Mendoza: Frustration may have played a role in Juan Soto's lack of hustle on base hit

Mendoza: Frustration may have played a role in Juan Soto's lack of hustle on base hit

BOSTON (AP) — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wouldn't get into specifics on any conversion he had with slugger Juan Soto after a lack of hustle left him with a single rather than extra bases in New York's series opener at Boston. Mendoza said frustration may have played a role in Soto's response to a line drive in the sixth inning Monday night that bounced high off the Green Monster as Soto stood and watched from the batter's box inthe Mets' 3-1 loss. "I think he's comfortable, but again, everything is new. Not only a new team, but there's the new contract, the expectations," Mendoza told reporters before the Mets played the Red Sox on Tuesday night in the second game of the series. "That's our job as an organization, to continue to help him. But I do feel like he's in a good place. And look, it's about results, there, too. There's a lot of noise here, but he's going to be fine. He's too good of a player and we'll be right there with him." Mendoza sounded somewhat more understanding Tuesday than he did after the game Monday night, when he saidhe would have a chat with the $765 million starwho is in his first season with the Mets. "The guy's competing. I'll tell you that," he said. "It happens, man. They're human." Mendoza said Soto isn't the first player to clang a ball off the Monster and end up with a single. "A lot of times the frustrations are going to get the best out of them, especially a guy like that. He's so talented and had so much success early in his career. Right now he feels like maybe he could do a little bit more for the team. And he's part of it and that's part of the conversation here, understanding the personal," Mendoza said. Mendoza said Soto understands the extra pressure that comes with a giant contract and the expectations it brings. He said that's part of Soto's role as one of the best players in the game. "Knowing the player, I'm pretty sure there's something there because again — he's elite. He's a special player and you know he cares — he cares a lot," Mendoza said. ___ AP MLB:https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB

byKevin Jones

in

May 20, 2025

Mendoza: Frustration may have played a role in Juan Soto's lack of hustle on base hit

Mendoza: Frustration may have played a role in Juan Soto's lack of hustle on base hit BOSTON (AP) — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wouldn...

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All About Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander

All About Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander/ Instagram ; Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's parents are Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander The couple share two sons who both play basketball Charmaine was a star athlete herself, while Vaughn runs a nonprofit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's parents have helped him achieve his NBA dreams. Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander welcomed their first son, Shai, in July 1998. Their family grew again in December 2000 with the arrival of their second son, Thomasi. The former couple have since divorced. While they were growing up, Vaughn helped coach his sons and nephew Nickeil Alexander-Walker, encouraging them to be competitive with one another. "I love ball. I watch a lot of ball. I made them watch a lot of ball," he said onThe YAAACE Timepodcastin June 2024. "They always had that love for the game, and I felt it was my duty to pay it forward because I know the game, and I knew if I taught them the right way, they'd get something from ball." Shai and Nickeil were drafted into the NBA in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and now Shai is a point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Nickeil plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The cousins will go head-to-head in the 2025 Western Conference Finals, which starts with Game 1 on May 20. Before the match-up began, Nickeiltold reportersthat his mom texted Shai's dad, "Oh, it's war now." Here's everything to know about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander. Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty Before she became a mom of two, Charmaine was a superstar sprinter. At age 21, she represented her country, Antigua and Barbuda, at the1992 Barcelona Olympics, where she competed in the 400-meter dash. Her fastest recorded time in the race was 55.48 seconds. Shai and Thomasi learned what it takes to reach the next level in a sport from their mom. "She's always instilled confidence and hard work in us," Shai said in a 2020Mother's Day tributeto Charmaine. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander/ Instagram ; Thomas Gilgeous-Alexander/ Instagram Charmaine and Vaughn became parents for the first time when they welcomed their son, Shai, on July 12, 1998. Two years later, Shai became a big brother with the arrival of Thomasi in December 2000. Charmaine and Vaughn have since divorced, perThe Athletic. As kids, Shai and Thomasi spent a lot of time with their cousin Nickeil, and they still consider the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard a "second brother." For their junior and senior years of high school, Shai and Nickeil moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., to play for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, per theLexington Herald-Leader. There, they shared a room in their coach's home. "Ate all meals, did everything together," their coach Zach Ferrell told the publication. "There's probably nothing about Nickeil that Shai doesn't know and there's nothing about Shai that Nickeil doesn't know." Shai played college basketball at theUniversity of Kentuckyfor one season before going pro in 2018. Nickeil played forVirginia Techfor two seasons before being drafted in 2019. Meanwhile, Thomasi played at theUniversity of Evansvillefor two seasons,Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Collegefor one season andSanta Monica Collegefor one season. Vaughan Alexander/ Instagram Vaughn, who was a high school basketball star in Toronto, taught his sons and nephew how to play basketball. During an appearance onThe YAAACE Timepodcast in June 2024, Vaughn recalled encouraging Shai and Nickeil, who are only weeks apart in age, to engage in a healthy rivalry. "It was fun. My biggest thing with them, I always wanted them to go at each other because that's how I got better [in basketball] — playing against older kids or guys that were better than me," he said. Vaughn continued, "Nickeil, in the earlier stages, was naturally super gifted. What I told [Shai] was, 'You gotta catch up to Nickeil.' At the same time, I'm telling Nickeil, 'Don't let this guy catch you.' Along the way, they're warring and making each other better." Shai Gilgeous-Alexander/ Instagram Shai has a close bond with his mom — and never forgets to give Charmaine a sweet shout-out on Mother's Day. "Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world. thanks for everything you've done from carrying my big head for 9 months to calling me 15 time a day, even tho I'm grown... enjoy ur day mommy," he wrote onInstagramin 2018. More recently, following the Oklahoma City Thunder's win against the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Shai mentioned his mom in a post-game interview, which happened to fall on Mother's Day 2025. "Moms are the best," he toldESPN. "Without them, we'd be nothing." Nic Antaya/Getty In 2024, Vaughn launched theNo Flukes Foundation— a nonprofit organization supporting the Toronto-area basketball community through "financial, emotional and educational resources." "No opting for less, unified knowledge equals success. Every letter has an acronym, and that's what it stands for," Vaughn shared in a video onInstagramin June 2024. He continued, saying, "I'm just here to give back to the community, and let people know that it works when you work hard. There's no luck in anything that we get right now. It's all about hard work. If you believe it, you can make it." Joshua Gateley/Getty In March 2025, Vaughn appeared on theGil's Arenapodcastand defended his son against accusations that he's a "free throw merchant" — a.k.a. a player who intentionally gets fouled. "If you ain't doing nothing, nobody's talking about you, right?" Vaughn said. "You don't have haters if you're not doing something right. So at the end of the day, I look at it as just straight-up hate." He continued, adding, "Drawing fouls is part of the game, and it's actually, it's a skill. Look at [Allen] Iverson, Kobe [Bryant] and those guys that do it — they're trying to draw a foul." Shai's parents are also proud of his basketball career — win or lose. "My parents, they don't hype me up or turn me up for basketball games. But one thing [my mom] always taught me was, no matter what happens, she's going to love me," Shai said during apost-game interviewin May 2025. Their love "gives me the ability to go out there and not really care what happens," Shai added. "The people that matter most in my life are going to treat me the same way no matter what happens out there," he said. "That gives me the ability to just trust my work, trust whatever happens, and be able to put a smile on my face at the end of the night, no matter what." Read the original article onPeople

byKevin Jones

in

May 20, 2025

All About Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander

All About Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander Shai Gilgeous-Alexander/ Instagram ; Barry Gossage/...

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Suns deny 'false and morally reprehensible' claim from lawsuit that CEO Josh Bartelstein had an affair with ex-Mercury player Sophie Cunningham

Suns deny 'false and morally reprehensible' claim from lawsuit that CEO Josh Bartelstein had an affair with ex-Mercury player Sophie Cunningham

ThePhoenix Suns issued a scathing denialon Tuesday in response to a claim that CEO Josh Bartelstein had an affair with former Mercury player Sophie Cunningham. The Suns issued the denial in a statement from communications executive Stacey Mitch in response to a lawsuit filed by former Suns security director Gene Traylor. "The recent reports concerning Josh Bartelstein and Sophie Cunningham are entirely false and morally reprehensible," the statement reads. "Let's absolutely be clear about the origins of these claims." Traylor, a current employee of the Suns, sued the team last week, alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation.ESPN first reportedthe lawsuit. The claim of an affair between Bartelstein and Cunningham is mentioned in passing but is not the focus of the lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Traylor claims that the Suns demoted him from his role as director of safety, security and risk management after he gave a presentation to management highlighting repeated alleged security lapses around the Suns and Mercury. Per the lawsuit, those lapses included failing security tests in which plainclothes law enforcement officers were able enter the teams' PHX Arena with guns and knives. PerFront Office Sports, the lawsuit claims that the Suns hired vice president of security and risk management Cornelius Craig to get rid of Traylor. The lawsuit accuses Craig of erratic behavior and cites a meeting between Traylor and Bartelstein in which Traylor allegedly told Bartelstein that Craig had been telling others that "Josh Bartelstein is f***ing Sophie Cunningham." That statement is the source of public claims that Bartelstein and Cunningham had an affair. Cunningham played six seasons with the Suns from 2019 to 2024. The Suns traded Cunningham in the offseason to the Indiana Fever. Bartelstein is married and was Cunningham's professional superior as the CEO of both the Suns and Mercury. Neither has directly addressed the claim in public since it was published last week. Cunningham has been sidelined with an ankle injury since the start of the WNBA season andwas ruled outfor Tuesday's Fever game against the Atlanta Dream. Tuesday's statement from the Suns follows up previous statements attacking the lawsuit and attorney Sheree Wright. Wright is an attorney for the plaintiffs in four lawsuits that have been filed against the Suns since November by current and former employees. The Suns have repeatedly accused Wright of "trying to extort" the franchise and called the allegations in the suit filed by Traylor "delusional" in a previous statement from Mitch. "Ms. Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns,"Mitch's statement reads. "These allegations are delusional and categorically false." Wright issued a statement to Front Office Sports in response to Wright's statements. "I'm not interested in litigating this in the media," her statement reads. "I will respond in court — where evidence, not headlines, decides the outcome." Tuesday's statement from Mitch accuses Wright of continuing to "insert salacious lies and fabrications into her complaints."

byKevin Jones

in

May 20, 2025

Suns deny 'false and morally reprehensible' claim from lawsuit that CEO Josh Bartelstein had an affair with ex-Mercury player Sophie Cunningham

Suns deny 'false and morally reprehensible' claim from lawsuit that CEO Josh Bartelstein had an affair with ex-Mercury player Sophie...

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Giancarlo Stanton's Yankees return still uncertain, with no set date to begin rehab assignment

Giancarlo Stanton's Yankees return still uncertain, with no set date to begin rehab assignment

Giancarlo Stanton's return to theNew York Yankees' lineup is still an uncertainty. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday that the veteran slugger hasnot yet been scheduledto begin a minor-league rehab assignment. That was approximately 10 days after Stanton faced live batting practice for the first time since beingshut down during spring trainingdue totendinitis in both elbows. With Stanton not going through a typical spring training preparation for the 2025 season, a minor-league rehab assignment will likely be necessary. However, Boone said Stanton wouldn't require a long rehab in the minors (the maximum allowed for position playersis 20 days) because he doesn't play a defensive position. Stanton wastransferred to the 60-day injured liston May 1 to open up a spot on the Yankees' 40-man roster. That makes him eligible to be activated on May 24. However, the team projected thata mid-June returnis more likely after Stanton goes through a ramp-up process expected to take approximately two months. During spring training, Stanton left the Yankees' camp in Tampa to undergo medical tests by team doctors in New York. He also receivedtwo rounds of platelet-rich plasma injectionsin both elbows to try to accelerate the healing process. Surgery was viewed as a last resort because it would sideline Stanton for three months. Yet if the Yankees had known about Stanton's condition earlier in the offseason, the team might've encouraged that option. Instead, the team didn't know how serious Stanton's condition was until he informed them shortly before spring training, saying he hadn't swung a batfor three to four weeks. In Stanton's absence, the Yankees have gotten a collective .284 average (fourth in MLB) and .987 OPS (second in the league) from the DH spot, with 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 30 RBI.Ben Ricehas gotten most of the at-bats at DH, batting .250/.348/.529 with 10 doubles, 9 homers and 20 RBI. Rice took grounders at third basebefore Sunday's game, raising the question of whether he could move to another position, perhaps in anticipation of Stanton's return. However, Boone dismissed those notions, saying Rice was "just doing it for fun." The Yankees could use the help at third base, where their collective .203 average and .568 OPS at the position are near the bottom of MLB. Last season, Stanton batted .233 with a .773 OPS, 27 home runs, 20 doubles and 72 RBI in 114 games. He was very impactful in the postseason, hitting seven home runs with a 1.048 OPS. With four of those homers against theCleveland Guardians, Stanton was named ALCS MVP.

byKevin Jones

in

May 20, 2025

Giancarlo Stanton's Yankees return still uncertain, with no set date to begin rehab assignment

Giancarlo Stanton's Yankees return still uncertain, with no set date to begin rehab assignment Giancarlo Stanton's return to theNew ...

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Jordon Hudson reportedly demanded content approval, partial ownership of UNC 'Hard Knocks' before NFL Films killed project

Jordon Hudson reportedly demanded content approval, partial ownership of UNC 'Hard Knocks' before NFL Films killed project

An offseason version of "Hard Knocks"was supposed to cover Bill Belichick as he embarked on his first season as head coach of UNC. We now know why that project fell apart. Shortly before NFL Films and HBO were set to announce the docuseries, Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, demanded both content approval and partial ownership of the show, according toKatherine Rosman of The New York Times. Rather than hand control of the long-running show to the 24-year-old Hudson,who has made no shortage of headlines this offseason at Belichick's side, NFL Films reportedly opted to pull the plug. Producers reportedly learned after the fact Hudson was in negotiations with another production company, EverWonder, to make a similar series. Perits website, EverWonder has been involved in a number of sports projects, most notably the production of Netflix's Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight. Ithad previously been reportedHudson played an instrumental role in killing the Tar Heel edition of "Hard Knocks," with one of the show's executive producers alluding to her demands to be heavily involved in the production of the series: "The conversation took a turn we were not comfortable with." Not even NFL head coaches or general managers are granted final cut of "Hard Knocks" seasons covering their teams, as the show is ultimately controlled by the league itself. Belichick's inclusion would have been new ground for the series, but Hudson apparently wanted control over what would have been a very loud message about how his foray into college football is going. That desire for control has turned into an unavoidable narrative over the past few months,most notably when Hudson stepped in to nix a CBS interview question about how she and Belichick met. Questions about her involvement in the UNC program have become loud enoughthe Tar Heels have felt the need to release a statement confirming she is not a school employee, but she is welcome at their facilities. And given the Times reported Hudson has told at least one person that she and Belichick are engaged, she may be in this for the long haul. The other area the Times reported Hudson's involvement in Belichick's professional life is a number of trademark applications in his name. Literally. Because the trademarks for the coach's well-known catchphrases, such as "No Days Off" and "Do Your Job," are all held by his old New England Patriots team, Hudson has reportedly attempted to pull a Taylor Swift and applied for trademarks reading "No Days Off (Bill's Version)," and "Do Your Job (Bill's Version)." We'll see how that one works out.

byKevin Jones

in

May 20, 2025

Jordon Hudson reportedly demanded content approval, partial ownership of UNC 'Hard Knocks' before NFL Films killed project

Jordon Hudson reportedly demanded content approval, partial ownership of UNC 'Hard Knocks' before NFL Films killed project An offsea...

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