Our intro here pertains to Aaron Rai’s iron covers and his two gloves and his other unique characteristics, so I can understand if you want to click away, as the subject, while charming, has been talked about a bit excessively at this point. But there’s been something else going on with his quirks. I think it tells the bigger story.
It’s the thought of why he never changed.
After all, we’re a society of mostly conformists. There’s comfort in that — and the absence of discomfort. Golf and life can be hard enough, but sticking out adds another element.
Unless, of course, you don’t give a you-know-what.
“I think my dad played a really big role in that,” Rai said Sunday night. “For the most part, it was just the two of us who used to go onto the golf course and practice together, probably up until I was 13 or 14. So I think he was very much an advocate to really just stay in your lane, focus on the things that you can do.
“And I didn’t really mix with a lot of other junior golfers, which didn’t give me a perspective of what was normal. So I think he kind of sheltered me to be able to develop in a way that made sense for me, in a way that I guess was a little bit unique with two gloves, with iron covers, et cetera.
“I think by the time he probably allowed me to play more kind of club golf, play professional golf, I felt like I was strong enough in why I did certain things to be able to continue to move that forward. I knew the reasons why I do them. I believe in the reasons why I do them. So I had no reason to really shift from that as I got older. So, yeah, that’s probably the main reason behind it.”
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That all said, I think it’s OK to emulate this thought.
As we look back at the PGA Championship week that was at Aronimink Golf Club, let’s make that observation No. 1 then. We’ll try for 49 more, and, to help the mood, we’ll mix in some Philly music.
2. My grandpa had iron covers. Red ones even.
3. Let’s talk more about Rai. I liked this answer when he was asked about his wife, Gaurika, who’s also a pro golfer:
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“She’s been incredible. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn’t be here without her. Both as a companion, as a friend, as someone I’m sharing my life with, but also as a real support system for my game. She’s a professional golfer herself. So her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself is absolutely invaluable. She encompasses so many different sides in her opinions.
“We even had a conversation yesterday for probably 30 minutes in the car just before we got back to the hotel, just speaking a little bit about today. Again, some of the things that she mentioned in the conversations were really with me today.
4. What was that conversation in the car about? The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig wrote about that, and you can read her story here.
5. Who wins in a match between husband and wife?
“We practice quite a lot together. Honestly she beats me more times than I beat her,” Rai said. “When we have putting contests, chipping contests, we do some wedge games on TrackMan, I do well to keep up with her. She really is that good.
“We play a little bit on the course, but I’ve played Sawgrass — that’s where we live — a little bit more than her, and I think that little bit of experience helps. But it’s still very close with us even on the course.”
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6. How did the Rais meet? Golfweek’s Adam Schupak wrote about that, and you can read his story here.
7. Where was Rai planning to celebrate after his win? As he said he wasn’t sure, Gaurika shouted at his press conference, “He’ll probably have Chipotle.”
“I do love Chipotle on the road,” Rai said. “So we’ll probably go to Chipotle.”
8. I also thought Rai’s story on how he played courses growing up was interesting.
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“Up until the age of around 12 years old, I used to play off basically a customized course length, which gradually got longer and longer every year from the age of kind of 7 to 12,” he said. “… I was playing off the fairways and trying to make the course short enough for me to score par or better even as an 8-, 9-, 10-year-old.
“I thought it was a great idea. My dad thought it was a great idea.”
As he aged, Rai farther and farther moved back.
“My dad really thought that idea was great in terms of just installing the abilities and the skills to be able to score and the distance would just follow with age and with growth.”
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9. Of course, if you’re going to read just one Rai story today, please make it be this one here. It’s about the time Rai and I hunted for ghosts. Seriously.
10. You can learn a lot about a person through the thoughts of others, and I liked this one here, from pro Paul Waring.
I’ll never forget watching Aaron Rai do putting drills at 7pm on the Wednesday of the 2022 Irish Open. It was hammering down, he was soaked and still stayed out.
I cheered every putt he holed with a Guinness in my hand under cover of the terrace.
12. The week-long talk of no one pulling away on the leaderboard? Behind a four-under 31 on the back nine on Sunday, Rai ended it, along with the tournament itself. His 68-footer for birdie on 17 will also go down as one of the PGA’s all-time moments.
13. So why were there so many players at or around the lead throughout the tournament? Certainly, there’s always the possibility of that happening — who’s to say that the best in the world can’t all go out and shoot the same score?
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But Aronimink seemed to dictate play — there weren’t many ways to approach holes, other than the safe route, so most everyone did that. Find the fairway, find the safe pocket on the green, hit a couple of putts and move on.
The question is, how much of that is the course’s fault, and how much of that is the players’?
14. Let’s talk more about Aronimink — and two of the big questions of the week: Was it a good course for the PGA? And was it set up properly?
Hmm, how much time do you have?
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But maybe the answer is easier than you think, if you ask yourself this:
Did you like watching?
I think that’s mostly what matters in this. Golf is entertainment.
15. I did laugh when I heard Brandel Chamblee say on Golf Channel’s “Live From” show that a course manager knows they’ve set up a course right when the players start to [expletive].
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16. Here are a couple player thoughts on Aronimink and the setup that I thought were interesting:
Said Rory McIlroy on Saturday: “Look, when you have a set of greens like this, you can start to frustrate people pretty easily, I think. You heard it in me last night. You heard it in Scottie [Scheffler]. I saw some of his comments. Shane [Lowry]. I think there was a lot of guys that were frustrated yesterday coming off the course.
“Again, it’s frustrating to us, but at the same time, it creates a helluva entering championship. If I wasn’t playing this tournament, I’d love what’s going on this week, but watching and playing are two different things.”
17. Said Patrick Reed on Saturday: “It’s just different. I mean, I think that’s the easiest way. It’s a different challenge, and that’s the cool thing about it is it’s on its own.
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“But the great thing about all the golf courses we play, no matter where it is, whatever major championship we’re playing, if you’re hitting the ball well and you’re putting well, you’re going to be able to handle anything. We’re the best players in the world, so when they throw a really hard challenge at us, that’s when the top players are going to show up.”
18. Music break! The Roots’ “The Seed (2.0)” was heavily played during ESPN’s and CBS’ coverage, so let’s use it here. It’s a favorite.
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19. What would I, the 15-or-so handicap, shoot, with the wind, the rough and the pin locations, along with just the course itself?
How much time do I have?
20. But man, a lot of folks were wrong about how the course would play. The predictions of low numbers had Jon Rahm feeling strange.
“I would like to know who came up with that, by the way,” he said on Saturday. “Honestly, when I heard people talking about 20-under par, it made me question my ability to read a golf course, because I was looking at the greens and where they could put pin locations, and possible wind, I just — my mind was never — I actually got worried. I’m like if somebody shoots 20-under, the amount of records they’re going to break this week would be unheard of.
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“You know why I think that can happen is also the fairways up here by the numbers are probably wide. They don’t play as wide as they really are. Holes like 7, 10, 15, with how much slope you have to the fairway, you have to hit a very accurate golf shot to be in it. Like that, you can add 2, too, 4 — maybe not on 6, but like I said, 10, 12, 15, 16, right?
“You need to hit — with the slope of the fairway and the wind going with the slope of the fairway, it plays a lot more difficult than I think a lot of people would have foreseen at first with how much they’re rolling out.”
21. Let’s talk about some players.
In the first major since LIV Golf learned that it was losing its funding from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Rahm, one of LIV’s biggest stars, tied for second. I thought one of the more interesting quotes of the week came during his pre-tournament press conference, where he was asked what he learned from a strong showing at last year’s PGA.
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“It was really fun to be out there in the landscape nowadays in which as players in LIV we hear a lot of things from articles, from social media, from comments,” Rahm said. “While I understand why things are being said, it’s something you have to deal with.
“To go on that Sunday playing against Scottie, that has the lead, and to feel the support and love from the crowd is what made it really enjoyable. To realize that sometimes the truth is very different from what this makes or made up to be. When I made that birdie putt on 11 and I hit those good shots on 12 and 13 and almost made the putt on 13, the support from the crowd and the cheering from the crowd was what made it so much fun.
“It was a realization of having such support from the crowd and playing good golf that made me realize in a way how I’m truly perceived from the public, as opposed to what I read sometimes.”
22.Bryson DeChambeau, another LIV star, shot seven-over over two rounds and missed the cut, after missing the cut at the Masters.
What are your expectations for him at the U.S. Open, where he’s won twice?
23.Cam Smith had missed four straight cuts in the majors, then tied for seventh at the PGA. He recently started working with swing coach Claude Harmon III, after moving on from Grant Field, whom Smith had been guided by since he was 9.
“Probably one of the most difficult phone calls I’ve ever had to make,” Smith said Sunday.
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“And, yeah, it’s still kind of lingering, but I feel like I’ve made the right call, and I can see it in my golf and just my strike of the ball and seeing some different shots. It’s been nice.”
24.Patrick Reed played the Masters in April, didn’t play for four weeks, then tied for 10th at the PGA. Interestingly, he’ll have the same schedule heading into the U.S. Open — no tournaments for four weeks — as he’s been mostly playing a DP World Tour schedule while serving a PGA Tour suspension due to his time with LIV Golf.
“Yeah, this year’s a little different,” he said. “Honestly, I enjoyed my time at home. I enjoyed actually getting to grind, to prepare, and work on things and get ready for this week. … Who knows, it might be a new thing.”
25. My favorite exchange of the week? This one:
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Moderator to McIlroy, after he shot a four-over 74 in the first round: “How would you describe your opening round?”
McIlroy to moderator: “Sh*t.”
26. My favorite story this week? This one, from Justin Thomas, who was asked on Sunday if there was an “art” to sitting on a clubhouse lead.
“I don’t know if there’s an art,” he said. “I can tell you how there isn’t because it happened to me one time in Hartford, Conn., one year. It was actually the same day that [Jim] Furyk shot 58, I think it was. I shot like 61 or 62, and I finished pretty similar, like the leaders were on the middle of the front nine.
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“I had a buddy that was out there watching me, and we went in the clubhouse and probably had like four or five beers at lunch. Next thing you know, it’s two-and-a-half hours later, and I’m still the leader in the clubhouse. The wind picked up 15, 20 mph, and the leaders were on like 15. Jimmy [Johnson] was caddieing for me at the time. He’s at a Subway like an hour and a half away. He’s like what do we do?
“I’ve never not wanted to be in a playoff before, but I kind of didn’t want to be in a playoff then. That wouldn’t have been a good situation.”
27. It’s strange not seeing Scottie Scheffler in the top three or so, right? That’s Tiger-like.
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28. Alex Smalley will win a major. Maybe this year still.
29. I think Xander Schauffele will win another major. Maybe this year still.
30. I think Ludvig Aberg will win multiple majors. Maybe this year still.
31. I think Garrick Higgo will never miss another major tee time again. Notably, Golfweek’s Schupak reported here that Higgo has also parted ways with his caddie.
37. The video below, as always, is great. Padraig Harrington’s social media accounts shared it on Saturday night — after Harrington finished his third round. A true content machine.
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38. Here are a few of my favorite reads this week from the GOLF.com staff. From Michael Bamberger, his story here that wrapped up the tournament was great.
39. From Dylan Dethier, his story here on Rai was great.
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40. From Sean Zak, his story here on the PGA at Aronimink was great.
41. From Josh Schrock, his story here on Cam Smith was great.
42. Those four jawns above were pretty good jawns, right?
43. Music break! I mean, if I didn’t go with the “Rocky” theme song, what am I even doing here?
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44. With that comes an admission: I’ve never seen the original “Rocky.” I’ve watched “Rocky III” and “Rocky IV” about 3 million or 4 million times each. But never the original. (Or “Rocky II,” for that matter.) I have no excuse. I’m watching it tonight.
45. Or maybe I should watch “The Dark Knight” like McIlroy. He said he was going to watch the movie on Saturday night.
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46. Another admission: I’ve never had a cheesesteak. My dad was a meat butcher for 50 years, and I like sub sandwiches, but somehow it’s escaped me. That won’t change tonight — because I want the best. Where should I go both in Philly and outside of Philly? My email is nick.piastowski@golf.com.
47. Who wins the next two men’s majors? Let’s go with Aberg at the U.S. Open, and Matt Fitzpatrick at the Open Championship.
48. Who wins the next four women’s majors? Let’s go with Nelly Korda at the U.S. Women’s Open, Lydia Ko at the Women’s PGA (which would give her four of the five women’s majors), Charley Hull at the Evian and Minjee Lee at the Women’s Open (which would also give her four of the five women’s majors).
49. A quick and deserved nod to Leonie Harm, who, on Sunday, won the Amundi German Masters — 13 years after she suffered multiple injuries after she was hit by a drunk driver while running. In 2023, she wrote a story for Golf Digest about her experience, and you can read that here.
TaylorMade’s Spider putter line keeps racking up majors, although this time it’s not from Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler or any contracted TaylorMade player.
The TaylorMade Spider Tour V Flow-neck putter Aaron Rai used to nail the 68-foot birdie putt on the 71st hole to slam the door shut at the PGA Championship is a putter he uses completely by choice.
Rai’s Spider Tour V was part of the 2024 edition of Spider putters and has found the bags of several players at times, including Collin Morikawa and Nelly Korda. Shane Lowry has had one in his bag since the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which he won with McIlroy. The Tour V model has a more tapered body than the Spider Tour or Tour X models and features adjustable weights just behind the face, giving it a more forward CG.
In using a TaylorMade Spider Tour V, Aaron Rai is going to become the fifth major winner in the last six to use a Spider putter in the last six.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy won the other four with the Spider Tour X.
That more forward CG helps to emulate the CG location of blade putters, making the Tour V a great option for players seeking to move into the Spider platform from a blade.
Rai’s putter features a unique flow neck, similar to the one Morikawa has on his Spider Tour X, that gives the putter a bit more face rotation to the stroke.
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The 31-year-old switched to this putter late last August from a face-balanced TaylorMade TP Hydro Blast DuPage mallet, which also featured a Pure Roll insert. This past week at Aronimink, Rai was fifth in SG: Putting, gaining 1.7 strokes per round on the field, including nearly four in the final round.
With the victory, a Spider Tour putter has not only won five of the last six majors, dating back to McIlroy’s 2025 Masters win, but it’s also won eight events already this season, including both major championships.
While the Spider Tour V Rai used is no longer available at retail, the Spider Tour and Spider Tour X head shapes are currently available and feature much of the same technology, most notably the Pure Roll insert. TaylorMade putter rep James Holley credited the insert with much of the Spider’s success on Tour.
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TaylorMade Spider Tour X Custom Putter
THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION
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We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance.
STEEL WIREFRAME
Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.
HYBRAR ECHO® DAMPENER
HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation.
DIFFERENT CG LOCATION
Each Spider Tour model features different CG locations for optimal putter fitting.
TSS WEIGHTING
TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths.
GUNMETAL PVD FINISH
The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT
The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT
Made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment.
REFINED HOSEL DESIGNS
Spider Tour Series includes two different hosel shapes and designs. The small slant produces toe hang, and the double bend produces a face balanced design.
“Any of the guys that have switched like Scottie or Tommy, they see such a big improvement inside that 20 feet,” Holley, who fit Rai into his Spider, told GOLF. “Especially out on Tour, that’s where those guys make their money. Statistically, the best putter and the worst putter from 30 feet, there isn’t that big of a difference from a strokes-gained perspective.”
There’s also a new Spider Tour V shape that debuted on the PGA Tour last month, in what appears to be the next generation of the putter. Brooks Koepka put that model in play last week, which appears to also have the forward weighting based on the weight placement.
MS Dhoni finally returned to the MA Chidambaram Stadium on a matchday in IPL 2026. It was Chennai Super Kings’ final home match of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Dhoni returned to Chepauk. He joined the players on the ground and even took a round of the stadium, clicking photos and waving at the fans. There has been a lot of speculation around Dhoni’s career going forward, but on Monday, Dhoni looked calm as he interacted with the players. Even Sunrisers Hyderabad players were in awe of the India icon.
While Dhoni is yet to make a statement about his future, there’s speculation that the IPL 2026 season could be his last. With Sanju Samson taking his place behind the stumps and the franchise looking to build a new team around youngsters, Dhoni’s return next season looks highly unlikely. His actions after the match against the Sunrisers could be seen as a hint.
Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the Indian Premier League playoffs after Ishan Kishan anchored them to a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Monday. Hyderabad’s win also ensured Gujarat Titans a place in the four-team playoffs. Defending champions and league leaders Royal Challengers Bengaluru were already through, meaning only one place remained to be filled in the knockouts.
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Five-time champions Chennai were still in contention but needed to beat Gujarat in their last league match on Thursday and hope for other results to go in their favour.
Hyderabad, playing its first game after a week’s rest, cruised to 181/5 with an over to spare as Kishan scored a breezy 70 off 47 balls and Heinrich Klaasen mastered spin with a knock of 47 off 26 deliveries.
Chennai made 180/7, struggling against the variations of the Hyderabad fast bowlers. Captain Pat Cummins led with 3/28, with support from Sakib Hussain‘s 2/34 and Eshan Malinga‘s 1/26.
On a slow pitch, Chennai were well served by Dewald Brevis (44) and Kartik Sharma (32), scoring at a healthy rate in the middle overs.
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But they were overshadowed by Hyderabad’s Kishan and Klaasen, with Klaasen having been dropped on 18. The pair combined for 75 for the third wicket until Klaasen was stumped. Kishan batted on to take his team to within six runs of victory.
With PTI inputs
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026 | Delhi Capitals Wins By 6 Wickets Against Mumbai Indians: Redemption For Sameer Rizvi
NEW DELHI: With 7 games remaining in the league stage of IPL 2026, LSG and MI are already out of contention for the playoffs. RCB, GT and SRH have now qualified. RR is best placed among the others followed by PBKS. KKR, DC and CSK are still in the mix but have slim chances. There are now 128 possible combinations of results, so nothing is for sure yet for any of the five remaining in the race. We look at the probabilities:
RCB are now sure to qualify and to at least finish tied for no.1 in terms of points. Their worst case scenario is a three-way tie for first place with GT and SRH
SRH’s win over CSK on Monday means that both SRH and GT have qualified and for both the chances of at least being tied for the second spot are a healthy 75%
RR have a 43.8% chance of ending up among the top four on points and they could still end up in a three-way tie for second spot with SRH and GT, but there’s only a 6.3% chance of that
PBKS can at best finish sole fourth (28.1% chance) or tie for fourth spot with KKR (10.9%)
KKR’s chances of making the last four singly or jointly are now at 20.3% and if they do tie for the last slot it will be with PBKS
DC’s chances of making the last four singly or jointly are now at 18.8%. Their best case is sole fourth (3.1%)
CSK’s best case scenario after Monday’s loss are tied fourth with RR or DC or both and even that is only a 14.1% chance
How we arrive at the probabilities: There are 128 possible combinations of results remaining with 7 games to go. For each team, we looked at how many of these end up with them being among the top four either singly or tied. We also looked at how many combinations put each team in the top two either singly or jointly. For instance, RCB finish at no.1 on points in all 128 possible combinations of match outcomes, in some of them as sole leaders and others as joint leaders.
Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Midwest modified drivers Darren Engesser of Gary (11S), Tom Neitzel of Watertown (2DR), Taylor Schmidt of Aberdeen (15) and Scott Hansen of Garden City (31) battle in a heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Midwest modified drivers Darren Engesser of Gary (11S), Tom Neitzel of Watertown (2DR), Taylor Schmidt of Aberdeen (15) and Scott Hansen of Garden City (31) battle in a heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Watertown late model drivers Curt Kranz (87) and Ryan Engels (1) race side-by-side during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Parker Gilbertson of Watson, MN (23JR), Ryan Nelson of Castlewood (73) and Tony Croninger of Watertown (8T) hit the pedal in a Gen X late models heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Matthew Moes of Watertown (0) and Dylan Tirrel of White (7) are pictured in a hornets heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Coltyn Schuler of Montevideo, MN (16J), Al Schmidt of Watertown (12) and Adam Dehne of Medina, ND (77D) compete in a street stock heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Watertown late model drivers Trevor Anderson (20) and Chad Williamson (57) hit the pedal during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
A group of Gen X late model drivers, including Bodie Croninger of Watertown (811), Curt Kranz of Watertown (87), Tyler McFarland of Goodwin (19), Blake Swenson of Watertown (10X) and Trevor Walsh of Watertown (15), are bunched together during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Tony Miller of Browns Valley, MN (80) leads Chris Serr of Aberdeen (01) in a street stock heat during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Hornets drivers Paxton Tjaden of Boyd, MN (87TJR), Adam VanDerostyne of Canby, MN (3) and Jeff Rohner of Willmar, MN (08) battle for position during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Tommy Nichols of Watertown won the Midwest modified feature during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Jake Wranek of Sioux Falls takes the checkered flag in a Midwest modified heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Tyler Peterson of Hickson, ND won a late model heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Todd Stark of Watertown (33) holds a slim lead of Terry Reilly of Watertown in a Midwest modified heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Maria Broksieck of Goodwin leads Jason Marko of Watertown in a street stock heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown. Broksieck won this heat but Marko later won the feature.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Thomas Weisgram of Northville (16) held off Charlie Olsen of Henricks, MN (10CO) to win the first heat of late models during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Alex Tschakert of Kent, MN (01) and Ryan Nelson of Castlewood (73) turn a corner in a Gen X late models heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Six drivers kick of Casino Speedway’s 72nd season with feature wins
Tony Konold of Clear Lake (15) leads Andy Brooker of Tulare (8) and Nate Heinrich of Bellingham, MN (10H) in a modifed heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown. Konold won the heat and later also won the feature.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Hornets drivers Jesse Lindner of Watertown (11), Bradley Rossow of Florence (555), Brandon Downs of Milbank (21), Skylar Burgher of Watertown (front left) and Matthew Moes of Watertown get the green flag at the start of a hornets heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Late model drivers Chad Becker of Aberdeen (12) and Laela Eisenschenk of Fargo, ND head down the backstretch during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Jeff Rohner of Willmar, MN (08) leads Nathan Smith of Watertown in a hornets heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown. Rohner later won the hornets feature.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Andy Brooker of Tulare (8) and Mike Stearns of Aberdeen (24S) turn a corner in a modified heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Six drivers kick of Casino Speedway’s 72nd season with feature wins
Mike Stearns of Aberdeen (24S) leads Trevor Walsh of Watertown (20) in a late model heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown. Stearns went on to win the late model feature later in the evening.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Brittany Swenson of Watertown (11X) and Brandon Fisher of Miller battle for position in a Gen X late models heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
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Mother’s Day opener kicks off racing season at Casino Speedway
Nate Heinrich of Bellingham, MN (10H) pushes past Mike Stearns of Aberdeen (24S) in a modified heat race during the season-opening Mother Day’s racing program on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Casino Speedway in Watertown.
WATERTOWN — The second stock car racing progam of the season was wiped out by rain on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at Casino Speedway.
The 11th Casino Speedway Memorial is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 and will feature all six regular classes of cars: late models, Gen X late models, modifieds, Midwest modifieds, street stocks and hornets.
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Racing is scheduled to open at 5 p.m.
Below are highlights from other weekend racing events throughout northeastern South Dakota and west central Minnesota (for complete results from all area races, visit myracepass.com).
ABERDEEN — The third weekly program of the 2026 season at Brown County Speedway was h3eld on Friday, May 15.
Super stock driver Trevor Nelson of Warner won his third-straight feature of the season. Aberdeen drivers Chad Becker (late model) and Mike Stearns (modifieds) and Huron’s Nick Perry (Midwest modifieds) each won their second features.
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Broc Stout of Winner (street stocks) and Ryan Erdahl of Jamestown, ND (legends) also added feature victories.
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Area drivers who won heat races included Becker and Stearns, late models; Eric Cease of Bath, Taylor Schmidt of Aberdeen and Lorin Johnson of Miller, Midwest modifieds; and Stearns and Garrett Gross of Aberdeen, modifieds.
The field included 80 cars: 19 Midwest modifieds, 18 street stocks, 12 super stocks, 12 late models, 11 modifieds and eight legends.
Another weekly racing program is scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
Watertown Gen X late model drivers Hope Swenson and Trevor Walsh (15) race during the season-opening racing program at Casino Speedway in Watertown on May 10, 2026. The May 17 program at Casino Speedway was wiped out by rain. Walsh did get some racing in over the weekend, winning the Gen X late model feature at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, MN on Friday, May 15.
Dakota State Fair Speedway
HURON — Area drivers Maria Broksieck of Goodwin, Scott Hansen of Garden City, Brad Kopecky of Miller and Mike Stearns of Aberdeen each won feature races on Saturday, May 16.
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Broksieck won the street stocks feature, Hansen Midwest modifieds, Miller super stocks and Stearns late models.
Chad Becker of Aberdeen won a late model heat race during the program, which featured 58 cars (16 street stocks, 14 Midwest modifieds, nine super stocks and nine late models).
Another racing program is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 7 p.m.
MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — Ryan Flaten of Madison, MN won both the Midwest modified and modified features on Friday, May 15.
The Midwest modified feature win was his second of the season at FCS.
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Jason Best of Clarkfield, MN (pure stocks) and Keith Tourville of Janesville, MN (street stocks) each also won their seconds features in three weeks.
Bailey Rosch of Alexandria, MN (super stocks) and Williams Large of Staples, MN (hornets) also won feature races.
Flaten also won Midwest modified and modified heat races. Area hornets drivers Bradley Rossow of Florence and Adam VanDerostyne of Canby, MN also added heat wins.
There were 76 cars on hand, including 18 hornets, 17 Midwest modifieds, 16 street stocks, nine super stocks, eight pure stocks and eight modifieds.
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A Hornets Special kicks off the racing program scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
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I-94 Speedway
FERGUS FALLS, MN — Trevor Walsh of Watertown won the Gen X late models feature during the Wissota Late Model Challenge Series Special at I-94 Speedway on Friday, May 15.
Minnesota drivers won the other features, including Kevin Burdick of Proctor (late models), Tanner Bitzen of Brandon (Midwest modifieds), Kyle Dykhoff of Starbuck (street stocks) and Jeff Rohner of Willmar (hornets).
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The NRCA Late Models will be part of Military Appreciation Night scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sportsor email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
After drawing the highest bid at breeze-up sales, Tron Bolt is gearing up for a Group 1 challenge following his decisive midweek triumph at Randwick’s Kensington venue.
“There’s the Sires’ Produce in Queensland. It’s two-and-a-half weeks (away), or the same day at Rosehill there’s a 1300. It will be one of the two,” trainer Chris Waller said of Tron Bolt’s next start.
“Ideally, he can win then or run well and go to the J J Atkins.
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“He was a nice Ready-To-Run horse, and he’s impressed us since day one.”
This Toronado offspring, Tron Bolt ($2.70), ran third in his April debut at Kembla Grange but dominated Wednesday’s Hawaii Five Oh @ Vinery Stud Handicap (1400m).
With James McDonald aboard, he surged late to prevail by three lengths over Rolling Home ($8.50), as stable companion Unhinged ($2.50 fav) filled third a long head behind.
Chris Waller has proven adept at selecting two-year-olds that mature into Queensland carnival stars, notably for the J J Atkins, viewing Tron Bolt as ideal.
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“It works well, and we’ve had it in mind for him for a while,” he said.
“He obviously needed to win today. He is a lovely, scopey horse, that’s why I’m thinking a mile.”
This week’s announcement of a spell for St Gotthard, the Ken Russell Memorial Classic winner from Saturday, doesn’t weaken Waller’s Atkins assault.
Stormy Marco, victor of the Clarendon Stakes, and Nation’s League, the runner-up who scratched midweek at Kensington, accompany Tron Bolt towards the juvenile prize.
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“They need to keep improving,” Waller said.
“I like to give them a run or two at two, otherwise they find it hard to measure up at three.”
Mention modern minimalism and most golfers know what you’re getting at. The term describes light-on-the-land designs that move with the terrain rather than riding roughshod over it. It’s been the dominant aesthetic in golf course architecture for decades. But it’s also evident in clubhouse design.
Consider Desert Mountain Club.
The North Scottsdale landmark, hosting this week’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, has seven clubhouses, one for each of its courses. But its signature structure — and the central stitch in the club’s social fabric — is the Cochise-Geronimo clubhouse: a 72,000-square-foot space that is as subtle as it is sublime.
On a recent visit, GOLF.com received a guided tour from architect Bob Bacon, who set out to create something functional, enduring, and understated. In his view, the desert is “a visually fragile environment” where trees top out around 20 feet. “If you’re not careful,” Bacon said, “buildings can overwhelm it instantly.” So he designed a structure that doesn’t jump out of the mountain. It grows out of it. Walls reach into the landscape, anchoring the building to the earth, transitioning from the ground rather than leaping up from it.
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“It looks like it belongs there,” Bacon said.
The stonework deepens that sense of rootedness. Bacon described the materials as an homage to the Anasazi ruins at Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in New Mexico. That’s a cultural reference as much as an aesthetic one, lending the building “a timeless anchor.”
“This is the southwest,” Bacon said. “It needs to be durable. It needs to look like it’s been here forever.”
The features of the building are both hard-lined and fluid. The interior gives way seamlessly to the exterior, allowing for an interplay that Bacon said is only possible in the southwest. Even the views are carefully managed: the clubhouse offers 360-degree sightlines across desert and peaks, but Bacon resisted the temptation of unframed panoramas, which he believes are almost numbing in their lack of nuance. So he designed columns and rooflines to frame the vistas, re-proportioning sky and ground to keep the emphasis on the horizon while creating multiple intriguing views instead of a single, uninterrupted vista.
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He wasn’t chasing any particular architectural style, he said. The goal was something functional, beautiful and unobtrusive. Which is to say, both simple and complex.
Minimalist? Sounds about right. You can watch the entire clubhouse tour below.
Manchester City can still win the Premier League title heading into the final week of the league season
Manchester City know that anything less than two wins against Bournemouth and Aston Villa will see Arsenal crowned Premier League champions. The Gunners defeated Burnley 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium thanks to Kai Havertz’s first-half header, which extended their lead at the top of the table to five points.
City can still mathematically catch Mikel Arteta’s side, but know they need to win both of their remaining Premier League fixtures and hope Arsenal drop points on the final day of the season against Crystal Palace.
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If the Gunners do draw with the Eagles on the final day of the season, the Premier League title could be go down to goal difference.
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City have already beaten Arsenal last month, giving them a head-to-head advantage should the two teams be level on goal difference, though City have scored more goals than the Gunners. Pep Guardiola’s side picked up their second trophy of the season after beating Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
The City boss urged his side to take the title race to the final day of the season and said: “The important thing is to arrive at the end with options.
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“All we want is to be with our people in the last game to try to fight. To extend for these last four or five days what we have to do is win at Bournemouth.”
City head to the Vitality knowing they’ll face a Cherries’ side in the race for European football and if they drop points on the road, Arsenal will be crowned champions.
“They are 16-17 games unbeaten,” Guardiola said looking ahead to the Bournemouth clash. “The run is unbelievable.
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“The only chance we have is to win the game. We have to break that run, otherwise it will be over.
“When you arrive in the last fixtures and you are playing for something important, and the opponent is not playing for anything it is always easier.
“That is not the case tomorrow and they have had 10 days just thinking about us. Now we start to think about them.
“But it is what it is. We are used to it. It is not complicated. We have to win.”
The San Antonio Spurs will be without their starting point guard to open the Western Conference Finals.
De’Aaron Fox will miss Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+, 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT) due to an ankle injury, per multiple reports.
Fox had yet to miss a playoff game for San Antonio this season, averaging 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals across 11 appearances.
The news comes as a sudden shift after head coach Mitch Johnson previously said the all-star guard was expected to suit up.
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Earlier on Monday, Fox indicated that his status would ultimately come down to how his ankle responds during an adjusted pregame routine, adding that he was “just going through the day” to determine his availability.
Fox first suffered the injury in Game 4 of the West Semis vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves when Ayo Dosunmu landed on the Spurs guard’s right ankle while diving for a loose ball midway through the third quarter. Fox has been dealing with ankle soreness since then.
It’s unclear who will start Game 1 against OKC in place of Fox, but sophomore Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper will likely take on the bulk of ball-handling duties in the veteran’s absence.
Minnesota Wild fans reacted strongly after GM Bill Guerin once again spoke about the team’s search for a true No. 1 center this offseason.
Speaking Monday, Guerin admitted the Wild are still trying to improve down the middle and said the team would stay aggressive if the right opportunity comes up.
“The talk here is always the No. 1 center. You know, obviously, that’s, we’ll see what’s available,” Guerin said. “I think I’ve shown you, and our fans, and everybody involved that if there’s something out there that can make our team better, I’m willing to do it, and I won’t sit on my hands.”
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After Michael Russo shared Bill Guerin’s comments on X, much of the reaction centered around Minnesota’s recent move involving Quinn Hughes
The Wild had previously landed Hughes after former New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald failed to work out a move for him, and there has already been speculation about whether Hughes could eventually sign a long-term contract with the Wild.
Another fan questioned why Minnesota did not address the issue earlier.
“Shoulda gotten THAT at the trade deadline instead of Hughes,” the comment read.
Some fans also questioned whether the Wild even have enough assets or cap space to add a top-line center this summer.
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“I don’t see how we have the assets or cap space for that,” the fan wrote.
“And how long have we been looking for a number one center? maybe he should take every draft pick that he has left and draft nothing but centers and pray that one pans out.”
Others suggested bringing back former Wild forward Mikael Granlund from the Anaheim Ducks.
“Bring Granlund back…” the comment read.
Minnesota had also reportedly explored a move for Robert Thomas before the trade deadline in a package involving Jesper Wallstedt and Danila Yurov, though nothing ultimately materialized.
Bill Guerin believes Wild are close despite playoff disappointment
Even after the playoff exit, Bill Guerin still believes that the Minnesota Wild are moving in the right direction. Minnesota was eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round last week, ending what was still the team’s deepest playoff run in more than a decade.
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The Wild had not made it past the opening round in 11 years, but Guerin admitted the loss was still difficult to accept because of the expectations surrounding the group.
“This one, for me personally, and I know in talking to John and talking to some of the players, this is the worst one,” Guerin said during the team’s season-ending press conference.
“This one hurts the most because I think there was the reality of doing something special.”
Still, Bill Guerin said the Wild believe they are getting closer, especially with more cap flexibility and the progress the team made this season.
Stephen A. Smith is firing back at Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics star called the popular ESPN personality the “face of clickbait media” during a Twitch live stream over the weekend.
Brown referred to Smith as a “clown” as well, but the veteran sports pundit took time on Monday’s edition of “First Take” to address those comments in a long rant of his own.
“I’m not going to disrespect Jaylen Brown,” Smith said. “…He’s pointing the finger in the wrong direction. Point it at yourself, bro.”
Stephen A. Smith questioned whether NBA players feel safe in Memphis, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant responded during an NBA event in 2024.(Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Smith had criticized Brown for saying this past season with the Boston Celtics, which ended in the first-round of the playoffs with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, was his favorite with the franchise. Brown responded on Sunday night by telling the ESPN personality to “be quiet.”
“Did he just say I needed to be quiet? Be quiet for who?” Brown said Sunday night. “Man, f— Stephen A. Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C. My offer still stands. You want me to be quiet and stop streaming, well, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks because you’re not using your platform to do real journalism. You’re using your platform to use clickbait.”
“Tell this mother—-er to retire because he’s the face of clickbait media at the point and maybe with his retirement we can spark a movement to get the rest of these mother—-ers out of here — or to also have some type of … forget journalistic integrity, actual integrity in order to hold themselves accountable to the bulls— takes they put out.”
Smith doubled down on his previous comment, though, in Monday’s monologue.
“The Boston Celtics, the most storied franchise in basketball annals, 18 [championships]. You helped deliver one of them just two years ago. Two years later, y’all surrender a 3-1 lead for the first time in its history, in franchise history, with you driving the bus. And 24 hours after you didn’t go to the basket in the final two minutes, after y’all launched three-point shots on six separate occasions and missed every one of them. [In] 24 hours after that was over, you went on camera as a representative for the Boston Celtics and called it your favorite season. A season where Jayson Tatum was on the bench for 60 games, a season that ended with you losing a 3-1 lead, a season that ended with you getting bounced in the First Round. You went on and said that was your favorite season.”
“Since you represent the franchise, I was simply providing a heads up that it wasn’t wise from somebody who is considered relatively wise to say that 24 hours after being sent home, after surrendering a 3-1 lead in the postseason for the first time in franchise history. That’s what I said.”
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Celtics star Jaylen Brown fired back at ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith after the “First Take” host told Brown to “be quiet” following Boston’s playoff collapse.(Imagn Images)
Smith ended his rant with a warning for Brown.
“In the end, Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for,” he said. “You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might feel about you, how the city might feel about you, how Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you. Sneaker deals, endorsement deals, the list goes on and on.
“The season is over, bro. You’re on Twitch trying to do what I do, and me needing to step away. It makes no sense. I’m not being disrespectful. I’m simply making the point it is not wise after 24 hours of having your season over in the First Round for you to be coming out talking about how that’s your favorite season. It ain’t the smartest thing in the world to do.”
Smith also prefaced his statement by saying how he’s been on Brown’s side throughout the season, as well as in the past. He brought up his philanthropy within his community and explained how much he respected Brown.
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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 30, 2026.(Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
As Smith mentioned, the Celtics were shockingly bounced from the NBA Playoffs after losing three straight games to finish their first-round series with the Sixers. During the regular season, with Tatum rehabbing his way back from injury, Brown was the focal point of the Celtics, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Boston ended up earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference after going 56-26, but they couldn’t finish against Philadelphia, ultimately setting unfortunate franchise history in the process.
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