Mets vs Reds (7/19/25)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Commanders rookie running back is no flash in the pan
Every summer, in every training camp around the NFL, fans and media members select one guy for their "summer crush." We've found that guy for the Washington Commanders this summer: running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. A seventh-round pick from the University of Arizona, Croskey-Merritt has a unique story. First, he was a zero-star recruit from Montgomery, Alabama. After a record-breaking career at Alabama State, Croskey-Merritt wanted to face stiffer competition to help his chances of making it to the NFL. He rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns at New Mexico in 2023 and transferred to Arizona in 2024. In his only start for the Wildcats, Croskey-Merritt rushed for over 100 yards before a bogus eligibility issue cost him the rest of his final collegiate season. The NCAA's poor decision likely cost Croskey-Merritt in the draft. The Commanders were thankful he was there when it was their turn to make their final pick. Since his arrival, coaches and teammates have praised "Bill." Yes, Bill is Croskey-Merritt's nickname and the name by which everyone calls him. Last week, head coach Dan Quinn praised Bill's "violent cuts." On Monday, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury met with the media, and it was his turn to praise Bill. "Bill, for a young guy who loves football, competes, very explosive," Kingsbury said. "He got ruled ineligible at Arizona and stayed and played scout team the whole year, which is like nobody would do that, so that tells you right there the type of passion he has for, and it shows up." Kingsbury can't wait to see the rookie in the preseason. "There's no doubt Bill's had some good flashes for a young guy," he said. Check out this video captured at Monday's practice. A violent cut, indeed. Croskey-Merritt is not only making Washington's roster, but he will, at some point, figure into the Commanders' offensive plans. Most summer crushes fizzle once they fail to make the roster. Bill is different. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: The hype around 'Bill' is real
Washington Post
11 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The best team in baseball doesn't need home runs, superstars or big money
By all the preferred measures of modern baseball aptitude, the Milwaukee Brewers do not make sense. Even when measured against basic baseball logic, they offer a surprise. Take their weekend at Nationals Park as an example: On Friday, the Brewers learned their budding young superstar, Jackson Chourio, would be out for longer than expected with a hamstring injury. On Saturday, the player tied with Chourio for the team lead in FanGraphs WAR, Sal Frelick, was pulled from the game with a knee injury. And a few hours before Sunday's series finale, the Brewers announced their 23-year-old pitching prodigy, Jacob Misiorowski, would be heading to the injured list instead of the pitching rubber.
New York Times
12 minutes ago
- New York Times
Inside Alex Cobb's battle to rewrite the final chapter of his MLB career
DETROIT — It was still June when Alex Cobb had to recalibrate once more. Since February, he had been plotting his return to the major leagues. But pain in his hips kept flaring up. That date got pushed back. Again. And again. And again. 'I've done that probably 20 times now,' he said. 'I circled Opening Day when I first signed. I remember when I first heard I was going to miss a few weeks in the offseason. I was shocked. And now, obviously, we're here.' Advertisement Now that it is August, 'here' is a strange situation. The Detroit Tigers gave Cobb a one-year, $15 million deal this winter entering his age-37 season despite a checkered injury history. Among other things, he's had issues with his left hip and his right hip. There have been blisters, turf toe, a hamstring strain, a UCL reconstruction and thoracic outlet syndrome that once resulted in him keeping a rib in a jar. On the first day of spring training, the Tigers announced Cobb was again battling inflammation in his right hip — a different hip than the one he spent most of last year rehabbing after surgery. But right hip issues were nothing new. He had surgery for an impingement there in 2019. Back in February, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris stood in front of reporters on a dewy Florida morning. He proclaimed optimism for Cobb's recovery but still said, 'I didn't really think he was going to pitch 175 to 200 innings coming off last year, anyway.' One year after throwing only 16 1/3 innings in the regular season, Cobb's rehab from his latest issue has gone anything but smoothly. And it has led to this awkward crossroad. It's plenty fair to question the Tigers' signing of Cobb in the first place. His inability to pitch this season serves as at least part of the reason the Tigers had to get pitching reinforcements such as Chris Paddack and 41-year-old Charlie Morton at the trade deadline. Cobb himself, though, is still trying to work his way back. Still fighting time and his own body. Still clinging to pride and a competitive spirit in hopes this year will not be a waste. 'I've never been on a team with this type of potential,' Cobb said last week. 'I've never been in first place at the trade deadline or nine games up, whatever we are, and obviously we have a real chance to do something really special. If I was ever on a team and we were the last team standing and we got a nice little trophy and a ring, I'd want to stare at that ring and feel like I did everything I could to contribute, even if it's just a little bit. Advertisement 'I'd feel a lot more pride in that if I could stare at that ring and know that, even if it wasn't the expectation I had for my season, I contributed in some sort of way.' Few will feel sorry for the guy cashing a $15 million check to collect dust on the injured list. But Cobb has a sterling reputation across the league. His absence this season has not been for lack of trying. He has started rehab assignments and looked painfully stiff on the mound. His ability to move and cover first base has been arguably a greater concern than the stuff coming out of his hand. As he worked his way back from the right hip issue, a problem in the left hip flared up once again. He started receiving injections, too many to count, a number so large he doesn't exactly want it published. Cobb said he's been assured these injections aren't coming with a risk to his long-term health. 'I'm not just shoving drugs into my system,' Cobb said. 'I'm doing a lot of biologic injections, which come from my own blood, my own body. I feel a lot more comfortable with that. I know it looks a little questionable on paper. Those injections that I've had have given me hope.' Cobb seems to understand his hip condition could signal the end of his career. Even before the Tigers and other teams called this offseason, Cobb had wondered if he might be done. But he would prefer not to go out this way. Not like this. 'As the diagnosis has come in and the pain sets in and you realize the challenges that are in front of you, I think realizing where you are at in your career and the possibility of things being over, final, to think about never stepping on a big-league mound again … I think it hits you pretty hard and gives you a motivation to want to have that feeling again, to compete against the best,' Cobb said. 'Once you're done, you're done. Your childhood dream is over, and I don't want to have that feeling.' Advertisement Whatever happens, Cobb said he will eventually need a hip procedure to ensure he can live a normal, mobile life. But for now, he's still focused on pitching. In a rehab outing Sunday at High-A West Michigan, Cobb pitched two innings, striking out two batters, allowing two hits, one walk and one unearned run. Harris recently listed Cobb among the pitchers who could help the Tigers down the stretch. So perhaps the organization is still holding out hope of its own. Manager A.J. Hinch, though, has included the word 'if' in most of his recent comments about Cobb. If he can get healthy. If his stuff can measure up at the highest level. 'You guys don't even really know Alex Cobb,' Hinch told reporters. 'And that's unfortunate for a lot of reasons. I think the same with our fan base. He's like this mysterious guy who hasn't done anything yet.' Hinch has watched Cobb fight to get back on the field. He has checked in with Cobb after bullpens and rehab starts, seen the optimism on his face and then watched as those hopes have been dashed. The effort has been admirable, even if the desired result has not yet arrived. 'I feel for him,' Hinch said, 'because I know, competitively, where his mind is.' As the margin for error grows thinner, Cobb said he has accepted he will have to pitch through pain if he wants to get back this season. He is still pushing forward. He has dealt with the uncertainty, the guilt, the reality that the end of his career might be near. But for a bit longer, he is still working his way back. If this were a multiyear deal, he admitted, perhaps he would have thrown in the towel on the season and aimed to return next year. This time, next year is not promised. So Cobb is doing all he can, yearning for a better ending. 'What dictates success at the end of the year is me knowing I did everything I could,' Cobb said. 'If that means pitching scoreless innings late in September and into October, great. I'll be very thrilled with that. (But) I'll be able to lay down peacefully at night if I know that I gave everything I had.'
