Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
The San Diego Padres are the lone National League team that Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has never faced as he eases into his third major league season.
That will change on Tuesday when Skenes (1-1, 9.53 ERA) matches up with the fellow right-hander Nick Pivetta (1-1, 6.75) of the Padres in the second contest of a three-game set in Pittsburgh.
After enduring his shortest and worst career outing on Opening Day against the New York Mets, Skenes rebounded on Wednesday. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner threw five strong innings in an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Skenes gave up a run on three hits and two walks, and he struck out five in a 77-pitch appearance.
“Still a work in progress, but nice to give some volume and be out there for more than two-thirds of an inning,” Skenes said, referring to the length of his March 26 start vs. the Mets in which he yielded five runs on four hits and two walks.
Pivetta, in his most recent start, also put together a major rebound start following a poor Opening Day outing.
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The 33-year-old Canadian gave up only one hit over five shutout innings, struck out eight and walked two to help the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 7-1 on Wednesday. The performance came six days after Pivetta allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over three innings in an 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
“That first game, that was not Pivetta,” Padres catcher Freddy Fermin said after Pivetta’s most recent start. “(Against the Giants), he made adjustments and pitched in the right spots.”
Pivetta is 2-1 with a 2.17 ERA in six career outings (five starts) against the Pirates.
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While Skenes didn’t turn in a completely dominant effort vs. the Reds, the five-inning outing helped quell concerns for Pittsburgh that its ace was experiencing any sort of negative effects from having pitched in the World Baseball Classic.
“Just remembering what’s real and what isn’t real, I guess. Nothing matters except for the play. Nothing matters except for the game,” Skenes said. “I’m pretty insulated from a lot of stuff that’s out there. The stuff that I do see or hear, I don’t really care anyway, because it doesn’t have anything to do with the play. Throughout the week, basically just thinking about getting back to execution and executing my pitches. That’s it.”
Skenes will try to cool off a suddenly energized San Diego lineup, which powered a 5-0 shutout of the Pirates on Monday and has led the Padres to three consecutive wins. The Padres could have made it an even more lopsided result in the series opener had they not left 10 runners on base.
Skenes finally will get to face Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, who was the runner-up to Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year in 2024. Merrill has been part of San Diego’s offense surge, collecting four hits, three runs, a homer and three RBIs in the past two games.
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“Good arm, good challenge,” Merrill said, according to MLB.com, about facing Skenes on Tuesday. “The Rookie of the Year stuff, that doesn’t matter anymore. But it’s fun for the game of baseball.”
Manchester United have been dealt a massive blow as Manchester City believe they are in pole position to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson this summer, according to the Daily Mirror. The Cityzens are confident in signing Anderson for £65 million and allegedly plan on finalizing the deal before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Forest signed Anderson from Newcastle United in the summer of 2024 for a reported transfer fee of £35 million. The 23-year-old has impressed this season in the middle of the pitch and has even established himself as a first-team regular in the England national team.
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With Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte expected to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, the Red Devils had reportedly selected Elliot Anderson as their top-priority summer signing. However, the England international has allegedly chosen Manchester City as his preferred destination, with the Cityzens increasingly confident in getting the deal over the line.
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Anderson has made 41 appearances across all competitions for Forest this season, registering two goals and three assists.
“He’s not going to start being a Jose Mourinho” – Nicky Butt predicts Manchester United’s next permanent manager
Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt has backed Michael Carrick to be appointed as the club’s next permanent manager. Butt believes Carrick’s personality is well-suited for the Red Devils, and that there are no other standout options available, even claiming he wouldn’t be as controversial as Jose Mourinho.
Since replacing Ruben Amorim in January as interim manager, Carrick has impressed, guiding Manchester United to seven wins out of his 10 games in charge across all competitions. While he is contracted with the club until the summer, United’s hierarchy are yet to make a decision on the Red Devils’ next permanent head coach.
“The thing with the Michael scenario is that it’s all well and good people saying that he’s not quite ready for the job, and I get that side of the argument as well. But for me, if you’re asking me the question, if you don’t give it to Michael then who are you giving it to? There’s nobody I can think of that is jumping out, going: that’s the man.”
He added:
“So that’s why I think Michael will get it. He’s doing a good job, he knows the football club. Even more importantly, I think the people above him will like working with Michael, he’s not going to cause them too much of a headache, he’s not going to start being a Jose Mourinho. He’s the easy choice. Also, their get out if was to go wrong… I don’t know anyone who is jumping out and they’re speaking to.”
Under Carrick’s tutelage, Manchester United are currently third in the Premier League standings and are likely to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two years.
Aaron Ramsey has announced his retirement from professional football with immediate effect, bringing an end to a successful career for both club and country.
The 35-year-old, who has been without a club since leaving Pumas UNAM last year, is now expected to move into coaching as the next step in his career.
Ramsey retires as one of Wales’ finest players, scoring 21 goals in 86 appearances for the national team. He represented Wales national football team at three major tournaments and played a key role in their historic run to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016, where he was named in the team of the tournament.
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He also featured at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which marked Wales’ first appearance at the World Cup finals in 64 years.
At club level, Ramsey began his career with Cardiff City before joining Arsenal in 2008. During his 11 years in London, he won three FA Cups and scored the winning goal in two finals, becoming a key figure for the club.
He later had spells with Juventus, Nice, and returned to Cardiff City, where he also served briefly as interim head coach at the end of last season.
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Ramsey joined Pumas in a bid to stay fit for a possible World Cup appearance this summer, but Wales failed to qualify, and he has been without a club since leaving Mexico.
Having been unable to secure a new team, the experienced midfielder has now decided to bring his playing career to a close and turn his focus to coaching.
As the Ontario retirees who flock south for the winter to Orlando and Miami start to make their way back north, they might realize they’ve come back a little too soon.
One day, it’s a picturesque spring day in Toronto, people are biking down the Martin Goodman Trail and waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom in High Park. The next, a sharp wind pierces through your puffer jacket and the wind tunnels of the downtown core make it feel like January once more.
It’s an up-and-down, back-and-forth life in Canada’s biggest city, one best personified by the consistent inconsistency of the Toronto Raptors.
Once a shoo-in for a top-six seed in the East, the Raptors are far from a sure thing with four games left in the regular season. They’ll put together dominant wins over fellow play-in competitors like the Orlando Magic, then drop gimmes against the Sacramento Kings. At least you can always count on them losing to teams like the Pistons and Celtics.
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But who they choose to be in this final week of the season will define the season as a whole: Can they claim the battle of the snowbirds and subject the Miami Heat to a play-in spot? Or will a promising season turn into a fight for their lives in the win-and-you’re-in play-in tourney?
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In the final four games, the Raptors are set to host the Heat twice — on Tuesday and Thursday — then visit the Knicks on Friday in the second half of a back-to-back, and lastly lighten their load with a showdown against the Brooklyn Nets at Scotiabank Arena.
Against their compatriots in the battle for the play-in (those in the 5-10 range: The Hawks, Heat, 76ers and Magic), the Raptors have a 10-3 record this year, so the signs are pointing in the right direction for the two-game set against Miami. But as we learned when Bam Adebayo (of all players!) scored 83 points earlier this season, there’s no such thing as a sure thing in the NBA — except for a Raptors loss to the Celtics. All the more reason to avoid the play-in!
So with just a week to go until the end of the regular season, here’s what you need to keep an eye on in the 401-esque congested road to the playoffs.
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There’s this meme template online of a guy sitting in a little bodega-style restaurant, listening to music without a care in the world, while a group of people are in the background throwing hands. The guy sitting down represents you, the audience, listening to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, while the people fighting represent Fleetwood Mac.
Hope that those top four seeds in the East like The Chain.
It’s easy living if you’re the Pistons or Celtics, in particular, as both appear set in their spots as the first and second seeds, respectively. While there’s still a possibility that New York takes over the second seed, Boston needs to win only one game to secure its spot.
While the cortisol might spike a little more if you’re the Cleveland Cavaliers, who close the season with two games against the Atlanta Hawks and one against the Washington Wizards, there’s a sense of safety sitting outside of the play-in picture looking in. It could also benefit them to not show too much of their hand as they gear up for a potential 4-5 series against Atlanta in the first round.
But, like Dante’s Inferno, it gets scarier the further down you go.
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The battle for the Nos. 5-10 seeds is coming down to the wire.
Only two games separate the Hawks in fifth from the Magic in ninth, and the same goes for the Raptors in sixth and the Heat in 10th. Meaning that a bad two-game set for the Hawks against Cleveland can ruin an otherwise incredible turn of fortune, or the Raptors getting swept at the hands of the Heat can turn a season of growth into a fight for relevancy once again.
The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, have a tough road ahead with games against the top three seeds in the East. However, they’ve managed to nab wins against the Celtics and Knicks already this season, and behind the fourth-ranked offence in the NBA, it’s anyone’s game when players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel can get microwave hot.
On the other hand, the 76ers look to have the easiest remaining schedule, taking on tanking squads like the Pacers and Bucks — who they’re a combined 6-0 against this season — but a game against a Houston squad hoping to secure homecourt in the first round can still be a tough test for a 76ers team only just returning to health.
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Crossing T’s and dotting I’s out West
Though the playoff picture is much clearer out West, with the top five seeds on their way to the playoffs and the No. 6 Timberwolves sitting pretty with a magic number of two, there are finer details that still need sorting out in the final week.
Permanently the centre of attention in the NBA, the most intriguing storyline out west could be the Lakers’ final stretch as they look to hold onto a top-three seed in the conference.
While the star backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves could both be in Europe to seek medical advice, the onus of keeping the Lakers’ head above water rests on the shoulders of 41-year-old LeBron James and (checks notes) triple-double-threat Luke Kennard.
Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Lakers have lost two straight and are set to host the Thunder, who are sure to give it their all as they look to lock up the top seed and prevent the Spurs’ late-season push.
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Past that, the Lakers square off against the Warriors, Suns and Jazz, which should be simpler matchups on paper, but James’ 30-point, 15-assist double-double on Sunday wasn’t enough to get the Lakers past the Mavericks, so chalking anything up is a mistake. Factor in the pride-on-the-line showdowns against Steph Curry and Dillon Brooks, and it’s clear the Lakers aren’t securing homecourt without a fight.
April 10 vs. Timberwolves
However, should the Lakers succeed in the final stretch, a tough schedule for the Denver Nuggets could be just what they need to steal the third seed. Though Denver is on a nine-game win streak heading into Tuesday, it’ll close the regular season against the Spurs and Thunder, with the pairing of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama hoping to put the finishing touches on their MVP cases.
The Lakers will also have to contend with a surging Rockets team carrying the momentum of a six-game win streak, while the Suns and 76ers are sure to put their best foot forward on Tuesday and Thursday, games against the T-Wolves — whose seeding could be decided by Friday — and Grizzlies, that will give them some reprieve to close the year as they gun for homecourt.
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The other battle to watch in the West is between the Clippers and Blazers, who are within half games of one another. Should both teams keep pace, a showdown between the two sides on Friday could be the deciding factor that determines the final play-in picture.
Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Greybull High School, Greybull, Wyoming.
The list includes only those players who have played in a regular-season NFL game. Consequently, players taken in the upcoming draft will not be included until they have seen the field.
The League does not officially recognize players who appeared only in preseason exhibition games.
Greybull High School is ranked as the No. 2 pro football player-producing high school in the state.
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Wyoming has produced a total of 31 NFL players from 21 schools, with 4 pros currently active.
See where all the other schools in the Cowboy state rank here, with links to their respective players.
Fernando Mendoza participates in Indiana University’s Pro Day at Mellencamp Pavilion on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 overall pick, informed the league that he is not planning to attend the NFL draft in Pittsburgh later this month, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
Per the report, the Indiana quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami.
The Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the top pick in the draft on April 23-25, will be hosting Mendoza on Tuesday, per NFL Network.
The last time a No. 1 overall pick — that was a quarterback — did not attend the NFL draft was in 2021, when Trevor Lawrence was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Clemson.
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Mendoza, 22, provided the signature moment to his epic season with a dive across the goal line on fourth down in the No. 1 Hoosiers’ 27-21 victory over No. 10 Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 19.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Mendoza completed 72.0 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season. He also rushed for 276 yards and seven scores in his lone season with Indiana after transferring from Cal (2023-24).
Even at the top of the table, there’s no such thing as a flawless team. At the other end of the spectrum, every squad that qualifies for the Stanley Cup Playoffs has a punch or two they can throw at an opponent.
With less than two weeks to go before the puck drops on the post-season, the goal here is to highlight the good and bad — or, at least, slightly worrisome — elements of every club that still has a reasonable shot to qualify for the big dance.
It’s a plus/minus of sorts, as we pat some backs while raising some flags.
We’ll start in the Western Conference — with teams ordered by their points percentage — before heading to the East.
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Colorado Avalanche (.724) Colorado scores the most goals per game (3.74) and gives up the fewest (2.50). You can’t ask for much more than that. That said, with all those weapons, the Avs power play ranks 26th in the NHL (17.6 per cent).
Dallas Stars (.662) The Stars are a high-end, balanced team. It’s worth noting, though, that Dallas has played a lot of hard hockey while skating in three consecutive Western Conference finals. Also, this would be just the second post-season appearance as the head man for coach Glen Gulutzan. In his first, Gulutzan’s Calgary Flames were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2017.
Minnesota Wild (.649) Every trade rumour surrounding the Wild involves the team’s need for a top centre. In a conference where you have to go through the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Wyatt Johnston, Minny is lacking down the middle. On the plus side, how many teams can lean on a defence pair like Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber?
Utah Mammoth (.566) Utah’s PP has been humming since play resumed after the Olympics, clipping along at 31.4 per cent (second-best in the NHL). You have to think the atmosphere in Salt Lake City will be outrageous when this club plays Games 3 and 4 at home as part of the first playoff action in Mammoth history. Finally, Utah is likely to face the Pacific Division winner in Round 1, meaning the Mammoth — despite being a wild-card club — could well face an opponent with a worse record than their own. Of course, beyond the blueline trio of Mikhail Sergachev, Ian Cole and Nate Schmidt, there’s not much in the way of playoff experience on this roster.
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Edmonton Oilers (.565) Connor McDavid has the third-best playoff points-per-game mark in the history of the league (1.56) and Leon Draisaitl has the fourth (1.47). Of course, Draisaitl’s status for Game 1 is up in the air at this point, and that’s a monster concern for Edmonton. As always, questions about the Oilers crease are one crappy goal away.
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Anaheim Ducks (.565) The Ducks, on the whole, might be inexperienced, but first-year Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville has 121 playoff wins and will pass Al Arbour for second place on the all-time list if Anaheim can win three second-season contests this year. (Nobody is catching Scotty Bowman at 223 career playoff victories). The problem for the Ducks is they allow more goals per game (3.52) than every team currently holding down a post-season slot.
Vegas Golden Knights (.558) The Knights have Cup pedigree and the potential for some new-coach bump, under John Tortorella, that spills into April and May. The problem all year has been goaltending, with Vegas sporting an .876 team save percentage that ranks 29th in the league.
Los Angeles Kings (.539) As always, the Kings have good underlying numbers, with an expected goals mark on the site Moneypuck that ranks fourth in the West and seventh in the NHL (51.89 per cent). Also, as always, the Kings struggle to score. Los Angeles ranks 29th on the season in goals per game 2.68, though the club has pushed that up to 3.17 since March 1 (11th-best in the NHL during that span).
San Jose Sharks (.533) Ever heard of a young fella named Macklin Celebrini? He just might win the Hart Trophy if the Sharks squeeze into the playoffs. The issue in San Jose is keeping the puck out of their net; only the lowly Vancouver Canucks allow more goals per game than the 3.53 the Sharks surrender.
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Nashville Predators (.532) The Preds boast strong special teams, with a league-best penalty-kill since the Olympics (86.4 per cent) and a PP that ranks seventh during that timeframe (25.9 per cent). The issue, as you might guess, is Nashville’s five-on-five goal-differential is minus-29 on the season. The six teams worse than that are all lottery-bound.
Winnipeg Jets (.519) Kyle Connor has 36 goals, Mark Scheifele has 34 and Gabe Vilardi is on 28. After that, the next-highest total among Jets forwards is Cole Perfetti with 12. This team’s high-end players can kill you, but there hasn’t been enough support behind them.
St. Louis Blues (.513) The Blues have the best points percentage in the league since the Olympic break (.763), so they’re clearly on a roll. St. Louis is managing to rip off all these wins with a power play that ranks 27th in the NHL (16.7 per cent) during that time.
Carolina Hurricanes (.675) The Canes power play is on fire since the break, converting at an NHL-best rate of 34.5 per cent. Saves, though, are hard to come by, with a team save percentage of just .855 — worse than everybody except the Canucks — in that span.
Tampa Bay Lightning (.662) Tampa has been a little loose down the stretch, allowing 3.41 goals per game (23rd in the league) since the Olympics. And, overall, the Bolts are a fairly flat 10-9-2 in their past 21 outings. Of course, they’ve got an absolute killer in Nikita Kucherov, all kinds of playoff know-how and a hunger to go deep again after failing to make it out of the first round in three straight springs.
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Buffalo Sabres (.654) It’s hard to believe the vibes will be better anywhere in the NHL come playoff time than in Buffalo, where the local team will be seeing its first post-season action since 2011. The Sabres are the story of the second half, with a league-best .718 points percentage in 2026. Buffalo is only average by advanced metrics like expected goals for, and this will obviously be the first playoff action for a number of very prominent Sabres.
Montreal Canadiens (.649) The Canadiens have a deadly first line, with Nick Suzuki playing between Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. The drop off to the second unit is precipitous, though, and Montreal will need offence from more than just its top three dudes to do post-season damage.
Pittsburgh Penguins (.615) Only two teams — the powerhouse Avs and Bolts — have a better five-on-five goal-differential than the wildly surprising Penguins (plus-28). The goaltending could be an issue, however, with neither Arturs Silovs nor Stuart Skinner seizing the net. Pittsburgh called up promising youngster Sergei Murashov on Tuesday, with Skinner listed as day-to-day.
Boston Bruins (.609) The Bruins are the best home team in the NHL, posting a .731 points percentage in Boston this season. They’re also surrendering a league-best 2.62 goals per game in the second half and goalie Jeremy Swayman has the most goals saved above expected (28.5) in the entire league.
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Strange as it is to say about a team we still associate with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the B’s are a little weak down the middle. Rookie Fraser Minten has been great and Pavel Zacha is on a heater, but they definitely don’t stack up with what some of the better teams in the conference have at centre.
Ottawa Senators (.584) The Senators have had strong underlying numbers all year and hold the third-best expected goals mark (55.82 per cent) in the NHL behind only Carolina and Colorado. The bugaboo has been goaltending and — in related news — a penalty-kill that ranks 30th in the league (74.7 per cent). That said, the PK has been better since the Olympic break.
Philadelphia Flyers (.584) This team seemed dead and buried coming out of the February hiatus, but Philly has gone 14-5-1 in its past 20 outings to vault back into a playoff spot. The Flyers really struggle to score (2.71 goals per game since the Olympics, 27th in the NHL), but have become one of the best teams at keeping pucks out of their own net down the stretch (2.38 goals against per game, 2nd in the league).
New York Islanders (.571) The Isles have a new coach in Pete DeBoer, who’ll debut with the team when it hosts the Leafs on Thursday. New York is among the worst clubs in the NHL in terms of expected goals (47.01 per cent, 28th in the league), but has a goalie — in Ilya Sorokin — who gives them a chance to hang with anybody.
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Detroit Red Wings (.571) Detroit has been trending the wrong way for some time, posting a .423 points percentage since Jan. 22 that’s worse than all but five teams in the league and every squad on this list. The Wings are decent defensively, but have scored just 2.54 goals per game in 26 contests since that Jan. 22 date. Only Chicago (2.28) is worse in that timespan.
Columbus Blue Jackets (.571) Columbus has gone into a tailspin at the wrong time, losing six straight games. The Jackets have been stingy in the second half (2.79 goals against per game, 3rd in the NHL), but the offence can be lacking in stretches. Case in point: Columbus is scoring just 1.60 goals per game in its past eight showings.
Washington Capitals (.558) The Capitals have a strong foundation with Logan Thompson in goal, but even as they’ve picked up points down the stretch, the offence and power play have only been OK. Washington is also the worst road team on this list, ranking 27th in the NHL with a .447 points percentage away from home.
Jake Ferguson’s fiancée, Haley Cavinder, and her twin sister, Hanna, have built their own brand that began with their TikTok videos. On Monday, the former Miami Hurricanes basketball player showed support for another former collegiate athlete who has built her own brand from social media.
Former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, revealed that she will be on the first ever cover of BoardRoom magazine. It will document her journey from being a student athlete to a business woman.
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“Suited up for the first @boardroom print cover ever;)👔 Thank you @boardroom & @richkleiman from capturing my journey from athlete to investor,” Dunne said.
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Haley Cavinder shared her love of Dunne’s latest accomplishment.
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“ate down 😍,” Cavinder said.
(Image via Instagram/@livvydunne)
Livvy Dunne posed in a beige blazer for the cover shoot, giving a business professional style. In the other photos included in the Instagram post, the former gymnast wore a black leather skirt with a white tank top.
Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder celebrated joint bachelor and bachelorette trip in Bahamas
In mid-March, Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder celebrated their upcoming nuptials with a joint bachelor/bachelorette trip to the Bahamas.
Haley Cavinder posted a recap of their trip to the Baker’s Bay Ocean and Golf Club. The exclusive club which is for members-only, allowed for the couple and their close friends and family to enjoy time at a private residence as well as some fun in the sun on the island. Cavinder showed her gratitude for everyone who helped them celebrate and made the trip special.
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“the best trip ♥️ our circle >>,” Cavinder said.
Cavinder and Ferguson began dating in 2023 and announced their relationship a few months later. In April 2025, the Dallas Cowboys tight end proposed to Cavinder in Fort Myers Beach, Florida and plan to get married this offseason.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continued their tussle for the world number one spot as they opened their clay-court seasons with commanding second-round wins at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Fresh from completing the ‘Sunshine Double’ without dropping a set, Sinner needed only 64 minutes to complete a 6-3 6-0 demolition of Frenchman Ugo Humbert – conceding just six points in the second set.
It was an 18th successive Masters 1000 win for the Italian second seed, who has now won 36 consecutive sets at that level.
If Sinner goes all the way and wins in Monaco he will replace Alcaraz as the world number one when the rankings are updated on Monday.
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Alcaraz, the defending champion, opened his clay-court season with a 6-1 6-3 victory in 70 minutes against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez – a six-time ATP Tour champion on clay – later on Tuesday.
It was the Spaniard’s first match on clay since he triumphed over Sinner in last year’s enthralling French Open final, when he came back from two sets down and saved three Championship points en route to his second Roland Garros title.
Alcaraz, who had a 22-1 record on clay and won three titles on the surface in 2025, has held the number one spot since November.
“I’m going to lose number one in the world. I don’t know if it is going to be at this tournament or the next one,” said Alcaraz.
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“I’m defending a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend. Even if I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points.
“I will just try to play my best and let’s see what happens, but for me the number one spot is not in my mind right now. I’m just trying to feel the best way on clay courts and let’s see how the clay swing goes.”
The gap between the pair is down to 1,190 points as the season moves on to the European clay-court swing.
Sinner has no ranking points to defend until the Italian Open at the start of May because he was serving a three-month suspension this time last year for failing two doping tests.
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He will need to reach at least the semi-finals and then better Alcaraz’s result in Monte Carlo if he is to swap ranking places with the seven-time major winner.
Sinner will face Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the next round, while Alcaraz will play either Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina or France’s Terence Atmane.
You’ve probably seen the clip of Colton Gress, the Drive, Chip and Putt competitor, swinging cross-handed during Sunday’s competition. At first glance, his grip looks unconventional — but after speaking with two of GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers, it’s clear his swing works remarkably well because his mechanics are so solid.
How His Cross-Handed Grip Works
In a traditional grip, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Rick Silva explains, the lead and trail hands oppose each other — creating a stable “tug of war” that controls the clubface. A cross-handed grip can achieve the same effect. The player simply rotates their hands differently around the club so the wrists and forearms still work in opposition. It looks unusual, but biomechanically, the goal is the same.
“So for that to occur, the underhand or the right hand … he rolls his right hand underneath the grip so you can like see the undersides of his like fingernails,” Silva says.
How He Hits It So Far
Once the swing begins, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joey Wuertemberger explains, Gress moves into the same positions as other elite ball strikers. He makes a big backswing with a full hip turn and massive shoulder rotation, which helps him build speed efficiently.
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That rotation is key to his power. His hip turn going back is deep, and his shoulder turn is even bigger, creating a lot of stored energy. Then, in transition, he unwinds his body expertly. His lower body leads — using the legs to shift and rotate — while his upper body stays slightly behind. This sequence — big turn back, powerful rotation through — is a major reason he generates so much power.
“As he comes down into the ball he’s got good upper body tilt, so his head is behind the ball and his arms are right in front of him,” Wuertemberger says. “So he delivers the club in a good, powerful position.”
The results speak for themselves. In Sunday’s competition, Gress hit his first drive 275.3 yards and his second drive 264.8 yards, showcasing the distance he can generate with his unconventional cross-handed swing.
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