Rivals Five-Star: Interview with four-star OL Carter Scruggs

23-06-2025

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Former Trojan Matt Leinart is hopeful about USC football this year

USA Today

4 minutes ago

USA Today

Former Trojan Matt Leinart is hopeful about USC football this year

Legendary USC quarterback Matt Leinart spoke at Big Ten media days last week. He offered his thoughts on the Trojans' chances this season in the Big Ten. With USC under a lot of scrutiny, who better to come to the Trojans' defense and give fans a little bit of optimism for this season other than Matt Leinart? In a recent article, Charlie Viehl with USC Trojans on Sports Illustrated highlighted Leinart's exact feelings of optimism this season, noting what the Trojans need to do to be a top team in the Big Ten "(Ashley) Adamson asked Leinart about his thoughts on USC's upcoming season, and Leinart revealed his expectations for USC coach Lincoln Riley in 2025. "You look at USC, UCLA. I mean, both teams need to get better. USC in particular. I'm actually very interested in this year. They made huge strides on defense a year ago. I think that we saw that. They were so close last year in a lot of games, and you can't have excuses. But those plays go the different way, maybe they're 10-3 and in a playoff or 10-2 an in the playoffs, so they need to learn how to finish." As for how to fix USC's problem of finishing close games? The former Trojans quarterback talked about how Riley and the current coaching staff is emphasizing it over the offseason. "I always say this and Pete Carroll at USC, our whole program was built on finishing. Whether it was schoolwork, whether it was in the gym, whether it was meetings just be the best and finish until the very end. You start to develop that mindset," Leinart said. "I know that's kind of been a big thing for them this offseason. Hopefully that translates into the games. I think they're preseason ninth (in the) poll, which means nothing, but people are gonna overlook them this year. I think they're going to be pretty good," the former Trojan continued. How far will "pretty good" get in this year's Big Ten? To Leinart's point, the Trojans did take a massive step forward with the addition of Rob Ryan. This defense should be even better this season. This new and improved defense should help them finish games. With more stability at quarterback and with elite weapons, the Trojans are aiming to right all of last season's wrongs. The Trojans should not be overlooked this season with everything they have, but maybe for Lincoln Riley and the rest of the team, that is exactly how they should want it.

Misiorowski gets his first shot at the Cubs as NL Central co-leaders begin huge series in Milwaukee

Hamilton Spectator

4 minutes ago

Hamilton Spectator

Misiorowski gets his first shot at the Cubs as NL Central co-leaders begin huge series in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski already has won matchups with Paul Skenes and Clayton Kershaw and has pitched in the All-Star Game since reaching the major leagues six weeks ago. So forgive the 23-year-old if he isn't getting overly caught up in the atmosphere surrounding his first matchup with the NL Central-rival Chicago Cubs — even though the two teams share the National League's best record at 62-43. 'I know it's a division rival so it's going to be fun, but there's nothing different than a normal day,' Misiorowski said. That's a typical approach for the 6-foot-7 right-hander. Misiorowski says he spends the days before a start focusing more on himself and making sure he's physically ready than worrying about the hitters he's going to face. 'I don't really prepare for an opponent,' he said. 'I just prepare my body for a game. I don't think I'm looking ahead at who's going to be there. It's just about making myself ready.' Both teams are ready for a major test this week. Monday's series opener is an All-Star pitching matchup featuring Misiorowski and Chicago's Matthew Boyd. Tuesday's game features Colin Rea (8-4, 4.08 ERA) for the Cubs and Quinn Priester (9-2, 3.28) for the Brewers. Wednesday's scheduled starters are Chicago's Shota Imanaga (7-4, 3.12) and Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (12-4, 2.81). 'Look, it's two teams that are playing really well, that have postseason aspirations,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'Obviously, it feels like we're going to be battling for the division. So, you know, it's still July, but these are big games.' The Cubs lead the season series 3-2 and won two of three in Milwaukee from May 2-4. This marks the last time these teams will square off in Milwaukee this season, though they have a five-game series at Wrigley Field from Aug. 18-21. American Family Field generally has a little more energy when the Cubs are in town. The large number of Cubs fans capitalizing on the short drive from Chicago often results in about a 50-50 split in the crowd. This series got even spicier after Counsell, a Milwaukee-area native and the winningest manager in Brewers history, left for the Cubs following the 2023 season. Counsell has been showered with boos whenever his name has been mentioned each time he's managed the Cubs in Milwaukee. Brewers manager Pat Murphy was a bench coach on Counsell's staff in Milwaukee. When Counsell played college baseball at Notre Dame, Murphy was his coach. The two men remain friendly even while managing division rivals in the majors. Now they're meeting with the NL Central lead on the line. 'It's going to be fun,' Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff said. 'I don't care if it's a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday series. It's going to be packed. It's going to be loud. It's going to be a playoff-like feeling, which is good for us. It's a good test for us, to kind of see where we're at.' This didn't look like a particularly competitive race for much of the year. The Brewers struggled to get above .500 for the first two months of the season and were 6 1/2 games behind the Cubs as recently as June 18. But they're 23-8 since that date, while the Cubs have gone 17-15. 'Obviously, they've played really great baseball here, especially lately,' Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. 'Add in two other teams over .500 I think (Cincinnati is 56-50 and St. Louis is 54-53), and it's a strong division right now. Obviously, that's why you need 162 games to really see the test of it.' They've won in different ways. The Cubs own a .444 slugging percentage that ranks second in the majors — behind only the New York Yankees — while Milwaukee is 23rd at .384. Yet both teams are in the top eight in scoring, with the Cubs second and the Brewers eighth. Both teams love to run; the Cubs rank second in steals (121) with the Brewers third (120). Only the Tampa Bay Rays (138) have stolen more bases. This series features two of the game's bright young outfield stars in Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong and Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio, who is on a 20-game hitting streak. Milwaukee's edge is its extraordinary starting rotation depth. The Brewers have a 3.58 ERA that ranks fourth in the majors, while the Cubs are 15th at 3.90. Milwaukee's pitching staff got a big boost when Misiorowski burst onto the scene last month. Now he gets his first taste of the Brewers-Cubs rivalry. Woodruff isn't surprised that Misiorowski doesn't seem fazed by the challenge. 'This kid throws 102 (mph),' Woodruff said. 'If I was him, I wouldn't be scared of nothing.' ___ AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:

Mets Predicted To Land Cardinals' Two-Time All-Star In Deadline Heist

Newsweek

5 minutes ago

Newsweek

Mets Predicted To Land Cardinals' Two-Time All-Star In Deadline Heist

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Mets already have an All-Star closer, but they shouldn't say no to adding another. Edwin Díaz has been the most dominant version of himself for most of the season, providing a huge boost to the Mets in save situations. But he doesn't have a particularly reliable setup man at the moment, as Reed Garrett and Huascar Brazobán have stumbled since the start of summer. If the Mets are going to return to the World Series for the first time in a decade, they'll need at least one big bullpen arm ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 8: Ryan Helsley #56 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium on July 8, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 8: Ryan Helsley #56 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium on July 8, 2025 in St Louis, that arm be Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals? On Sunday, Matt Johnson of Sportsnaut predicted that the two-time All-Star, who is a free agent at the end of the season, would be shipped to the Mets by the deadline. "The New York Mets' bullpen will be addressed further at the MLB trade deadline, even after the Gregory Soto acquisition. New York likely won't want to get into a bidding war for one of the All-Star closers under contract for multiple seasons, but it can get Ryan Helsley," wrote Johnson. "The St. Louis Cardinals closer boasts a 2.03 ERA over the last four seasons, including an 11.8 K/9. Since he's a free agent this winter, he should be a bit more affordable for the Mets to acquire." It's not been Helsley's best season so far, but the 30-year-old still boasts a 3.00 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 36 innings. With the Cardinals dropping to 54-53 after a hot start, it seems all but certain the closer will be on the move. If the Mets can win the Helsley sweepstakes, they'll be well positioned for a run at their first division title in a decade. More MLB: Dodgers Predicted To Bring Top AL Central Fireballer To Los Angeles