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Ric Flair on Thursday shared his emotional reaction to the news of Hulk Hogan’s death. News came out on Thursday that Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, died at the age of 71 due to cardiac arrest. Flair, who was one of the other biggest personalities in the wrestling world at the time of Hogan’s popularity, wrote a post on social media about the late wrestler, whom he called a “close friend.” “I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!” Flair wrote on X. Flair, 76, was five years older than Hogan. Their wrestling careers overlapped, and the two were rivals in WCW, and later WWE. Though they had their differences and disagreements as they were among the most popular performers in the wrestling world, they were able to mend matters and become friends over the last decade. Hogan had even referred to Flair as the “greatest wrestler of all time,” putting himself second in that conversation.
After a crushing 12–5 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, the New York Yankees made a pair of roster changes aimed at strengthening a bullpen that surrendered 10 earned runs in the loss. Right-handed reliever Scott Effross and infielder Jorbit Vivas were both optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, clearing space for immediate reinforcements. Effross, 31, bore the brunt of the damage late in the game. Entering in the ninth inning with the Yankees trailing 8–5, he gave up four runs on four hits, failing to record the shutdown frame the team desperately needed. His ERA ballooned from 5.59 to 8.44 after the outing. Across 11 appearances in 2025, Effross has allowed 10 runs on 16 hits in 10.2 innings, striking out six and walking three. The outing proved costly, both in the game and for his place on the roster. Vivas, 24, didn’t fare much better this season. Used sparingly, he appeared in 29 games while slashing .161/.266/.250 with one home run and five RBIs. He entered Friday’s game as a late substitution at third base and flew out in his lone plate appearance. In their place, the Yankees activated third baseman Ryan McMahon, acquired earlier in the day from the Colorado Rockies. The 30-year-old 2024 All-Star brings experience and a needed defensive upgrade to the hot corner. Through 100 games this season, McMahon is hitting .217 with a .314 on-base percentage and .403 slugging percentage, while adding 16 home runs and 35 RBIs. Discussing McMahon’s fit with the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt celebrated the addition, noting how exciting he fits within New York’s defensive identity. “He’s a really good player, great defender,” Goldschmidt said of McMahon. “He’s a good hitter, and he’s going to help us.” Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that McMahon would be active for Saturday’s matchup against the Phillies. The Yankees, currently 56–47, trail the Phillies, who improved to 59–44 with Friday’s win. Boone also acknowledged the bullpen’s ongoing struggles. The relief corps entered Friday ranked 20th in the league with a 4.07 ERA and has been thinned by injuries to Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz, and Ryan Yarbrough. With Clarke Schmidt out for the season and Luis Gil still recovering, reinforcements are expected before the July 31 trade deadline. The Yankees are expected to call up a fresh arm Saturday morning. Whether that move stabilizes the bullpen or not, more changes could be imminent.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Sporting CP have agreed the signing of Almeria striker Luis Suarez, who was a transfer target for Sunderland. The journalist explained that the Portuguese club will pay €25m for the 27-year-old Colombian forward, and Almeria will keep a 10% sell-on clause. This way, Sunderland misses out on another of their market targets to strengthen their attack, so they will have to look for other alternatives. This operation is a consequence of a 'domino effect', generated by the almost official, according to Romano, purchase of Viktor Gyokeres (27) by Arsenal. Fabrizio Romano drops huge €25m update on Sunderland transfer target "Sporting CP have agreed deal to sign Luis Javier Suarez from Almeria, here we go!," Romano began writing. "Deal confirmed as exclusively revealed in June. €25m fee package plus 10% sell-on clause," added the journalist, through his Twitter (X) account. This isn't the only complication for Regis Le Bris' team in this transfer window, as another attacking target, Gonzalo Garcia (21), appears to be finally extending his contract with Real Madrid, according to AS reports. "Now Gonzalo threatens Endrick's status and is negotiating a professional contract with Madrid," they explained in the cited outlet, after the mentioned 18-year-old Brazilian forward got injured again. Additionally, the failed signing of Sassuolo's Armand Lauriente (26) also joins the list of 'failures' by the Lads board this summer, specifically in their objective to strengthen the attack. Therefore, we cannot rule out that in the coming days, new rumors will emerge linking other offensive players with Sunderland, because it's clear that Le Bris wants to add talent in that area. Other forwards previously linked with the Black Cats are Nantes' Matthis Abline (22) and OGC Nice's Evann Guessand (24), although there haven't been recent updates. Read More:
The Sixers are waiving Ricky Council IV, the team announced in a press release. Council signed a four-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers in 2024, which contained a team option for the 2026-27 season. Last season, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per night — all career-high numbers. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes that the timing of the move was unexpected, given that Council’s guarantee date is on Jan. 10, 2026, and the team currently has an open roster spot if they need it to add restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. While Council struggled with his three-point shot last season, he emerged as a reliable depth contributor, playing a team-high 73 games while bringing athleticism and energy from the wing positions.
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