Boston Celtics big man Neemias Queta has a potential career year in front of him
With only Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., Luka Garza, and Amari Williams as true bigs on the roster this season barring a late addition this summer, Queta will have all the runway he needs and then some after the departure of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford (presumably) via trade and free agency.
The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below!
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: https://ytubl.ink/3Ffk
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
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CBS News
43 minutes ago
- CBS News
Pan-Mass Challenge wraps up a successful weekend as many riders honor loved ones
Thousands of riders wrapped up the Pan-Mass Challenge in Provincetown on Sunday. "It was the most amazing Sunday PMC ever. Perfect conditions," WBZ-TV's Lisa Hughes, who rode in the event, said. "Couldn't have been better." Hughes had a chance to chat with some of the participants on the ride, including PMC founder Billy Starr. "I saw great behavior, great attitude. A big success," Starr said. But the true measure of the ride's success? "The money! We gotta raise money. That's what we're here to do." Every dollar raised by the ride goes to cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This year's goal was set at $76 million. "This morning is special for us because it is our chance to give back to Dana-Farber, who has saved my wife's life three times," said Boston radio host Richard Shertenlieb. He said his wife is currently fighting cancer for the fourth time at Dana-Farber. Former Boston Marathon champion Jack Fultz crossed the finish line for the 23rd time. "Well, the fundraising for sure and what it supports in terms of patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber. That's the primary motive," Fultz said. "I'm kind of a fitness nut as well, so this forces me to stay healthy and exercise on a regular basis." Every cyclist has a reason to ride, including first-time rider Robert Peirce. "My grandmother immigrated from Guatemala, and she didn't speak a ton of English. And she came here, she started a life, she rose my mom, and she was just such a big inspiration," Peirce said. "She passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010, and I knew that this was something I had to do to honor her."Lisa Hughes contributed to this report.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Red Sox takeaways: Astros sweep, Tanner Houck surgery, Marcelo Mayer limbo
BOSTON — Each of the last three years, the Boston Red Sox have posted a losing record from Aug. 1 through the end of the season, battling injuries and inconsistency down the stretch. That made a sweep of the Houston Astros this weekend, in the first series coming out of the trade deadline, all the more important as the Red Sox vie for a postseason spot. Advertisement 'It's big,' shortstop Trevor Story said. 'Feels like every win at this point late in the year is huge.' A commanding 6-1 win Sunday gave the Red Sox five wins in a row and six in their last seven. Now in second place in the American League East and holding on to the top AL wild-card spot, having leapfrogged the New York Yankees on Saturday, the Red Sox are playing with confidence at the most important time. 'We've got a complete team,' manager Alex Cora said. 'Guys are playing with an edge now, you can tell.' It wasn't just that the Red Sox swept the AL Central-leading Astros, it was how they did it. Friday's walk-off win in 10 innings was the closest game as the Red Sox outscored Houston 15-4 in the next two. 'You want to handle business with teams that aren't performing well this year, but when it comes to top-of-division teams, whether it be AL or NL, it's about continuing to play hard games,' said Lucas Giolito, who held Houston to one run over eight innings Sunday. The Red Sox did not add a No. 2 starter at the deadline, but Giolito has proved he, in addition to Brayan Bello, is up for the task. He noted the spark keeping the club together at the deadline has given the team. 'Especially with how we've been playing, I think it's important to keep the group together and keep everyone jelled together and firing on all cylinders,' he said. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wasn't ready to take a victory lap after one series sweep post-trade deadline but was pleased with the team's performance. 'It's a really resilient group that's confident in each other and coming together at exactly the right time in exactly the right way,' Breslow said. 'I think there's a lot to be excited about and reason for optimism. We've got to go out and keep playing the way that we do. But I'm not sure there was going to be a ton that was or wasn't going to happen coming out in the deadline that was going to kind of knock these guys off the path they're on.' Gio's day through 8 ⤵️ — Red Sox (@RedSox) August 3, 2025 Though Tanner Houck hadn't pitched since May, the Red Sox starting pitching depth took another hit this weekend as the team announced Houck is headed for Tommy John surgery this week. The 29-year-old, who posted an 8.04 ERA in nine starts, last pitched May 12 before landing on the injured list with a flexor pronator strain. He built back up to rehab games in June and early July, but around the All-Star break, he wasn't bouncing back as well from each outing, and a second MRI showed further damage. Advertisement 'A little bit surprised,' Breslow said of Houck's surgery diagnosis. 'Just because it seemed like he was making progress through the rehab process and stuff was good, felt like we were turning the corner.' Houck said he felt great in early July, thinking the inflammation from the first MRI had subsided, but that changed by the break with discomfort in his hand and triceps necessitating a second MRI. '(The MRI) showed it got worse, definitely,' Houck said. 'The flexor was torn a good bit, but just didn't feel right throwing.' Houck contemplated alternate routes with stem cell injections, but ultimately decided the full surgery was his best chance of recovering stronger. He's hoping to return by the second half of 2026 with a 12-to-14-month timetable. The Red Sox are far from the only team that's dealt with the rise of pitcher injuries, but it's something they're looking into to mitigate in the future. Houck made a career-high 30 starts with a 3.78 ERA last season in an All-Star year, but struggled from the start this season. The Red Sox had three homegrown starters in Houck, Bello and Kutter Crawford pitch 30 or more starts last season, a point of pride for the team. But now Houck is done for the year, and so is Crawford after wrist surgery last month. Bello is having a strong season with a 3.19 ERA but missed the first three weeks of the season with shoulder inflammation. It's forced the Red Sox to reconsider how they train and prepare their pitchers, something Breslow discussed with The Athletic in June. 'Do we think the workload that they took on last year had an impact on their performance this year? The answer is maybe,' Breslow said at the time. As for the team's current starter depth, Breslow noted newcomer Dustin May, who will make his first start for the team Wednesday, along with Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Kyle Harrison and newly promoted Triple-A pitchers David Sandlin and Connelly Early as options. Advertisement 'Harrison has made some really promising changes to the repertoire,' Breslow assessed. 'The last couple outings have been headed in the right direction.' Sandlin and Early could be long relief bullpen options in September as teams often call up rookies at that point in the season to get their feet wet in the majors while also limiting their innings and workload. Breslow noted Sandlin, in particular, as an option for that kind of promotion. 'Sandlin is a guy that comes to mind in that it's really power stuff and simplified approach,' Breslow said, noting the right-hander's upper-90s fastball. 'We feel like he can come in and overwhelm hitters with the stuff. Those conversations are ongoing.' Though Houck is done for the year, the team is expecting a late-season boost to the bullpen in the form of reliever Justin Slaten. Slaten has been sidelined since June 1 with right shoulder/nerve inflammation but has started to turn a corner throwing a bullpen Saturday. He'll throw another bullpen midweek. 'We know what he can bring when he's healthy and contributing in the back end of bullpens,' Breslow said. Liam Hendriks, however, is still just playing catch and will likely not have enough time to return this year from a hip/core injury. In an effort to return to the field sooner, Mayer, who's been out since July 25 with a wrist sprain, received an anti-inflammatory injection Saturday. After a 72-hour rest period, Mayer will resume baseball activities to see whether the injection helped with the pain. 'Obviously, we're all optimistic (the injection will work), that's the reason that he's going with this path,' Breslow said. 'We believe that it gives him the best chance to get back on the field this season. And I think it's a credit to him to try to do anything he can to get back in.' Advertisement Asked whether surgery was the next option, Breslow preferred to wait to see how Mayer responds. Meanwhile, almost exactly three months since Triston Casas' knee surgery, Breslow offered one of the first updates in a few months on Casas. 'He's doing really well and moving around well,' Breslow said. 'He's in the weight room and in the training room every day. I think he's feeling more confident. There was probably this period after he got the surgery where he wondered what the road back looks like. But just given his ability to move around and start to bear weight on both legs, he's in a really, really good place physically and mentally.' Casas is not close to baseball activity but continues to build up strength in his lower half. He had originally set a goal to be ready by Opening Day, but Breslow was hesitant to put pressure on a date of return for Casas, noting his steady progress as the main factor. 'He's hitting every benchmark along the line,' Breslow said. In Triple-A Worcester, Kristian Campbell exited Saturday's game after jamming his thumb on an inside pitch. He'd been riding a 13-game hitting streak (19-for-48, .396) but was out of Sunday's lineup. Breslow said he's day to day but wasn't overly concerned. He was encouraged by Campbell's strides in Worcester. 'I think we've seen some of the results over the last week and a half or so, where he is starting to impact the ball a little bit more comfortably and is more confident on defense,' Breslow said. 'We knew it would be a little bit of a process. We've all seen up here the ability for other teams to exploit weaknesses or opportunities a little bit more quickly and more frequently than maybe it happens in the minor leagues. So, there was no question he was going to go down there, put his head down and get to work. And that's what we're seeing. And it's nice to see some promising results.' (Photo of Lucas Giolito: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Record sale of WNBA's Sun adds fuel to the league's smoldering contract dispute
The latest big money flex for the WNBA came over the weekend with the news that a minority owner of the Boston Celtics plans to buy the Connecticut Sun for $325 million, move the team from its strange casino location in Uncasville, Conn., to Boston, and sink another $100 million into a practice facility. The last time a WNBA team was sold, in 2021, the price tag was estimated at $10 million for the Atlanta Dream. It's yet another log tossed onto the blaze building beneath the contract negotiations between the league and the WNBA Player's Association over a new collective bargaining agreement. The money is rolling into the WNBA. The Golden State Valkyries — which Joe Lacob bought in 2023 for a $50 million expansion fee — were recently valued at $500 million and Lacob thinks it could have been higher. Three new expansion teams — Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — recently went for $250 million apiece. Last year, the league signed a monster media rights deal for $2.2 billion. The league set a record in attendance last season and is up even more this year. Viewership is also up 21%, even though megastar Caitlin Clark has missed several games with injury. All of this is the backdrop to the CBA negotiations that have been looming over the entire season. Last October, the players opted out of the remaining year of their contract — which was signed in 2020, when things were much different, a move everyone could see coming for a couple of years. The current contract expires Oct. 31. But despite all the forewarning, the rapid growth of the league and the increased value, negotiations aren't going smoothly. That became clear at last month's All-Star Game, when more than 40 players showed up to an in-person bargaining session in Indianapolis, a turnout that WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike called 'historic.' But no progress was made. 'I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity,' Liberty star Breanna Stweart said afterwards. 'It was pretty shocking to see. Not many things we agreed on.' The players want a number of things including roster expansion and improved conditions around things such as travel and schedule. But the main thing they want is a significant piece of the pie that they have been baking for years. 'We feel we are owed a piece of the pie we helped create,' WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier said. The players know it is their play and their connection with fans that has made their league so successful and so attractive to new investors. 'We should be paid more and hopefully that's the case moving forward,' said Clark, the catalyst for much of the growth. The players, like most professional athletes, want revenue sharing. While most men's CBAs call for a 50-50 split in revenues, the WNBA is woefully under 10%. 'We players know what we're worth,' Ogwumike said. 'The fans know what we're worth. Now we need the league to know what we're worth.' The All-Star players took the court for the game in Indianapolis in black warmup shirts that read 'PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US.' Signs saying 'Pay the players' were waved in the crowd. After the game, when commissioner Cathy Englebert took the court, she was booed by the crowd and drowned out by chants of 'Pay them! Pay them!' The event was reminiscent of other times female athletes have used the power of clothing and when they have understood the significance of getting the public on their side. In 2019, the U.S. women's national soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay prior to the World Cup, which they went on to win. Their achievement was celebrated by roars of 'Equal pay! Equal pay!' The soccer players took the field for a game wearing inside-out shirts to protest their situation — facsimiles of which were later marketed. The lawsuit was finally settled in the players' favor in 2022. WNBA players know the power of a persuasive T-shirt. They were at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement, years before it swept the country after George Floyd's murder. They used their platform in the 'Wubble' during the pandemic, wearing shirts saying 'Vote Warnock,' in protest of Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler. That boost in recognition helped the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who subsequently won a Georgia senate seat and flipped the U.S. Senate. The WNBA players have long known how to use their platform. And their fans will support them. Smart business people like Lacob see the value in the league. He believes the Valkyries, with their spectacular game day experience and state-of-the-art facilities, are raising the bar for the entire league. 'The whole league is doing much better,' Lacob told me in June. 'Some aren't. Some are weak sisters, so to speak. We need to make it a better league. I think that's going to happen. It just takes time.' One of those weak sisters has been the Sun. Connecticut plays in a casino, doesn't have its own facilities and is considered one of the worst-run franchises in the league. But the Sun is now headed for a brighter future, with the pending sale to a group led by private equity investor Steve Pagliuca. The evidence keeps mounting: the WNBA — and the league players — are valuable entities worthy of investment. But will a deal get done? Or will the soaring popularity of the league come to a screeching halt with a work stoppage? 'We're on a time crunch,' Collier said. 'No one wants a lock out.' With every positive development for the WNBA, the fire burning under contract negotiations keeps getting bigger and bigger. Does management feel the heat?
