Nolan Arenado was slugging his way through the month of May when the Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman woke up one morning with an ailment that's familiar to those who felt invincible in their 20s but have advanced to their mid-to-late 30s. His back hurt. Not bad. Not enough to keep him out of the lineup. But it was one of those inexplicable moments that comes with being an aging Major League Baseball player threatening to derail a hot streak for an eight-time All-Star who just turned 35. "There's more aches and pains," Arenado said. "There's just a little more work in the gym, getting prepared for the game, than there used to be. That's a learning curve. "I've always been in the gym, always did that stuff, but there's definitely more maintenance." Arenado got past the minor back issue and is continuing a bounce-back season in the desert, batting .256 with eight homers and 30 RBIs through Monday's games. He's among a group of the 35-and-older crowd getting solid results at the plate, joining Los Angeles Dodgers veterans Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, along with Houston's Christian Walker. But it's a small club that's become smaller over the past decade. MLB hitters who are 35 or older have combined to provide just 5.6 WAR (Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs) through roughly the first 1/3 of the season, continuing a trend that's accelerated over the past decade. In the early 2000s, older stars were the norm in the big leagues. It peaked in 2003 when older hitters combined for 71.3 WAR, with a group highlighted by Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Kenny Lofton, Luis Gonzalez and Jeff Bagwell. So what's changed? Let's look at some of the reasons why MLB is skewing younger this days: Analytics like younger players Baseball's analytical era can be traced back to the work of Bill James in the 1970s and 1980s, but terms like WAR, wOBA, BABIP, and OPS+ didn't start to become widespread in the big leagues until at least the late 2000s. Suddenly, the eye test wasn't enough for MLB general managers. Cold, hard numbers were in. And overwhelmingly those numbers showed that the best years for a big league hitter usually come from their mid-20s to early 30s. That's directly correlated to MLB teams locking up young players to long-term contracts. Arizona's Corbin Carroll, Detroit's Kevin McGonigle, Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin, Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. and Seattle's Julio Rodriguez are among dozens of promising players who were signed to lucrative deals well before they reach free agency. Spending on veterans is no longer in vogue. Walker a three-time Gold Glove first baseman who has hit nearly 200 career homers signed with the Astros for a relatively modest $60 million, three-year deal after the 2024 season when he was 33 years old. "I think it has a lot to do with the ability to measure guys value on the field," Walker said. "For a long time, WAR didnt exist, wRC+ wasnt a stat, right? So, you went off of the optics or this guys a good clubhouse guy or hes got experience, hes been to a World Series." Velocity has exploded during their careers Today's young stars have come of age in a game where velocity is king, but it wasn't that way when Freeman and others broke through. The average MLB fastball in 2026 is north of 94 mph, with 18 qualified pitchers averaging at least 96. When Freeman debuted 17 years ago, the league-wide average was under 92 and no qualified pitchers averaged at least 96. Arenado said that one of the first things that becomes tougher for MLB veterans is the ability to handle really good fastballs particularly inside. It makes for tough matchups against pitchers like Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski, who routinely throws 100 mph. "I feel like just the general age of the levels and the development is trending younger and younger," Walker said. "And there might be something to that like your best bullets might be when youre 27 years old." Big league teams value flexibility more now, too Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has Freeman and Muncy in his lineup on nearly a daily basis. He also played in the big leagues until he was 36 years old, retiring in 2008, giving him some personal experience on the aging process. "The hardest part is to expect and want the same output you've always had, but not be willing to change the equation," Roberts said. Roberts said the process is different for every player. Some need to work out more. Some less. Others need more sleep. Diet becomes more important. The tricky part is that the habits that brought you to the big leagues might not be the same ones that will keep you there in your mid-to-late 30s. Walker, who didn't become a starter in the big leagues until he was 28, said he's embraced getting older and enjoys analyzing his blood tests that might signal what's causing vitamin deficiencies or inflammation. The tests also show how much alcohol might affect his body or the importance of a good night's sleep. "For myself, no real magic recipe, just chalk it up to being a late bloomer," Walker said. "My age is older than most guys, but service time isnt. I havent been in the big leagues for 20 years or anything like that. Just fortunate that I still can help the team." Arenado embraces change Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he believed there were two main reasons Arenado was still having success in his 14th big league season. First, he gave credit to the D-backs' hitting coaches. But maybe most importantly, Arenado has listened to those coaches, embraced change and found new ways to have success. "There's an adjustment to work habits and mindset once you get to that level where things aren't as easy as they used to be," Lovullo said. "Some say Ive had my career, it's not as easy as it once was, and I want to shut it down.'" Later he added: "It's fun to watch Nolan Arenado have all this success, but he's worked his butt off. He's working as hard as any 22 or 23 year old we have on this team." Reporting by the Associated Press.

Time to trim the fat and put aside false hopes

Two players going into their senior year of high school are playing in the U.S. Open next week, along with another teenager who is headed off to college.The field for Shinnecock Hills includes T.K. Kim, a 35-year-old who was born in South Korea, raised on Maui, played college golf at Boise State and will get ready for his first U.S. Open by playing two Oklahoma mini-tour events in Muskogee and Duncan.Billy Horschel has 10 worldwide wins and more than $42.5 million in career PGA Tour earnings, not including his $10 million bonus from winning the FedEx Cup. His path to Shinnecock Hills was no different from 17-year-old Miles Russell or Arni Sveinsson, who will make history as the first player from Iceland in the U.S. Open.This is what makes the U.S. Open stand out from the other four majors. It gets called the toughest test in golf sometimes too tough but it prides itself on being the most open of any Open.David Fay, who spent 21 years as the USGA executive director, once said, "Its not the best field in golf. It never pretended to be. Its the most democratic championship.Fay might raise his eyebrows when he looks at the numbers now.By the time the USGA was done handing out exemptions this year based on performance at the PGA Tour, European tour and LIV Golf only 62 spots were available in final qualifying. That included just 43 spots on Monday, which still tries to sell itself as the Longest Day in Golf even with the shrinking numbers.Ten years ago, the 156-man field at Oakmont included 80 players who had to earn their way there through 36-hole qualifiers. Twenty-seven of them first had to get through 18-hole local qualifiers, a list that included 19-year-old Sam Burns.For this year at Shinnecock Hills, the qualifiers stand at a mere 62 players. That number figures to go up because the USGA has set aside seven spots for players who potentially can qualify through the top 60 in the world ranking after this week (Memorial winner J.T. Poston is a lock).Even so, it's not close to the U.S Open ideal of a 50-50 split. That had been the sweet spot for years until the USGA responded to the changing landscape in golf and went away from its roots by trying to get all the right players.The only player the U.S. Open probably missed out on over the years was Justin Rose in 2010 when he won the Memorial and moved to No. 33 in the world, two weeks after the cutoff for what was then top 50. The next year, the USGA added a second deadline the week before the Open so that wouldn't happen again.But over the past few years, the USGA felt it should recognize LIV Golf by adding two spots a leading player from last year (Joaquin Niemann) and this year (Lucas Herbert). Nothing would have kept either one from trying to qualify.It has added five leading players from the FedEx Cup this year (Sudarshan Yellamaraju among them), two players from the Race to Dubai in 2025 (Laurie Canter and Adrien Saddier) and one this year (Jayden Schaper). There's still a 36-hole qualifier in London that offered seven spots.The U.S. Junior Amateur winner began getting an exemption in 2018, the NCAA champion in 2023. There's now a place for the top player on the Korn Ferry Tour last year.Each addition gets the U.S. Open further away from its roots.All of them are quality players, and all of them certainly earned the right to be there based on performance, the key word when golf throws out meritocracy. All of them could have qualified, just like four-time All-American Ben James and PGA Tour player Keith Mitchell. Today is such an important day for us, John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, said Monday night as the qualifying at 10 sites across the continent were winding down. Openness and qualifying and earning your way into our national championship is part of our DNA.It still is. But it's not as evident as it used to be. This should get the attention of the USGA, if it hasn't already. There's no need to go down the path of the British Open from just over a decade go when it established the "Open Qualifying Series at tournaments around the world. It has been effective in identifying a good field through performance, but it's not the same as proving it over 36 holes. Players show up at tournaments to win a place in the British Open often is a consolation prize (Poston managed to get both at Muirfield Village on Sunday).Now the British Open offers 20 qualifying spots at four venues, plus something called a Last Chance Qualifier to be held over 18 holes on Monday of The Open at Royal Birkdale.The U.S. Open still has a right to boast of being the most open of Open championships around the world. It would do well not to get too far away from that. There's really no risk of missing out on a player whom the golfing public wouldn't know was missing.There would be more opportunity to see Russell and Giuseppe Puebla, Nos. 1 and 2 in the American junior ranking, be among three amateurs who qualified in Florida; to see Andrew Putnam at No. 84 in the world earn the final spot Tuesday morning in a nine-hole playoff in Oregon over Spencer Tibbits, who has no world ranking.Monday brought the joy of Vaughn Harber, an Ohio State sophomore who went 5 under over his last five holes to get into a playoff and advance to his first U.S. Open. There were other stories like him. The U.S. Open needs more moments like that, not fewer. It's part of its DNA.___On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

After nearly four years away from professional tennis, Serena Williams won her first doubles match with partner Victoria Mboko in the opening round of the HSBC Championship.

The Queen's club in West London might be named after Queen Victoria, but there was only one queen in town on Tuesday evening - and only one Victoria, too.

Victor Wembanyama likens home-court advantage to having six players on the court against five. On the road, it is like five on six.Wemby likes it like that.Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs thrived in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and are undaunted by the hostile environment and the series deficit they face against the New York Knicks.I like lively crowds, active crowds, Wembanyama said Tuesday, roughly 13 hours after his 32-point, eight-rebound, six-assist dominance to pick up his first career win in the finals. At home, its an extra motivation because you want to give the people who support you a good show. On the road, you want to do the opposite.Fresh off silencing a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000, San Antonio now gets the chance to even things up in Game 4 on Wednesday night back at the Garden in what could be an even more intense situation as fans try to will their team to the verge of its first championship since 1973.We find a comfort playing on the road, knowing when youre in this environment, its us versus them, and obviously everybody in the crowd, Guard De'Aaron Fox said. When you know that everybody behind you has your back it allows you to settle into these games.Backcourt mate Stephon Castle said he and the Spurs knew their season was on the line after falling behind 2-0 in the series and credited their connectivity for being 7-3 on the road in these playoffs. If Monday was a must-win game, Wednesday is nearly that because only one of 38 teams to fall behind 3-1 in the finals came back to win it.Its something you cant shy away from, especially with the goals and aspirations that we have, Castle said. Just focus on the things that matter throughout the game and not really paying too close attention to the crowd. Theyre going to be there regardless, especially cheering on their team. You should want to play in those environments. I feel like thats when we play at our best.Wembanyama certainly was, shaking off his buzzer-beating miss to turn in a performance fit for the bright spotlight at a place known as the world's most famous arena. But the 22-year-old big man from France did not do it alone.Castle, who's 21, scored 23 points and did not look bothered by the ankle he injured in Game 2 on Friday night. Devin Vassell, who's 25, and Julian Champagnie, weeks away from his 25th birthday, each hit some big shots and got into double figures. Rookie Dylan Harper, who is 20, scored 13 off the bench.Fox, who at 28 is among the elder statesmen, points to those young players' demeanor to explain why they don't shrink under pressure.They just dont have the personalities that you would think that are just going to be overwhelmed by something, Fox said. I dont know what theyre feeling on the inside, obviously. What you see out there on the court with them, just when you see it on their faces when New York is going on a run, you dont see them panic.There does not seem to be any panic in the Spurs, no matter how inexperienced some of their core players are. Coach Mitch Johnson understands why there is so much talk about youth and age, but like Fox he thinks it's more about the makeup of guys like Wembanyama, Castle and Harper than how many years they've been alive and playing basketball.Perhaps being a little naive helps. Harper said this is the first time he has been booed on the street walking out of a hotel in New York, though it only served to fire him and his teammates up and could continue to do so."We just stay together in environments like this, Harper said. When we come to away games in the playoffs, for us at least, its been just staying together and holding each other accountable. I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with (in Game 3), I feel like were pretty hard to beat when we do that.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Victor Wembanyama likens home-court advantage to having six players on the court against five. On the road, it is like five on six.Wemby likes it like that.Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs thrived in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and are undaunted by the hostile environment and the series deficit they face against the New York Knicks.I like lively crowds, active crowds, Wembanyama said Tuesday, roughly 13 hours after his 32-point, eight-rebound, six-assist dominance to pick up his first career win in the finals. At home, its an extra motivation because you want to give the people who support you a good show. On the road, you want to do the opposite.Fresh off silencing a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000, San Antonio now gets the chance to even things up in Game 4 on Wednesday night back at the Garden in what could be an even more intense situation as fans try to will their team to the verge of its first championship since 1973.We find a comfort playing on the road, knowing when youre in this environment, its us versus them, and obviously everybody in the crowd, Guard De'Aaron Fox said. When you know that everybody behind you has your back it allows you to settle into these games.Backcourt mate Stephon Castle said he and the Spurs knew their season was on the line after falling behind 2-0 in the series and credited their connectivity for being 7-3 on the road in these playoffs. If Monday was a must-win game, Wednesday is nearly that because only one of 38 teams to fall behind 3-1 in the finals came back to win it.Its something you cant shy away from, especially with the goals and aspirations that we have, Castle said. Just focus on the things that matter throughout the game and not really paying too close attention to the crowd. Theyre going to be there regardless, especially cheering on their team. You should want to play in those environments. I feel like thats when we play at our best.Wembanyama certainly was, shaking off his buzzer-beating miss to turn in a performance fit for the bright spotlight at a place known as the world's most famous arena. But the 22-year-old big man from France did not do it alone.Castle, who's 21, scored 23 points and did not look bothered by the ankle he injured in Game 2 on Friday night. Devin Vassell, who's 25, and Julian Champagnie, weeks away from his 25th birthday, each hit some big shots and got into double figures. Rookie Dylan Harper, who is 20, scored 13 off the bench.Fox, who at 28 is among the elder statesmen, points to those young players' demeanor to explain why they don't shrink under pressure.They just dont have the personalities that you would think that are just going to be overwhelmed by something, Fox said. I dont know what theyre feeling on the inside, obviously. What you see out there on the court with them, just when you see it on their faces when New York is going on a run, you dont see them panic.There does not seem to be any panic in the Spurs, no matter how inexperienced some of their core players are. Coach Mitch Johnson understands why there is so much talk about youth and age, but like Fox he thinks it's more about the makeup of guys like Wembanyama, Castle and Harper than how many years they've been alive and playing basketball.Perhaps being a little naive helps. Harper said this is the first time he has been booed on the street walking out of a hotel in New York, though it only served to fire him and his teammates up and could continue to do so."We just stay together in environments like this, Harper said. When we come to away games in the playoffs, for us at least, its been just staying together and holding each other accountable. I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with (in Game 3), I feel like were pretty hard to beat when we do that.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Michel Platini has lodged a criminal complaint in Paris against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of orchestrating a scheme to derail his bid for football's top job nearly ten years ago.The French footballing icon submitted the legal filing on Monday through his lawyers, naming Infantino alongside five other Swiss football and prosecution officials.According to his lawyer Olivier Baratelli, the complaint alleges that Infantino and others "worked to exclude [Platini] from the race for the presidency of FIFA", with the current FIFA chief positioned as the primary figure behind these alleged efforts.The charges include false accusation and active influence peddling.Platini had been the overwhelming favourite to succeed his former mentor Sepp Blatter at FIFA's helm in 2016, widely regarded as one of the most talented players of the 1970s and 1980s.His presidential ambitions collapsed when FIFA's ethics committee launched an investigation into a two million Swiss francs payment he received from Blatter in 2011.The governing body's disciplinary arm imposed an eight-year suspension on the Frenchman in 2015, effectively ending his candidacy.This punishment was subsequently halved to four years following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Despite the sanctions, both Platini and Blatter were cleared of fraud and forgery charges when they stood trial together in Switzerland in 2022.Swiss prosecutors appealed the verdict, but the federal criminal appeals court upheld the acquittals in 2025.Throughout the legal proceedings, the 70-year-old has consistently maintained that the controversial payment represented legitimate compensation for consultancy work he performed for Blatter between 1998 and 2002.A separate civil action is also being pursued, with Platini's legal team seeking financial redress from FIFA in Switzerland for what they describe as a deliberate campaign to obstruct his succession of Blatter.The timing of Platini's legal action is particularly striking, arriving just days before Infantino opens the World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico on Thursday.The tournament marks the first occasion the competition has been staged across three nations, with 48 teams participating in an expanded format.Infantino's path to football's most powerful position opened directly as a result of Platini's downfall, with the Swiss administrator winning the presidency in 2016 after serving as general secretary at UEFA under Platini himself.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Claude Fable 5 is a version of Anthropic's Claude Mythos, an AI program which caused a stir among technology, finance, and government leaders

Kein Aufschlagverlust, 22 Asse und trotzdem Zittern bis zum Schluss: Tennisprofi Hanfmann hat ein enges Duell in Stuttgart fr sich entschieden. Auch Jan-Lennard Struff gewann seine Partie spektakulr.[mehr]