Phrasing of ESPN post about Bobby Jenks' death draws backlash: ‘Should be ashamed and embarrassed'
The problem with that was Jenks was more than just 'on the roster,' in fact he was the closer when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005 and appeared in six postseason games during that run, earning saves in Game 3 of the ALDS and Games 1 and 4 of the Fall Classic against the Astros.
But the post on X about Jenks' death at the age of 44 from ESPN failed to capture the importance he played in the team's success that year.
'Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died on Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced,' the post read.
Former major leaguer players quickly took to social media to criticize the Worldwide Leader.
'ESPN should be ashamed and embarrassed for writing something like this! 'Was on the roster'? He was THE CLOSER on a championship winning team. Do some research before you release something. Have some respect! RIP Bobby Jenks condolences to his family and teammates,' former Twins and Red Sox star Doug Mientkiewicz wrote on X.
White Sox relief pitcher Bobby Jenks looks on during a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Aug. 30, 2016.
AP
'He did a whole lot more than just be on the roster! He closed out the World Series!! #RIPBobbyJenks #2005forever,' wrote former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski wrote on X.
Pierzynski was on the Chicago team that swept the Astros in the World Series.
Jenks died at the age of 44 after a battle with adenocarcinoma, which is a form of stomach cancer, in Sintra, Portugal, where he had been living to be closer to his wife's family.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks is remembered before the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The former White Sox pitcher spent six of his seven years in the majors in Chicago before playing one season with Boston.
Jenks recorded 173 saves in his career and was an All-Star twice, in 2006 and 2007.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
32 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Lessons the Wizards can learn from the Thunder and Sam Presti's GM tree
It's a good time to be a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder just won the NBA title, its three best players have an average age under 25, and it has the most draft capital in the league. It's no wonder that Sam Presti, the Thunder's general manager, was named NBA executive of the year. This isn't his first run at success — Presti also built a championship-worthy team by drafting former MVPs Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. As is custom in the copycat world of sports, other teams have tried to replicate the Thunder's success by hiring Presti's protégés. Since 2010, the Thunder has had a league-high five front-office members hired as general managers, according to the team website. Two of them lead the Washington Wizards: President Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins. Winger, who was previously the Los Angeles Clippers' general manager, was the Thunder's assistant general manager and team counsel from 2010 to 2017. The Clippers went 272-200 and made the playoffs four times during his tenure as GM. He worked under Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations. Dawkins rose up from intern to vice president of basketball operations over 15 seasons with the Thunder. But Winger and Dawkins aren't the first Presti offshoots to get hired. How did the others do — and what could the Wizards learn from them? Rob Hennigan Orlando Magic general manager, 2012-17 Thunder experience: 2008-12, 2017-present When he was hired in 2012, the 30-year-old was the youngest general manager in NBA history. His teams never made the playoffs over five seasons, compiling a regular season record of 132-278. What worked: Among Hennigan's first moves was trading star center Dwight Howard. The Magic's return wasn't spectacular but did net it a solid center in Nikola Vucevic. Hennigan also made some decent draft picks, taking Victor Oladipo at No. 2 in 2013 and Aaron Gordon at No. 4 in 2014. What didn't: The Magic whiffed in the 2015 draft by taking Mario Hezonja at No. 5. But Hennigan's biggest mistake came in a trade he made with Presti. On draft night in 2016, the Magic dealt Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the No. 11 pick — which became Domantas Sabonis — to the Thunder for Serge Ibaka. Ibaka, a pending free agent, didn't make it the full season in Orlando. Hennigan traded him in February 2017 to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick, which ended up as the No. 25 selection. What happened next makes the deal look worse. The Thunder traded Oladipo and Sabonis to the Pacers for star wing Paul George. And the Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a package that included 2025 regular season MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oladipo, Sabonis, George and Gilgeous-Alexander have combined for 12 all-NBA selections. Ross and Ibaka? Zero. Lesson for the Wizards: Evaluate your own talent properly. The George and Gilgeous-Alexander trades aside, Oladipo blossomed into a star in Indiana before multiple injuries limited him. Gordon was miscast as a No. 1 option but turned into a high-level starter and an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets. Vucevic and Sabonis could have been a solid big man tandem. The core probably wouldn't have been a true contender but might have been a solid, playoff-worthy squad. Hennigan declined a request to comment through an Oklahoma City representative. Rich Cho Portland Trail Blazers general manager, 2010-11; Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets general manager, 2011-18 Thunder/SuperSonics experience: 1995-2010 Cho was fired after less than a year in Portland and worked under President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins in Charlotte. Cho became the top decision-maker after Higgins's exit in 2014. Charlotte went 223-334 and made the playoffs twice with Cho. After Higgins's exit, Cho and the Hornets went 152-175. What worked: In Cho's first draft, Charlotte selected four-time all-star Kemba Walker with the No. 9 pick. With Cho as the lead decision-maker in 2017, the franchise selected Malik Monk — who has been a productive scoring guard throughout his career — with the No. 11 pick. Charlotte also traded for reliable wing Nicolas Batum in 2015. What didn't: Cho never found a running mate for Walker. With the No. 2 pick in 2012, the then-Bobcats took Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a defense-oriented, shooting-challenged wing. He stuck around the league for eight years but never turned into a premier defender nor a passable shooter. Over the next three drafts, Charlotte selected Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh and Frank Kaminsky with its first-round pick. Zeller, a solid but unremarkable player, became the best of the bunch. Charlotte won 48 games and made the playoffs in 2015-16 but couldn't build on that success. Cho traded the team's 2016 first-round pick, No. 22 overall, for Marco Belinelli. It proved too steep a price — ESPN gave the Hornets a D-minus for the trade — and Belinelli was traded less than a year later. Charlotte won just 36 games next season and hasn't made the playoffs since. Lessons for the Wizards: 'Draft and develop better' isn't game-changing advice but remains a critical part of a general manager's job. Another one: operate with ambition. Cho seemed to nibble around the edges during his tenure and never built on his team's brief competitive stint, instead getting stuck in the middle. Cho, now working for the Memphis Grizzlies, declined a request to comment through a team representative. Troy Weaver Detroit Pistons general manager, 2020-24 Thunder experience: 2008-20 Weaver's four years in Detroit yielded no playoff appearances and a 74-244 record. After leaving Detroit, he came to Washington to be a senior adviser for the Wizards for a year before joining the New Orleans Pelicans' front office. What worked: Weaver, known as a strong draft evaluator, tipped off an extended rebuild with Detroit, picking some of the players who powered the team's 2024-25 playoff season. Weaver's best move was his easiest: taking guard Cade Cunningham, an all-NBA performer this past season, with the first pick of the 2021 draft. Weaver also drafted Ausar Thompson, an exceptional athlete with a promising future, with the No. 5 pick in 2023. He also traded for Jalen Duren, who averaged a double-double last season. What didn't: Weaver drafted Killian Hayes with the No. 7 pick in 2020. The guard spent most of the 2024-25 season in the G League. Weaver over-indexed on big men (Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, James Wiseman) and good athletes who struggled to shoot (Thompson, Hayes, Josh Jackson). He also rarely found excess value in the first round. Detroit never entered any of his four drafts with multiple first-round picks. It did trade for Duren (No. 13 overall) on draft night in 2022 but had to give up a protected first-round pick to do so. Weaver also struggled to find the right coach. He inherited Dwane Casey, who was hired in 2018, and only moved on from him in 2023. Weaver then signed Monty Williams, who had success with the Phoenix Suns, to a six-year contract. Williams made it just one season. Weaver's successor, Trajan Langdon, fired him. Lesson for the Wizards: Use avenues such as free agency and trades (absorbing bad contracts, signing and trading veterans, etc.) to give yourself as many opportunities in the draft as possible. The Thunder has embraced this lesson. The Wizards seemingly have as well — their roster features eight players picked in the first round of the past three drafts. Weaver declined a request to comment through a New Orleans representative.
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
WNBA power rankings: Dallas' young cast looks like a strong support for Paige Bueckers
This weekend's announcement of the All-Star Game reserves provided an interesting button to one of the more controversial moves of the offseason: Chicago's trade for Ariel Atkins. The Sky sent the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft (along with first-round swap rights in 2027) to bring in Atkins; put another way, four years of cost control on a rookie for a one-year rental. Advertisement These swings work when the veteran player is good enough in the present to counteract the future value lost. The Los Angeles Sparks made a similar risk in trading the No. 2 pick for Kelsey Plum. However, when the player Atkins was ostensibly traded for, Sonia Citron, is already out-producing the veteran in Year 1 — voted an All-Star alongside her rookie teammate Kiki Iriafen — it poses some questions about team-building. In Chicago's defense, the Mystics and the Connecticut Sun were the only teams with the courage to attempt a rebuild this season. With the rollicking momentum the WNBA is experiencing, it's challenging to sit out a year and watch other teams pass you by. The Sparks, though Plum is at least outperforming Dominique Malonga, haven't experienced the success they hoped for with their veteran acquisition either. The best teams in the WNBA are generally built through multiple top draft picks. In recent vintage, the Seattle Storm won in 2018 and 2020 with the 2015 and 2016 No. 1 picks — plus Sue Bird from way back in 2002. Las Vegas had the top selections in 2017, 2018 and 2019. New York drafted only one top pick in Sabrina Ionescu but brought in Breanna Stewart and traded for another MVP in Jonquel Jones. Indiana is building toward contention with two consecutive top picks of its own. Having one great rookie, even if she put up historical numbers like Angel Reese, generally isn't enough to get the job done. And the idea of punting the present for the future may not even apply anymore. The current generation of college stars is more ready for the pros than previous groups; a great four-year collegian might be able to produce as well as an established veteran. Team-building is an art. Not all franchises can follow the same template. However, to lose a win-now trade in the present is a tough pill to swallow, the kind of outcome that might make teams a little more conservative moving forward. The Wings started a lineup of four rookies plus Li Yueru, who is in her third season, on Thursday against Phoenix. Against a trio of Mercury All-Stars and all-WNBA players, the youngins held their own. As Dallas has dealt with a rash of injuries, the absence of the veterans has clarified who fits around Paige Bueckers. Every decision the Wings make from here on out should be to optimize Bueckers, and the rookies seem to match her playing style. Advertisement JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James play with pace and make quick decisions with the ball. Quinerly is always pushing the tempo of makes and misses, while James immediately knows how she wants to attack, whether that's with a shot or a drive. Luisa Geiselsöder is a little more methodical in the half court, but she's a useful screening and handoff partner — the pairing of Bueckers and Geiselsöder has a better true shooting percentage than any other Bueckers duo. In the win against Phoenix, Dallas got 72 points from rookies, the most of any WNBA team since 1999, per Across the Timeline. It was also the first time in league history that three rookies have had at least 15 points and five assists. The pecking order is clear with no veterans — Bueckers is the best player on the team, and she shouldn't have to defer to players with more experience. Quinerly, James and the young bigs know where they stand — they play through Bueckers. When Bueckers tells Quinerly to 'go' on a jump ball late in the game, Quinerly starts running to the spot before the ball gets there. The Wings got a gift in the NaLyssa Smith trade, an opportunity to build up assets while also clearing out minutes for players who will be part of the future. With the way the rookies are performing, it might be worthwhile to move out more veterans by the Aug. 7 trade deadline. Now that Karlie Samuelson is out for the season with a foot injury, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has to start trusting Diamond Miller. Natisha Hiedeman can't be the only guard off the bench, and 20-year-old Anastasiia Kosu won't be ready in time for the postseason. It has to be Miller. After Miller got hurt and lost her starting spot to Bridget Carleton in 2024, she only reached double-figure minutes eight times over 36 games. Two of those were contests that Napheesa Collier missed. Miller hasn't had a lot of time to prove herself, but if she is to be counted on in the postseason, Reeve has to start building trust in her now. To wit, Miller has averaged 13 minutes since Samuelson went out. Advertisement Miller still looks like she doesn't know how to play off Collier; the cuts and off-ball movement in the halfcourt don't come naturally to the third-year guard. The comfort comes in transition, where Miller is an absolute freight train. She has more juice attacking the basket against even a set defense than anyone else on the Lynx. Miller's 3-point shot also looks smooth as the release is quick, and she's hit 3-of-6 during this stretch. There have been defensive lapses. Her inability to get around a screen at the top of the key against the Valkyries forced a rotation that led to Tiffany Hayes' open 3-pointer. A couple possessions later, Miller inexplicably doubled off Kate Martin in the corner, and the ball found its way to Martin in two passes. But when she puts in the effort, Miller has so many athletic gifts. Janelle Salaün looked genuinely stunned at the quality of a Miller closeout in the fourth quarter. Malonga is Seattle's highest draft pick since 2016, when the Storm lucked into Stewart, the greatest college player of her generation. Seeing the present go up against the past has to make Seattle feel good about its future. Malonga played only 10 minutes against the Liberty, a few of which came in garbage time, but she came to play on national television. Not a lot of rookies can bump Stewart off her spot and then hit a fadeaway, but Malonga managed that during a seven-minute stretch when she scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Storm extended a six-point lead to 19. Malonga is massive around the rim and makes what should be easy finishes impossible for the opposing team. She is hit-or-miss in terms of her impact, but early in her career, Malonga has already had productive stretches against Stewart and Collier. The magnitude of the matchup doesn't faze her. Malonga hitting a Dirk fade over Stewie in the midst of a personal 6-0 run is what we came for, folks: [image or embed] — Lucas Kaplan (@ July 6, 2025 at 1:47 PM A lot of rookies already have gotten shine this week, so let's turn the focus to one who may be falling out of the rotation soon. With DeWanna Bonner waived, Damiris Dantas with Brazil at the AmeriCup and Brianna Turner relatively ineffective, Timpson has become the bench big of choice for Indiana coach Stephanie White. It's easy to see why White trusts the rookie, because Timpson has a high motor on defense, and the Fever have had to rely on their defense in Caitlin Clark's absence. Timpson is incredibly disruptive. She comes up high on screens, she pushes ballhandlers out to the perimeter and she has a good sense of where loose balls will end up. The all-energy, all-the-time philosophy is more useful on offense than defense. She had a couple mis-timed reads on passes and attempted to post up Chelsea Gray (a surprisingly sturdy paint defender) this past week. Yet Timpson has her moments, including a flash off a Natasha Howard post-up and a nice left-handed take against the Sparks. She has the best on-off differential for the Fever this season (plus-12.4 points per 100 possessions); all of that value comes from the defensive end. With Dantas on her way back, White has more options at her disposal again. Timpson has proven that she can hold up, even if it's shorter shifts. That manic defensive presence comes in handy. The Wings have won five of their last seven, and the Fever are starting to figure some things out defensively, which they did to great effect in the Commissioner's Cup title game. Nonetheless, let's not bury the lead — with any luck, this is the first time Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark will face off as WNBA players. After the drama of their final meeting in college, when a moving screen call helped Clark and the Hawkeyes advance to the national title game, and Clark missed the Fever's first game in Dallas, the anticipation to see the last two No. 1 picks on the court together is high. Let's see how two of the future faces of the league match up. (Photo of JJ Quinerly: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Nationals clean house, fire GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez
In a stunning turnabout for a franchise that placed almost blind trust in its top two baseball officials, the Washington Nationals on Sunday fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, who assembled and led the club that won the lone World Series championship in franchise history. Rizzo, 64, has been the Nationals' GM since 2009, taking over for the fired Jim Bowden and building around consecutive No. 1 picks in franchise icons Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper to craft an almost perennial contender throughout the previous decade, as they claimed five playoff berths between 2012 and 2019. The run culminated with the 2019 World Series title, when the Nationals – one year after Harper's departure – parlayed a wild card berth into a seven-game upset of the Houston Astros in Martinez's second year at the helm. But things turned south almost immediately. The club struggled through an injury-plagued pandemic-shortened 2020 season and soon had to write off the $245 million contract it granted Strasburg after his World Series MVP performance gave way to thoracic outlet syndrome. Martinez, 60, was in his eighth season managing the Nationals, who have not had a winning record since winning 93 games in 2019. After going 26-34 in 2020, they suffered 97- and 107-loss seasons before posting 71-91 marks each of the past two seasons. Yet the 2025 season was viewed as a time for significant progress, with a young core of players coalescing and the most serviceable roster the Nationals had fielded in at least three seasons looking ready to compete. Instead, they are 37-53, in last place in the National League East and coming off a brutal sweep by the Boston Red Sox. Martinez and Rizzo won't be around to see the rebuild through, instead having to oversee a clubhouse that went from veteran champions to twentysomethings trying to learn at the big league level after the most momentous transaction in franchise history. The club named assistant GM Mike DeBartolo as interim general manager and will announce an interim manager Monday. The team did not indicate further changes to the coaching staff. As their superstar core aged, young slugger Juan Soto remained the last man standing from their glory years, and in 2022, the Nationals created a self-imposed deadline: Trade Soto or sign him to an extension. Soto declined a heavily-deferred $440 million deal and was traded to San Diego in August 2022, a transaction that remade the franchise. While the losses piled up, the young players acquired in the Soto deal - shortstop CJ Abrams, left-hander MacKenzie Gore and outfielder James Wood - grew into the Nationals' next core. Yet as the Nationals prepared to improve on their consecutive 71-win campaigns this year, Martinez took the major leagues' 29th-ranked bullpen into battle, and the unit's 5.71 ERA has turned many close games into certain losses. In this fate-sealing skid that saw the Nationals go 9-23 since June 1, it was largely the offense's futility that made the whole machine break down. And in the process, it cast a light on Rizzo' and his regimes' inability to consistently draft and develop players. The few bright spots for the future - staff ace MacKenzie Gore, slugger James Wood and shortstop CJ Abrams - were named All-Stars the past two years. Yet the cupboard is virtually bare otherwise, even with the Nationals' favorable drafting position in recent years. They hold the No. 1 pick in the July 15 draft. It won't be Rizzo making that call. 'On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,' managing partner Mark Lerner said. 'Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C. While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our Club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.' Rizzo's cause wasn't helped by either the apathy or unwillingness of management to invest in both capital improvements around the franchise along with free agent impact additions. Now, it will be a new regime shaping a fresh vision from the executive branch for the first time in almost two decades.
