Jun 21, 2025
Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa (21) and San Diego Padres catcher Phil Nevin watch Sosa’s game-winning three-run homer with one out in the ninth on June 2, 1999, in Chicago. Associated Press file photo
CHICAGO — Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years before Chicago’s game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa is set to be inducted into the Cubs’ team Hall of Fame this year.
He arrived Friday at the iconic North Side ballpark in a black SUV. He was greeted with a hug from owner Tom Ricketts as he exited the vehicle. Sosa was a headliner in a generation of baseball’s biggest names linked to performance-enhancing drugs. He appeared to acknowledge using PEDs in December when he released a statement saying he was sorry for mistakes, without specifying them.
NHL ratings down from ’24
U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago.
An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers’ series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021.
Divac breaks hip after fall
PODGORICA, Montenegro — Former NBA center Vlade Divac has undergone emergency surgery after breaking a hip in a fall from his motorcycle in Montenegro.
The accident happened Thursday on a road near the Montenegrin Adriatic Sea coast. Hospital officials say the 57-year-old Divac sustained a fracture and that an artificial hip was implanted.
Clark leading WNBA vote
Indiana star Caitlin Clark has an early lead in the fan voting for next month’s WNBA All-Star Game.
The guard received 515,993 votes and was followed by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who garnered 484,758 votes. There were three other Indiana players in the top 10 with Aliyah Boston third, Kelsey Mitchell seventh and Lexie Hull ninth.
This year’s game will be played in Indiana on July 19. A’ja Wilson of Las Vegas and Breanna Stewart of New York were fourth and fifth in the balloting. Sabrina Ionescu of New York and rookies Paige Bueckers of Dallas and Kiki Iriafen of Washington rounded out the top 10.
Borden leaves Duke for UTSA
Stanley Borden, the final basketball player still in college to have played for Mike Krzyzewski, says he is transferring to UTSA from Duke.
The 7-foot Borden was a walk-on for the Blue Devils, joining the team in 2021 — the last of the Hall of Fame coach’s career.
Despite not getting on the court much, he had fond memories of his time under Coach K. Borden had one year of eligibility left after he didn’t play his junior year because of injuries.
He wanted to find a school that he could play at in his final season of college basketball so he entered the portal.
Sabalenka stages rally
BERLIN — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback” when she saved four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open tennis tournament. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tiebreak but came storming back by winning six straight points to reach her eighth semifinal of the season.
Sabalenka says “Not so long ago I was thinking that it’s been a while since I’ve made a crazy comeback, and here I am.”
Sabalenka next faces Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-1. Liudmila Samsonova will meet Wang Xinyu in the other semifinal.
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