Joe Pride commences each racing season in precisely the same manner – with a blank whiteboard, two ambitious objectives, and a significant dose of optimism.

Two uncomplicated headings are present in the trainer’s office: ‘metro wins’ and ‘feature wins’. Adjacent to each is a target number, goals that Pride admits are deliberately set high.

For the 2025/26 season, Pride had set himself the demanding target of 60 metropolitan victories, a figure that ultimately proved just out of reach.

“I never meet the targets because I set myself lofty targets for each one,” Pride said. “The target was sixty metro wins. I count the interstate ones as well, and we got forty-four or forty-five, which is a good season.”

The second section of the whiteboard tracks stakes winners by name. Pride had established a goal of 18 black-type winners and believes he came closer to this than many acknowledge.

“I had (a goal of) eighteen stakes winners. There are sixteen on my board. Everyone tells me it’s fifteen, but the Alan Brown is a black type race. It wasn’t last year, but I’ve counted it,” Pride stated.

After training a winner at the final Sydney metropolitan meeting of the season on Wednesday, Pride updated the final numbers, captured a photograph for posterity, and, with some reluctance, erased the board.

It did not remain empty for long.

Two fresh headings and two new targets are already in place as Pride aims to make a perfect start to the 2026/27 season at Rosehill this Saturday.

Although there are no feature races on the program, Pride identifies Zouripper as his prime chance in the Congratulations James McDonald Handicap (1100m).

Fittingly, champion jockey James McDonald will partner the gelding in the race named in honour of his Sydney jockeys’ premiership success.

Zouripper is backing up after finishing a solid third behind Hawker Hall at Randwick last week, and Pride is confident the quick turnaround will suit.

“I ran him ten days after his first run and he ran well again, so hopefully he can do it,” Pride commented. “He’s racing really honestly and with a lot of determination.”

Pride will also present Aberlour and Gatsby’s in the NSW Jockeys Association Handicap (1300m).

He expects Aberlour to improve with more racing and over longer distances, while believing Gatsby’s can bounce back after struggling in heavy conditions at his latest start.

“Gatsby’s was unlucky the other day because he was trapped wide, but I also wouldn’t run him in those (heavy) conditions again,” Pride advised. “He’s back on reasonable ground with his blinkers back on.”

With another blank whiteboard ready to be filled, Pride embarks on a new campaign, aiming to convert ambitious targets into another successful season.

Find the latest racing markets for the Congratulations James McDonald Handicap.

Vikings training camp is underway. Minnesota’s defense and special teams will have many new additions but the expectation is that these areas of the team will continue to perform at a high enough level and with the aid of a better performing quarterback lead the team to the playoffs..

The defense comes off a fine season in which the Vikings ranked third in yards per game, second in pass defense, 21st in run D, and seventh in points allowed (which is extra impressive considering the offense led the league with 30 giveaways, often giving the opposing teams good field position).

DC Brian Flores will be looking for his unit to improve against the run and produce more takeaways this season. The Vikings led the NFL with 33 takeaways in the 14-win season of 2024 but dropped to 21 last season (still ranked 10th). There was a big drop-off in interceptions from a league-leading 24 in 2024 to eight in 2025.

It appears the defense could have five new starters this season—two on the defensive line, one at edge rusher after the trade of Jonathan Greenard, one at safety if Harrison Smith retires, and one at the third corner spot (a virtual starter who usually plays more than 50% of the defensive snaps).

The special teams will break in a new punter/holder in Johnny Hekker who replaces the departed Ryan Wright. Kicker Will Reichard comes off a First-team All-Pro season.

Let’s further break down the defense and special teams by position.

Vikings Training Camp Preview

Defensive Line:

Gone are vets Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave who were starters in 2025. Newcomers include a pair of heavyweight high draftees—first rounder Caleb Banks and third rounder Domonique Orange.

I’m excited to watch these two rookies go against the Vikings interior O-line in camp and in the preseason games and joint practices with Baltimore. But will Banks be able to get on the field in team drills immediately or be phased in after his foot surgery and can he stay healthy? And how quickly will Orange earn Flores’ trust?

— READ MORE: OL Gets Nice Boost as Vikings’ Star Left Tackle Said to be Ready —
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— READ MORE: NFC Defensive Lineman Demands Trade as Vikings Rebuild D-Line —

Jalen Redmond comes off an excellent second season (six sacks, 62 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and eight QB hits). Redmond will be highly motivated to have a big season to set himself up for a possible big payday next offseason when he’ll be a restricted free agent. Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins are later round picks from recent years who have shown promise and could push for starting roles.

The young players on the D-line must come through to keep the defense as a top-five unit.

Edge/Outside Linebackers:

The starters are fine with the terrific, instinctual Andrew Van Ginkel and the super-athletic Dallas Turner. Van Ginkel has to stay healthy after missing five games with a concussion and neck injury last season yet he still managed to produce seven sacks, 54 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, and 13 QB hits. The 2024 Pro Bowler is being counted on to be a great playmaker again.

Turner had a breakout second season in which he started 10 games due to Greenard’s shoulder injury. Turner led the Vikings with eight sacks and had four forced fumbles, 66 tackles, 11 TFLs and 15 QB hits. He should become a double-digit sacker in his third season as a former first-round pick and he needs to produce at that level with Greenard traded to the Eagles (which I didn’t agree with).

The big question at this position is the depth as top defenses usually have waves of edge rushers. I think second-rounder Jake Golday is a key player who played both inside backer and edge in college. Unless we see a big improvement from the likes of Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss, and/or Tyler Batty, it seems that Golday is going to have to make an impact as an outside rusher from Day One.

If there is doubt in the coaches’ minds about the quality depth on the edge, the wise extension of Brian O’Neill could free up some cap room for the Vikings to take a necessary run at signing a veteran from the list of available free agents that includes Jadeveon Clowney, Haason Reddick and Kyle Van Noy.

Inside Linebackers:

This is a strength on defense with a pair of excellent playmakers inside—Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson who were the top two tacklers last season (144 tackles for Cashman with two sacks in 13 games and Wilson had 115 tackles plus 6.5 sacks and a team-leading 17 tackles-for-loss).

Ivan Pace is a former starter who was beat out by Wilson but Pace along with Golday and possibly newly signed Jamal Adams provide good depth inside. Adams is a former three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro early in his career as a safety before battling injuries for several seasons. He played in every game for the Raiders last season with four starts and had 45 tackles. Perhaps he can play a Josh Metellus type linebacker-safety combo role for the creative Flores.  

Cornerbacks:

The top three appear set with two solid starters in 2024 Pro Bowler Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers plus the third corner role will go to free agent signee James Pierre unless speedy fifth-round rookie Charles Demmings makes a big move in camp. But it may take Demmings some time as he comes from smaller school Stephen F. Austin. The third corner is a critical position with so many teams having three quality wide receivers so the third corner often is picked on.

I’ll be watching how Pierre and Demmings perform in camp against the Vikings excellent WR corps as a precursor to how they can help or hurt the team in the regular season.

The Vikings may again only keep four corners as they did on their initial 53-man roster last season. So players such as Dwight McGlothern, Tavierre Thomas, and Kahlef Hailassie will have to make a big impression in camp and in preseason games in the secondary and on special teams to earn a roster spot.    

Safeties:

If Harrison Smith returns, I think the defense is in good enough shape at safety with Smith and Metellus as starters and third-rounder Jakobe Thomas as a young up-and-comer at the position who should supplant a shaky Theo Jackson as the third safety (and I like Jay Ward’s play better than Jackson).

I think Smith will return. He loves playing in Flores’ defense and has a great relationship with Kevin O’Connell. I think Smith should return after playing well down the stretch last season. If he decides to retire, then safety is a trouble spot where Thomas will have to develop quickly into a quality starter.

Metellus is a good tackler and blitzer but he’s limited in his coverage skills and has to be protected against getting caught in a situation as was the case when A.J. Brown beat him for a TD last season in the loss to the Eagles. Perhaps Adams can fill in if needed but he probably can’t run like he used to which is why he was a linebacker in Vegas last season.

Special Teams:

I was surprised Wright left in free agency after a good 2025 season. He had great chemistry with Reichard and snapper Andrew DePaola. But Wright obviously loves the New Orleans area after playing at Tulane so he signed with the Saints.

The Vikings saved cap room with the Hekker signing compared to Wright’s new deal but Wright is 10 years younger. Hekker had a solid 2025 season in Tennessee (46.8 yard average; Wright averaged a career-best 49 yards per punt). We’ll have to see how this plays out with the change to Hekker.

Myles Price, Tai Felton, and Demond Claiborne will compete for the kickoff and punt returner roles. I thought Price was okay last season and should be better in his second season.

As for the coverage units, the Vikings will miss the retired C.J. Ham. There are a lot of good young athletes who have been added and I like the potential of players from the 2026 draft class such as fifth-rounder Max Bredeson along with Golday, Thomas, Demmings, and Claiborne to be impact special teamers. But whoever is on the coverage units can’t get out of their lanes as happened on the costly kickoff return by the Bears’ Devin Duvernay in the second meeting last season that set up the winning field goal.

Bottom line: a lot of young players are being counted on and must perform well for the defense and special teams to be playoff caliber. I believe overall that will be the case.

It will be fascinating to watch as all three phases come together in training camp in preparation for a massive season opener against the Packers. 

Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year … More about Jeff Diamond

ATHLETICS AND PARA ATHLETICS: 

Men’s Decathlon 100m: Tejaswin Shankar at 2.40PM.

Men’s Javelin Throw Qualifying (Group A): Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh at 2.55PM.

Men’s Decathlon Long Jump: Tejaswin Shankar at 3.20PM.

Men’s Triple Jump Qualifying: Selva Prabhu Thirumaran and Praveen Chithravel at 4.55PM.

Men’s Decathlon Shot Put: Tejaswin Shankar at 5.10PM.

Men’s 400m Semifinals: Vishal TK at 5.40PM (Semifinal 1).

Men’s Shot Put Final: Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill at 11.30PM. (Medal Event) 

Men’s 200m Semifinals: Animesh Kujur at 11.37PM (Semifinal 2).

Men’s Decathlon High Jump: Tejaswin Shankar at 11.38PM.

Women’s Discus Throw Final: Nidhi Rani and Seema at 1.10AM (July 31) (Medal Event).

Men’s Decathlon 400m: Tejaswin Shankar at 1.30AM (July 31).

Women’s 5000m Final: Parul Chaudhary at 1.48AM (July 31) (Medal Event).

LAWN BOWLS: 

Men’s Pairs Sectional Play, Section B Round 3: India (Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar) vs Botswana (Kaizer Geche and Charles Diteko) at 7.30PM.

Women’s Singles Sectional Play, Section C Round 3: Nayanmoni Saikia vs Emma Firyana Saroji (Malaysia) at 8.55PM.

TRACK CYCLING AND PARA TRACK CYCLING: 

Women’s C4-C5 4000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying: Lisha Das at 4.06PM.

Men’s Team Sprint Qualifying: India (David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Singh Keithellakpam, Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam) at 5.07PM.

Women’s C4-C5 4000m Individual Pursuit Finals (subject to qualification): Lisha Das at 9.44PM (Medal Event).

Men’s Team Sprint Finals (subject to qualification): India (David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Singh Keithellakpam, Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam) at 10.50PM (Medal Event).

WEIGHTLIFTING: 

Women’s 86kg Final: Martina Devi Maibam at 6.30PM (Medal Event).

Men’s 110kg Final: Lovepreet Singh at 11PM (Medal Event).

Around the NFL, the injury scares have been brutal, such as with Saints DT Bryan Bresee being lost for a while (Ian Rapoport). Vikings training camp received its own scare yesterday.

Judd Zulgad offered a quarterback update on social media, insight that benefited Vikings Territory. Shoehorned into that quick update from Zulgad was a mention of James Pierre snagging an interception off of Kyler Murray. That positive play for the new CB resulted in what looked like a minor injury.

Vikings Training Camp Sees First Injury Scare

An obvious note that Zulgad isn’t a medical doctor. Not to my knowledge, at least. What he is, though, is a veteran reporter who has been around NFL training camps for a little while. His educated guess means something without being ironclad gospel.

“Now James Pierre came up limping after [the interception],” Zulgad said. “Stayed on the field but was out of the rest of practice. It might have just been a cramp. Didn’t look too serious.”

The Pierre signing from March of 2026 could end up being the best move Minnesota made in what was an unusually quiet foray into the frenzied signings. Coming over from the Steel City, Pierre is under contract for a pair of seasons at a total compensation promise coming in at $8.5 million (OTC).

He’s a long-and-strong CB3 who is in town to allow Brian Flores to better matchup with the other’s team’s bully receiver(s). In Week 1, that’s likely to mean wrestling with Christian Watson, somebody with great speed and a massive frame. In Week 2, that’s likely to mean Rome Odunze. Keep moving through the weeks and other examples will arise.

Will James Pierre be healthy enough to play in these games?

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— READ MORE: OL Gets Nice Boost as Vikings’ Star Left Tackle Said to be Ready —
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So far, there hasn’t been word of anything catastrophic. The Vikings are perpetually cautious with injury. Opting to sit the veteran for the remainder of the day is par for the course in the Twin Cities. No need to push things in a late-July practice.

In this case, the approach should be one that says “no news is good news.” Essentially, not hearing anything likely points toward there being nothing to report. The proposed clarity from Zulgad, a muscle cramp, is likely.

Zulgad’s observation is nevertheless sobering insofar as it’s a reminder that things can change in a hurry. Training camp is about competition and preparing for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, football is such that health sometimes undermines a team’s capacity to compete and prepare in the way the squad had originally intended.

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James Pierre, thankfully, appears to have dodged a bullet.

On a very positive note, DT Caleb Banks was out there practicing. Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that the large lad would get worked into the mix at the beginning of Vikings training camp. The skipper wasn’t lying.

More news to come as the Vikings continue working through camp.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Football’s European governing body has announced a boycott of Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, if Gianni Infantino’s controversial plans to sell off stakes in its tournaments to private investors are voted through.

The drastic action, which follows an emergency meeting on Thursday, was “unanimously” agreed among all 55 of Uefa’s member associations. A statement confirmed that “no Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive”.

Uefa carries significant leverage as a World Cup without major nations such as champions Spain, France, England and Germany would compromise Infantino’s designs on extracting as much revenue from the global showpiece as possible. Six of the eight quarter-finalists from this summer’s World Cup were European.

It would also harm next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with Spain the reigning winners and European champions England also bringing considerable commercial interest in the tournament. England, runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, face two-legged qualification play-offs in October, as do Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A spokeswoman for the English FA echoed the Uefa sentiment, saying: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose Fifa’s plans – the Fifa World Cup belongs to football and always will.”

Meanwhile, the majority of the 2030 World Cup will be staged in Europe, with Spain and Portugal sharing hosting rights along with Morocco, following games in South America hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to commemorate the tournament’s centenary year.

On Tuesday, Fifa revealed plans to create a new $20bn subsidiary, 20 per cent owned by private investors, to manage the commercial rights and delivery of the World Cup and other major tournaments. Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is set to lead the new investment.

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football,” Uefa said. “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in Fifa competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure.”

In a letter to the member associations, Infantino promised that national federations would benefit from an increase of its “Fifa Forward” funding from around $8m to $20m for the upcoming four-year cycle between 2027 and 2031 if the new FFE subsidiary is created.

Additionally, the letter states that a “one-off” payment of another $20m would be made available for member associations who vote for Infantino’s proposals on 19 September. Member associations are then warned that their funding for the 2027-2031 cycle would only stand at $10m if the vote does not pass, meaning they would miss out on $30m.

Uefa’s statement added: “National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.”

Many of the world’s smaller countries, especially those outside of Europe, are more dependent on funding from Fifa to run their national teams, develop long-term grassroots projects and invest in infrastructure, like pitches, academies and stadiums. Before this year’s World Cup, Infantino claimed that “without Fifa, there would be no football in 150 countries in the world”.

Uefa’s confirmation that it would stage a boycott comes ahead of a vote between Fifa’s 211 member associations on 19 September. Infantino’s proposals only require a majority vote of above 50 per cent, as well as backing from the Fifa Council, which means Uefa still requires more support from another federation, such as North America or Asia, to have a chance at winning the vote and avoiding a boycott.

Uefa’s statement in full

“Uefa and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.

“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.

“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.

“But our opposition goes far beyond process.

“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in Fifa competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.

“This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.

“Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.

“As a result of today’s discussion, no Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that Fifa will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.

“Nobody should be in any doubt: Uefa and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.

“There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.

“Some things are simply too important to sell. The Fifa World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

There’s no doubt that Curt Cignetti believes the Big Ten is the best conference in college football heading into the 2026 season.

Cignetti’s Hoosiers are looking to become just the second team in the playoff era to win back-to-back national championships in 2026. As Indiana went 16-0 and won the national title in January, it was the third straight Big Ten team to win the College Football Playoff.

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Georgia, which went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, is the last SEC team to win a title. And while Cignetti thought it was a “loaded question” at Big Ten media days on Thursday when asked whether the Big Ten’s nine-game conference schedule it was a positive or a negative for the playoff, he used that question as an opportunity to tout the conference’s strength.

And also potentially make an indirect dig at another.

“I think that’s a loaded question. I think your job as a head coach and the assistants is to equip your roster, make it as strong as possible with adequate depth at every position throughout the team,” Cignetti said. “When you play that many games you’re going to get some guys dinged and injured, things happen. Next man up mentality.

“The Big Ten is the best league in football and a lot of really good football teams. It’s hard to win on the road. Very physical football teams. Very well-coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it, the numbers speak for themselves.

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“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the midwest, we believe that everything’s earned, not given. And when we fall short we say we fell short. We don’t cry a river, whine, and complain. Alright? And that’s why we’re the best.”

You can certainly quibble with the statement that the Big Ten doesn’t run a hype machine. The conference is very proud of its three straight national titles and has a really good chance at a fourth consecutive one. Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State all enter the season as legitimate national title contenders and are among the top five betting favorites to win the national title.

Texas, the No. 2 favorite behind Ohio State, is the only SEC team in the top five.

The SEC’s only claim to being the best conference is with its depth. You can make the strong case that the SEC is the deepest conference in college football. But while the SEC had five teams in the playoff a season ago, the Big Ten had three. And all there of the Big Ten’s teams were among the top five seeds.

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Indiana doesn’t have a cakewalk to a third straight CFP appearance either. After playing two ranked teams during the regular season in 2025 thanks to Penn State’s demise, The Hoosiers have games against Ohio State, Michigan, USC and Washington all in the second half of the season. If USC is as good as coach Lincoln Riley says it is, the Big Ten could be even better in 2026. And Cignetti’s words could turn out to be hardly be controversial in SEC country.

NFL training camp is typically a time for optimism. Hope abounds that all the changes a team made during the offseason — whether hiring a new coach, signing players in free agency, acquiring them via trade or selecting them in the draft — will lead to a better season than the year before.

The one thing every team needs to avoid for that to happen, of course, is injuries. A major injury can derail plans for the entire year, especially if it happens to a key player. Alas, injuries happen every year, and it’s important to keep track of who’s hurt, when and how the injury happened, and how long they might be sidelined.

With that in mind, consider this your one-stop shop for all the injury news coming out of NFL training camps during July and August.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Falcons 

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that Tagovailoa is working through an injury and will the early portions of training camp. With Tagovailoa sidelined, the Falcons have signed veteran backup Cooper Rush. 

Regarding fellow quarterback Michael Penix’s status, Stefanski recently said that he still hasn’t been cleared for full team activities. Penix is still working his way back from a torn ACL that was sustained during Week 11 of the 2025 season. 

The Panthers placed Scourton on injured reserve Friday after he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on the first day of training camp. Scourton was reportedly in tears as he left the field, and his teammates came over to hug him as he exited. 

Head coach Dave Canales said at the time that Scourton would undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, and the results confirmed the second-year edge rusher had torn his ACL.

Bryan Bresee, DT, Saints 

The Saints were hit with awful news on Wednesday as it appears that Bresee suffered a season-ending ACL tear during Wednesday’s practice. A former first-round pick, Bresee has quietly become one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen. The Saints will now look to try to find his replacement for the upcoming season. 

The 2025 first-round pick’s Wednesday practice came to an abrupt end after his leg buckled. Stewart — who played in just eight games during his rookie season — was carted off the field shortly after sustaining the injury. According to ESPN, Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee with no ligament damage, which seems like best-case scenario given the initial reporting around the injury.

While the initial plan was for Brazzell to recover without surgery, a second opinion determined that a procedure to repair the moderate LCL tear in his left knee is the best course of action, according to The Athletic. The surgery will force Brazzell to miss his entire rookie season, which is a much longer timeline than the eight weeks that was presented in the immediate wake of his injury. The LCL tear does not appear to be related to the knee issue the third-round pick dealt with leading up to training camp.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers 

The former first-round pick is currently not practicing after experiencing swelling that is related to the PCL injury that he sustained last season. Pearsall is currently being evaluated by the team. 

Jordan James, RB 49ers 

James is expected to miss time after he suffered a rib fracture during Monday’s practice. The 49ers have yet to offer a timeline for his possible return. 

Malik Mustapha, S, 49ers 

Mustapha sat out Wednesday’s practice as he is dealing with a hamstring strain. Like James, Mustapha’s injury occurred during Monday’s practice. 

Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows had baseball dreams just like the rest of us – getting to the major leagues. But their journeys took them on a route unimaginable even less than five years ago.

Alexiades played college ball at Pepperdine University, while Meadows played for Division II school Columbus State. Neither played minor league ball, but they now play in front of one of the largest baseball crowds ever.

Alexiades and Meadows hit the big time in another way, becoming stars for the Savannah Bananas. Meadows is the organization’s all-time leader in “trick plays,” while Alexiades plays with a cape on.

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Savannah Bananas Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows meet with children at a children’s hospital with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

Despite selling out MLB ballparks and even playing in front of six-figure crowds at football stadiums, baseball purists will never get on board – unless, Alexiades says, “if they came to a game and caught an out.” (If a fan catches a ball on the fly, the batter is out.)

But what fans do not understand the most, Meadows says, is that, contrary to popular belief, their games are not “scripted” like, say, the Harlem Globetrotters.

“There’s a huge difference. In our league, all our teams are out to win. We’re very competitive… Just this past weekend, we lost two out of three in Chicago against the Firefighters, and our guys were not happy,” Meadows told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “At the end of the day, we’re there for a bigger picture: to put on a show for the fans, break down the wall for the kids there and put smiles on faces. That’s what makes Banana Ball beautiful. Even though we get to have fun competing, winning and losing, we still get to make somebody’s day.”

No one Meadows and Alexiades’ age grew up wanting to be Bananas – but that may have changed by now.

“One of the big reasons why I fell in love with baseball is looking up to other players. Now kids can look up to us, and what we’re all about is bringing fun to the game of baseball. Kids being able to see us and see how much fun we have, that’s what it’s all about. We try to be the best role models we can be for kids because the kids are what it’s all about,” Alexiades said.

Meadows added, “You see kids at the Little League World Series listing their favorite players, and some are Bananas players. To know we have that kind of platform — and like Reese was saying, it all comes from having fun, playing the game and having fun. Youth sports these days should be less pressure and a lot more fun. I think it’s cool that kids are getting to see how much fun we have and get to take that to their own game.”

The Savannah Bananas’ mascot Split dances atop the first base dugout. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

FORMER SAVANNAH BANANAS PLAYER NAMED MLB ALL-STAR, HOURS AFTER HITTING FOR CYCLE AS A ROOKIE

Alexiades and Meadows recently visited a children’s hospital in Tennessee to give them some Dairy Queen, and on Thursday, for every Blizzard bought at select locations, at least $1 will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network to help support local children’s hospitals.

“That’s the beauty of our platform and this partnership: We can really make an impact, and so can other people,” Alexiades said.

“Getting to see those kids, put a smile on their faces, bring them Blizzard Treats and enjoy those with them was super cool. The amount of joy DQ brings and the Bananas bring – it all made sense,” added Meadows.

So, while it may not be the big time they originally thought, it’s the 2026 version of the big time, which is just fine with the baseball player in a cape – literally and figuratively.

Members of the Savannah Bananas attend a children’s hospital with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

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“The whole goal is to be able to play the game we love for as long as we can. A lot of us, me included, and people in this organization have been told no at some point in their careers. The Bananas have given me a chance to keep going, keep playing and realize that it’s for a bigger purpose now,” Alexiades said.

“I get to go and probably have more fun than I would have ever had if I played in the major leagues. So I’m having the time of my life, and this is exactly where God put me.”

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