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The SEC spends too much of its football schedule on easy street. That’s the Big Ten’s stance, as articulated recently by Illinois coach Bret Bielema. Bielema conveyed the mood of his conference when he called on the SEC to play a ninth conference game.

If the Big Ten successfully strong-arms the SEC into reducing its number of cupcake opponents, that will be a win for college football.

The stubborn persistence of non-conference pushover games remains one of this sport’s lamest elements, and no conference plays more patsies than the SEC.

The surest way to reduce the number of cupcakes would be to increase the number of conference games. It’s not the only way, but it’s the firmest path. Left to their own devices, some schools will pursue the greatest number of non-conference cakewalks.

So, I wish the Big Ten luck in its mission to bend the SEC toward nine conference games, a figure that would match the number played by the Big Ten and Big 12.

And yet, I wonder whether the Big Ten will come to regret trying to bully the SEC on its schedule. Because, I see this ending one of two ways.

Possibility 1: The SEC will dig in its heels, rebuff the Big Ten, and remain at eight conference games.

If this occurs, it will show that the Big Ten doesn’t possess the power it must think it has to influence other conferences. Wouldn’t be the first time this happened, either. Remember when the Big Ten chose to cancel its 2020 season amid the pandemic. How’d that turn out? The SEC decided it would play in 2020, and the Big Ten came crawling back to play a truncated season, revealing itself a follower in 2020, not a leader.

More recently, the Big Ten supported a playoff format rigged with a stacked deck of auto bids. When the SEC soured on the plan, the Big Ten’s idea withered on the vine.

Possibility 2: The SEC will accept the Big Ten’s challenge to play a ninth conference game and reap the reward by building strength of schedule metrics that dwarf most of the Big Ten.

The SEC repeatedly has proven itself too chicken to add a ninth conference game. The reasons change, but the result remains the same: Eight conference games. The SEC’s reluctance to add another conference game amounts to an irrational fear of the boogeyman. If it ever takes the plunge, it would learn that the rewards offset outweigh the risks.

The SEC waged an offseason propaganda campaign claiming that the College Football Playoff selection committee does not value its schedule strength. That’s hogwash.

In truth, the CFP committee has repeatedly valued the SEC’s schedule strength. If the playoff had included 16 teams last season, the SEC would have qualified three 9-3 teams and six teams total, while no other conference supplied a three-loss team.

The SEC wishes for the selection process to evolve so that strength of schedule metrics are weighted even more in the future, when determining at-large playoff bids. If it achieves that mission and also beefs up its schedule with another conference game, while the playoff expands to 16 teams, look out, Big Ten. The runway would be greased for a cavalcade of 9-3 playoff teams from the SEC.

Plus, adding another conference game would help distinguish the SEC’s wheat from its chaff, helping ensure that the best SEC teams made the playoff.

As it is, the Big Ten owns one upper-hand on the SEC in the rhetoric wars that surround at-large bids: Its membership plays one extra conference game, and most of its members play 10 Power Four opponents, while most SEC teams play nine Power Four foes.

If the SEC adds a ninth conference game, the Big Ten would surrender that upper-hand.

By trying to persuade the SEC to expand its conference schedule, though, the Big Ten must believe another potential outcome exists.

Such as:

Possibility 3: A ninth SEC game would cause the conference to buckle under the weight of its collective strength, losses will mount, thereby reducing the number of SEC teams with playoff résumés and allowing more access for the Big Ten.

Is this possible? Yes.

Probable? No.

The committee already values strength of schedule, and the SEC’s scheduling would be beyond reproach if it added another conference game.

Vanderbilt shocking Alabama and Kentucky upsetting a top-five opponent on the road are exceptions in the SEC, not rules. Despite those results in 2024, Alabama and Mississippi would have qualified for a 16-team playoff as three-loss teams. Now, imagine if Alabama and Ole Miss had inserted another win against an SEC opponent in place of a blowout against Championship Subdivision roadkill.

That would have enhanced each team’s credentials, and yet, that’s what the Big Ten seems to want. It calls on the SEC to enhance its collective strength of schedule, at an inflection point when strength of schedule could be valued more than ever in the playoff selection process.

Careful what you wish for, Big Ten. In 2020, when teams played conference-only schedules, the SEC put four teams in the top nine of the final CFP rankings. Playing more SEC games sure didn’t hamper the league that year.

If the Big Ten gets its way, and the SEC adds another conference game in place of a cupcake, that would buoy college football. Just don’t think it helps the Big Ten.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

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By definition, undrafted free agents might seem like an afterthought to most after being repeatedly passed over. But that’s hardly the case for NFL teams.

To fully capitalize on months of extensive scouting work, front offices extend their personnel push well beyond the seven rounds of each draft. The work begins immediately as franchises flock to sign undrafted free agents, often ponying up significant sums of guaranteed money just to get what amounts to a first look at players.

Many of those who latch on with teams during this portion of the process will end up on practice squads, operating in a sort of football purgatory as teams monitor their development. But that designation leaves them open to being signed away by competitors willing to put them on their active roster, so any organization worried about its promising young talent being poached must tread carefully. And with no shortage of recent success stories from the undrafted ranks – including Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker, who nearly matched the rookie yardage output of first-round teammate Xavier Legette, and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights, who started 10 games in 2024 – coaching staffs have plenty of reason to keep an eye out for unlikely early contributors.

With training camps set to start up next month, here are 10 undrafted free agents who this year have a chance to make the initial 53-man roster for their respective teams:

Efton Chism III, WR, New England Patriots

With New England having centered its draft on an all-out effort to support second-year quarterback Drake Maye, it seemed inevitable that an offensive newcomer would set himself apart during offseason workouts. Yet rather than first-round offensive tackle Will Campbell, second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson or third-round wideout Kyle Williams, it was a little-known slot receiver from Eastern Washington who created as big of a buzz as anyone.

Chism, who broke Cooper Kupp’s school single-season record for catches with 120 last year, quickly became a favorite of Maye, who estimated he found the 5-10, 195-pound target for ‘like 50 catches’ in organized team activities. That only means so much prior to the start of training camp, but it unquestionably highlighted Chism’s potential value given the Patriots’ mandate on putting the 2024 No. 3 overall pick in more favorable spots after a rookie year rife with challenges.

‘I think he’s a talented player. I think he has a certain skill set. He’s dedicated. He’s studied extremely hard,’ Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said in June. ‘He has a good feel for what we’re asking him to do. I think the biggest thing for receivers is that there’s trust from the guy that throws the football.

‘When you earn the quarterback’s trust … it doesn’t take you long to figure out who the quarterback trusts. It’s the ones they target. That’s a good indicator.’

Chism’s appeal as a safety valve in a Josh McDaniels-helmed system known for creating opportunities for slot receivers should be readily evident. But Demario Douglas looks to be entrenched in that role for the near future, and securing a spot on the roster might entail leapfrogging several more high-profile pass catchers in Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte and Javon Baker. If Chism continues to make his mark in a more competitive setting throughout the summer, however, he could be too promising to part with.

Cobee Bryant, CB, Atlanta Falcons

After placing a premium on jolting its pass rush with first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., the Falcons then shifted their focus toward reshaping their secondary with second-round safety Xavier Watts and third-round nickel Billy Bowman Jr. But the work might not have ended there. Atlanta also added Bryant, a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection who notched 13 career interceptions at Kansas. His 180-pound frame will need to be filled out for him to hold up against NFL receivers, particularly given his hyperphysical style that could leave him prone to plenty of penalties. But his consistently elevated aggressiveness serves him well in other phases of his game, and the Falcons’ cornerback depth is relatively limited. Wide receiver Nick Nash and offensive guard Joshua Gray also have a solid shot at sticking around.

Jared Ivey, DE, Seattle Seahawks

On first blush, the Seahawks’ edge rush might seem to be too deep to lend itself to an undrafted player latching on, with free-agent signee DeMarcus Lawrence and Boye Mafe being backed by Uchenna Nwosu and 2023 second-round pick Derick Hall. But Mike Macdonald’s complex scheme demands a lot from its pass rushers, and Seattle could use some short-term insurance given Lawrence and Nwosu combined to play in just 10 games last season due to injuries. Ivey lacks the explosiveness of a typical developmental edge threat, but his versatility and skill set should endear him to Macdonald.

Isaiah Neyor, WR, San Francisco 49ers

With Brandon Aiyuk seemingly on track to start the year on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, the 49ers’ outlook at receiver is far from settled. But that dynamic could open up an opportunity for Neyor, a 6-4, 218-pound speedster who drew a rave initial review from six-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle.

‘He was running a route and he got like 9 1/2 yards in two strides,’ said Kittle on a June appearance on the ‘Bussin with the Boys’ podcast. ‘I was like, ‘Holy (expletive).’ It was insane. We watched it like 10 times in the tight end room. We were like, ‘How is he doing this?”

Neyor first broke out at Wyoming in 2021 by averaging nearly 20 yards per catch and hauling in 12 touchdowns. But after tearing his ACL at Texas and only posting modest production last year at Nebraska, he still lacks a handle on the finer points of the position. Still, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch might be reticent to allow other teams to swoop in, and Neyor might be able to earn a spot on the initial roster if he can beat out seventh-round selection Junior Bergen.

Nazir Stackhouse, DT, Green Bay Packers

A three-year starter on Georgia’s star-studded defense, Stackhouse doesn’t offer the flashy athletic traits of former teammates like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis or even Warren Brinson, whom the Packers selected in the sixth round in April. But the 6-4, 327-pounder eats up space in the run game and routinely blows up blocks. With T.J. Slaton’s departure leaving a void for that role on an interior line group otherwise built on penetrating, Stackhouse can carve out a fairly straightforward niche despite his playmaking limitations.

Andrew Armstrong, WR, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins’ draft class was defined by a dedication to fortifying its fronts, with the team’s first three selections coming along the offensive and defensive lines. But that approach, combined with Miami’s Day 3 strategy, left the organization to look towards the undrafted free agent ranks to address a receiving corps that looks dangerously thin behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and free-agent signing Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Of the four first-year wideouts added after the draft, Armstrong looks to be the best bet to crack the roster. The 6-4, 202-pounder can add a different flavor to Mike McDaniel’s aerial attack by providing Tua Tagovailoa with a possession receiver who can thrive in contested-catch scenarios. Tight end Jalin Conyers also could push for a spot, especially with the team having little in the way of depth after Jonnu Smith was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.

Seth McLaughlin, C, Cincinnati Bengals

A torn Achilles suffered last November no doubt weighed down the draft stock of McLaughlin, who was a fixture for Alabama’s front before transferring to Ohio State and winning the Rimington Trophy last year. If not for the ailment, the 6-4, 304-pounder would have had a strong chance to be selected given his track record as a heady blocker capable of compensating for his pedestrian frame and athleticism. On a Bengals line that has struggled to afford Joe Burrow with any steady protection, McLaughlin could be an intriguing understudy to Ted Karras, though he’ll have to 2024 seventh-round pick Matt Lee for the role. An undrafted free agent could also claim a job on the other side of the ball, as defensive tackles Howard Cross III – who played under new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden at Notre Dame – and Eric Gregory will try to make a push at a spot where Cincinnati has long underperformed.

Ben Chukwuma, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Anyone guessing who landed the highest guaranteed payout among undrafted free agents probably wouldn’t land on an offensive tackle from Georgia State who started for a little more than one season and didn’t earn all-conference honors. Nevertheless, it was Chukwuma who stood above all his peers after netting $300,000 from the Buccaneers, according to multiple reports. The 6-6, 310-pound blocker, who moved to Georgia from Nigeria when he was 17, only began playing football after attending a walk-on tryout at Georgia State. Having paid a hefty sum to secure his services, the Buccaneers’ brain trust clearly is interested in what it can make of Chukwuma and his tools.

Jah Joyner, DE, Las Vegas Raiders

Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce give the Silver and Black a solid foundation for a unit otherwise seemingly devoid of building blocks. Behind them, however, there’s little certainty. Neither first-round disappointment Tyree Wilson nor Charles Snowden have provided much of a spark, even in backup roles. Joyner might not push either for a spot on the second string, but his tenacity could make him a solid rotational piece.

Da’Quan Felton, WR, New York Giants

Any question about the Giants’ satisfaction with their wide receiver depth after the draft was quickly answered by the team signing five undrafted players at the position. Of those brought on, Felton might be the most fascinating – and have the best chance of securing a backup job. The 6-5, 213-pound target sizes up as a natural partner for Russell Wilson given his knack for hauling in contested catches downfield. With few other big bodies in New York’s receiving corps, Felton could hold down a unique role while becoming a more precise route runner and eliminating the drops that have long plagued him.

This story has been updated with new information.

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Motocross prodigy Aidan Zingg has died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident during the Mammoth Mountain MX event in California on Saturday, June 28.

According to industry website Dirtbikelover.com, Zingg, 16, ‘went down in a corner’ during an 250 B class race and was run over by multiple bikes while he remained unconscious on the track. Other motocross outlets, including MX Sports and MotoSport.com, also confirmed Zingg’s death.

Motocross journalist Donn Maeda was among those to pay tribute to Zingg online, calling him ‘one of those kids that made an impression on you from the moment you met him.’

Zingg had recently joined Kawasaki’s Team Green, a national support program for the brand’s drivers, and had sponsorships with  Oakley, Bell and more.

A native of Hemet, California, Zingg had just qualified for his seventh consecutive AMA Amateur Motocross National Championship, to held next month at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

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President Donald Trump is confident that democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani would ‘crush’ New York City if he is elected mayor, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says.

Leavitt made the statement during a Monday press briefing while fielding multiple questions from reporters about Mamdani’s victory in the democratic mayoral primary.

Fox News’ White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Leavitt about recent calls for Mamdani to be deported, citing calls from one lawmaker who said Mamdani should be denaturalized.

‘I haven’t heard him say that. I haven’t heard him call for that. But certainly he does not want this individual to be elected. I was just speaking to him about it and [Mamdani’s] radical policies that will completely crush New York City, which is obviously a city that the president holds near and dear to his heart,’ Leavitt responded.

Leavitt went on to say that Trump would be willing to work with Mamdani if he is elected, though she predicted that the relationship would be difficult.

‘Look, the president is always willing to work with everyone. He’s working with Democrats across the country, Democrat governors. And he said he’ll work with people on the far left. He works with Republicans. He works with people in the middle. He wants to do what’s right for America,’ Leavitt said.

‘But surely someone who holds these values and is quite literally a communist and condemns every value that makes this country great: common sense, law and order, low taxes, working hard, and earning your keep in this country. He’s against all of that. And I think the president would find it difficult to work with someone like that, if he is elected. I’m sure you’ll hear more from the president on that, but we’ll have to see. Hopefully, the voters of New York City choose wisely,’ she finished.

Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, defeated establishment favorite and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and a crowded field of other candidates, in the Democratic mayoral primary last week.

Liberal podcast host Donny Deutsch called out Mamdani on Monday for refusing to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ during an appearance on MSNBC.

‘I’m outraged that we have a candidate for mayor of New York, Mr. Mamdani, that cannot walk back or cannot condemn the words ‘globalize the intifada’ and his nuance of, ‘Well, it means different things for different people.’ Well, let me tell you what it means to a Jew — it means violence,’ Deutsch said, citing the October 7 terrorist attacks, as well as the Boulder, Colorado, attacks.

‘That’s the connotation. That’s the essence of it, and that’s what it means to Jewish people. And if any other group came forward and said, ‘You know these words are offensive to us. It means violence. It frightens us,’ I think there would be a response, but for some reason, if Jewish people find it offensive, it’s not offensive,’ Deutsch continued. 

Mamdani had several opportunities to condemn the ‘globalize the intifada’ phrase during an interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday, but he refused.

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to formally lift all sanctions on Syria on Monday afternoon. 

‘This is in an effort to promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace. The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on the former president Assad or his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. 

Trump is ‘committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified and at peace with itself and its neighbors,’ Leavitt said. 

Some sanctions will still need to be lifted by Congress, and others date to 1979, when Syria was designated a state sponsor of terrorism. The administration has not yet lifted that designation. 

Trump met last month with Syria’s new interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during a Middle East stint. 

From having a $10 million bounty on his head to sitting down with the U.S. president, the turnaround of the Syrian leader has been remarkable.

Al-Sharaa’s group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian militant organization founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda, overthrew Assad in March. 

Al-Sharaa had been campaigning hard for a relationship with Washington and sanctions relief: he offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus, détente with Israel, and U.S. access to Syria’s oil and gas. He worked to soften the image of HTS and promised an inclusive governing structure. 

The new order comes as Israeli and Syrian officials are engaged in back-channel talks on a potential security and normalization deal. 

U.S. sanctions have included financial penalties on any foreign individual or company that provided material support to the Syrian government and prohibited anyone in the U.S. from dealing in any Syrian entity, including oil and gas. Syrian banks also were effectively cut off from global financial systems. 

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Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning they have serious issues with the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ as it’s currently written.

The group of GOP rebels argued in a public statement on Sunday that the Senate bill adds $1.3 trillion to the federal deficit, whereas the House-passed bill would increase the federal deficit by $72 billion.

‘Even without interest costs, it is $651 billion over our agreed budget framework,’ the statement read.

The Senate is currently working through the bill and is expected to finish sometime later Monday or even on Tuesday. 

The Senate bill would add an extra $1 trillion to raise the debt limit, compared to the House version and permanently extend certain corporate tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that the House only extended temporarily.

It also includes several specific new additions aimed at easing Senate Republicans’ own concerns with the bill, including a $25 billion rural hospital fund to offset issues with Medicaid cuts, and a tax break for whalers that appears aimed at Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

The Senate is operating under a mechanism called ‘current policy baseline,’ which would effectively zero-out the cost of extending TCJA tax cuts by calculating them as the de facto operational policy rather than calculating the cost as if they were not in place.

Absent congressional action, TCJA tax cuts expire at the end of 2025.

Conservatives in the House have warned they have serious issues with the bill, however. 

Reps. Ralph Norman, R-Texas, and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., both House Freedom Caucus members, said the bill could face steep odds — even fail — in the lower chamber if changes were not made.

Both said it could fail in a House-wide procedural vote before lawmakers could even contend with the measure itself. A rule vote is traditionally taken to allow for debate on legislation before lawmakers weigh in on it.

‘If it gets through [the House Rules Committee], I don’t think it survives on the floor in the current form it’s in. You know, we told the senators that,’ Norman told Fox News Digital. ‘They knew this all along.’

Norman said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had done a ‘good job,’ but added of the Senate, ‘They’ve got fighters… but we’ve just got to have certain things that comply with our House version.’

The legislation could still change before it gets to the House, however, as the Senate works through a parade of amendments from both Democrats and Republicans.

Burlison said it could depend on the fate of an amendment by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., which would significantly hike the Medicaid financial burden for states that expanded their Medicaid population under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

The change, if passed, would roll back the current 90% rate that the government pays for the Medicaid expansion population through the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) back down to the non-expansion rate, which hovers as low as 50%.

Scott’s proposal could add hundreds of billions in savings to the plan, in addition to the nearly $1 trillion the Senate plan already saves in Medicaid spending.

‘I don’t see how what the Senate is doing will pass the House if [Rick Scott’s amendment] does not pass at the minimum. It’s probably going to take more spending reductions than that, but that would get the majority of us there,’ Burlison told Fox News Digital, without commenting on House GOP leaders.

He predicted the bill could be ‘killed’ in the House-wide rule vote otherwise.

Indeed, several House Freedom Caucus members have taken to X to publicly urge Senate Republicans to approve Scott’s amendment.

‘All Republican Senators should vote YES on Senator Rick Scott’s very reasonable ‘elimination of theft from Medicaid’ FMAP amendment,’ Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., posted.

Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment on House Freedom Caucus members’ comments.

Notably, key provisions originally in the House bill were stripped out of the legislation for not being ‘Byrd-compliant.’

The ‘Byrd Bath’ is a process during the budget reconciliation process in which the Senate parliamentarian, a non-partisan, unelected official tasked with advising on Senate policy, combs through the bill for whether it adheres to the strict budgetary guidelines of the reconciliation process.

Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to advance Trump’s agenda on taxes, the border, energy, defense, and the debt limit via one massive piece of legislation.

Budget reconciliation allows Republicans to bypass any Democratic opposition to pass their bill by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.

They’re aiming to have a bill on Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July.

A GOP aide told Fox News Digital, ‘The Senate version contains more in Byrd-compliant savings than the House, and correctly scores extending current tax policy as revenue-neutral — and assumes the kind of growth that was also massively underestimated last time around.’

The aide noted that the White House Council of Economic Advisers said the bill will generate $4.1 trillion in economic growth thanks to tax permanence, which is more than the House version.

Senate Republicans argue the bill would lead to $1.6 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years — above the House Freedom Caucus’ demanded $1.5 trillion threshold.

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This is Part 2 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how to make our kids better players, but also how to get the most out of athletic experiences with them. Read Part I:‘You’re not getting scouted at 12’: Youth sports tips from a LLWS hero

You may remember Ryan Klesko as a solid contributor to the Atlanta Braves’ run of division titles in the 1990s. But have you ever looked closer at his numbers?

He was remarkably consistent, hitting .279 with a .500 slugging percentage over 1,736 games. His sustained success, he says today, was not a result of a singular approach.

‘Pull up hitting on TikTok and you’re gonna see 50 clowns,” says Klesko, 54, who now coaches his son, Hunter, at the 16U level in the Atlanta area. “There’s a lot of good information, but there’s a lot of disinformation out there. I call them clowns because these guys are trying to break down the swing, and they have all these weird drills and it worked for one guy. Listen, everybody trains a certain way. I don’t train all my kids to be like Ryan Klesko.”

Klesko carried a collection of physical tools and intellectual and emotional insight he collected from coaches and teammates (and from his mom, Lorene) from the time he was a kid in Southern California

Today, as he directs high school-aged kids, he seeks out snippets of knowledge, whether they come from Hall of Fame teammates Jones, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, or something he finds online that might help a particular player. Everyone is different.

“I’ve had some bad major league hitting coaches, and they’re friends of mine,” Klesko told USA TODAY Sports. “One of the guys, very successful player, he wasn’t there long. He was trying to teach everybody to hit like he hit. And that was the only way. Chipper Jones doesn’t hit like Fred McGriff.”

Klesko works as a special assistant to the ownership group of Perfect Game, a youth baseball and softball scouting service that runs showcases and tournaments. As he travels around his region and the country with his teams, he looks for partnerships and ways to maximize players’ potential through clinics and instruction.

He offered strategies for athletes and their parents:

Find your comfort zone. There’s not one right answer for everybody

Lorene Klesko was a single mom who worked two jobs to support Ryan and his two sisters, who played softball. She had healthy, home-cooked food on the table and paid for every resource she could to ensure they were always around their favorite sports.

She also caught their fastballs, including Ryan’s, which reached 85 mph when he was a high school freshman.

He went to 10 years of hitting and pitching lessons, where he gained counsel and watched pros stop by the small warehouse behind Anaheim Stadium where he trained.

“I think it’s important for kids to get good structure,” Ryan Klesko says. “Find someone that’s had experience under somebody that’s reputable. They don’t have to go to hitting/pitching schools, but you gotta find someone that can help them through mechanics. Just like any other sport. If you’re going to be a gymnast, you can’t just go jump on the bars. You gotta have instructions, like baseball or anything else.”

As a youth coach, he has learned at least a half-dozen ways to correct flaws in swings, and to approach each hitter with an open mind.

“Barry Bonds, he was thinking swing down on the ball,” Klesko says. ‘Mike Trout, swing down on the ball. Big Papi, swing down on the ball. Josh Donaldson, he thinks he’s got to swing up on the ball.

“Well, guess what? They’re all good hitters. So I’m trying to find something that associates with that kid in his customized swing to make him better.”

‘Don’t beat yourself up’: Find confidence through failure

Klesko was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round in 1989 as a pitcher. He transitioned in their system to first base and outfield.

He continued to develop his hitting and rode through the minor leagues. He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1994. He hit 17 homers in 92 games.

But following a strike that canceled the ’94 season early and delayed the start of 1995, Klesko was batting under .200 with no home runs through the first 18 games.

“One of the pitchers had more homers than me,” he says.

He heard media speculation he would be sent to the minors. “It really hurt me. I think if the coaches came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re gonna be fine. We trusted you, don’t listen to all this stuff,’ it would have helped me a little bit more.”

Then he got a push from a teammate, who told him to stop worrying about negativity and do what he could in his next at-bat. Klesko went 4-for-5 and began to break out of his slump. He wound up hitting .310 with 23 homers in 107 games for a World-Series-winning team.

High school hitters don’t have spring training like major leaguers, and they can quickly fall into early-season slumps. It happened to a few of the best players in Klesko’s organization, the Braves scout team, this year.

Klesko took that small step his teammate once did.

“Hey guys,” he wrote to them in a note this past spring. “Just keep grinding. It’s early. Don’t beat yourself up. … Just remember your training. Go with what works for you. Stay confident that your next at-bat or your next inning pitched is gonna be great. Put in the work, trust the process, stay strong mentally and kick some butt.”

‘Let me handle it’: Kids can’t advance when you distract them during games

If you’re a baseball parent, you know the anguish of a kid’s slump. It can paralyze both of you.

“I have several kids that if they start the tournament really good, they’re going to tear up the tournament,” Klesko says. “Teenagers (have) so much stuff going through the head, so that’s why we got our guys in the dugout trying to help them.

‘You’ve got a lot of kids, their batting practice looks great, their cage work looks great, their bullpens look great. And when that game starts, they’re a mess. And that’s just working on the mental part. And if they start off by making an error, they’re probably gonna be horrible the whole tournament. We’re trying to get past all that stuff.”

Now imagine how your kid feels when they’re pressing, and we shout instructions during the heat of the game.

“Parents are yelling, ‘You’re dipping this, you’re dipping that,’” Klesko says. “I don’t want my parents yelling anything to ’em. Let me handle it. I want one positive swing thought, and then we’ll work on all the mechanical stuff in the batting cage. We don’t want a bunch of stuff running through their mind.”

‘Release the energy’: Find power in your hitting and pitching

Klesko was an equally good hitter with the San Diego Padres in his 30s. He had an .872 OPS, two points above his career average, over 828 games.

He spent time revamping his swing with his mentor, former major league manager Jim LeFebvre, who helped turn Sammy Sosa, Richie Sexson and Charles Johnson into All-Stars.

While we want our own style, we can look for patterns of success. 

‘We started watching videos of all the best players, looking at swings and seeing a lot of the same consistencies in all the major league hitters,” Klesko says. “So that’s what we teach now. We teach a lot of the basics of getting in a launch position.”

That is, being in the most powerful spot to be able to move your body efficiently and drive through the ball. Think of it as defending someone in basketball: Your feet are spread out, your backside is down and your legs are in a balanced position that allows you to explode at your point of aggression.

“A lot of the younger guys, when the ball’s coming, they’re already out of their good launch position,” Klesko says. “All these different major leaguers, some start with their hands high, some start with their hands low. All I care about is once the pitch is coming, and when that front foot lands, they can rotate and move to the baseball in the most powerful position.”

When kids are 18 or older, he says, you can teach them how to adjust with their body movements.

‘So Ronald Acuña has super fast hands,” Klesko says. “And then other guys like to hit with their lower half, their core, then you start kind of fine-tuning what their specialty is. Do you have fast hands or do they need to create more power from their legs?”

Find a weightlifting program, Klesko says, to move weight quickly to work your fast-twitch muscles. If you’re a pitcher – and this is advice from Maddox, Smoltz and Glavine – look for training programs that value power and strength in your legs over having a whippy arm.

“The analogy is, you’ve got a Ferrari engine, and you’ve got a Toyota break system,” Klesko says. “Something’s gonna break. That’s gonna be the elbow or the shoulder. You have to learn to pitch with your core and your legs, like Tim Lincecum, Nolan Ryan. They’re coming down off that mound so hard, you’ve gotta train the muscles to be able to protect the arm after they release the ball.

‘You can teach the arm, but you’ve got to be able to release the energy.”

Don’t be D1 or bust: Go to a college team where you will play

When you find a travel coach or a team where your kid is comfortable, Klesko says, stick with them. Don’t jump to another just because you think it might be a little more competitive.

Sometimes, what you get out of the experience is worth more.

‘Is it working for your kid?” Klesko says. ‘Find somebody that helps your kid get better.”

A number of players from the Braves scout team have committed to Division 1 programs. However, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, college baseball coaches are leaning on older players.  The average age of an NCAA baseball player is just under 22.

If you aspire for college baseball, Klesko suggests to also aim for junior college, Division II or Division III, where you have a better chance to play.

It’s a route Tom Wisnauckas, a reader of my column from Worthington, Massachusetts, has advocated to me over the years. His daughter, Zyna, played lacrosse at Division III Smith College.

“Most parents want their kid to get a D1 athletic scholarship but there are plenty of very good academic D3 schools that give a lot of aid,” Tom Wisnaukas says. “So academics in high school (are) pretty important. Also for the most part, D3 kids, if they choose, are not married to their sport and can take part and enjoy other experiences in college. And most coaches understand the value of academics.

“So let parents know not to poo-poo D3. Also remind them that playing a sport in college is very time consuming and students will need to get good at time management in a hurry.”

Meanwhile, if players are struggling at baseball in high school and reach out through Perfect Game for advice, Klesko tries to respond to them.

He wants kids, on his team and elsewhere, to have the all-inclusive sports experience he once had.

“If it wasn’t for the help from the Little League coach or my high school coach, or the neighbor down the street giving my mom some money for gas to go to a tournament, we would never be able to do all that,” he says. “I’ve seen that, and if it wasn’t for the whole village around me, I would have never made it. So I’m trying to do that exact same thing for the kids.”

Coming next: Fulfilling professional dreams while enjoying the ride as fathers and sons to try and reach them.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

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Free agency is among one of the most exciting parts of the sports calendar, as athletes are able to pick and choose where they want to play and cement a legacy.

The man who helped make it possible will be honored for it.

Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2025 ESPY Awards, USA TODAY Sports exclusively reports, for his work is establishing free agency in the NBA. The award is given to a ‘deserving member of the sports world who has made a difference beyond the field of play by fighting for what they believe in, ultimately impacting people worldwide.’

Known as ‘The Big O,’ Robertson remains one of the most talented basketball players to ever play the sports. A multi-time college basketball player of the year at Cincinnati, Robertson was the 1964 NBA MVP, an NBA champion, a 12-time All-Star and in 1962, became the first player in league history to average a triple-double in a season.

But for all of the on-court achievements, it’s what Robertson did off the court that left an everlasting impact in the sport. During his playing days, NBA teams retained the rights of players, even if their contracts expired. The only way players could really move teams was either by trade or being released, and free agency was rare.

Robertson became president of the NBA Players Association in 1965, and in 1970, he filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA. The lawsuit aimed to block the league’s merger with the ABA and end contract restrictions players faced from the moment they were drafted. Owners pushed back on the suit and threatened the league wouldn’t survive if players were given more power.

‘Many players shied away from the fight, worried that they would lose their jobs, but Robertson persisted, acutely aware that the status quo was unjust and unnecessary,’ ESPN said.

The lawsuit delayed the NBA-ABA merger and in 1976, the players association and the league reached a settlement that established restricted free agency. While it didn’t guarantee players full freedom in free agency, it laid the groundwork for higher player salaries and for the free agency the NBA knows today, where players can freely decide where they want to play.

‘Acting as an advocate for players’ free agency to improve their lives and the NBA was one of the most important acts I did in my career, and I will forever be proud of the impact it had on all professional sports,” Robertson said in a statement. ‘It’s an incredible achievement to be recognized with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for my advocacy on and off the court.’

Named after the transcendent tennis player, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award was first awarded at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1983, when it was given to Jim Valvano and he delivered his iconic ‘ don’t give up’ speech. The 2024 winner was former NFL player and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) advocate Steve Gleason.

The 2025 ESPY Awards will air July 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Shane Gillis, it will air on ABC and stream on ESPN+.

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How good is this crop of SEC quarterbacks? Consider, the quarterback ranked last on this list owns a victory as a starter against Nick Saban’s Alabama.

And the No. 1 quarterback on my list? Well, he requires no introduction.

The SEC became the nation’s best conference because of its superiority at the line of scrimmage, punishing running backs and speed on the perimeter. Somewhere along the way, though, this conference began attracting the best quarterback talent, too.

That’s especially reflected this season.

Consider this list as a collection of tiers. The top five quarterbacks compromise the top tier, and each would rank highly on a national list of quarterbacks. The middle tier offers stability and parity, and the quarterbacks ranked Nos. 6 through 9 could be scrambled into a different order.

Five projected starters transferred to their new schools this past offseason. Some schools, including Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee, have not named a starter. The quarterbacks listed reflect our best estimation of the team’s starter.

Here’s how I rank this impressive batch of SEC quarterbacks:

1. Arch Manning (Texas)

Manning is far from the most proven quarterback on this list, even if he’s got the most famous surname. This ranking is based on Manning’s potential for a lofty ceiling after he looked the part of budding star in two spot starts and backup opportunities last season. He should be ready to break out in Year 3 playing for Steve Sarkisian, one of the nation’s top quarterback developers. Manning’s arm is sharp, and his mobility and size are an X-factor, although he must improve his internal clock of knowing when to scramble when under duress.

2. Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)

If you want to know what scouts mean when they say a quarterback has a “live arm,” watch Nussmeier sling a pass toward the sideline. He’s got zip. He needs to reduce his throws into impossible windows and stop telegraphing to the defense where he’s going with the ball. His 12 interceptions tied for the most in the SEC, but his 29 touchdown passes ranked just two off the conference lead. He’s an established veteran with a big arm, and he’s the SEC’s returning leader in passing yards. Plus, he’s surrounded by a talented receivers.

3. LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

Sellers steadily improved throughout his redshirt freshman season, to the point that he threw for 353 yards and five touchdowns in a November triumph over Missouri. He’s an excellent runner, too. Ask Clemson about that. His quarterback efficiency rating in conference games leads all SEC returning quarterbacks. He’s accurate, but he needs to improve his processing time. Ball security is his other area for improvement after he fumbled 11 times. If he speeds up his decision-making, he should see those fumble numbers reduce.

4. DJ Lagway (Florida)

Lagway is a big play waiting to happen. He throws a good deep ball and averaged 10 yards per pass attempt as a true freshman. He should make more plays with his legs, too, after a hamstring injury slowed him last season. Injuries are a concern. A throwing shoulder injury limited his spring practice participation. By May, though, he was throwing three times per week. Along with his health, he needs to improve his midrange accuracy and reduce interceptions. He threw nine picks in 192 pass attempts last year, but he oozes upside.

5. John Mateer (Oklahoma)

Mateer produced awesome stat lines last season at Washington State. He passed for more than 3,100 yards and rushed for more than 800. He’s efficient, as well as tough, strong and incredibly athletic. He can throw on the move and from multiple arm angles. He’s got plenty of tools in his belt. Why not rank him higher? He’s unproven against SEC competition. Two of his worst passing performances last year came in his two games against Power Four competition.

6. Austin Simmons (Mississippi)

Rebels coach Lane Kiffin describes Simmons as a “really talented thrower” with “a high ceiling.’ You’d likely hear no argument from Kirby Smart. Simmons looked the part in a relief appearance against Georgia that resulted in a touchdown drive. He threw just 32 passes as a backup last season but looked good doing so. He played college baseball before opting to focus exclusively on football. On the mound, he fired fastballs that topped 90 mph. Is he ready to be the guy in a system that asks a lot of the quarterback? That’s the question he must answer.

7. Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)

Vanderbilt’s Tasmanian Devil of a quarterback runs on moxie, and he’s at his best when facing the state of Alabama. This cocksure sixth-year senior spurred Vanderbilt’s upsets of Alabama and Auburn, and he previously beat the Tigers while quarterbacking New Mexico State. Pavia values possession, throwing only four interceptions last year. He’s a good runner, but the hits he absorbed took a toll. Pavia passed for fewer than 190 yards in each of his final six games. He lacks top-end arm strength, but he has a nose for playmaking.

8. Marcel Reed (Texas A&M)

Would the real Reed please stand up? The Aggie ignited in September after giving the offensive keys to Reed but fizzled in November, as Reed threw six interceptions in his final five games. The quick-footed Reed showed an ability to extend plays and knife through defenses. He’ll need to improve his consistency from the pocket and polish his deep ball. Texas A&M returned a lot of production. As Reed goes (or doesn’t go), so will the Aggies.

9. Taylen Green (Arkansas)

Green is a mobile, hard-nosed runner with a strong arm. He can challenge defenses with downfield strikes. He became more accurate as the season progressed and flourished in an October upset of Tennessee, despite the Vols boasting one of the SEC’s top defenses. His next steps are to improve decision-making, navigating through his progressions and sharpening his midrange throws.

10. Gunner Stockton (Georgia)

The Bulldogs rallied around Stockton after he took the reins midway through the SEC Championship. It’s easy to picture him becoming Georgia’s heartbeat. He doesn’t match predecessor Carsen Beck’s arm talent, but he’s more mobile, and there’s a certain ‘Je ne sais quoi’ about him that appeals to his teammates. He flashed accuracy when his line protected him, and he’s skilled in play-action. Whether he’ll stretch defenses downfield remains a question.

11. Ty Simpson (Alabama)

Simpson hasn’t proven himself yet. A former five-star recruit, he’s entering Year 4 at Alabama and he’s thrown just 50 career passes, with a 58% completion clip. A natural pocket passer, he possesses some mobility, too, and improvisational skills. Coach Kalen DeBoer desires more consistency from Simpson, the quarterback who’s first in line to replace predecessor Jalen Milroe.

12. Blake Shapen (Mississippi State)

Shapen looked sharp as Mississippi State’s quarterback for four games last September before a shoulder injury shelved him for the rest of the season. He’s back for a sixth season, and the former Baylor quarterback grasps coach Jeff Lebby’s offense. Shapen’s return offers the Bulldogs reason for optimism, considering he completed 68.5% of his passes before the injury.

13. Jackson Arnold (Auburn)

Arnold struggled as Oklahoma’s starter, losing his job before regaining it and starting in the Sooners’ upset of Alabama. That result must give Auburn hope that the junior shouldn’t be written off after a rough season playing behind a porous Oklahoma offensive line. Arnold struggled to connect consistently on throws beyond about 10 yards. Arm strength and mobility are assets. Maybe, this former five-star recruit will regain his confidence at Auburn, where he’ll have a better offensive line and receivers.

14. Beau Pribula (Missouri)

In Pribula’s most extensive playing time as a Penn State backup, he showed a steady hand in relief of injured Drew Allar in a win against Wisconsin. He’s a quality pickup for Missouri, which needed to replace starter Brady Cook. Pribula hasn’t been named for the job, but he seems like he’d be the front-runner in a competition with Sam Horn, Missouri’s seldom-used backup. Pribula is an electrifying runner who pairs athleticism with toughness. His running ability provided Penn State with an effective wrinkle to its system. To become a starter, he must prove himself as a consistent pocket passer.

15. Joey Aguilar (Tennessee)

Aguilar showed a fearless streak while starting at Appalachian State. A best-case scenario for Tennessee is that he develops into something like what Pavia became for Vanderbilt. Aguilar can extend plays outside the pocket. Fearless can’t mean reckless, though. He led the nation in interceptions at App State. Aguilar previously transferred to UCLA, but he left for Tennessee on the backside of the Bruins plundering Nico Iamaleava from the Vols. Aguilar’s preseason checklist must include improving pocket poise, ball security and learning a new offense at warp speed.

16. Zach Calzada (Kentucky)

Calzada started in Texas A&M’s upset of Alabama, way back in 2021, and he now prepares for his seventh season with his fourth program. Calzada never developed enough midrange accuracy at Texas A&M, but he threw a good deep ball, and he’s coming off a monster season with Incarnate Word of the Championship Subdivision. He’s more intriguing than plenty of past Kentucky quarterbacks.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

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In a little more than two weeks, the New York Mets went from comfortable division lead to the lowest of lows: A three-game sweep doled out by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Not even a players-only meeting could stop the carnage, as the Mets’ response after a Saturday night airing of grievances was a 12-1 loss at PNC Park that capped a three-game set in which Pittsburgh outscored the Mets 30-4.

Little wonder, then, that the Mets tumbled four places in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings.

It’s hard to call this a low point since it’s merely the end of June and the Mets are just 1 ½ games behind the similarly inconsistent Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Yet on June 12, they held a 5 ½-game lead and the confidence that injured pitchers such as Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea were coming back. Well, Montas gave up a half-dozen runs to the Pirates on Sunday and Manaea now has an elbow injury to add to his oblique recovery. And trusty fill-in Griffin Canning is now out for the year with an Achilles injury.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Detroit Tigers (-)

Tarik Skubal makes franchise history: 13 strikeouts and one hit over seven innings.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

Clayton Kershaw lined up for 3,000th strikeout at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

3. Houston Astros (+4)

They win the Tucker-Paredes-Smith Cup to cap a 25-10 stretch.

4. Chicago Cubs (-2)

Ryan Pressly gets some home cooking in Houston as Astros regale him with old Johnny Cash intro.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

Ranger Suarez is dealing, as they say.

6. New York Yankees (-)

Twelve runs of support a nice welcome back gift for Marcus Stroman.

7. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

Brandon Lowe’s career-best hitting streak reaches 16 games.

8. New York Mets (-4)

Perhaps Jesse Winker – on rehab assignment for oblique injury – can save the day.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)

The Quinn Priester joyride continues with 11-strikeout performance.

10. St. Louis Cardinals (+3)

Sonny Gray throws first shutout since 2015 – both at Cleveland.

11. San Diego Padres (-)

Closer Robert Suarez has hit a bump in the road.

12. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

Dare to dream: A four-game sweep of Yankees could put them alone in first place.

13. San Francisco Giants (-5)

They drop a series at White Sox, and Justin Verlander still seeking first win as a Giant.

14. Cincinnati Reds (+1)

HVAC pitchman Spencer Steer keys ninth-inning rally to take Padres series. That’s pretty cool.

15. Seattle Mariners (-1)

Big Bummer: Cal Raleigh getting Barry Bonds treatment with four intentional walks over the weekend.

16. Arizona Diamondbacks (+2)

Kinda need to firmly clear .500 before trade activity picks up.

17. Boston Red Sox (-1)

Walker Buehler had an 11.07 ERA in five June starts.

18. Texas Rangers (-)

An absolutely magnetic connection to the .500 mark.

19. Cleveland Guardians (-2)

About time to toss them in the ‘deadline sellers’ bucket.

20. Minnesota Twins (-)

Royce Lewis once again set to return from injury.

21. Los Angeles Angels (+1)

Mike Trout starting to muscle up a bit.

22. Atlanta Braves (+1)

Jurickson Profar returns Wednesday from 80-game PED ban – and they could probably use him.

23. Kansas City Royals (-2)

Just 20-24 at home.

24. Miami Marlins (+2)

After sweeping Arizona, just a half-game behind Atlanta for third place.

25. Baltimore Orioles (-1)

Coby Mayo finally clubs first career home run – off a position player.

26. Washington Nationals (-1)

Fifth last-place finish in six years looking like a real possibility.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)

Rollicking sweep of Mets a fitting tribute to Dave Parker.

28. Athletics (-1)

After seeing Rays’ sweet temporary digs in Tampa, Yolo County will look even grimmer.

29. Chicago White Sox (-)

Luis Robert back on the IL with hamstring injury.

30. Colorado Rockies (-)

Now 19-65, but their manager will surely show some fire.

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