Sports
NFL Replaces Chain Gang With Hawk-Eye Tech—But Not Completely
In case Alexa, Siri, or Rosie Jetson didn’t tell you, the NFL is officially junking the chain gang as its primary first-down measurement system. Those noble descendants of football lore will still traverse the sidelines in 2025, but mostly as a security blanket.
Better not be an electric one.
Moving forward, Hawk-Eye virtual technology will determine whether a ball crossed the line to gain, with the chain gang relegated to secondary use in case of a glitch. The NFL tested the system last season.
Is it ironic that this Luddite is researching Hawk-Eye through an old-meets-new method available via my trusty village library card? Entering the card number on this magical website grants access to electronic editions of dozens of participating papers nationwide.
I’m reading how the Hawk-Eye system syncs with in-stadium cameras that track athletes, officials and, naturally, the ball. If a team achieves a first down (read in your best robotic voice), the system alerts officials, who then make the signal revered ’round the football world.
(I know baseball is tinkering with experimental ball-strike challenge technology, which ultimately could negate umpires’ emphatic, Frank Drebin-esque strike calls one day, but here’s hoping the tradition of extending one’s right arm after a key first down doesn’t disappear.)
Maybe this is a silly bit of catastrophizing. Most of the robots we’ll see on any given Sunday will still be the animated ones coming in and out of Fox commercial breaks, right? And it’s not as if the longstanding onscreen yellow first-down line for viewers at home is fading to black. Or has done anything other than enhance the viewing experience.
In a recent Washington Post report, NFL Senior Vice President of Football Business Strategy Kimberly Fields confirmed Hawk-Eye isn’t activated until a real, live, cheerable, jeerable human official spots the ball after using their senses to determine a player’s forward progress.
Progress (your call on the robotic voice this time). There’s that word again.
For all the concern about technology invading sports and souring the essence of people playing and deciding the games we love, Fields offered this reasoning in a separate report.
“If it’s not improving the game, making it more efficient, we’re not going to do it,” she told The Associated Press. “We will do nothing that hurts the integrity of the game.”
According to the NFL, going virtual with first-down determinations is expected to save small chunks of time, too. The league reported an average of 12 measurements per week during the 2024 season. Whereas chain gangs needed 75 seconds to make a call, their virtual cousins took just 30.
That’s enough to make Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn want to dance the robot.
“Sometimes, you’re on that drive and you want to keep going, moving the ball,” he said. “So, having ways to do that. … Can you do it in a big pile on a quarterback sneak? Probably not. But there’s other ways you can, to spot it when it’s close. Can you identify it and work quickly? I’m down for that.”
Same here, I guess—especially since the colorful, passionate, pole-toting people on the sidelines aren’t going away.
Remember my reverence for newspapers? I’m suddenly smiling again about a recent TV grid summary for Cool Hand Luke:
“A Southern loner on a chain gang refuses to be broken.”
Should Hawk-Eye have a failure to communicate, NFL chain gangs will surely be ready to represent humanity—just like they have for more than a century.
Sports
Late 6-run rally carries Guardians past Astros
Apr 21, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) hits an RBI double against the Cleveland Guardians during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Rookie Chase DeLauter delivered a go-ahead three-run triple and Kyle Manzardo added a two-RBI single in a six-run eighth inning, rallying the Cleveland Guardians to a 8-5 victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
DeLauter’s sinking liner toward the foul line in left dropped just in front of Brice Matthews, who was attempting to make a sliding grab. Angel Martinez, Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan came around to put Cleveland ahead 6-4.
Manzardo, also facing reliever Bryan King, drove in Jose Ramirez and DeLauter two batters later. Rocchio began the comeback from a 4-2 deficit with an RBI single that chased Enyel De Los Santos (0-1).
Rule 5 Draft selection Peyton Pallette (1-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for his first career win. Closer Cade Smith gave up an RBI single in the ninth to major league homer and RBI leader Yordan Alvarez in a non-save situation.
Alvarez drove in three runs and had two hits for the Astros, who have split the first two games of the series. Carlos Correa and Matthews had two hits and an RBI apiece.
De Los Santos was charged with three runs in one-third of an inning, the final two scoring as inherited runners against King. The Astros, who have just three wins in the past 16 games, remain last in the American League West.
Houston trailed 2-0 before scoring three times in the fifth off Parker Messick, who entered the evening with the third-best ERA in the majors at 1.05. Matthews singled in Isaac Paredes before Alvarez drove in Yainer Diaz and Dustin Harris.
Correa extended the Astros’ lead to 4-2 in the seventh with a single against Tim Herrin, plating Cam Smith.
Messick, who came within three outs of a no-hitter in his last start April 16 against the Baltimore Orioles, gave up three runs on six hits over five innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked one.
The Guardians went up 2-0 in the second when Martinez hit a solo homer off Ryan Weiss, who made his second start as a major-leaguer. George Valera singled home Ramirez in the first to open the scoring.
Weiss went 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. The right-hander, who spent the last two years in the Korean Baseball Organization, walked four and struck out four.
Daniel Johnson was hit on the right wrist with the first pitch he saw in his Houston debut, thrown by Herrin in the seventh inning. He was signed as a free agent to a minor league contract two days earlier, then recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land before the game.
Johnson entered to replace left fielder Harris, who had been hit on the left hand with a fifth-inning pitch from Messick.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wild's Marcus Foligno: Stars 'can't hang with us 5-on-5' entering G3
Apr 9, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Nick Foligno (71) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game between the Stars and the Wild at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images As far as Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno is concerned, the key to regaining control of his team’s first-round playoff series is staying out of the penalty box.
That’s it. Simply keep the same number of players on the ice as the Dallas Stars.
“They’re looking to play 5-on-4,” Marcus Foligno said. “That’s their game. They can’t hang with us 5-on-5. So we’ve just got to be smarter, and myself included.
“But it’s a heated game out there.”
The heat figures to intensify when the Wild face off against the Stars on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals series in Saint Paul, Minn. The series is tied at 1-1 after the Wild took Game 1 and the Stars responded to win Game 2.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan heard about Marcus Foligno’s 5-on-5 comment, but he shrugged it off as Game 3 approached.
“He’s probably emotional or whatever,” Gulutzan said. “I don’t know if we need (bulletin-board material). We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and grind this thing to where we need it to go.
“Obviously, I don’t agree with it.”
The pace of play increased dramatically in Game 2 as both teams traded high-quality scoring chances. One key difference was that the Wild committed eight penalties totaling 16 minutes, which paved the way for the Stars to capitalize on the power play.
Wild coach John Hynes said he felt better after rewatching film of Game 2. He never likes seeing his team lose, but he said the team’s mistakes were correctable and not a sign of a larger, more foundational problem.
“Going back through it, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Hynes said. “… The thing I love about our group is we’re extremely competitive. Even if you (compare) the two games, I think from a competitive aspect of the game, we were there, we didn’t take a step back in that area.
“I think now it’s just understanding that we have to play with emotion and not (be) emotional. There’s a difference in that. To me, that’s controllable.”
One thing the Wild cannot control is the health of injured forwards Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin. Zuccarello was a late scratch before Game 2 because of an upper-body injury, and Trenin left in the first period Monday after absorbing a crushing check from Stars forward Colin Blackwell.
Hynes said he was not sure whether either forward could play in Game 3. If not, he said, there is a chance that the team could dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen instead of the usual combination of 12 forwards and six defensemen.
“That is something that is on the table,” he said. “But also, you look at 12 and six, and you look at the intensity level of playoff games and things like that, I think you want to take that into consideration as well.”
The Stars’ Jake Oettinger and the Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt likely will start in net for the third straight game of the series. Oettinger is 1-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage in the series, and Wallstedt is 1-1 with a 2.02 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees shut out rival Red Sox to open trip
Apr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run and collected three RBIs as the New York Yankees opened a three-game series with a 4-0 road victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Stanton’s home run came against Boston starter Connelly Early. It was his third home run of the season. He added a two-run double in the sixth.
Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Randal Grichuk each had two hits for the Yankees, who had 10 hits in the win. New York has won five of its last six games.
Luis Gil (1-1) pitched into the seventh to earn the win. He exited the mound with one out in the seventh after issuing back-to-back walks to Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela. Brent Headrick came on in relief and stranded both runners.
Gil gave up two hits, struck out two and threw 83 pitches.
The Red Sox have scored three runs or fewer in 12 of their 23 games. Boston has allowed at least four runs in 13 of those 23 contests.
Boston was limited to four hits, a double by Marcelo Mayer and singles by Willson Contreras, Carlos Narvaez and Rafaela.
Early (1-1) was pulled with one out in the sixth. He gave up three runs on five hits and struck out four. He was lifted after he walked three in the sixth.
Stanton’s leadoff home run in the top of the second opened the scoring, and the Yankees added two runs in the sixth. Following walks to Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge, Stanton drove in both runners with a two-run double to center.
It was 4-0 after Cody Bellinger singled in the eighth and scored on Grichuk’s one-out double.
Tuesday’s game was the start of a nine-game, three-city road trip for the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
