Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) celegbrates with centerfielder Steven Kwan (38) after hitting a two-run home run during the tenth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Don’t be surprised if the “Ballad of Chase DeLauter” hits the airwaves by next weekend.
It’s happened in Cleveland before, after all.
DeLauter etched his name in the history books, hitting a two-run homer in the 10th inning Saturday in a 6-5 victory against the host Seattle Mariners.
It gave him four homers over his first three career regular-season games, matching the MLB record set by Colorado’s Trevor Story in 2016. The season-opening series concludes Sunday.
DeLauter, who made his debut in the 2025 playoffs, went deep to left field off Mariners closer Andres Munoz to give the Guardians a 6-3 lead. It was needed insurance as Seattle’s Luke Raley hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning.
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DeLauter, who went deep twice on Opening Day and again in the first inning Friday, was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts when he stepped to the plate in the 10th.
“That shows the maturity right there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He had a tough night up until that point and obviously facing one of the best closers in the league, if not best closer in the league, and to hit a ball (opposite field) in Seattle at night when it’s cold, that takes some kind of power. … He’s just showing his poison. That was pretty special.”
DeLauter’s start undoubtedly has reminded old-timers in Cleveland of Joe Charboneau, the 1980 American League Rookie of the Year.
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Two musicians attended the team’s home opener that season, in which Charboneau doubled and homered, and later that day wrote the song “Go Joe Charboneau.” They released a single under the name Section 36, where they were sitting at Cleveland’s old Municipal Stadium.
While the song perhaps wasn’t worthy of the nearby Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland it lives on in franchise lore. The New York Times described it as a “rock opus — its sound is somewhere between a tribal chant and the groan of someone with a stubbed toe.”
DeLauter said before the Saturday game that he hasn’t had much time to take a step back and appreciate his record start.
“It’s something that’s hard to focus on right now,” DeLauter said. “I’m just focused on (Sunday), making sure I’m available (Sunday) night. It’s definitely something I’ll look back on. But man, it’s a cool start.”
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Speaking of cool — or cold — starts, the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez got their first hits of the season.
After striking out in each of his first eight at-bats of the campaign, Raleigh singled to center in the third inning. Rodriguez busted out of an 0-for-10 slump with a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth to force extra innings.
“Tough one tonight,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said after the game. “A one-run loss is always tough. Extra innings makes it a little more difficult. But you’ve got to give it to our guys. They came back there in the ninth inning and battled to get the tie, and then making it exciting there in the bottom of the 10th as well. We kept coming back and that’s what this team is all about. But just a little bit too late and a little bit short.”
The series finale is set to feature a pair of right-handers who were first-round draft picks in 2020 in the Guardians’ Slade Cecconi (7-7, 4.30 ERA in 2025) and Seattle’s Emerson Hancock (4-5, 4.90).
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Cecconi is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in one previous start against the Mariners; Hancock is 2-0 with a 2.19 in two career starts versus Cleveland.
Real Valladolid will host Cadiz at the Jose Zorrilla on Tuesday in another round of the 2025-26 Spanish La Liga 2 campaign. Both teams will be desperate to get vital points next week in a bid to avoid slipping into the drop zone this late in the season.
Real Valladolid’s 1-0 loss to Burgos on Saturday summed up their season, as they were the better side for most of the game but failed to convert any of their chances before conceding a 93rd-minute penalty, which their opponents duly converted. Pucelanos have been on a steady decline all season, despite already replacing two head coaches this campaign, and now sit just one place above the drop zone entering their final 10 games of the season.
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Cadiz have not fared much better than their midweek opponents, sitting only two points clear in the table following a narrow 2-1 away loss to Ceuta over the weekend. The Limoneros have registered just one win in their last 11 games and will be counting on new manager Sergio Gonzalez to steer the side clear of the relegation zone and prevent a drop to the Spanish third tier for the first time in a decade.
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Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
The sides have met on 55 previous occasions going into Tuesday’s game. Real Valladolid have won 18 of those games, and 18 ended in draws while Cadiz have won the remaining 19.
The hosts have failed to get a win in this fixture since the 2016-17 Segunda Division season.
Four of the last seven meetings between these sides have ended level, including their most recent matchup which ended goalless.
The visitors have kept clean sheets in four of their last five meetings with Valladolid.
Cadiz have scored 32 goals in the league this season. Only Cultural Leonesa (29) and Real Zaragoza (27) have scored fewer in the Spanish second tier after 32 games.
Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Prediction
The teams are closely matched going into the weekend clash, although the Pucelanos will hope to gain a slight boost from their home advantage after winning two of their last three games at the Jose Zorrilla.
The Limoneros will likely be satisfied with a draw against a fellow struggling side but are in significantly worse form and could come away empty-handed.
Prediction: Real Valladolid 2-1 Cadiz
Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Real Valladolid to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals
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Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes (Five of the hosts’ last six games have featured both teams getting on the scoresheet)
Masters chairman Fred Ridley had a clear goal for Augusta National’s newest player perk.
“This improvement will offer the competitors in the Masters facilities from arrival until departure unlike anything in sports,” Ridley said last April.
That “improvement” is the new Player Services Building, which Augusta National unveiled photos of on Friday. It’s a three-story building tucked just behind the practice range’s hitting area.
The exterior of the Player Services Building
The Masters
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The Player Services Building is open to players, families, caddies, trainers and members of their support team. Players enter through an underground player garage and walk through a hallway with Alister MacKenzie’s cross-section architecture of every hole at Augusta National.
History is everywhere at Augusta National
The Masters
Once inside the ritzy Player Services Building, players can relax in the lounge, which has all four of Bobby Jones’ 1930 trophies from his Grand Slam when he won the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur. The trophies are on loan from Atlantic Athletic Club, per the AP’s Doug Ferguson, and will be returned the week after the Masters.
Bobby Jones’ trophies will look over the lounge until after the 2026 Masters
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The locker room has 100 lockers. Each locker comes with a safe, a shelf for charging phones and a gold-plated Masters emblem on the handle. Lockers have already been assigned, but are not in alphabetical order. Each amateur who will tee it up in the 2026 Masters is situated next to a Masters champion.
There’s a sitting area in the middle of the locker room with two tables. Per Ferguson, one of the tables is made out of a magnolia tree that fell on Magnolia Lane during Hurricane Helene in 2024.
The new locker room is much bigger than the old one in the clubhouse
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Augusta National didn’t miss a detail in the new locker room
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Downstairs, there is a state-of-the-art fitness center and recovery area with weights, cables, cardio equipment, free weights, medicine balls, etc. The recovery room has three cold plunges, a hot tub, a sauna and an area with 16 tables for physical therapists to work. The hallway leading out of the area has 1,400 nameplates, one for every player who has ever competed at the Masters.
The imporatnace of fitness in golf has exploded over the past decade
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The final touch at Augusta National’s shiny new building is the Magnolia Dining Room at the top. It seats 150 people and has a terrace that overlooks the practice area.
There’s no reason to leave the Masters’ new Player Services Building
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Ridley and the Masters are always striving to elevate the luxury, convenience and ways to spoil the world’s best golfers.
Their newest addition exceeds the lofty standard they hold themselves to at Augusta National.
Max Verstappen snatched the torch from Lewis Hamilton and became one of the most unstoppable Formula 1 drivers in the sport from 2021 to 2024.
The 2025 and 2026 seasons have been a struggle for the Red Bull racer. He finished second to McLaren’s Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings last season, ending his streak of world championships, and has yet to finish in the top five this year.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka in central Japan, Sunday, March 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
After finishing eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen suggested he was contemplating retirement at the age of 28.
“Privately I’m very happy,” Verstappen told the BBC. “You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”
He made clear he was suggesting that 2026 could be his final season.
“I want to be here to have fun and have a great time and enjoy myself. At the moment that’s not really the case,” he said. “Of course I do enjoy certain aspects. I enjoy working with my team. It’s like a second family. But once I sit in the car it’s not the most enjoyable unfortunately. I’m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard.”
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, right, of the Netherlands and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy talk during the drivers parade ahead of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka in central Japan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Part of the struggles for Verstappen has been trying to get acclimated to the regulation changes.
“I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am,” he said. “Because I also know that you can’t be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I’m very realistic in that and I’ve been there before. I’ve not only been winning in F1.
“But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn’t feel natural to a racing driver,” he continued. “Of course I try to adapt to it, but it’s not nice the way you have to race. It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do.”
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Maybe a break in the schedule will help clear Verstappen’s head.
Formula 1 will have a few weeks off as two races that were set for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled because of military operations in Iran.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leaves during the qualifying session of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP)
Mexico’s best performances at the World Cup came during the two occasions it hosted the tournament. Now that the country will be hosting for the third time – with the United States and Canada – fans want history to repeat itself. And maybe more.
To ensure optimal preparation, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) invested 400 million pesos (around $22 million) in renovating their training center known as Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR), or High Performance Center, which was officially reopened on Saturday.
As a player, current Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was part of the national team that reached the quarterfinals in 1986, matching the country’s performance in the 1970 World Cup. Aguirre, with the revamped training center, will try to match at least that as a coach.
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Mexico begins training at the High Performance Center on May 6, with players from the domestic league. Its first match in the World Cup is the tournament opener on June 11 against South Africa.
Building a foundation’
“This investment reflects our responsibility for the 2026 World Cup. We have built a facility that will provide the national team with the best possible conditions for preparation that are on a par with the world’s leading football powers,” said FMF president Mikel Arriola. “Hosting a World Cup demands that we raise all our standards, both on and off the field”.
The site has been the training headquarters for Mexico’s national teams since 2003, during which time it gradually grew, but it had never previously had an update like this one.
“This project is also intended as a legacy. It’s not just about 2026, but about building a foundation that will impact the development of our national teams in the coming years,” Arriola said.
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The senior team accommodation has been expanded from 20 to 45 rooms, in addition to entertainment areas. There is also a 29-room area for youth national teams.
The biggest change was the construction of a new building to house a new gym, which grew from 1,200 to 6,000 square meters. This building is also home to the medical area, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a sports intelligence area, and physiotherapy and hydrotherapy facilities.
“There used to be a small gym with a medical area, but all of that was demolished to build this new building,” said Daniel Garcia, FMF real estate manager. “Everything here now, apart from two machines in the gym, is new.”
The dining room capacity has also increased from 70 to 210 people.
“The most complicated thing was coordinating all the areas because they all asked for a lot of things wanting to have the best in the world and that doesn’t always go with the budget, but I think we achieved a great result,” Garcia said.
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The training center already had five playing fields, three regulation size and two smaller ones. One of the fields has state-of-the-art hybrid technology like the one recently installed at the Azteca Stadium, which was renovated for the World Cup.
“We’ve had visits from FIFA staff who told us that this is the field in all of Mexico, and that’s why people from Azteca Stadium came to get some advice,” Garcia said. “After all, we’re colleagues and brothers.
The Kiwi filly Belle Cheval engaged in a dead-heat scenario for the second race running, prevailing narrowly this time by dipping her nose in to grab the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill.
Previously pipped at the post by Well Written in the NZB Kiwi (1500m) over Ellerslie on March 7, the three-year-old’s trainer Mark Walker admitted misreading both finishes but welcomed Saturday’s success.
“I actually thought we got beaten today, but I thought we’d won the NZB Kiwi, so I’m not a very good judge,” Walker said.
Success in the Vinery Stud Stakes over 2000m marked Walker’s second Group 1 of the day across the ditch, with Seize The Day, partnered with Sam Bergerson in NZ, winning the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) prior.
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He trusted her local references for Sydney challenge, her toughness suiting the new distance test.
“The formline at home is really strong,” Walker said.
No change to plans for one Sydney hit despite the win for Belle Cheval’s owners.
Straight to spell now, then Victorian spring prep, Walker stated.
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After last Saturday’s $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) success on Guest House, jockey Zac Lloyd notched another Group 1 with Belle Cheval, beating a steward’s inquiry from Billy Egan on After Summer.
Brushing ensued as Lloyd swung wide for the drive, but blame went to the second horse converging.
Belle Cheval ($2.60 fav) idled a touch end-on without affecting After Summer’s ($61) charge, objection thrown out.
“Normally, she’s known for her dazzling turn of foot, whereas today she built and showed a bit of fight,” Lloyd said.
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“She’s a good mare, and it was a tenacious win.”
The favourite Belle Cheval ($2.60) nicked it by nose over After Summer ($61), Salty Pearl ($4.20) neck away third.
Fourth fell to New Zealand Oaks champ Ohope Wins ($2.70), three-quarters length short.
Discover betting sites offering racing odds on features such as the Vinery Stud Stakes.
Dominic Smith was playing with a heavy heart when he made his Atlanta Braves debut on Saturday night – his sixth team in four years.
Smith’s mother, Yvette LaFleuer, died of cancer earlier this month. When Smith stepped up to the plate against the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, he said he could feel her presence with him.
The Atlanta Braves celebrate at home plate after a walk-off grand slam from Dominic Smith, center, in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
The slugger hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Braves, 6-2.
“It’s just amazing,” he told reporters. “Played against the Braves for a long time, and being on the other side a lot of these endings kind of hurt, so to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”
Smith said that his teammates had been very supporting of him during spring training when his mother was ill. She was diagnosed with cancer in September and nearly died at the start of camp.
He left the team to be with her for over a week when she had a “scare” and when he returned, he was fighting for a roster spot.
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Atlanta Braves’ Dominic Smith reacts after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
“This team is just so awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball.”
Smith’s walk-off grand slam made him the first player in MLB history to achieve the moment in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Smith has been trying to find a permanent home after spending his first six years with the New York Mets. He played for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants since leaving New York.
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Atlanta Braves’ Dominic Smith (8) hits a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Lahore Qalandars were penalised for ball tampering during their Pakistan Super League defeat by Karachi Kings.
Prior to the final over, Kings, who needed 14 to win, were awarded five penalty runs after the umpires deemed a Qalandars player had broken rules by “unfairly changing the condition of the ball”.
It is understood the offence was initially seen by the TV umpire before the on-field umpires gave the punishment. The ball was also changed at the request of the batting side.
Kings, now needing only nine from six balls, completed victory with three balls to spare.
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Asked afterwards about incident, Qalandars captain and Pakistan international Shaheen Afridi said: “I don’t know about this.
“We will see if it is that in the camera. We will discuss.”
Cricket’s laws do not allow players to alter the condition of the ball, other than when shining it.
Law 41.3.2 states “it is an offence for any player to take any action which changes the condition of the ball”.
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The PSL’s playing conditions say the umpires will then report the matter to match referee who will take “action as is considered appropriate against the players concerned”.
Terence Crawford hung up the gloves definitively, stating that no amount of money could bring him out of retirement. However, newly-crowned WBC welterweight ruler Ryan Garcia believes he can lure ‘Bud’ into one more fight.
Following a legacy-defining win against Canelo Alvarez, Crawford retired from the sport, content with an astonishing career that has him positioned amongst the all-time greats of boxing history.
Although, another opponent that Garcia is eyeing up is down at super-lightweight, with pound-for-pound superstar Shakur Stevenson welcoming the opportunity to defend his WBO 140lb title against Garcia.
In an interview with Jon-Bernard Kairouz, Garcia believes that victory over Stevenson, a stablemate and good friend of Crawford’s, could be enough to bring about a clash with the undefeated 38-year-old.
“I think that he just knows that it’s his time to call it. I will say though, his competitive nature, that might bring him back.
“If he sees me running this up, he might try to challenge the young bull, I ain’t going to lie – and we are waiting for you [Crawford] too.
“After I take out Shakur, that might get him out of retirement.”
A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the sideline during game action against the Kansas City Chiefs, with the scene unfolding on Nov. 3, 2019 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, as the shot captures equipment detail and atmosphere during a matchup between two long-standing NFL franchises. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.
NFL free agency is largely in the Minnesota Vikings’ rearview, with the draft just 3.5 weeks away. The offseason is humming along, and if you hadn’t noticed, the club has some advantageous secrets.
A few subtle offseason developments have quietly strengthened Minnesota.
We used that term loosely because hardcore fans will be privvy, but let’s review the secrets so everyone is in the know.
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The Quiet Advantages Fueling Minnesota’s Spring
The unsung stuff from Minnesota’s offseason.
Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Stu Voigt steps to the podium to announce the team’s third-round selection, Apr. 25, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, delivering the 102nd overall pick as fans react and the franchise continues building its draft class during the multi-day NFL Draft event. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason-Imagn Images.
Finally — a 2nd-Round Pick
A 2nd-Round draft pick shouldn’t be an overly big deal for an NFL team, but it is for the 2026 Vikings.
In 2023, Minnesota shipped its 2nd-Rounder to Detroit in the package that landed tight end T.J. Hockenson. In the last two years, the Vikings used them to get outside linebacker Dallas Turner. It’s been four years — insert the Titanic meme here — since Minnesota selected a rookie from Round 2.
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Barring a trade, Minnesota will pick a 2nd-Rounder for the first time since Andrew Booth and Ed Ingram.
The Sam Darnold Compensatory Pick
Was it a scourage and a gaffe that the Vikings got rid of Sam Darnold? Absolutely. He won a Super Bowl in Seattle. Advantage: Seattle.
Yet, as a small consolation, Minnesota will get the 97th pick in April’s draft, a compensatory selection for Darnold’s 2024 free-agent absence. The Vikings had the same arrangement in 2025 because of Kirk Cousins’ free-agent departure and spent the pick on wide receiver Tai Felton, who barely played as a rookie.
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Perhaps interim general manager Rob Brzezinski will strike gold this time. It’s the last shoe to drop on the Darnold debacle.
Ensuring 2027 Financial Flexibility
The Vikings could’ve signed about 3-6 more notable players in free agency and wiggled money around. The problem with that strategy? Well, do you know how Minnesota began this offseason underwater by about $40 million under the salary cap? That would’ve happened all over again if Brzezinski went on a spending spree in 2026.
Instead, the purple team has about $67 million in available cap space on tap for 2027. When January, February, and March roll around next year, the Vikings won’t be labeled as one of those “cap hell” organizations. They were fiscally responsible in the last few weeks.
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Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski sits down for an interview with Vikings.com’s Gabe Henderson, Feb. 17, 2022, discussing front-office philosophy, roster strategy, and organizational direction while outlining Minnesota’s long-term football operations structure during a detailed digital feature segment released by the team. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness recently noted on Brzezinski’s cap magic, explaining how new teams will foot the bill of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave’s contracts next offseason.
He wrote, “The contract details for Allen are in on Over The Cap on his two-year deal worth $25 million, and the key was going to be him getting at least $8 million in cash to offset the guarantees the Vikings owed him. Luckily, that is going to be the case, as he will be getting $13.5 million in cash this year from the Bengals.”
“That will give the Vikings a much-needed salary cap credit in 2027, while also voiding out the cash the Vikings have to pay. They are also getting $4 million in salary cap credits from Hargrave signing with the Green Bay Packers. Getting those credits will offset the $11.2 million in dead salary cap that Allen will carry in 2027. Brzezinski is playing chess, not checkers, and it’s going to pay off in 2027.”
James Pierre
Minnesota did, though, onboard a few new players, and Pierre was the cornerback addition.
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He tabulated a luscious 86.8 Pro Football Focus grade last season while playing just under 400 defensive snaps. Pierre has been trusted on Mike Tomlin’s roster for the last six years. He’s now on the menu to serve as Minnesota’s CB3 in 2026.
PFF’s Mason Cameron recently called Pierre the second-best cornerback in football last year and explained, “Despite logging fewer than 1,000 snaps across his first five NFL seasons, Pierre was called upon to play an increased role in 2025, to which he answered with a career year.”
“Exceptional coverage instincts landed Pierre atop the NFL in numerous key categories, including yards allowed per coverage target (4.7, tied) and forced incompletion rate (28.6%). As a result, he produced the top PFF coverage grade at outside cornerback (88.7).”
Pierre played so damn well in 2026 that if Byron Murphy Jr. or Isaiah Rogers get hurt this autumn, you don’t need to panic one bit.
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Frank Smith in the House to Help Fix the Rushing Offense
Down in Miami, Mike McDaniel ran the show for four years, with Frank Smith as his close lieutenant and offensive coordinator. Together, they coordinated an efficient Dolphins rushing offense, sparked by newcomer De’Von Achane in 2023.
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith stands alongside head coach Mike McDaniel during practice, Nov. 2, 2023, at PSD Bank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, as the staff prepares players for an international matchup and reviews drills during an on-field session ahead of the team’s overseas game. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
Now, in Minnesota, the Vikings need the same juice — Smith’s help to identify the best running back from the upcoming rookie class to accompany Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones this autumn.
Smith’s rushing offense ranked 11th in 2025 per DVOA. That’s what the Vikings need — on top of a firm commitment to run the ball.
The trainer Matthew Smith is confident that greater achievements await talented mare Idle Flyer post her dominant display in the Group 2 $300,000 Emancipation Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.
“Idel Flyer is a big mare and was only second-up today,” Smith said.
“She had a little setback earlier in his preparation which just held us up a bit but she is fine now.”There’s more improvement come from her and she will be at her peak in two weeks.”
Idle Flyer has been entered by Smith into the Group 1 $1 million Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick during Day Two of The Championships on April 11, and her Rosehill run positions her as a leading mare for the prestigious contest.
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Backed in to $1.90 favourite status, Idle Flyer prolonged Zac Lloyd’s hot streak in the Golden Slipper carnival with a explosive finishing burst that reeled in Blindedbythelight ($26) by three-quarters of a length, while Firestorm ($19) was a further length adrift in third.
Lloyd, who claimed a treble the week before encompassing the Golden Slipper victory on Guest House, rode three winners at Rosehill on Saturday, notably the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes on Belle Cheval. He was at his peak aboard Idle Flyer.
“I was worried at the 500m, she just dropped the bit,” Lloyd said.”But she was in a very tight position the whole race, horses aren’t the happiest in that position.
“I knew had a lapful of horse and she was just starting to go through her gears. I just needed the horse in front of me to quicken another 25 metres and just allow that horse on the outside to drop off.
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“For her to still quicken through there, find a gap and be strong late is a real credit to her.”
On Idle Flyer, Lloyd again left Billy Egan, Blindedbythelight’s jockey, in the runner-up position for consecutive races.
In the race immediately before, Lloyd withstood a protest to secure the Vinery Stakes on Belle Cheval from Egan on After Summer.
“When I got outside Billy I said ‘you must hate me today,’” Lloyd said after his win on Idle Flyer.
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Bred from Arrowfield Stud’s premier sire Dundeel, Idle Flyer fetched $70,000 when acquired by Smith at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The Emancipation Stakes provided her seventh career win in 14 attempts, elevating her earnings above $570,000.
“It’s great to have a good horse like her in the stable,” Smith said. “She’s an outstanding mare, you just don’t get them like this very often.
Visit top betting sites to view betting markets for the race in the Queen of the Turf Stakes.
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