PHILADELPHIA — I was ready to be angry. Hell, I was angry. I wrote a whole column about how mad I was at myself for getting angry regarding the Home Run Derby format change. I still prefer the clock, but Monday night’s event in Philadelphia had positives. A good number of them. 

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Citizens Bank Park crowd sprang to life and stole the show late, making it an incredibly fun night before Cardinals breakout star Jordan Walker made an unlikely late surge to win it. This Derby was a rousing success. 

The potential problems with this Home Run Derby format

On the negative side, a new solution to a nonexistent problem is never a good idea. You know the old saying, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it?” Yeah, the Home Run Derby was not broken. It had been great ever since slapping a clock on it. The players and crowd making the event fun doesn’t mean the format change was necessary. 

You see, the Derby used to have a problem. By 2014, it had become a relative bore. The hitters were taking far too many pitches, either because they wanted a mini-rest in the batter’s box or because they were far too selective on the pitches they were seeing — really, it was a combination of the two. Then, Major League Baseball, prior to the 2015 Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati, decided to fix the problem. The league put a clock on the Home Run Derby, creating an urgency and preventing the players from taking pitches. It was a glorious recovery of an event that had gone sour.

Now, here in 2026, the format of the event was changed. For the worse, in my opinion. 

Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly as unwatchable as the 2014 version, and there were plenty of fun moments early. It’s a Home Run Derby. Of course there will be fun moments. Schwarber said after the event that this new format “gives us a little bit of a breather” and allows players to “pace it out a bit.” That’s fair. If someone said something along the lines of, “we don’t need to exhaust these guys just for our entertainment in a meaningless event,” I wouldn’t have a great rebuttal to that. 

Further, the taking of pitches was not nearly as big of a problem as it had become in the 2011-14 Derbies. There were pitches taken, but it wasn’t excessive. Willson Contreras took too many pitches in the second round, but he was facing off against a Philllies player, and the crowd booed lustily every time he didn’t swing. That part was actually funny. There was a repeat of this in the final round when Walker batted. We’ll get back to this fun. The final two matchups — Schwarber vs. Contreras and Schwarber vs. Walker — salvaged an event that looked doomed to disappoint. 

In all, the event didn’t drag on. It wrapped up in about two-and-a-half hours. The last few years, as the league continued to add extra time bonuses, the Derby probably went a bit too long. There’s a shelf life for watching bomb after bomb and once you hit the three-hour mark, you start to lose the crowd’s energy a little bit. Even Monday night in Philadelphia, the Junior Caminero and Walker portions of the second round were met with a veritable yawn from the crowd, and these are two of the most exciting, young sluggers in the game. There’s only so long you can cheer watching the same thing over and over. 

The place felt sleepy. 

How the Philly crowd helped save the night

Enter Schwarber and the Philly Phaithful. 

The Schwarber vs. Contreras bout in Round 2 was excellent theater, and the crowd was a big reason why. Sure, they were cheering a bunch for Schwarber, but Contreras’ turn was the most fun of the night. The crowd was booing the entire time he was up, quite loudly, until he’d hit a home run (they’d quiet) or swing and not hit a homer (raucous explosion). It was the most fun I’ve had with a Home Run Derby crowd since Todd Frazier walked things off in Cincinnati the first year with the clock. 

Then came the finals, and the crowd wasn’t done. It was absolutely electric for Schwarber’s entire turn (and the MLB homer leader hitting 11 home runs in 15 swings before finally falling short on his 16th swing had a lot to do with it). They never had time to settle down. He just kept launching ball after ball into the night. 

“Philly, I just wanna say thank you guys for all the support,” Schwarber said afterward. “You guys were amazing. I was trying to represent you guys the best I can. You guys showed out tonight. I can’t wait to see you guys tomorrow at the All-Star Game.”

Then came Walker’s turn and, again, the crowd was incredibly loud with the boos, quiet during homers and loud again during balls that fell short. It was top-notch entertainment. The crowd only deflated when Walker hit six home runs on his last six swings to steal the win from Schwarber.

“My thought was ‘Philly is brutal,’ honestly,” Walker said with a smile as he held a press conference with the trophy sitting in front of him. “But I think it’s pretty special because they love their players. That’s what you want from your home — where you play. I’ve never heard people cheer so loud for Schwarber and (Bryce) Harper. And those guys did their thing, for sure. But, you know, I can’t hate ’em because that’s their hometown guys.”

Contreras loved the scene, too. “I feel like I won,” he said (via Boston Globe). 

Should the clock come back?

We also had a chance to enjoy the majesty of the most prodigious of home runs. Without the clock, the pitchers were able to give a little time between pitches and the hitters could watch their shots fly into the stands. Everyone in the crowd — and at home — could watch the full flight path of the balls in the air without worrying about losing the next shot. We didn’t need to be overly reliant on the scoreboard and were able to easily count the number of home runs versus the number of remaining swings. 

It felt less frantic, too. 

You know what, though? I liked the frantic nature of action provided by the clock. It was a feature for me, not a bug. As an in-person product, I sure missed the drama of the clock. This is a once-a-year event with some of the strongest power hitters in the world. I loved that balls were flying all over the yard at a pace that most humans couldn’t keep up with. I liked being able to look at the scoreboard and think, “oh wow, he’s already to 13?” I liked glancing back and forth between the ball flying out of the yard and the clock and trying to figure out how many more home runs the hitter could squeeze in there. 

Now, there was some urgency at the end of the first round, notably involving both Phillies. Schwarber needed a late surge to surpass Munetaka Murakami, and then Bryce Harper made a run at taking out his teammate for the fourth and final spot. It was fun. The finals with Walker storming back to take out Schwarber with the four straight home runs was incredible, too. 

I just found myself clamoring for the clock. Even the Contreras and Walker rounds, when they faced Schwarber, having a clock wouldn’t have eliminated the fun the crowd was having. It still would’ve been a funny mix of boos and cheers.

Not everyone is going to agree with me. Plenty of people were excited about the format change and enjoyed a return to just leisurely watching bombs leave the yard with time before the next pitch. 

Me? Gimme back the clock and all the chaos with it. I enjoyed Monday night for the most part; I just missed the clock. But man, the Philly crowd fueled by the Schwarber run to the finals salvaged things before Walker took the air out of the place. 

Manchester United’s midfield is undergoing a dramatic revamp this summer and should be headed by an £80m arrival

Manchester United are gifting Michael Carrick a brand-new midfield this summer. And Bournemouth’s Alex Scott should be the big-name arrival.

Champions League football will soon return to Old Trafford after now-permanent boss Carrick guided his side to a third-place finish. Building a squad fit for the competition is now the top priority. The departure of Casemiro leaves a void that needs to be filled and the club have already begun doing just that.

Andrey Santos is now a United player after his £50million move from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans could follow him through the door. United are in advanced talks with Aston Villa over this transfer and have reportedly activated his £35m release clause. Ederson’s move now looks dead in the water and could be revisited later this summer. Still, three midfielders are expected to be signed this window.

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Tielemans could be treated as an alternative to Ederson and also plays as a No. 10. Kobbie Mainoo will likely anchor the double pivot that Carrick operates, so there is still somewhat of a need for a combative, box-to-box number eight. Scott fits the role like a glove.

If we take a look at United’s final game of the 2025/26 season against Brighton, they were already planning for life without Casemiro. Four attacking players were deployed in advance of Mainoo and Mason Mount in the double pivot.

Mainoo was incredible, winning duel after duel, running the show from a slightly more defensive position and looking composed out of possession. He was crucial to their 3-0 win.

Next to him, Mount also impressed as the eight, but United are crying out for a star who is perhaps more physical and can protect the young and inexperienced Mainoo at times. Scott is the answer. The 22-year-old was phenomenal last season for the Cherries as they qualified for European football, doing so for the first time in their history.

Bournemouth are attempting to tie him down to a new contract, but it is understood he currently sits at the top of United’s midfield shortlist. The club should not waste any time and launch a bid for the youngster, reportedly valued at around £80m.

Scott is a tenacious player who is adept at carrying the ball upfield. His positioning is elite and where he trumps Mount is with his intelligent defensive screening and ability to intercept the ball cleanly.

He possesses the tactical discipline to sit, handles defensive transitions like a true box-to-box number eight and would aid Mainoo whilst still acting as a primary progressor, getting the ball to Bruno Fernandes.

With Andrey Santos and Tielemans, if he does end up signing, you have great back-ups for both starters and a good deal of versatility. Not to mention, Mount can also come into the fray in certain scenarios if he isn’t sold.

Scott is the player United should be looking at to bolster their midfield and alongside his list of suitable traits, he is also homegrown, which is useful for European competitions.

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After reports quickly became common knowledge, Shakur Stevenson has finally signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing. While the news was expected to be followed by a fight announcement, the Newark southpaw has instead ruled out one of his rumoured rivals.

Stevenson is unanimously considered as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound superstars, with his undefeated record remaining intact despite him becoming the third-youngest four-division world champion of all time.

Now, Stevenson is seeking opportunities to take on his pound-for-pound rivals, with a clash against Devin Haney being suggested throughout 2026 thus far, until a move to Zuffa Boxing led to concerns that he may pursue an alternative fight.

Stevenson was also being mentioned for a fight with another Zuffa fighter, former WBA super-lightweight world champion, Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela. Yet, in an interview with ESPN, Stevenson made it clear that he would not be facing the Renton-based lefty any time soon.

“I’m turning the fight down publicly right now just in case that they do come to the table and say, ‘Oh, we want to fight Rayo.’ Shakur will not be fighting Rayo. That will not be happening.”

Instead, Stevenson maintained that he fully intends to take on boxing’s biggest names and that he will not be restricted to in-house Zuffa fights, calling for a clash with either Haney or Gervonta Davis next.

“Hopefully my next fight is with Devin Haney since Conor Benn isn’t here or, hopefully, it’s Gervonta Davis. I haven’t been calling his name lately, but now is the time to fight, so let’s do it.”

Despite Stevenson’s words, Haney seems more likely to face mandatory challenger, Keyshawn Davis, in a defence of his WBO welterweight world title, whilst ‘Tank’ Davis is expected to be sidelined until early 2027.

After a disappointing T20I leg that saw India lose 0-2 to Ireland and suffer a 0-4 whitewash against England, attention has now shifted to the three-match ODI series. But ahead of the opening match at Edgbaston, it wasn’t just India’s preparations that grabbed attention. During India’s training session in Birmingham on Monday, head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior batter Virat Kohli were notably not seen interacting, despite Gambhir spending considerable time with several other members of the squad. TimesofIndia.com was present at the practice session and observed that while Gambhir held multiple discussions with captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and other members of the support staff, there was no direct conversation between him and Kohli during the session.

No Kohli-Gambhir interaction at practice

The biggest talking point from India’s final training session before the first ODI was the absence of any visible interaction between Gambhir and Kohli.The session featured the full 15-member squad, including ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and the entire bowling group. Prince Yadav, who replaced the injured Harshit Rana in the ODI squad, also trained with the team.It was otherwise a routine session, with players going through batting, bowling and fielding drills. Shreyas Iyer did not bat in the nets, while the rest of the batting group spent time in the middle.

Kohli interacts with Kotak

Kohli, meanwhile, completed a lengthy batting session before spending time in conversation with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.The former India captain, known for his animated discussions, was seen gesturing several times while speaking with Kotak. However, unlike Gambhir’s interactions with other senior players, there was no visible exchange between the head coach and Kohli during the practice session.While it is possible that inputs were relayed through Kotak, no direct conversation between Kohli and Gambhir was seen during the training session.

Gambhir spends time with Gill, Rohit

As the session progressed, Gambhir was involved in lengthy discussions with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, the rest of the coaching staff and Rohit Sharma.Like the previous day, Rohit joined the batting nets later after completing his fielding drills. He then spent considerable time facing deliveries from the sidearm specialists.Another notable moment came when Gambhir and Shubman Gill were seen having a long discussion near the pitch. The pair appeared to be assessing the surface and the conditions ahead of Tuesday’s series opener. Gambhir also had another extended chat with Rohit Sharma as India fine-tuned their preparations.

Maxxine Dupri has undergone a complete character overhaul in WWE. She has now been given a new moniker on Monday Night RAW.

After weeks of being overlooked and stuck in limbo, Maxxine Dupri finally took it upon herself to carve her own path.

During the July 6 episode of WWE RAW, she helped Austin Theory and Bron Breakker dethrone the Street Profits as the World Tag Team Champions. She hit a nasty low blow on Angelo Dawkins, turning heel in the process.

After the match, Dupri jumped into Theory’s arms and shared a kiss, thus joining the Vision. Rumor has it that she will revert to being a valet.

Tonight on WWE RAW, Logan Paul officially introduced Maxxine Dupri as the newest member of the group and called her “The Vision Queen.”

It seems like she will be going by this new moniker moving forward.

The segment was cut short by Otis and Akira Tozawa, who tried to talk Maxxine Dupri out of joining the Vision. Interestingly, Otis was about to confess his feelings to Maxxine Dupri before being attacked by Austin Theory and Bron Breakker.

During the brawl, it seemed like Maxxine Dupri was going to kiss Otis, but that turned out to be a ploy to help the Vision get the better of the Alpha Academy.

Austin Theory hit Otis with a low blow and took him out with brass knuckles, which her on-screen girlfriend handed to him.

Bron Breakker destroyed Otis with a Spear, sending them a stern warning. A feud between the two teams could be in the works for WWE SummerSlam this year.

Maxxine Dupri explains why she joined the Vision on WWE RAW

Speaking on Complex Graps, Maxxine Dupri cited her recent shortcomings as one of the reasons behind joining the Vision.

“It just got to a point where I had to choose me. I’ve been choosing them for years, and that hasn’t gotten me anywhere. Also, let’s not forget, all those times when Becky (Lynch) was getting disqualified and purposely doing things so that I couldn’t win the title, where were they? Were they ever ringside for me? So, I had to do that on my own, and then, when I lost it, thanks to Nattie, where were they? So to me, it’s like, it’s not personal; it’s just about me choosing me but no one has been choosing me. Literally no one, and Austin (Theory) has chosen me so I’m choosing him and I’m choosing Maxxine.”

It looks like Maxxine Dupri will be more than just a valet, as WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman relieved himself of his managerial duties for the Vision during a backstage segment.