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- Frank Ragnow update fits troubling 2025 Lions pattern
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What Luis Diaz did during dramatic Bayern thriller will have Liverpool fans groaning in disbelief
Luis Diaz showed Liverpool exactly what they’re missing this season with a man-of-the-match performance against FC St Pauli. The Colombian international produced the decisive moments of the game, supplying the assist for Raphael Guerreiro’s equaliser before scoring after the 90-minute mark to secure three points for Bayern. A top performance from the former Red, which takes his tally to 18 goal contributions in all competitions in the 2025/26 season. How Luis Diaz helped Bayern Munich beat FC St Pauli It has to be said that the one glaring thing Liverpool seem to be missing on the flanks this season is pace. But what particularly stood out when observing Diaz’s involvement in their 3-1 win in the Bundesliga was his superb ability to retain possession. Just take a look at some fan footage shared on CF Bayern Insider’s YouTube: The winger runs into the box, controls a ball lofted over the defence from Kim Min-jae, and holds possession whilst under pressure from two St Pauli players. He is eventually felled, but manages to knock the ball to Guerreiro, who finishes from close range. Then, to top it all off, Luis Diaz sets the home crowd on fire with a match-winning headed goal in the depths of extra time in the second half. Catch Luis Diaz celebrating his goal for FC Bayern below: Would Diaz be an improvement on Cody Gakpo? It’s hard to say whether or not Diaz would be a serious improvement on the left wing. On the face of it, Cody Gakpo hasn’t done a great deal to justify his continued involvement in the first-XI, with only seven goal contributions in all competitions this term. Though, of course, the same could be said for anyone who isn’t Dominik Szoboszlai! Remarkably, even despite the ludicrous number of issues we’re facing all over the pitch, there isn’t as ginormous a performance gap between Gakpo and Diaz as you might expect. Which is made even more surprising by the fact that the latter had admitted he’s benefitting from more space and time on the ball in Germany. * Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo’s stats in the Bundesliga and Premier League per 90 in the 2025/26 season (Fotmob) Diaz wouldn’t fix everything going wrong at Liverpool It would be inexcusable of us to suggest that, had Liverpool retained the Colombian in the summer, we’d be in a much better position. However, likewise, to suggest certain traits wouldn’t have been of any value to Arne Slot during what has been a horrendous run of results would be unfair. Evidently, the Dutch head coach agrees to some degree, given that he had reportedly opposed the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern. If the claim is to be taken seriously, it seems that Richard Hughes went ahead and sanctioned the exit anyway. Regardless, this isn’t to point an accusing finger at our sporting director; Liverpool’s problems on the pitch are arguably not of the Scot’s making. Keeping Diaz certainly wouldn’t have fixed our apparent weakness against long, direct balls. Nor a lack of willingness to throw ourselves into 50-50s on the pitch. But boy, do we miss the 28-year-old’s absolute relentlessness!
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Arch Manning has defining performance of college career in win over Texas A&M
In the biggest game of his college football career so far, Texas quarterback Arch Manning grew into the superstar he was touted to be with the nation watching. No. 16 Texas (9-3) earned a huge rivalry win over No. 3 Texas A M (11-1) in Austin on Friday in large part thanks to the second-half play of Manning. Manning was only 8-of-21 for 51 yards in the first half, and the Longhorns trailed the Aggies 10-3 at the break. Texas had an opportunity to kick a field goal and cut the A M lead to four at the break, but an intentional grounding penalty incurred by Manning took that opportunity away. Arch Manning lights up the scoreboard in second half But with the help of a Texas defense that rattled TAMU QB Marcel Reed in the second half, Manning and the 'Horns scored 24 second-half points in a winning effort. Texas' first drive of the second half netted three points, but a strike from Manning to Ryan Wingo on the next UT possession gave the Longhorns the lead and gave Manning some confidence. After another defensive stop, Manning led a six-play, 83-yard TD drive to put the Longhorns up by 10. After Texas A M responded, Manning did as well, running away from the Aggie defense on a 35-yard scoring sprint that ultimately served as the deciding blow. In the end, it was Reed — the more experienced and consistent of the two quarterbacks — that made the back-breaking mistake, throwing an interception deep in Texas territory on a drive that looked poised to end with points. The victory was a team effort for Texas, which will await Saturday's slate of games and beg for several playoff contenders to lose to have a shot at the 12-team playoff field. But it was Manning who would be the face of it. Manning went 14-of-29 for 179 yards and a touchdown through the air and added 53 yards and a score on the ground. The win serves as the biggest moment of Manning's young UT career. Going into Saturday, Manning's sophomore season was marred by inconsistent play. A career day against Arkansas was contrasted by middling performances against Ohio State and Georgia. Standout efforts in wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were overshadowed by no-shows against UTEP, Kentucky and Florida. But Manning rose to his greatest challenge on Saturday, delivering a win in a rivalry game that nobody in the state of Texas — whether they wear burnt orange or maroon — will soon forget.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Cardinals' Richard Fitts Reveals Reaction To Getting Traded By Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made their first major trade of the offseason earlier this week, and Richard Fitts was on the business end of the deal. Fitts started this season in the Red Sox rotation, but injuries and struggles both took a toll. He wound up with a 5.00 ERA in 45 innings, and briefly flirted with a move to the bullpen late in the year before elbow neuritis ended his year early. Now that he's been dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the package for three-time All-Star Sonny Gray, Fitts is looking forward to competing for a spot in a less experienced rotation. If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google. Fitts talks trade, Cardinals opportunity Fitts recently shared his mindset on the trade, admitting that he likely had a better chance to stick in the St. Louis rotation than he would have if he'd remained in Boston. “With this opportunity (with the Cardinals), if I am able to stay healthy, I think it’s just going to be a great fit and a way for me to stay in a rotation,” Fitts said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “I feel like I really grew as a pitcher with the Red Sox. "When I came over from the (New York) Yankees to the Red Sox, it was like, ‘Oh, this would be cool if I get to be a big leaguer over here.’ And now, moving to this opportunity, it’s like, ‘I am a big leaguer. How can I fit into (the Cardinals) rotation?’” Though he would have been buried on the depth chart a bit, the Red Sox definitely weren't happy to see Fitts go. He showed No. 4 starter promise during his September call-up a year ago, including a scoreless start against the Yankees, and he was a spring training darling this year, adding significant velocity and showcasing three breaking balls. While Gray gives the Red Sox a significantly higher floor than they had to start the week, the Red Sox know they incurred some long-term risks by moving on from Fitts and Brandon Clarke. But the beauty of building pitching depth over the past couple of years is that it allows them to take some risks.
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