Back to business for Mariners after Cal Raleigh signs big extension
Mar 27, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) talks with catcher Cal Raleigh (29) during a first inning at-bat by Raleigh at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Near the end of a news conference announcing catcher Cal Raleigh’s six-year, $105 million contract extension with the Seattle Mariners on Friday afternoon, a question came from the back row.
Raleigh looked up and noticed the last few seats had been filled with members of the Mariners’ pitching staff.
“Oh, no,” said Raleigh, realizing what he was in for.
Bryce Miller, who is scheduled to start against the Athletics on Saturday, had the first question.
“So last week we went to Mastro’s to eat,” said Miller, referring to a pricey steakhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz., “and you let Logan (Gilbert) put his (credit) card down. I was wondering if you plan on reimbursing him?”
“Well, the deal wasn’t done yet,” Raleigh replied.
Pitcher Bryan Woo, who roomed with Raleigh last season and obviously was angling for a gift, later asked, “In football, when a QB gets paid, he does a pretty good job of taking care of his O-linemen … they’re in the trenches with you every day. You put any thought toward that?”
“Usually, it’s the other way around,” Raleigh responded. “The pitchers are supposed to take care of the catchers.”
Those light moments in the news conference pretty much were the highlight of the day for the Mariners, who managed just five hits while being blanked 7-0.
Brent Rooker, rookie Max Muncy and pinch-hitter Luis Urias homered for the A’s.
Rooker bounced back after striking out four times in a 4-2 loss on Opening Day, Muncy’s blast to left-center was his first major-league hit – he got the silent treatment when he returned to the dugout – and Urias went deep against the team he played sparingly for last season.
Add in Tyler Soderstrom’s pair of solo shots Thursday and the A’s have five home runs through two games.
A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs, acquired in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, pitched six innings and allowed three hits with nine strikeouts.
“(Springs) controlled the game and changed speeds really well,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “Nine punchouts in six innings says a lot about the performance itself.”
A’s right-hander Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41 ERA last season) will have a tough act to follow Saturday after fellow starters Luis Severino and Springs each pitched six scoreless innings in the first two games of the season.
Severino, signed as a free agent in the offseason, became a mentor for Bido this spring.
“He’s a guy with a lot of talent and I think he still has room to get even better,” Severino told MLB.com. “That’s why I’m always watching his bullpens and live BPs. To see what I can share with him from what I know or what I’ve learned over my time in the big leagues. We’re always playing catch and pausing to see if I can help work on his mechanics, glove position, secondary pitches, small things like that. To see what a tremendous talent he is … it’s incredible.”
The Mariners feel the same way about Miller, who went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 2024, his first full season in the majors.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Former Georgia WR Zachariah Branch arrested
Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) takes questions from the press during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals Media Day at Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Players and coaches from Ole Miss and Georgia took questions from the press. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch, a Georgia standout who was expected to be selected in the NFL Draft later this week, was arrested early Sunday in Athens, Ga., according to Athens-Clarke County jail records.
Branch, 22, was charged with obstructing public sidewalks/streets and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, both misdemeanors. He was booked at 1:26 a.m. and released on bond at 3:44 a.m.
Widely projected as a Day 2 NFL draft pick, estimates show Branch going as high as the second round on Friday.
In his first season at Georgia, following a transfer from Southern California, Branch led the Bulldogs with 81 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns last season. Georgia went 12-2 and lost 39-34 to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
In three college seasons, the first two at USC, Branch had 159 receptions for 1,634 yards and nine touchdowns in 37 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cavs guard duo out for even more in Game 2 vs. Raptors
Apr 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images The Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden lived up to the hype in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Mitchell scored 32 points in 31 minutes, and Harden dissected the defense for 22 points and 10 assists, leading the fourth-seeded Cavaliers to a 126-113 home victory Saturday. Cleveland built a 24-point lead before coasting home with the win.
Fifth-seeded Toronto must figure out how to slow them down Monday, when Game 2 takes place at Cleveland.
“Every scenario is on the table,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We’ve got to take a look at the film. I have my own thoughts, just based on the game, but I want to watch it to see what adjustments we can make.”
Mitchell and Harden were the best players on the court in the opener, combining to make 19 of 38 field goal attempts, 8 of 14 from 3-point range and 8 of 9 free-throw opportunities. They also combined for four steals, as the Cavaliers forced 17 turnovers as a team.
It didn’t matter who Toronto used against the star guards defensively. The guards took turns beating the defense off the dribble, in transition and making pinpoint passes in half-court sets. Max Strus took advantage with a career playoff-high 24 points off the bench and four 3-pointers.
“Our job now is to stay in the moment and take one game at a time,” Harden said. “I’ve been in this (situation). Things happen fast. Our job is to focus on what we can do better.”
Harden, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Clippers, was especially proficient at slowing down the pace and feeding his big men. Seven of his 10 assists went to either center Jarrett Allen or forwards Evan Mobley and Keon Ellis.
Mitchell was much more aggressive, bypassing his heavy diet of 3-pointers in favor of slashing through the lane. Thirteen of his 20 shots were within the arc, which also led to him go 6 of 7 from the foul line.
“You’ve got to pick, right? Do you trap James? Do you trap me? Do you switch?” said Mitchell, who extended his league-record streak of 30-plus points in a series opener to nine straight. “There are so many different things you have to pick. James makes my life a lot easier.”
Being so efficient on offense allowed Cleveland to set up defensively, stopping the fast-paced Raptors from using their youth and athleticism to speed up the game.
Toronto couldn’t adapt and only managed to take 71 shots — a whopping 18 below the league average. The Cavaliers took 81 shots, making 54.3% of them, and were 16 of 32 on 3-pointers.
“They were getting back, stopping us from running,” Toronto power forward Scottie Barnes said. “They beat us at one of the things we do best, and that’s transition. We’ve got to be prepared and have some urgency.”
RJ Barrett scored 24 points, Barnes had 21 points and Brandon Ingram and Jamal Shead added 17 apiece, but none had more than 14 shots. Shead started in his playoff debut with point guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain) inactive.
Quickley did practice Sunday, when the Raptors worked out in the practice gym at the Cavaliers’ arena, but Rajakovic said his status won’t be known until the pregame.
Regardless of which point guard is playing, the coach will emphasize the importance of feeding Ingram. Toronto’s leading scorer in the regular season (21.5 points per game) only got off nine shots while being blanketed by Strus, Ellis and Dean Wade.
“We have a small margin of error,” Ingram said. “They knew everything (play-wise) we would run throughout the year. They tried to deny me the ball every time I ran down the floor.
“At the end of the day, me shooting nine shots is not going to win basketball games.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gilbert Burns Retires: A Look Back at His Legendary UFC Career
UFC Winnipeg was that kind of card that had everything – a couple of fantastic fights, one of the worst robberies of the year, a draw, referee action, referee inaction, a devastating knockout, and a couple of impressive finishes.
But while Mike Malott got the win at UFC Winnipeg, taking himself one step further up the welterweight ranks, there needs to be a dedicated spotlight on his opponent, Gilbert Burns.
After Malott scored the victory, he gave time in his post-fight interview to praise Burns for all he has done in and out of the Octagon. Burns then got his own time to speak, laying his gloves down and retiring from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. And while Burns never won a UFC championship, he should be saluted as a fantastic athlete who gave his all to the sport.
Burns’ path to MMA started with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In fact, the story goes that Burns’ father got Burns and his brothers three months of jiu-jitsu lessons as payment from a car repair customer. That deal, and those three months of training, set Burns on a path that helped him land in the UFC.
Burns became a Brazilian and European jiu-jitsu champion, then went on to win several world titles in the discipline. Then, in 2015, Burns won a bronze medal at the 2015 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships.
It was 2012 when Burns made his professional MMA debut, starting his career with seven first-round finishes. That was the same year he served as a coach on Vitor Belfort’s team for The Ultimate Fighter.
A couple of years later, the UFC came calling, and he debuted in the promotion in July 2014, scoring a decision win over Andreas Stahl. He started his UFC tenure 6-3, but it was in late 2018 that Burns started to really find a groove.
He racked up six straight wins, moving up to welterweight during that time frame. His wins in that span included a victory over Olivier Aubin-Mercier, a first-round finish of Demian Maia, and a decision win over former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Those performances led Burns to a welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Burns troubled Usman early in the fight, scoring a first-round knockdown, and he was seemingly moments away from capturing the gold. But Usman stormed a comeback, eventually finishing Burns in the third round.
It was a heartbreaking defeat. And unfortunately, it was the start of a skid for Burns over the remaining five years of his UFC career. Burns’ last 10 Octagon bouts, which includes the loss to Usman, saw him go just 3-7.
Burns’ loss to Malott was his fifth straight. At 39 years old, Burns’ retirement is unsurprising, but still unfortunate. He fought so many of today’s fantastic UFC athletes and earned a number of post-fight bonuses. And that’s why while it’s disappointing he never got the UFC gold, he still should go down as a memorable UFC competitor.
And the thing is, he still can do great things in the sport. He will be in the corner of his teammates. He will prepare them for their fights. Maybe we can still see Burns in jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitions.
“Durinho” has always been considered a man of class. And it was uplifting to see the Canadian crowd give him such a warm ovation and thank you as Burns rode off into the sunset.
Thank you, Gilbert Burns, and congratulations on a tremendous career.
Former Georgia WR Zachariah Branch arrested
Cavs guard duo out for even more in Game 2 vs. Raptors
