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Like father, like daughter? Maggie Sajak made her TV debut in 1996 shortly after her first birthday when she toddled onstage during a Wheel of Fortune episode. She held her father Pat’s hand and babbled into his microphone — a natural on camera! Now 29, she serves as the series’ social correspondent (a post she’s held since 2021), bringing viewers behind the scenes and interviewing contestants on both the syndicated Wheel and ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune for after-show segments on social media.
Maggie has also taken the Wheel stage, subbing for Vanna White in 2023 when White took over Pat’s job for a week. And when her father announced his departure after 43 years, speculation circled about the younger Sajak taking the game show’s helm. She won’t…yet. The new host will be American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest. But Maggie still has Fortune in her DNA. Here are some things you may not know about her.
1. She’s got Ivy League brains.
Maggie graduated from Princeton University, got her postgrad degree at Columbia and just wrapped up law school at Georgetown.
2. She can carry a tune.
Maggie launched a country music career in her teens. Her first single, released when she was 16, was called “First Kiss.” But her talent isn’t something she credits her former disc-jockey father for. Maggie told Teen Vogue in 2013, “I have my mother to thank for my love of music. She sang and played keyboard in a band when she was [a teen].”
3. She loves being on Wheel.
When she was announced as the social correspondent, Maggie said: “The Wheel of Fortune staff and crew have always been like an extended family…. It’s a real privilege to be able to treat the show’s longtime viewers to a look at what goes on when the cameras aren’t rolling. Plus, I get to use the carpool lane with my father!”
4. White could see Maggie filling her shoes one day.
“I think she’s a good replacement if I can’t be there for some reason,” White told E! News last year. “She’s been around [the show] her whole life.”
5. Maggie’s newest romance is with 48-year-old Scottish actor Ross McCall (Band of Brothers)
But her first love is her sweet adopted Pomeranian, Jak. Nearly a year ago, before bringing Maggie and her pooch onstage for a fun segment, Pat said: “One of the most common questions I get is, ‘Is there a man in [Maggie’s] life?’ Yes, there is, his name is Jak.”
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Chicago Blackhawks at Risk of Losing First Round Pick as Other Teams Pitch Big-Money Offers
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Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
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Lakers coach JJ Redick issues challenge to Bronny James
The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for Bronny James to make some changes ahead of his second year in the NBA. James, the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft, played in 27 games for the Lakers last season and started in one game. He averaged 2.3 points, .8 assists and .7 rebounds per contest. For James to improve on those numbers this season, head coach JJ Redick thinks the 20-year-old needs to change his physique. "The biggest thing for Bronny is that he has to get in elite shape," Redick said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "That's the barrier of entry for him right now. And if he does that, I think he's got a chance to be a really fantastic player in the NBA." James didn't have much of a chance to get in elite shape before his rookie season. He played a shortened season at USC after suffering cardiac arrest on July 24, 2023. James made his debut for the Trojans on Dec. 10, 2023. Redick compared James' ceiling to Davion Mitchell of the Miami Heat and T.J. McConnell of the Indiana Pacers. For James to get there, he has to push past his fears of the prior cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect. "I think we have all seen these amazing flashes of it from Bronny," Redick said. "And to get to that next level for him, it's cardio fitness. "He's cleared. ... I get that there's a history there of a really scary thing that he had to live through, and I think it's tough to push past certain points for him, but he's going to get there. He's going to get there." Based on Redick's comments, James has more to change than getting his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame in shape for the upcoming season. He has to work on his mental fear of pushing his body too far. James' mental hurdle might be the biggest obstacle to his improvement as an NBA player.
Indiana Fever Flex Kelsey Mitchell After She Torched Chicago Sky in Caitlin Clark's Absence
On Sunday, the Indiana Fever took on the Chicago Sky at United Center. Normally, this matchup would mean the latest installment in the budding rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. However, Clark was still unable to play due to a strained groin, and Reese didn't suit up either because of a back injury. The Fever still managed to win, 93-78, and they improved their record to 14-12 after their fifth win in their last seven games. Guard Kelsey Mitchell was the big reason that they were able to push past the Sky so easily, as she had arguably her best performance of this season. Mitchell exploded once again with Clark out of action Mitchell recently got her third consecutive WNBA All-Star Game nod earlier this month. On Sunday, she validated that berth with 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from 3-point range, six assists and three steals in Indiana's victory. With Clark in and out of the lineup, Mitchell has stepped up her offensive game over the last few weeks, and the Fever reminded people with a post on X that she is the league's leading scorer in July. Overall, she's averaging 20.2 points a game on the season, which is currently third in the WNBA, and over her last 13 games, she has put up an average of 23.1 points a game. Mitchell's exploits have come at an opportune time This is the time of the season during which WNBA teams need to start watching the standings and concern themselves with playoff seeding. With Mitchell turning into a microwave lately, the Fever have the sixth-best record in the league. The race for the final playoff spots is tight, as they lead the joint eighth-placed Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics by just one game, but Mitchell has been keeping them afloat while their franchise player recuperates. There is no timetable for Clark's return, and she will not play on Wednesday when Indiana faces the Phoenix Mercury. Indiana will then start a four-game road trip with games versus the Dallas Wings, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks and the Mercury. If Mitchell remains hot, she could perhaps buy more time for Clark to fully heal before she returns. That would pay off for the Fever in the long run as the postseason approaches.
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