Chuck Lorre's remarks about President Donald Trump at a Los Angeles charity gala have drawn a White House response. The creator of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men called Trump a "bloated orange piece of s--- in the White House" during Project Angel Food's Sept. 26 Angel Awards, according to Entertainment Weekly.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital that Lorre should "seek psychiatric help," accusing him of "Trump Derangement Syndrome." TheWrap reported the reply on Oct. 3.
The gala took place at The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Kitchen & Campus. Project Angel Food's meal program serves seriously ill people across Los Angeles County at no cost to clients, with dietitians and chefs developing menus around their medical needs.
Director Nikki Lorre presented her father with the Founders Angel Award, the organization's highest honor. The nonprofit says it has bestowed the award only once before, on founder Marianne Williamson and her co-founders.
In the political portion of his speech, Lorre said he wanted a government that prioritized citizens' health and welfare. He also made jokes about Trump's health and directed personal insults at first lady Melania Trump, according to TheWrap's account.

#lorre #chuck #project #award

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo are bidding farewell to their $7 million Tennessee home, which the country singer handed over to his former wife following their divorce.
The "Wild Ones" hitmaker, 41, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from his spouse, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, in Williamson County, TN, on May 18, according to court records first obtained by TMZ.
Weeks later, it was revealed that the country star had given full ownership of his sprawling Tennessee property to Bunnie.
However, the property seemed to bring back old memories, with Bunnie later revealing that the divorce took a toll on her health while speaking on the "Open Book With Jenna [Bush Hager]" podcast.
Now, the former couple is preparing to let the home go, with TMZ first reporting the news.

#divorce #real

High school football Week 4 is done and dusted in the Pensacola area.
Seven teams started district play, with three teams getting their first district win. Pine Forest went back-and-forth with Williamson, MaxPreps No. 1 4A team in Alabama, while Pace and Pensacola Catholic bounced back with wins after tough losses in Week 3.
Booker T. Washington and Northview moved to 4-0, while 3-0 Jay was off this week.
Escambia was supposed to host Choctaw in its District 1-4A opener on Friday, but that game was pushed back to Oct. 1 due to unplayable field conditions.
Below is who won and who lost in Week 4 and what to expect in Week 5.

#pensacola #high #forest

Williamson takes on Pine Forest tonight as the 2026 high school football schedule ramps up across the country.
Searching for how to watch the game live?
Fans can stream the Alabama high school football game live on the NFHS Network from a laptop, mobile device or even Smart TV apps like Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV and Roku.
Don't miss a moment of the game with on-demand replays, too.
Ahead of the kickoff, here's what to know about the Williamson vs. Pine Forest clash.

#game #high #school

Big league rosters have officially expanded now that we've reached the month of August. The Cincinnati Reds responded in kind by promoting both Brandon Williamson and Juan Brito earlier on Tuesday, the latter providing depth across the infield as the Reds face something of a short-term crisis there.
Ke'Bryan Hayes resides on the 10-day IL at the moment. Superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz has a quad strain, and given how much his leg problems sapped his overall production last season the Reds are going to keep him at DH for the foreseeable future until he's absolutely 100%. That means Matt McLain has moved from 2B over to SS, and to compound things Eugenio Suarez has been absent from team activities the last few days as he works towards gaining US citizenship.
So, the Reds need some infield depth. Edwin Arroyo was recalled to help bridge that gap, and Brito will, too, but that only serves to thin the mix at AAA behind them. Cincinnati responded to that cascade of infield inputs on Tuesday evening by signing veteran infielder Orlando Arcia to a minor league deal.
Arcia, 32, began the 2026 season with in the Minnesota Twins organization and hit .271/.300/.354 with them across 50 PA before being released in late July. He posted an .834 OPS with Minnesota's AAA affiliate in St. Paul along the way, but ended up playing in the Mexican League for a trio of games before the Reds scooped him up.
He was an All Star with Atlanta in 2023 and is a veteran of over 1000 big league games, so he'll certainly provide a stable floor of depth across the middle infield even if the Reds are a) going nowhere this season and b) decide to slow the roll of Elly and others as the final month of the season dwindles down. That said, he owns just a career 76 OPS+, so one can hardly expect him to be lightning in a bottle for the club at this time.

#reds #league #tuesday

After a gutsy 100-pitch primetime effort at Wrigley Field on Sunday, Aug. 30, Chase Burns will be put on an innings limit over the final month of the regular season, Reds manager Terry Francona said.
Burns, the Reds' first 15-game winner since Luis Castillo in 2019, will pitch next on Monday, Sept. 7, when the team continues its end-of-the-season gauntlet against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brandon Williamson, who has not pitched since April 29, will return from shoulder fatigue and start the Reds' series finale against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, Sept. 2, Francona said. Williamson is 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA over six starts this season.
More: Cincinnati Reds young players make MLB history
More: Reds pull off unlikely series win over Cubs, lose De La Cruz (quad)

#williamson

After plenty of solid high school sports performers over the last week, here are the Journal Star Girls Athlete of the Week nominees for Aug. 24-29, presented by CEFCU.
Head to www.pjstar.com/sports to vote. The poll closes at noon Friday. Information about the nominees is below.
If you have a nominee for the honor, email us at sportspjstar.com or tag us on X pjstarsports. Last week, Ella Herchenroder of the Galesburg golf team was named JS Girls Athlete of the Week.
Williamson guided the Rockets to an undefeated march to the Macomb Tournament ******* le on Saturday, Aug. 29. In the ******* le match, Williamson went for 12 kills and three blocks in beating Eureka 25-16, 25-19. She record 40 kills, 49 ******* ists and eight blocks in the five matches. Williamson also earned all-tournament team honors with teammate Mia Lamberti.
Parsons helped the Turks win the Charles Scanavino Tournament at Warrensburg-Latham on Saturday, Aug. 29. She went for 10 kills, two blocks and an ace to beat the hosts 25-17, 25-17. The junior middle hitter chipped in six kills to beat Olympia 25-13, 25-18 in the semifinals. Parsons was named all-tournament and Most Outstanding Player.

#tournament #sports

Sept. 24
Today in sports history
Today is Sept. 24. On this date in:
1919: Boston Red Sox star Babe Ruth hit his 28th home run of the season, surpassing Ned Williamson's major league record of 27 set in 1884.
1920: Ruth became the first player in major league history to reach 50 home runs in a season when he hit No. 50 for the New York Yankees.

#today #ruth #home #season

The NBA is stacked with a whole generation of rising young stars, and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is one of them. In just four seasons with the Magic, he has proven himself as their most important player with a solid all-around game and consistent, mature leadership on the floor.
Despite his star status, Paolo has never been marketed or celebrated the same way as some of his peers, and we're finally understanding why. With a special mention to Zion Williamson and Cooper Flagg (fellow No. 1 overall picks), Banchero explained how the COVID-19 pandemic forever changed his standing across the league, and how it has yet to fully recover.
"Both of them (Zion and Flagg) are great players, and all the hype they get is very warranted. I think my situation was a lot different," said Paolo on 'Dawg Talk'. "I came up during COVID, and I think that had a big effect. I didn't get a senior year of High School, really. My whole senior year of High School was online. High School was shut down. No one from my class really got that hype. It was Chet and I really, but COVID kind of clouded all that. We didn't get a McDonald's All-American Game."
Paolo was part of the 2022 draft class, being selected with the first overall pick. Coming from Duke, public opinion was high on Banchero, but not nearly to the degree it usually is for No. 1 picks. Zion Williamson and Anthony Edwards, for example, were the top selections leading up to Paolo's class, and both were treated like future MVP candidates.
Paolo, too, might have gotten a similar treatment had the COVID shutdowns never transpired. His draft class was the most affected by the pandemic, having their senior year shut down and their college season headlined by a raging health crisis. Paolo never got to play in the famed All-American game, and it's just one of the many experiences he missed out on during his transition to the league.

#paolo #zion #game #never

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to play their final preseason game, facing off against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. Kickoff is at 5p.m. PT.
This will also mark the end of training camp, as the NFL's cutdown day is right around the corner on Sunday, raising the stakes for every player on the bubble to make the 53-man roster. So, this week's rookies to watch are heavily focused on the Raiders' undrafted free agents, with one third-round pick thrown in the mix.
As the 67th pick of the draft, it's highly unlikely that Crawford is in danger of getting cut. Also, the Auburn product was a project coming out of college and wasn't expected to have a big role this year after Las Vegas signed Kwity Paye, re-signed Malcolm and had the Maxx Crosby trade fall through during free agency. However, Crawford has generated just one pressure in the first two preseason games, per Pro Football Focus, and hasn't been a factor against the run, either.
Meanwhile, S&BP's Bill Williamson listed three other edges—UDFA Cian Slone and veterans Patrick Johnson and Jahfari Harvey—as players to watch against San Francisco, and all three have outperformed Crawford this month. Again, the third-rounder's roster spot should be safe, but he's looking at getting buried on the depth chart if he doesn't step up on Thursday night.
Klint Kubiak didn't mince words when talking about the team's wide receivers after last week's game, saying "they gotta get a lot better and fast". The coaching staff is clearly looking for someone to step up and provide some depth out wide, giving Williams an opportunity to earn a roster spot with a strong outing against the 49ers. He had a 41-yard catch a couple of weeks ago, but hauled in just one grab for six yards in Houston.

#roster

Kyle Kuzma questions criticism of Sophie Cunningham amid growing controversy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Sophie Cunningham's comments about transgender participation in women's sports have sparked a wide-ranging debate, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma has now entered the conversation.
The former NBA champion publicly defended Cunningham after sportscaster Chris Williamson suggested the Indiana Fever guard's comments contributed to political hostility directed toward transgender people.
Kuzma questioned that interpretation in an X post, arguing that Cunningham's stated position centered on competitive fairness and the protection of opportunities for women and girls.
"What was transphobic about her comment?" Kuzma wrote, before reiterating Cunningham's position and sarcastically questioning whether she deserved discipline.

#sporting

Two games, two draws. Something to build on for Wrexham.
The need for further transfer business loomed large over the Racecourse following the 1-1 draw with Watford that frustrated fans on the first home afternoon of the new Championship campaign.
But, dominating the skyline of the ground - and the city - a towering, tangible reminder of the scale of the ambition at the north Wales club.
The new £70m Kop stand is still lacking fans, still not completed, but the concrete and steel shape of an exciting future was obvious when both players and fans took their positions for the first fixture of the season at their changing north Walian home.
"It's exciting because it's a real symbol of hope ahead," said chief executive Michael Williamson.

#Watford

Key Takeaways
Bobby Flay celebrated Brooke Williamson's 48th birthday with a heartfelt message and photos from their time together
Fellow chef friends and personalities, including Hannah Berner, joined the birthday festivities with shared cakes and celebrations
The couple, who began dating in March 2025, recently competed against each other on Food Network's BBQ Brawl
Bobby Flay is celebrating Brooke Williamson on her birthday.

#bobby #hannah #march #Food

Callum Simpson reclaimed the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight ***** les after earning a unanimous decision in his rematch with Troy Williamson.
The impressive Simpson avenged the only loss of his career, when Williamson upset the odds to stop him in the 10th round in December.
The English pair put on another thrilling contest in Leeds which the judges scored 116-112, 117-112 and 115-113 in Simpson's favour.
The 29-year-old, fighting under new trainer Rob McCracken, rocked Williamson with a big right hand in the third round.
But Williamson, 34, hung in and stung the challenger in the eighth round. Then, knowing he needed a knockout, he took the fight to Simpson in the final round.

#simpson #british #december

DENVER (AP) — Ben Williamson scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning and Junior Caminero added a two-out RBI single as Tampa Bay rallied to beat Colorado 9-7 on Tuesday night after the Rockies roughed up Freddy Peralta in his Rays debut.
Williamson, the automatic runner at second base, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls and scampered home on a wild pitch by Nick Frasso (0-1), who was making his major league debut. That gave Tampa Bay an 8-7 lead before Yandy Diaz doubled and scored on Caminero's single.
Jonathan Aranda hit a two-run single off Rockies closer Jordan Romano to tie it at 7 in the ninth.
Liam Hicks launched a grand slam in his Rays debut off rookie Gabriel Hughes to give Peralta a 5-1 lead in the third. Hicks was acquired from Miami at the trade deadline Monday. The catcher's 15th homer was the first slam for Tampa Bay this season.
Peralta lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and nine hits. He went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA before coming over from the Mets in a trade Sunday. The two-time All-Star was 0-4 in his final seven starts for New York and hasn't won since pitching five innings in an 8-1 victory over the Braves on June 14.

#Rockies #rays

If you're packing up for a sunny summer holiday, don't forget to include your boxing schedule for August.
Despite being a traditionally quiet month, there is more than enough at the top end of the sport to get excited about, including an undisputed ***** le fight and the hottest young heavyweight in the world.
Let's run down the top five fights coming up this month.
Some rematches you can see coming a mile off. This is one of them.
Back in December, Troy Williamson (22-4-1, 16 KOs) turned Leeds upside down, flooring Callum Simpson (18-1, 13 KOs) four times in the 10th round to ***** a fight he was supposedly losing on the cards. He walked out of the First Direct Arena with the British, Commonwealth and European straps in the process.

#december

Caeleb Dressel is back.
The nine-time Olympic gold medalist went out first and held off a stacked field to win the men's 100 freestyle in 47.70 on night one of U.S. Nationals. This marks his fastest swim since the 2024 Olympic Trials in a statement effort that the former Olympic champion in this event is trending toward his old form. It capped a big day for Dressel, who had already served notice with a sub-48 prelims swim earlier in the day.
Four men broke 48 seconds in the final, a level of depth that can energize fans of Team USA. Brooks Curry took second in 47.81, Patrick Sammon was third in 47.87, and Virginia's Maximus Williamson, fresh off his impressive freshman year, grabbed to fourth in 47.93. Perhaps most notably, American Record holder Jack Alexy was seventh, a sign he's saving his best for the Pan Pacific Championships in August. Jerry Fox, Grant House and Henry McFadden rounded out the field.
The other headline swim of the night came in the women's 100 freestyle, where Virginia's Anna Moesch broke her own American Record in 51.88.
full recap below, along with a photo-finish women's 200 fly and a wire-to-wire win from World Champion Luca Urlando in the men's 200 fly.

#broke

Jersey's Filip Nowacki won his heat to make the semi-finals of the 100m ******* troke at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The world junior champion came back over the final 10 metres to overtake South Africa's Michael Houlie and clock a time of 59.93 - 0.21 ahead of Houlie.
The time saw the Jerseyman qualify third-fastest for the Friday night's semi-finals behind former Olympic champion Adam Ramsay-Peaty and Australia's Sam Williamson.
Nowacki is aiming to become the first person representing Jersey to win a Commonwealth Games medal since 1990.
He was the only Jersey swimmer to progress out of the heats as Megan Hansford finished fifth in her two heats.

#games #houlie #semi #heats

Adam Ramsay-Peaty shrugged off a bizarre delay to power through to the semi-finals of the men’s 100 metres ***** troke event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Ramsay-Peaty’s heat was temporarily halted as he was on the blocks when a lane divider broke off, requiring an official to strip to the waist and enter the pool to reconnect it.
Ramsay-Peaty duly wasted no time in recording the fastest time of the morning, 59.46 seconds, with only two rivals, Australia’s Sam Williamson and Filip Nowacki of Jersey, also finishing in under a minute.
The three-time Olympic champion is taking part in his fourth Commonwealth Games having clinched his first medals as a 19-year-old in Glasgow in 2014.
Since then he has become a fixture of the gossip columns after marrying Holly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon, in December last year, and experiencing a rift with the majority of his family.

#commonwealth

With the IBF world light-middleweight ******* le in his possession, Josh Kelly feels "it's a different version of me" since he dethroned Bakhram Murtazaliev as he promised to "put on a show" in his maiden defence against Caoimhin Agyarko on Saturday.
Kelly had to bide his time for his opportunity, but the silky 32-year-old from Sunderland grabbed it with both hands with a majority points decision verdict against the Russian in January, improving to 18 wins with one defeat and one draw.
In some ways, 29-year-old Belfast challenger Agyarko has followed a similar path, enjoying big promotional backing in spells under the Queensberry and Matchroom banners, but was cut adrift by the latter following what was then a career-best win over Troy Williamson in 2023.
Both men will walk to the ring in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's heavyweight return against Kristian Prenga fully aware of how tough it has been to get to this stage.
Kelly, who had to rebuild from a 2021 defeat by David Avanesyan, has rattled off eight successful wins, culminating in his ******* le victory over Murtazaliev in Newcastle, dropping the champion in the fourth before coming through a late storm and surviving his own 11th-round trip to the canvas.

#year #wins #defeat #caoimhin

Adam Ramsay-Peaty progressed through the 100m ****** roke heats with the quickest time of any swimmer in his first race at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
He won the final heat in 59.46 seconds - one tenth quicker than Australian rival Sam Williamson managed in heat five.
Ramsay-Peaty's 18-year-old Team GB team-mate Filip Nowacki, who swims for Jersey at the Commonwealth Games, was third quickest.
Peaty-Ramsay, 31, is chasing a fifth Commonwealth gold in Glasgow, 12 years on from winning two at the 2014 Glasgow Games.
The 100m ****** troke has always been his main event - he won Olympic 100m silver in Paris in 2024 after a difficult build-up including a break to protect his mental health - but he committed to competing up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics after the 50m race was added.

#quickest

Jersey's Filip Nowacki won his heat to make the semi-finals of the 100m ******* troke at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The world junior champion came back over the final 10 metres to overtake South Africa's Michael Houlie and clock a time of 59.93 - 0.21 ahead of Houlie.
The time saw the Jerseyman qualify third-fastest for the Friday night's semi-finals behind former Olympic champion Adam Peaty and Australia's Sam Williamson.
Nowacki is aiming to become the first person representing Jersey to win a Commonwealth Games medal since 1990.
He was the only Jersey swimmer to progress out of the heats as Megan Hansford finished fifth in her two heats.

#houlie #semi

TORONTO (AP) — Griffin Jax allowed one run in six strong innings, Victor Mesa Jr. drove in two runs and the Tampa Bay Rays used a three-run sixth to top the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Jax (6-7) gave up three hits and walked one while striking out five in his second quality start of the season. Bryan Baker earned his 26th save with a hitless ninth.
Mesa drove in the Rays' first run in the second with a single that tied it at 1.
Tampa Bay took the lead on Chandler Simpson's sacrifice fly in the sixth. Mesa hit another RBI single and Ben Williamson walked with the bases loaded to drive in Cedric Mullins to make it 4-1.
The Rays had batters reach on a bunt single, walk, an error and a hit by pitch in the sixth — the first time in franchise history they had all four in the same inning.

#sixth

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo aren't interested in taking advice on the terms of their divorce.
The "Save Me" singer, 41, and podcast host, 46, finalized their divorce on July 17, two months after filing in Williamson County, Tennessee. Within the court records, the two split due to irreconcilable differences.
Despite separating, Jelly Roll and Bunnie still plan to be very present in each other's lives. During a since-deleted episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, Bunnie revealed the two are "still having a baby together" via surrogate.
"We're going to co-parent together," she said.
According to the former couple's settlement, obtained by People, both Jelly and Bunnie were "separately advised" by their lawyers on the process involved with having children together in the midst of their divorce.

#jelly #podcast

Mike Boynton Jr. has added some head coaching experience to his Michigan staff.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Monday afternoon that the Wolverines are hiring Brown coach Mike Martin as an ****** istant. Martin, who is 44, has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2012 and holds a 171-202 record.
He did not lead the Bears to an NCAA tournament bid in his 13 seasons in Providence, though he did turn in five winning seasons and led Brown to a CIT bid in 2014 and a CBI bid in 2019. That season, he was also named the Ivy League's Coach of the Year.
Now, he'll provide some experience on staff for Boynton, who enters his first season as head coach after he was elevated following Dusty May's departure. Boynton managed to maintain nearly all of Michigan's roster despite the June coaching change, and now, he's shoring up his new staff.
The Wolverines retained much of their staff but saw some key changes. ****** istant Justin Joyner became the head coach at Oregon State, while Drew Williamson followed May to Dallas as an ****** istant. Akeem Miskdeen is still listed as a member of the Wolverines coaching staff, as is general manager Kyle Church.

Mike Boynton Jr. has made his first move as Michigan basketball coach.
The Wolverines are hiring longtime Brown head coach Mike Martin to fill an ******* istant coaching role, a person with knowledge of the situation but not permitted to speak publicly on the matter told the Free Press on Monday, July 13.
The 44-year-old Martin was Brown coach for 14 seasons (including 2020-21, skipped by Ivy League teams), hired by the Bears a few weeks before he turned 30. He was named Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2019 and is the first of possibly multiple staffers who could join Boynton and company after a summer of coaching turnover.
HONOR ROLL: Michigan legend Glen Rice named to Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Boynton was officially hired as U-M coach on Friday, less than three weeks after ex-coach Dusty May left for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. May took ******* istant Drew Williamson and Mody Maor, who was expected to join U-M's staff for the 2026-27 season from ******* an but was never formally announced.

With their fourth and final pick on day one of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners opted for UNC-Wilmington third baseman Trevor Lucas.
Lucas possesses an excellent blend of hitting ability and defensive chops that made him an attractive candidate for an M’s farm system lacking in depth at the hot corner. Comped to Ben Williamson by Scott Hunter, Lucas is a plus defender in the field and could bounce around the diamond if need be, but his arm strength and lateral movement should lend themselves well to wherever he happens to be playing. The M’s are bullish on his abilities on the dirt and view him as an ***** et defensively.
Offensively, Lucas posts some eye popping underlying metrics. Making a ton of contact and producing some very solid exit velocities, Lucas complements his raw batting ability with a sound approach at the plate, limiting chase and drawing a healthy amount of walks. Lucas walked more than he struck out this season, a trait that typically tends to translate to the professional ranks pretty well.
The feel to hit for Lucas is evident; he frequently barrels the baseball, and the M’s think there’s even more power to unlock once he’s in a professional development setting. The foundation for a very enticing prospect is certainly there, but proving it against a higher level of competition will be the next step for the former Seahawk infielder.
Lucas has reportedly agreed to terms with the M’s, coming in at an underslot $450,000 figure. This puts the Mariners roughly $450,000 under their allotted bonus pool entering day two, a decent chunk of change that should afford them some flexibility.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Andrew Williamson scouting report.
The 2026 is less than a week away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16 , their second round pick is at #54 , and their third round pick is at #89 .
Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Georgia high school outfielder Trevor Condon.
Trevor Condon is a 5’11”, 175 lb. lefthanded hitting, righthanded throwing outfielder out of Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. Condon turned 18 in early January. he is committed to the University of Tennessee.
Condon has a quality hit tool, though most reports mention his unorthodox swing. However, the BP write-up on Condon indicates that he’s reduced the amount of pre-contact motion he has in the box this spring, with his previous timing mechanism giving concerns about how well his swing would translate to the professional level. He gets good reports on his swing decisions and his contact ability. He is seen as having the potential for average power, with impressive bat speed and good strength. However, he hasn’t shown the ability in-game to pull the ball in the air, and his swing doesn’t generate a lot of loft.

The Tampa Bay Rays came into Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros riding a nine-game homer streak. That streak came to an end on a day of a shutout loss, when the lucky breaks did not go the Rays’ way.

Houston wasted no time accepting two unexpected gifts in the bottom of the first. Ben Williamson could not field Jose Altuve’s ground ball, and Hunter Feduccia’s throw sailed into center field on Altuve’s stolen base attempt, allowing the Astros’ second baseman to race all the way to third with only one out.
That usually ends with a run crossing the plate. Instead, Rays’ starter Mason Englert had other ideas.
After striking out Yordan Alvarez, Englert watched Isaac Paredes lift a harmless fly ball to shallow right, then froze Christian Walker with another strikeout to escape the inning unscathed. It was an impressive bit of damage control that could have easily unraveled after two defensive mistakes.
The Rays had survived their own sloppy start. Now they just needed to take advantage of it.
They almost did an inning later.

Former India captain Ajay Jadeja has backed Ben Stokes' decision to retire from international cricket, saying the England all-rounder made the "right call" and suggesting the decision reflected his unwillingness to let people outside the dressing room dictate how he should live his life.

Stokes announced his retirement after one of the most decorated careers in English cricket, bringing the curtain down on a journey that included match-winning performances in the 2019 ODI World Cup final, the unforgettable Headingley Ashes Test later that year, and several other memorable moments across formats.

Reacting to the announcement on Sony Sports, Jadeja said he admired Stokes for standing by his principles.

"I think he made the right call, and I'll go one step further. Especially for a country's cricket team captain to be told what he can do in the evening and what he can't, there are some people who can take it, but geniuses like him are not going to be ruled by people who are not on the field."
Jadeja added that he would have understood if such instructions had come from within the team setup, but not from administrators.

"If there are people in the dressing room wanting you to do something, that is a different story. But when people running the game try and tell you how to live your life and what to do, I am very happy. Not happy that he's going to retire and we won't see him play, but here is a man who said, 'OK, this is it.' He has been a controversial man. He played controversially."

Stokes' retirement came less than three weeks after he was involved in an off-field controversy following England's victory in the first Test against New Zealand. Stokes and Gus Atkinson breached the team's midnight curfew and were reportedly present during an incident at a London nightclub involving an ECB security staff member and a Saracens rugby player.

The ECB subsequently made both players unavailable for the second Test while an investigation by the Cricket Regulator was conducted, with Joe Root stepping in as stand-in captain.

However, the Cricket Regulator later found insufficient evidence to establish any breach of ECB Cricket Regulations and cleared both players. The ECB also stated that no blame should be attached to either player for the violent incident, confirming that Stokes was not involved in or witness the altercation, while Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, meanwhile, admitted he was saddened by Stokes' retirement, describing it as the end of an era.

"It's depressing for me on the count that two retirements of two all-time greats, Kane Williamson and Ben Stokes, and the surprising timing of the retirements as well."

Manjrekar said Stokes' greatness could never be measured solely by numbers.

"Ben Stokes, I maintained that this is not the guy who will average 50 or get 600 wickets, but he had this unique ability to perform greatness on the big