I've used the word "penultimate" seemingly endless times in the last month or so, so here's one more. The WooSox capped off their finale in Lehigh Valley (Phillies AAA), finishing the PENULTIMATE series of 2026 in dramatic fashion despite outplaying the IronPigs for most of the game. Gage Ziehl had a gritty if not spectacular performance, pitching into the sixth and coming back from being taken yard in the fourth without his confidence shaken. All told, the 23-year-old righty struck out eight to bring his total to 126 in 116 innings pitched (96/85, respectively, of those being in Portland) and is really shaping up into someone to watch in 2027. The pitching staff as a whole issued zero walks despite being taken for nine hits, but the game never looked out of control save for when Noah Song came in to let two runs up in the sixth.
Luckily, though, the WooSox offense had a home run derby, sending five over the fence, including two from Allan Castro. That second one hoisted the WooSox from a deficit to a lead that Sam McWilliams wouldn't give up. Arias also hit his 24th home run of the season (and his 5th in Triple-A.)
Rain cancelled the last game of the season against Binghamton (Mets AA) in an anticlimactic fashion. But what a season it was for the Sea Dogs.
The season began with interested eyes watching Franklin Arias become an absolute hitting machine in the spring, along with Anthony Eyannson dealing, only for the former to be promoted to Triple-A and the latter dealt to Baltimore (or rather, Chesapeake) in the Adley Rutschman deal. Still, Brooks Brannon raked, the team had 8 walk-off wins and generally found ways to come up on top. The pitching staff headed by Hayden Mullins, in his own right a guy to watch, pitched a combined no hitter in April (but not a shutout). And Justin Gonzales looks formidable as an everyday outfielder a few years in the future. Overall, the cupboard is not as fully stocked as some teams, but there's some players to feel good about starting to make their mark in the mid-levels of the farm.

#pitching

Red Sox Prospect's Season In Jeopardy After Unfortunate Injury originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kristian Campbell's bid to return to the Boston Red Sox took an unfortunate turn with little time remaining in the minor league season. The Worcester Red Sox placed Campbell on the seven-day injured list Thursday because of a left foot contusion, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Infielder Max Ferguson was promoted from Double-A Portland to fill the open roster spot.
Campbell reportedly had been dealing with a sore toe before leaving Tuesday's game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the sixth inning. The timing makes the injury particularly frustrating. Worcester has only 10 games remaining before its season concludes Sept. 20, leaving Campbell with a limited window to return.
It also could eliminate whatever chance remained of Campbell joining Boston for its postseason push.
The 24-year-old has spent the entire 2026 campaign in Triple-A after struggling during his first major league opportunity. He batted .223 with a .664 OPS, six home runs and 21 RBIs across 67 games for the Red Sox in 2025. Campbell, once ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect, produced an encouraging opening month and earned American League Rookie of the Month honors after batting .301 with four home runs. His production dropped considerably afterward, however, and Boston optioned him to Worcester in June 2025.

#boston #return

MOOSIC, PA(WBRE/WYOU)— The RailRiders pulled to within two games of first place with a 9-2 win on Wednesday night over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre put up four runs in the first inning, never trailing in the win over the I-Pigs.
Jasson Dominguez started the scoring in the first with a single to right field, bringing in Jarred Kelenic. The next batter J.C. Escarra continued the hit parade with a single to shallow right. That brought in Anthony Volpe, putting runners on the corners for Marco Luciano. The SWB second baseman drove a ball to the wall to bring in Dominguez. Oswaldo Cabrera ended the merry-go-round with a fielder's choice, and a fourth run for the RailRiders.
Yanquiel Fernandez matched Double-R's first four runs, with four runs driven in of his own. Fernandez hit two home runs on Wednesday, his team leading 23rd and 24th of the season. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre DH went 3-for-4 on the night, with two home runs and four RBI.
New York Yankees pitcher Clark Schmidt started the game for the RailRiders. The start was Schmidt's second rehab start since having elbow surgery last July. Schmidt pitched 0.2 innings last Saturday for the Yankees Double-A team.
Schmidt tossed 2.0 innings for SWB on Wednesday night. He struck out three batters, while also allowing one run on three hits.

#first #scranton #barre

Mark Vientos continued his rehab stint with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday and had his best game with the club.
The young Mets slugger went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs. He also hit a home run against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Vientos' first hit came in the first, smashing a single to score Emilien Pitre from second and give Syracuse an early 1-0 lead. His longball came in the fifth with the bases empty. He smashed a changeup in the middle of the plate 409 feet to give Syracuse a 6-1 lead at the time.
It was a great offensive day for Vientos, who started at DH, and he needed it. He was hitless over his first three minor league games in his current rehab ******* ignment and Mets interim manager Andy Green had some pointed things to say about the slugger and his future role on the team.
"I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab ******* ignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs," Green said Wednesday. "Still think there's a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That's on him."

#first #give

Red Sox Prospect Erupts For Ridiculous Six-Hit Masterpiece originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Mikey Romero did not simply have a productive afternoon for Triple-A Worcester. The Boston Red Sox prospect delivered the type of performance players may experience once in an entire career.
Romero went a perfect 6-for-6 in Worcester's 19-0 destruction of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Saturday at Polar Park. Boston's No. 9 prospect collected four singles, a double and a home run while helping the WooSox deliver one of the most overwhelming victories of their season.
It was not just another encouraging game from a former first-round pick. Romero became only the fifth Minor League player to record six hits in a game this season and just the third to produce six hits in exactly six at-bats, according to MLB.com.
Romero started his historic afternoon with a first-inning single to right field. His next five plate appearances unfolded almost like a video game: home run, single, single, double and another single. Every trip to the plate ended the same way. Romero reached base with a hit, and Worcester continued piling on runs.

#game

Goats' Championship — Saturday, Aug. 8
The St. Joseph Goats get the honor to host The Arena League Championship Game this Saturday at their home stadium, Civic Arena. The Goats will take on the Arkansas Diamonds, who they played in Week 1 this season and came out on top 40-14. The Goats will be playing in their first championship after defeating the Nebraska Siege 57-55. While the Diamonds will be playing in their second straight TAL Championship. For more information and tickets, visit https://stjgoatsfootball.c...
High School Sports — Monday, Aug. 10
It's that time of year! Fall sports are back for MSHSAA schools. Although we're a long way from the crisp fall days and Friday night lights, Aug. 10 marks the start of practices for schools in the area. The News-Press will be on the ground covering our county's schools and producing previews for individual teams, including a very important Pigskin Preview releasing on Aug. 28.
Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp

#goats #arena

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Foundations funded and co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched an initiative committing $200 million to revive 100 of Earth's most threatened species, including endangered lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, pigs and echidnas.
DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund are leading the Phoenix Species Project, the groups announced Tuesday. They call it the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.
DiCaprio has for years been developing the idea of a major concerted effort to help species whose habitats and future existence are threatened by climate change.
In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist who serves as the organization's CEO, met with the Amazon-founding mega billionaire Bezos and his wife, former TV news reporter and host Lauren Sánchez Bezos. He serves as chair and she as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.
The meeting led to a series of conversations with local governments, environmental groups and Indigenous people on how best to reverse the decline of their most vulnerable species. Those conversations eventually led to the Phoenix Species Project.

#bezos #project #threatened

Former San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will officially be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, as a member of the class of 2026 on August 8. Sean Payton, former Saint and Brees' longtime head coach in the Crescent City, was recently announced as the presenter for No. 9 at the enshrinement ceremony.
Although Brees and Payton had their own backgrounds in the NFL before joining forces in New Orleans in 2006, the QB-HC combo cemented their professional legacies within the Superdome at the heart of the Big Easy, delivering a rebirth to Saints football and aiding in the rebuild of a then-broken city.
Following a 3-13 season and a 2005 campaign that saw zero home games played inside of New Orleans following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city and team required a refresh and found just what Louisiana needed in a first-year head coach and a young gunslinger coming off of a brutal shoulder injury. These guys would grow, progress, and build what would become one of the most prolific offenses in modern league history.
The partnership between Brees and Payton quickly sparked a fire for the black and gold while providing a sense of hope for those still suffering from the tragic natural disaster just a year removed. In the pairing's inaugural season in New Orleans, the Saints finished with an 11-5 overall record and made a run to the NFC Conference Championship game. Although the team would ultimately fall short of reaching the ultimate goal of playing in and winning the city's first Super Bowl, this season was simply a foreshadowing of greater things to come.
New Orleans would go on to miss the postseason in both 2007 and 2008 before a magical year in which pigs learned to fly.

#city

UFC star Jon Jones posted a video of him killing a pig in 2021 and that led allegedly to a long message from Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton.
Jones was living life after vacating his UFC light heavyweight ***** le at the time — and bulking up to eventually move to heavyweight — when he went on a helicopter ride to shoot at pigs alongside former rangers. Hamilton, who had just won just 7th world championship in Formula 1 months prior, apparently didn't like it.
"I went hunting years ago with bunch of army rangers, and we ended up hunting pigs from a helicopter from using AR-15s," Jones said in an interview with ALF Global. "I was so proud of myself 'cause I killed one of the pigs from the helicopter. My pig was donated to an underprivileged family in the community."
"But Lewis saw me shoot the pig from a helicopter," he continued. "He wrote me a long message saying that I was a coward, and that he thought that I was better than that. He said that the traditional way of killing animals should be with a spear or a bow and arrow. And he was saying like, only a coward would shoot an animal from an helicopter, to give the animal a chance to fight you back, at least."
Jonny Meat on Instagram: "One shot, one kill, lots of bacon. Was an honor hunting with medal of honor recipient @t.payne75 & jeff_cotto mattcronrath operational_defense_institute"

#helicopter #jones #lewis #long

A woman who mistreated cats, guinea pigs and chinchillas that were found living in squalor has been banned from owning all animals, except dogs, for 10 years.
Michelle Ashford, 52, was visited by RSPCA investigators at her Thurlow Court home, in Stowmarket, Suffolk, in October after neighbours raised concerns.
They found injured cats with flies around their enclosure, caged chinchillas inside a cupboard and guinea pigs in crates.
Ashford, now of the Dengie peninsula in Essex, admitted three offences of failing to meet her animals' welfare needs. She was also sentenced to 18 weeks in jail, suspended for a year, was fined £769, and must complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity.
Appearing at Ipswich Magistrates' Court earlier this month, Ashford, who lives in The Marshes in Southminster and still owns three dogs, was also ordered to pay £300 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

#court #guinea #pigs #dogs

Well, what do we have here? Based on multiple reports, the cows have come home, ******* has frozen over, and pigs have flown. That's because somewhere, somehow, the four most historic Ohio basketball programs are getting together to play an event on the same court. That's right. Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, and Dayton are all set to play in the CareSource Invitational, an exhibition event to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
So which of the other three teams will the Buckeyes play? They will be matched up with Cincinnati, while the other game will pit Dayton vs. Xavier. To add a little intrigue, the game will take place outdoors at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open, on October 7, very early on in the preseason. If the weather becomes an issue, the event will be moved to UD Arena in Dayton. However, the preference is clearly to have this thing be an outdoor event to add to the atmosphere.
“I think this is great. This is great for the basketball community in Ohio. And it’s been a long time coming,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said on Thursday. “I’ve been vocal about this since I first got the job and wanted something like this to happen. There are so many moving parts. There are so many moving parts to make something like this happen. It takes a lot of people. And I’m just excited. Everyone got together to make it happen.”
We've been calling for an annual event like this for a while here on Buckeyes Wire, and we'll have more on that later, but for now, the only way you can see the CareSource Invitational is to purchase tickets because it will not be televised. When information on how to get your hands on some tickets becomes available, we'll bring that information to you.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Clippers 8, IronPigs 5
It was a good day for the Clippers offense. Angel Genao went 2-4 with a walk, Kody Huff went 2-5 with a 430 foot HR. Ralphy Velazquez also had a 3 run HR hit at 109.1 mph off the bat. CJ Kayfus went 1-4 with a HR of his own.
Yorman Gomez continues to rack up strikeouts despite giving up some runs. His ERA is 5.06 but he has 24 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. I think that ERA is going to go down at some point.
RubberDucks 8, Baysox 2
This was a dominant win from the RubberDucks. Nick Mitchell had a huge game, going 3-4 with a triple and RBI double. The trio of Chourio, Rosario, and Thompson all had one hit each. Jonah Advincula went 1-3 with a walk and a two run HR. Jose Devers went 1-4 with a 2 RBI triple.

BERLIN (AP) — They called themselves the "German driving school for experts," but prosecutors say the true purpose of their Telegram chats was to brag about the women they raped and share tips about how to drug them.
In posts that sometimes included photos and videos of their attacks on unconscious victims, they referred to women as "cars," sedatives as "fuel" and rape as "driving," according to court documents. They called their victims "dead pigs."
Investigators have been poring through several years' worth of posts in roughly two dozen group chats on the popular messaging app that authorities believe served an online predator network of mainly Chinese men targeting mostly Chinese women in Germany. Their investigation has led to the convictions of three alleged inner circle members on rape and other charges, and the ongoing trial of a fourth man in Berlin.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of **** ual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 in the U.S., 116 016 in Germany or 15117905157 in China.

The game between the Rochester Red Wings and Lehigh Valley IronPigs at ESL Ballpark was suspended due to inclement weather. The IronPigs lead the Red Wings 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning.
The game will resume at 5:05 p.m. Thursday, July 2, with a second seven-inning game to follow. Gates will open at 4 p.m.
Paxton Schultz will pitch for the Red Wings when play resumes. Connor Van Scoyoc will start the second game, making his Red Wings debut.
Fans can exchange tickets from Wednesday's game for any future home game during the 2026 regular season.
Information gathered from milb.com.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) is one of the 15 Best AI Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years.
On June 23, 2026, Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) announced that Cranswick commissioned a new robotic end-of-line pick-and-place system using Autonox Robotics. Cranswick produces millions of "pigs-in-blankets" for the Christmas market each year, and the final stage of picking sausages from the conveyor belt and placing them into packaging was still handled manually. Cranswick commissioned CWM Automation to design and deliver a fully automated system, allowing those employees to move to more skilled tasks.
On June 16, DA Davidson ***** yst Chris Dankert initiated coverage of Rockwell Automation with a Neutral rating and $500 price target. Dankert said the company is well-positioned to benefit from secular tailwinds, pent-up reshoring activity, and the adoption of autonomy and AI on the shop floor. DA Davidson also said the shares are already priced in positive estimate revisions, with valuation elevated relative to history and peers.
Image by drobotdean on Freepik
Earlier in June, Rockwell Automation's Board of Directors authorized the company to spend up to an additional $1B to repurchase common stock. The new authorization is in addition to the Sept. 5, 2024, authorization to repurchase $1B worth of common stock, of which about $215M remained as of May 31.

The Minnesota Vikings had some vivid “winners” this offseason, including center Blake Brandel, who is on tap to start at center after the club added no starting-caliber alternative, and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who now has Kyler Murray to throw him the pigskin on Sundays.
But what about the losers? The Vikings, through their actions, caused some of those, too. Counted down to the biggest loser of the 2026 offseason, here’s the pecking order.
Rouse’s path to making the team is actually straightforward.
If the Vikings view him as a guard, he has a much clearer shot at securing a roster spot. If they still see him as a tackle, however, his prospects become challenging. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are entrenched starters. Ryan Van Demark was acquired for veteran depth in March, and Caleb Tiernan joined the team in Round 3 of April’s draft. None of these players suggests a need for a “fourth tackle.”
That places Rouse in a difficult position.

In a bullpen game, the WooSox ended up fending off the IronPigs in extra innings. (Phillies AAA) Just as Nathan Hickey (who homered) and Vinny Capra (who drove in the game’s opening run) helped put some early runs on the board, they helped put plenty of padding on during a tenth inning offensive outburst with a knock apiece. It’s also notable that Kristian Campbell contributed in his own way by drawing three walks. This hefty lead allowed Kyle Keller to come in for a second inning and struck out two to slam the door and increase his total to four.
In a Patrick Sandoval rehab apperance in which a homer was his only hit allowed, the Sea Dogs were not as lucky, or rather, skillful at generating offense, in the tenth inning as Worcester was. The Patriots (Yankees AA) scored a run in the tenth off of Cooper Adams and the Sea Dogs couldn’t answer. In fact, the inning was a continuation of a pretty poor night where they struck out 14 times and had just 4 hits… even if one came from a budding Stanley Tucker. Romy Gonzalez would reach on an error and end up scoring. The Sea Dogs giving up walks, eight on the night, to be exact, was also a factor in the loss.
I’m going to be honest: I don’t have much hope for Patrick Sandoval. It was a bad contract with limited upside from the jump. Even if you’re among the last stragglers of belief in the 2026 Red Sox season (I’m not), this is not the place for Sandoval to make a resurgence. It’s great he’s pitching again and that he is about to come back from injury after such a long road. But he likely won’t make an impact on this ball club.
Greenville has now been outscored 24-6 in three games. Dylan Brown just allowed too many runs while striking out seven BlueClaws (Phillies High-A). The Blue Claws had 16 hits on the night and simply overpowered the Drive, and nothing of substance was happening with just five hits and stranding ten runners.
The RidgeYaks are now losers of ten straight with this shutout loss to the Nationals. Leighton Finley again pitched well in his five-inning start, not letting his four walks or one hit score and striking six out. Salem only struck out four on the night, but also had to fight for hits. And when it was time to score, the offense couldn’t be found; they put their best Red Sox costume on and went hitless in eight attempts with runners in scoring position.

After Wednesday’s 12-4 defeat to the Miami Marlins where Andrew Painter surrendered six runs in just two innings of work, the Phillies will be shaking up the back of their rotation by optioning Andrew Painter to AAA.
The Phillies have tried everything with Painter. They’ve tweaked his usage in certain starts to limit fastball damage, they’ve used an opener, and they gave him 14 appearances to figure this out. With a 7.06 ERA in 65.0 innings pitched, nothing stuck long enough.
Through roughly the first two and a half months of the season, the Phillies have cycled through their number five and six starting pitching options from the big league roster. They went into the season with Taijuan Walker making starts with Zack Wheeler injured but he was released after just 22.2 innings of work because he had an ERA over 9.
Now with Painter out, there is no clear answer for what the Phillies will do on the rotation’s fifth turn. Matt Gelb wrote that former Atlanta Brave and Chicago White Sox Bryse Wilson had triggered his upward mobility clause in his minor league contract, which could force the Phillies to add him to the roster. In 54.1 innings with the Iron Pigs, Wilson carries a 6.29 ERA with 2.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Alan Rangel is already on the 40-man roster and pitched for the Phillies earlier this year when they had Kyle Backhus open for the aforementioned Walker in the middle of their ten game losing streak. Rangel has looked solid, albeit not super inspiring with the Pigs, carrying a 3.74 ERA in 65.0 innings.

It's no surprise that America's interest in soccer rises exponentially with the World Cup. However, with the 2026 World Cup being held primarily in the United States, coupled with the fact that the U.S. men's national team won their first game by a dominant 4-1 score over Paraguay and, suddenly us pigskin-loving, baseball-chucking yankees are all about this fancy version of football.
That isn't to say that America has had zero influence on the soccer world though. In fact, a very prominent sight throughout this tournament will be referee Ismail Elfath.
Elfath was the head referee for the match between Group F opponents Netherlands and ****** an, where he handed out a yellow card to the Netherlands' Memphis Depay. Elfath is a very well-respected figure in the soccer referee world, and yes, he's an American; Moroccan-American to be specific.
Elfath has been a staple of Major League Soccer officiating ever since he joined the league in 2011. Elfath quickly drew attention on the international circuit as well, becoming a FIFA-listed referee in 2016. Elfath's familiarity with American geography and respect in the soccer world is sure to make him a vital figure in the 2026 World Cup. Here's what to know about him:
Elfath, 44, is a Moroccan-American referee, who came to America in 2001 at the age of 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery.

Brady House hit an RBI double in the top of the 11th inning to lead the Rochester Red Wings to a 7-6 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday at Coca-Cola Park.
Christian Franklin homered and reached base three times for Rochester, which improved to 38-24.
Franklin opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run off IronPigs starter Drake Fellows, his fourth of the season. Lehigh Valley responded in the bottom half when Keaton Anthony hit an RBI double and Gabriel Rincones Jr. added a sacrifice fly to give the IronPigs a 2-1 lead.
Rochester answered with a three-run third. Franklin doubled and scored on a Yohandy Morales single to tie it, then House followed with an RBI single to right. Later in the inning, Andrew Pinckney grounded into a double play, but Abimelec Ortiz came home on the play to push the lead to 4-2.
The IronPigs trimmed the deficit in the fourth when Christian Cairo grounded out with a runner on third, bringing home Rincones Jr. to make it 4-3. The game stayed there until the seventh, when the Red Wings manufactured two key runs. With two outs, Robert Hassell III walked, Tres Barrera singled and Trey Lipscomb followed with an RBI single to center, scoring Hassell III. Moments later, Barrera stole home as Rochester executed a double steal, giving the Red Wings a 6-3 cushion.

OTTAWA, ON - JULY 15: Ottawa Redblacks wide receiver Justin Hardy (2) runs with the ball during Canadian Football League action between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa Redblacks on July 15, 2023, at TD Place at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Canadian Football League has been providing die-hard pigskin enthusiasts with an early fix for their football yearnings each summer for decades.
Accordingly, the “three-down league” will kick off its 68th season on Thursday night with a Montreal Alouettes-Hamilton Tiger-Cats clash at Hamilton Stadium.
Week 1 consists of a three-game slate since the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions will open the season on a bye, and we’re honing in on a player prop bet apiece for each of the season-opening contests.
Theis put together an impressive rookie season in 2025 following a successful four-year run at South Dakota, rushing for 365 yards at 5.2 yards per carry and adding 162 receiving yards on 19 catches.

By Charlie Devereux and Jesus Calero
MADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spain is investigating whether a recent swine fever outbreak in Barcelona could have been caused by a laboratory leak, the ‌Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.
The country, the European Union's top pork producer, is ‌trying to reassure trading partners after 13 wild boars tested positive for the virus in hills outside the city. The disease is harmless to humans but can be deadly for pigs and wild boars.
Genome ⁠sequencing by a Madrid ‌lab showed the strain was “very similar” to one first detected in Georgia in 2007 and now wide