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Good morning! Try vulnerability today.
Emotions: Cheers for tears, Masters edition
For the second time in five days, we saw a superhero weep. Last week, it was Luka Dončić, lip quivering, shedding tears as he returned to Dallas as a Laker. Yesterday, it was Rory McIlroy collapsing onto the 18th green after a playoff at Augusta National, finally a Masters champion.
Just look at this:
HISTORICAL.
🎥 @TheMasters pic.twitter.com/6Eaj9VtHhZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 13, 2025
Try not to feel anything while watching that. If you don’t, I pray for you. McIlroy ended an 11-year majors drought and captured a hallowed career grand slam yesterday. This comes after what felt like endless opportunities at other major wins during that drought, only to falter time after time.
You could physically see the weight lifted as his final putt found the cup, and to be clear, I love it. To have these titans of sport show such emotion is incredibly vulnerable and relatable. These guys care — a lot — which makes me all the more invested in watching them perform. McIlroy, 35, got reciprocal roars from the crowd, too, as the emotion was palpable all day.
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Just … cool. More of this, please.
Two quick thoughts on the actual round:
- It’s not like McIlroy had an easy time. He had plenty of opportunities to put this away across the back nine and just couldn’t do it, finishing his round 1 over par. He paired breathtaking approach shots with short misses — until the final hole, his 19th of the day, after another unbelievable iron into the 18th green.
- McIlroy now resides in a different tier of all-time great golfers. The rest of the career grand slam list: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods. That’s it. A true seat the table, as Brendan Quinn elegantly writes.
- More to read: Check out Brody Miller’s opus on McIlroy to get a better sense of yesterday’s emotions. We’ll remember this tournament for a long time. As Gabby Herzig wrote, the roars said everything. Justin Ray has some remarkable numbers. And yes, CBS will be happy.
Let’s keep going:
News to Know
Bueckers signs with Unrivaled
Fresh off a national title, former UConn superstar Paige Bueckers will be the No. 1 pick in today’s WNBA Draft and a new member of Unrivaled, the startup 3×3 league that just completed its first season with a bang. It’s a three-year deal for Bueckers, and a source told The Athletic’s Ben Pickman that her first-year salary will exceed what she can earn in all four years of her WNBA deal. Find out more in our report. Also, No Offseason has the draft teed up here: Watch.
Ex-LSU WR Lacy dead
Kyren Lacy, the 24-year-old former LSU wide receiver and NFL Draft prospect, died late Saturday night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase, Texas police said. Lacy was one of LSU’s best wideouts last season, but was not invited to the combine after being involved in a December car crash that left a man dead. Saturday’s police chase began after a family member said Lacy shot a gun into the ground. Read more on the tragedy here.
Davis stays with ESPN after Fox dalliance
Rece Davis is sticking with ESPN’s iconic “College GameDay” after what The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand termed an “all-out effort” by Fox to lure Davis to its flagship college football show “Big Noon Kickoff.” Davis signed a seven-year deal worth “tens of millions” to stick with the worldwide leader. Sounds like the rivalry is legit now.
More news
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Hoops Debrief: Everything’s set
The NBA regular season is over, which means we can all relax for an entire day. Before the Play-In begins tomorrow, let’s take quick stock of where we are. Here’s how the playoff picture looks:
The stage is set 🍿
The NBA Play-In Tournament starts Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/9Gedy8ONic
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 14, 2025
Two quick takeaways here:
- Multiple seeds in the Western Conference were up for grabs entering yesterday’s games. The Nuggets, Clippers and Timberwolves avoided the Play-In. Golden State and Memphis are relegated to the Play-In. The No. 8 seed Grizzlies (48-34) finished just two games back of the No. 3 seed Lakers (50-32). I have no idea what’s going to happen on this side of the bracket.
- Miami, Chicago and Atlanta are Play-In teams for the third straight season, which feels impossible (and it’s four straight for Atlanta). Congrats on staying competitive? I don’t think this is a good thing long-term.
On the other side, we also got clarity on lottery odds. The Jazz, Wizards and Hornets all have the best odds to win the No. 1 pick, though Washington’s buzzer-beater win yesterday pushed their guaranteed lowest spot back from No. 5 to No. 6.
We have a full dossier on yesterday’s ripple effects. Read up before the playoffs begin.
What to Watch
📺 NHL: Blackhawks at Canadiens
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Montreal has a 98 percent chance to make the playoffs, per our data, but with two games left it’s time to clinch. See some intrigue here.
📺 MLB: Royals at Yankees
7:05 p.m. ET on MLB Network
It’s a light night on national TV, and if you can find the Nationals-Pirates games — Paul Skenes is starting — do that. In the Bronx, two teams with big hopes entering the season have struggled out the gate. I’m curious to see Kansas City most, to be honest.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
What do we do 10 days before the NFL Draft? Redraft last year’s first round, starting with the existential question: Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams? See all the picks.
How much is a Masters jacket worth? Could be millions … or $5. Larry Holder explored a great rabbit hole for this story.
What will Nico Iamaleava’s market be in the transfer portal? Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales have some ideas. I still can’t believe this all happened.
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What do agents think of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s contract extension? People are shocked, apparently.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Mike Trout meeting with that Astros fan who interfered with his catch. Actually cool.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The Masters live blog did crazy numbers.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Top photo: Kyle Terada / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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Caio Ribeiro indica time como surpresa no Brasileirão: “Bem competitivo”
Caio Ribeiro, no Troca de Passes, do SporTV (Reprodução) Caio Ribeiro vê o Mirassol como uma das surpresas positivas no Brasileirão. Encarando o Atlético-MG de igual para igual, o time paulista saiu na frente, levou a virada, mas teve capacidade para somar um ponto importante contra uma das principais equipes do futebol nacional. Neste cenário, o protagonismo de Reinaldo, que soma quatro gols no campeonato, foi exaltado pelo ex-jogador. “O Mirassol, com um orçamento menor e pela primeira vez na primeira divisão, mas sendo bem competitivo. Fez um grande jogo contra o Galo.”, disse Caio Ribeiro, no Troca de Passes, do SporTV. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Tomou a virada, mas depois buscou (o empate), com o artilheiro do Brasileirão, Reinaldo, no finalzinho.”, acrescentou. Reinaldo lamenta empate, mas celebra rendimento em casa Decisivo para evitar o revés do Mirassol, Reinaldo avalia que o […]
Steph Curry, from ‘a galaxy nobody can touch,’ lifts Warriors with stellar Game 3
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Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds, prediction, time: 2025 NBA playoff picks, Game 4 best bets from proven model
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Crystal Palace relegated from Women’s Super League with 7-1 defeat to West Ham
Crystal Palace have been relegated from the Women’s Super League following their 7-1 defeat to West Ham United.The defeat left them an insurmountable seven points behind 11th-place Aston Villa with two games remaining and ensures they will return to the Championship after just one season in the top flight.AdvertisementSunday’s defeat to West Ham saw Shekiera Martinez score four goals for the visitors alongside Viviane Asseyi finding the net and Emma Harries scoring twice, with Katie Stengel getting a consolation for Palace.Palace were promoted to the WSL for the first time in their history last season but have won only two of their 20 league games this term and collected just nine points.They beat Leicester City in their third league outing of the season but then embarked on a 12-game winless run, picking up just three points between October 13 and […]
Liverpool scenarios: How Reds can win the Premier League title vs. Tottenham on Sunday
Getty Images Liverpool's commanding lead atop the Premier League table means that the Reds are inching closer and closer to their first title since the 2019-20 season, and that the day they officially win that trophy is right around the corner.As things stand, Liverpool have a 12-point lead on second-place Arsenal with five games to go, which makes it very unlikely that they will not end this season as England's champions. They could officially clinch the title as soon as this weekend, a signal title race is still very much in Liverpool's hands, and they will be able to win it outright when they return to play on Sunday.The Reds' impressive lead comes five years after their last Premier League title, which was the only time they won the accolade, coming during Jurgen Klopp's storied eight-year spell as the manager. […]
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Caio Ribeiro indica time como surpresa no Brasileirão: “Bem competitivo”
Caio Ribeiro, no Troca de Passes, do SporTV (Reprodução) Caio Ribeiro vê o Mirassol como uma das surpresas positivas no Brasileirão. Encarando o Atlético-MG de igual para igual, o time paulista saiu na frente, levou a virada, mas teve capacidade para somar um ponto importante contra uma das principais equipes do futebol nacional. Neste cenário, o protagonismo de Reinaldo, que soma quatro gols no campeonato, foi exaltado pelo ex-jogador. “O Mirassol, com um orçamento menor e pela primeira vez na primeira divisão, mas sendo bem competitivo. Fez um grande jogo contra o Galo.”, disse Caio Ribeiro, no Troca de Passes, do SporTV. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Tomou a virada, mas depois buscou (o empate), com o artilheiro do Brasileirão, Reinaldo, no finalzinho.”, acrescentou. Reinaldo lamenta empate, mas celebra rendimento em casa Decisivo para evitar o revés do Mirassol, Reinaldo avalia que o […]
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SAN FRANCISCO — Locating the reverence for Steph Curry in the Golden State Warriors’ locker room is typically a challenge. What he does on the court — his thing that so captivates viewers, churns the social media machine, and ignites the imagination of hoopers across the globe — is undeniably normal to them. Who he is, the person and teammate, is so familiar to them. Awe is often absent when they discuss his feats. Their cliche replies, their matter-of-factness, mock the idea of novelty in Curry’s brilliance.AdvertisementThey don’t mean it as disrespect. Instead, it’s a declaration of his reliability. They’re so exposed to his greatness, so conditioned by its consistency, their default disposition is yeah, we know.“Whatever I’ve said the last 11 years after every one of these games,” head coach Steve Kerr said, “just copy and paste.’But then a […]
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Getty Images Liverpool's commanding lead atop the Premier League table means that the Reds are inching closer and closer to their first title since the 2019-20 season, and that the day they officially win that trophy is right around the corner.As things stand, Liverpool have a 12-point lead on second-place Arsenal with five games to go, which makes it very unlikely that they will not end this season as England's champions. They could officially clinch the title as soon as this weekend, a signal title race is still very much in Liverpool's hands, and they will be able to win it outright when they return to play on Sunday.The Reds' impressive lead comes five years after their last Premier League title, which was the only time they won the accolade, coming during Jurgen Klopp's storied eight-year spell as the manager. […]
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