A royal expert has claimed that Meghan Markle "worships herself" and would never apologize to Prince William and Kate Middleton. The comments come amid renewed scrutiny of the ****** ss of Sussex's relationship with the royal family, particularly following the explosive claims she made during her infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 alongside Prince Harry.
During the October 7 episode of Royal Exclusive, Matt Wilkinson referenced a Daily Express report headlined "MEGHAN WANTS TO APOLOGISE FOR 'LOW BLOW' COMMENT." When asked whether there was any possibility of Meghan Markle apologizing to the Prince and Princess of Wales, commentator and royal expert Kinsey Schofield claimed that the former actress would never do so.
"This is a BS headline and I think sometimes we just need to, again, use common sense," Schofield said. "What is their pattern of behavior? And their pattern of behavior is never taking any accountability whatsoever. Megan worships at the altar of Megan. There's no way that she has any desire to apologize to Prince William and the Princess of Wales."
She went on to say that she believes Charlotte Griffith's reporting more than the Daily Express's report. "If you believe Charlotte Griffith's reporting that Prince Harry came back with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and still insists that he is the one that is owed apologies," she said.
She added, "I very much believe that headline much more than I believe that Harry and Meghan have had some sort of come-to-Jesus over what was it, their fish and chips at the local pub, and have decided to apologize to the Prince and Princess of Wales."

#prince

Rosie O'Donnell has issued a public apology to Wynonna Judd for "assuming" she was a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an interview for The Tangle podcast in August, the comedian - a fierce critic of the American leader - stated that the country singer was one of the only fans of Trump in her life.
"Now, I am friends with Wynonna Judd, who I love very much, and I've known her for many, many years," she told host Kyle Ridley at the time. "And she is a supporter of Trump. And somehow, we never bring it up. I give her a grace in a way... And I really love her, and I care about her, and, for some reason, I'm able to put that aside when we interact."
Last week, Judd clarified that she was "an independent" and never discussed her political beliefs during an interview for People, and on Wednesday, O'Donnell apologised to her longtime pal.
"I was wrong to ***** ume Wy was a Trump supporter just because she performed at marlargo (Mar-a-Lago)," the 64-year-old wrote on Instagram, referring to the Palm Beach, Florida resort owned by Trump. "But as she told me she has sung for seven presidents on both sides of the aisle (sic). My apologies here publicly (as I first made them privately) #friendship - she's touring her new album now - go see her SING like no one else on earth."
In addition, a representative for Judd told Entertainment Weekly that the 62-year-old "did not perform for Trump" when she was at Mar-a-Lago for an unrelated event and that the Tell Me Why star has performed for seven U.S. presidents over the course of her career, both Democrats and Republicans.

#judd #love

A joke about an old romance has put Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson back in the headlines. The comedian is looking back on it with humor, while she, according to a source, is still sensitive about the subject. The source also says she has taken a firm stance on how she deals with Davidson, and it is not a "chapter of her life she's willing to discuss."
Pete Davidson, 32, recently spoke about his past with Kim Kardashian, calling himself "one of the survivors — the few and the proud." He went on to add, "We're like the Marines." The comedian also maintained that he still has "a lot of love" for the Skims founder, 45. Davidson also added that Kardashian respected his privacy, but the constant cameras were still too much for him. "I knew what I was getting into," he said.
Following his remarks on their brief relationship, a source close to Kardashian spoke to In Touch. The source said Kim remains "hyper sensitive" about Davidson. She has reportedly told people she won't discuss that chapter of her life and "would prefer if they didn't bring it up." The source drew a contrast with her marriage to Kanye West. Leaving West brought relief and freedom, the source said. Davidson ending their relationship, by comparison, brought "rejection and devastation."
According to the source, Davidson knows he hurt Kardashian and feels terrible about it. The source also claimed he is "genuinely happy" that she has moved on with someone else. He would nonetheless "love to build a friendship" with his ex, the source said. Kardashian, however, sees things differently. The source said she has chosen to "draw a firm line under the past" and has essentially banished Pete Davidson from her personal universe. "She wishes him the best," adds the source, "but doesn't need his apologies or friendship."
The source also described how deeply the breakup affected her. It reportedly "crushed her ego" and took a long time to process. The 45-year-old was said to be "madly in love" and convinced they had a future, even if the relationship was short.

#davidson #pete #relationship

Pop star Pink is under fire online for resharing an anti-Israel message and then following it up with a series of Instagram posts directed at her detractors.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, supported British musician Ed Sheeran on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in a show called Loop Tour on September 4 and 5. Donning a keffiyeh in front of an 80,000-strong audience, the rapper shouted "Free Palestine" and addressed Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying that they are not being forgotten.
"Every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom," he added, as reported by Variety.
The rapper then performed his protest song "Hind's Hall," which featured flashes of Gaza on the stadium screens. Macklemore referenced Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, named after student demonstrators at Columbia University who renamed a campus building in her honor. The rapper then addressed Jewish concertgoers, saying that criticizing Israel and condemning their actions as genocide is not a condemnation of Jewish people and that his message is a message of peace and dignity for everyone.
American pop diva, whose legal name is Alecia Beth Moore Hart, posted a video with the message "Awful" to her Instagram Story, claiming that Jewish fans who came to see Sheeran's performance are exposed to propaganda against Israel. According to Pink, Macklemore's speech and video presentation amount to a false accusation of genocide, and people who came to the concert are entitled to "apologies and refunds."

#Instagram #macklemore

Kasper Hogh of Celtic reacts after the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 Play off round second leg match between LASK and Celtic at on August 25, 2026 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
In the aftermath of the capitulation in Linz, Callum McGregor has admitted he and his teammates deserved to exit the Champions League at the playoff stage yet again. The Celtic skipper didn't hold back on his post match ***** ysis, as he admitted that the massive collapse was down to no-one else but himself and his fellow teammates.
Speaking to Prime the Celtic skipper was brutally honest in his ***** sment as he said: "We got what we deserved. We were passive all night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game. When you are 3-0 up in the tie it's psychological."
Callum McGregor of Celtic celebrates scoring his team's first goal with Colby Donovan during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 Play off round second leg match between LASK and Celtic at on August 25, 2026 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
Callum also admitted we got away with were fortunate in the first leg, and our goals more or less papered over the cracks, and offered his apologies to the supporters. "To be honest, I didn't think we were that good in the first leg either. We scored at good times and got away with it."

#champions

Our next Get German Football News Bundesliga 2026/27 Tactical preview takes us…to Sinsheim. Right. All 18 clubs means all 18 clubs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim belongs to the Bundesliga field whether we Germans happen to like it or not. The author can only promise the most level-headed ***** ysis his gritted teeth will allow. One would think he got most of his grievances off his chest last year. Regrettably, the political situation at the Kraichgau club over the course of the 2025/26 campaign only produced more grievances.
This time, the Hoffenheim fans themselves demanded more of a voice in club affairs. That definitely merited extensive coverage. In point of fact, such protest actions constituted the very definition of what can and should be newsworthy on the Bundesliga beat. Some disagreed. The chronicler makes no apologies. Dietmar Hopp promised to turn this project over to the burgeoning fan-base that's been supporting it for the past two decades. Potentially reneging on that promise counts as a story. Period.
When it comes to the actual football produced by these Badeners, all coverage remains even-handed. TSG sporting director Andreas Schicker did a fabulous job reducing the roster last summer. The team supplied many memorable performances. Ahead of this season – were it not for the collapsed Fisnik Asllani transfer – Schicker would have produced nearly €100m in summer sales. The author concedes that such skillful administrating deserves praise as it would have theoretically negated the need for another Dietmar Hopp cash infusion.
Alas, we'll likely be reading about more direct benefactor financing next year.
From a straight footballing perspective, things are once again looking up for the 2026/27 Europa League participants. Schicker again put together a stellar offseason, cutting up transfer bait, and recruiting plenty of young promising talent. Dammit. The author literally can't get through the next section quickly enough. There's far too much to report. At least the sheer scale of the activity gives us an excuse to dispense with the rhetoric. Suffice to say that the squad planning and administrative enforcement was simply top-notch. Merely consider yourselves forewarned that this grouchy writer can only contain his disdain to a limited extent.

#hoffenheim #dietmar

Editor's note: Apologies for the lateness of this piece – a combination of time zones, alarm clocks, and other commitments conspired to ensure I would miss the match and take some time to write it up!
Tottenham Hotspur's final weekend before the kick-off of the 2026/27 Premier League season began with a solid 3-0 preseason win over Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim.
In the first of two matches over the weekend against the German side, Roberto De Zerbi named a strong XI that immediately looked to take the fight to Hoffenheim in front of a buoyant Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd. Both sides had chances to score before Richarlison broke the deadlock late in the first half with a smart first-time finish from the penalty spot. The second half, however, was all about Mikey Moore as he scored a double, ******* isted on both by Mathys Tel.
Here are my top ten talking points from Spurs' friendly against TSG Hoffenheim.
Roberto De Zerbi has been reasonably consistent with his selections, naming similar starting XIs for the last couple of matches, with the only changes due to injury or unavailability (such as Manor Solomon's transfer to West Ham United). As such, it's reasonable to ******* ume the lineup in this match was not worlds away from what we might see against Brentford.

#match

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Around 50,000 fans watched Manchester City beat Atlético Madrid 3-1 in a pre-season exhibition game at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday, offering a rare example of soccer making headlines for on-field action here during a scandal-hit summer.
The big transfer news of the period saw South Korea's star player Lee Kang-in move from Paris Saint-Germain to Atlético Madrid last month in a deal reportedly worth more than $40 million.
Despite Lee's second-half introduction, he couldn't prevent Manchester City rallying from a goal down to win. Jorge Dominguez put Madrid ahead just before the break but two goals from Omar Marmoush and one from Rayan Ait-Nouri gave the English club the victory.
The match offered a welcome break from the World Cup fallout, which involved police raids and parliamentary hearings. A leaked government audit recently revealed that Korea Football ****** ociation (KFA) officials used corporate credit cards in 2011 and 2012 to pay for services at adult entertainment venues for foreign referees.
"We express our sincere apologies for causing concerns over a range of issues, from a parliamentary hearing and an unprecedented police raid to media reports about incidents from more than a decade ago that even members within the federation were unaware of," the KFA said in a statement Saturday.

#city #break

A Philadelphia native like me (go Birds), Tina Fey is, without question, the best thing to ever come out of Pennsylvania's Upper Darby Township. (Apologies to the area's other famous residents like Todd Rundgren, Ed McMahon, and Cheri Oteri.) Fey, who rose to prominence on "Saturday Night Live" as a writer, performer, and Weekend Update co-host (alongside her friends Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers) before winning Emmys for her own show, "30 Rock," is one of the funniest talents we've got. If you've ever watched even a single episode of "30 Rock," you know I'm right; pound for pound and joke for joke, it's probably the most hysterically funny sitcom of its generation.
Fey currently stars on the Netflix series "The Four Seasons," but now that she's not personally churning out 20+ episodes of a network TV show anymore, she has a little more time on her hands ... and takes opportunities to appear on podcasts with people like Poehler. In February of 2024, Fey made an appearance on "Las Culturistas," the pop culture obsessed podcast hosted by fellow "SNL" veteran Bowen Yang and his comedy partner Matt Rogers. While there, she gave the world the gift of a particular quote during a closing segment of each episode ******* led "I Don't Think So, Honey," where Yang, Rogers, and the guest each get one minute to air a niche grievance. "Gift" is not an exaggeration. The quote was so good that, at the following Las Culturistas Culture Awards, Rogers and Yang led the entire audience in a recitation of Fey's "I Don't Think So, Honey" and called it their "Pledge of Allegiance."
So, what does Fey say in her one minute that's so impactful? Once you get to a specific level of fame, you can no longer share your hot takes.
Read more: 14 Classic TV Shows That Would Never Be Made Today
Static Media

#honey

Apologies for the late Minor League Baseball roundup, but the Mike Krukow news set me back a bit today, both emotionally and in terms of labor. So let's speed run Wednesday's games from the San Francisco Giants affiliates … it was a great day for players whose name starts with a J!
Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
Four pieces of news, all good: LHP Esmerlin Vinicio has been promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond. And Richmond RHP RJ Dabovich, who has had awful injury luck, has been given a rehab ******* ignment with Low-A San Jose.
And finally, AAA Sacramento outfielder Turner Hill was named Player of the Month in the Pacific Coast League, while outfielder Franco Willias earned those honors in the Dominican Summer League.

#league #roundup #minor

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- UEFA is holding on to its threat of a World Cup boycott, despite apologies from FIFA and Gianni Infantino for plans, now withdrawn, to sell stakes in the tournament.
The Union of European Football ***** ociations features 55 national ***** ociation members, including champion Spain, No. 3 France and No. 4 England. The governing body for European soccer announced July 30 that it rejected FIFA's proposal to sell shares in a company to run the World Cup to private investors.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean ***** ociation Football and the ‌Asian Football Confederation also publicly opposed the proposal, which was subject to support of the majority of FIFA's member ***** ociations
"UEFA's ***** ociations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions," UEFA said in a statement.
"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, ***** urances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again

#sell #World #association

Please accept my apologies, hoddlers. But I have to do a second running hoddle this week.
And this is also my third post this summer on running water bottles. It's hot out there, and I bought the Nathan 14oz handheld soft flask to keep me hydrated and fresh on all my runs. I was excited to have something that would get lighter the more I would drink out of it.
After a couple months of running with this bottle, I would like to offer my review. The short answer is: I HATE IT! I HATE THIS WATER BOTTLE. I HATE LOOKING AT IT. I HATE DRINKING OUT OF IT.
Now, please see the reasons below for why I hate this stupid thing.
Sweat: The bottle claims to be moisture wicking, but the sweat actually clings to the fabric that wraps around the bottle itself. Firstly, the fabric makes your hand warmer than it should be. But the sweat becomes a serious problem because you should be washing the outer part after every single use (and by this I mean throwing it in the washing machine). Who has time to run the washing machine every single use for a bottle? You can go a run or two without doing this, but then you have to breath in the stench while you drink out of it.

#washing #water #Drink

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Argentina flyhalf Tomás Albornoz has been suspended for four matches after admitting to misconduct for "intimidatory" interactions with match officials following the Pumas' Nations Championshiprugby loss against England last month.
England won 31-24, holding on despite twice being reduced to 13 men. The referee issued seven yellow cards during the July 18 match and both teams were reduced to 13 at stages in the second half at Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
The committee on Wednesday said that contact with referee Angus Gardner, "although limited in nature, occurred while disputing a match official's decision and formed part of that overall course of intimidatory conduct."
It also found that Albornoz approached the referee on two separate occasions and had to be restrained by teammates.
Although the offense could carry a six-match suspension, the committee took into account Albornoz's early acceptance of the charge, private written apologies and his previously clear disciplinary record to reduce the ban to four games.

#referee

Apologies for not having a weekend Minor League Baseball roundup. With the San Francisco Giants being so active at the deadline, I just wasn't able to find the time to cover the weekend's games.
But I'm here to talk about what went down on Tuesday! Just five games for the Giants affiliates, as AA Richmond had their game postponed. They'll play a doubleheader tomorrow.
Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
The big news on the farm, of course, is the infusion of talent that the Giants got at the trade deadline, which featured 6 prospects, plus 2 young rostered players. You can catch up on all the moves here. If you want to know where the new guys rank, well … ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers. But MLB Pipeline has already adjusted their Giants top 30 to include the new prospects, and 5 of the 6 made the cut (it's worth noting that the Pipeline top 30 doesn't yet have the 2026 draftees).

#Giants #deadline #game #apologies

If we've learned nothing about sports documentaries in recent years, it's that the subjects of the documentaries often have the ability to keep some of the facts that have been documented from being included in the finished product.
And so it should surprise no one that Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had the ability to pull the plug on anything that the producers of the Quarterback series proposed for inclusion into the final cut.
The topic came up during Mayfield's Thursday press conference, the one that focused primarily on his contract situation with the team.
"To be honest with you, I didn't watch the full series," Mayfield said. "They sent all the clips of us in it, just so I could give the final OK. Apologies to the families of little kiddos because the language on there is actually not very suited for them. It's — might be a little angry elf on the field every once in a while. So that's probably the part that I do regret a little bit, but that's the fire on the field, unfortunately, that comes out on TV.
"But, yeah, I wanted to portray that I'm all ball. It's — you can say what you want in the media. You can say I'm **** y and whatever, but it's all ball. I love my teammates, I love this game, and I love playing it."

#mayfield #quarterback #ability #ball

Jason Alexander has issued an apology to Courtney Stodden after she accused him of acting inappropriately toward her in a 2012 Funny or Die sketch when she was just a teenager.
The sketch featured Alexander — who was 52 at the time — rubbing his phone on 17-year-old Stodden's ***** and joking that once she turned 18, he would "have his way" with her.
In an Instagram post Monday, Stodden shared a picture from the skit and wrote: "I was 17 years old in this photo. The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand. During this comedy sketch, Jason Alexander repeatedly rubbed his phone across my ***** while saying there was 'no signal' in my head but 'plenty of signal' in my chest."
"Looking back now, I don't see comedy. I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke," continued Stodden, who is now 31. "People still say, 'You chose to be there.' Legally, I couldn't make those decisions for myself. That's the point. I can't change what happened to me but I can ask myself: How did so many adults look at a minor and decide this was acceptable?"
Alexander, 66, said in a statement to TMZ: "Looking back at the comedy sketch in which Ms. Stodden and I participated in 2012, I completely agree that it was inappropriate and I truly regret it. But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer my sincerest apologies."

#looking #breasts

The NWSL brought us 21 goals and 132 saves this weekend! Check out the top three of each in terms of the difference between their post-shot expected goals (PSxG) and expected goals (xG).
Basically, these are the goals where the player taking the shot added the most value just on shot quality and the saves where the keeper was best able to navigate this unexpected extra shot quality.
Sam Meza has an excellent delivery, and UllMercado has a picture-perfect header to drive the final nail in the Portland Thorns’ coffin in the second Cascadia Rivalry of the season.
Ullmark’s sliding effort makes sure the Dash’s beautiful team play isn’t put to waste as she once again draws her team level on the road.
Apologies to Kate Wiesner for cutting her ******* ist, but this trap and finish by Santos deserved to be highlighted. What a goal.

With apologies to World Cup 2026 co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States, this is the perfect semifinal field. France and Spain on one side. England and Argentina on the other.
Is there anything better?
Not according to FIFA's world rankings. Yeah, they're a very imperfect metric. But this is the first World Cup ever with the semifinal spots occupied by the top four teams entering the World Cup. France is at No. 1, Argentina is at No. 2, Spain is third and England is fourth.
A semifinal field with the USMNT or Mexico wouldn't have been that farfetched given their home-field advantage. But it wouldn't have been nearly as strong.
And each of the four global powers has been buoyed by its superstars. Everybody knows about Lionel Messi's continued greatness. There are hardly any superlatives left to describe the 38-year-old's pursuit of the Golden Boot and a second straight World Cup **** le.

A football club has called for "full and unconditional apologies" from the Alliance Party after the club's badge was used in an image on a social media post where the party was promoting a bill that will "tackle abusive flags".
The image posted had a flag which bears Linfield FC's badge and the text on the image said "striking the right balance".
South Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw, who is proposing the bill, apologised to the club "for any offence caused" which Linfield have called a "conditional apology".
The Alliance Party said the flag had been used "in conjunction with highlighted text about legitimate cultural expression, but was misconstrued by some".
The graphic was removed to "avoid any misrepresentation, deliberate or otherwise".

FIRST ON FOX: More details are emerging after an American flag was displayed upside down at a Somali Independence Day event in Minnesota, sparking both outrage and apologies in a situation that has gone viral on social media in recent days.
The St. Cloud Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that on July 3 at 5:29 p.m., the department received a call that the U.S. flag was being flown upside down on a city flagpole at the Lake George Park Pavilion during a Somali Independence Day event.
A video from that event, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, showed the flag upside down as event attendees, roughly 500 people at peak times, enjoyed the festivities. The department said the officer "corrected the flag without objection" and that organizers "indicated to City staff that the flag being flown upside down was not intentional."
Despite the claim that the flag was flown upside down by accident, some in the community are skeptical that the error was not noticed by anyone at the event, including the local politicians who were giving speeches and various organizations like the AFL-CIO and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), who had booths set up.
Watch: Omar-backed Mayor Mocks Outrage Over Somalia July 4Th Trip With Sarcastic 'Apology'

This post is brought to you by FanDuel, proud partner of SBNation.
Apologies, as we were limited to one question this week; otherwise, we would have asked about the Mountain West and Pac-12 separately. That being said, about half of the voters believe that the Broncos are the best bet to get to nine wins or more in 2026. That's how many they got last year, for the record. About a quarter of fans gave the Lobos a chance to get to 9 wins as well, with the Rebels, Aztecs, and Bulldogs also getting votes, It's likely a few teams will reach that mark and we will see who gets there this year.

If you're only only interested in the baseball happenings, you can skip down to the section **** led 'The Actual Game Recap'
If you've been around here at the Snakepit for long enough, you should already be familiar with the now traditional cannabis themed recape or 'weedcaps' every April 20th. For those who haven't been around for that long or are just unfamiliar with how that works, a weedcap consist of me recapping the game while also consuming and reviewing different cannabis products and various accessories. Sadly this tradition was broken in 2026, as April 20th was an off day for the D'Backs, so instead we're doing the other weed holiday, which just so happens to be today, the 10th of July. If you aren't familiar, July 10th has become the holiday where cannabis concentrate are celebrated, and that's entirely because 7/10 reads as OIL upside down. (Apologies to the Europeans who use date/month instead of month/date). Links helpfully provided to either define what I'm talking about or to the appropriate business' website.
During the 2026 season, I've often referred to the 'Rally Rig' in the comment section, taking 'dabs' of concentrates in the superstitious hope that it rallies the team.
This piece was actually part of the Daily High Club's April "420 stoner party" subscription box, which you can purchase here, if so desired. Pictured below is the full subscription box contents. I looked all over for a baseball related piece for the specific purpose of this article, but sadly couldn't find much. Thankfully I already had this.
I've actually built up a fairly impressive collection of glass pieces thanks to them and I've largely been satisfied. However, I wouldn't reccomend actually subscribing to the boxes, as it is mildly annoying unsubcribing. If you like cool pieces, or are looking for a gift for the resident stoner/medical marijuana patient in your life, I would absolutely recommend giving their website a look.

Ross Stewart, Jack Clarke, Jobe Bellingham and now Eliezer Mayenda. All high profile departures from Sunderland under the ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus — and to a lesser extent, feel free to throw in the additional departures of Charlie Wyke, Alex Pritchard, Lynden Gooch and Danny Batth.
Elton John once said that “Sorry seems to be the hardest word”, but he’s never had to accept not singing chants involving the ‘Loch Ness Drogba’ or the besmirching of Sam Fender.
For that reason, I’d argue goodbyes are far more painful than apologies. You’ll often hear people say there’s no loyalty in football these days and in an age of state-funded sportswashing, orange-faced meddling and ever increasing commercialization, it’s easy to accept that.
You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube and nor is it likely the trends of the game will change. But for every mercenary, there’s a Luke O’Nien; for every Will Grigg panic buy, there’s a Trai Hume.
So why does that matter?

Apologies for the delay. Now that the first full week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come and gone, here's a look back at how Dortmund players performed. Stats courtesy of FotMob.
Julian Ryerson (DEF), Norway
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Accurate passes: 43/51

An England soccer fan at the World Cup has gone viral after admitting that Britons underestimated the scale of America's sports venues.
In a video shared from the stands of the Dallas Stadium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Oliver Henry said that Brits "owe America an apology" for doubting the size of their sports venues.
"We owe apologies to America because their football stadiums are so much better than ours," he said in a video taken at the England and Croatia match Friday. "This is the Dallas Stadium and it's absolutely incredible. England just beat Croatia, but look at the size of the stadium."
The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. It has a retractable roof and can hold about 80,000 people.
Henry wrote in the caption of his post: "We owe America a huge apology about their stadiums, they are simply better than ours [sic]. This was the AT&T stadium in Dallas and it is the best venue I've been to. I went to watch Croatia vs England in the fifa World Cup, England beat Croatia 4-2 and the stadium was one of the highlights of the day."

Last year, Liverpool saw right back Trent Alexander-Arnold run down his contract and join Real Madrid in a move that soured a lot of fans on the boyhood Red. At the same time, centre half Ibrahima Konaté was expected to follow him a year later.
Whether Konaté watched the acrimony around Alexander-Arnold’s move and decided he wanted none of it, or whether he genuinely had a change of heart and was seeking to extend his stay at Liverpool, over the past year the story became one of Konaté actually wanting to sign a new Liverpool deal.
In the end, though, that didn’t happen. And today Konaté has officially completed a free transfer to Real Madrid that for much of the past year seemed to have been shelved.
While Konaté is coming off a down year for Liverpool, losing the 27-year-old for nothing is a blow. There are good reasons based on talent and ability, after all, that he’s signing on with Real Madrid and not, with apologies to any MLS truthers, Real Salt Lake City.
Confirmation of his departure leaves Liverpool with 35-year-old Virgil van Dijk, an injury **** e Joe Gomez, and a pair of teenagers coming off serious injuries in Giovanni Leoni and Rennes signing Jérémy Jacquet as options, which will have many a little nervous heading into 2026-27.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder — and current NOS TV commentator — Rafael van der Vaart apologized Wednesday after making an ill-advised comment while breaking down Netherlands 2-2 draw with ****** an on Sunday. During an appearance on NOS TV, van der Vaart was responsible for an awkward moment in the studio after he said all ****** anese players “look alike.”
On Wednesday, van der Vaart said he never meant to “insult, hurt, or discriminate against anyone,” according to The Athletic.
A portion of van der Vaart’s apology read:
“I understand that some people found my words hurtful. I sincerely regret that. If I have upset people because of this, I offer my apologies. That was never my intention.
“I take the reactions that have arisen seriously and understand that words can be interpreted differently.

What makes a good goal? This was the question each of us pondered as we embarked upon the process of ranking every goal we’ve seen the US score at the men’s World Cup – a worthwhile bit of nostalgia before the national team kicks off their 2026 World Cup campaign hoping to add more to this list.
First, we had to narrow the field. The team have scored 40 goals at the men’s World Cup, but scant video evidence exists of 12 of those – appropriate, given they were scored in 1930, 1934, and 1950. Piecing together reports and descriptions can give you an idea, but they were always going to be judged differently than those we’ve seen, felt and heard. And so, with apologies to Aldo “Buff” Donelli and Joe Gaetjens, our pool is limited to US World Cup apearances from 1990 til the present.
Own goals, too, have been omitted out of respect. There have been three of those, leaving a well-rounded group of 24 goals to consider.
Each of us rated them on a five-star scale under three categories: importance (the goal’s impact), quality (the technical ability involved in the goal and the play that led to it), and the vibes (everything else: the celebration, the fan reaction, and anything other than the play itself). The maximum a goal could be worth, on our ramshackled rubric, is a 45.
No goal – no, not even that one – maxed out the scale. In the event of a tie, priority was given to the goal with the highest vibes. It’s a ranking of World Cup goals, not trigonometry.

Scotland have gone a long way under Steve Clarke. The shot that sealed their greatest journey certainly did. Kenny McLean was inside his own half when he let fly, a 50-yard shot in the play-off against Denmark to book a 3,000-mile flight across the Atlantic. McLean’s was the third wonder goal Scotland scored on one astonishing evening; Lawrence Shankland’s close-range finish was rather overshadowed by Scott McTominay’s overhead kick and Kieran Tierney’s long-range curler even before McLean added his injury-time entry to the goal-of-the-game contest.
It tapped into Scotland’s rich history. There have been tragicomic failures, a perennial inability to get out of the group, but also the moments of brilliance that lend hope. Scotland’s first World Cup in the Americas featured the goal that – with apologies to McLean, McTominay and Tierney – surely still ranks as the greatest in their country’s colours; Archie Gemmill’s slaloming strike against a Netherlands team who nevertheless reached the 1978 World Cup final, but only after losing to Scotland. “Ally’s army” nonetheless failed to conquer Argentina, manager Ally McLeod’s confidence looking more like delusion.
Now a Miami meeting with Brazil promises to evoke memories of their 1982 meeting and the David Narey thunderbolt that put Scotland ahead. The Scots were to lose 4-1 and to exit a third consecutive World Cup on goal difference.
All of which may have a pertinence again. Scotland are in a pool with 2022 semi-finalists Morocco and perennial contenders Brazil. Scotland and the Selecao seem drawn to each other: this is a fifth meeting and a stalemate in 1974 brought the Scots’ only point. Morocco beat them 3-0 in 1998, when such a scoreline could rank as more of a surprise.
Logic may suggest Scotland’s best chance of progressing is among the better third-placed finishers, involving having a respectable goal difference and beating Haiti. Scotland’s past indicates that is no guarantee: they drew with Iran in 1978 and lost to Costa Rica in 1990. They enter their ninth World Cup with just four wins so far: against Zaire, as they were called then, in 1974, Netherlands in 1978, New Zealand in 1982 and Sweden in 1990.

Inside the Chicago White Sox, there are two wolves.
The first is the three true outcome wolf. The South Side Smashing Machine is currently fifth in team slugging, ninth in on-base percentage and fourth in strikeouts. The latter is frustrating at times, as evidenced when Ozzie Guillén’s frustrations boiled over with Colson Montgomery after Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Twins. My apologies to Ozzie, but I reckon a few bad swings is a fair trade for a 33-30 record, especially when you allow for the second wolf.
Wolf Two is John McGraw’s scientific baseball of the Dead Ball Era — beanings, baserunning and bunts. This is personified by the guys like Sam Antonacci (major league leader with 13 HBPs), Luisangel Acuña (a speed demon, when he manages to get on base), and a group of guys I lovingly call the bunting gremlins: Tristan Peters, Derek Hill, Rikuu Nishida and Antonacci again. These men stand on the broad shoulders of the OG, Chase Meidroth.
This balance has put the White Sox in a unique position: The South Siders are on pace for 219 home runs and 47 sacrifice hits. This puts them within a shout of the first 200 home run/50 sacrifice hit season since the universal DH was established.
The **** ytics case against bunting is simple: Outs are a finite resource to a baseball team. You’re only guaranteed 27 of them. Don’t give any of them away on purpose, you idiot!