and get my feet wet early for a coaching staff that develops my body and mind for the next level,” Redding previously told On3 Sports.

     

    “Then I want a school that prepares me for life after football and teaches me about manhood, my future with a wife, kids and things like that. Those are the main four things I look for in a school.”

     

    Now, all focus is on making a decision with four finalists locked in and a commitment date set for July 25th as Ole Miss intensifies its push.

  • Only William Saliba’s transfer exit could see Arsenal hijack Liverpool deal this summer

    Only William Saliba’s transfer exit could see Arsenal hijack Liverpool deal this summer

     

    Arsenal are only likely to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi if William Saliba leaves the club this summer, Arsenal Insider understands.

     

    It comes as the Gunners have done extensive scouting of potential additions for their backline over the transfer window.

     

    The priority for Andrea Berta has been the forward areas, as a striker and winger are on the cards, while the arrivals of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga are close.

     

    However, Arsenal have been keeping their options open with defenders, as the sporting director could be called into action if the backline changes.

     

    William Saliba looks on during an Arsenal match

     

    Marc Guehi is only likely to join Arsenal if William Saliba leaves

    Arsenal have been linked with Marc Guehi as a transfer option this summer, with just 12 months remaining on his contract at Crystal Palace.

     

    Liverpool are also interested in Guehi, with the Premier League champions pushing hard to improve their squad.

     

    The defender may be tough to land for both teams, though, given his aim of being in the England team for the 2026 World Cup squad.

     

    That’ll mean first-team minutes are a must, which may not be available at the Emirates Stadium next season.

     

     

    Given the new contract for Gabriel Magalhaes this summer, that would only be possible if William Saliba were to leave.

     

    Saliba has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, though Arsenal currently have no intentions of making a sale.

     

    Arsenal Insider spoke to transfer expert Graeme Bailey about the situation, who said: “Arsenal like Guehi, they have for a while. However, with Arsenal, a move this summer is unlikely unless we see William Saliba exit, which is not part of their plans in any way.

     

    “Guehi won’t be moving anywhere if he is not in the team, he has an England World Cup spot to think about.

     

    “Guehi has a host of options available to him, but there is almost certainly going to be more next summer when he is on a free.”

     

    Should Arsenal sell William Saliba to sign Marc Guehi?

    Arsenal face a crucial decision over their backline in the next year, with several factors to take into account.

     

    One of those is the future of Jakub Kiwior, who has been linked with a potential exit over this summer window.

     

    If the Polish international moves on, then Arsenal will have to consider other options to play as a backup centre-back.

     

    Arsenal are stepping up talks over a potential stay, though it is currently unclear whether he will commit to a new deal.

     

    If, in one year’s time, things don’t change, then it may be time for the Gunners to make some tough decisions.

     

    That could involve a sale for Saliba, rather than losing him as a free agent, opening up the possibility of reinvesting elsewhere.

     

    A switch for Guehi, as a free agent next summer, could save a lot of money for Arsenal, while bagging a bargain in the market.

     

    Any money raised from selling Saliba could then be used elsewhere, working wisely in the market to keep the squad evolving.

  • Kieran Maguire on Town as title favourites and quashing fears of ‘doing a Luton

    Kieran Maguire on Town as title favourites and quashing fears of ‘doing a Luton

     

    Kieran Maguire claims that Ipswich Town will have a strong financial advantage in the Championship next season

    Kieran Maguire claims that Ipswich Town will have a strong financial advantage in the Championship next season

    Ipswich Town are the bookies’ favourites to secure promotion to the Premier League next season, but does their financial advantage in the Championship back that up?

     

    The Blues spent heavily in the top flight, but it wasn’t enough to keep them there. They now come back to the second tier with a stronger squad than they had in 2023/24, although some players will look to move on before the start of the campaign.

     

    Of the three teams who are relegated, at least one tends to bounce back at the first time of asking. In terms of resources, there tends to be a significant gap between teams who receive parachute payments and those who don’t.

     

    Of course, the likes of Southampton, Leicester City and Sheffield United will look to compete for automatic promotion, but do Town have what it takes to finish above them?

     

    “I think that the bookies have probably got it right,” football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star. “We’ve seen parachute payments turn into trampoline payments over the course of the last two years.

     

    “Burnley and Leeds United were both in receipt of parachute payments, they were automatically promoted. Sheffield United could have been promoted but they lost to Sunderland in the play-off final.

     

    Burnley returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking

    Burnley returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking (Image: PA)

     

    “Congratulations to Sunderland. It was a good match, very, very tense. I’m glad I wasn’t emotionally involved in it, just watching as an observer.

     

    “There’s an opportunity. Portman Road is a good stadium, there’s a solid fanbase, a decent capacity. I think you’ve got owners who have the resources and are willing to back the manager as far as the summer is concerned.

     

    “People are asking whether we have two or three Premier Leagues. We have a big seven or eight, then the middle classes and nine to 10 clubs fighting over six positions who are bouncing between the Championship and the Premier League.

     

    “I think Ipswich Town have all of the resources to join that group. They have been up, come down and are rightly deemed to be a club with the opportunity to bounce back.

     

    “I think it will be an exciting season.”

     

    There is, of course, a risk of complacency. Luton Town, for example, were expected to compete for a top-two finish last season, having just come down from the Premier League. Instead, they finished 22nd and were relegated down to League One.

     

    Some outsiders believe that the Blues could be on a similar path, with supporters also wary of what happened to the Hatters. Maguire, however, believes that there should be no cause for concern.

     

    “If I was an Ipswich fan, I wouldn’t be worried at all,” he argued. “The two clubs have nothing in common.

     

    Maguire doesn’t believe that the Blues are at risk of following Luton Town’s spiral post-relegation

    Maguire doesn’t believe that the Blues are at risk of following Luton Town’s spiral post-relegation

     

    “If you take a look at Luton’s finances, they spent £27m signing players in the Premier League. That was with a squad that climbed quite quickly. Congratulations on getting there, but the owners effectively said, ‘we are now budgeting to be relegated’.

     

    “If you take a look at the average wages they were paying, and we’re not going to get out the world’s smallest violin here, it was only £25k a week. The average in the Premier League is between £65k and £70k. You’ve got clubs where the average wage is £170k, £180k.

     

    “They didn’t have a squad of Premier League players, and it was going to be that sort of ‘all for one, one for all’ mentality in the dressing room.

     

    “I went there on a Tuesday night in late January, I’m a Brighton fan. Luton absolutely mullered us, it was 4-0 and that was flattering Brighton.

     

    “I thought, ‘well, if they can maintain this level of camaraderie, they have got a fair chance of staying up’. That was the last game they won all season. They had a pretty brutal finish to the season.

     

    “The money they generated from being in the Premier League, that’s effectively been banked and used to build the new stadium. We didn’t see investment in new players in 2024/25.

     

    “We didn’t see many sales because the broad perception of Premier League clubs was, ‘we’ve looked at Luton’s squad and they did well to get to the Premier League, but they didn’t have Premier League quality players.

     

    Town will aim to secure a top-two finish next season

    Town will aim to secure a top-two finish next season

     

    “I think Luton are a completely different place to Ipswich because Ipswich have had that investment in the squad. They have a bigger ground, greater match receipts, greater commercial revenue and greater commercial appeal off the back of the sponsors.

     

    “I don’t anticipate a replication of what we’ve seen at Luton.”

     

    Fans will be expecting to see Ipswich in the promotion mix next season. If they do miss out, they only have a finite amount of time before their parachute payments run out.

     

    As a result, there will be a burning desire to return to the top flight as soon as possible, although Maguire argues that this isn’t always where supporters enjoy football the most.

     

    “Because Ipswich were relegated immediately following promotion, they only get two years’ worth of parachute payments rather than three,” he revealed. “That does mean that, for the next two seasons, the fiscal advantage that they have is there for a limited time only.

     

    “We talk about the importance, it’s in terms of self-worth, self-reflection, self-analysis and so on, but is it important for you as an individual Ipswich fan that you follow the club in the Premier League, or just following Ipswich? That’s a more abstract, esoteric question.

     

    “I’ve been talking to some Leeds United fans since they were promoted. What surprised me, but perhaps hasn’t surprised me, is that they love it in the Championship, they love being top dog and going to away grounds in the expectation of a win as opposed to celebrating like it’s Christmas if it’s a 0-0, which tends to be the case in the Premier League.

     

    Mark Ashton wants to see a change in football’s finance rules

    Mark Ashton wants to see a change in football’s finance rules

     

    “Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or do you want to be a small fish, or a tiddler, in a much bigger pond? That’s a discussion to have.

     

    “If you don’t go up in the first two seasons, like Norwich and Watford – we’ve also got clubs like Stoke. Stoke probably have the richest English owners in the country in the form of Bet365. I know that there’s been a formal sale, but it’s now owned by the Coates family, formally of Bet365.

     

    “They have been incredibly generous owners, both the company and the Coates family. Yes, there were relegated in 2018 and seven, eight years later, I don’t think they have finished higher than 14th.

     

    “There is that danger that you don’t get into that routine of being in the Championship. That can be quite soul destroying, if you’re not bad enough to get relegated and not really troubling the scorers in terms of a play-off campaign.

     

    “Fans become a bit weary, but that also happens in the Premier League. If you think about what happened to Stoke in the Premier League, they used to finish eighth or ninth every season. It was the same with Charlton 15 or 20 years ago and look at what has happened to them now, although I appreciate that they are back.

     

    “It’s a strange experience, where the limit of your realistic ambitions is finishing in the top half of the table.

     

    “I support Brighton, we finished eighth. It was the second-best finish in the club’s history. The attitude of most fans was, ‘meh’. Certainly not helped by Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup, it has to be said. That was probably the bigger reason for misery at the Amex!

     

    “Our final match of the season was at home to Liverpool, who just won the Premier League, but the stadium wasn’t full. There were empty seats all around me because people find it difficult to motivate themselves.

     

    “Personally, I don’t give a damn about those people. I saw us beat Liverpool, which was absolutely fantastic. It was a brilliant game of football and I support my team regardless of the division.

     

    “I have to accept that I’m not a representative of the whole fanbase.”

  • 2025 Tight End University class features just 1 Detroit Lion

    2025 Tight End University class features just 1 Detroit Lion

     

    Unlike previous years, the Detroit Lions will only have one attendee at 2025 Tight End University.

     

    Tight End University is an annual event created by NFL legends George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Greg Olsen. The week-long experience brings current NFL tight ends down to Nashville, Tennessee for a gauntlet of training events, partying, and all-around shenanigans—and it all kicks off on Monday.

     

    In the past, several Detroit Lions players have been regular attendees, but this year, there will just be a single participant from the franchise. According to the Tight End University “Class of 2025” Instagram post, Shane Zylstra will be the only representative for the Lions this year among a class of 72 total players.

     

    Last year, three different Lions attended the festivities: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, and Zylstra. A few weeks later, LaPorta spoke about the camp, talking about how nice it was to be recognized by so many of his peers after a strong rookie season in 2023.

     

    “A lot of fun. It was cool to have peers, other tight ends across the league recognize me and say, ‘Hey, you had a fantastic year this year. Rookie tight ends, that’s not usually the case. The year you had, congrats on that,’” LaPorta said. “So it was cool to get acknowledged by a lot of those guys down there, and, of course, we had a lot of fun and learned a couple of things as well.”

     

    This year, LaPorta isn’t there. We don’t know the exact reason why, but it’s worth nothing that the 24-year-old tight end got married just over a week ago. He also left this comment on Tight End University’s latest post:

     

    So it seems likely that if LaPorta could have gone, he would’ve.

     

    Regardless, it will be a good opportunity for Zylstra, who will be competing for the team’s third-string tight end job against veteran Kenny Yeboah and a pair of undrafted rookies (Zach Horton and Luke Deal).

     

    If you want to follow all of the shenanigans of Tight End University, you can follow their account on Instagram here.

  • Toto Wolff pinpoints three key issues costing Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

    Toto Wolff pinpoints three key issues costing Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

     

     

    Toto Wolff has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles

     

    Driving style, mojo and nationality could all be playing a role in Lewis Hamilton’s slow start to life as a Ferrari driver according to his former Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff.

     

    Hamilton’s move to Ferrari after 12 seasons and six World titles with Mercedes was expected to rejuvenate both the driver and the team as they chased championship glory.

     

    Toto Wolff weighs in on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles

    Seven-time World Champion Hamilton won his most recent World Championship in 2020, while Ferrari’s barren run stretches back to 2008 with Kimi Raikkonen having won the title the year before.

     

    But the hype of Formula 1’s most successful driver joining the sport’s longest-serving team has waned.

     

    Although Hamilton has a Sprint pole and victory, the Briton is still chasing his first podium in red, never mind race wins or the title.

     

    After 10 races, he is P6 in the standings, 119 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

     

    It begs the question: what’s going on with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari?

     

    That was put to the 40-year-old’s former team principal at Mercedes, Wolff, in the recent Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast.

     

    The Austrian believes there are probably three factors in play: a new car, a completely different environment having only ever raced for British teams in F1, and Hamilton is still finding his feet.

     

    “You don’t unlearn driving that quickly,” said Wolff. “In 2021, he was great. Then the regulations changed, and it got a little more difficult, but he was still performing at a very high level.

     

    “Just by changing teams, suddenly you don’t lose your skills.

     

    “Everybody needs a period of adaptation: different car, different DNA in how the vehicle drives, a new engineering team that you need to start working together.

     

    “Then you have to be involved in the continuous development of the car so it suits your driving style.

     

    “It’s an all-Italian team, and he’s a British guy parachuted in there. And that takes time.

     

    “Also, we’ve seen a bit of a pattern that Lewis, at the beginning of the season, needs to find his mojo and the second half of the season has always been very strong.

     

    “So don’t ever write Lewis Hamilton off.”

     

    Hamilton has been notably frustrated in recent weeks as he has made repeated calls for the SF-25 to be upgraded.

     

    “We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change for us to compete at the front,” he reiterated in Canada.

     

    “I think we have something coming hopefully next week, but I don’t know if it’s much, I don’t know how much it is, I don’t think it’s going to be a lot.

     

    “So it’s just one of those years.”

     

    Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed that an upgrade is coming, it could even be on the car at the next race in Austria.

     

    “We will have an upgrade soon, before the UK. And, perhaps, another one a bit later,” Vasseur said. “But, honestly, today, I think there is much more in the execution and what you are getting from the car than in the potential of the car itself.”

  • She is still our child, sister, and daughter’ – AFN shocked by Favour Ofili’s alleged nationality switch

    She is still our child, sister, and daughter’ – AFN shocked by Favour Ofili’s alleged nationality switch

    The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) expressed shock over Favour Ofili’s alleged nationality switch to Turkey, revealing they’ve not received any transfer request and are deeply sorry for the heart breaking situation.

    Following reports on sprint sensation Favour Ofili‘s alleged nationality switch to Turkey, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has released a press statement on the heartbreaking situation.

    The AFN boss Chief Tonobok Okowa penned a letter to Nigerians, apologising for the heartbreaking move that has once again questioned the competency of the federation.

    Here’s the press statement below:

    The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), is shocked and surprised by the news making the rounds that one of the country’s top female athletes Favour Ofili is seeking to switch allegiance to Turkiye.

    The President of AFN, Chief Tonobok Okowa told the media on Sunday that, “Just like every other sports-loving person in Nigeria, on the continent and beyond he and his newly elected board read and heard her desire to change nationality from the media.”

    “If this is true, it is sad, disheartening, and painful but we are yet to get any official statement from her or any correspondence from World Athletics (WA), on her request. She is a promising athlete with huge potential.”

    “The AFN and the National Sports Commission (NSC), have been working hard to get athletics and other sports in the country back on track and to show that both bodies are matching goals, objectives and words with action, Favour Ofili had already been paid her training grant for this year,” Okowa said.

    The AFN president went on to state that the 22-year-old sprinter has prevented the Federation from reaching her and that all efforts to heal the wounds caused by the 100m Paris Olympic Games omission have proved abortive.

    “From the moves we have been making to get her fully prepared and back to the big athletics family and her response, it’s also clear that she had been preparing and working on her newfound Turkish love. She is old enough to decide what’s best for her but it is painful and hard to take for us, however, we will not stop her, she is still our child, sister, and daughter,” the CAA Vice President stressed.

    “We want to apologize to Nigerians, the National Sports Commission and the millions of people around the world who hold the sport and country in high esteem for this sad development.”

    Lots of AFN officials are heartbroken about the matter, but they will not oppose Ofili’s wish to change her colours.

    “Despite our inadequacies, on several occasions, she shunned the national trials, and even when she came, she selected the events she preferred to compete in.

    “At the 2024 African Championships in Cameroon, she refused to compete in the 100m after running in the heats, claiming that the organizers did not provide the right atmosphere for competition. She also did not turn up for the last Africa Games in Accra, Ghana.

    “No doubt Ofili is one of best our athletes in recent times but she is difficult to deal with,” said the Federation.

    “The AFN has its issues, but we are getting along well with other top athletes and are still thriving within the system. We wish her well in whatever she is doing and wherever she is going.”

    HOW WE HEARD THE NEWS

    150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, has reportedly switched allegiance to Turkiye, less than three months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

    Ofili’s switch was made public by Jamaica-based journalist Kayon Raynor on his X handle late Saturday.

    “Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has switched allegiance to Turkey as of May 31, 2025. According to TVJ News centre sources, 22-year-old Ofili has advised the Athletics Integrity Unit of her frustration with the Nigerian Athletics Federation,” Raynor posted via X.

    Ofili cited missing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee to register her for the 100m event at the last games in Paris.

    “Ofili stated that the Nigerian Athletics Federation caused her to miss the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after they did not confirm her number of doping control tests, and then missed competing in the 100m at the Paris Olympics after they did not enter her for the event. She however finished a distance sixth in the 200m final.

    “It’s further understood that Ofili impressed upon the AIU that her switch to Turkey was not for financial reasons.”

    The AFN President, further explained that 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games issue did not happen under his first tenure and they have worked to correct it.

    “The preparations for 2020 Tokyo Olympics had been planned and concluded by the former board and the Sports Ministry, in association with the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), we had no hand in the whole affair and build up to the Games. Look at the number of test the AFN conducted under my watch, we funded sixty percent of the test carried out before the Paris Games, there were no doping violations or anything of the sort,” Okowa emphasized.

    Despite the news of switching allegiance, Ofili, who won 200m silver at the last Commonwealth Games in 2022, is still listed by World Athletics as Nigerian and since she did compete for the country at the Olympics, there is a minimum window of three years for the switch to Turkiye to be completed.

    Recently, Jamaican athlete and Olympic shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell also switched his allegiance to Turkiye.

    We gathered that his compatriot and discus gold medallist Roje Stona has followed suit. The Turkish Athletics Federation have been courting top athletes from Africa, America and Europe to move over to Istanbul.

    Ofili, 22, holds the national 200m women’s record with 21.96s and personal best of 10.78s, performances she did in 2022.6

  • Arsenal fans are convinced Andrea Berta will definitely sign Rodrygo after Xabi Alonso humiliates him

    Arsenal fans are convinced Andrea Berta will definitely sign Rodrygo after Xabi Alonso humiliates him

    Arsenal are looking to add a winger to Mikel Arteta’s squad this summer, and Rodrygo is now firmly established as their top target.

    The Gunners want to bolster their wide forward options after the likes of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Raheem Sterling all failed to produce what was needed last season.

    Arteta is convinced Rodrygo is the right man, and the North Londoners are reportedly prepared to make the deal happen.

    Xabi Alonso has waxed lyrical about the Brazilian since arriving at the Bernabeu this summer, although this may well be public posturing given the Spanish manager’s latest decision about the player.

    Rodrygo plays no minutes for Real Madrid against Pachuca in Club World Cup

    Real Madrid strolled to a 3-1 victory over Mexican side Pachuca on Sunday evening in Charlotte.

    Despite Raul Ascencio being sent off for Los Blancos inside the opening ten minutes, goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde saw the Spanish side ease to all three points.

    Rodrygo was not only left out of the starting line-up, but was not even introduced off the bench at any point.

    This was a public humiliation from Alonso for the 24-year-old, with every other attacker in Real Madrid’s matchday squad getting on the pitch at some point, including youngster Victor Munoz.

    This omission sparked speculation in Spanish media about Rodrygo’s future, and Arsenal fans, unsurprisingly, are now convinced this suggests that they have a strong chance of landing him this summer.

    One fan wrote on X: “0 mins today… I know how that meeting went with Xabi Alonso. Rodrygo is a gunner.”

    Another added: “Looks like we have a real chance with Rodrygo. Unless he’s happy to just be there, I don’t see how his position in Madrid is tenable? At Arsenal he will be positioned in his best position and take the #10 shirt. It’s rare that a talent like that becomes available. Get it done.”

    One supporter wrote: “He subbed Brahim on before Rodrygo…”

    Meanwhile, one fan also brought up the imminent arrival of Franco Mastantouno, a right-winger, at Real Madrid in his assessment: “Even without Mbappe, and without Mastantuono who is yet to arrive, Rodrygo played RW in the opening game but was taken off after 65 mins, and has now been benched for the 2nd game. He’s moving this summer.”

    Arsenal will have to play a waiting game for Rodrygo

    While the mood music doesn’t look good for Rodrygo’s Real Madrid prospects, any potential deal with Arsenal is likely to take a while to materialise.

    The La Liga side still have one game left to play in the Club World Cup group stage, and are likely to progress into the last 16 of the competition.

    Despite playing no minutes against Pachuca, Rodrygo’s situation is unlikely to be resolved until after Real Madrid’s exploits in the tournament are over.

    The final is on July 13th, and the player is likely to go on holiday immediately after, further delaying negotiations and a potential transfer.

    The odds of Arsenal having the Brazil international on their pre-season tour of Asia are extremely minimal.

    The Mirror believe the Gunners may have to wait some time before Rodrygo and Real Madrid are even certain that the player will leave, so the North London club’s fanbase may ultimately have to be patient on this front.

  • WVU adds RHP Dawson Montesa from the transfer portal

    WVU adds RHP Dawson Montesa from the transfer portal

     

     

     

    West Virginia baseball added right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa from Adelphi University (DII).

     

    Montesa was a sophomore this past season and was named a First Team All-American at the Division II level.

     

    He tossed 72.1 innings with a 1.99 ERA. He struck out 105 batters while he only walked 24. He went 8-1 in 12 appearances, starting 11 games in the process.

     

    Montesa is originally from New York and saw a big jump in his game from his first year to his second year at Adelphi. In year one, he had a 7.36 ERA in 44 innings before making a sizeable jump in year two.

     

    He has a fastball that can get into the mid-to-upper 90s, while he

     

    Montesa is listed at 6-foot-1, and he is the fourth Division II transfer WVU has added this offseason. In addition, he is the fourth pitcher added overall for the Mountaineers

     

    • Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

     

    • SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

     

    • Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

     

  • Ronnie heard that, and he didn’t really like it.” Tony Iommi says Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham meant to compliment Black Sabbath’s Ronnie James Dio. It didn’t go well

    Ronnie heard that, and he didn’t really like it.” Tony Iommi says Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham meant to compliment Black Sabbath’s Ronnie James Dio. It didn’t go well

     

    The Sabbath guitarist found himself at the center of a dispute after the drummer’s comments were taken the wrong way

     

    Tony Iommi (elft) poses for a portrait backstage at Cobo Arena in Detroit, March 22, 1986. Ronnie James Dio performs in concert at the Spectrum, in Philadelphia, September 13, 1985.

    The end of the classic Black Sabbath lineup was difficult for all involved. Left without a band, Ozzy Osbourne had to build a new career from the ground up. As for Tony Iommi and the rest of Sabbath, they were left rudderless as they searched for another singer to lead them into a new era.

     

    Ozzy found his answer in of Randy Rhoads , a young, talented guitarist he hired after bassist Bob Daisley had a premonition he’d lead the group to greatness.

     

    Sabbath, meanwhile, turned to five-foot-four powerhouse vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who had just been fired from Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and was down on his luck.

    After a serendipitous meetup at L.A.’s Rainbow bar brought them together, Iommi and Dio forged an instant musical connection when, at their first jam session, they wrote “Children of the Sea,” one of the key tracks from 1980’s Heaven and Hell , Black Sabbath’s first album without Osbourne.

     

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    Though the task of winning over the Ozzy faithful fanbase wasn’t going to be easy, Dio’s vocal talents helped launch Sabbath to their highest chart position since 1975’s Sabotage, outdone only by the monster catalog albums Paranoid and Master of Reality.

     

    Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who was Iommi’s best man when he married Susan Snowden in 1973, was one of those many fans impressed by what Dio brought to the band. However, his habit of straight-talking caused him to put his foot in his mouth when he intended to flatter Dio. It was left to Iommi to prevent the diminutive Dio from tearing into the much larger Bonham.

     

    “Yeah, there was some kind of a word,” Iommi admitted when asked about the kerfuffle while being interviewed by Bill Burr in 2011. “John came to the gig when we played at Hammersmith in London. And we were going to go out after the show to a bar.”

     

    Tony Iommi with Bill Burr (FULL 2011 INTERVIEW) | Opie & Anthony –

    Tony Iommi with Bill Burr (FULL 2011 INTERVIEW) | Opie & Anthony –

    According to a Black Sabbath fan site, the band played four consecutive nights at London’s Hammersmith Odeon between May 7 and 10, 1980, with Girlschool in tow. It’s not clear which night Bonham attended, but it was in the English capitol that his remarks were taken in the wrong light.

     

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    “John’s drinking on the side of the stage, drinking Guinness,” Iommi says, coloring the scene. “We came offstage, and as we walked past John, John said to me, ‘Oh, man, he’s got a great voice for a midget.’ And, of course, Ronnie heard that, and he didn’t really like that.

     

    “He actually meant, ‘What a little body, and he’s got a big voice!’” the guitarist explains, interpreting Bonham’s poorly dressed pleasantries. “But the way he said it…

     

    “Of course, Ronnie popped up and… I won’t repeat what he said. They were gonna fight.”

     

    Drummer John Bonham of the rock band ‘Led Zeppelin’ performs onstage at the Forum on June 3, 1973 in Los Angeles, California.

    John Bonham onstage with Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum, June 3, 1973.

    Suddenly, Iommi found himself at the center of the ruckus and astutely defused the situation by telling the pair to “just get along.” Eloquently put. Tragically, Bonham would pass just months later, on September 25, 1980, the victim of too much drink.

     

    Black Sabbath are set for one last hurrah at Villa Park next month, as the Tom Morello-curated Back to the Beginning farewell gig finally comes around.

  • Commanders owner Josh Harris buys $500,000 Jayden Daniels card in record sale

    Commanders owner Josh Harris buys $500,000 Jayden Daniels card in record sale

    A new record sale for a Jayden Daniels trading card was set when Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris agreed to pay $500,000 for one of Daniels’ most sought-after rookie cards while standing next to the young quarterback on stage at Topps Trade Night on Saturday.

     

    Harris and Daniels were special guests at the event, which followed Day 2 of Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center.

     

    Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin played negotiator on the microphone in front of a sizable crowd after asking attendees who had the most valuable Daniels card with them. Josh Roth and Jacob Ramos of the Florida-based Rothcards answered that call with Daniels’ 2024 Panini Prizm Black Finite one-of-one card.

    After a quick back-and-forth chat, Harris agreed through Rubin to purchase the card. In addition to the $500,000, Roth and Ramos also received an autographed Daniels jersey, which the 2024 NFL offensive rookie of the year and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner inked on the spot.

     

    Harris will display the card at the Commanders’ Northwest Stadium, according to Fanatics.

     

    The original unearthing of the Daniels Black Finite card bears its own improbable story.

     

    A collector with the username “Dr. Moist Muffins” acquired the card from a pack through a box break (where collectors pay for a select portion of the cards opened by a third party) on a Fanatics Live stream around midday New Year’s Day. Dr. Ojash Raval, as he’s known outside of trading card livestreams, only spent $36 for the rights to all the Commanders cards in the break.

    The monster Daniels card then emerged from a pack, spurring immediate offers from interested buyers. Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and husband to tennis legend Serena Williams, had previously offered a $200,000 public bounty to whoever pulled the card.

     

    Roth wouldn’t give an exact amount of how much was spent in buying the card from “Dr. Moist Muffins,” but said it was in the mid-$300,000 range. So Roth and Ramos will share in a profit of about $150,000 on the card.

     

    And as much as the original discovery of the card came by chance, the card’s sale to Harris felt just as improbable.

     

    Roth said he walked into Fanatics Fest before the doors opened early Saturday since his business had purchased a table to sell cards at the show. He found Rubin “just chilling, kicking a soccer ball” in the Dick’s Sporting Goods set-up near one of the Fest’s entrances. Ramos called the encounter with Rubin “just random.”

     

    “I walked up to him and said, ‘Yo, we’ve got to show Jayden this card. It’s the best (Daniels) card in existence,’” Roth said. “Now granted, it’s not a Topps product. So Rubin was kind of (hesitant).”

     

    Roth said his table had a great day at the show and he and his business partner Ramos then walked into the Topps trade night, which is essentially a swap meet for card collectors, on the top floor of Javits Center after the Fest closed up shop for the day.

     

    Rubin introduced Daniels and Harris to the crowd and shortly after asked, “Who has the biggest Jayden Daniels card?” The duo, with the help of a bulky lead blocker, broke through the crowd to the stage holding up the one-of-a-kind card.

     

    Rubin asked Roth what he thought the card was worth. Roth shouted “$2 million!” Rubin asked again what the card was really worth, turning to Fanatics Collect CEO Mike Mahan for his assessment, which was $500,000.

    Roth went right for Rubin’s heart, invoking the Paul Skenes Topps MLB Debut Patch autographed one-of-one card that famously sold for $1.11 million to Dick’s Sporting Goods in March. As he continued to plead the case for the card, Rubin named the price:

     

    “Alright one time, half a million dollars. You want it? From Josh Harris, with Jayden here right now.”

     

    Roth looked back at Ramos and quickly agreed on the sale.

     

    “It was such an experience to be on stage with just everyone. It really happened so fast. Moments like that are timeless,” Ramos said.

     

    “That was our negotiation right there. I should have countered him!” Roth said with a laugh.

     

    Roth said the duo held onto the card by design for the summer months, thinking it would be “exciting” given how much momentum Daniels’ hobby stock would carry into the 2025 NFL season. Daniels was the second most searched athlete on eBay in May behind only Michael Jordan. Roth added that he hoped for a seven-figure payday for the card, “but when the moment came, we just had to say yes to a deal like that.”

     

    “We were kind of looking for Jayden in the other room (the main Fest area on the floor below), and it kind of didn’t work out,” Roth said. “And then we come up here. If it happens, it happens. It just so happens that fate worked out perfectly.”

     

    As for “Dr. Moist Muffins?” He’s thrilled to be connected to another wild piece of trading card history.

     

    “It’s satisfying to see that card go to the owner of the Commanders!” Raval told The Athletic on Sunday. “It’s been very cool to see the journey that card has taken, from the break all the way to its future home. That card will always hold a special place in my heart. Congrats to Josh and best of luck to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders this upcoming season!”

     

     

     

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