Sports
Fire, Mystics both seek response after lopsided losses
Jun 17, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton (6) shoots a jump shot during the second half against Seattle Storm guard Zia Cooke (7) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images The fast start by the expansion Portland Fire has evaporated, and the club has dropped seven of its last nine games.
Portland (8-11) will attempt to recover from back-to-back whippings in the Windy City when it visits the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon.
The Fire started a four-game road trip, part of a stretch in which eight of nine games are away, losing by a combined 53 points in a two-game series at the Chicago Fire.
The 101-78 shellacking on Wednesday was bad enough, but the defense outright disappeared in Friday’s 124-94 setback to the Fire.
Chicago set franchise records for points and shooting percentage (66.2%) in a game, while post player Kamilla Cardoso set a WNBA mark for most baskets (13) without a miss while scoring 30 points.
“We just got exposed defensively,” Portland coach Alex Sarama told reporters afterward.
Making the two blowout losses more stunning was that Chicago had lost six straight games and 11 of 12 entering the set.
But Cardoso did anything she wanted on the inside and Sydney Taylor was hot from outside with 6-of-7 3-point shooting while scoring 29 points.
“Defensively, I felt we had no solutions,” Sarama said. “We tried changing pick-and-roll covers. Had to double the post, but their bigs got whatever they wanted at the rim.”
Bridget Carleton scored 20 points for the Fire on Friday. Carla Leite added 18.
Washington also has dropped consecutive games, and its latest setback was because it couldn’t score.
The Mystics shot just 34.5% from the field and established a season low for points in a 68-57 road loss against the Connecticut Sun.
Washington coach Sydney Johnson was stunned at the offensive struggles.
“To score 57 points, you give the Sun credit; you also look at yourself in terms of what you can do better,” Johnson said. “It’s something that plagues us from time to time. We lost the possession (battle), and that’s never really a good thing.”
Georgia Amoore led Washington with 14 points while Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen added 11 each.
Citron was just 2-of-10 shooting and missed all four 3-point attempts one game after having 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting (4 of 5 treys) in a 78-76 loss to the visiting Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
Against the Sun, Washington had quarters of 14, 12 and 10 points. It scored 21 points in the third.
Johnson expects a turnaround against Portland.
“It’s not something that’s going to weigh us down,” said Johnson, “but certainly we need to be pros and turn the page and gear up for the next one.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Giants activate OF Heliot Ramos (quad) from IL
May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos (17) doubles in two runs in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The San Francisco Giants activated outfielder Heliot Ramos from the injured list Sunday while first baseman Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment.
Ramos, 26, last played on May 15 due to a right quadriceps strain. He was batting .267 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 44 games this season.
In five major league seasons with the Giants, the 2024 National League All-Star is a career .257 career hitter with 48 home runs and 163 RBIs in 356 games.
Kennedy, 27, did not have a hit in seven at-bats over seven games in his first season with the Giants. In five major league seasons for six different clubs, Kennedy is a career .171 hitter with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 74 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Can MMA Fix Its Officiating Problem After UFC Baku?
It feels like every week, where MMA fans, media members, fighters, and pundits can throw their arms up in frustration at something involving officiating. Whether it’s a questionable call by the referee, a questionable scorecard from a judge, or, even worse, the referee flat-out making a call that goes against the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, something happens involving the people we expect to uphold the rules, the integrity, and the spirit of great MMA competition. And it leaves people dumbfounded.
This week was especially notable considering a pair of events that occurred during the UFC Baku card on June 27.
The first instance came during the preliminary card’s opening bout between Tahir Abdullayev and Jefferson Nascimento. While the overall impact of this fight might be low, considering both men were making their UFC debuts, both were notable talents on the regional scene (Abdullayev in UAE Warriors and Nascimento in LFA).
And you don’t want to start the night with something that could take the wind out of an event’s sails. Well, while the night’s action was great, referee Jim Perdios made sure this card started with a groan instead of a bang.
The fight was already a boring one, considering a lack of offense between the two competitors, but things got weird when Nascimento received a warning from Perdios for lack of activity. Abdullayev, however, did not receive such a warning despite Nascimento outworking him in the first two rounds, per UFC Stats.
Even more egregious, Abdullayev landed a punch on Nascimento after the horn to signal the end of the second round. Abdullayev, however, did not receive a point deduction. And some fans flashed back to the horrid Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie bout from UFC 208.
The cherry on top of it came during the finishing sequence. Abdullayev dropped Nascimento and tried to rain down power shots. We’ve seen fighters in worse positions than Nascimento, and Nascimento grabbed onto Abdullayev from the bottom. But that’s the moment Perdios stepped in and stopped the fight. Nascimento got back to his fight and immediately protested – and the UFC’s own commentary team couldn’t defend the stoppage.
Leading off with a controversial fight is bad enough; it gets worse when your co-main event gets filled with ref controversy, too.
Even more of a spotlight gets put on this when the referee of the UFC Baku co-main event – Shara “Bullet” Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira – is Herb Dean. Dean is a longtime ref in the game, but his best days are far behind him. In fact, Dean is a near-frequent name brought up these days with controversial officiating. Alex Pereira is currently targeting him, accusing Dean of terrible officiating in his UFC Freedom 250 bout with Ciryl Gane.
Things started “great” in the first round, when Pereira dropped Magomedov. While Pereira was on top, trying to land shots, Magomedov pulled Pereira’s hair on more than one occasion.
Despite the obvious fouling, no disqualification (or TKO) finish was issued, and no point was deducted. Nothing. Just a “hard warning” levied against Magomedov.
Now, after a hard warning, should come a point deduction, right? Well, after a boring second frame, the third round saw Magomedov land an eye poke on Pereira. And what did Dean do?
The answer: Nothing! Not even a point deduction.
That would play a pivotal role in the outcome, as Magomedov won on the judges’ scorecards. Had Dean done his job, it would have been a draw at best for Magomedov, if not a Pereira win.
In his own post-event editorial, Andrew Richardson of MMA Mania mentions how common it is that officiating issues happen in MMA these days. And as he mentions, every time there is an outcry for more scrutiny and watchdogging of MMA’s officials, nothing ever happens.
This writer understands that referees and judges fall under the state athletic commissions, which have government oversight. But how much more is it going to take before somebody steps in and really shakes things up for these people who have huge roles in this sport’s matchups? How much can education and outcry really do? It’s time for consequences.
But this writer isn’t going to hold his breath…
Sports
Maple Leafs pick F Gavin McKenna No. 1 in NHL draft
Oct 10, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna (72) controls the puck in the first period of a game against the Clarkson Golden Knights at Pegula Ice Arena. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images The Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick of the NHL draft on Friday in Buffalo, N.Y.
The 18-year-old McKenna was widely expected to be the top pick after a standout freshman season at Penn State, where he tallied 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games. McKenna also played for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, when he notched 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in seven games for the bronze medalists.
The spotlight on McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, will be bright in Toronto. After the Maple Leafs finished one spot out of last place in the Eastern Conference with 78 points, they picked No. 1 overall for the third time in franchise history.
The Maple Leafs selected star captain Auston Matthews with the top overall pick 10 years ago, and in 1985 they drafted forward Wendel Clark No. 1 overall. Matthews is in the middle of an excellent career and Clark spent 15 seasons in the NHL, 13 of those with Toronto.
Winning the draft lottery made this a simple call for Toronto’s new front-office heads, general manager John Chayka and senior adviser Mats Sundin, who last week named Jim Hiller the franchise’s new head coach.
The San Jose Sharks will pick second as the remainder of Round 1 plays out Friday. Rounds 2-7 of the draft are slated for Saturday.
–Field Level Media
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