Sports
OBJ practices, Dolphins to decide if he plays at Patriots
Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) throws the football before preseason game against the Washington Commanders at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Following Odell Beckham Jr.’s first full practice with the Miami Dolphins, wide receivers coach Wes Welker heaped praise on the three-time Pro Bowl receiver, who was happy to be back on the field.
“Odell’s looked great,” Welker told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “You know, just in some of the routes on air and different things like that. He looks like the Odell that we’ve seen. We’re getting him out there, getting him moving around, chemistry with all of the guys in the room. And with the quarterbacks. And just continue to work the process.”
Beckham, 31, signed a one-year, $8.25 million deal with the Dolphins in May, but he missed the first four games of the season after he was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury.
Beckham is eligible to play Sunday against the rival Patriots, but said coach Mike McDaniel will determine if the veteran receiver suits up to face New England in Foxborough, Mass.
“It was very exciting for me, it was very … humbling,” Beckham told reporters about his first practice. “I felt very grateful because I remember what it was like when I felt like I couldn’t walk. I sure couldn’t run, I couldn’t work out. Being back out there, being with these guys who put in so much work, it’s what I’ve been waiting on.
“I didn’t sign here to come walk around this building. I wanted to be part of something special.”
Beckham was signed to be a third receiver and complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who lead the Dolphins’ receivers with 17 receptions each. A quartet of receivers are tied for third with one catch apiece.
“We have a lot of receivers and we’ve had a lot of injuries, too, and everything else, but you know when you can add a player of Odell’s caliber, it can open up the offense,” Welker said. “We’ll see how that kind of pans out and kind of go through practice and kind of talk about as a staff and figure out the best-case scenario for our team.”
Beckham appeared in 14 games (six starts) last season and caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens, He added four receptions for 34 yards in the playoffs.
The New York Giants selected him No. 12 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he also played for the Cleveland Browns (2019-21), Los Angeles Rams (2021) and Ravens.
Beckham missed the 2022 season as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered in the Rams’ win in Super Bowl LVI.
He has 566 career receptions for 7,932 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns in 110 games (97 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hurricanes start rookie Brandon Bussi for Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final
Jun 6, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) looks on during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights in game three of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images The Carolina Hurricanes made a change in net for Tuesday night’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carolina gave rookie Brandon Bussi his first career playoff start as the Hurricanes look to level the series at 2-2 in Las Vegas, with the announcement becoming shortly before the game began.
ESPN reported that Frederik Andersen, who was 12-1 in the team’s first three playoff series, is a healthy scratch with no injury designation.
Andersen allowed four second-period goals in Saturday’s Game 3 loss. He was replaced at the start of the third period by Bussi, who stopped 18 of 19 shots as the Hurricanes rallied before falling 5-4 in double overtime.
Bussi, 27, was acquired off waivers from the Florida Panthers last October. He entered the season with no NHL experience, but became a critical member of the Hurricanes’ goalie rotation, amassing a 31-6-2 record, 2.47 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nick Martinez, Rays hold down Red Sox to seal series win
Jun 9, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) avoids the tag of Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (11) in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Ryan Vilade went 3-for-4 and Nick Martinez turned in seven-plus strong innings to help the Tampa Bay Rays defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Martinez (6-2) held Boston to three runs on six hits, departing after the first three Red Sox hitters reached base in the eighth. He struck out two without issuing a walk. Bryan Baker retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth to earn his 18th save.
Tampa Bay’s Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each contributed two hits and an RBI. Yandy Diaz singled and walked to extend his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.
Boston’s Payton Tolle (3-3) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two of the Red Sox’s six hits and scored twice.
Tampa Bay, which has won the first two games of the three-game series, finished 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Boston took its third loss in a row.
The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Kiner-Falefa doubled with one out and scored on Jarren Duran’s two-out single.
A three-run fourth put the Rays in front. Vilade doubled and scored on Cedric Mullins’ two-out single. Williamson doubled to drive in Mullins and give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead, and Williamson came home on Fortes’ double.
The Rays added a run in the sixth for a 4-1 edge. Williamson reached base on an infield single, took second when Fortes was hit by a pitch and scored on Richie Palacios’ single.
Boston made it a one-run game by scoring twice in the eighth. After singles by Caleb Durbin and Kiner-Falefa, Marcelo Mayer doubled home both runners to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-3. Kevin Kelly replaced Martinez on the mound, and Mayer moved to third on Duran’s groundout — the first out of the inning — but he was still on third when the inning ended.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: NHLPA wants investigation before Oilers hire Mike Babcock
Jul 1, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets introduce Mike Babcock as their new head coach during a press conference at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY NETWORK The NHL Players’ Association has requested that the league conduct an investigation of coach Mike Babcock as the Edmonton Oilers move toward hiring him, TSN and The Athletic reported Tuesday.
Independent hockey insider Frank Seravalli added that the union specifically asked the NHL to step in and delay the Oilers’ hiring of Babcock until the league can complete an investigation into allegations stemming from his brief stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 2023, Babcock was hired to take over the Blue Jackets for what would have been his first NHL job since the Toronto Maple Leafs dismissed him in 2019. But that September, reports emerged that some players felt Babcock invaded their privacy by asking to see their cellphone camera rolls in one-on-one meetings.
Babcock resigned before the season began, so the NHL did not investigate the claims.
At the time, Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and the late Johnny Gaudreau confirmed Babcock asked to see photos on their phone, but they were not pressured to do so and understood it to be in the spirit of getting to know one another. Babcock reportedly also showed players photos from his phone.
However, younger players reportedly felt uncomfortable with Babcock’s approach, and he already had a reputation for controversial motivational tactics while with the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.
Per The Athletic, the NHL will only move forward with investigating Babcock once the Oilers confirm they are intent on hiring the 63-year-old.
Babcock has a 700-418-164 career record (19 ties) as the head coach of the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002-04), Red Wings (2005-15) and Maple Leafs (2015-19). He led the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup title.
–Field Level Media
Hurricanes start rookie Brandon Bussi for Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final
Nick Martinez, Rays hold down Red Sox to seal series win
