<p>The mistress and former assistant of disgraced ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore spoke out Friday in her first televised interview since Moore&#8217;s December arrest on stalking and home invasion charges.</p>
<p>Paige Shiver, 32, appearing on <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/assistant-felt-trapped-relationship-fired-michigan-coach-knew-132314433">Good Morning America,</a> reflected on her relationship with Moore, 40, describing it as controlling, and said she felt pressured throughout the affair, which began while she worked under Moore.</p>
<p>Shiver said she became pregnant during the relationship, but medical professionals encouraged her to abort the unborn child.</p>
<p>&#8220;Multiple doctors and experts told me that it wouldn&#8217;t be right or healthy for me to keep the baby,&#8221; Shiver said. Recalling how Moore responded to the news, she said he told her, &#8220;You have to do what&#8217;s right for your body.&#8221;</p>
<p>Shiver, who has Pompe disease, a serious muscle-weakening condition, said the relationship began in 2022 when she was an intern with the Michigan football program and Moore was the team&#8217;s offensive coordinator. In 2024, after Moore was promoted to head coach following Jim Harbaugh&#8217;s departure to the NFL, Shiver became his executive assistant.</p>
<p>Shiver said she initially believed she loved Moore but now sees the relationship differently.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looking back at things and really reflecting on what happened, what was happening &#8230; it&#8217;s not love at all,&#8221; Shiver said.</p>
<p>She said she tried to end the relationship multiple times but felt unable to do so because of Moore&#8217;s influence over her career.</p>
<p>&#8220;He and other coaches had control over my career, especially him,&#8221; Shiver said. &#8220;He could fire me in a second.&#8221;</p>
<p>Shiver also claimed Moore repeatedly pressured her to stay, telling her his life would fall apart without her.</p>
<p>&#8220;Every time I tried to pull away, he always had a story&#8230;always had a way to pull me in and making me feel that I couldn&#8217;t leave him because he was so miserable without me,&#8221; Shiver said.</p>
<p>The relationship came to a screeching halt after Shiver reported the affair to university officials. Moore was subsequently fired as Michigan&#8217;s head coach, where he had been earning $5.5 million annually.</p>
<p>Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel cited an &#8220;inappropriate relationship&#8221; with a staffer as the reason for Moore&#8217;s termination.</p>
<p>Shortly after his firing, Moore broke into Shiver’s home, where she says he grabbed butter knives and scissors, then threatened to kill himself.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hear footsteps, and they’re getting closer and louder … I run to my door to lock it, and he barges in,&#8221; Shiver said. &#8220;He comes in with his hood up, looking down at me, saying I ruined his life and is crying.&#8221;</p>
<p>Moore was initially charged with home invasion and stalking, offenses that carried potential prison time. But those charges were dropped last week as part of a plea deal. Moore pleaded no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunication device.</p>
<p>He was sentenced to 18 months&#8217; probation and ordered not to contact Shiver.</p>
<p>Moore&#8217;s wife, Kelli, has stood by him during his court appearances.</p>
<p>Shiver said she believes the punishment was insufficient.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think he should have gotten more punishment for what he did,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Shiver is no longer employed by the university. Moore was replaced by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.</p>


Credit: Good Morning America

Tearful Mistress Says She Had To Abort Baby During Affair With Former Michigan Coach

College Football

Michigan

News

Sherrone Moore

Sports

<p>It&#8217;s NFL Draft Day, but the main story heading into Round 1 on Thursday night is the off-the-field drama between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter for The Athletic, Dianna Russini.</p>
<p>New pictures of the pair dropped on Thursday, showing the two kissing in New York six years before photos taken in March, which showed them canoodling in Arizona, ignited the current scandal.</p>
<p><a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/23/celebrity-news/dianna-russini-and-married-mike-vrabel-caught-kissing-at-nyc-bar-taken-6-years-before-scandal/?_gl=1*qh02gm*_ga*MTk1ODA5MzI4Ny4xNzYyMTk5MzYw*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3NzY5NjM2NTQkbzI2JGcxJHQxNzc2OTYzNjU1JGo1OSRsMCRoMA..">Page Six</a> published the bombshell photos showing Vrabel and Russini locking lips at a bar in New York City back in 2020 — just two weeks after the media outlet exposed Vrabel and Russini, both married, at an adults-only luxury resort in Arizona. The new photos add to the speculation that the two were romantically involved — and had been for some time.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dianna Russini and married Mike Vrabel caught kissing at NYC bar in bombshell new photos — taken 6 years before scandal <a href="https://t.co/WIPOoGKAWF">https://t.co/WIPOoGKAWF</a> <a href="https://t.co/4j1UpviNuy">pic.twitter.com/4j1UpviNuy</a></p>
<p>— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2047345125655785908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;They were kissing and they were all over each other,&#8221; an eyewitness told Page Six. &#8220;He had a ring on.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel, who has been married to his college sweetheart since 1999, was wearing his wedding ring during the New York rendezvous when Russini could be seen &#8220;in between [Vrabel’s] legs,&#8221; according to Page Six.</p>
<p>&#8220;They were having a glorious time. They were giving each other pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly,&#8221; the source told the outlet. &#8220;There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.&#8221;</p>
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<p>In 2020, Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Russini was with ESPN, covering the Titans closely.</p>
<p>Someone close to the situation told The Daily Wire it was well known that the two had an off-the-field relationship during this time.</p>
<p>Page Six reached out to Vrabel and Russini for comment on the photos Wednesday, and while the pair didn&#8217;t respond, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48566969/mike-vrabel-seek-counseling-not-patriots-day-3-nfl-draft">ESPN</a> reported late Wednesday that the Patriots coach would be skipping day three of the NFL Draft Saturday to go to counseling.</p>
<p>&#8220;As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,&#8221; Vrabel said. &#8220;This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel told ESPN he plans to be with his wife, Jen, and their two sons outside of Massachusetts this weekend.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result,&#8221; Vrabel said.</p>
<p>The 50-year-old vaguely addressed the Arizona incident with Russini on Tuesday, when he informed reporters that he&#8217;s had &#8220;difficult conversations&#8221; with his family, players, and staff.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me,&#8221; he said during the press conference. &#8220;That starts with me.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/married-nfl-reporter-resigns-after-poolside-photos-with-coach-spark-scrutiny"><strong>RELATED: Married NFL Reporter Resigns After Poolside Photos With Coach Spark Scrutiny</strong></a></p>
<p>Russini resigned from her senior position with The Athletic on April 14, stating in her resignation letter that she was leaving not because she &#8220;accept[s] the narrative,&#8221; but because she was refusing to give it &#8220;further oxygen.&#8221;</p>
<p>The 43-year-old has been married to her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, since September 2020 — six months after the newly-released photos of Vrabel and Russini were taken.</p>


coach_sports_reporter

Patriots Coach Makes Promise As Smoochy Pics Add To Russini Drama

Dianni Russini

Mike Vrabel

NFL Draft

Patriots

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Elizabeth Smart, 38, has moved on to the next phase of her life with a strong new hobby: bodybuilding.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former kidnapping victim who became an advocate for child safety and an ABC News correspondent said she never expected this would happen.</span></p>
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<p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I posted the pictures in my story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you, and I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, ‘absolutely not! Never in 100 years!’” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post shared Wednesday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This message was accompanied by a photo of her competing at the Wasatch Warrior competition in Salt Lake City on Saturday. She took home first place in the Fit Model division, a category for entry-level female bodybuilders.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is actually the fourth competition I’ve done, but I was too afraid to post it before,” Smart revealed. “Worried that I would be judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors. Then this past weekend it struck me how eerily familiar these feelings and thoughts are for too many survivors.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for her reasons, Smart wrote that she didn&#8217;t want to “reach the end of my life and look back and feel regret for only living a half-life, not going after all the things I want to do and try.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This was a big change for me, it was hard, it pushed me, challenged me not to give up. I am so proud of myself for doing this. I am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it,” she wrote. “My body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it’s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smart was taken from her Salt Lake home in 2002 when she was 14 years old. She was discovered by police 9 months later. Smart </span><a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/elizabeth-smart-wins-top-honors-at-utah-bodybuilding-show"><span style="font-weight: 400;">had been kidnapped</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from her bedroom at knifepoint by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Smart was raped daily by Mitchell as he hid her at campsites around Utah.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mitchell was convicted and is serving a life sentence while Barzee was released in 2018. She was arrested again in 2025, however, after violating conditions of her sex offender status.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the aftermath of the crime, Smart became an advocate for other victims of sexual assault by creating the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She has been married since 2012 and has three children.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a Netflix documentary about her ordeal called, “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.”</span></p>


Elizabeth Smart

Recognize Her? The Girl Whose Kidnapping Gripped America Just Made A Shocking Pivot

General

Salt Lake City

U.S.

Utah

<p style="font-weight: 400;">In a blistering new memoir titled &#8220;Moments,&#8221; former Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7217540/2026/04/22/athletics-owner-lew-wolff-giants-bay-area-move/">broken his silence</a> on the franchise’s painful departure from the Bay Area. The 90-year-old real estate developer, who served as the team’s public face from 2005 to 2015, points the finger directly at the San Francisco Giants, saying the team’s move is &#8220;100 percent due to the nasty, shameful, and continuing opposition of the Giants.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Wolff’s central thesis is that the Athletics’ relocation—currently in a transitional phase in Sacramento before a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028—was caused by the Giants&#8217; refusal to relinquish territorial rights to Santa Clara County. Wolff argues that the Giants’ iron grip on San Jose, the Bay Area’s most populous city, stripped the A’s of the leverage needed to secure a viable future in Northern California.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The roots of the animosity date back to 1990, when the A’s—then under the benevolent ownership of the Haas family—granted the Giants the rights to Santa Clara County to help them avoid a move out of state. Wolff contends these rights were conditional on the Giants actually moving to San Jose. When the Giants instead built Oracle Park in San Francisco, Wolff argues the territory should have reverted to shared status.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="5">“The Giants’ position really, really messed us up in trying to even negotiate with Oakland,” Wolff told The Athletic. He described the subsequent MLB blue-ribbon panel, which spent years studying the issue without resolution, as a “cruel joke,” adding, “What I did not realize was that the amazing individuals comprising MLB … attract, employ or have around deceitful and dangerous sycophants. Not all, but some. And these sycophants assassinated the A’s!”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Giants chairman Greg Johnson has countered these claims, stating his responsibility is to protect his organization&#8217;s strength, noting that San Jose represents a massive portion of the Giants&#8217; fan base and revenue.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The current acrimony is the latest chapter in the history of one of baseball’s most nomadic yet storied franchises. Founded in 1901 as a charter member of the American League in Philadelphia, the Athletics were the original AL dynasty. Under legendary manager Connie Mack, who led the team for 50 years, the &#8220;A’s&#8221; won five World Series titles and adopted the &#8220;White Elephant&#8221; as a defiant logo after Giants manager John McGraw dismissed them as a &#8220;useless possession.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="9">In 1955, the team moved to Kansas City, an era largely remembered for owner Charlie Finley’s eccentric innovations—such as Kelly Green uniforms and a mule mascot—and a frustrating reputation as a &#8220;farm team&#8221; for the New York Yankees.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="10">The 1968 move to Oakland sparked a modern renaissance. The &#8220;Swingin&#8217; A&#8217;s&#8221; of the 1970s won three consecutive World Series, followed by the &#8220;Bash Brothers&#8221; era of the late 80s and the &#8220;Moneyball&#8221; revolution of the early 2000s.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Yet despite winning nine World Series titles across three cities—trailing only the Yankees and Cardinals—the franchise has been plagued by stadium instability for decades.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Wolff’s memoir serves as a defense of his partner and current owner John Fisher, who has faced intense vilification from the Oakland faithful. While fans like Oakland 68’s president Jorge Leon blame ownership for &#8220;constant rebuilds&#8221; and a lack of investment, Wolff insists that &#8220;apathy&#8221; from local government and the Giants&#8217; &#8220;nasty opposition&#8221; left the club with no choice but to leave.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="13">As the A&#8217;s play out their temporary residency in Sacramento, the wounds in Oakland remain deep. For a franchise born in Philadelphia and forged in the East Bay, the move to the desert represents the end of a 57-year Northern California legacy—one that Wolff insists was sabotaged by the neighbors across the bridge.</p>


MixCollage-23-Apr-2026-09-50-AM-839

‘SHAMEFUL’: Former A’s Owner Blasts Giants For Departure From Bay Area In New Memoir

Oakland Athletics

San Francisco Giants

<p>Mike Vrabel addressed what he called &#8220;laughable&#8221; photos — of himself and now former NFL reporter Dianna Russini getting cozy in a bungalow in Arizona — on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the NFL draft.</p>
<p>The New England Patriots head coach has avoided the matter since <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/07/celebrity-news/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel/">Page Six</a> published the bombshell photos of Vrabel and Russini holding hands and hanging out in a hot tub together at an exclusive couples retreat in Sedona.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,&#8221; Vrabel said to open the April 21 press conference.</p>
<p>&#8220;I understand I could have, you know, addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday very candidly as we began our off-season program.&#8221;</p>
<p>The married father of two said he decided to address the photos because he didn&#8217;t want his players to have to answer questions about him before he could address the team. As he heads into his second season leading New England, Vrabel said he didn&#8217;t want the off-the-field drama to distract from the NFL Draft which starts Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Patriots have the 31st overall pick.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,&#8221; Vrabel said. &#8220;We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction &#8230; the comments and questions that I&#8217;ve answered for the team and with the team, we&#8217;ll keep those private and to ourselves. I care deeply about this football team and I&#8217;m excited to coach them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel told the reporters this season he plans to attack each day with &#8220;humility&#8221; and &#8220;focus&#8221; while promising to be a better man.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can promise you, my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly, you will get the best version of me going forward,&#8221; Vrabel said.</p>
<p>As far as any disciplinary action for Vrabel&#8217;s personal interactions with Russini, who at the time of the March meet-up was an NFL reporter with The Athletic, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2026/04/20/mike-vrabel-dianna-russini-nfl-personal-conduct-policy-investigation/89700888007/">USA Today Sports</a> that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league&#8217;s personal conduct policy.</p>
<p>The policy, as it relates to non-NFL players, warns against &#8220;conduct that is illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others associated with the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL. We must endeavor at all times to be people of high character; we must show respect for others inside and outside our workplace; and we must conduct ourselves in ways that favorably reflect on ourselves, our teams, the communities we represent, and the NFL.&#8221;</p>
<p>Russini, a long-time NFL insider for NBC, ESPN, and most recently The Athletic, resigned from the New York Times-owned publication April 14 after it was revealed that her actions were under internal investigation.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/married-nfl-reporter-resigns-after-poolside-photos-with-coach-spark-scrutiny">Married NFL Reporter Resigns After Poolside Photos With Coach Spark Scrutiny</a></strong></p>
<p>Russini has been married to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020, and they share two children. Vrabel has been married to his college sweetheart since 1999.</p>
<p>When Vrabel was asked about Russini directly on Tuesday, he kept mum: &#8220;I respect and I appreciate every single question, but I’m not going to be able to comment on anything as it relates to that. I appreciate your job and what you guys have got to do, but I have to make my comments and what I answer about our football team.&#8221;</p>


Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Mike Vrabel Mounts PR Campaign Ahead Of NFL Draft, Ignores Questions On Dianna Russini Photos

Football

Scandal

Titans

<p data-path-to-node="0">It might be a coincidence — or it might not.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="0">The New York Mets are on an 11 game skid since New York mayor Zohran Mamdani hugged the team’s mascot.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="0">An apology seems to be in order.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="1">Forget the Red Sox&#8217; long-dead &#8220;Curse of the Bambino&#8221;—New York has a new, much more bureaucratically efficient disaster: The Mamdani Curse. On April 9, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stepped onto the field and wrapped his arms around Mrs. Met. Since that cold-blooded act of political affection, the Mets have gone 0-11. It’s as if the Mayor’s touch carried the same administrative efficiency he brings to City Hall, successfully grinding a <a href="https://www.wfmd.com/2026/04/18/new-york-mets-500-million-team-has-lost-10-games-in-a-row-after-zohran-mamdani-meeting/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">$507 million engine of hope</a> into a stationary pile of expensive scrap metal.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The New York Mets haven&#8217;t won a game since Mr &amp; Mrs Met hugged Zohran Mamdani <a href="https://t.co/VI0zqnoHRt">pic.twitter.com/VI0zqnoHRt</a></p>
<p>— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehoffather/status/2044420722240729143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p data-path-to-node="2">Statistically, Mamdani is the most effective defensive player in Major League Baseball history. Since he made contact with the mascot, the Mets have scored a pathetic 1.8 runs per game. He has managed to do what no opposing pitcher could: he neutralized Francisco Lindor, turned Bo Bichette’s bat into a decorative toothpick, and sent the team’s playoff odds off a cliff, plummeting from a confident 89% to an almost certainly too hopefuly 47%.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="3">While the mayor might be used to managing deficits, this 11-game skid is a masterclass in bankruptcy. It takes a special kind of political talent to walk into a stadium and accidentally lobby for a 100% tax on hits, runs, and basic competence. Watching the Mets right now is like watching a city council meeting on a Tuesday morning: long, painful, and ending with everyone wondering where all the money went.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="4">Even when the team tries to fight back, the &#8220;Mamdani Curse&#8221; lingers like a bad zoning law. Against the Cubs, the Mets <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/sports/mets-drop-11th-straight-in-nightmare-extra-inning-loss-to-cubs/">managed to go</a> 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They aren&#8217;t just losing; they are failing with the kind of bureaucratic precision that suggests they’ve been ordered to stay in last place by the mayor&#8217;s office.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="5">At this point, an apology may not be enough. For the sake of the city, the mayor needs to be banned from within 500 feet of Citi Field, and Mrs. Met needs to be dipped in holy water.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="5">If Mamdani decides to hug the Statue of Liberty next, New Yorkers should expect the torch to go out and the harbor to freeze over by sunset.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="6">The Mets have 27 outs to work with every game, and thanks to the mayor, they are treating every single one of them like a campaign promise: discarded, forgotten, and leaving the public in tears.</p>


Arizona Diamondbacks v New York Mets

One Moment… Then Disaster. See The Streak Everyone’s Talking About

Baseball

New York

New York Mets

Zohran Mamdani

<p style="font-weight: 400;">A truly heartwarming moment at a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game reminded Americans why baseball has always been America’s game, no matter the numbers.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Jake Mangum of the Pirates saw a young girl in the outfield bleachers wearing his jersey, and tossed the ball into the upper deck where her older brother caught it with his mitt. The young boy then turned and handed it to his sister, hugging her as he did so. Their father, behind them, was as excited as they were.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake Mangum threw this baseball to a young fan &#8230;</p>
<p>The moment that unfolded after will melt your heart 🥹❤️ <a href="https://t.co/ppJSZz3moj">pic.twitter.com/ppJSZz3moj</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/2045953764792701310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">My neice and nephew!!!  And he DID make their day!!</p>
<p>&mdash; betsyburgh (@betsy_burgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_burgh/status/2045968583818195083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I can confirm!!!!  Their dad…..my brother!</p>
<p>&mdash; betsyburgh (@betsy_burgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_burgh/status/2046029558730621339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>After the game, an interviewer asked Mangum, “You also created a core memory for a brother-sister duo, it looked like, in the stands, throwing them a ball. As a big brother yourself, what was that moment like?”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“It was cool. Watching the dad’s reaction to their kids catching the ball was really cool. That’s what it’s all about,” he answered.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake creating core memories at the ballpark. 🥹 <a href="https://t.co/8sXwRmfKcB">pic.twitter.com/8sXwRmfKcB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/2045963773706404319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Mangum’s family also has a love and excitement about baseball; his beloved grandparents saved the tickets from his first high school game, on which they wrote, &#8220;On the way to the big league.” His mother framed them and saved them for him.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">When Jake Mangum played his first high school game, his grandparents saved their tickets &amp; wrote &quot;On the way to the big league&quot; on them ✏️🎟️</p>
<p>His mom was able to frame and gift them to Jake following his debut: &quot;If anyone knows my mom, she keeps a lot of stuff.&quot; 😆🥹… <a href="https://t.co/sjUyzmR1I3">pic.twitter.com/sjUyzmR1I3</a></p>
<p>&mdash; SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh/status/2043809034164113795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">As New York University president John Sexton wrote in his best-selling book, “Baseball As A Road To God,” “In an age of gigabytes and picoseconds, we tend to live too quickly and to miss much that we might see. Baseball as it turns out, can help us develop the capacity to see through to another, scared space.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“I don&#8217;t have to tell you that the one constant through all the years has been baseball,” W.P. Kinsella wrote in “Shoeless Joe,” later filmed as &#8220;Field of Dreams.&#8221; “America has been erased like a blackboard, only to be rebuilt and then erased again. But baseball has marked time while America has rolled by like a procession of steamrollers.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Famed Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda noted, “There are only two seasons—winter and baseball. And when baseball comes, families come together.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The Chicago Cubs&#8217; beloved Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks enthused, “The only thing better than baseball is sharing it with someone you love.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too,” Yankees legend Yogi Berra declared.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">As legendary Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby noted, &#8220;People ask me what I do in winter when there&#8217;s no baseball. I&#8217;ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.&#8221;</p>


MLB: APR 08 Padres at Pirates

WATCH: Heartwarming Moment With Pirates Player And Kids Reminds Us Baseball Is Still America’s Game

family

<p data-path-to-node="2">The baseball world is reeling from the sudden loss of a true cornerstone. Garret Anderson, the left-handed maestro of the Anaheim outfield whose quiet dignity and lethal bat defined the most successful era in Angels history, passed away Friday at the age of 53. The club confirmed the news, plunging the organization and its fanbase into a state of mourning for a man whose professionalism was as consistent as his line-drive swing.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="3">&#8220;The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/garret-anderson-dies">stated</a>. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship.&#8221;</p>
<p data-path-to-node="3">To honor their all-time leader in nearly every major offensive category, the Angels will wear a memorial patch for the remainder of the season.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Angels Hall of Famer Garret Anderson. </p>
<p>Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond.</p>
<p>We extend our heartfelt condolences to… <a href="https://t.co/RyF5qa7OPE">pic.twitter.com/RyF5qa7OPE</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) <a href="https://twitter.com/Angels/status/2045169256971870685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p data-path-to-node="4">Anderson’s journey from a fourth-round pick out of Granada Hills Kennedy High in 1990 to a franchise deity was marked by a &#8220;calmness&#8221; that bordered on the supernatural. While other stars craved the spotlight, Anderson was content to &#8220;just hit.&#8221;</p>
<p data-path-to-node="4">And the sheer volume of that hitting remains staggering. By the time he retired in 2011, he had amassed 2,529 career hits and 1,365 RBIs over 17 seasons. Within the Angels organization alone, he remains the undisputed king of longevity and production, holding franchise records for games played (2,013), at-bats (7,989), runs scored (1,024), extra-base hits (796), and total bases (3,743).</p>
<p data-path-to-node="5">He first burst onto the scene in 1995, finishing as the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up after slashing .321/.352/.505. Early in his career, teammates compared his fluid mobility to Ken Griffey Jr., though Anderson characteristically brushed off the praise, preferring to focus on the blue-collar aspects of the game. He would go on to record seven seasons with a batting average over .300, finishing his career with a lifetime .293 mark.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="6">His apex came in the early 2000s when he evolved into one of the premier doubles hitters in the history of the American League. In 2002, he led the Major Leagues with 56 doubles, and he followed that up in 2003 by leading the AL again with 49. During that legendary 2003 campaign, he achieved a rare feat, joining Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. as the only players to win the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP in the same season.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="7">Yet, for all the regular-season accolades — including a historic 10-RBI game against the Yankees in 2007 where he became one of only 16 players in MLB history to reach that plateau — Anderson’s legacy is forever tethered to Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. After facing minor criticism for a defensive lapse earlier in the series, Anderson silenced the detractors when the stakes were highest. With the bases loaded in the third inning, he lined a three-run double into the right-field corner. Those three runs provided the margin in a 4-1 victory, delivering the Angels their only World Series title to date.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="8">Anderson finished his career with 287 home runs and 489 doubles in an Angels uniform, totals that sit second and first in club history, respectively. Upon his induction into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2016, he reflected on a career he viewed as a &#8220;privilege.&#8221; He remained a private man, often retreating to the quiet company of his family — his wife Teresa and their three children — while others chased the raucous celebrations of fame.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="8">Today, that quiet has turned into a profound silence across the Big A, as fans remember the man who didn&#8217;t need to shout to be a giant.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_G6bH0TMQsI?si=sdOfFpCU1Lj8eB4A" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>


Garret Anderson, who played 15 seasons for the Angels and finished as one of the all-time greats in franchise history, has died at the age of 53.

The ‘Stoic Icon’ Of Anaheim: Angels Legend Garret Anderson Passes Away At 53

Death

<p>It seems LIV Golf may be living on a prayer after reports claim Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering pulling funding from the tour that lured the biggest names away from the PGA just over four years ago.</p>
<p>The Financial Times reported Wednesday that the PIF is &#8220;on the verge&#8221; of slashing financial support for the league, while other outlets suggested LIV could be facing &#8220;imminent closure.&#8221;</p>
<p>The fund has poured millions in LIV Golf to rival the PGA Tour, but <a href="https://www.wsj.com/sports/golf/liv-golf-saudi-funding-e7c19130?mod=Searchresults&amp;pos=2&amp;page=1">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that financial support could end after the league struggled to attract a significant television audience in the United States.</p>
<p>Amid the dire reports, LIV Golf CEO Scott O&#8217;Neil told players and personnel Wednesday that the league is fully funded through the rest of the year and that reports of its imminent shutdown are &#8220;false,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.golfchannel.com/news/news/report-saudi-arabia-pif-on-the-verge-of-cutting-financial-support-for-liv-golf">Golf Channel.</a> O&#8217;Neil did not address funding beyond the 2026 season.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,&#8221; O&#8217;Neil said.</p>
<p>The news comes as 50 players are teeing off for a LIV tournament outside Mexico City.</p>
<p>The potential timeline for any shutdown remains unclear, with The Journal reporting that Saudi officials are still weighing their decision. The outlet noted there is still a chance LIV could continue in some form depending on the outcome of those discussions.</p>
<p>The league&#8217;s undoing would be welcomed by some golf fans who have argued the rival tour has tarnished the game&#8217;s traditional reputation.</p>
<p>Since LIV&#8217;s launch, the league has faced government investigations, lawsuits, and other litigation, contributing to a lack of profitability on the world stage.</p>
<p>LIV lost nearly $600 million in 2024, according to The Journal, despite signing big names, including Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson.</p>
<p>In 2o22, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the mass exodus of players from his league.</p>
<p>&#8220;The PGA Tour, an American institution, can’t compete with a foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars in an attempt to buy the game of golf,&#8221; Monahan said. &#8220;We welcome good, healthy competition. The LIV Saudi Golf League is not that. It’s an irrational threat.&#8221;</p>
<p>The tone shifted a year later when Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s PIF, appeared together to announce a framework agreement aimed at ending litigation and potentially reunifying the sport.</p>
<p>That effort ultimately stalled, leaving both tours operating independently, with the PGA now appearing to stand the test of time.</p>


Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images

LIV Golf On The Ropes As Saudis Consider Yanking Funds

Golf

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore will not serve jail time after being convicted of stalking his ex-mistress, Paige Shiver.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore was instead sentenced Tuesday to 18 months of probation by Judge Cedric Simpson in Washtenaw County Court, as The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/sports/ex-michigan-football-coach-sherrone-moore-sentenced-to-probation-for-stalking-incident-involving-ex-mistress/">reported</a>. The former head coach appeared in court arm-in-arm with his wife, with whom he shares three children.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prosecutors said Moore threatened to kill himself in front of Shiver, with whom he had been having a relationship. The 40-year-old had faced charges including felony home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering. Shiver was Moore&#8217;s executive assistant during their two-year affair.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Details of the charges were first revealed during Moore&#8217;s arraignment in December, as The Daily Wire previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sherrone-moore-charged-with-home-invasion-threatened-to-kill-himself-prosecutors-say"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to prosecutors, Moore forced his way into Shiver&#8217;s apartment in mid-December, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of scissors, and threatened to take his own life after repeatedly calling and texting her. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am going to kill myself. I am going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You’ve ruined my life,” Moore said, according to prosecutors.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First Assistant Prosecutor Kati Rezmierski said Shiver, 32, was terrorized by a &#8220;series of very intimidating and terrifying statements and behaviors&#8221; inside the apartment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prosecutors said Shiver and Moore had been in an intimate relationship for years before she broke it off, which they argued led to Moore’s erratic behavior. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Judge Simpson noted the seriousness of Moore’s crimes during sentencing. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You had no right to do what you did,” the judge stated, per the Post. “I know that [Shiver] was placed in fear. It was a traumatic experience that day for you. It was certainly a traumatic experience for her.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You had no right to spread your pain to her,” Simpson added. “I don’t know where your wife, Kelli, finds her strength… you, sir, took her for granted.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore’s lawyer said he has taken steps to address his behavior since the incident. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sherrone has engaged in counseling, gained insight into his life … recentered himself around his family and taken responsibility, expressing genuine remorse,” attorney Ellen Michaels said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The judge ordered Moore to have no contact with Shiver. His probation is set to be reviewed in October.</span></p>


Former Michigan Football Coach Sentenced After Stalking Ex-Mistress

College sports

Crime

University of Michigan

<p>Longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini is stepping down from her senior position at The Athletic one week after <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/07/celebrity-news/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel/">Page Six</a> published bombshell photos of her canoodling with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.</p>
<p>Russini announced her resignation on Tuesday in a letter posted to <a href="https://x.com/DMRussini/status/2044144603536687279?s=20">X</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.&#8221;</p>
<p>The veteran reporter defended her record, citing more than 15 years in sports journalism at NBC, ESPN, and The Athletic.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have built a body of work I am proud of. I have broken stories, earned the trust of sources across the league and been guided by the highest standards of professional conduct. That record speaks for itself,&#8221; she wrote.</p>
<p>Russini said The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times, initially stood by her account of events that took place in March at a boutique hotel in Sedona, Arizona. However, she said subsequent media coverage fueled speculation she described as &#8220;unmoored from the facts.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete,&#8221; she added. &#8220;It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a memo shared with The Athletic staff, Executive Editor Steven Ginsberg confirmed Russini&#8217;s resignation and said the outlet took the situation seriously from the start.</p>
<p>&#8220;When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter,&#8221; Ginsberg wrote. &#8220;As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.&#8221;</p>
<p>Page Six reported that Russini and Vrabel were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-laughable-patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-downplays-poolside-photos-with-married-nfl-reporter">spotted</a> together at the Ambiente hotel on March 28. According to the outlet, they had breakfast, spent time by the pool, side-by-side in a hot tub, and were later photographed on a private rooftop area. The photos showed them holding hands and standing face-to-face, with the outlet also reporting they briefly danced together.</p>
<p>Russini and Vrabel are both married. Russini has been married to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020; the couple shares two sons. Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, after the two met at Ohio State. They have two sons as well.</p>
<p>In separate statements to Page Six, Russini and Vrabel both downplayed their interactions.</p>
<p>Russini said the photos &#8220;don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel described the situation as an &#8220;innocent interaction&#8221; and called the images &#8220;laughable.&#8221;</p>
<p>Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after a successful tenure at ESPN, where she covered the Tennessee Titans during Vrabel&#8217;s tenure as head coach.</p>
<p>Vrabel is coming off a Super Bowl appearance in his first season as head coach of the Patriots.</p>


Credit: Cindy Ord/ustin Casterline via Getty Images

Married NFL Reporter Resigns After Poolside Photos With Coach Spark Scrutiny

New England Patriots

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today on &#8220;Dystopia Now,&#8221; we take a look at something called the Enhanced Games, where nearly 40 athletes compete while doped up on performance-enhancing substances.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> You can catch them</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at Resorts World Las Vegas in late May.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Legion of Doom-worthy coalition of tech billionaires is funding the Enhanced Games, including</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Peter Thiel, the Winklevoss twins, Saudi prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, and Donald Trump Jr. According to their materials, it’s &#8220;a diversified revenue model designed to capitalize on the growing global demand for sports entertainment, performance enhancement and longevity products.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Richard Dawson said in &#8220;The Running Man,&#8221; <em>“Without further ado, it’s time to start running!”</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A major driver behind the Enhanced Games is German tech billionaire Christian Angermayer, the author of the Next Human Agenda. He is <a href="https://christianangermayer.substack.com/p/the-future-is-enhanced">pushing the games</a> as &#8220;a significant economic driver for the biotech pharma industry in the years ahead.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> If the Enhanced Games sounds suspiciously like an advertisement for Compound V, the superhuman-making substance in &#8220;The Boys,&#8221; it should. This isn’t a sports gambit — it’s an advertisement for the “longevity” industry, based on big tech’s obsession with expanding the human lifespan and human vitality. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problem is, Compound V can create metahumans like Homelander, who is a total psychopath but is essentially evil Superman, but it can also create people with the power to shoot octopi out of their butts, or some such thing. We know that these substances aren’t steroids or cocaine, but we don’t know much else about them, or about their long-term effects. The Enhanced Games is promising sprint records, but A-Train, the super-sprinter on &#8220;The Boys,&#8221; has extreme heart issues and a dependency on Compound V.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some athletes — who are either being paid very well, desperate for glory, or both — don’t seem to care. Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev broke a 50-meter freestyle world record in an Enhanced Games trial last year, making a million dollars in the process. As Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/josipamajic/2026/04/06/pro-doping-enhanced-games-raise-12-billion-before-a-single-race/">reported</a> this week, “Irish swimmer Max McCusker, also an Olympian, said publicly that his decision to join was a &#8220;no-brainer&#8221; after earning less than $10,000 across four years of professional swimming.”</span></p>
<div id="attachment_1076275" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076275" class="size-large wp-image-1076275" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II-1024x549.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Enhanced Games/YouTube.com" width="1024" height="549" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II-1024x549.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II-300x161.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II-768x411.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II-1536x823.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Enhanced-Games-II.jpg 1960w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1076275" class="wp-caption-text">Screenshot: Enhanced Games/YouTube.com</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what&#8217;s the endgame? Clearly, life expansion is a mantra of the day, slotting in alongside at-home helper robots, personalized flight, Mars colonization, and the AI singularity. We seem to be heading toward a bifurcated, Gattaca-like future, with “optimized” people at the top of the pyramid and a vast mass of suboptimal people at the bottom, Elois performing feats of strength at Resorts World for an audience of barely human Morlocks.</span></p>
<p>All this reminds me of <span style="font-weight: 400;">the opening credits of the “Six Million Dollar Man,” “Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability of making the world’s first bionic man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster.” (Of course, today, six million is rounding error).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This future is actually kind of appealing, even interesting. We should at least try to see if the current billionaire obsession with hyperbaric cold plunges and blood transfusions and liquid megavitamins and genetic manipulation works. My own program of fish-oil pills, probiotics, not eating like crap, and standing on my head a few times a week seems to be working just fine, but I haven’t really started into the peak of my decline yet.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The real test of Enhanced Games technology won’t be how it affects super-swimmers or Olympic sprinters, who are already close to Peak Personhood. When they start injecting nootropics into people like me, to see if they can make the Substack posts a little snarkier and the decision-making at the $400 No-Limit Hold Em poker tournaments a little smarter, then we’ll see how well it works. Just remember that, sure, there are a lot of super-people in &#8220;The Boys.&#8221; But most of them end up with exploding heads.</span></p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p><em>Neal Pollack, “the greatest living American writer,” is the author of 12 semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction and is a three-time “Jeopardy!” champion.</em></p>


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