Deadspin | Reds, Rays clash in matchup of teams riding strong starts Apr 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays will open a three-game set Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., and look to keep moving forward with their early winning ways. The National League Central’s first-place club, Cincinnati will start the second half of a six-game road swing. The first portion of it ended Sunday as the Reds swept the Minnesota Twins 7-4 with a rally in 10 innings, scoring six times in the final two frames to stay perfect on the trip. “I just like the life and the enthusiasm and the competitiveness,” Reds skipper Terry Francona said after Saturday’s 5-4 win from a two-run deficit, perhaps a prelude to Sunday’s comeback. “I love the will to keep playing.” Cincinnati’s Monday starter Rhett Lowder (2-1, 3.52 ERA) will try to rediscover the success he had over the first two starts instead of the most recent pair. In outings against the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers at the season’s beginning, the right-hander allowed two runs on six hits in 11 innings, earning the win over Texas with six scoreless frames. Francona finds the former Wake Forest hurler a throwback: A battler who tops out at 94 mph and uses his command to work the ball around the plate to keep hitters guessing. “In an era where you kind of grip it and rip it, he can go to different quadrants and he doesn’t have to throw 95, 96,” said Francona. “Even (behind in the count), he doesn’t have to come in with a fastball. He can throw something that changes eye levels. He can spin it down low, below their barrel.” However, Lowder is 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA in recent starts against the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants. The right-hander will make his first career start against the Rays, who return home following a successful week of winning four of six at the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Rays lost the three-game series as starter Shane McClanahan made what he and manager Kevin Cash said was the left-hander’s best start of 2026 in a 6-3 setback. Yet, the strangest game in the 4-2 week occurred Saturday in the Steel City in a matchup whose first pitch was at 3:34 p.m. and whose final offering occurred well after 10 p.m. following a 2 1/2-hour rain delay — more than 6 1/2 hours after it started. The delay was most crucial. Behind NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh built a 4-0 lead, but the lengthy stoppage took the 23-year-old superstar out of the game. The Rays rallied to a 8-6 lead in the top of the 13th, then sent out Yoendrys Gomez to protect a two-run lead. “(The key was) probably Skenes coming out of the game, if we’re going to be honest,” Cash said. “But I mean, you’ve got to take opportunities when you get them.” Previously announced as unavailable after throwing 44 pitches the night before, Gomez entered and allowed an RBI single and stolen base to Pirates rookie sensation Konnor Griffin, but whiffed Joey Bart with Griffin on second representing the potential winning run. Said winning pitcher Griffin Jax: “It’s just the type of win that can carry a team deep into the season.” The Rays did not announce a starter for Monday, but right-hander Jesse Scholtens (1-0, 0.00) made the start Wednesday in Chicago after McClanahan. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Reds #Rays #clash #matchup #teams #riding #strong #starts

Deadspin | Reds, Rays clash in matchup of teams riding strong starts
Apr 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays will open a three-game set Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., and look to keep moving forward with their early winning ways.

The National League Central’s first-place club, Cincinnati will start the second half of a six-game road swing.

The first portion of it ended Sunday as the Reds swept the Minnesota Twins 7-4 with a rally in 10 innings, scoring six times in the final two frames to stay perfect on the trip.

“I just like the life and the enthusiasm and the competitiveness,” Reds skipper Terry Francona said after Saturday’s 5-4 win from a two-run deficit, perhaps a prelude to Sunday’s comeback. “I love the will to keep playing.”

Cincinnati’s Monday starter Rhett Lowder (2-1, 3.52 ERA) will try to rediscover the success he had over the first two starts instead of the most recent pair.

In outings against the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers at the season’s beginning, the right-hander allowed two runs on six hits in 11 innings, earning the win over Texas with six scoreless frames.

Francona finds the former Wake Forest hurler a throwback: A battler who tops out at 94 mph and uses his command to work the ball around the plate to keep hitters guessing.

“In an era where you kind of grip it and rip it, he can go to different quadrants and he doesn’t have to throw 95, 96,” said Francona. “Even (behind in the count), he doesn’t have to come in with a fastball. He can throw something that changes eye levels. He can spin it down low, below their barrel.”

However, Lowder is 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA in recent starts against the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants.

The right-hander will make his first career start against the Rays, who return home following a successful week of winning four of six at the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Rays lost the three-game series as starter Shane McClanahan made what he and manager Kevin Cash said was the left-hander’s best start of 2026 in a 6-3 setback.

Yet, the strangest game in the 4-2 week occurred Saturday in the Steel City in a matchup whose first pitch was at 3:34 p.m. and whose final offering occurred well after 10 p.m. following a 2 1/2-hour rain delay — more than 6 1/2 hours after it started.

The delay was most crucial.

Behind NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh built a 4-0 lead, but the lengthy stoppage took the 23-year-old superstar out of the game.

The Rays rallied to a 8-6 lead in the top of the 13th, then sent out Yoendrys Gomez to protect a two-run lead.

“(The key was) probably Skenes coming out of the game, if we’re going to be honest,” Cash said. “But I mean, you’ve got to take opportunities when you get them.”

Previously announced as unavailable after throwing 44 pitches the night before, Gomez entered and allowed an RBI single and stolen base to Pirates rookie sensation Konnor Griffin, but whiffed Joey Bart with Griffin on second representing the potential winning run.

Said winning pitcher Griffin Jax: “It’s just the type of win that can carry a team deep into the season.”

The Rays did not announce a starter for Monday, but right-hander Jesse Scholtens (1-0, 0.00) made the start Wednesday in Chicago after McClanahan.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Reds #Rays #clash #matchup #teams #riding #strong #starts

Sports news April 20, 2026

Apr 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays will open a three-game set Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., and look to keep moving forward with their early winning ways.

The National League Central’s first-place club, Cincinnati will start the second half of a six-game road swing.

The first portion of it ended Sunday as the Reds swept the Minnesota Twins 7-4 with a rally in 10 innings, scoring six times in the final two frames to stay perfect on the trip.

“I just like the life and the enthusiasm and the competitiveness,” Reds skipper Terry Francona said after Saturday’s 5-4 win from a two-run deficit, perhaps a prelude to Sunday’s comeback. “I love the will to keep playing.”

Cincinnati’s Monday starter Rhett Lowder (2-1, 3.52 ERA) will try to rediscover the success he had over the first two starts instead of the most recent pair.

In outings against the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers at the season’s beginning, the right-hander allowed two runs on six hits in 11 innings, earning the win over Texas with six scoreless frames.

Francona finds the former Wake Forest hurler a throwback: A battler who tops out at 94 mph and uses his command to work the ball around the plate to keep hitters guessing.

“In an era where you kind of grip it and rip it, he can go to different quadrants and he doesn’t have to throw 95, 96,” said Francona. “Even (behind in the count), he doesn’t have to come in with a fastball. He can throw something that changes eye levels. He can spin it down low, below their barrel.”

However, Lowder is 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA in recent starts against the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants.

The right-hander will make his first career start against the Rays, who return home following a successful week of winning four of six at the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Rays lost the three-game series as starter Shane McClanahan made what he and manager Kevin Cash said was the left-hander’s best start of 2026 in a 6-3 setback.

Yet, the strangest game in the 4-2 week occurred Saturday in the Steel City in a matchup whose first pitch was at 3:34 p.m. and whose final offering occurred well after 10 p.m. following a 2 1/2-hour rain delay — more than 6 1/2 hours after it started.

The delay was most crucial.

Behind NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh built a 4-0 lead, but the lengthy stoppage took the 23-year-old superstar out of the game.

The Rays rallied to a 8-6 lead in the top of the 13th, then sent out Yoendrys Gomez to protect a two-run lead.

“(The key was) probably Skenes coming out of the game, if we’re going to be honest,” Cash said. “But I mean, you’ve got to take opportunities when you get them.”

Previously announced as unavailable after throwing 44 pitches the night before, Gomez entered and allowed an RBI single and stolen base to Pirates rookie sensation Konnor Griffin, but whiffed Joey Bart with Griffin on second representing the potential winning run.

Said winning pitcher Griffin Jax: “It’s just the type of win that can carry a team deep into the season.”

The Rays did not announce a starter for Monday, but right-hander Jesse Scholtens (1-0, 0.00) made the start Wednesday in Chicago after McClanahan.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Reds #Rays #clash #matchup #teams #riding #strong #starts

Munich Open — My win will fuel hopes of U.S. men’s clay revival, says Ben Shelton <div id="content-body-70883651" itemprop="articleBody">Ben Shelton said he had laid down a claycourt marker for U.S. men with his Munich Open win on Sunday after ‌the world number six became the first American to claim an event ⁠above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi’s 2002 Rome Masters triumph.Shelton’s 6-2, 7-5 win over Flavio Cobolli ‌also made him the fifth American this century to bag a claycourt ‌title outside the United States, joining Agassi, ‌Andy ⁠Roddick, Sam Querrey and Sebastian Korda.The ⁠23-year-old said the “huge” triumph underlined his ambitions before the French Open, which begins on May 24.“Moving forward I have big ambitions for ‌the claycourts, a surface I want to get better on each year. It’s become one of my favourite surfaces to play on,” ‌Shelton said.While the American women have had plenty of success on the sport’s slowest surface, with Coco Gauff winning ⁠the French Open crown last year, the attention will now turn to whether the U.S. men ‌can leave their own mark in Paris.With Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe making the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year, Shelton said things were looking up as American men aim to end a Grand Slam drought going back ‌to 2003 when Roddick won the hardcourt U.S. Open.“Success on clay is coming back,” he added. “I’m looking forward to being part of ⁠this progression of U.S. men’s tennis on clay.“On ⁠the women’s side, they have a lockdown as they won the French Open ‌last year. We as men have some more to do but we’re heading in the right direction.”Published on Apr 20, 2026</div> #Munich #Open #win #fuel #hopes #U.S #mens #clay #revival #Ben #Shelton

#Deadspin #Larry #Fitzgerald #Arizona #gave #home">

mwasimuddin125 0

Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Larry Fitzgerald and his son Devin Fitzgerald unveil his bust during the Class of 2026 enshrinement ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 2026.

One day after being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, longtime Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald paid for a full-page ad in the Arizona Republic to thank everyone who made a Minnesota native feel welcome in the state he calls home.

After being selected by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Fitzgerald spent all 17 years of his NFL career in Arizona. He caught 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns while earning 11 trips to the Pro Bowl.

Fitzgerald ranks second to Jerry Rice on the NFL’s all-time lists for receptions and receiving yards. He stands sixth in touchdown catches, trailing Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Chris Carter and Marvin Harrison.

Here’s the message Fitzgerald penned for his Arizona Republic ad:

People have asked me countless times what it felt like to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The truth is, it was one of the greatest honors of my life.

But this really isn’t a Hall of Fame story.

It’s a thank-you letter.

I arrived in Arizona as a 20-year-old kid who didn’t know a single person. I had no idea this desert would become the place that would shape me into the man I am today.

The day I landed was the same day the nation learned Pat Tillman had lost his life. Pat is one of America’s great heroes.

I stepped off the plane into a state where its people were carrying real grief, and something inside me grew quiet. I started paying attention.

You learn quickly what loyalty looks like when it isn’t just a word.

For the next 17 seasons, I quietly measured myself against the standard Pat Tillman set. I’m still not sure I ever lived up to it.

Somewhere along the way, Arizona stopped being the place where I lived and became the place I was from.

It happened through a thousand ordinary moments until one day, I realized this was simply home. Not because I was a Hall of Famer. Not because I was a wide receiver. Just because the people of this state allowed me to be Larry.

You don’t fall in love with a place because of its stadiums. You fall in love on quiet mornings hiking Camelback Mountain.

On crisp fall afternoons walking a golf course. During summers in Flagstaff and standing among the red rocks of Sedona that remind you just how small you are in the best possible way.

When I stopped playing football, I walked away quietly. I’m known for my Irish goodbyes. Arizona even gave me that. Yet you kept showing up for me anyway, especially through the work of my foundation. Your support was never conditional. You never asked me to be anything other than myself, and somehow that was always enough.

Arizona gave a kid from Minneapolis something he didn’t even know he was searching for.

Belonging.

And that sense of belonging changed me.

After a while, you weren’t cheering for a wide receiver anymore, you were cheering for one of your own.

So this isn’t really a story about 17 years in a Cardinals uniform or a bronze bust in Canton.

It’s the story of a young man who was welcomed by a state that owed him nothing and gave him everything.

Thank you, Arizona.

Thank you for letting a kid from somewhere else become one of your own.

Thank you for embracing not just the player, but the man.

You gave me far more than a career. You gave me friendships that will last a lifetime. You gave me purpose beyond football.

You gave me a place where my children will always know they belong.

Most of all, you gave me a home.

With love and gratitude,

(signed)

Larry Fitzgerald

HOF 26

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Larry #Fitzgerald #Arizona #gave #home">Deadspin | Larry Fitzgerald thanks all of Arizona: ‘You gave me a home’

Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Larry Fitzgerald and his son Devin Fitzgerald unveil his bust during the Class of 2026 enshrinement ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 2026.

One day after being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, longtime Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald paid for a full-page ad in the Arizona Republic to thank everyone who made a Minnesota native feel welcome in the state he calls home.

After being selected by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Fitzgerald spent all 17 years of his NFL career in Arizona. He caught 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns while earning 11 trips to the Pro Bowl.

Fitzgerald ranks second to Jerry Rice on the NFL’s all-time lists for receptions and receiving yards. He stands sixth in touchdown catches, trailing Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Chris Carter and Marvin Harrison.

Here’s the message Fitzgerald penned for his Arizona Republic ad:

People have asked me countless times what it felt like to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The truth is, it was one of the greatest honors of my life.

But this really isn’t a Hall of Fame story.

It’s a thank-you letter.

I arrived in Arizona as a 20-year-old kid who didn’t know a single person. I had no idea this desert would become the place that would shape me into the man I am today.

The day I landed was the same day the nation learned Pat Tillman had lost his life. Pat is one of America’s great heroes.

I stepped off the plane into a state where its people were carrying real grief, and something inside me grew quiet. I started paying attention.

You learn quickly what loyalty looks like when it isn’t just a word.

For the next 17 seasons, I quietly measured myself against the standard Pat Tillman set. I’m still not sure I ever lived up to it.

Somewhere along the way, Arizona stopped being the place where I lived and became the place I was from.

It happened through a thousand ordinary moments until one day, I realized this was simply home. Not because I was a Hall of Famer. Not because I was a wide receiver. Just because the people of this state allowed me to be Larry.

You don’t fall in love with a place because of its stadiums. You fall in love on quiet mornings hiking Camelback Mountain.

On crisp fall afternoons walking a golf course. During summers in Flagstaff and standing among the red rocks of Sedona that remind you just how small you are in the best possible way.

When I stopped playing football, I walked away quietly. I’m known for my Irish goodbyes. Arizona even gave me that. Yet you kept showing up for me anyway, especially through the work of my foundation. Your support was never conditional. You never asked me to be anything other than myself, and somehow that was always enough.

Arizona gave a kid from Minneapolis something he didn’t even know he was searching for.

Belonging.

And that sense of belonging changed me.

After a while, you weren’t cheering for a wide receiver anymore, you were cheering for one of your own.

So this isn’t really a story about 17 years in a Cardinals uniform or a bronze bust in Canton.

It’s the story of a young man who was welcomed by a state that owed him nothing and gave him everything.

Thank you, Arizona.

Thank you for letting a kid from somewhere else become one of your own.

Thank you for embracing not just the player, but the man.

You gave me far more than a career. You gave me friendships that will last a lifetime. You gave me purpose beyond football.

You gave me a place where my children will always know they belong.

Most of all, you gave me a home.

With love and gratitude,

(signed)

Larry Fitzgerald

HOF 26

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Larry #Fitzgerald #Arizona #gave #home

When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.

The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.

The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.

That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.

On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.

Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.

But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.

I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.

One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.

In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.

There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.

I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.

Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.

#Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making">

Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame induction is 25 years in the making When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it. #Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making

mwasimuddin125 0

When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.
The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.
The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.
That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.
On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.
Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.
But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.
I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.
One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.
Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.
In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.
There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.
I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.
Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.

#Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making">Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame induction is 25 years in the making

When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.

The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.

On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.

But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.

I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.

In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.

I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.

Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.

#Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making

Follow Sportstar for extensive coverage of the tenth edition of the TNPL, from live scores and match reports to exclusive analysis and features.

TOSS

Tiruppur Tamizhans won the toss and chose to bowl first.

PLAYING XIs

Nellai Royal Kings: Athish SR(w), D Santhosh Kumar, Ajitesh Guruswamy, U Mukilesh, Rithik Easwaran, Sonu Yadav(c), Muhammed Adnan Khan, Ramalingam Rohit, Emmanuel Cherian, NS Harish, Rocky Bhasker

Tiruppur Tamizhans: Tushar Raheja(w), Amit Sathvik, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Mohamed Ali, Uthirasamy Sasidev, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), M Mathivannan, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Esakkimuthu A, T Natarajan

Published on Aug 09, 2026

#TNPL #Live #Allround #batting #display #propels #Nellai #Royal #Kings">