The Los Angeles Angels have the worst record in the majors and they are run by the worst owner in baseball in Arte Moreno.

They also have the longest current playoff drought, which means even the Pittsburgh Pirates have been part of the postseason fun since the Angels last were involved in 2014. The last playoff victory? Try 2009.

The Angels gave out one of the worst contracts in baseball history by signing third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal in 2020 and he played in just 257 games for the club. They made another horrific decision by not dealing Shohei Ohtani prior to the 2023 trading deadline.

Not trading a huge talent heading out the door to free agency for a bushel of prospects set the stage for the team’s poor 17-34 record this season. The Angels have been outscored by 69 runs, the largest differential in the majors.

Los Angeles has dropped 89 or more games in each of the past seasons. The Angels have no future and no present to go with their very unproductive recent past that includes 10 straight losing seasons.

Fans have noticed as they broke out “Sell the Team” chants at Moreno this week.

Angel Stadium once had “Kids in the Outfield” but it’s now home to men who can’t play.

It’s also largely empty and very quiet – unless fans of the visiting team flock to the ballpark.

It was very loud last August when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking homer in the top of the ninth inning to help the Chicago Cubs notch a 3-2 victory. Cubs fans were everywhere and it was like Wrigleyville near the Chicago dugout.

Of course, late August is a time when there’s no reason for the locals to head to Anaheim with the playoffs out of sight. Playoffs is Fantasyland.

And it will be the same thing this summer with the Angels regularly sinking under first-year manager Kurt Suzuki and possibly saying good-bye to sixth-year general manager Perry Minasian after the season if not earlier.

The Angels have dropped nine of their last 10 games heading into Friday’s home contest against the Texas Rangers.

The victory during that stretch was of the amazing variety.

The Angels were being no-hit entering the ninth inning by Oakland Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn on Monday night. Adam Frazier broke up the no-no with a single and Zach Neto followed by delivering a walk-off, two-run homer.

The celebration was intense and crazy but at least nobody broke their leg like Kendrys Morales did in 2010 after his walk-off grand slam to beat the Seattle Mariners.

This time, it’s just broken spirits. The victory snapped a six-game slide but momentum didn’t follow.

The Angels allowed 14 runs on Tuesday and then lost in extra innings on Wednesday and Thursday. Frazier, the second baseman, couldn’t get the ball out of his glove Thursday on a no-doubt inning-ending, double-play ball and that allowed the A’s to take the lead.

Frazier is one of several Angels who should be shipped by the trading deadline. Others include third baseman Yoan Moncada, outfielders Josh Lowe and Jorge Soler, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, left-handed starters Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers and right-hander reliever Kirby Yates.

The Angels ought to revisit discussions with face of the franchise Mike Trout, who turns 35 in August, and see if he’s ready to go. It’s certainly a slippery slope for an 11-time All-Star in his 16th season with the organization.

But the team’s last winning season came in 2015 when Trout was the undisputed best player in baseball.

Trout no longer resembles that version of himself. He won three American League MVP awards, finished second four times and finished fourth once in the eight-season period from 2012-19.

Midway through this decade, he’s just another guy who plays outfield. He’s no longer a difference-maker and is highly injury prone. The 130 games he played in last season are the most this decade.

Trout is batting .233 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games this season.

Basically, the Angels need a full-on facelift. This isn’t an easy fix – that opportunity was there in 2023 and the club failed to act.

And this is the big mess that’s left.

TNT Tropang 5G’s Jordan Heading during a game vs Meralco Bolts in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Jordan Heading said TNT’s locals will need to take on a bigger role following the injury to import Bol Bol in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.

After TNT absorbed an 87-76 loss to Meralco in Game 2 at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Heading told the Inquirer that the team’s immediate priority is helping TNT’s incoming import adjust quickly.

“Us locals definitely have to step up our leadership in terms of introducing whoever our new guy would be in our system,” he said. “We’ll try to help him feel at home as soon as possible, we’ll take the lead in making sure that he’s good to go.”

EXTRA HEARTBREAKING 💔

Jordan Heading talks about losing Bol Bol due to a partial achilles tear when TNT was already building good chemistry with its import. #PBA50 | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/VdpZ2iFlWo

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) May 22, 2026

Bol was ruled out for the remainder of the conference after suffering a partial Achilles tear in the first quarter.

As of writing, TNT is choosing between former NBA players Darius Days and Marquese Chriss as possible replacements.

Whether TNT picks Days or Chriss, Heading said the locals will do their part in helping the new import adjust to coach Chot Reyes’ system.

Heading also admitted that Bol’s injury was especially painful because TNT had already started building strong chemistry with him at the right time.

“Our chemistry has been really good with Bol, it became something we wanted it to be at the time that it mattered,” he said. “It’s extra heartbreaking with how well we’ve been gelling lately and how things have been going.”

TNT will play things by ear before Sunday for Game 3 at the same venue.

Pep Guardiola conducted his final pre-match press conference as Manchester City manager on Friday.

Pep Guardiola will miss Manchester, and Manchester will miss Pep Guardiola. Well, the blue half will anyway.

As the manager conducted his final pre-match press conference after deciding to call time on his glorious decade in charge at the Etihad, he was a man at peace. The time is right to depart, the energy levels are dwindling, the beach is calling.

He will take time out of football, he will relax, go on holiday and play golf. But make no mistake, Manchester will always be a part of him.

Click here to find out the latest Manchester City news in our daily newsletter

Guardiola has fallen in love with the city, he even said he would miss the Manchester rain. He’s eschewed erstwhile football haunts in Cheshire and lived in the city centre since his arrival.

His wife and daughter were watching Ariana Grande when the Manchester Arena attack happened, he felt the city’s remarkable resilience, its power, and its community.

It was perhaps fitting that Guardiola spoke to the media on the ninth anniversary of the attack. “When you live 10 years you are not just at the Etihad or the CFA. You live in this city.”

The 55-year-old’s voice caught when he discussed the honour of having the new North Stand named after him and the pride he will feel having the Guardiola name forever part of the club. His dad, Valenti, 94, is coming to watch the Villa game on Sunday.

“It’s an incredible honour to have his name in this beautiful place,” said the Blues boss. “I’m speechless, no words. What can I say? Khaldoon called me this morning and said the club made that decision. I like to feel that my vibe or my energy will be there forever, I said okay good energy for the team.”

Energy is one of the factors that has prompted his decision to depart. It’s been a while in the making but Guardiola is sure the time is right.

“I feel I will not have the energy that is required every three days to fight for titles, being in front of the players. I know myself I have that energy now but I feel I will not have that. It’s 10 years.”

It is 10 years, but what a 10 years. The like we won’t see again.

Virat Kohli and Rasikh Salam Dar (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Rasikh Salam Dar’s celebration said it all after he sent Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head’s stumps cartwheeling during their IPL 2026 clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.After being hammered for three consecutive boundaries by Head, Rasikh responded with a brilliant yorker that shattered the left-hander’s stumps. The young pacer then gestured with his right hand near his ear, seemingly asking the crowd to raise the noise once again after silencing them with the crucial breakthrough.The cameras also panned towards Virat Kohli, who was visibly pumped up and celebrated Head’s dismissal even more aggressively than the bowler himself.Head departed after scoring 26 off 16 balls, an innings laced with five boundaries.Earlier, SRH captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first against RCB.Returning to the playing XI after missing the previous game due to concussion, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar replaced the injured Jacob Bethell, while SRH retained the same combination.RCB are the defending champions, having beaten Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final. In IPL 2026, they also became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.SRH vs RCB – Playing XIs:Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, R Smaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (capt), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib HussainImpact substitutes: Aniket Verma, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal PatelRoyal Challengers Bengaluru: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh HazlewoodImpact substitutes: Tim David, Kanishk Chouhan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox.

AFTER a decade of dominance, Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City and to celebrate his time at the Blues, the M.E.N. have produced a stunning special souvenir edition

Celebrating over a decade at City, this souvenir edition is a must-have for every City fan. You can order your copy here. He arrived with a stellar reputation having won the Champions League twice and three LaLiga titles with Barcelona, before adding three Bundesliga crowns with Bayern Munich. His time in Manchester brought sustained domestic dominance, including three FA Cup wins and five Carabao Cups, while his other successes included the Club World Cup.

Advertisement

Among the standout achievements of his tenure were the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2023, a domestic treble in 2019 and a record-breaking 100-point league campaign in 2018.He leaves after a domestic cup double this term. Our special edition relives the success of Pep’s time at the Etihad, with analysis from our City experts, special features and amazing images. Order your copy here or pick up at participating retailers in the Manchester area from June 3, 2026.

Accor Stadium will play host to Friday’s
Round 12 NRL game between Canterbury Bulldogs and
Melbourne Storm. The game kicks off at 8:00 pm with Canterbury Bulldogs heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canterbury Bulldogs vs.
Melbourne Storm
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Friday May 22, 2026 at 8:00 pm

Where: Accor Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm Odds

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm Preview

Canterbury and Melbourne meet at Accor Stadium on Friday night with both clubs facing very different expectations despite sitting outside the competition’s top contenders. The Bulldogs are under mounting pressure after slipping to five straight defeats, with last week’s loss to Cronulla exposing ongoing defensive issues and a lack of attacking polish. Cameron Ciraldo’s side now faces another major challenge without captain Stephen Crichton, although the return of Jacob Kiraz provides a timely boost out wide. Melbourne, meanwhile, continued its strong recent form with a comfortable win over Parramatta during Magic Round and has largely dominated this fixture in recent seasons. The Storm will be heavily affected by Origin duties, losing key stars including Cameron Munster and Harry Grant, forcing Craig Bellamy to rely on several younger players. Even so, Melbourne’s depth and recent record against Canterbury make the visitors difficult to overlook heading into Friday’s clash.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru LIVE Updates, IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are off to a good start but have lost the wicket of opener Travis Head early against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in their crucial IPL 2026 clash in Hyderabad on Friday. SRH have reached 63/1 after 6 overs, with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the crease. Both teams have secured their playoff berths, but are battling for the final top two spot in the points table. RCB are favourites for it, and are welcoming back skipper Rajat Patidar. Pat Cummins-led SRH need a huge victory to overcome the NRR difference and beat RCB in the standings. All eyes are on RCB talisman Virat Kohli, who is on the verge of a massive IPL record. (LIVE SCORECARD)

SRH XI vs RCB: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.

RCB XI vs SRH: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru LIVE Score | SRH vs RCB LIVE Updates, IPL 2026, straight from Hyderabad: