Sports
NFL Combine Winners and Losers: Cam Ward Bets on Tape, Nick Emmanwori Bets on Physics
How many times have you texted or told someone to “Have a good workout”?
Unless that person was a participant at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, their sporting livelihood probably didn’t depend on it.
But are things truly so dire at the annual meat market with tape measures and stopwatches? After all, University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward elected not to throw during last week’s event. “Five years of film says everything I can do,” the Heisman Trophy finalist said. The footage won’t lose value even if something during his showcase at Miami’s March 24 pro day goes awry.
Yes, there are reasons prospects get invited to the combine, but that doesn’t guarantee them stardom on Sundays. Even athletes who shine at the combine may boost their NFL draft stock without parlaying that further. Ever had a good workout only to stub your toe walking out of the gym?
There’s an adage in sports that the numbers never lie. Someone aiming to challenge Ward’s decision not to generate impressive data at the combine—he did skip the second half of Miami’s Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State to ensure his NFL draft uprightness, didn’t he?—could be stymied by the quarterback himself.
“Five years of film”—that’s a number, a quantifier—“says everything I can do,” Ward said.
Stay tuned on that one. We are living in a material and meme-able world, and Ward’s nine words seemingly scream juxtaposition on an image of him flailing if he struggles out of the chute or doesn’t perform to par with projected fellow Class of 2025 quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders of Colorado or Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss.
Staying with Colorado, the combine produced at least one possible cliffhanger exception to the “numbers never lie” rule. Buffaloes superstar Travis Hunter, who won the Heisman, participated at the combine in an NFL-issued shirt emblazoned with “DB15.” We all know that hardly pigeonholes the aspiring wide receiver-defensive back into playing only on the defensive side of the ball. That’s for the organization that drafts him to decide.
Cleveland, which holds the No. 2 overall pick behind the Tennessee Titans, could be a landing spot for Hunter. If so, the Browns figure to showcase him early and often.
“Well, I’d say this, in terms of Travis Hunter, cornerback or receiver? The answer is yes,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. “So, he can play both, and I think that’s what makes him special.
“We would see him as a receiver primarily first, but I think part of what makes him a bit of a unicorn is the fact that he can do both at a high level.”
Hunter stumps for his conditioning after averaging 113 snaps per game last season, saying, “I feel like I have put my body through a lot.”
In Indy, he wasn’t alone in that contention. South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori covered the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds while registering a 43-inch vertical jump and a standing broad jump of 11 feet, 6 inches. As for personal measures, Emmanwori is 6-foot-3 1/8 and 220 pounds.
Per ESPN, he’s just the fourth player 6-foot-3 or taller since 2003 to run a sub-4.4 40 and surpass 40 inches in the vertical jump.
Emmanwori rightly boasted about those figures, saying, “A safety like me hasn’t come through this league for a long time. My size, my speed, my ability.”
Will that statement stand? Do those numbers ring true? We’ll see.
Of course, Emmanwori already had favor to his ledger before arriving at Lucas Oil Stadium: an All-America season in which he was just one of two players in the nation to return two interceptions for touchdowns.
That film should speak volumes, too.
Sports
Yankees tee off on Orioles to win third straight in 4-game series
May 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jasson Dominguez scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning before hitting a two-run homer and an RBI double during a seven-run eighth as the New York Yankees pulled away for an 11-3 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees won for the 13th time in 15 games and beat the Orioles for the 11th time in the past 12 meetings.
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off Baltimore rookie Trey Gibson. Ben Rice hit his 12th home run of the season in the first and doubled ahead of Judge’s 13th homer in the third.
Rice exited after the Yankees batted in the third because of a bruised left hand. The Yankees announced X-rays were negative and the first baseman is day-to-day. Rice appeared to get injured fielding a low pickoff throw from Max Fried and was replaced by Paul Goldschmidt.
Dominguez started the tiebreaking rally with a double to left field against Grant Wolfram (1-1) and advanced to third on a groundout by Austin Wells. Ryan McMahon, facing a drawn-in infield, followed with a single that first baseman Coby Mayo couldn’t handle after diving to stop it.
Dominguez started New York’s big inning with a two-run drive into the right field seats off Andrew Kittredge for a 6-3 lead. After an RBI sacrifice fly by Trent Grisham, Goldschmidt ripped a two-run single after the Yankees executed a double steal.
Following a sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm Jr., Dominguez added a double to left field for an 11-3 lead.
The Orioles tied it twice before losing their fourth straight and for the 12th time in 18 games.
Blaze Alexander had an RBI single in the third before getting thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. After Judge’s 413-foot drive bounced into Baltimore’s bullpen in left field, Leody Taveras hit an RBI infield single and Tyler O’Neill scored on a double play grounder by Jeremiah Jackson in the fourth.
Fried allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out six and walked three.
Fernando Cruz (3-0) got the final two outs of the sixth and the first out of the seventh. Brent Headrick ended the eighth by getting a double play grounder against Mayo.
Gibson allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings during his major league debut.
The four-game series concludes Monday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
May 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) hits a two run RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the tenth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Houston Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.
Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.
Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.
Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.
Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.
Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.
The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.
Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Busch drives in 4 as Cubs win, sweep D-backs
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros (25) celebrates his two-run home run with second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Michael Busch drove in four runs to lead the host Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday.
Busch doubled and scored a run in the second and broke the game open for good with a three-run triple in the fifth as Chicago finished the three-game sweep with its 11th straight win at home.
Matthew Boyd (2-1) picked the win. The southpaw gave up four hits and two earned runs over six innings, walking one and fanning five in 94 pitches. The quality start was the Cubs’ seventh in their last 10 home games.
Chicago tied a season high with six extra-base hits. Busch, Nico Hoerner, Moises Ballesteros, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly all contributed a pair of hits.
The Cubs extended a 3-2 lead with a three-run fifth.
Ballesteros led off with a walk and Alex Bregman reached on a fielder’s choice when Nolan Arenado’s throw was too late to get Ballesteros at second.
Ian Happ loaded the bases with a walk and Busch tripled into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give Chicago a 6-2 lead.
The triple chased Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly (1-3). The veteran right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs. He struck out five and walked three in 92 pitches.
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the second when Arenado doubled with one out and Gabe Moreno hit his first home run of the season deep to left field for a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Kelly singled in Busch with two outs.
Chicago took the lead for good in the third when Hoerner singled to deep short and Ballesteros smashed an opposite-field home run to left-center for a 3-2 advantage.
The Cubs scored a pair of insurance runs in the seventh when Happ led off with a walk and Suzuki doubled into the left-field corner.
Busch drove in his fourth run of the game with a deep sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-2 Cubs and Kelly singled in Suzuki to give Chicago an 8-2 lead.
D-backs pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to finalize the scoring. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a run for the visitors.
–Field Level Media
Yankees tee off on Orioles to win third straight in 4-game series
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
