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Deadspin | MLB suspends Padres RHP Ron Marinaccio 3 games for intentional HBP  May 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio (97) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images   San Diego Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount on Monday for what Major League Baseball called intentionally hitting the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson with a pitch.  Marinaccio filed an appeal on the suspension, which would have started with Monday’s road game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The appeals process must be completed before discipline is applied.  San Diego manager Craig Stammen, who received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for the incident in Saturday’s 9-3 win at Baltimore, will serve his suspension on Monday, the league announced.  Marinaccio recorded two outs in the ninth inning and no runners aboard before hitting Henderson on the first pitch of his at-bat.  The Orioles believed the Padres were retaliating for Baltimore starter Trey Gibson, who already had walked five batters, hitting Xander Bogaerts in the helmet on his final pitch — the rookie’s 93rd of the game — in the fifth inning.  Bogaerts left the game in the sixth with what Stammen called “a little spasm here in the neck.”  Henderson said after Saturday’s game that he was hit on purpose after dodging out of the way of two inside pitches from the Padres’ Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh. He could not avoid Marinaccio’s offering.  “I guess they were trying to get payback,” Henderson said, “so I guess we’re even now.”  Orioles manager Craig Albernaz respected the way the Padres handled the situation.   “Trey (Gibson) hit Bogaerts in the head and their dugout didn’t like it at all. Obviously, it definitely wasn’t intentional. It was a two-seam that slipped out of his hand,” Albernaz said on Saturday. “I get there why they’re mad; the ball hit him in the head and he had to come out of the game. I’m not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way.  “And that’s why there was no gripes from us, and Gunnar was fine with it and just took it to first base.”  Marinaccio said afterward that the strategy facing Henderson was to pitch him inside.  “He’s a great hitter. You’ve got to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times, and I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there,” Marinaccio said. “I could understand the visual, a couple guys pitching inside earlier, but there were no warnings.”  Stammen also disagreed with the umpiring crew ejecting Marinaccio without a warning, forcing him to bring in reliever Adrian Morejon.  “They definitely thought he did it on purpose. That was not my understanding or my take from it. Ultimately, that’s why I went out and argued,” Stammen said after the game. “Just didn’t think it was warranted. It would’ve been fine if they just warned everybody. We’d have been fine and moved on from there.”  Marinaccio, 30, is 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA, 10 walks and 31 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings over 24 relief appearances this season.  For his career, Marinaccio is 7-5 with two saves, a 3.23 ERA, 75 walks and 180 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings over 132 games, all in relief.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #MLB #suspends #Padres #RHP #Ron #Marinaccio #games #intentional #HBP

Deadspin | MLB suspends Padres RHP Ron Marinaccio 3 games for intentional HBP
Deadspin | MLB suspends Padres RHP Ron Marinaccio 3 games for intentional HBP  May 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio (97) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images   San Diego Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount on Monday for what Major League Baseball called intentionally hitting the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson with a pitch.  Marinaccio filed an appeal on the suspension, which would have started with Monday’s road game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The appeals process must be completed before discipline is applied.  San Diego manager Craig Stammen, who received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for the incident in Saturday’s 9-3 win at Baltimore, will serve his suspension on Monday, the league announced.  Marinaccio recorded two outs in the ninth inning and no runners aboard before hitting Henderson on the first pitch of his at-bat.  The Orioles believed the Padres were retaliating for Baltimore starter Trey Gibson, who already had walked five batters, hitting Xander Bogaerts in the helmet on his final pitch — the rookie’s 93rd of the game — in the fifth inning.  Bogaerts left the game in the sixth with what Stammen called “a little spasm here in the neck.”  Henderson said after Saturday’s game that he was hit on purpose after dodging out of the way of two inside pitches from the Padres’ Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh. He could not avoid Marinaccio’s offering.  “I guess they were trying to get payback,” Henderson said, “so I guess we’re even now.”  Orioles manager Craig Albernaz respected the way the Padres handled the situation.   “Trey (Gibson) hit Bogaerts in the head and their dugout didn’t like it at all. Obviously, it definitely wasn’t intentional. It was a two-seam that slipped out of his hand,” Albernaz said on Saturday. “I get there why they’re mad; the ball hit him in the head and he had to come out of the game. I’m not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way.  “And that’s why there was no gripes from us, and Gunnar was fine with it and just took it to first base.”  Marinaccio said afterward that the strategy facing Henderson was to pitch him inside.  “He’s a great hitter. You’ve got to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times, and I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there,” Marinaccio said. “I could understand the visual, a couple guys pitching inside earlier, but there were no warnings.”  Stammen also disagreed with the umpiring crew ejecting Marinaccio without a warning, forcing him to bring in reliever Adrian Morejon.  “They definitely thought he did it on purpose. That was not my understanding or my take from it. Ultimately, that’s why I went out and argued,” Stammen said after the game. “Just didn’t think it was warranted. It would’ve been fine if they just warned everybody. We’d have been fine and moved on from there.”  Marinaccio, 30, is 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA, 10 walks and 31 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings over 24 relief appearances this season.  For his career, Marinaccio is 7-5 with two saves, a 3.23 ERA, 75 walks and 180 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings over 132 games, all in relief.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #MLB #suspends #Padres #RHP #Ron #Marinaccio #games #intentional #HBPMay 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio (97) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount on Monday for what Major League Baseball called intentionally hitting the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson with a pitch.

Marinaccio filed an appeal on the suspension, which would have started with Monday’s road game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The appeals process must be completed before discipline is applied.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen, who received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for the incident in Saturday’s 9-3 win at Baltimore, will serve his suspension on Monday, the league announced.

Marinaccio recorded two outs in the ninth inning and no runners aboard before hitting Henderson on the first pitch of his at-bat.

The Orioles believed the Padres were retaliating for Baltimore starter Trey Gibson, who already had walked five batters, hitting Xander Bogaerts in the helmet on his final pitch — the rookie’s 93rd of the game — in the fifth inning.

Bogaerts left the game in the sixth with what Stammen called “a little spasm here in the neck.”

Henderson said after Saturday’s game that he was hit on purpose after dodging out of the way of two inside pitches from the Padres’ Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh. He could not avoid Marinaccio’s offering.

“I guess they were trying to get payback,” Henderson said, “so I guess we’re even now.”


Orioles manager Craig Albernaz respected the way the Padres handled the situation.

“Trey (Gibson) hit Bogaerts in the head and their dugout didn’t like it at all. Obviously, it definitely wasn’t intentional. It was a two-seam that slipped out of his hand,” Albernaz said on Saturday. “I get there why they’re mad; the ball hit him in the head and he had to come out of the game. I’m not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way.

“And that’s why there was no gripes from us, and Gunnar was fine with it and just took it to first base.”

Marinaccio said afterward that the strategy facing Henderson was to pitch him inside.

“He’s a great hitter. You’ve got to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times, and I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there,” Marinaccio said. “I could understand the visual, a couple guys pitching inside earlier, but there were no warnings.”

Stammen also disagreed with the umpiring crew ejecting Marinaccio without a warning, forcing him to bring in reliever Adrian Morejon.

“They definitely thought he did it on purpose. That was not my understanding or my take from it. Ultimately, that’s why I went out and argued,” Stammen said after the game. “Just didn’t think it was warranted. It would’ve been fine if they just warned everybody. We’d have been fine and moved on from there.”

Marinaccio, 30, is 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA, 10 walks and 31 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings over 24 relief appearances this season.

For his career, Marinaccio is 7-5 with two saves, a 3.23 ERA, 75 walks and 180 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings over 132 games, all in relief.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #MLB #suspends #Padres #RHP #Ron #Marinaccio #games #intentional #HBP

May 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio (97) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount on Monday for what Major League Baseball called intentionally hitting the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson with a pitch.

Marinaccio filed an appeal on the suspension, which would have started with Monday’s road game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The appeals process must be completed before discipline is applied.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen, who received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for the incident in Saturday’s 9-3 win at Baltimore, will serve his suspension on Monday, the league announced.

Marinaccio recorded two outs in the ninth inning and no runners aboard before hitting Henderson on the first pitch of his at-bat.

The Orioles believed the Padres were retaliating for Baltimore starter Trey Gibson, who already had walked five batters, hitting Xander Bogaerts in the helmet on his final pitch — the rookie’s 93rd of the game — in the fifth inning.

Bogaerts left the game in the sixth with what Stammen called “a little spasm here in the neck.”

Henderson said after Saturday’s game that he was hit on purpose after dodging out of the way of two inside pitches from the Padres’ Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh. He could not avoid Marinaccio’s offering.

“I guess they were trying to get payback,” Henderson said, “so I guess we’re even now.”

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz respected the way the Padres handled the situation.

“Trey (Gibson) hit Bogaerts in the head and their dugout didn’t like it at all. Obviously, it definitely wasn’t intentional. It was a two-seam that slipped out of his hand,” Albernaz said on Saturday. “I get there why they’re mad; the ball hit him in the head and he had to come out of the game. I’m not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way.

“And that’s why there was no gripes from us, and Gunnar was fine with it and just took it to first base.”

Marinaccio said afterward that the strategy facing Henderson was to pitch him inside.

“He’s a great hitter. You’ve got to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times, and I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there,” Marinaccio said. “I could understand the visual, a couple guys pitching inside earlier, but there were no warnings.”

Stammen also disagreed with the umpiring crew ejecting Marinaccio without a warning, forcing him to bring in reliever Adrian Morejon.

“They definitely thought he did it on purpose. That was not my understanding or my take from it. Ultimately, that’s why I went out and argued,” Stammen said after the game. “Just didn’t think it was warranted. It would’ve been fine if they just warned everybody. We’d have been fine and moved on from there.”

Marinaccio, 30, is 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA, 10 walks and 31 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings over 24 relief appearances this season.

For his career, Marinaccio is 7-5 with two saves, a 3.23 ERA, 75 walks and 180 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings over 132 games, all in relief.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #MLB #suspends #Padres #RHP #Ron #Marinaccio #games #intentional #HBP

Prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is raring to go against Iraq on ​Tuesday in his country’s first World Cup match in 28 ‌years and his teammates will be seeking to ​feed his remarkable scoring habit, Norway coach ⁠Stale Solbakken said on Monday.

Haaland, who scored 16 times in eight qualifying games, double the tally of anyone else in ‌Europe, looks to be back in top form after being given a bit of rest ‌by Manchester City at the end of the ‌English ⁠Premier League season and by Norway in the ⁠run-up to the World Cup, Solbakken said.

“Hopefully he will have a very big impact,” he told reporters. “Hopefully we can continue to give ​him chances and if ‌you give Erling chances, he has a tendency to score.”

Solbakken – a former midfielder who played 58 times for Norway – paid tribute to captain Martin Odegaard who ‌racked up the most goal assists in the ​European qualifiers, despite being out for a lengthy spell with an injury.

That absence helped ⁠Norway develop, the coach said: “The players around him have grown because of that. So they have got more confidence ‌themselves.”

There was less positive news about striker Jorgen Strand Larsen who has a fever, Solbakken said.

ALSO READ | Knicks over kicks as New York’s NBA triumph celebrations overshadow FIFA World Cup buzz

Norway kicks off its World Cup campaign at the New England Patriots’ stadium in the suburbs of Boston against an Iraq side that qualified for the tournament after a ‌21-match marathon and the extra stress and strain of travel disruption ​caused by the U.S. and Israeli war with neighbouring Iran.

Solbakken highlighted Iraq’s organised, compact formation ⁠and their danger from crosses.

“And obviously, the coach is very, ⁠very used to this kind of game in terms of his success with Australia,” he ‌said, referring to Graham Arnold who led the Socceroos to the round of 16 in 2022 where ​they were defeated by eventual champions Argentina.

Published on Jun 16, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #Lets #give #ball #Haaland #Norway #coach">FIFA World Cup 2026: Let’s give the ball to Haaland, Norway coach says  Prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is raring to go against Iraq on ​Tuesday in his country’s first World Cup match in 28 ‌years and his teammates will be seeking to ​feed his remarkable scoring habit, Norway coach ⁠Stale Solbakken said on Monday.Haaland, who scored 16 times in eight qualifying games, double the tally of anyone else in ‌Europe, looks to be back in top form after being given a bit of rest ‌by Manchester City at the end of the ‌English ⁠Premier League season and by Norway in the ⁠run-up to the World Cup, Solbakken said.“Hopefully he will have a very big impact,” he told reporters. “Hopefully we can continue to give ​him chances and if ‌you give Erling chances, he has a tendency to score.”Solbakken – a former midfielder who played 58 times for Norway – paid tribute to captain Martin Odegaard who ‌racked up the most goal assists in the ​European qualifiers, despite being out for a lengthy spell with an injury.That absence helped ⁠Norway develop, the coach said: “The players around him have grown because of that. So they have got more confidence ‌themselves.”There was less positive news about striker Jorgen Strand Larsen who has a fever, Solbakken said.ALSO READ | Knicks over kicks as New York’s NBA triumph celebrations overshadow FIFA World Cup buzzNorway kicks off its World Cup campaign at the New England Patriots’ stadium in the suburbs of Boston against an Iraq side that qualified for the tournament after a ‌21-match marathon and the extra stress and strain of travel disruption ​caused by the U.S. and Israeli war with neighbouring Iran.Solbakken highlighted Iraq’s organised, compact formation ⁠and their danger from crosses.“And obviously, the coach is very, ⁠very used to this kind of game in terms of his success with Australia,” he ‌said, referring to Graham Arnold who led the Socceroos to the round of 16 in 2022 where ​they were defeated by eventual champions Argentina.Published on Jun 16, 2026  #FIFA #World #Cup #Lets #give #ball #Haaland #Norway #coach

Knicks over kicks as New York’s NBA triumph celebrations overshadow FIFA World Cup buzz

Norway kicks off its World Cup campaign at the New England Patriots’ stadium in the suburbs of Boston against an Iraq side that qualified for the tournament after a ‌21-match marathon and the extra stress and strain of travel disruption ​caused by the U.S. and Israeli war with neighbouring Iran.

Solbakken highlighted Iraq’s organised, compact formation ⁠and their danger from crosses.

“And obviously, the coach is very, ⁠very used to this kind of game in terms of his success with Australia,” he ‌said, referring to Graham Arnold who led the Socceroos to the round of 16 in 2022 where ​they were defeated by eventual champions Argentina.

Published on Jun 16, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #Lets #give #ball #Haaland #Norway #coach">FIFA World Cup 2026: Let’s give the ball to Haaland, Norway coach says

Prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is raring to go against Iraq on ​Tuesday in his country’s first World Cup match in 28 ‌years and his teammates will be seeking to ​feed his remarkable scoring habit, Norway coach ⁠Stale Solbakken said on Monday.

Haaland, who scored 16 times in eight qualifying games, double the tally of anyone else in ‌Europe, looks to be back in top form after being given a bit of rest ‌by Manchester City at the end of the ‌English ⁠Premier League season and by Norway in the ⁠run-up to the World Cup, Solbakken said.

“Hopefully he will have a very big impact,” he told reporters. “Hopefully we can continue to give ​him chances and if ‌you give Erling chances, he has a tendency to score.”

Solbakken – a former midfielder who played 58 times for Norway – paid tribute to captain Martin Odegaard who ‌racked up the most goal assists in the ​European qualifiers, despite being out for a lengthy spell with an injury.

That absence helped ⁠Norway develop, the coach said: “The players around him have grown because of that. So they have got more confidence ‌themselves.”

There was less positive news about striker Jorgen Strand Larsen who has a fever, Solbakken said.

ALSO READ | Knicks over kicks as New York’s NBA triumph celebrations overshadow FIFA World Cup buzz

Norway kicks off its World Cup campaign at the New England Patriots’ stadium in the suburbs of Boston against an Iraq side that qualified for the tournament after a ‌21-match marathon and the extra stress and strain of travel disruption ​caused by the U.S. and Israeli war with neighbouring Iran.

Solbakken highlighted Iraq’s organised, compact formation ⁠and their danger from crosses.

“And obviously, the coach is very, ⁠very used to this kind of game in terms of his success with Australia,” he ‌said, referring to Graham Arnold who led the Socceroos to the round of 16 in 2022 where ​they were defeated by eventual champions Argentina.

Published on Jun 16, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #Lets #give #ball #Haaland #Norway #coach
Deadspin | Landon Donovan blasts airline after World Cup travel fiasco  Dec 7, 2024; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy former player Landon Donovan looks on before the 2024 MLS Cup against the New York Red Bulls at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images   United States men’s national team legend and Fox World Cup analyst Landon Donovan is in an online spat with United Airlines after travel difficulties influenced him and his broadcast partner Ian Darke to complete the last 250 miles of their journey from Houston to Northern New Jersey in an Uber.  According to their posts on X (formerly Twitter), Donovan and Darke were among those booked for flight 404 from Houston to Newark, N.J., on Sunday evening.  Severe weather diverted the flight to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., landing at 1:10 a.m. ET, according to data from the website FlightAware.  The wait to reboard proved long enough that Darke, Donovan and their statistician eventually hired a car to complete the trip instead, with Darke posting the clip of their arrival in New Jersey to his X account shortly before 9 a.m. ET Monday morning.  Flight 404 eventually took off from Dulles at 8:10 a.m. ET and landed exactly two hours later. That was 11 hours and 11 minutes later than initially scheduled.  Darke posted on X that passengers on their flight would “think twice about using that airline again.” Donovan shared Darke’s post with additional comments.  “I’ve been traveling 100k miles/year since I was 16 and this was easily the worst travel experience of my life,” he wrote. “No transparency, no clarity and no respect for the passengers who were treated horribly all evening/morning. Absolutely shameful from (United).”  When United’s account replied apologizing for the travel difficulties and asking for Donovan to send a direct message with his confirmation number, Donovan responded in a quote post.   “There will be no private DMs,” Donovan wrote. “People want transparency and accountability so we’re going do this right here in public. You can start by apologizing to all impacted and then reimburse them all of their expenses with extra flight credit/money for the trouble caused.”  Darke and Donovan called Mexico-South Africa to open the tournament in Mexico City on Thursday and Germany-Curacao in Houston on Sunday. They will call Tuesday’s match between France and Senegal from East Rutherford, N.J.  An email to United Airlines’ general media relations address was not immediately returned.  Donovan is the joint all-time leading goal scorer in USMNT history and the author of the team’s most iconic World Cup moment, a stoppage-time winner against Algeria in the 2010 tournament that secured the Americans’ place in the knockout phase.  He began broadcasting before his retirement as an analyst for ESPN’s 2014 World Cup coverage after he was surprisingly left off of manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s United States roster. This is his second World Cup working with Fox after he was also a color analyst during the 2022 tournament.  Darke was famously on the call for Donovan’s 2010 match-winner for ESPN. More known in England for his work on Sky and TNT, Darke is in his second major tournament for Fox after calling games at the 2024 European Championships.  –Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Landon #Donovan #blasts #airline #World #Cup #travel #fiascoDec 7, 2024; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy former player Landon Donovan looks on before the 2024 MLS Cup against the New York Red Bulls at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

United States men’s national team legend and Fox World Cup analyst Landon Donovan is in an online spat with United Airlines after travel difficulties influenced him and his broadcast partner Ian Darke to complete the last 250 miles of their journey from Houston to Northern New Jersey in an Uber.

According to their posts on X (formerly Twitter), Donovan and Darke were among those booked for flight 404 from Houston to Newark, N.J., on Sunday evening.

Severe weather diverted the flight to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., landing at 1:10 a.m. ET, according to data from the website FlightAware.

The wait to reboard proved long enough that Darke, Donovan and their statistician eventually hired a car to complete the trip instead, with Darke posting the clip of their arrival in New Jersey to his X account shortly before 9 a.m. ET Monday morning.

Flight 404 eventually took off from Dulles at 8:10 a.m. ET and landed exactly two hours later. That was 11 hours and 11 minutes later than initially scheduled.

Darke posted on X that passengers on their flight would “think twice about using that airline again.” Donovan shared Darke’s post with additional comments.

“I’ve been traveling 100k miles/year since I was 16 and this was easily the worst travel experience of my life,” he wrote. “No transparency, no clarity and no respect for the passengers who were treated horribly all evening/morning. Absolutely shameful from (United).”


When United’s account replied apologizing for the travel difficulties and asking for Donovan to send a direct message with his confirmation number, Donovan responded in a quote post.

“There will be no private DMs,” Donovan wrote. “People want transparency and accountability so we’re going do this right here in public. You can start by apologizing to all impacted and then reimburse them all of their expenses with extra flight credit/money for the trouble caused.”

Darke and Donovan called Mexico-South Africa to open the tournament in Mexico City on Thursday and Germany-Curacao in Houston on Sunday. They will call Tuesday’s match between France and Senegal from East Rutherford, N.J.

An email to United Airlines’ general media relations address was not immediately returned.

Donovan is the joint all-time leading goal scorer in USMNT history and the author of the team’s most iconic World Cup moment, a stoppage-time winner against Algeria in the 2010 tournament that secured the Americans’ place in the knockout phase.

He began broadcasting before his retirement as an analyst for ESPN’s 2014 World Cup coverage after he was surprisingly left off of manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s United States roster. This is his second World Cup working with Fox after he was also a color analyst during the 2022 tournament.

Darke was famously on the call for Donovan’s 2010 match-winner for ESPN. More known in England for his work on Sky and TNT, Darke is in his second major tournament for Fox after calling games at the 2024 European Championships.

–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Landon #Donovan #blasts #airline #World #Cup #travel #fiasco">Deadspin | Landon Donovan blasts airline after World Cup travel fiasco  Dec 7, 2024; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy former player Landon Donovan looks on before the 2024 MLS Cup against the New York Red Bulls at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images   United States men’s national team legend and Fox World Cup analyst Landon Donovan is in an online spat with United Airlines after travel difficulties influenced him and his broadcast partner Ian Darke to complete the last 250 miles of their journey from Houston to Northern New Jersey in an Uber.  According to their posts on X (formerly Twitter), Donovan and Darke were among those booked for flight 404 from Houston to Newark, N.J., on Sunday evening.  Severe weather diverted the flight to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., landing at 1:10 a.m. ET, according to data from the website FlightAware.  The wait to reboard proved long enough that Darke, Donovan and their statistician eventually hired a car to complete the trip instead, with Darke posting the clip of their arrival in New Jersey to his X account shortly before 9 a.m. ET Monday morning.  Flight 404 eventually took off from Dulles at 8:10 a.m. ET and landed exactly two hours later. That was 11 hours and 11 minutes later than initially scheduled.  Darke posted on X that passengers on their flight would “think twice about using that airline again.” Donovan shared Darke’s post with additional comments.  “I’ve been traveling 100k miles/year since I was 16 and this was easily the worst travel experience of my life,” he wrote. “No transparency, no clarity and no respect for the passengers who were treated horribly all evening/morning. Absolutely shameful from (United).”  When United’s account replied apologizing for the travel difficulties and asking for Donovan to send a direct message with his confirmation number, Donovan responded in a quote post.   “There will be no private DMs,” Donovan wrote. “People want transparency and accountability so we’re going do this right here in public. You can start by apologizing to all impacted and then reimburse them all of their expenses with extra flight credit/money for the trouble caused.”  Darke and Donovan called Mexico-South Africa to open the tournament in Mexico City on Thursday and Germany-Curacao in Houston on Sunday. They will call Tuesday’s match between France and Senegal from East Rutherford, N.J.  An email to United Airlines’ general media relations address was not immediately returned.  Donovan is the joint all-time leading goal scorer in USMNT history and the author of the team’s most iconic World Cup moment, a stoppage-time winner against Algeria in the 2010 tournament that secured the Americans’ place in the knockout phase.  He began broadcasting before his retirement as an analyst for ESPN’s 2014 World Cup coverage after he was surprisingly left off of manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s United States roster. This is his second World Cup working with Fox after he was also a color analyst during the 2022 tournament.  Darke was famously on the call for Donovan’s 2010 match-winner for ESPN. More known in England for his work on Sky and TNT, Darke is in his second major tournament for Fox after calling games at the 2024 European Championships.  –Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Landon #Donovan #blasts #airline #World #Cup #travel #fiasco

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