Ketel Marte: Another Absence That’s Causing a Stir

Last night at Fenway Park, the Diamondbacks were completely out of it.
In an 11-1 loss to Boston, the pitchers didn't record a single strikeout. Furthermore, every starter in the lineup drove in at least one run.
Every member of the Red Sox lineup had an RBI tonight and not a single person struck out.
The Red Sox offense had the DBacks in a box. pic.twitter.com/qW9dUYDWBI
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 18, 2026
But that wasn't even what caught the most attention.
What got people

Despite injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Cody Bellinger, the starting rotation has held the fort. That's the main reason the New York Yankees are still comfortably in playoff contention (for now).
The only downside: this rotation has never been fully healthy this season. And yesterday (Monday) was the closest it's come so far, as Carlos Rodon was set to return to action today (Tuesday) after a strong performance in his most recent rehab start in Double-A.
But then came the news th

In 2018, John Tavares signed with the Maple Leafs.
The Montreal native was returning home after years spent in the United States. He did so thanks to a lucrative contract offer from the Maple Leafs. People in New York didn't take it well.
Among the incentives used to lure the star to the city was an $8 million signing bonus. And eight years later, it's still an issue.
It was discussed a few years ago, but the issue is still in the news right now: Tavares believes he shouldn't have been taxed on

Margot Robbie will only be in one film this year and it’s happened already. We saw in January and February when she was promoting Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” and then, as she does, and she did after Barbie, she went back underground, keeping a low profile. Not unlike most of the stars who are at Hollywood’s highest level these days. And she’s up there – both as a producer and an actor.
The most recent gossip about her had to do with how Warner

Dear Gossips,Fall TV season isn’t what it used to be since streamers release great series year round but for the series that do typically come out in the fall, there is still some anticipation.
Netflix dropped several new trailers for returning and new series yesterday and if you had asked me ahead of time which one I was most excited about I would have said The Diplomat season four. Keri Russell is always excellent and she is reliably great as Kate Wyler but Rufus Sewell is right there wi

We talked about this this morning, but The Athletic (Corey Pronman) has released its ranking of the 32 teams, based on the quality of players aged 23 and under.
The ranking takes into account both established NHL players and prospects.
The Canadiens are ranked third on the list. The Sharks and the Ducks, two California teams, are ahead of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton's squad.
But it's also important to keep in mind that Pronman ranked the Habs' young players. And that's where you can see that the

Burton Cummings doesn’t mince words talking about what the Takin’ It Back Tour means for the musical legacy of The Guess Who.For the first time in 23 years, he and Randy Bachman are touring together under the band name they made famous. The tour follows the settlement in 2024 of a lengthy trademark lawsuit between them and original members Jim Cale and Garry Peterson around who had the rights to use the name.“We’re here to remind people who the ones who made the music re

The Canadiens are building around young players, as you know.
Even though the club's prospect pool isn't as deep as it used to be, the organization's pool of young players remains just as promising.
And that's true both in the short and long term.
So for a few years now, the Canadiens have been highly regarded when it comes to the young players in the organization—both established players and prospects.
And that's not about to change this morning.
Corey Pronman (The Athletic) ranked the 32

We often keep an eye on the players drafted by the Canadiens at rookie camp, but it's important to keep an eye out for invited players who weren't drafted into the NHL.
That will certainly be the case this year, as Alexey Vlasov has received an invitation to the Canadiens' rookie camp.
The Victoriaville Tigres announced this on their social media accounts on Monday evening.44 goals in his first season in the QMJHL. Undrafted. 5'9”. Worth a look for the Canadiens. They have a system that kn

The Ducks didn't have it easy with the hostile offer for Leo Carlsson. They had to swallow an $18 million contract for a player who doesn't deserve to be paid that much.
All that money sparked some jealousy in his teammate Cutter Gauthier. Back in July, there were reports that he wanted a more lucrative contract than Connor Bedard's $15 million-per-season deal.
With very little wiggle room, the Ducks took a shot by offering Gauthier a contract worth $13 million per season. He reportedly turned d

The Rafael Devers case is fascinating.
After all, unlike Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox didn't let him go because of his contract situation.
In fact, Devers left because the Red Sox found a team that wanted his big contract—and his problems.
As good as he is on the field at his best, Devers isn't a good teammate. He drags the guys down.
No one is asking him to be a positive leader. But he shouldn't undermine his organization's culture either…
More than a year after the

We're nearing the end of August, and Kent Hughes has made virtually no trades this summer. Maybe the Habs won't make any moves before the start of the season, but there's still time.
The Habs need a top-6 forward and a solid right-handed defenseman. As it happens, the Calgary Flames happen to have exactly that on their roster.
That's the observation Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News made on Monday.Today on @SpectorsHockey's Rumor Roundup: the latest on the Calgary Flames, Arber Xhekaj, and Zach

Kyle Tucker was the big fish to land last winter during free agency. In the end, the former Cub and Astro took the bait from the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing a four-year, $240 million deal. That was a huge amount of money, but hey, the Dodgers really wanted him—at any cost, it seems!
A few months later, you can bet the teams that lost out on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes are very happy to have finished second. The outfielder isn't having a season that lives up to expectations—or to his

Since being drafted by the CH in 2023, David Reinbacher has played only two games for the big club.
That's very few, considering he was selected fifth overall. Despite this, some still rank him among the team's top three prospects (and with good reason). Elite Prospects didn't even include David Reinbacher among the prospects who absolutely must take their game to the next level in 2026–2027.
The creator of HockeyDB has high hopes for the defenseman this season. He predicts Reinbacher will

According to many, the CH was one of the teams that improved the most.
How?
By trading Brendan Gallagher, perhaps? Because aside from that trade, Kent Hughes hasn't done much. It's not for lack of trying, though…
According to Pierre McGuire—who never speaks without a reason—a trade is on the horizon, in his opinion.
He said this on the Toronto Sports Rush podcast.Does Pierre McGuire know something we don't about a trade coming for the Montreal Canadiens?Don't come at me if not

Derek Jeter Defends Michael Jordan
Playing in Double-A after a years-long hiatus isn't easy. His stats aren't all that bad, considering the circumstances.
“He went from Little League to Double-A and hit .200. That's not easy to do.”
Derek Jeter says Michael Jordan was a much better baseball player than people tend to realize. pic.twitter.com/78Ui3c1L2N
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) August 17, 2026
Tugboat Recalled
The Giants have called up Matt Wilkinson.
Giants are ca

Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun have now been together for about a year. It was official last September when they were first photographed together holding hands, but the relationship probably started around the time of the Bozos wedding in June 2025. Officially, then, at least on the gossip books, this is their first full summer as a couple and they’ve been seen on holiday – in London and also on a yacht in Mallorca. Included in this post are photos of them in both places.It’s

The season in Russia is slowly getting underway.
Already, some players are looking like they're on fire.
Check out this clip of goalie Mikhail Berdin. Good thing it's just the preseason.Good thing it's only #KHLPreseasonpic.twitter.com/dcwykGHArd
— KHL (@khl_eng) August 17, 2026As seems to be the case every year, Habs fans will be keeping an eye on the KHL. This season, two prospects will have our attention: Gleb Pugachyov and Alex Zharovsky.
As for Zharovsky, he played today and, as my co

The season is almost here!
In a month, training camps will kick off across the NHL. But that doesn't mean the various teams have finished their shopping.
Just ask Canadiensthe New York Rangers… 
According to Vincent Mercogliano (The Athletic Hockey Show), the Blue Shirts are still looking for a player who can contribute to the team's top six. Management in New York wants to add some offensive firepower to the lineup after signing Pavel Dorofeyev—and that's not a crazy idea eith

As you know, Alex Cora's (Boston) firing earlier this season had quite an impact on MLB.
After all, when the Red Sox changed managers, it led many teams to imagine having that experienced manager at the helm of their club.
Among them? We have to assume that the Mets, who had a rough start to the season, considered the possibility of hiring Alex Cora.
We know the Phillies are among them. Dave Dombrowski made no secret of it: he called Cora as soon as Cora lost his job.
Remember that the two of th

The fact that Kristen Stewart doesn’t have a publicist who bans questions about Twilight is one of the coolest things about her. Like Robert Pattinson, she doesn’t shy away from or lean into Twilight, she just lets it play out.
I’m not a Robsten truther but I do think she and Rob will work together again. Not because of their previous personal relationship, but because of their kooky taste.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Condé Nast Traveler (@cntraveler)
Lena

Jayden Daniels finds himself at the center of a media storm just a few weeks before the start of the upcoming NFL season.The Washington Commanders quarterback has become the target of numerous jokes on social media following a controversy involving his former university, LSU.
It all began when cornerback DJ Pickett, Louisiana State University's new star, chose to wear the number 5—the iconic number associated with Daniels during his time at LSU.
The Commanders player apparently did not app

Sarah posted earlier about all the MCU and superhero business at D23 this weekend, which is Disney’s major fan event, and Disney is about more than superheroes and Star Wars etc. Disney also makes princesses, and Anne Hathaway is now an official Disney princess. Well, actually, she’s been a Disney princess, Mia Thermopolis, for a quarter of a century now – multiple princesses, if we’re getting picky. Because there’s also Ella Enchanted and… Andy Sachs at this

Zachary Bolduc's future with the Canadiens could be decided in the coming weeks, but more importantly, his next contract could reveal a lot about how Kent Hughes views his potential.
And according to Réjean Tremblay, two scenarios are possible for the Quebec forward.
If Hughes firmly believes that Bolduc can become a key player in Montreal, the general manager could offer him a four-year deal worth a total of $16 million. Such a deal would represent an average annual salary of $4 million.

On February 10, 2012, Scott Gomez, then playing for the Montreal Canadiens, ended a streak of more than a year without scoring a goal in the NHL; his last goal had come on February 5, 2011, against Martin Biron. At the time, Gomez was in the fifth year of a seven-year, $51.5 million contract.
You might be wondering what this has to do with anything, and I understand why. But there's certainly a parallel to be drawn with the situation Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is currently facing with the Toronto Blu

Canadiens fans will have to wait a little longer before seeing Gleb Pugachyov settle permanently in the KHL.
According to information obtained by Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports) from a Torpedo executive, Pugachyov is expected to play at various levels within the organization during the 2026–2027 season.
The young prospect will continue his development in Russia (as we already knew), and he may be called upon to shuttle back and forth between Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod's various teams this seaso

George Kittle refuses to rule out a dramatic return in the very first game of the 2026 NFL season.The San Francisco 49ers star is continuing his rehabilitation after a serious injury to his right Achilles tendon, but he remains convinced he could be fit enough to make the trip to Australia.
The 49ers are set to kick off their season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, a game that could therefore become a race against the clock for Kittle.
The 32-year-old veteran is cautiously optimistic.

When you’re as famous as Taylor Swift, with your own metaverse populated by millions of fans who can at this point self-generate content, every small detail becomes a big headline. She’s also been relatively under-the-radar since the wedding, so it was always going to be a conversation the moment she emerged.This weekend Taylor was in London for Oli Jacobs and Laura Sisk’s wedding, the second wedding she’s attended since her own wedding, common for a lot of people in thei

Alexander Zharovsky will spend the next year in Russia.
It will be interesting to follow his performance throughout the season… because he had a very good first season in the KHL in '25–'26.
I'm eager to see if he'll be able to improve—especially since he'll have better support around him…
Zharovsky and his team are in action today for a preseason game… and the young player was spotted on the ice wearing a cage (not a visor).
And according to reports, Zharovsky l

Two weeks after their star-studded presentation at Comic Con, Marvel doubled down at Disney’s in-house fan convention, D23, continuing to tease Avengers: Doomsday, introducing VisionQuest, and announcing the first round of new, MCU-branded X-Men casting. Let’s start with Doomsday.They dropped a “special look”—don’t call it a trailer, I guess, even though it is a trailer—centered on Robert Downey, Jr.’s return to the MCU, but this time as villain Vi