Even if the infamous “Charlie Hustle” aka Pete Rose is made eligible to be inducted into Baseball’s Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, it will now be a posthumous honor as the “hit king” passed away today in Nevada.
TheSource.com is updating this story as details develop.
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The baseball world lost an integral piece of history yesterday as it was announced that Osvaldo “Ozzie” Virgil Sr., passed away on Sunday. He was 92 years old.
The Dominican Republic native migrated to the Bronx in the late 40s, where Virgil graduated from high school then enlisted in the US marines from 1950-1952. I n1953, the 21-year-old Virgil embarked on his baseball career that included nine seasons in the major leagues with the Giants (two stints), Tigers, Athletics, Orioles, and Pirates. He was the first non-white player for the Detroit organization in 1958, 11 years after jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. At the time, Virgil was considered the first Black Tigers player, but he was the first Dominican-born baseball player to play in the majors and the first Latino Tigers player.
Following his playing career, Virgil spent 19 seasons as an MLB coach with the Giants, Expos, Padres, and Mariners from 1968-88. He served as third base coach under Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams with the Expos (1977-81), Padres (1982-85) and Mariners (1986-88).
Virgil’s son, Ozzie Jr., played 11 MLB seasons with the Phillies, Braves, and Blue Jays from 1980-90. He went to the 1985 All-Star Game with the Phillies and the 1987 All-Star Game with the Braves.
“He means a lot,” the Yankees’ Juan Soto said last year. “He was the first Dominican coming to the big leagues and opened the doors for a lot of Dominicans — and not only Dominicans, for all Latin players.”
In 2008 with the Detroit Free Press, the late Federal Judge Damon Keith said, “Ozzie was not white, but he wasn’t Black, and he was caught in between through no fault of his own.”
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The boxing world is saddened and shocked after the news was confirmed that top welterweight division fighter “King Mylik” Birdsong was shot and killed in L.A. in what appears to be classified as a drive-by shooting over the weekend.
Officers responded to the shooting around 4:50 pm on Sunday at West 87th Street and Denker Avenue, south of West Manchester Avenue in South Central, according to reports from the LAPD. According to the report, Birdsong was standing outside a vehicle with his girlfriend inside when another vehicle approached. Police describe the suspects as five men in a black SUV.
“The victim then ran towards his residence [when] two suspects from the vehicle started chasing him while shooting at him,” said an LAPD spokesperson to local reporters. Birdsong fell to the ground in the driveway, the spokesperson said. First responders arrived and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Birdsong, 31, was a professional boxing contender known as “King Malik”, who at one time was known for his undefeated record. He had a record of 15-1-1 with 10 knock-outs and was the reigning World Boxing Foundation International Welterweight champion.
The L.A. native’s next scheduled fight was set for Oct. 26 against Gor Yeritsyan at the Commerce Casino.
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As it has been sadly reported, the Oakland Coliseum, the place that the AL West Oakland A’s baseball team have called home since 1968, has closed its doors for good and many fans and baseball critics have made it known that no one is happy about it. Some of the most interesting perspectives have come from Oakland A’s players themselves, both past and present, who feel like the move to Las Vegas was more about money than the game.
The A’s, who they will now be called when they move the show to Sacramento, played their last game in the Oakland Coliseum this past Thursday in a win against the Texas Rangers, but the bittersweet win was overshadowed by the loss of the stadium, with fans taking bases and bottles of dirt from the field as tearful pieces of memorabilia. Oakland, where legendary players such as Reggie Jackson and Rickey Henderson once called home, closed the doors to the Coliseum where the Athletics have played since 1968. The A’s followed the lead of the Raiders, who left Oakland for Las Vegas just three years ago.
Fans turned up at the Coliseum early in the day in full green and gold regalia. Chants of “Let’s go, Oakland” soon roared throughout the stadium, as did some chants of “Sell the team” in a reference to Oakland A’s owner John Fisher. Despite reportedly being instructed to leave the field immediately following the game, players stayed to honor and pay homage their fans.
Some of the players, current and former, were not at all thrilled or surprised by the move from Oakland and former A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell believes that the move to Vegas will literally hurt the morale of a city that is still reeling from sports team losses.
“Removing the A’s from Oakland is ripping the heart out of Oakland!” exclaims the German-born 33-year-old who made his MLB debut in Oakland in 2016. “So much history that belongs to Oakland. Your goal is to win in sports and if that is not your goal, you shouldn’t be allowed to own a team,” Maxwell says referencing Fisher. “Ownership has shown that they are more focused on saving money than winning. It’s sad for the people of Oakland that it’s happening like this.”
The A’s will be moving to Sacramento for three seasons to Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, starting in 2025, with an option for a fourth season, the team announced in April. In the spirit of the Raiders, the plan is to move the A’s organization to Las Vegas by 2028. As for closing the doors to the Coliseum, Maxwell echoed the sentiments of the A’s fans. “It’s bad for Oakland and it’s bad for baseball.”
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Huh? Like, wait, what? Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most legendary centers of all time and Hall of Famer, recently shared his all-time NBA starting five—and it didn’t include LeBron James, a notable omission given James’ status as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
These lists are getting carried away and this one is no exception.
Naturally and deservedly so, O’Neal honored his late Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant by placing him in the lineup, he chose Julius Erving and Karl Malone, another former Laker, as his forwards. O’Neal also, unsurprisingly, picked himself for his own squad.
Obviously LeBron James is often regarded by many as the greatest or one of the top two or three players in NBA history, was left off the list despite being the league’s all-time leading scorer and displaying unmatched longevity in the game. However, James’ 4-6 record in the NBA Finals and some criticisms of his performance in clutch moments might explain why O’Neal chose Erving over him—or even why he didn’t opt for a player like Larry Bird.
Yea, yea, finals yea, yea. They need to chill and look at the entire body of work. LeBron is going into year 22 as the oldest player in the league and still a top 10, easy. But we digress.
O’Neal has been vocal about his opinions on a variety of NBA-related topics. He recently criticized Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, labeling him as the worst player in the league, though he later clarified that his comments were influenced by Gobert’s large contract.
While O’Neal’s decision to exclude James from his all-time starting five raises questions, it also reflects the differing perspectives within the basketball world on what defines greatness.
Yawn.
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Ahead of Netflix and Most Valuable Promotion’s Paul vs Tyson on Friday, November 15th, COUNTDOWN: PAUL VS. TYSON, a three-part follow-up doc leading up to the mega-event, is set to premiere November 7th.
The much-anticipated July 20 heavyweight fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was rescheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 after Tyson had to pause his training on doctor’s orders after an ulcer flare-up. On Sept. 26, Netflix announced Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson, a three-part follow doc chronicling the journey to the fight, which will take viewers behind the scenes of Paul and Tyson’s respective training. The doc will also follow the lead-up to the Taylor vs. Serrano rematch, one of the most anticipated women’s fights in history.
Jake “El Gallo” Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) and the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) as they prepare for Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions’ (MVP) highly-anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson heavyweight boxing mega-event, airing live on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
The documentary series will take viewers behind-the-scenes of Paul and Tyson’s respective training camps to capture the incredible grit, determination and physical demands needed to prepare for what will be an explosive, can’t miss professional boxing mega-event.
COUNTDOWN will also follow the lead up to one of the most anticipated women’s fights in history, the rematch between undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) and unified featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs), as the two train to face off for the undisputed super lightweight championship title in the co-main event.
Episodes 1 + 2 will premiere on November 7; Episode 3 will premiere on November 12.
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It’s Thursday night football tonight and here we go… The Dallas Cowboys will square off against the New York Giants tonight in a crucial Week 4 “Thursday Night Football” matchup in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This will mark the Cowboys’ first NFC East game of the season after playing two of their first three games against teams from the AFC. Meanwhile, the Giants will be facing their second divisional opponent, following a narrow 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
Both teams enter the contest with identical 1-2 records. Not the best shape in the hotly contested NFC East division but not the worst shape either. Interestingly, their lone victories came against the same team, the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys opened their season with a win over Cleveland, while the Giants stunned the Browns on the road in Week 3, securing a massive upset as 6.5-point underdogs.
ICYMI, in that upset victory, the Giants unleashed an overwhelming pass rush that rattled Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. They recorded an impressive 10 sacks and generated 41 total pressures, 11 more than any other team managed in Week 3. This was a huge leap for the Giants’ defense, which had only managed 29 pressures combined in their first two games. If they can maintain this level of disruption, they could be a formidable force down the stretch.
The Cowboys, America’s team as they say, on the other hand, are coming off a disappointing loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens, where they struggled in multiple areas. Despite a late-game surge in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late. One of the most glaring issues for Dallas has been its inability to establish a consistent running game. The Cowboys rank in the bottom five in explosive run percentage (4.8%) and yards after contact per attempt (2.2), making it hard to generate momentum on offense.
Dallas’ troubles in stopping the run are even more concerning but hopefully not the Giants from their perspective. Their first-round pick from 2023, defensive lineman Mazi Smith, has struggled, earning the lowest Pro Football Focus (PFF) run-defense grade at his position through three games (27.5). The Cowboys’ defense as a whole has allowed the league’s worst Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush at 0.261, nearly four times higher than the next worst team. These defensive struggles could make it difficult for Dallas to capitalize on their passing game, despite having star talents like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Get this, if Cowboys are to bounce back, they will need to find balance on offense and shore up their defensive front. As the season progresses, they can’t afford to place all the pressure on Prescott and Lamb to carry the team.
Tonight’s matchup will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for fans looking to tune in to “Thursday Night Football.”
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The 2024-25 NBA Season is almost here. Sheesh, that was quick and the Lakers are preparing for the historic moment when LeBron James and his son Bronny James play together on the same court. Wild!
Get this, while no firm decisions have been made, new Lakers coach JJ Redick said both LeBron and Bronny will be part of the conversation on how to approach the situation.
“We obviously have talked about it as a staff and we’ve gotten into some specifics of what that might look like,” Redick said. “But we haven’t committed to anything. And obviously, there’s a discussion to be had once we’re all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well.”
ICYMI, the Lakers drafted Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, setting the stage for the father-son duo to share the court.
As you may expect, fans are eagerly awaiting Bronny’s debut alongside LeBron, it’s uncertain when that will happen. The Lakers’ season opener is on Oct. 22 against the Timberwolves, but Bronny isn’t expected to play a major role early on, except perhaps in a ceremonial moment. If he does get playing time in the early games, it may be limited to garbage time unless he impresses during training camp. That’s fair and as it should be tbh.
Surprisingly, Redick isn’t worried balancing the situation. “I don’t look at it as a challenge,” he said. “It’s unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship. Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he’s young and he’s hungry, and he’s got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player. On top of that, he’s a fantastic kid. He’s extremely coachable. He’s got the right spirit and energy every single day. So … it’s not something I’ve really thought of as a challenge.”
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Today, G.O.A.T. Fuel has announced that New York Giants outside linebacker, Kayvon Thibodeaux, has joined the G.O.A.T. Fuel team as a brand investor and ambassador. This news follows the brand’s announcement unveiled earlier this month of fellow NFL stars Breece Hall (New York Jets), Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans), and Terrion Arnold (Detroit Lions) joining the brand as G.O.A.T. Fuel’s newest lineup of brand ambassadors.
“Bringing Kayvon on as an investor is a continuation of our brand’s commitment to offering investment opportunities to young athletes,” said Co-Founder and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice. “Kayvon exhibits a desire to be the best both on and off the field which aligns with our core values here at G.O.A.T. Fuel and is going to help us reach new heights along with our NFL brand ambassadors.”
The move marks a pivotal moment for G.O.A.T. Fuel as it continues to not only expand its roster of athlete ambassadors but forge new pathways for professional athletes to grow their economic autonomy beyond sports. The dual ambassador and investor nature of today’s deal challenges the industry’s status quo of one-dimensional representation deals. Thibodeaux’s investment also underscores G.O.A.T. Fuel’s goals to expand its athletic investor pool in the coming years and become a leading entity supporting players looking to diversify their entrepreneurial portfolios.
“I am honored to join the G.O.A.T. Fuel family as an investor,” said Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants OLB. “Jerry’s incredible legacy and Jaqui’s sharp entrepreneurial mind have shaped the success of their business and were standout qualities that inspired me to invest in the brand.”
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Derrick Rose, the 35-year-old former NBA star, and fan favorite has officially hung up his sneakers, announcing his retirement after a 16-year journey filled with both triumphs and setbacks. Reflecting on his decision, Rose told ESPN, “Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision. Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”
It all went down on the gram in an emotional Instagram post, Rose expressed his gratitude to basketball, the sport that defined much of his life. “Thank You, My First Love…,” he began, addressing basketball directly. “You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain. You showed me what love truly meant. You turned the court into my sanctuary, a home where I could express myself freely.”
Rose continued, “You reminded me that I could always rely on you, that in every moment of doubt, you would show me what I’m capable of. You introduced me to new places and cultures that a kid from Chicago could have never imagined. You taught me that every loss was a lesson and every win was a reason to be grateful. You offered wisdom that was not just about the game, but about life, discipline, hard work, perseverance.”
In a wow moment, Rose’s heartfelt letter was also shared in local newspapers in each of the six cities he played in during his NBA career, including Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit, and Memphis. His final stop was with the Memphis Grizzlies, who agreed to release him from the final year of his contract, allowing him to retire on his own terms.
If you’re not a NBA fan, or know just how impactful Derrick Rose was, he burst onto the NBA scene in 2009, capturing the Rookie of the Year award and earning a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. His meteoric rise continued in 2011, when he became the youngest player in history to win the MVP award. That same year, he led the Chicago Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they eventually fell to the star-studded Miami Heat led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
The turning point happened when Rose suffered a devastating ACL tear during the playoffs. The injury sidelined him for the entire following season, and he never fully returned to the form that once made him an MVP. Despite this, Rose remained a valuable player and a respected veteran presence on several teams throughout the rest of his career.
Respectfully, Derrick Rose finishes his career with averages of 17.4 points and 5.2 assists per game, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and determination. Though his time on the court has come to an end, his impact on the game and the fans who followed him will endure.
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