Sports
5 Vikings Theories That Aged Poorly as of Late
Heading into every offseason, Minnesota Vikings fans and various media members manufacture some theories that come true — and some that don’t quite pan out. The following chronicles the takes that seemed likely at the time but later felt flat.
For example, during the 2025 offseason, many believe that Minnesota would sign Aaron Rodgers. That didn’t happen. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s the 2026 edition of poorly-aged Vikings theories.
Vikings Rumor Mill Missed on Several Big Names
1. Oregon Safety Dillon Thieneman Was the Obvious Round 1 Draft Choice
For about four to six weeks, every NFL mock draft — like every single one — linked Thieneman to the Vikings. It was almost a variation of The Mandela Effect.
Despite no Vikings insiders validating the connection, the theory continued all the way up to draft night on April 23rd. With Thieneman indeed on the board, surely Minnesota would select Thieneman and call it good, right? They just had to fulfill the prophecy, correct? Absolutely not. The Vikings picked defensive tackle Caleb Banks, making the long run of Thiemenan-to-Minnesota theories look silly.
Meanwhile, Thieneman, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears, evidently did not run with the first team at OTAs this week. Bear Goggles On‘s Anthony Miller observed, “It’s very early on in the process to prepare for 2026, and there has to be some kind of method to the madness, but it’s interesting to say the least that.”
“Thieneman is not with the starters. Johnson’s decision might come as the team tries to avoid rushing him into the lineup and to let him learn before being thrown into the starting lineup.”
2. The Vikings Would Draft a Notable RB, WR, and C
Some thought Minnesota would draft a running back like Jonah Coleman or Emmett Johnson before the draft’s late rounds. The Vikings also hosted a litany of prominent mid-round wide receivers before the draft. And at center, Blake Brandel was the only decent option, a guy who started his career as a tackle and later switched to guard.
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski then selected no players at these positions until Round 6.
Instead, the Vikings will roll with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason at running back, Jauan Jennings at WR3, and the aforementioned Brandel at center. Fans will hope that Round 6 runner Demond Claiborne is a draft steal.
3. J.J. McCarthy Would Be Tradebait Because of Kyler Murray’s Arrival
Soon after the Vikings signed Murray in March, the world decided that McCarthy may not be able to coexist with Murray. Some claimed he’d request a trade; some said he was gone via trade during the draft.
None of that happened, and McCarthy is currently locked in a quarterback competition with Murray — just like the Vikings advertised in March.
If McCarthy is traded, it will probably be because he soured on the franchise and wanted a fresh start. That has not happened yet. NFL insider Jason La Canfora wrote this week, “Minnesota would likely not fetch much for McCarthy under these circumstances, and it might require an injury elsewhere to create more demand. If O’Connell couldn’t get much from him and opted to sell low on him, that would resonate around the league.”
“But it also stands to reason that obvious friction between a new QB you need to win with now, and one who has to quickly come to grips with watching games and not playing them so soon after being drafted that high, is far from ideal.”
4. Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson Would Be Cut
When the offseason arrived, many assumed that Minnesota would cut Jones and Hockenson because of their hefty 2026 price tags. It would then have March and April to use free agency and the draft as a blank canvas for new playmakers.
Yet, the Vikings proposed paycuts for both, and the pair accepted. Jones and Hockenson took lesser salaries in 2026 and are now slated to be unrestricted free agents in 2027.
The takes about Jones and Hockenson release indeed made sense, but they didn’t play out.
5. Jonathan Greenard Would Be a Longtime Viking
Danielle Hunter left the Vikings during the 2024 offseason, choosing his hometown team, the Houston Texans, for his career’s second chapter. Minnesota turned around and signed the Texans’ main pass rusher — Greenard — to replace him.
It lasted two years.
Six weeks after signing Greenard, former Vikings boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finagled an expensive trade for Dallas Turner during the draft. That was apparently a pick to make Greenard’s stay short in Minnesota because the Vikings traded Greenard during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Most playoff-contending football teams don’t trade their best EDGE defender, but Minnesota did precisely that. In fact, when the Greenard trade rumors took hold in March, it just didn’t seem real that the Vikings would trade him.
But they did.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The New York Yankees scored 13 runs in an inning for the first time in nearly 21 years Sunday as their first 12 batters in the third reached safely against an overwhelmed pitching staff for the Athletics.
The game began well for A’s starter Jacob Lopez, who retired all six New York batters in the first two innings. But then trouble came quickly in the third when he failed to retire any of the seven hitters he faced, starting with a single by Anthony Volpe.
The totals in the inning were staggering as the Yankees had 11 hits and four walks. They sent 18 batters to the plate and faced 75 pitches during their most productive inning since scoring 13 runs in the eighth against Tampa Bay on June 21, 2005. It was one off the franchise record for an inning set July 6, 1920, against Washington.
Lopez walked two batters after Volpe’s hit and then failed to cover the bag on Paul Goldschmidt’s bases-loaded grounder to first, allowing a run to score on an infield single. Ben Rice followed with a two-run double, Aaron Judge blooped a single to center and Cody Bellinger hit an RBI single to knock out Lopez.
The next five batters also reached safely against reliever Michael Kelly, marking the first time in 17 seasons that a team started an inning with 12 straight batters reaching safely, according to Sportradar. The Boston Red Sox were the previous team to do it on May 7, 2009, against Cleveland.
This marked the first time the Yankees had 12 consecutive batters reach safely in an inning since the first game of a doubleheader on Sept. 11, 1949, against Washington. It was just two batters off the record since 1920 that came when Detroit had 14 straight reach in the sixth inning against the Yankees on June 17, 1925, with Hall of Famer Ty Cobb hitting a home run in that inning.
The Yankees scored 10 runs before the first out was recorded when Goldschmidt struck out. Rice followed with a two-run triple, giving him two multi-run extra-base hits in the same inning.
Bellinger capped the scoring with an RBI single, marking the first time since 1950 that the A’s allowed at least 13 runs in an inning. They gave up 14 in the first inning of the second game of a June 18 doubleheader that season.
In all, eight of the nine Yankees batters had at least one hit and one RBI in the inning, with Austin Wells the lone exception with two walks. All nine batters scored a run.
The inning went so long — lasting 43 minutes — that Yankees starter Will Warren had to go to the bullpen to get loose during the inning.
For the fifth time in its six years as a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Cracker Barrel 400 is a sellout, Nashville Superspeedway director of marketing Alan George said on May 31.
The 2026 race reached capacity at 38,000 before its 6 p.m. CT start. It was the fourth time in the last five years the race sold out ahead of the scheduled race time. A sellout was announced during the second stage of the 2024 race after a rain delay.
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The 2023 race, formerly known as the Ally 400, sold out a week in advance along with the inaugural race in 2021, which was the first NASCAR Cup race in the Nashville area in 37 years.
CRACKER BARREL 400 LIVE UPDATES: NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville live updates, highlights, leaderboard
The only year the race did not sell out was in 2022, when attendance was slightly over 30,000.
Fans attending the 2026 race have come from all 50 states and 26 countries, according to track officials.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Nashville race sold out
Tim Tszyu has fired back at Terence Crawford, promising to prove him wrong when he locks horns with Errol Spence Jr on July 25.
The pair will collide at a catchweight of 158lbs in Australia, where both former world champions hope to reignite their careers.
For Tszyu, this represents a chance to secure his first significant victory since 2023, back when he claimed the WBO super-welterweight title against Brian Mendoza.
After that, the Australian lost a split decision to Sebastian Fundora in 2024, before suffering a more punishing third-round stoppage defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev that same year.
Tszyu’s relevance at world level was then further diminished by a seventh-round stoppage loss to Fundora last July, with the 31-year-old now hoping to re-join the world scene at 154lbs.
In order to do so, he must first defeat Spence, who has not fought since getting stopped in nine rounds by a masterful Crawford in July 2023.
Prior to that, ‘The Truth’ was considered among the welterweight elite but, now, at the age of 36, it remains to be seen exactly what he has left to offer.
Yet despite the American returning from a three-year layoff, Crawford still believes his former foe has what it takes to defeat Tszyu.
In response, Tszyu has told Jai McAllister that, while he respects Crawford’s opinion, he ultimately intends to prove the former three-division undisputed champion wrong.
“Everyone’s got something to say – I respect that. Crawford knows his boxing but, unfortunately, when that fight [with Spence] does happen, it’s not going to go down that path.”
With a home advantage and a greater run of activity, Tszyu certainly has several reasons to be confident ahead of his showdown with Spence.
LOS ANGELES — Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto left Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a left wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch.
Realmuto was struck on the left wrist by a fastball from Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading off the third inning, with Philadelphia trailing 1-0. Realmuto was examined by a trainer and remained in the game as a baserunner. He was back on the field at catcher in the bottom half of the inning.
However, Realmuto was replaced behind the plate by Rafael Marchán when the Phillies came back out on defence in the fourth inning. The team said Realmuto would undergo further evaluation.
The Phillies were trailing 2-0 when Realmuto exited.
The 35-year-old Realmuto came into the game batting .220 with two homers and nine RBIs. He is in his eighth season with the Phillies and has won two Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards.
GALLOWAY, N.J. — Celine Boutier rallied from a four-shot deficit Sunday, making three birdies around the turn on her way to a 5-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Arpichaya Yubol in the ShopRite LPGA.
Soo Bin Joo, the 22-year-old South Korean going for her first LPGA Tour title, lost her four-shot lead at the turn and then fell behind for good on the 13th hole, the same hole where earlier Boutier had taken the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt.
Joo missed another fairway to the right into a clumpy lie, pitched back to the fairway, sent her wedge over the green with a front pin, chipped 8 feet by the hole and missed the putt, taking a double bogey to fall three shots behind.
Boutier kept hitting solid shots, rarely getting in trouble. She missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole to post at 9-under 204, and no one could catch her.
“To have a chance to win today is definitely something very special,” said Boutier, the 32-year-old French player who won the ShopRite LPGA five years ago. “I think it’s great tournament, very special for me, so really excited to be able to have another win here.”
Yubol, who was penalized one shot in the second round Saturday for going over her maximum time, birdied the last two holes for a 66. It was her second runner-up finish of the year, having finished four shots behind Nelly Korda in Mexico.
Lauren Walsh (67) finished third, followed by Joo among four players who tied for fourth.
“It was so fun. It was my first time leading the tournament, and I think I did my best out there as much as I can and I prepared well and I’m very proud of myself,” Joo said. “I was trying to do my best to stay mentally calm, and I think I still got to work on that a little more.”
Chizzy Iwai, who also started four shots behind, had two birdies in three holes, but then closed with 15 straight pars.
Boutier finished the front nine with two straight birdies to reach 7 under, and that gave her a share of the lead when Joo made bogey on the par-4 eighth. Boutier then hit her approach to 4 feet for birdie on 10th. Joo caught her with a birdie on the ninth but couldn’t keep up the rest of the way.
The ShopRite LPGA is one of two 54-hole events on the schedule, and the field was particularly weak this year — one player from the top 10 — because of timing. The U.S. Women’s Open is next week across the country in Los Angeles, held at Riviera for the first time.
Boutier now has seven career LPGA title and 12 worldwide. She has struggled to start this year, with a tie for ninth her best finish among 10 tournaments.
“I feel like my game has turned around the last few weeks. I could see it coming together, and I definitely did not expect it to come together this week and today,” she said. “But I’m super excited to be back in the winner’s circle.”
 "The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires")
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires
Paris police detained dozens of people after violence disrupted celebrations late Saturday of Paris Saint-Germain’s second Champions League title win and a group tried to storm a police station in the French capital.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle earlier in the evening in Budapest, Hungary, where PSG won by beating Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near the Arc de Triomphe, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, with police working to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires. Cars were also set ablaze. One police officer was injured. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood were dispersed, police said.
It said that by 10 p.m., 45 people were taken into custody.
The main ring road surrounding Paris was briefly blockaded by a crowd before police dispersed it. Police also said one bakery and a restaurant were damaged.
Officers also contained about 1,000 people gathered near the PSG stadium in the 16th Arrondissement and cleared barricades made from bicycles.
In May last year following PSG’s first title, when 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France, Paris was on high alert, with 8,000 police officers deployed across the city.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: May 31 2026 | 10:58 PM IST
Starting up front in Kai Havertz’s absence, Deniz Undav impressed in Germany’s 4-0 friendly win over Finland on Sunday night, scoring twice and providing an assist.
After the game, the Stuttgart forward drew praise from Julian Nagelsmann, who felt the 29-year-old was unlucky not to have found the net earlier in the match.
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“Deniz was very dangerous, he was a bit unlucky with his first finish. He was involved in three goals and played a good game,” said Nagelsmann, according to Bundesliga.de.
Undav was forced off after picking up a knock while scoring his second goal, but both the striker himself and Nagelsmann played down the injury afterwards.
“I think everything is fine with Deniz. He had a very heavy workload in Stuttgart and has played a lot; he looked happy in the dressing room. He did very, very well again today,” Nagelsmann said.
Another standout performer was 18-year-old Bayern prodigy Lennart Karl, who impressed on the right wing on his first start for Germany.
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“Karl had a lot of actions in the first half, he tried a lot and also had good moments again and again in the second half. He’s a player who will be very valuable for us,” said Nagelsmann.
Overall, the Germany coach was pleased with what he saw.
“The boys executed the game plan very well, we started very well, the first 15 minutes were very good. In the second half we also defended deeper at times, and then we also scored on the counterattack, which does us good. The result is good, we didn’t concede, so we can continue like this,” he said.
Great Britain’s Max Burgin ran a season’s-best time to win the 800m at a Diamond League meeting in Morocco.
Burgin, 24, crossed the line in a time of one minute and 42.98 seconds as he beat off a competitive field at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
After a strong start to the race, he held off a late pursuit by Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:43.56) to to clinch his first Diamond League victory.
Algeria’s Slimane Moula completed the podium as he finished in third place while Ireland’s Mark English was 11th in 1:45.
“I expected a race like this where someone would push me to my maximum,” Wanyonyi said.
“I have done my best and 1.43 is not a bad time for me. My focus this season will be on the 800m, not the 1500m”
Elsewhere, GB’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished second in the 400m with a time of 44.25 seconds, just behind Jacory Patterson of the United States.
“It’s good to be back, I have had a lot of niggles but it is a great opener. Now I need to build on that for the rest of the season,” Hudson-Smith said.
GB’s Molly Caudrey finished seventh in the pole vault with a jump of 4.60m – 20cm behind winner Nina Kennedy of Australia.
RJ Abarrientos (with ball) soars to the hoop. —MARLO CUETO
ANTIPOLO—When Barangay Ginebra eliminated Rain or Shine on Sunday, it marked the ninth time the franchise reached a PBA Finals in 12 tournaments with Justin Brownlee as import.
But with the Gin Kings caught in the middle of a title drought, there is a new king of hunger for Brownlee as he and his teammates try to turn the Commissioner’s Cup into a celebration for their legions of fans.
“Hungry? Man, you hear my stomach growling?” Brownlee said in jest when asked by the Inquirer about his bid for a seventh PBA title, a record for imports, following Ginebra’s 118-107 win over Rain or Shine at the Ynares Center here.
Ginebra won the series, 4-2, before a crowd of more than 11,000, with Brownlee going off for 31 points plus 15 rebounds and five assists and RJ Abarrientos unloading 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
The Gin Kings became the first team to reach the championship round of the midseason conference and will face either the TNT Tropang 5G or the Meralco Bolts in a best-of-seven affair.
Cementing BPC case
It will be the seventh consecutive conference that Ginebra will play for the title with Brownlee as reinforcement. But the last three times have been a frustration since the beloved franchise ruled the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup.
They fell short in all of those Finals to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT, including last season’s version of the second conference, following a thrilling Game 7 that went to overtime.
“I think as a team, we really believe that it’s our time,” he said. “Being here before and having lost the last three times, we think it’s our time and we think we can get that hump and get a championship.”
To achieve that, Brownlee will need a lot of support from a number of guys, primarily Abarrientos, whose last two games may have cemented his case as the Best Player of the Conference.
Game 6, however, wasn’t about just Brownlee and Abarrientos. Scottie Thompson came up with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists; Ralph Cu was again solid off the bench, knocking in 11 points, while Isaac Go provided quality minutes, finishing with nine points.
Sigh of relief
Coach Tim Cone could only heave a sigh of relief that Ginebra was able to close out a determined Rain or Shine side that stayed within striking distance throughout the contest, responding with timely shots and key stops.
“We don’t want to go to a Game 7 against a Yeng Guiao team. That would have been a disaster for us,” Cone said. “So we put all our eggs into one basket tonight because we don’t want a Game 7.”
While Ginebra advances, Rain or Shine was dealt with another semifinal exit, the fifth in the last six conferences.
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