🏔️ Colorado Rockies Hit Rock Bottom

Stanley Cup Final Schedule, Capitals email mistake, Apple TV MLB deal, and more!

Author

Sportie Newsletter
June 03, 2025

⚾️ Baseball

The Rockies were on pace for the worst-ever season, and then it got worse

The Rockies, after being swept by the New York Mets over the weekend, now sit at 9-50 on the season — yes, they lost 50 games before they won 10. That start represents not just the fastest-ever to 50 losses in a season, besting the 1932 Boston Red Sox by two games, but is also the worst overall start through 59 games in MLB since the game’s modern era began in 1901.

The Rockies are on pace to smash the loss record of 121 that the White Sox just set last summer. They’ve actually gotten worse, too, as they were 6-25 and on pace for 131 losses a month ago: they’ve doubled their losses for the season since, while adding just the three wins.

Apple in the running to land streaming rights for MLB Sunday Night Baseball

Apple is said to be in talks with Major League Baseball to pick up streaming broadcast rights, especially focused on the Sunday Night Baseball games. The negotiations ensued after ESPN declined to renew its deal beyond the 2025 season.

The package of games that make up the former ESPN deal has drawn interest from Apple, NBC and others. It is likely the league will try to carve up the package into different buckets, to attract both a modern streaming audience and the eyeballs of traditional broadcast TV viewers.

🏀 Basketball

NBA Finals 2025: 7 things that could decide Thunder-Pacers

With a 125-108 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers clinched a spot in the 2025 NBA Finals, setting up one of the most surprising championship matchups in league history.

In some respects, the fourth-seeded Pacers and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't be further apart. OKC entered this season among the favorites for the title and dominated the Western Conference from start to finish, while Indiana scuffled to a losing record until flipping the switch in January. The Thunder have the league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, plus another All-NBA honoree and two All-Defensive selections; the Pacers' only recipient of any season honor is Tyrese Haliburton, who landed on the All-NBA third team.

🏒 Hockey

Capitals deny Alex Ovechkin retirement report, say email claiming it was his final season was a mistake

The Washington Capitals are in damage-control mode after an email suggested the 2025-26 season would be Alex Ovechkin's final year in the NHL. The Capitals quickly denied that report, saying Ovechkin has not made a decision on his future.

Reports emerged Thursday claiming the Capitals sent out an email that referred to the 2025-26 season as "Alex Ovechkin's FINAL NHL SEASON." That entire statement was highlighted in red, with the final three words appearing in all-caps in the email.

The team then issued a statement of its own, confirming an email was sent out, but saying Ovechkin's plans are undecided at this point in the offseason.

2025 Stanley Cup Final schedule

Florida Panthers (3A) vs. Edmonton Oilers (3P)

Game 1: Panthers at Oilers, Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max
Game 2: Panthers at Oilers, Friday, June 6, 8 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max
Game 3: Oilers at Panthers, Monday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 4: Oilers at Panthers, Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 5: Panthers at Oilers, Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max
Game 6: Oilers at Panthers, Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 7: Panthers at Oilers, Friday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max *

News Item 2
News Item 3

🏈 Football

SEC Considers Leaving NCAA

Early on during SEC spring meetings, commissioner Greg Sankey said he had heard from athletics directors questioning why the league hasn’t made a move that would rattle the studs of college sports.

“I’ve shared with the decision-making working group that I have people in my room asking ‘Why are we still in the NCAA?’” Sankey told reporters Monday in Miramar Beach, Fla.

As the meetings came to an end on Thursday, Sankey had an update. The league prefers to remain in the NCAA moving forward.