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Sliding mitts are baseball’s ‘must-have,’ even if at youth levels

Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during a youth baseball game in Monroeville, Pa., with his sliding mitt in his back pocket on April 27, 2025. AP Photo | Gene J. Puskar PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some […]

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Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during a youth baseball game in Monroeville, Pa., with his sliding mitt in his back pocket on April 27, 2025.

AP Photo | Gene J. Puskar

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point.

Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates might be wearing during a given spring.

McCutchen plans to accommodate Steel up to a point. The oldest of McCutchen’s four children is already rocking an arm sleeve, just the way dad does.

Yet if Steel is hoping his father will spring for a sliding mitt — a padded glove a player can slip over one of their hands to protect it should the hand get stepped on while diving headfirst for a base — he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up.

McCutchen, who has stolen 220 bases at the major league level, has never worn one. And he’s quick to point out the next time the cleat of a fielder mashes his hand will also be the first.

Still, the 38-year-old understands. Once upon a time, he was a 20-something who epitomized baseball cool, from his dreadlocks (long since shorn) to his goatee to his rope chain to the occasional skull cap he wore underneath his batting helmet, all of it designed to accentuate McCutchen’s innate blend of talent and charisma.

“It’s all about the drip,” McCutchen said with a smile.

Even if the “drip” (Gen Z slang for stylish clothes and their accessories) emphasizes fashion over function, particularly when it comes to the gloves — which look a bit like oven mitts — that are becoming just as ubiquitous in the Little Leagues as they are in the major leagues.

Safety and self-expression

Former major leaguer Scott Podsednik (career stolen base total: 309) is credited with “inventing” the sliding mitt during the late stages of his 11-year career.

Tired of having his hand stepped on, Podsednik worked with a hand therapist for a solution. The initial mitts were relatively simple. A 2009 picture of Podsednik sliding into second base shows his left hand covered in what looks like a padded modified batting glove, all wrapped in black to match the trim on his Chicago White Sox uniform.

Things have gotten considerably more intricate over the years. Google “sliding mitt designs” and you’ll find themes ranging from the American flag to an ice cream cone to aliens to a poop emoji ( yes, really ).

Scott McMillen, a lawyer in the Chicago area, had no plans to get into the baseball accessory business. He first took notice of sliding mitts when his son Braydon, then 10, pointed out one of his teammates had one and said basically, “Oh hey dad, wouldn’t it be nice if I had one, too.”

They headed to a local sporting goods store, where McMillen was surprised at the variety available.

That was around 2021. By early 2024, McMillen had launched “ Goat’d,” a specialty baseball accessory company with everything from sliding mitts to batting gloves to arm sleeves to headbands and more, many of them religiously inspired.

Sales during their first full year? Over 1 million units.

“We were surprised at how large the marketplace is,” McMillen said.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been.

Youth sports have bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Aspen Institute’s 2024 State of Play report noted that the participation levels in sports among children ages 6-17 were the highest they’ve been since 2015. Baseball’s numbers have steadied following a decline. Little League International told The Associated Press last fall that more than 2 million kids played baseball or softball under its umbrella across the world, an uptick over 2019.

Many of those kids are also fans of the game, some of whom may have noticed their favorite major leaguer sporting a mitt when they’re on the bases. Yes, that was San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. sliding across home plate ( feetfirst, by the way ) with a bright yellow mitt on his left hand in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh last weekend.

It’s one of the many ways in which the game has evolved over the years. When McMillen grew up, there wasn’t much swag to go around.

“We had our baseball uniform and our glove (and) everyone looked the same, everyone was the same,” he said. “Now, everyone wants to express themselves individually. The best way to do that without acting like a clown is to wear something that shows people who you are.”

Self-expression, however, doesn’t exactly come cheap, particularly in an era when top-of-the-line bats are $400 or more. What amounts to an entry-level sliding mitt can go for $40, but Goat’d and others have versions that can fetch double that.

That hasn’t stopped sales from being brisk, and McMillen points out it’s not merely a luxury item.

“We don’t play football with 1940s safety equipment,” he said. “You feel better in the (batter’s) box when you have something that protects you, right? With a sliding mitt, it’s also like, ‘Hey this is fun. It’s cool. I want to be like my fave high school player, like my favorite college player.’”

It’s becoming increasingly common for McMillen and other members of the company’s staff to spot Goat’d gear at the field. In recent months, they’ve popped up in youth tournaments from Georgia to Las Vegas, sometimes in the back pockets of players as young as 6 or 7. McMillen can’t help but shake his head to see his product become part of the time-honored tradition of kids imitating their heroes.

Which is good for business and, oh by the way, probably unnecessary.

The pressure to keep up

Here’s the thing: In most — if not all — youth baseball leagues, headfirst slides that would require a player to stretch out their hand to secure the bag are illegal.

In Little League, for example, stealing bases for players 12 and under is rare because the player can take off only after the ball has reached the batter. And even if they do bolt for the next base, they have to slide feetfirst. The only times in Little League that a baserunner can dive headfirst toward a base is when they are returning to it while in a rundown or during a pickoff attempt, both of which are also rare.

That doesn’t stop the players from wanting a sliding mitt. It also doesn’t stop their parents from buying them, all part of the pressure to “keep up with the Jones” that has practically been a part of youth sports culture since the first time somebody came to practice with a batting glove or wristbands.

It’s a phenomenon Chelsea Cahill and her family has known for years. The longtime educator who lives just east of Columbus, Ohio, has spent most of the last decade shuttling her three boys from practice to games to tournaments.

What she and her husband have learned over the years is that some trends come and go, but the pressure to have the right stuff remains.

“There’s always that feeling of ‘This is the next new thing’ or ‘This is what you’ve got to get,’” Cahill said.

They appeased their sons up to a point, but only up to a point.

Last summer their youngest son Braxton, then 11, and the rest of the kids on his travel team kept pestering their parents to buy sliding mitts. Entering the final tournament, the team moms decided to give in.

Sort of.

Rather than plop down that kind of money for something they didn’t actually need, the moms headed to a local dollar store and bought them actual oven mitts — the kind used to pull tonight’s dinner from out of the oven. Average retail price? Less than a cup of coffee at the gas station.

Oh, and the kids loved them, and wore them during the game. Cahill posted video of them playing with the mitts stuck in their back pocket to her TikTok account. The video is now at 12 million views and counting.

“They thought it was hilarious, but we didn’t really think they would wear them for the rest of the tournament,” Cahill said. “We were wrong. They really embraced it!”

Among viewers of that TikTok, by the way, were the people at Goat’d, who sent Braxton a couple of mitts as a result.

The good news is, Cahill now won’t have to buy one for Braxton this spring. Yet there’s also something else she has learned through the years: This time in her boys’ lives is fleeting.

For proof, just look at her calendar. Her two older sons — the ones who played travel baseball just like Braxton, and asked for all the cool stuff their teammates had, just like Braxton has — gave up baseball by the time they got to high school.

Her advice to parents who might be feeling the financial pinch of what it takes to play these days: Relax.

“We’ve learned as parents is to stop taking it so seriously,” she said. “They’re kids. Let them have fun.”

The reality

A day after hundreds of members of the Monroeville Baseball and Softball Association marched through the Pittsburgh suburb’s well-appointed community park, the regular season is in full swing.

All four fields are alive with the chatter of coaches, parents and boys and girls aged anywhere from 5-12.

Over on Field 1, the Rays are in the middle of their season opener. Playing first base, Josiah Jones has his glove at the ready, with a black sliding mitt noticeably sticking out of his left back pocket.

Per the league rules, the Rays and the other players at the “Bronco” level (ages 11-12), play actual full-on baseball. They can take leads and steal bases whenever they like, though headfirst slides are only allowed when returning to a base, just like in Little League.

Longtime MBSA executive commissioner Josh Plassmeyer is milling about, trying to keep tabs on everything. Plassmeyer outlawed sliding mitts on his son Grant’s 10-and-under tournament team, calling them a “distraction” because players would spend so much time fiddling with them once they got to first base, they would miss signs from the third-base coach.

About 50 feet away, Jones settles into the box and rips a ball to left-center field. His long legs carry him past first base, and he cruises into second with an easy double.

As his teammates erupted in the dugout, Jones beamed for a brief moment. Then, as the opposing pitcher stepped onto the rubber, he took an aggressive lead off second and eyed third.

His back pocket, the one where his sliding mitt had been 30 minutes before, was empty.





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49ers embrace youth movement with potential influx of rookies in starting lineup

Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers went into the past few training camps with one of the NFL’s deepest rosters filled with established stars that left little opportunity for rookies to contribute. That’s far from the case this year as San Francisco underwent a roster reset in the offseason that […]

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Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers went into the past few training camps with one of the NFL’s deepest rosters filled with established stars that left little opportunity for rookies to contribute.

That’s far from the case this year as San Francisco underwent a roster reset in the offseason that has infused the team with more youth and the most opportunities for rookies to compete since 2019 when draft picks like Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl.

That’s especially true on defense, where at least five rookies are in the mix for starting roles on a unit that has been overhauled completely in the offseason.

“There’s a chance we could have six new guys starting. There’s a chance we could have eight, we’ll see how it plays out,” coach Kyle Shanahan said, referring to rookies, offseason additions and former backups. “Any time you say that, that’s different. That is a different team, that is a different side of the ball so that does take some time.”

The 49ers have had only four rookies start a season opener over the past five seasons, tied for the fifth fewest in the NFL in that span. They could match that this season with first-round pick Mykel Williams and fellow draft picks Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Nick Martin and Upton Stout all in the mix.

The Niners have started at least three rookies in a season opener just five times since the NFL-AFL merger, with the last time coming in 2006 when Vernon Davis, Manny Lawson and Melvin Oliver all got the nod. It also happened three times early in Bill Walsh’s tenure in 1980, the Super Bowl-winning season in 1981 and 1983. The most rookies to start an opener for San Francisco since the merger was four in 1978.

That’s a challenge to a coaching staff that also includes a new defensive coordinator, with Robert Saleh returning after a stint as head coach of the New York Jets from 2021-24.

“With youth, the challenge is that a veteran never makes mistakes, but sometimes they might be a step slow,” Saleh said. “They’re not running that 40 time that they ran back in the combine, right? Where a rookie is going to make a lot of mistakes, but he’s flat fast, and explosive. So, the trick is, how quickly can you get that football player to play like a veteran while he’s still connected to his 40 time that he ran back at the combine. So that youthful energy, that youthful explosiveness. With youth comes lumps because they’re learning.”

Saleh said even though his scheme isn’t overly complex, he might need to simplify some things initially to help the young players acclimate.

The problem is the opposing offenses won’t be doing the same and they will hope to confuse the rookies who aren’t used to dealing with NFL offenses.

“They don’t just stand there and make it easy for us,” Saleh said. “They’re motioning, they’re moving, they’re jetting, they’re doing all kinds of stuff pre-snap. So there are going to be some moments where it’s like, oh God. But, you prick your finger, you fight through it, you get them to a point where they see it over and over and over again, and your hope is that that youthful explosiveness comes out as they continue to gain experience.”

The 49ers have liked what they have seen so far, with the young players being attentive in meetings and knowing their assignments on the field.

Shanahan said they have brought needed energy to the team starting in the offseason and the veterans have been impressed.

“I like the group,” Bosa said. “I think we have a lot of talent. I think when you look out on the field, you see NFL bodies out there that look impressive, which is a good thing. Obviously, we’re young, but I think just because nobody knows them now, if they play a good couple games, then the whole world will know them. It’ll be exciting.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL





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Louisville QB Miller Moss gives back by hosting football camp

Miller Moss reared back and fired. The 23-year-old’s short and zippy receivers in oversized red jerseys leaped to grab the ball. In the sea of red, one player emerged with the ball, lifting his arm in celebration. The scene was familiar, Moss throwing a touchdown pass in Los Angeles to a teammate donning his home […]

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Miller Moss reared back and fired. The 23-year-old’s short and zippy receivers in oversized red jerseys leaped to grab the ball.

In the sea of red, one player emerged with the ball, lifting his arm in celebration. The scene was familiar, Moss throwing a touchdown pass in Los Angeles to a teammate donning his home colors — and celebrating in the end zone.

Yet, on Saturday morning at Beverly Hills High, the celebrating player was a boy — not even half the size of the 6-foot-2 signal-caller — and the cause was bigger: the now-Louisville quarterback hosting a youth football camp for girls and boys to benefit Palisades fire relief efforts.

For Moss, the last year was far from what he expected.

In November during his fourth season at USC, Moss lost his starting quarterback role to Jayden Maiava after nine games, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Then, in January, as he prepared a move to Kentucky to finish out his collegiate career away from home, the wildfires ravaged the Palisades. His childhood home burned to the ground, leaving just a basketball court he had often played on for hours in its destructive wake.

Moss knew he had to do something for his community. Even if he was hurting from the impacts on his family, Moss still wanted to help others.

“This camp has kind of a personal note for me just in terms of being from the Palisades, having a ton of friends and family from that area,” said Moss, who made passes to 35 campers in drills Saturday. “I think any way that you can exercise your platform to do good and to help the community, especially when it has that personal note, is always a positive.”

Louisville quarterback Miller Moss throws a pass at his youth football camp at Beverly Hills High School.

Louisville quarterback Miller Moss throws a pass at his youth football camp at Beverly Hills High on Saturday.

(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)

Garrett Pomerantz, USC outside linebacker and Moss’ former roommate, remembered visiting his friend and his family while they were cooped up at a hotel after the Palisades fire.

Pomerantz said it was the first time he saw Moss depressed and needing emotional support. He said Moss isn’t one to dwell in the details, adding that he’s not surprised by his willingness to step up for his community.

“That’s just Miller in a nutshell, like he’s always trying to help others,” said Pomerantz, one of the many volunteers at Moss’ youth football camp. “He worries about others, worries about us as roommates and makes sure we’re always doing good. Whenever you need someone to talk to, he’s the guy you’d want to talk to.”

On Wednesday, Moss put on a silver tuxedo and took part in Atlantic Coast Conference media day in Charlotte, N.C., to discuss his move from USC to Louisville for his final year of collegiate eligibility.

While Moss said he was grateful to play at USC, he said he’s drawing from positives as he meshes with a new team and works with Louisville coach Jeff Brohm and his staff. Louisville finished 9-4 last season.

“I hadn’t been in that situation, probably since I was 18 years old,” Moss said about the adjustment period being a transfer quarterback. “I give the team, the locker room, a ton of credit in terms of just welcoming me with open arms and making me feel like I was at home.”

Louisville quarterback Miller Moss instructs a couple of players at his youth football camp at Beverly Hills High School.

Louisville quarterback Miller Moss instructs a couple of players at his youth football camp at Beverly Hills High on Saturday.

(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)

On how he’s adjusting to Brohm and the coaching staff: “He’s been phenomenal. His dedication, not only to being the best coach he can be, but to be able to invest in relationships with his players is really unique. He’s a genuinely good human being that cares about the development of us and cares about having a relationship outside of merely the one that’s player-coach based.”

Moss said that no matter where he’s playing, Southern California is always going to be his home. He was happy to return from ACC introduction and give back to his community.

Michelle Bellamy, a single mother whose condo burned down in the Palisades fire, said she came with her young son as a relaxed introduction to playing football — inspired by the connection shared with Moss and the community.

“It’s really kind and shows what character he has to put this together for these kids that were also affected by the fires and kids that weren’t affected by the fires,” Bellamy said. “It doesn’t surprise me that he has that character, because he comes from a community that cares about one another.”

As numerous members of Moss’ family watched on, the camaraderie after the Palisades fire was on full display at Beverly Hills High six months later.

Emily Kovner Moss, Miller’s mom, said it’s hard to know what drives people’s character until you’re placed in moments to act. While she and her family grieved over the loss of their home and community, Miller’s reaction was immediate.

Like Saturday, playing with the kids — whose families drove in from as far away as Ontario — Moss’ first thought was to help.

“I’m just incredibly proud that he is who I always hoped he would be,” Kovner Moss said.



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Jets’ youth movement in full swing on the offensive line

The new Jets regime’s approach to the bookends of the offensive line is a 180 from last year.  Olu Fashanu, last year’s first-round pick (No. 11), is slated as the starting left tackle. He started seven games last year. And rookie Armand Membou, this year’s first-round pick (No. 7), is expected to start at right […]

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The new Jets regime’s approach to the bookends of the offensive line is a 180 from last year. 

Olu Fashanu, last year’s first-round pick (No. 11), is slated as the starting left tackle. He started seven games last year. And rookie Armand Membou, this year’s first-round pick (No. 7), is expected to start at right tackle. 

The Jets went into last season with Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses — two veterans imported through free agency — as their starting tackles. They had a combined 305 career starts heading into the year — 298 more than this year’s duo have between the two of them. 

Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (74) and center Gus Hartwig (63) practice during minicamp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

The youth movement is in full swing. 

“It just shows the trust that this building has in both me and Armand. I can talk about Armand all day,” Fashanu, already sounding like a mentor, said after practice Saturday. “He’s an extremely hard worker, and he has a very exciting future.” 

Fashanu saw work at both tackle spots along with right guard last year and generally showed well for himself. He owned a respectable 61.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. 

Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu speaks to the media after practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

He was drafted with the intention of largely sitting and learning behind Smith and Moses for at least a season, but injuries prompted a bigger role than expected. Now under a new regime, he’s front and center with the Jets leaning on him to help anchor the offensive line unit. 

New York Jets offensive tackle Armand Membou (70) looks on during minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. John Jones-Imagn Images

“This started back in OTAs, he committed a number of days of just being here,” coach Aaron Glenn said. “I’m not just talking about the times that he had to be here as far as the workouts. He was here on the weekends getting work in, on his own. He is committed to making sure that he’s available, for one, and then also that he’s gonna be a huge part of what we’re trying to build when it comes to the O-line. Those guys do a really good job of communicating. Those guys do a really good job of being around each other, getting to know each other. 

“He’s a big, physical man with long arms, you want your left tackle to be built the way he’s built. I’m excited about that player. I’m excited about how he’s gonna mature as camp goes on.” 

Fashanu has bulked up this offseason, wanting to play at a heavier weight this year. But his biggest area of growth has not been physical. 

“Coming into this season, I’m a lot more confident than I was last year,” Fashanu said. “That’s just something that everyone works with, the concept of self-doubt. I did a lot of work on my mental over the offseason. Coming into this camp, I feel a lot better, a lot more confident knowing my abilities and that I can go out there and dominate every play.” 

Both Fashanu and Membou have had their hands full trying to block Will McDonald IV. McDonald enjoyed a breakout season last year and has looked dominant to start training camp. 

Jets offensive tackle Armand Membou speaks to the media after practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

“Will’s my biggest opp right now,” Membou said. “Going against him, it’s a really tough matchup. But it’s also really competitive and been really fun. And after practice too, I’ll go talk to him, ask him tips about what he sees about my game, my sets and stuff. It’s been good work. … Going against him, I know once I get to the game, it’s gonna make me a lot better.” 

McDonald badly beat Membou twice in 11-on-11s during Saturday’s practice — once with speed using a spin move and once with power using a bull rush. 

“It is great for Membou to see that,” Glenn said. “There’s not a lot of guys with the agility and the speed that Will has, that he’s gonna see in this league. For him to see that on a daily basis, and plus now he knows Will will rush with power. Between both of those guys, the chess match is gonna be interesting to see as we move on.”



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Venezuelan youth baseball team denied travel visas to U.S. for tournament

A Venezuelan youth baseball team will not participate in the Senior League World Series because it was denied travel visas to the U.S., Little League International said Friday. The team, Cacique Mara, reached the championship round of the tournament after winning the Latin America qualifiers in Mexico last month and was scheduled to play Saturday […]

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A Venezuelan youth baseball team will not participate in the Senior League World Series because it was denied travel visas to the U.S., Little League International said Friday.

The team, Cacique Mara, reached the championship round of the tournament after winning the Latin America qualifiers in Mexico last month and was scheduled to play Saturday in South Carolina. Instead, the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, and second-place finisher in the Latin America qualifiers took Cacique Mara’s place.

The Senior League World Series is a tournament for players ages 13-16 organized by Little League International. It is held annually in Easley, S.C., for teams from six U.S. regions and six international regions. The Senior League World Series is for players older than the 10-12-year-olds who participate in the Little League World Series, a more high-profile tournament held in South Williamsport, Pa.

Cacique Mara said in a social media post that its players and coaches attended interviews on July 14 for obtaining visas and were denied by a U.S. immigration officer. When Little League International tried to arrange emergency visas for the team, the organization’s request was denied, the team said.

The State Department said in a statement to The Athletic that it is reviewing the decision to deny entry to Cacique Mara.

“The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to go compete and leave the name of Venezuela and Latin America high. They don’t represent any threat; they are 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,” Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, said in a release.

Cacique Mara’s visa denial follows President Donald Trump’s signing a proclamation in June to ban citizens of 12 countries from entering the U.S. and to partially restrict entry for citizens of seven other countries, including Venezuela, citing national security concerns.

At the time, the State Department said Trump’s executive order contains exemptions for nationals who would enter the U.S. as athletes for major sporting events, as well as support staff and immediate relatives of athletes. However, there are no such assurances for fans, raising many questions ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Cacique Mara isn’t the first sports team denied entry for a tournament after Trump’s ban. Earlier this month, the Cuban women’s national volleyball team had its visa requests denied for the NORCECA Women’s Final Four tournament in Puerto Rico, a tournament that awards ranking points toward qualification for the Volleyball Nations League. By missing the tournament in Puerto Rico, the Cuban women’s national volleyball team will likely not make the Nations League.

Cuba is among the seven countries with restricted entry into the U.S.

(Photo: Peter Aiken / Imagn Images)





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Weekend Open Thread: Ranking Sports Films

With the release of Happy Gilmore 2 yesterday (now streaming on Netflix) 29 years after the original came out, we at TOC decided to take this opportunity to discuss our favorite sports movies of all time. And we want to hear what is on your lists, too. Here is what the TOC staff had to […]

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With the release of Happy Gilmore 2 yesterday (now streaming on Netflix) 29 years after the original came out, we at TOC decided to take this opportunity to discuss our favorite sports movies of all time. And we want to hear what is on your lists, too.

Here is what the TOC staff had to say.

MIKE:

10. Slap Shot

9. Tin Cup

8. A River Runs Through It (It was a sports movie because it had fly fishing and fighting)

7. The Boys in the Boat (book was better though)

6. Moneyball

5. We Are Marshall

4. Chariots of Fire

3. Miracle

2. Hoosiers

1. Race

STEVE:

Honorable Mention: Friday Night Lights (tv show was better than the film)

10. Varsity Blues

9. Rudy

8. Seabiscuit

7. Eight Men Out

6. Sandlot

5. Hoosiers

4. Miracle

3. A League of Their Own

2. Field of Dreams

1. Any Given Sunday

O:

As for me, I divided this assignment into 2 categories, adult sports movies and youth sports movies.

Youth Sports:

5(tie): Little Big League

5(tie) Rookie Of The Year

*even though these take place in pro baseball, the main character is a kid

4. The Mighty Ducks

3. The Bad News Bears (original 1976 version with Walter Matthau)

2. Little Giants (admittedly, this moved up higher on the list when this happened:)

1. The Sandlot

Adult Sports:

Honorable Mentions: The Fighter; The Wrestler; Bend It Like Beckham; Caddyshack; I, Tonya

10. The Program

9. Bull Durham

8. Remember The Titans

7. Field of Dreams

6. Rudy

5. White Men Can’t Jump

4. A League of Their Own

3. Jerry Maguire

2. Hoop Dreams

1. Rocky

Poll

Did you watch Happy Gilmore 2 on the day it came out?

Now it’s your turn. Please share your top-however-many.


And while we are on the topic of sports entertainment, I need to take a few lines to make a tribute to the late, great Hulk Hogan. I grew up in the 80’s and was a massive wrestling fan. There is arguably no bigger icon in the history of that industry than the man born as Terry Bollea. From his earlier rivalries with Andre the Giant, The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, and Macho Man Randy Savage and later feuds with The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker, the Hulkster was the headliner in professional wrestling for decades. He was absolutely larger than the ring he competed in. His fame even took him into the movie industry where he was the star of “Suburban Commando” and “No Holds Barred” and even appeared in “Rocky III” opposite Sylvester Stallone. He even eventually received his own reality show “Hogan Knows Best”. Hulk was so famous that his signature handlebar mustache was listed as one of the world’s most famous mustaches. We lost one of the great pop-culture characters this past week. Thanks for entertaining us for all these years, Hulk. I hope the 24-inch pythons still get to run wild up there. Rest in peace.



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The White Sox youth movement dominates the Cubs in Crosstown opener

Pardon my French, but the White Sox opened a can of whoop ass on the Cubs and never looked back, continuing their post-All-Star break hot streak. Let’s break down this huge win! The White Sox bats started hot, as Chase Meidroth started the bottom of the first with a homer: Advertisement Austin Slater kept the […]

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Pardon my French, but the White Sox opened a can of whoop ass on the Cubs and never looked back, continuing their post-All-Star break hot streak.

Let’s break down this huge win!

The White Sox bats started hot, as Chase Meidroth started the bottom of the first with a homer:

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Austin Slater kept the momentum going with a single, and Edgar Quero found a hole for another hit. Andrew Benintendi struck out — but the bats weren’t finished yet. Miguel Vargas singled to load the bases, and Lenyn Sosa took advantage by driving in two runs with a single:

The runs would end there for the first, but the Good Guys took an early 3-0 lead.

Colson Montgomery decided to continue his home run streak, with his third home run in three games, to begin the bottom of the second:

Meidroth followed with a single, and with one out Quero got his second hit of the game. Benintendi knocked Meidroth in with an RBI single, prompting a meeting at the mound for Imanaga — and Chris Flexen to start warming up in the bullpen.

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Imanaga got through the last two outs, but not before the Sox went up, 5-0.

As the Cubs remained off of the board, in the third Michael A. Taylor got lucky on a dropped fly that was ruled a double when Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong went for the same ball and PCA dropped it. Taylor was ultimately stranded on second, but I got a good laugh out of the play:

Tucker singled and Suzuki picked up a walk to start the fourth. PCA was robbed of what could’ve been a three-run homer, keeping the Cubs scoreless. The Sox continued applying pressure, as Slater sent a ball over the wall for the third White Sox home run of the night, way above the head of PCA.

Flexen was back up in the pen as Imanaga neared 80 pitches. Happ continued to struggle with fielding, as Quero hit a stand-up double. That prompted Flexen to step in with no outs and a runner on second, trying to put out the fire. Vargas singled to put runners at the corners with one out, and Sosa knocked in his third runner of the night on a sac fly:

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Before I could even type the current score, Mike Tauchman launched the ball to right field for a two-run homer. With that, every batter on the team had officially reached base, before the fourth inning was over. Taylor struck out, but the Good Guys put up a four-spot to make it 9-0 before the game was half over.

In the fifth, Meidroth collected his third hit of the night, with a one-out single. Slater reached on a fielding error, and a wild pitch from Flexen would advance both runners. Quero, smacking his fourth hits of the night, took advantage of the previous play with an RBI single to make it 10-0:

Vargas continued the inning with an RBI single of his own, making it 11-0. Sosa ended the inning, as Cubs fans left the ballpark in droves:

Houser had another 1-2-3 inning, while the Cubs went deeper into their bullpen for the sixth inning. Drew Pomeranz was the first pitcher to retire the Sox in order, keeping the sixth quiet.

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Houser was back in for the seventh, with fewer than 65 pitches when the frame started. He issued a leadoff walk to PCA, and another to Happ, prompting a meeting at the mound and Tyler Gilbert to start warming. McGuire jacked a ball to put the Cubs on the board with a three-run homer, and Bruján singled to take Houser out of the game. With a grab by Taylor, any further threats were thwarted, with the score staying 11-3.

Gilbert went 1-2-3 in the eighth, thwarting any comeback ideas for the Cubs. Meanwhile, John Berti stepped on the mound as a position player pitcher and gave up a one-out walk to Josh Rojas. Sosa followed up with a double, and Brooks Baldwin knocked another run in despite grounding out:

With just three outs to go, the South Siders were up, 12-3.

Matt Shaw doubled to start the ninth, and after one out, Nico Hoerner singled. McGuire drove in another run with the stroke of the bat to make it 12-4. Not wanting to go out quietly, the bases were loaded with a Bruján single. A struggling Steven Wilson walked in a run with two outs, but managed to bounce back, getting Berti to ground out and end the game.

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Oh, and Cubs fans are mad and accusing the White Sox of cheating. We’re so back, baby!

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