Steve Gardner

A lil TL cleanse for the aces fans mad at the L and lynx fans worried about phee #WNBA

The Detroit Lions, with RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (pictured celebrating a touchdown last season) are the only NFL team with two players in USA TODAY Sports' Top 200 overall fantasy players for 2025.

Get ready for #fantasyfootball draft season! Here's an annotated overview of @usatodaysports.usatoday.com's top 200 overall players for this season. You can find our staff's rankings by position here too.
www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

Sad day for baseball fans everywhere. This just scratches the surface of what Ryno meant to the Cubs and to the sport.

Forgot to share my exclusive fan-shot video of Page McConnell of #Phish throwing out the first pitch at the Mets game against the Angels on 7/23.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Chairman of the Boards.

Umpire: Scott Barry
Final: Tigers 0, Pirates 3
#RepDetroit // #LetsGoBucs
#DETvsPIT // #PITvsDET

More stats for this ump 👇
https://umpscorecards.com/data/single-umpire/Scott%20Barry

Fantasy football burning questions: Analyzing the NFC North As training camps start, so does fantasy football draft prep. USA TODAY Sports examines the top issues for every team in the NFC North.

OK, the All-Star Game is in the books and there's no baseball today. So let's talk about #fantasyfootball!

@usatodaysports.usatoday.com is kicking off a division-by-division series looking at each team's top fantasy question. Here's my take on the NFC North: www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

MLB’s tribute to Henry Aaron left out an important part of history Aaron deserves every accolade, but he also deserves the truth.

Last night's All Star Game tribute to Henry Aaron was a stunning technical production. My latest looks at how omitting the most important part of Vin Scully's call of Aaron's 715th home run was ultimately a disservice to Aaron's legacy and all of our history

www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/16/24...

I cut my teeth working for an NPR station on the JMU campus in Harrisonburg, Va. People throughout the Shenandoah Valley were extremely reliant on the news we broadcast and we took our jobs very seriously.

This is a terrible idea.

But of course, after they come out of the game they head to the clubhouse, change and leave. Having covered a few ASGs, the media will sometimes get a chance to talk to the big names in between steps 2 and 3. Judge and Ohtani were very likely long gone by the end of regulation. Probably by the 5th.

If the swing-off rule had been adopted for regular season games as well, Wily Mo Peña would still be on a major league roster.

So, a guy who went 0-for-2 with a walk as the DH during the game is gonna win MVP? Shwarbombs are inevitable, I guess.

I wanted to hate this swing-off thing ... but it's a pretty fun way to end the All-Star Game.

Interesting that neither manager picked the best power hitters in the game from their own teams.

Stand up to cancer by voting out people who defund cancer research

Truist Park organist playing #Phish's "Stash" with Junior Caminero at the plate in the fifth. Whoa!

In 3 batters, the NL All-Stars have given Paul Skenes more run support than he has received in 7 of his 20 starts this year.

Greatest moments in Home Run Derby history? We turn it up to 11 From hometown heroes to family affairs to jaw-dropping feats, we've come up with the greatest Home Run Derby memories of all time, ranked.

Just wrote up a fun little ranking of the top moments in All-Star Home Run Derby history to get you ready for the action tonight.
Counter-arguments welcome!
www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

Or at least put the Futures Game back in the Sunday night slot, where there are <checks notes> NO MLB games scheduled.

Superstars and snubs: Deserving All-Star starters over past full season's stats Voters don't always pick the right All-Stars. Our numbers reveal the best at each position over the past calendar year, including some surprises.

Voters don't always pick the right All-Stars. Our numbers reveal the best at each position over the past calendar year, including some surprises.

Overall statistical leaders from the second half of 2024 plus the first half of 2025, with Aaron Judge leading in average (.343) and tied with Shohei Ohtani for the most homers (57). Ohtani also leads in stolen bases (54) and runs (149). The biggest surprise? Eugenio Suarez tops everyone with 138 RBI.

Who has the best overall stats from the past full season? With a big assist from Matt Cederholm of @baseballhq.com, here are the 5x5 #fantasybaseball leaders from July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025.
I used the numbers to pick the most deserving All-Star starters: www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

Excellent guess. He certainly has a high peak!

Time for our annual unveiling of MLB Full-Season All-Stars -- based on stats from the second half of last year plus the first half of this year (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025).

Perhaps the most surprising nugget is who leads the majors in RBI over that one-year span. Any guesses?

Which MLB pitchers could be next to join 3,000-strikeout club? With Clayton Kershaw becoming the 20th pitcher to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, attention now turns to which active pitchers might someday join him.

Now that Clayton Kershaw has reached 3,000 career strikeouts, who else has a shot at getting there? I had a chance to dig into some of the numbers. www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

The #Yankees' Ben Rice is currently playing in his 10th game at catcher this season. Congratulations to #fantasybaseball managers who celebrate.

A bottle of Traveller Whiskey any manager would love to have in his office desk drawer.

Is it me or does anyone else think the person doing the voiceover for Traveller whiskey on those commercials on MLB Network sound like someone doing a (pretty good) Buck Showalter impression?

Wonder what Buck's tagline would be?? Perhaps "Meticulously scouted to do maximum damage."

'MLB Central' at 1,000 episodes: How show found secret blend of silly and serious It's a normal Thursday for MLB Network's flagship morning show, but it marks a special moment for the three hosts.

Got a chance to spend some time with Mark DeRosa @laurenshehadi.bsky.social & @roflo.bsky.social ahead of their milestone show today on MLB Central to find out what makes them tick and the show click.
www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

Random fact: Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday had 15 walks and 69 strikeouts in his 60-game rookie season last year.

This year in 71 games: Exactly 15 walks and 69 strikeouts.

Thanks much. And you're right. Keep banging the drum and keep up the good work!

Just a classic jinx by @ryanbloomfield.bsky.social

So good that I pray nothing similar happens to his team ;)