Sports
Chiefs GM: Patrick Mahomes 'way ahead of schedule'
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach concurred with team owner Clark Hunt, saying that quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from knee surgery is “ahead of schedule.”
In a Monday interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Veach said, “”I think it wouldn’t surprise you guys, the way it’s been really inspiring just to see — my mind, I’ve been there before with Pat, he had that dislocated knee (in 2019) and worked his tail off and came back in three weeks. I knew that this bump on the road wouldn’t slow him down at all.
“But I mean, this guy has been in the building — especially like a player that has accomplished everything and can do anything he wants. He can hire his own trainers and be wherever he wants; he’s in our building every single day. Even when he goes away for a few days, say, to Dallas for a weekend with his family, he takes one of our trainers with him.
“So, needless to say, he’s way ahead of schedule. I think the biggest challenge that we’re going to have is protecting him from himself. I’m sure when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he’s gonna want to be full-go, but we are going to have to hold him back a little. And again, I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but I think you guys know the type of person and competitor that Pat is. I would just say, we are in a really good place right now.”
Mahomes, 30, tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The two-time NFL MVP sat out the rest of the season and the Chiefs (6-11) missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Mahomes has guided the club to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships since being drafted 10th overall out of Texas Tech in 2017. He is 95-31 as a starter in the regular season and 17-4 in the postseason.
Veach expanded upon what Hunt had said at the NFL annual meetings in Phoenix in late March.
“By every indication, Patrick is ahead of schedule, and he’s worked really hard to be ahead of schedule,” Hunt said. “Knowing how that plays out in terms of being ready for contact, I don’t think any of us can speculate. But he’s doing fantastic, and we certainly hope we’re going to bounce back this year. We absolutely think we’re a playoff team again, for sure.”
The Chiefs traded for Justin Fields in March and drafted former LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier in April’s NFL draft. Fields has started 53 games while playing for the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, while Nussmeier was a seventh round selection after making 23 starts in five seasons in Baton Rouge.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why Stephen A. and Skip Bayless Are Reuniting on First Take
For the first time in one decade, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless will be back together on ESPN.
On Friday, Bayless will appear on a special edition of “First Take” on ESPN at 10:00 a.m.
The dynamic duo debated sports together on television for over 15 years until Bayless departed for FOX Sports in a move that fractured their relationship.
Bayless exited FS1 in 2024 and has been hinting at a return to the mainstream sports talk scene ever since. The 74-year-old has continued to post on his YouTube channel and co-hosts a show for Underdog Sports, where Smith appeared as a guest a few months ago. Bayless tried to reunite with Smith in 2020, but FOX offered him a deal that he couldn’t turn down.
On Friday morning, Smith and Bayless will reunite on ESPN for a one-time episode – at least that’s how it has been marketed.
Could this be more than a one-time broadcast?
Smith had claimed to have moved on from one of the most dominant debate pairings ever and has ascended into his own tier of sports talk. He’s blossomed into the premier talent across ESPN’s properties and has even floated a potential United States presidential nomination. But sports debate is his passion, and “First Take” has become a bit of a revolving door since Bayless exited.
Max Kellerman’s stint on the show ended at Smith’s request. Host Molly Qerim departed shortly after, but Stephen A. insists he was not behind that decision.
Currently, a revolving cast of ESPN personalities spanning from Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears and Kendrick Perkins debate Smith on a show that hasn’t had the same identity that it once had.
The show remains a ratings juggernaut for ESPN, even without a fixed cast. Despite speculation that a pairing of Smith and Bayless is due to declining ratings, they’ve continued to lap their competition, even in an evolving media landscape.
That’s what makes Friday’s pairing of Smith and Bayless even more interesting. Everybody involved continues to market this as a one-time appearance. And perhaps that’s true.
But watching Smith lose his marbles over Skip’s hot takes is going to be a nostalgia play for plenty of sports fans. It could leave the audience yearning for more of this duo together. In a rapidly-changing media climate, ESPN has chased what sports fans are chasing. It’s why Pat McAfee dominates the daytime airwaves while simulcasting on YouTube with ESPN logos plastered all over the set.
Even though Bayless is 74, he’s consistently posting to YouTube to an audience of over a quarter million subscribers. Smith is an even more powerful digital engine with over 1.25 million subscribers on YouTube.
Even if “First Take” with Stephen A. and Skip never returns to what it once was, this certainly feels like an experiment of sorts for ESPN. This “one-time” broadcast will certainly drive massive ratings based on intrigue alone.
But could the four-letter network be priming us for some greater plans? It’s a scenario that certainly shouldn’t be ignored.
Sports
Tigers dismiss Triple-A Toledo manager Gabe Alvarez
Erie SeaWolves manager Gabe Alvarez works against the Somerset Patriots at UPMC Park in Erie on July 11, 2024. The Detroit Tigers fired Triple-A manager Gabe Alvarez on Tuesday, saying the decision stemmed from a “violation of club policy.”
Alvarez, 52, was in his second season as manager of the Toledo Mud Hens, who had a 17-16 record through Monday’s minor league play and were tied for fourth place in the International League West.
“We have terminated the contract of Gabe Alvarez as the manager of Triple A Toledo due to a violation of club policy,” the Tigers said in a statement. “Mike Hessman will serve as interim manager. We will have no further comment.”
A major leaguer for parts of three seasons, Alvarez was a career .222 hitter with seven home runs and 33 RBIs over 92 games for the Tigers (1998-2000) and San Diego Padres (2000). During nine seasons in the minor leagues, Alvarez batted .278 with 114 home runs.
A second-round pick out of Southern California in 1995, Alvarez served as an assistant coach at his alma mater starting in 2010. He was hired by the Tigers to be the manager at Double-A Erie starting in the 2022 season and was promoted to manager at Toledo in October of 2024.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLS great Kei Kamara retires from soccer at age 41
Jul 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Kei Kamara (85) controls the ball against Inter Miami CF in the first half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Legendary MLS striker Kei Kamara has announced his retirement from professional soccer at the age of 41.
Kamar, ranked No. 2 in league history with 147 regular-season goals, announced his decision on social media.
“I never played for just one crest,” he said in a video posted Monday on X. “I played for the love of the game.”
Kamara’s MLS career spanned 20 years with a league-record 12 teams. His 464 regular-season matches are tied for third behind Kyle Beckerman (498) and Dax McCarty (488). Only Chris Wondolowski (171) scored more goals.
The Sierra Leone native entered the league in 2006 as a first-round pick by the Columbus Crew and has also played for the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United, CF Montreal, New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps and most recently, FC Cincinnati in 2025.
“From Sierra Leone to America, 20 years of chasing something bigger,” Kamara said. “Goals fade, records fade. But what you carry forward, that stays.”
Kamara was an MLS All-Star in 2015 and 2023 and made the MLS Best XI in 2015. He won the U.S. Open Cup with Sporting KC in 2012 and LAFC in 2024.
–Field Level Media
Why Stephen A. and Skip Bayless Are Reuniting on First Take
Tigers dismiss Triple-A Toledo manager Gabe Alvarez
