XFL Finalizes 2023 Season Kickoff Plans, Which Don’t Include L.A. Or New York

The XFL officially announced which eight cities will host its teams when the third iteration of the league returns in 2023. 

According to an official announcement, the league will feature teams in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Antonio, Arlington (Texas), Houston, St. Louis, Seattle and Washington, D.C. 

Las Vegas, Orlando, San Antonio will be new additions to the XFL, while the other five cities have hosted teams in previous versions of the league.

The XFL eliminated New York, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, all of which hosted teams in the previous iteration of the league. The three cities reportedly had the three lowest average attendance figures during the 2020 season.

The XFL did not yet reveal the names of its eight teams or any of the branding associated with its franchises. However, league owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said in a statement that the league is “working on cool, new logos and innovative uniforms that match the dynamic and innovative vision of our league,” per ESPN.

Hall Of Famer David Ortiz Launches Line Of Cannabis Products

David Ortiz appears to have a new business venture days after his Baseball Hall of Fame enshrinement.

The Boston Red Sox legend is teaming up with Massachusetts-based cannabis company Rev Brands to launch a new line called “Papi Cannabis,” the company announced.

“Once I embraced the flow of the flower everything changed,” Ortiz said. “Cannabis has helped me relax, sleep better, manage stress and heal physically after a lifetime of playing ball, and I look forward to sharing Papi Cannabis and my personal journey to help people understand its benefits.” 

Papi Cannabis’ first product be a “Sweet Sluggers” line, which will include what Rev Brands referred to as Ortiz’s “favorite strains” such as “Black Mamba #7,” “Lava Cake #7,” “Motorbreath #15” and “Bootylicious #4,” to be sold at recreational dispensaries in Massachusetts, with others products expected to be released later this summer.

Ortiz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native finished his MLB career with a .286 batting average, 541 home runs and 1,768 RBI.

Ortiz began the fourth Dominican native to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Juan Marichal (1983), former Red Sox teammate Pedro Martínez (2015) and Vladimir Guerrero (2018) upon induction.

Pete Alonso Homers, Mets Top Padres 8-5

The New York Mets bats awoke in an 8-5 victory over the Padres. The bonus for Buck Showalter’s crew was a Braves loss earlier in the day, allowing the Mets to extend their NL East lead to 1 ½ games. 

Alonso blasted a three-run homer as part of a sixth inning in which the Mets scored five times. In the seventh, Alonso just missed another homer — it went for an RBI double that completed his night of reaching base three times. The four RBIs gave Alonso 82 for the season, moving him one ahead of Aaron Judge for the MLB lead. 

“Our team is extremely good and we can win in a bunch of different ways. Tonight it was a great offensive and pitching job,” Alonso said.

Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco delivered five shutout innings, but it wasn’t easy for him: he allowed eight base runners and threw 92 pitches. But the right-hander got the Padres to hit into double plays in the third and fourth innings after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the first. 

The choppy (but effective) outing gave Carrasco an 11-inning scoreless streak over his last two starts. Over his last four starts, Carrasco has pitched to a 1.21 ERA. This extended a team record to 14 straight games in which a Mets starting pitcher allowed two runs or fewer.