Tyrone Taylor, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil each homered Friday night for the red-hot New York Mets, who beat the Houston Astros 7-2 in the opener of a three-game series.

Francisco Alvarez hit a first-inning sacrifice fly and Francisco Lindor added an eighth-inning RBI double for the Mets, who improved to 16-6 this month — the best record in the majors — and moved over .500 at 40-39.

Jose Quintana muddled his way through four innings throwing 93 pitches with only 54 strikes. He was touched for a Jose Altuve HR in the first, a run the Mets got back with a Francisco Alvarez sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning. Astros got a single run in the third to take the lead but for them that was it. Four Met relievers shut out the Astros the rest of the way.

A 7-2 win puts the a Mets a game over .500 for the first time in nearly two months and gives them a legitimate chance to finish over .500 when the month is done. 

The Chicago Cubs crushed the New York Mets 8-1.

The Mets had a rough first inning Saturday thanks to Tylor Megill’s worst frame of the season, and the day didn’t get any better in the second.

Starling Marte grounded out in that inning and when the Mets returned to play defense, the 35-year-old outfielder wasn’t among the nine players. 

Marte exited with right knee soreness, according to the Mets, putting a potential crimp in a lineup that has executed at a high level for the last week.

For right-hander Megill, it was his worst outing of the season, allowing six earned runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts over three innings.

Overall, it was an afternoon worth forgetting for the Mets, who lost 8-1 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

For the first time in history, the Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions.

Florida won a 2-1 Game 7 thriller on Monday night over the Edmonton Oilers to secure a 4-3 series victory in the Stanley Cup Final. The win staved off a historic collapse after the Oilers rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to tie the series at 3-3.

After allowing 18 goals in consecutive losses in Games 4-6, Florida’s defense returned to form Monday night anchored by a stellar performance from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who turned back 23 of 24 Edmonton shots, including a late Oilers flurry that threatened to tie the game.

Edmonton’s Connor McDavid secured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the entire Stanley Cup playoffs despite his team’s loss. He’s the sixth player in NHL history to win the award from a losing team.

Rick’s Cabaret New York is the world famous adult club in midtown Manhattan known for its beautiful dancers, VIP treatment, and celebrity clientele. It is not unusual to spot pro athletes and other notables enjoying the company of the lovely Rick’s girls. 

Celebrate the summer with the Rick’s Cabaret Girls who are ready for  July 4th, and they are busting out with patriotic pride. Independence Day will be a week-long party from July 1st through July 7th at Rick’s Cabaret New York. The three-story club features over 100 alluring entertainers, drink specials, and a VIP Roof Top Lounge.

“July 4th is my favorite holiday because I am so proud to live in this great country,” proclaimed Rick’s girl Trina.

Rick’s Cabaret New York (50 West 33 Street), just one block from Madison Square Garden, features discreet private suites, luxury skyboxes, and its own highly rated Rick’s Steakhouse on the club’s second floor. Under the guidance of award-winning Chef Jayson Margulies, they offer daily lunch specials, dinner, and a special late-night menu.

WWE announced that Las Vegas will host WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, 2025.

“Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World. Allegiant Stadium has proven to be even greater than the A+ venue Las Vegas guaranteed it would be,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We look forward to bringing WWE’s biggest event, WrestleMania, to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium.” 

“Bringing the iconic global brands of WWE and Las Vegas together will create what is sure to be an unforgettable event and weekend,” said Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President & CEO. 

With Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, CJ Mosley, and others already in tow, the New York Jets are adding yet another ex-first-round draft pick to their defense.

The Jets have signed veteran edge rusher Takkarist “Takk” McKinley to a free-agent deal. McKinley, 28, had spent the last two seasons on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys.

A first-round pick in 2017 (No. 26 overall), McKinley played the first four seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. He then joined the Cleveland Browns and then the L.A. Rams as an active roster member. McKinley has also been a practice-squad member of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and finally the Cowboys.

With 20 career sacks and 98 combined tackles to his name, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound McKinley may be worth the dart throw. He will provide some additional depth on the right side of the defensive line.

Willie Mays — the baseball legend who made history in so many ways—has died. He was 93.

“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” Mays’ son, Michael Mays, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”

“His incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field.” 

The San Francisco Giants announced the former center fielder, who also played for the New York Mets, died on Tuesday.

The “Say Hey Kid” started out playing for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948. The Giants purchased his contract in 1950, and after a slow start, Mays earned the National League’s Rookie of the Year award in 1951 with 20 home runs.

Mays played 21 seasons before being traded to the New York Mets in 1972. Mays finished with 660 home runs, the sixth most in MLB history.

Olive Garden offers a new twist on its Chocolate Brownie Lasagna with the introduction of new Chocolate Lasagna.

The brand’s new Chocolate Lasagna features layers of chocolate cake and creamy chocolate mousse, plus a layer of crushed wafers, all topped with chocolate sauce.

First introduced in 2018, Chocolate Brownie Lasagna featured alternating layers of rich brownie fudge and sweet vanilla cream cheese, all topped with chocolate shavings and chocolate drizzle.

While prices vary, a hunk of Chocolate Lasagna costs $9.29 at my nearest Olive Garden.

You can find Chocolate Lasagna at participating Olive Garden locations nationwide.

For the 18th time in franchise history, the Boston Celtics are NBA champions.

The Celtics closed the first quarter of Monday’s NBA Finals Game 5 on a 9-0 run and never looked back en route to a dominant 106-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The win secured a 4-1 win in the NBA Finals and the franchise’s first title since 2008.

The Celtics set the tone from the opening tip as they took the floor for the first time in these Finals wearing their classic green jerseys. They proceeded to put on a performance worthy of those colors. It was also worthy of a team that rolled to an NBA-best 64 wins in the regular season and produced advanced metrics that rank among the best in league history.

They did it on Monday with defense. They did it with 3s. They did it with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way. It was an optimal conclusion to the Celtics season.

The Mets insist they still have a run in them. If they’re going to go on one, they have to beat certain teams, with the rebuilding Washington Nationals being one of them.

They took care of business Wednesday at Nationals Park with a 9-1 win to complete a three-game series sweep. It was their fifth win in the seven games since they held a players-only meeting.

Luis Severino gave the Mets some much-needed length with eight innings of one-run baseball. A beleaguered bullpen didn’t have to worry about a save situation or any tense late-game pitching performances with the Mets beating up on left-hander Patrick Corbin and right-hander Jordan Weems, taking all nine runs off of the two Washington hurlers, including a six-run sixth inning that sunk the Nats (27-34).

“We won three games in a row and we got a chance to win four,” Severino told reporters after the game. “When we combine hitting and pitching at the same time, it’s huge for us. We have this mentality now that we have to go out there and give 100 percent every time.”