Sports
Rangers 2B Josh Smith battling viral meningitis
Apr 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Josh Smith (8) dives back to first base on a pick off attempt by the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith is undergoing treatment for viral meningitis at a Dallas-area hospital, the team announced.
Smith, 28, started feeling ill this week and visited doctors on Wednesday. He will remain in the hospital until he returns to full health, which the team said is expected to take a week to 10 days.
“Our only concern right now is Josh’s health,” said Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations on Friday. “Josh is receiving tremendous care from outstanding health professionals and has a good prognosis. This is obviously an unexpected illness, but we hope to see him return to full health and rejoin the club very soon.”
Viral meningitis is an inflammation of the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord.
Smith has been on the 10-day injured list with a right glute strain since May 4. He has also dealt with left wrist inflammation during the rehab process.
Smith is hitting .217 with six RBIs in 31 games this season. He is a career .235 hitter over 487 games across five seasons, with 31 homers and 134 RBIs. He helped Texas win the World Series in 2023 and earned a Silver Slugger award in 2024.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nationals ban individual who displayed white nationalist sign at game
May 12, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Washington Nationals logo on the sleeve of outfielder James Wood (29) as he prepares on deck in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Washington Nationals are investigating an incident during Sunday’s game at Nationals Park when individuals unfurled a sign that directed fans to a white nationalist website and called for the deportation of “100+ million.”
The individuals resisted removing the banner before fleeing the ballpark.
The team has identified and banned at least one individual from Nationals Park and are working with the Metropolitan Police Department on a follow-up investigation, according to a team spokesman. They did not make public the identity of the banned individual.
“The Washington Nationals vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans,” the team said in a statement to multiple media outlets.
The Nationals, who lost the game 7-3 to the Baltimore Orioles, have a daily “Salute to Service” honoring veterans and military personnel before the fourth inning. It was at that time when the banner was unfurled in the upper deck down the first-base line.
An usher attempted to confiscate the banner but the three individuals holding the sign pulled it back and fled, according to a team spokesperson.
Jake Lang, a Jan. 6 rioter and conservative influencer, took credit for the banner on social media.
The Athletic reported that it is not clear at this time how the banner got through security, with the stadium’s magnetometers able to detect weapons but would not flag something like a nylon sign.
The Nationals’ policy includes guidelines that “signs, banners and fan activities do not distract from the enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment …” and includes restrictions on size and material.
The policy on subject matter is that as a baseball park, the stadium complex “is not a forum or place for use by the public at large for assembly and speech, for use by certain speakers or for the discussion of certain subjects.”
Messages must relate to Major League Baseball, Nationals players and/or management and staff, the entity broadcasting the game or specific family-friendly messages about occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and engagements.
“Additionally, banners and signs may not bear a message that (i) is slanderous, (ii) is obscene, vulgar or indecent and inappropriate for viewing by children, (iii) contains “fighting words” likely to provoke a breach of the peace, (iv) is presented for a commercial purpose, or (v) contains derogatory matter relating to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, age, personal appearance, familial status, familial responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business or any other category protected by D.C. law.”
The Nationals, in their posted guidelines, reserve the right to remove a non-conforming banner/sign or require a guest to immediately stop displaying it.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Natus Vincere dominates competition for IEM Atlanta title
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Natus Vincere completed an unbeaten playoff run with a 3-0 victory over GamerLegion on Sunday in the grand final of the Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta event.
Legacy swept BetBoom Team 2-0 in the best-of-three third-place match.
Winning the best-of-five grand final earned Natus Vincere the $125,000 first prize. GamerLegion collected $50,000. Third place was worth $30,000 and fourth $20,000.
The $300,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with 16 teams divided into two groups for the double-elimination opening round. The top six teams reached the single-elimination playoffs.
Natus Vincere had downed Team Vitality 2-1 in the quarterfinals and BetBoom Team 2-0 in the semifinals.
They started fast against GamerLegion, winning 13-3 on Mirage, then 13-9 on Anubis before closing out with a 16-13 victory on Nuke.
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov of Ukraine was voted the Player of the Match with a match-high 60 kills to a match-low 34 deaths for Natus Vincere. Fredrik “REZ” Sterner of Sweden paced GamerLegion with a 54-49 K-D ratio.
Legacy cruised past BetBoom Team 13-4 on Mirage and 13-3 on Nuke for third place.
Bruno “latto” Rebelatto of Brazil led Legacy with a match-high 41 kills and a match-low-tying 12 deaths. Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko led the all-Russian BetBoom Team with 21 kills.
Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta prize pool
1. $125,000 — Natus Vincere
2. $50,000 — GamerLegion
3. $30,000 — Legacy
4. $20,000 — BetBoom Team
5-6. $12,500 — Team Vitality, paiN Gaming
7-8. $7,000 — B8, Astralis
9-12. $5,000 — FUT Esports, FaZe Clan, SINNERS Esports, Team Liquid
13-16. $4,000 — BC.Game Esports, NRG, Passion UA, M80
–Field Level Media
Sports
Thieves surge through lower bracket, beat OpTic in CDL Major 3 grand final
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. After losing their playoff opener, the Los Angeles Thieves reeled off five straight wins, culminating in a victorious battle over OpTic Texas on Sunday in the grand final of the Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major in Atlanta.
Los Angeles won the best-of-seven final 4-3 to earn $150,000 and 100 CDL points. OpTic Texas, which had advanced to the final with a 3-2 win over Toronto KOI earlier Sunday in the upper-bracket final, collected $90,000 and 75 points.
All 12 CDL teams began play on Friday along with four outside qualifiers in the double-elimination opening round, split into four groups. The group champions and second-place teams advanced to the playoffs which started on Saturday.
Matches were all best-of-five until the best-of-seven grand final on Sunday.
The Thieves’ path began with a 3-2 setback to FaZe Vegas in the upper-bracket quarterfinals. That dropped them to the first round of the lower bracket, where they dispatched GS Minnesota 3-1. A 3-0 sweep of the Riyadh Falcons in the quarterfinals matched them up with FaZe Vegas in Sunday’s lower-bracket semifinal, which Los Angeles won 3-1.
A 3-0 sweep of Toronto KOI in the lower-bracket final advanced the Thieves to the grand final and a meeting with OpTic Texas.
OpTic opened with a 250-219 win on Colossus Hardpoint before Los Angeles responded with victories on Raid Search and Destroy (6-3) and Den Overload (8-3).
Texas surged ahead with wins on Den Hardpoint (250-242) and Scar Search and Destroy (6-4), only for the Thieves to win the final two maps, 5-4 on Scar Overload and 6-2 on Den Search and Destroy.
Jeremiah “Nium” Harrison of the United States was the Match MVP for Los Angeles with a match-high 130 kills and a plus-13 kills-death differential. Brandon “Dashy” Otell of Canada paced OpTic with 124 kills and a plus-13 K-D differential.
OpTic Texas defeated Toronto KOI 3-2 in the upper-bracket final earlier on Sunday. Texas won 250-152 on Gridlock Hardpoint, then Toronto drew even with a 6-1 win on Raid Search and Destroy.
The back-and-forth continued, as OpTic won 5-4on Exposure Overload, then KOI triumphed 250-212 on Scar Hardpoint. Texas won 6-2 on Scar Search and Destroy to capture the match.
OpTic’s Otell was Match MVP with 83 kills and a plus-4 K-D differential. Tobias “CleanX” Jonsson of Denmark paced Toronto with a match-high 106 kills and a plus-18 K-D differential.
Toronto KOI dropped down to the lower-bracket final, where they were swept 3-0 by the Thieves. Los Angeles won 250-93 on Sake Hardpoint, 6-4 on Den Search and Destroy and 4-0 on Den Overload.
Harrison was Match MVP with 59 kills and a plus-15 K-D differential. American Joseph “JoeDeceives” Romero was the only Toronto player not in negative numbers, as he was even with 51 kills and 51 deaths.
Los Angeles began the day with a 3-1 victory over FaZe Vegas in the lower-bracket semifinal. The Thieves started strong with wins on Gridlock Hardpoint (250-245) and Den Search and Destroy (6-4) before Vegas stayed alive with a 5-4 win on Den Overload. LA closed out with a 250-164 victory on Den Hardpoint.
The Thieves’ Thomas “Scrap” Ernst of the United States was Match MVP with 87 kills and a plus-10 K-D differential. Chris “Simp” Lehr of the United States paced Vegas with 84 kills and a plus-2 K-D differential.
Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major prize pool, with money winnings and CDL points
1. $150,000, 100 — Los Angeles Thieves
2. $90,000, 75 — OpTic Texas
3. $50,000, 60 — Toronto KOI
4. $30,000, 45 — FaZe Vegas
5-6. $15,000, 30 — Paris Gentle Mates, Riyadh Falcons
7-8. $7,500, 15 — Miami Heretics, G2 Minnesota
9-12. no money, no points — OMiT, Carolina Royal Ravens, Boston Breach, Cloud9 New York
13-16. no money, no points — Vancouver Surge, Huntsmen, Project Notorious, ROC Esports
–Field Level Media
