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After an utterly dominant regular season, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is slumping once again in October.

The overwhelming favorite for American League MVP was mired in a lengthy slump early in the year and hitting just .197 on May 2. But he turned things around in a big way, finishing with a .322/.458/.701 slash line (batting average/on-base/slugging), 58 home runs and 144 RBI.

That’s not the same Aaron Judge we’ve seen in the playoffs, however. And he’s acknowledged his struggles.

‘Guys around me are doing their job, getting on base,’ Judge said after Game 2 of the World Series. ‘And I’m failing them, not backing them up.’

What are Aaron Judge’s 2024 postseason stats?

Aaron Judge in this year’s playoffs through Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers:

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Games: 11
At-bats: 40
Hits: 6
Walks: 7
Batting average: .150
On-base percentage: .280
Slugging percentage: .325
Home runs: 2
RBI: 6
Strikeout percentage: 38.0% (19 in 50 plate appearances)

Perhaps most concerning is Judge’s strikeout rate, which was 24.3% during the regular season.

What are Aaron Judge’s career postseason stats?

This isn’t the first time Judge has slumped in October. Going back to in his first playoff appearance in 2017, here are his cumulative numbers:

Games: 55
At-bats: 211
Hits: 42
Walks: 32
Batting average: .199
On-base percentage: .304
Slugging percentage: .436
Home runs: 15
RBI: 31
Strikeout percentage: 34.3% (85 in 248 plate appearances)

Source: Baseball-Reference.com

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Bring on the Cowboys. 

That was one surefire way for the injury-stung 49ers to snap out of an October funk. They bullied Dallas the last three times, including two playoff contests. So, why not again? 

Done. 

The 49ers (4-4) withstood a late rally and again handled the Cowboys, 30-24, at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night to breathe a sigh of relief with a victory that will lessen stress during a much-needed bye week.  

“After the bye it’s 0-0,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. “We are at .500 right now. We are a game back from being first in the division. We have everything ahead of us. We can be whoever we want.”

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On Sunday night, the 49ers needed a few things to solidify their identity.

Somebody had to leave a mark with a monster game. That would be tight end George Kittle, who had his first 100-yard game of the season (6 catches, 128 yards) with a touchdown. On “National Tight Ends Day” at that. Check.

“Happy holiday!” said Kittle, with a big persona to match his skill. One of his biggest plays, for 43 and 27 yards, set up short touchdowns in the third quarter that proved to be vital to the big picture.

“I think I’ve lost on the last two holidays,” he added, speaking of the tight tribute day that he helped create. “To get a win is very helpful.”

Someone else needed to come off the injured list and return to form. Hello, Deebo Samuel. The multi-tasker had 86 yards from scrimmage and produced the game’s longest play after he lined up in the backfield and sprinted downfield a 47-yard catch. His temperature’s good. Check.

Another key player needed a bounce back performance. Brock Purdy answered that bell. A week after a three-pick outing against the Chiefs, the 49ers quarterback was hardly flawless. But he was efficient enough in passing for 260 yards, posting a 114.3 passer rating and scrambling for 56 yards. Check.

A boost from an unexpected contributor? Speedy rookie Isaac Guerendo, filling in after Jordan Mason went down with a shoulder injury, had over 100 yards from scrimmage. In rushing for 85 yards, he averaged 6.1 per carry. Check.

And, well, just like the last three times, the 49ers could use some help from Dak Prescott. He threw two interceptions to run his tally to eight picks in the four losses to San Francisco since 2021. Double-check.

That wasn’t the only pattern that continued as Dallas (3-4) sank further in the NFC East race. The 49ers rushed for 223 yards, shredding one of the league’s worst run defenses. 

No, this wasn’t another classic in the storied series between two of the NFL’s signature franchises. Yet the Cowboys, who entered the fourth quarter trailing 27-10, were determined to make the 49ers sweat.  

Two Prescott touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb (13 catches, 148 yards) made it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Then the Cowboys forced a punt. 

Another dramatic ending, like something authored by Roger Staubach or Joe Montana in previous versions of this series, was not to be. 

In the end, San Francisco prevailed when the defense forced a turnover on downs with four straight Prescott incompletions. They ran out the clock with Guerendo providing the finishing blow with a 14-yard run on which he slid at the 3-yard line to keep the clock running rather than scoring a touchdown. 

Now comes a bye week at .500, with the chance for some R&R and perhaps a return from an injured player or a few. 

“We’ve got a long way to go,” veteran offensive tackle Trent Williams said. “We’re not hanging our hat on anything.”

A week ago, the 49ers got a reality check a week earlier from the Chiefs, who handed them another Super Bowl loss in February. They are not on Kansas City’s level. 

But they have confirmed again they at least have the Cowboys number. 

This story has been updated with new information.

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Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz repeated Hillary Clinton’s attack that former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City mirrored a 1930s Nazi event. 

Walz compared Trump’s rally on Sunday night to a 1939 ‘pro-America’ rally held by German dictator Adolf Hitler at Madison Square Garden 85 years ago, before World War II.

‘Donald Trump’s got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden,’ Walz said Sunday at a canvas kickoff event in Las Vegas. ‘There’s a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid 1930s at Madison Square Garden. And don’t think that he doesn’t know for one second exactly what they’re doing there. So, look, we said we’re all running like everything’s on the line because it is.’ 

Trump 2024 senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told ‘Fox & Friends First’ on Monday that Walz’s comment was ‘offensive,’ and that ‘they should be ashamed of themselves.’ 

Clinton also made the comparison, yet as Murtaugh noted, her own husband, former President Bill Clinton, accepted the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination at Madison Square Garden. The iconic venue, more recently known for Billy Joel concerts, New York Knicks basketball and New York Rangers hockey, has hosted four Democratic conventions and one Republican convention. 

Then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter accepted the Democratic nomination at Madison Square Garden in 1980. Then-President George W. Bush accepted the Republican nomination at the same venue in 2004.

‘It’s ridiculous. Here’s Kamala Harris, who Donald Trump is currently beating, which means she and her campaign are calling more than half the country a bunch of Nazis and yet she wants to be president of it,’ Murtaugh said. ‘There was an Israeli flag flying in Madison Square Garden. President Trump has been recently endorsed by imams in Detroit, and we had a Holocaust survivor as a special guest at the rally last night. And for Tim Walz to come out and say that, it is offensive, it is belittling to what actually happened in Europe at the hands of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews.’ 

‘To make light of that by trying to score political points against your American opponent three quarters of a century later is horribly offensive,’ he added. ‘This is a dying campaign, this is a struggling campaign, and they’re throwing anything at the wall that will stick. They should be ashamed of themselves.’ 

Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden reportedly reached the venue’s maximum 19,500 capacity. 

Donald Trump Jr. said that nearly 200,000 people tried to attend. The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote in deep blue New York was 1984 by Ronald Reagan. 

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LANDOVER, Md. – Somehow, handing the ball off to an offensive lineman for a fumble on the goal line with the game hanging in the balance wasn’t the most embarrassing thing the Chicago Bears did Sunday against the Washington Commanders. 

Tyrique Stevenson made sure of that by taunting the home crowd at Northwest Stadium, which would have been fine had the Bears hung onto a 15-12 comeback victory. Instead, footage taken from the crowd and posted on social media showed Stevenson distracted and taunting fans as Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels snapped the ball and Commanders receivers dashed downfield for a Hail Mary. Stevenson eventually realized there was an actual NFL game still taking place and that he was a participant – an active one at that. The cornerback jumped with the rest of the mass of humanity as Daniels’ last-gasp pass approached, and he helped tip the pigskin backward to a waiting Noah Brown, who caught the 52-yard touchdown with no time on the clock for a stunning 18-15 win. 

“We’ve practiced that play a hundred times,” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who said he’d have to look at the tape to figure out what went wrong. 

The Bears are coached, Eberflus said, to have one defender on each receiver essentially boxing out like a basketball player going for a rebound. A free defender is responsible for going up to bat the ball down. Another defender has the job of being “the back-tip guy who goes around the pile,” Eberflus said. 

Whoever that was, Eberflus would not say.  

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“That’s a hard way to lose,” he said. 

Was the “back-tip guy” not there? 

“I got to look at it,” Eberflus said.  

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said “there should never be somebody wide open in the back of the end zone.” 

“I can’t tell you who was supposed to be there,” he said. 

The play was bad for the Bears defense in real time and unforgivable due to the viral video. Stevenson did not speak with the media after the game and Eberflus was not specifically asked about his antics.

“To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus …. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock,” Stevenson wrote on social media after the game. “Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.” 

Chicago safety Kevin Byard III confirmed that defenders are supposed to box out their assigned man while someone goes up to knock the ball down. Washington tight end Zach Ertz was able to help force the ball back into the end zone. 

“Big pile of people, I know guys are trying to box out,’ Byard said. “But at that point, you can’t just grab guys and tackle them.

“We can talk about the details and all of that, I just know it’s a tough play overall – because like I said, how much time he had, you got to run around, and guys are doing the best they can to get around their guy.” 

The Bears rushed three defenders and Daniels held the ball for 12.79 seconds before firing it, according to Next Gen Stats. Eberflus acknowledged his defense could have brought extra pressure and noted that linebacker T.J. Edwards became a non-factor because he was assigned to cover running back Austin Ekeler, who was blocking. 

As the Commanders home stadium and sideline exploded in jubilation, the Bears were left shell-shocked.

 “You don’t really believe your eyes at the time,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “It’s like, ‘Damn, did it really just happen? Are there any flags?’” 

Bears blow earlier chance with putrid goal-line play call

For all of their troubles, the Bears were a yard away from taking a fourth-quarter lead. 

Doug Kramer Jr., a backup offensive lineman wearing No. 68, lined up in the traditional fullback spot and reported as eligible as the clock ticked toward six minutes remaining with the Bears facing a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams took the snap, turned and presented the ball to Kramer. Within a fraction of the second, the ball was loose and in the hands of Commanders defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton. 

“It’s the play we’ve worked,” Eberflus said. “We’ve just got to do it better.” 

The coach added: “It’s just wedge blocking. You’re on the 1-yard line. You got a big guy getting the ball. We’ve practiced it a lot.” 

Williams said his comfort level in the play was “100 percent.” The rookie quarterback was credited with the fumble officially. 

“I know that mistake is bothering (Kramer), but I’m proud of the guys,” said Williams, who made his return to the area in which he grew up and was 10-for-24 for 131 yards passing. 

Kramer, 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, is no William “Refrigerator” Perry. He grew up near Chicago in Hinsdale, Illinois, and attended Illinois for college. He certainly isn’t the expected option to take a handoff in that scenario, especially in an offense that occasionally lines up tight end Cole Kmet at the fullback spot. 

Pressed again if he was on board with the logic of the call, Eberflus responded: “It’s a 1-yard play.” 

Unless it goes backward and is fumbled away. And without some self-reflection, the Bears’ season could go that way, too, after a loss like this one.

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NEW YORK — If Shohei Ohtani can handle the pain, he will play in Game 3 of the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday night at Yankee Stadium that he expects Ohtani to play in Monday night’s Game 3 if the slugger and leadoff hitter can tolerate the discomfort two days after suffering a left shoulder subluxation in Game 2 on Saturday night.

‘If (Ohtani) feels good enough to go, I see no reason he won’t be in there,’ Roberts said Sunday night.

Ohtani flew separately from the team and was due to arrive in New York on Sunday evening, Roberts said, after undergoing tests on the shoulder in Los Angeles. The manager said hitting balls off a tee and taking batting practice in an indoor cage, ‘that’s going to be telling.

‘I think that he’s obviously very well aware of himself and his body.’

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Following Saturday night’s game, Roberts sounded confident that Ohtani had avoided serious injury, but the Dodgers designated hitter had to go undergo further testing to confirm.

On Sunday, Roberts said Ohtani’s situation was not dissimilar to that of Cody Bellinger, who in 2020 suffered a shoulder dislocation while celebrating his go-ahead home run in the National League Championship Series. The shoulder was popped back into place and Bellinger played in the World Series.

Yet Ohtani’s situation is a little better than Bellinger’s: Ohtani hurt his left shoulder, and Bellinger his right. Since both are left-handed hitters, the strain is much greater on the right, lead arm.

Ohtani hurt his left shoulder sliding into second base on an attempted steal in the seventh inning of Game 2 and left the field with a trainer after lingering on the ground.

‘The whole stadium went silent,’ Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said.

The Dodgers hold a 2-0 lead in the World Series and Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) are set for Monday through Wednesday at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Perhaps Ohtani will not be at his best. But Roberts isn’t too concerned about that, especially given Ohtani’s outsized presence should he dig in against Yankees Game 3 starter Clarke Schmidt.

‘If he is able to play, willing to play, he’s going to play,’ says Roberts. ‘Schmidt will know that Shohei’s in the box, so that means everything.’

Signed for $700 million last winter, Ohtani became the first player in history with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season and will likely be the unanimous National League MVP. Playing in his first career postseason, the 30-year-old has three homers, 10 RBI and an .863 OPS in 13 games during Los Angeles’ playoff run.

He went 1-for-8 in the first two games of the World Series against the Yankees.

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LANDOVER, Md. – This Sunday began with a prayer that Jayden Daniels would play. It ended with him offering a Hail Mary.

Both were answered as the Washington Commanders miraculously defeated the Chicago Bears 18-15 in a game for which Daniels’ status was uncertain until less than two hours before kickoff.

With Washington trailing by three as time expired after the snap, Daniels avoided the Bears’ three-man pass rush on the final play of the game. He drifted far behind the line of scrimmage, which was near midfield at the Commanders’ own 48-yard line. As he bought time for his receivers to dart to the opposite end zone, Daniels zigged and zagged and stepped back up. Near the 35-yard line, the rookie unleashed a pass that traveled about 65 yards in the air. 

The ball was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and found the hands of Commanders wideout Noah Brown, who was standing alone behind the scrum in the end zone. 

‘It ran just like we practiced it … it felt like it was going in slow motion,’ wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. ‘Honestly, that ball fell right into Noah’s arms. I don’t think I’ve seen a Hail Mary fall that perfectly off of the tip drill.’

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Final score: Commanders 18, Bears 15. 

“Not too many people get to experience that,” Daniels said of throwing a walkoff Hail Mary. “That was my first time.’

Officially, the play was a 52-yard completion from Daniels to Brown. Brown’s assignment was to get down the field as fast as fast as he could and gain position in the back of the pile to catch any tip. Brown credited tight end Zach Ertz for leaping with Bears defenders to force the deflection backward and Daniels who ‘threw a hell of a ball.’

Daniels said he didn’t see the touchdown catch but noticed the reaction of the crowd and the sideline.

“I felt like I got enough of it to give my guys a shot to go up there and make a play,” he said.

The Washington sideline and home crowd erupted in celebration as the Commanders moved to 6-2 to bolster their first-place position in the NFC East. Left guard Nick Allegretti said he saw the catch on the jumbotron and didn’t realize who did hauled in the pass until three minutes later.

According to Next Gen Stats, Daniels held onto the ball for 12.79 seconds before releasing it – it’s the first touchdown pass with a time to throw over 10 seconds since tracking started in 2016.

“It took a long-ass time,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. “Thirteen seconds? I felt every bit of them.” 

Daniels entered the matchup against the Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams – in a battle of the last two Heisman Trophy winners – questionable with a rib injury he suffered in last week’s victory over the Carolina Panthers. He didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday before logging a limited session Friday, when the coaching staff ‘pushed him,’ Quinn said. Daniels said he felt like himself again during that workout. Quinn saw enough and told Daniels on Saturday he’d start. Had any setback presented itself, Marcus Mariota would have been prepared to get the ball.

At times, Daniels walked gingerly back to the Washington sideline or was slow to pop back up. He feels the injury the most while rotating during his throwing motion, he said.

“Being in the NFL for so long, you see guys playing through injuries. It’s part of being in the brotherhood, part of the toughness – he’s definitely showing that he fits in this league,” running back Austin Ekeler said of Daniels.

Daniels still found a way to put enough on his game-winning heave. Before the Hail Mary, the Commanders had not found the end zone all game and had four field goals to show for their efforts. The Bears had taken their first lead of the game on Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining. 

That was too much time to leave for the Commanders and Daniels.

“I started the game,’ he said. ‘I wanted to finish it.”

Daniels couldn’t have ended it in a better way.

This story has been updated with a new photo and new information.

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It becomes apparent who the buyers and sellers are as the calendar creeps closer to the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline. Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers should go shopping for another wide receiver.

The Chargers (4-3) defeated the spiraling New Orleans Saints (2-6), 26-8, on Sunday. Los Angeles equaled its season-high point total. Quarterback Justin Herbert had his second consecutive game of over 270 passing yards and rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey became the Chargers’ first pass catcher to eclipse 100 receiving yards in a single game this year. Both positives developments for a passing offense that ranked 24th in the NFL entering Week 8.

“I think it’s all about finding our identity. Going into a game and playing it the way it needs to be played,” Herbert said postgame. “If we’re throwing the ball a bunch, it’s all about being smart with the ball, taking our shots downfield and understanding the situation. We believe that we got a great offensive line and a great run game, so it’s on us to be able to put those together.”

The Chargers went from Week 2 to Week 7 without scoring a touchdown in the second half. They finally broke through to pay dirt on Sunday.

McConkey had a highlight 60-yard touchdown reception in the third period, then the Chargers’ second-round pick wide receiver iced the game with another impressive 9-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter.

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“We know what we can do when we’re clicking. We showed spurts of it. It’s all about stacking plays, drives (and) games,” McConkey said. “We know what we can be. We just got to put it on tape and put it out there.”

McConkey finished with a team-high six catches, 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Still, the Chargers rank in the bottom half of the league in passing offense and red zone efficiency. They finished Sunday 3-for-12 on third downs. While Los Angeles has the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense and a top-10 total defense. The defensive unit kept New Orleans out of the end zone.

“Even the times that we haven’t come out on top, our defense has played well. We have to score points at the end of the day,” McConkey, who leads the Chargers this season with 30 catches and 376 receiving yards, said. “They are holding people and creating turnovers. We just got to capitalize on that. Those guys have been awesome all year long.”

Will Chargers try to trade for a receiver?

Herbert and the Chargers’ passing offense are still finding their identity after Week 8. Granted, Sunday’s victory was without wide receivers Quentin Johnston (ankle) and DJ Chark Jr. (groin), but they could use another weapon on offense if they hope to make a serious playoff push.

The New York Jets acquired Davante Adams, the Buffalo Bills traded for Amari Cooper and the Kansas City Chiefs got DeAndre Hopkins. Wide receiver is a position in demand. Wide outs such as Carolina Panthers’ Diontae Johnson and New York Jets’ Mike Williams (a former Charger) are rumored to be still available. Will the Chargers go shopping for wide receiver help?

Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz have a little more than a week to decide in what’s their first big midseason decision together.

“I know he’s always got our back. He’s got our front. He’s got both sides,” Harbaugh said of Hortiz. “I know he’s always going to be doing whatever he can to help our team.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

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The Washington Commanders needed a miracle to beat the Chicago Bears when they started their final possession with 23 seconds left to play in the Week 8 matchup. So it was fitting that the Commanders’ ‘Hail Mary’ prayer was answered – with zeroes on the clock – to take home the victory.

With Washington trailing 15-12 and still within its own territory in the final two seconds of the game, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had just one chance to take a 52-yard shot at the end zone. After taking the snap, Daniels scrambled around in the backfield for more than 12 seconds before launching a pass that traveled 65 yards in the air.

The ball was tipped near the goal line and bounced right into the hands of receiver Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown.

The ‘Hail Mary’ play gave the Commanders their sixth win of the season and Daniels yet another big moment in an already impressive rookie campaign.

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TV call of Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass

CBS broadcast the Bears vs. Commanders game that saw the top two picks – Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Washington’s Daniels – in the 2024 NFL draft face off for the first time. Play-by-play man Jim Nantz was on the call for the biggest play of Daniels’ career so far.

Commanders local radio call of Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary

Bram Weinstein and London Fletcher are Washington’s radio broadcasters for each Commanders game. They had their own incredulous reactions to the final play of the Week 8 game.

Bears local radio call of Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary

Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer were on the call for ESPN Chicago affiliate station WMVP. Listen to their call of Daniels’ 52- yard Hail Mary throw here:

Spanish call of Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary throw

CBS offers a second audio program (SAP) for its viewers that prefer Spanish-language audio while watching a sports broadcast. Here’s how Daniels’ Hail Mary sounded with Spanish commentary from Armando Quintero during Sunday’s game:

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The Miami Heat welcomed Dwyane Wade back to the Kaseya Center to officially cement his legacy with a statue unveiling on Sunday.

Wade spent 15 seasons in Miami and led his team to three NBA championships (2006, 2012 and 2013).

The 42-year-old watched as the crowd counted down and the panels slid away from his statue that sits outside the arena.

‘This is nothing I ever thought I’d experience,’ Wade told the crowd during the ceremony. ‘I didn’t play for this. I didn’t pick up the basketball for this. I picked up a basketball to change my family’s life.’

The 13-time NBA All-Star started 909 of the 1,054 games he played and scored 23,165 points while averaging .480 from the field during his decorated career.

All things Heat: Latest Miami Heat news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

When did Dwyane Wade retire?

Dwyane Wade played his final game on April 11, 2019 and recorded his fifth career triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat against the Brooklyn Nets.

Is Dwyane Wade in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame?

Dwyane Wade was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.

When was Dwyane Wade drafted?

Dwyane Wade was the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Miami Heat.

What university did Dwyane Wade attend?

Dwyane Wade played two seasons at Marquette from (2001-03).

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In its largest operation ever conducted in Iran, Israel carried out a strategic airstrike on Oct. 26, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between the two countries. The airstrikes targeted critical military infrastructure, delivering both a symbolic and tactical blow to Iran’s strategic capabilities.

‘We showed them we could reach any point in Iran. We neutralized air defenses and flew over them, hitting exactly what we wanted without detection,’ Ram Ben-Barak, former deputy director of the Mossad, told Fox News Digital. 

In the early hours of Saturday morning (Israel time), Israeli air force jets struck 20 targets across Iran during the operation’s chosen name, ‘Days of Repentance.’ After about four hours, all aircraft returned safely to Israel, marking the operation’s successful completion. The air force embarked on a complex mission involving dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, intelligence, refueling and rescue units. The strikes were conducted at a distance of just under 1,000 miles.

The operation unfolded in three waves: an initial assault on Iran’s air defense systems, followed by targeted strikes by more than 100 airplanes on missile and drone bases and weapons production sites. 

Ben-Barak, now an opposition member of Yesh Atid in Israel’s Parliament, also noted Israel’s technological and operational superiority, contrasting this strike with Iran’s prior attacks on Israeli territory, many of which were intercepted or missed their targets.

Iranian officials, however, downplayed the impact, claiming that only ‘limited damage’ was inflicted on military sites. Yet, according to Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Gilad, head of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University, ‘There was an added element of wisdom in this strike; we didn’t humiliate the Iranians. The market in Tehran was open on Saturday as usual, just hours after the attack, because no civilian areas were hit.’

A former Israeli senior security official, who asked for their name to be withheld due to security concerns, told Fox News Digital, ‘There was strategic thought behind the targeted sites: a drone manufacturing facility was hit, along with a missile factory, SA-300 air defense systems, and planetary mixers that Iran likely acquires from China to produce solid fuel for missiles. While not all of Iran’s air defenses were taken down, three or four SA-300 batteries were struck. So their air defense was hit severely, although Iran likely has one S-400 system from Russia and additional simpler air defense systems they built themselves.’

While Israel focused exclusively on military and intelligence sites, satellite imagery and independent analysis reveal extensive damage to Iranian installations, particularly missile and drone production centers. 

According to Israeli intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon, additional strikes targeted storage and assembly points in Khojir, near Tehran, a site long associated with Iran’s missile development. Solomon told Fox News Digital Israel ‘neutralized components of Iran’s missile production pipeline,’ cutting off access to vital parts for future production.

Additional strikes hit near Parchin, where Israeli intelligence has long suspected nuclear-related tests. ‘Israel didn’t strike Iran’s nuclear facilities directly but targeted the infrastructure supporting it,’ Solomon noted, explaining that this approach allowed Israel to sidestep political barriers while delivering a strong blow to Iran’s military operations.

Solomon added that Israel’s attack impacted Iran’s satellite-launch capabilities, a significant component in Iran’s military satellite program, saying, ‘Beyond impacting their missile program, their ability to launch satellites for military purposes was damaged.’

While Israel acted independently, coordination with Washington played a significant role in shaping the mission’s scope. Gilad underscored the extensive diplomatic communication between Israel and the U.S. before the strike. ‘There was impressive coordination, even though the U.S. didn’t participate in the attack itself,’ Gilad noted. 

According to a former senior intelligence official, this cooperation included the establishment of air corridors over Iraqi airspace.

Gilad noted that, ‘The American F-35 jets involved represent fifth-generation capabilities, which add an essential layer of defense against Iran. The U.S. has shown exceptional support, including sending THAAD defense batteries. The U.S.-Israel alliance is crucial, and I say it isn’t ironclad; it’s steelclad, because steel doesn’t rust.’

Both nations shared the objective of limiting Iran’s retaliatory options, particularly given the upcoming U.S. elections. The former senior intelligence official observed, ‘The Americans had concerns about hitting nuclear or energy sites directly, and we respected that.’ 

Gilad added that the attack’s selective targeting reflected well-calculated restraint: ‘Some in Israel criticized the lack of direct hits on oil or nuclear facilities,’ Gilad stated, ‘but targeting such sites could destabilize global markets, strengthen Russia, or lead to attacks on Arab states.’

The former senior intelligence official added that Iran, aware of the political stakes in Washington, might hold back from an immediate response to avoid escalating tensions that could influence the elections in favor of former President Donald Trump, whom Iran perceives as a threat.

In a public statement, Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi affirmed, ‘Our message is very, very clear… ‘any threat, anywhere, at any time, we will know how to reach it, we will know how to strike.’’ Halevi emphasized that Israel had only deployed a portion of its capabilities, suggesting that further actions could be taken should Iran escalate.

Despite the tactical success, Israeli officials remain cautious about the operation’s long-term impact. Ben-Barak commented, ‘Ultimately, Iran has learned that Israel can strike at will within its borders, but the challenge remains stopping them from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran wants to eliminate Israel; we can’t let them have nuclear weapons. That is also U.S. policy. I always tell my American counterparts, ‘You have nothing to fear from the Iranians.’ We need to work together to remove the threat.’

Gilad concluded, ‘With the U.S. committed to preventing a nuclear Iran, these strikes should give Iran pause. Still, political coordination with the U.S. post-election will be key to sustaining the pressure.’

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