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Joe Buck 'proud' of Fox's Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen
ESPN play-by-play commentator Joe Buck is a fan of his replacements at Fox Sports.
Buck and long-time NFL partner Troy Aikman made the jump from Fox to ESPN after the 2021 season to call "Monday Night Football" games for the four-letter network. Kevin Burkhardt and retired tight end Greg Olsen are currently serving as Fox's lead NFL broadcast team until Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retires from playing and takes Olsen's spot in the booth alongside Burkhardt.
"There have been times where they’ve had the game that involves one of the teams that we’re about to cover that next Monday night," Buck told The Athletic's Richard Deitsch about watching Burkhardt and Olsen call Sunday afternoon matchups. "So it’s imperative for me to watch as much as I can. That’s kind of been the beauty of doing Monday night. Everything’s buttoned up except for your game. That’s a huge difference from doing Thursday night. When you’re doing Thursday night and you’re talking playoff picture, there’s a lot more undecided. You’ve got a lot of playoff implications and scenarios that have been eliminated by the time we go on the air on a Monday. So I watch them all the time, and I’m proud of them."
While Buck admitted he doesn't know Olsen, "hardly at all," the former Fox employee pointed out he and Burkhardt have talked "periodically" during the season. Buck also indicated he has coached Burkhardt on working with Fox's top NFL crew.
Earlier this month, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post named Buck his "most powerful person in sports media for 2022" now that the announcer is enjoying a reduced schedule. Buck insisted for Thursday's piece he's "beyond thrilled" to be with ESPN.
"At least from where I sit, me leaving Fox all ended on a great note," Buck told Deitsch. "I think Fox got what they wanted, and ESPN got what they wanted. The trades that you make in sports, if they help both teams, then it’s a great trade."
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Raiders rookie WR showing he could be steal of 2025 draft
Las Vegas Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. is opening eyes at training camp, including QB Geno Smith, who appears to be trusting the rookie. Maybe that is the reason why general manager John Spytek has not looked for outside help at the position. And just maybe he got a steal from the 2025 NFL Draft. That looked evident on the first day of pads in Henderson, Nevada, where Thornton badly beat fellow rookie cornerback Darien Porter for a long touchdown, as described by The Athletic's Tashan Reed. In a piece, Reed said Thornton has been the first-string "X" receiver since OTAs and "could make an immediate impact." Thornton shared what Smith told him during training camp: "He tells me every single day, 'if you've got a one-on-one matchup, I'm coming to you,'" Smith said, as shared by Reed. "It means a lot to me. Being a rookie and just getting here ... just knowing that he believes in me a lot. It gives me a lot of motivation to keep getting better." While the headlines are more on rookie RB Ashton Jeanty for his potential big season, Thornton is making sure he is not forgotten after getting selected in the fourth round (108th overall) after leading the University of Tennessee with 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Thornton is getting all the opportunities he can get, given the Raiders didn't bother to add a veteran WR. One could see why Thornton is raising eyebrows in training camp. That is a good thing because Smith is trusting Thornton's potential playmaking abilities. Thornton is one of the tallest Raiders WRs besides Collin Johnson, and that could be a big deal given the Raiders need a big target minus TEs Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas. Yet, ESPN's Mike Clay is projecting Thornton to have a quiet year with 317 receiving yards and a TD. With such low numbers, maybe that is how the Raiders would prefer it to be, anyway. Only the Raiders know what they have in Thornton. It is up to Thornton to keep the momentum going into preseason games and beyond.
Red Sox Aren't Getting Standout Back Anytime Soon
The Boston Red Sox got some bad news in the infield. Rookie infielder Marcelo Mayer has gotten a lot of time at second base and third base. Since Alex Bregman returned, Mayer has gotten most of his action at second base while also filling in as the Red Sox worked Bregman back slowly. Unfortunately, he's on the Injured List, though, due to a wrist sprain. MassLive.com's Christopher Smith shared the lastest update on Mayer from Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Saturday noted that he's "not gonna play soon." "No new updates on Marcelo Mayer's wrist sprain, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said," Smith shared. "'Just waiting for results and see specialists and all that stuff,' Cora added. 'He's not gonna play soon. So have to make sure where we're at and what the course of action is going to be.'" Losing Mayer is tough. Defense has been a question mark for Boston once again this season but Mayer has helped in that area. With Mayer out, Ceddanne Rafaela is expected to get a lot of action at second base. That helps to alleviate the logjam in the outfield, but also removes arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game. Boston isn't at full strength and Cora noting he's "not gonna play soon" certainly doesn't sound positive. Before going down, Mayer was slashing .228/.272/.402 with four homers, 10 RBIs, and eight doubles. Will the Red Sox add another piece ahead of the trade deadline? It absolutely makes sense at this point.
Top moments from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
Insider provides notable update on where Commanders, Terry McLaurin stand on extension talks
Terry McLaurin is entering the final year of his current contract and is not participating in team drills during training camp, as he is seeking an extension this offseason. With talks stalled, there has been speculation about how far apart the two sides are in negotiations. During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that McLaurin is unlikely to accept less than DK Metcalf's new deal, which equates to $33 million annually, and likely "wants considerably more." In addition, the 29-year-old receiver and the Washington Commanders "don't seem close to a deal." With the regular season only six weeks away, it is a difficult spot for the Commanders, who are looking to build on what they accomplished last season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is entering his second year in the NFL and needs his WR1 if he wants to take that next step in his development. Understandably, it seems Washington is hesitant to pay that much for an aging receiver, who will be 30 years old at the start of the season. Last season, McLaurin caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, these stats are somewhat underwhelming when considering that 552 of those receiving yards came in just five games. In the 12 games outside of those outlier performances, McLaurin totaled 544 receiving yards. Also, the 13 receiving touchdowns were a career high and the most for McLaurin since his rookie season (7). It was the first time in McLaurin's career when he had a star quarterback at the helm, which could be a point that last season was truly an outlier year for the veteran receiver. In addition, with Deebo Samuel in the fold, McLaurin's target share will inevitably suffer. Samuel will dominate targets in the screen game and short areas of the field, which McLaurin benefited from. McLaurin is an outstanding receiver, but the Commanders need to be smart in these negotiations. Paying $33 million for a player nearing the end of his prime is not good for team construction. Although Daniels is on his rookie contract for the next several years, overpaying for players does not necessarily lead to winning. If Washington can sign the seven-year veteran to a deal in the range of $25-27 million per year, that would be much more reasonable when considering the age and production of the player. The Commanders are in a tough spot with this transpiring this late in the offseason, but they should not pay a premium for McLaurin.
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