The beautiful thing about baseball is that every year it reminds us what actually matters.
This weekend, a small school like @RiderUBaseball stood on the same field as some of the biggest programs in the country and proved we belonged.
We played Florida. We played Troy. We competed and outplayed them.
And while everyone loves to talk about velocity, spin rate, and radar guns, the game told a different story.
We hit home runs against 96+ mph fastballs.
Because velocity alone doesn’t win baseball games.
Command wins. Location wins. Changing speeds wins. Executing fundamentals wins.
As a pitching staff, we averaged around 87 mph, one of the lowest velocity staffs in the regional. Yet we weren’t overmatched. We defended. We ran the bases. We executed. In many areas of the game, we outplayed the teams we faced.
The difference?
Pitch command.
Not velocity.
Young players and training facilities across the country are chasing radar gun numbers as if that’s the answer to everything. Velocity absolutely matters. It can make a good pitcher better.
But velocity without command is just a harder batting practice fastball.
The greatest lesson from our regional experience wasn’t how hard Florida threw.
It was a reminder that baseball is still baseball.
The game still rewards players who can locate.The game still rewards players who can execute.The game still rewards teams that defend, communicate, run the bases, and do the little things right.
That’s what makes baseball, the greatest game in the world.
A small school with less resources can still stand toe-to-toe with anyone because the game doesn’t care about budgets, facilities, rankings, or social media hype.
It cares about execution.
Baseball will always humble https://t.co/vuGtNBCslr will always expose your weaknesses.But it will also reward the teams that master the fundamentals.
And that’s why a small school from New Jersey can walk into a regional and shock the world.
The game is still beautiful that way.
this was so sweet. Stephen Colbert just ended his final episode of The Late Show while singing "Hello, Goodbye" with Paul McCartney. his family and the show's crew then joined them on stage before Paul turned off the lights to the Ed Sullivan Theater
Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years. But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible. We did some media together also to laugh through some of the things we put each other through many years ago. Most recently we had even been discussing him running my Late Model at Wilkesboro this summer. He seemed extremely happy and we had planned to meet up next Thursday to get his seat to the shop. He laughed over the idea of his fans and JRM fans having to cheer in unison during that race.
Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. No one can deny that. But he was also a father, a husband, brother, son, and a friend to many. My heart is broken for the Busch family. I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.
45 years ago today, Yale's Ron Darling & St. John's Frank Viola matched up in the greatest college pitching duel ever.
Both starters made it through 11 scoreless innings.
Darling didn't allow a hit until the 12th inning but St. Johns won 1-0.
Marcus Freeman revealed to Kay Adams that he’s never been to @BackerLounge1 — the storied Notre Dame dive bar woven into decades of campus tradition, where locals, diehards, and even IF you're lucky Joe Montana go.
Freeman also shared that @Shanemgillis struck a deal with him: if Notre Dame wins a National Championship, the two will make the trip together.
🎥 @heykayadams w/@Marcus_Freeman1
A key component of Augusta National Golf Club, Stacey Whittle played a special role at the 2026 Masters. He presented the Green Jacket to Chairman Ridley at the Green Jacket Presentation Ceremony and represented the incredible employees of Augusta National in the process. #themasters
Madden Orlovsky had a heartfelt message for his family and friends in honor of World Autism Awareness Day 🥹
This was a special moment for all of us at ESPN. Thanks, Madden and @danorlovsky7 ❤️
#BenAffleck says film crews deserve to be paid “the decent middle wage that’s been provided for decades in this country” — which is why he and #MattDamon struck a first-of-its-kind deal with #Netflix on their new movie “The Rip” where all 1,200 cast and crew members could receive a back-end bonus if the film succeeds.
“There’s no guarantee that everyone’s going to get rich and be successful, but if you work on a project and it is successful, you ought to benefit from that,” Affleck told Variety on Tuesday night at “The Rip” worldwide premiere in New York.
Most streaming projects pay workers a flat fee upfront, ditching the old model where cast and crew could earn more when a project became a hit.
I return to this space today to pay tribute to my sweet, beloved Tatiana, who left this earth today. I return to this space to pay tribute and honor her loving and supportive family, who came together and did everything they possibly could do to help her. I return to this space heartbroken because Tatiana loved life. She loved her life, and she fought like hell to try to save it.
I cannot make sense of this. I cannot make any sense of it at all. None. Zero.
Tatiana was a great journalist, and she used her words to educate others about the earth and how to save it. She created a beautiful life with her extraordinary husband George, and children Eddie and Josie. She fought like a warrior. She was valiant, strong, courageous.
My heart has always been with my cousin Caroline ever since we were little kids. My entire being is with her now. What a rock she has been. What a source of love she has been with Ed, Rose, Rory, Jack, George, Eddie, Josie, and all of Tatiana’s cousins and friends and the amazing doctors who tried so hard.
A few weeks ago, Tatiana wrote so beautifully about her diagnosis and her battle with this horrendous disease. If you haven’t read her words, please honor her by doing so (the article is linked below). Her piece is extraordinary. Whatever your faith, please pray for Tatiana and her grieving family. Tatiana was the light, the humor, the joy. She was smart, wicked smart, as they say, and sassy. She was fun, funny loving, caring, a perfect daughter, sister, mother, cousin, niece, friend, all of it…
Those of us left behind will make sure Eddie and Josie know what a beautiful, courageous spirit their mother was and will always be. She takes after her extraordinary mother, Caroline. May we all hold Tatiana’s family in our collective embrace not just today, but in the days ahead, and may each of you who read this know how lucky you are to be alive right now. Please pause and honor your life. It truly is such a gift. ♥️