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Former New York Yankees player and manager Lou Piniella fell one vote short of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday night as part of the 2024 contemporary era ballot.
It’s a stinging blow to the 80-year-old, who won World Series as a player and as a manager and won more than 1,800 games as a Major League skipper.
Piniella had been on the veterans’ committee ballot twice and came within one vote of being inducted in 2018.
The only member of the ballot to earn election was manager Jim Leyland, who also had a World Series title on his resume as a manager. He received 15 of the 16 votes from the committee.
Piniella spent the bulk of his playing career with the Yankees, as he played for them from 1974-84. The Yankees acquired him via trade from Kansas City.
In 11 seasons with the Yankees he was a .295 hitter who hit 57 home runs and 417 RBI. The outfielder was part of the Yankees’ World Series teams in 1977 and 1978. The Yankees won both series.
Before New York, Piniella broke into baseball as a player with Baltimore in 1964, was the 1969 American League Rookie of the Year with Kansas City.
He remained with the Yankees after retirement as the team’s hitting coach, became the team’s manager from 1986-87 and then its general manager in 1988, before he returned to the bench to replace the fired Billy Martin. With the Yankees as a manager he was 224-193, but the Yankees failed to make the playoffs.
He found success as a manager away from New York. He led the Cincinnati Reds to the 1990 World Series title, where they swept the Oakland Athletics. He spent a decade with the Seattle Mariners, where he won three AL West titles and beat the Yankees in the 1995 Wild Card playoffs.
He spent three more seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2003-05) and four seasons with the Chicago Cubs (2007-10), the latter of which he led to two NL Central titles. His career managerial record was 1,835-1,713
The remaining members of the ballot were manager Davey Johnson, manager Cito Gaston, umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, along with executives Hank Peters and Bill White.
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Astros' playoff push dealt significant blow
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Bryson DeChambeau divulges Scottie Scheffler's biggest advantage
We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet by a fairly large margin, but what makes him so much more consistent than other stars in professional golf? Bryson DeChambeau, one of Scheffler's biggest rivals in major championships, thinks he knows the answer. In Tuesday's appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," DeChambeau detailed how Scheffler dominates the PGA Tour weekly. "He's got the best spin and distance control I've ever seen," DeChambeau said. "He controls the golf ball from a spin perspective so much better than everybody else. Like, if you're 175 yards out, and it's 10 miles [an hour] into the wind, he knows how to control the flight and spin to get that ball to land right next to the hole every time. Probably since Tiger [Woods], he's the best that we've seen." The stats confirm DeChambeau's breakdown. Scheffler has ranked first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach in three straight seasons. He also ranks first in proximity to the hole and greens in regulation percentage over the last four years. Iron play is Scheffler's superpower, but it wasn't always that way. "I played with him in college a bunch, and I've said it before, but he's definitely improved since college for sure," DeChambeau said with a chuckle. "It's impressive to see what he's done, and we're all aspiring to do that. That's something I've gotta get better at. I can hit it farther than him. I can hit it probably straighter than him. I can make just as many putts as him, but, really, it's about my iron play right now and wedges to get a little more consistent." Iron play is the biggest indicator of success in professional golf. If you're giving yourself more birdie chances from close range than anyone in the field, you're going to have the best chance to win by Sunday afternoon. No one is better at hitting specific distances more consistently than Scheffler. Just look at how accurate he is. DeChambeau has the best chance to catch Scheffler as the best player in the world because he's elite off the tee and on the greens, but that won't happen unless he makes a major improvement to his iron game.
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Vikings make roster move that puts another nail in the coffin of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's first NFL Draft class
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's first NFL Draft class is the biggest factor in people not liking him as the leader of the Vikings' front office. The first three picks were all off the roster before the start of training camp with only one player from the first two days still with the Vikings. On Tuesday, that ended up changing with three roster moves being made. Vikings waive ILB Brian Asamoah II Tuesday was a day of multiple roster moves. Wide receiver Rondale Moore was placed on injured reserve, and Zeke Correll was waived with an injury designation. However, the biggest one came when the Vikings waived former third-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft Brian Asamoah II. It's a tough finish to Asamoah's career with the Vikings, especially after how it started. Asamoah looked like the next explosive Vikings linebacker. He was flying around the field consistently throughout his rookie season and was making plays. His time in Minnesota was best known for the forced fumble against the New York Giants on Christmas Eve. Things went wrong for a multitude of reasons for Asamoah, but the biggest one was the change at defensive coordinator. Ed Donatell was the defensive coordinator in his rookie season, and he ran a version of the Vic Fangio defense. When Brian Flores came to Minnesota, Asamoah didn't mesh with his defense, mainly due to his inconsistent tackling ability. You need to be a good tackler in Flores' aggressive style of defense. The Vic Fangio defense is predicated on gang tackling, which allows faster players to miss more tackles due to the conservative nature of the scheme. He could end up getting picked up by a team like the Philadelphia Eagles for that reason. It's also the latest example of the failure of the Vikings' 2022 NFL Draft class. Only Jalen Nailor and Ty Chandler are remaining. Luckily, the draft process for the Vikings has significantly improved. The Vikings now have three roster spots to fill going into joint practices, and it will be interesting to see how they get filled.
How Craig Berube Is Reshaping the Maple Leafs’ Identity
In a recent breakdown of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason storylines—roster turnover, bubble players, and the team’s push for a new identity—one thing became clear: Toronto is in the midst of more than just a personnel shuffle. They’re not simply changing who they play; they’re changing how they play. And at the heart of that transformation is head coach Craig Berube. Berube Isn’t Just a Coach—He’s the Culture Reset Button When Berube took the helm in May 2024, Maple Leafs management wasn’t just looking for a fresh voice behind the bench. They wanted a tone setter. A culture-changer. Someone who’s lived the grind of an NHL season and knows what it takes to win when the stakes are highest. Berube checks every one of those boxes. He led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019, transforming a last-place team into champions in just a few months, not through smoke and mirrors, but through structure, accountability, and total team buy-in. His philosophy is straightforward: play the right way every night, regardless of your role or nameplate. That’s the shift happening now in Toronto. Less flash, more finish. Less chaos, more control. The Maple Leafs are no longer a team hoping their offensive talent can outscore mistakes. Under Berube, they’re building from the ground up—starting with habits and structure. The Maple Leafs’ Stars Still Can Shine if They Work Harder Let’s be clear: the Maple Leafs haven’t abandoned their star power. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and (until his departure) Mitch Marner didn’t suddenly turn into fourth-line grinders. But Berube’s system doesn’t hand out free passes—not even to the franchise players. Nylander is being pushed to round out his 200-foot game. Matthews, already respected for his defensive reads, is leaned on even more as a tone-setter at both ends of the ice. And if you don’t compete shift to shift? You won’t get minutes. Simple as that. For players like Matthew Knies or new addition Nicolas Roy, that kind of clarity is gold. They don’t have to force offence or try to match superstar output—they have to excel in their defined roles. In a league where depth often determines playoff success, giving those players a clear path to impact is crucial. Berube’s Track Record: The Right Fit, Right Now If there’s one thing Maple Leafs fans are exhausted by, it’s potential without payoff. That’s where Berube’s resume speaks volumes. He’s not a coach who needs five years and a perfect roster to succeed. He wins by setting clear expectations, holding everyone accountable, and stripping away unnecessary drama. The 2019 Blues are the best example: a team left for dead in January became champions by June. That turnaround wasn’t magic—it was a product of buy-in to a system that valued structure and work ethic over highlight-reel moments. For Toronto, this feels like the right fit at the right time. After years of early playoff exits, the team needs a blueprint that can translate to the postseason grind. Berube has shown that he can deliver. So, What Will Maple Leafs 2025-26 Hockey Look Like? Maple Leafs hockey in 2025–26 probably won’t resemble the freewheeling style fans have grown used to. Instead, expect consistent forechecking, five-person defensive units, and innovative puck management. It might not always be glamorous, but it’s the kind of hockey that wins playoff rounds—and the kind that fans can rally around when they see the results. Hard-working. Structured. Resilient. These are the traits the Maple Leafs have chased for years, often without fully committing to them. Now, with Berube steering the ship, there’s a clear mandate to make those traits a nightly reality. The Big Picture and Maple Leafs Bottom Line This season is about more than the standings. It’s about identity. Can Toronto play a consistently disciplined game every night, regardless of the opponent or situation? Can they buy into Berube’s structure without losing the offensive spark that makes them dangerous? Those are the questions worth asking—and the 2025–26 campaign will provide the answers. Berube’s impact won’t just be measured in wins and losses, but in whether the Maple Leafs can finally shed the reputation of only playing their best when they feel like it. If they succeed, it won’t be because of one star’s brilliance. It will be because the team learned to play and win as a unit. [Note: I’d like to thank Brent Bradford (PhD) for his help co-authoring this post. His profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bradford-phd-3a10022a9]
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