Bryan Bagunas.–Photo from Bryan Bagunas’ Instagram

MANILA, Philippines — Bryan Bagunas earned his first Japan SV. League title with the Osaka Bluteon, completing a successful return to the international pro league.

Bagunas made history as the first Filipino men’s volleyball player to win the prestigious championship in Japan after Osaka pulled off a series comeback with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 sweep in Game 3 to dethrone the Suntory Sunbirds on Sunday.

Japanese national team star Yuji Nishida finished with 15 points, including the championship-clinching ace, while Cuban spiker Miguel Angel Lopez delivered 19 points to beat the Ran Takahashi-led Sunbirds.

READ: Osaka veteran thrilled at prospect of playing with Bryan Bagunas

The Alas Pilipinas captain only played in Game 1 and scored three points as a substitute with two points, as Suntory bagged the series opener 26-24, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23, last Friday. 

But the Bluteon never gave up forcing a series opener, eking out a 13-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9 result in Game 2 behind the duo of Nishida and Lopez. 

The 28-year-old outside spiker returned to Japan after he made an epic comeback from a knee injury in the FIVB Men’s World Championship and led Alas Pilipinas’ gallant stand, beating Egypt and narrowly missing the round of 16 with a heartbreaking five-set loss to Iran.

It was his third overseas stint after winning two titles and one MVP trophy for WinStreak Club in Taiwan. He made his international debut also in Japan with Oita Miyoshi.

Bagunas found himself in the stacked rotation of the Bluteon during the regular season after finishing second with a 38-6 record behind top seed Suntory.

The former National University star scored a total of 31 points built on 23 kills, five blocks, and three aces in 39 matches played during the regular season.

Bagunas joined Santiago, who last won an SV.League title with the Osaka Marvelous last year. Alyssa Solomon was this year’s import for Osaka but settled for silver.

Marck Espejo also won a championship in South Korea, and he is now seeing action in Taiwan.

On Sundays, we post the Minnesota Vikings’ “nopedy nopes” for the week — stuff that is wrong, bizarre, or didn’t work out as most planned. It’s basically a journal of bad takes and Vikings-themed theories gone bad.

Minnesota’s rumor cleanup list gets another round.

This is the May 17th edition, with most of the meaty parts of the offseason in the rearview.

Three Vikings Talking Points Need a Closer Look

The Vikings’ Nopedy Nopes for May 17th, 2026.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings could have traded — or still might trade — J.J. McCarthy to a new team.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano examined the NFL’s “10 lingering offseason questions” this week and discussed why McCarthy had not been traded.

He noted, “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade him. The Vikings have already paid 70% of McCarthy’s rookie contract. There’s no way they could get anything in return that remotely approaches what they spent in terms of draft capital to acquire him in the first place. They’re less than a year removed from believing he could be their starter, not just now but for years to come.”

“And it’s not like Murray is some automatic fix, either. He has had one fully healthy season in the past five, and the Cardinals are paying him almost $36 million this year to play for another team. People I’ve talked to who are close to this situation insist that the Vikings haven’t given up on McCarthy — that part of their hope is bringing in Murray sends some sort of shock to McCarthy’s system and gets him refocused on whatever they think he got away from last year.”

McCarthy tallied 15 total touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season in 10 starts.

Graziano continued, “It’s probably a long shot, but again, there doesn’t seem to be much they would gain from trading him at this point. Murray is signed for one year, and his deal prohibits the Vikings from franchise-tagging him next offseason.”

“There’s a world in which Minnesota gets to the end of this season believing that McCarthy has figured some things out and can still be what it thought he would be. If not, maybe then the Vikings cut bait. But there’s no reason to do it now.”

That’s the word from ESPN: a McCarthy trade is probably a no-go.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings trading McCarthy just because they signed Kyler Murray.

The Nopedy Nope: UDFA LB Scooby Williams could latch on as a long-term contributor.

In-the-weeds Vikings fans on Twitter (X) asked late last week, “Where’s Scooby?” The man was not included on the Vikings’ rookie minicamp roster, though the club signed him in undrafted free agency three weeks ago.

A few days later, there’s an explanation. SI.com‘s Will Ragatz wrote, “Williams attended the combine but never did athletic testing in the pre-draft process for injury reasons, and it appears a medical issue has resulted in him not officially putting pen to paper with the Vikings. The Vikings’ official website’s story on the 19 UDFAs has a May 11 update that states ‘Williams did not sign with the Vikings.’”

“That explains why he wasn’t on the roster for last Friday’s rookie minicamp, which some astute diehard fans noticed. And on Tuesday, replying to one of those fans on X, The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis reported that an issue with Williams’ physical is the reason.”

Williams will have to regroup, bide his time, and try out for the Vikings or another team later this summer.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Scooby in the Vikings’ summer plans.

The Nopedy Nope: Jaren Hall would have staying power in the NFL.

Hall was pretty straightforward on Instagram this week, writing on Wednesday, “There’s a lot I could say, but mostly I just feel grateful. Sports have been woven into nearly every part of my life- they’ve challenged me, humbled me, shaped my faith, introduced me to lifelong friendships, and given me experiences I never could have imagined.”

“From growing up in this community to representing my hometown, to having the opportunity to play in the NFL, it has all been a blessing. What I’ll carry most isn’t the milestones, but the people– teammates, coaches, family, and a community that supported me every step of the way.”

The Vikings drafted in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Hall closed the message, “My heart is full as I close this chapter and finish my football career. I’m thankful to everyone who’s been part of the journey. The game has given me more than I could ever give back.”

Hall flamed out of the UFL in January, and that was evidently his sign to call it quits.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Hall latching on in the NFL with long-term staying power.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

The training duo of Gary and Nichole Searle from South Australia, joined by daughter Brianna Callanan, have Melbourne Cup aspirations for their stayer Sir Kingsford.

Winning the Listed Andrew Ramsden (3200m) on Saturday at Flemington provides the champion with a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption for the prestigious November race.

During Sir Kingsford’s previous Flemington visit, Nichole Searle witnessed the Andrew Ramsden vibe when The Map won the Melbourne Cup qualifier in 2024.

Searle made the journey alongside co-trainer Oopy MacGillivray for The Map and shared in the post-victory joy, despite not seeing the mare cross the line on track.

“Sir Kingsford ran earlier in the day, so I travelled over with Oopy and I know a few of the owners that live out Mallala way,” Searle said.

“There was this hype around her, and everyone was so excited, that she was going there, and then when she won, the hype in South Australia was just fantastic.

“I wasn’t there when the horse won, but when Oopy got back, we were out at Ballarat, we had a pretty good night of celebrations.”

Sir Kingsford’s team was fired up by The Map’s achievement to seek their own major target.

The stayer claimed victory in last year’s Port Adelaide Cup before being spelled after a tough preparation.

Sir Kingsford now heads into his sixth race of this season.

“We all want to try and emulate something like that, getting to a nice big race,” Searle said.

“Sir Kingsford is probably the sort of horse that can take that step, take us to a nice race.

“Hopefully, the Andrew Ramsden is that on Saturday.”

Sir Kingsford was runner-up to Alainge, another Andrew Ramsden contender, in the Port Adelaide Cup held at Morphettville on May 2.

Searle indicated Sir Kingsford has bounced back strongly since then, including a recent gallop under Saturday rider Teegan Voorham.

“He’s had a few trips across now, so the travel shouldn’t bother him,” Searle said.

“He always eats pretty well, so fingers crossed all goes well with him.

“We thought we’d have a throw at the stumps and see where we land.”

Discover competitive racing odds for the Andrew Ramsden Stakes among top betting sites.

Aaron Rodgers is indeed coming back for a 22nd season in the NFL. The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract, according to CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. The deal includes $22 million guaranteed and is worth up to $25 million, per NFL Media.

Rodgers is expected to participate when the team kicks off its organized team activities (OTAs) on Monday.

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The Steelers, who recently placed the rare right of first refusal tender on Rodgers, were optimistic he would eventually join them, despite it taking him until May to formally decide. 

Rodgers, 42, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last season following a tumultuous two years with the Jets. During his first season in Pittsburgh, Rodgers proved he is still capable of playing at a high level. He went 10-7 as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback (including the postseason) while helping the Steelers win their first division title since 2020. 

Aaron Rodgers return may frustrate fans, but Steelers made right call for 2026 and beyond

Bryan DeArdo

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This Steelers team is vastly different. For starters, there’s a new coach in town: Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers in 2010. McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, who stepped down one day after Pittsburgh’s season-ending loss to the Texans in the AFC wild card round. 

Pittsburgh also underwent some notable roster turnover. Gone is team MVP Kenneth Gainwell (and a Rodgers favorite) after the veteran running back signed with the Buccaneers in free agency. The Steelers replaced him with Rico Dowdle, who just compiled his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season.

The Steelers acquired former Colts receiver Michael Pittman and rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard, who was Alabama’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons. Both players should make life infinitely easier for Rodgers and DK Metcalf in the quest to limit double teams in pass coverage. 

During the draft, the Steelers added another quarterback into the mix when they selected former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round. Pittsburgh’s quarterback room, for now, also consists of 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and veteran Mason Rudolph. 

Despite Pittsburgh’s lack of weaponry at receiver last season (a weakness further magnified by Metcalf’s two-game suspension), Rodgers played well enough to help the Steelers go 10-7 during the regular season. He opened the season with a four-touchdown performance while leading Pittsburgh to a win over his former team, the Jets. Rodgers ended the regular season by throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III against the Ravens that ultimately sealed a division title and playoff spot for Pittsburgh. 

Rodgers’ lowlights last year included a Week 13 loss to the Bills, during which he sustained at least three fractures in his non-throwing (left) wrist. Despite the injury, Rodgers missed just one game. The injury appeared to make Rodgers even more wary of getting hit, leading to quicker passes and questions about his reluctance to let Myles Garrett break the single-season sack record at his expense during Pittsburgh’s Week 17 loss in Cleveland. 

Rodgers passed former teammate Brett Favre for fourth all-time in touchdown passes. Rodgers is just 13 touchdown passes away from passing Peyton Manning for third on the all-time list. He is fifth all-time with 66,274 passing yards, which is 5,564 yards behind Favre, who is fourth all-time. 

Rodgers won four MVP awards from 2011-21 while cementing his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. He has yet to get back to a Super Bowl, however, which is the biggest blemish in an otherwise remarkable career. In 2026, Rodgers will try to climb the mountaintop once again. 

The Grand Finals of the Free Fire Max Asia Invitational (FFMAI) 2026 Spring is all set to be played on May 17, 2026. The top 12 teams from the Group Stage will be seen fighting in this high-octane clash for the trophy. The tournament features a total prize pool of $50,000, of which $15,000 will be awarded to the winners of this phase.

The Group Stage of the FFMAI 2026 was hosted from May 14 to 16. A total of 18 teams, divided into three groups, competed in 12 matches each. The first-to-12th ranked squads on the overall points table entered the Grand Finals. The 13th-to-18th-placed teams faced elimination from the Asia Invitational 2026.

Qualified teams for FFMAI 2026 Spring Grand Finals

Here are the names of the 12 finalists:

1. Dewa United Horus (Indonesia)
2. Team Hind (India)
3. Expand (Malaysia)
4. Autobotz Esports (India)
5. Straw Hats Esports (Bangladesh)
6. NXT Esports (India)
7. Team Akkee (Thailand)
8. Total Gaming Esports (India)
9. Horaa Esports (Nepal)
10. GodLike Esports (India)
11. Revenant XSpark (India)
12. Extreme Ex (Bangladesh)

How to watch

Fans can enjoy all matches of the Grand Finals live on the YouTube channel of Free Fire Max Esports India Official from 6:30 pm onwards on May 17, 2026.

Indonesia’s Dewa United displayed its supremacy in the Group Stage of the FFMAI 2026 Spring, scoring more than 250 points in 12 matches. The squad won three Booyahs and clinched 181 eliminations in the previous stage, reflecting their dominance. Dewa United will be one the top teams to follow in the Grand Finals.

India’s Team Hind was the second-best performer in the Group Stage of the FFMAI. The squad recently clinched the FFMIC 2026 Spring after an astonishing run. This team will now try its best to secure another tittle.

Expand from Malaysia and Autobotz from India also had a decent run in the Group Stage, as they came third and fourth in the overall standings. Both teams have played well in their respective regional events in the past.

Straw Hats from Bangladesh displayed commedable performances in its last six matches of the Group Stage and managed to finish into the top-five. Notably, the team recently came out victorious in the Free Fire Bangladesh Pro Season 2.

Popular Indian organizations Total Gaming and GodLike saw a mediocre run in the Group Stage. Revenant XSpark, who’d played remarkably in the SA Play-Ins, struggled in the Group Stage of the FFMAI. These squads will aim to find their rhythm in the Grand Finals.