Sports
Everyone Should Be Rooting for the New York Mets Right Now
We’ve reached that point of the MLB season where a good deal of fans can no longer say they have a dog in the fight.
Entering play Wednesday, seven teams have officially been eliminated from postseason contention, and a handful of others are bound to join them soon.
If you’re a Chicago White Sox fan who has been relentlessly tortured for the past six months or a supporter of the Toronto Blue Jays who just simply realizes the end is near, chances are you’re looking for a new team to back come playoff time.
Go ahead and choose the New York Mets.
While New York is not yet guaranteed a spot in the postseason, it is well on its way to a wild-card berth. The Mets drilled the Washington Nationals 10-1 on Tuesday night for their 14th win in 18 games, keeping them level with the Arizona Diamondbacks at 83-68.
Arizona and New York are clinging to the last two wild cards in the NL, with both clubs sitting two games above the Atlanta Braves.
So, why root for the Mets?
To put it lightly, New York has been dragged through hell and back over the past decade. Just ask any Mets fan you know… if they’ve been brave enough to disclose that information publicly.
From blowing a 10 1/2-game lead in the NL East over the final four-plus months of the 2022 season to having owner Steven Cohen put his money in the wrong places, New York has had its fair share of misfortune, turmoil and adversity.
And oh yeah, there was that World Series loss back in 2015, something that certainly hasn’t been forgotten considering all the Mets have since then is a pair of exits in the wild-card round.
But that right there is what makes New York so relatable.
I think, to some degree, we all feel like the past 10 years have beaten us down. We’ve probably all been put in situations where it feels like the world around us is crumbling, like everything is going wrong.
Hopefully you’ve come to realize that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, though. Even if you haven’t found it yet.
For the Mets, this season could very well be that light.
Let’s not get too deep into philosophical thought here. After all, we’re talking about a team that relied on the powers of Grimace, a fictional character who is a good friend of Ronald McDonald himself, for most of its success in the month of June.
Grimace threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of a meeting with the Miami Marlins on June 12. New York won that game, igniting a 14-4 run. Where have we seen that before? That’s right—it’s identical to the Mets’ current 18-game stretch. Coincidence? I think not, especially considering New York unveiled a purple seat at Citi Field on Monday as an ode to Grimace.
Across town, you have the clean-shaven New York Yankees, who are all business and on the prowl for a 28th title. Then there’s the Mets: just happy to be playing meaningful baseball in mid-September and using that as an opportunity to promote a 10-foot fast food icon any chance they get.
I know who I’m pushing for.
Sports
SoFi workers reach agreement to avoid strike ahead of World Cup
May 25, 2026; Inglewood, CA, USA; A general overall view of Sofi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium), a host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A potential strike by SoFi Stadium workers, ahead of the United States’ World Cup opening match at the venue Friday, was averted when an estimated 2,000 employees reached a tentative agreement Tuesday through their union.
The union representing hospitality workers at the stadium in Inglewood, Calif., had voted to authorize a strike last Friday, a week before the United States men’s national team was set to play against Paraguay.
Mostly composed of concessions workers as well as cashiers, dishwashers, bartenders and food attendants, the union had voted 96% in favor of the strike, which had been looming for the last few months since the existing deal with stadium operators Legends Global expired.
The new agreement earned workers a 40% pay increase for concession stands attendants and also has a clause allowing workers to walk off the job if the union believes that the presence of federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creates a “reasonable apprehension of harm to the safety and security of workers,” The Athletic reported.
The agreement, which the union announced at a news conference, still has to be ratified by workers on Wednesday.
Kurt Peterson, co-president of the union, said the agreement will make the venue’s concessions workers the highest paid at NFL stadiums, according to a report in The Athletic, with most earning “more than $40 per hour, and many of them significantly more than that.”
Workers also will be able to earn “premium pay for mega-events, including all eight World Cup games,” Peterson told The Athletic.
SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host two of the United States’ three group-stage matches, against Paraguay (Friday) and Turkey (June 25), as well as three tournament knockout-stage matches, one of which is a quarterfinal on July 10.
The venue is the home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers of the NFL. It also is slated to be a co-host for the Opening Ceremonies during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as the home for the swimming competitions.
The new agreement lasts until April 30, 2028, giving the union leverage for renegotiations before the Olympics begin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers activate RHP Cole Winn from 15-day injured list
Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Winn (60) throws against Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, May 1, 2026. The Texas Rangers activated right-handed reliever Cole Winn from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday after he was sidelined since May 23 by arm fatigue.
Winn, 26, takes the spot on the 26-man roster vacated by right-hander Luis Curvelo, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Winn allowed two runs on two hits in a third of an inning of his most recent outing that came during a 5-2 loss to the host Los Angeles Angels. He exited the game after three batters with fatigue and soreness in his right shoulder.
In 22 appearances this season, he is 2-1 with one save, a 5.59 ERA, seven walks and 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.
In 68 career relief appearances, Winn is 2-3 with one save, a 3.91 ERA, 28 walks and 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.
Texas made Winn the 15th overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Curvelo, 25, had a scoreless inning Sunday in the Rangers’ 10-0 victory over the visiting Guardians. He has a 4.91 ERA, two walks and four strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings over seven relief appearances.
He was on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain from April 15 to May 19.
In 24 career relief appearances since 2025, Curvelo is 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA over 26 1/3 innings
–Field Level Media
Sports
Frances Tiafoe outlasts Daniel Altmaier in first round at Stuttgart
Jun 1, 2026; Paris, France; Frances Tiafoe of the United States returns a shot during his match against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy on day nine at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Sixth-seeded Frances Tiafoe saved 7 of 9 break points and outlasted Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 to post a first-round victory at the BOSS Open Tuesday in Stuttgart, Germany.
Tiafoe had 24 winners and 30 unforced errors while prevailing on the grass surface after the end of the clay-court season. Altmaier had 15 aces among his 40 winners but committed 42 unforced errors.
Tiafoe next faces Australia’s Rinky Hijikata, who rallied for a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over German wild card Tom Gentzsch. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios beat the only other seeded player in action, prevailing 6-3, 6-4 over No. 8 Corentin Moutet of France.
The other winners Tuesday were Marcos Giron, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Yannick Hanfmann, Australia’s James Duckworth, France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro.
Libema Open
Adrian Mannarino of France hit 25 winners while posting a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory over defending champion Gabriel Diallo of Canada in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Mannarino ended a nine-match drought in singles play dating back to the Miami Open in mid-March. Diallo had 52 unforced errors against just 20 winners. Mannarino committed 44 miscues.
Martin Damm advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Jaume Munar. Also, China’s Zhang Zhizhen registered a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-1 victory over Jenson Brooksby.
–Field Level Media
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SoFi workers reach agreement to avoid strike ahead of World Cup
