A's are atop AL West, but have struggled to deliver fantasy baseball value — will that change?

Let’s start with the conclusion first. I don’t know what to make of the Athletics these days. It’s a team in limbo, two years removed from Oakland, not really belonging to Sacramento, and hopefully on schedule for Las Vegas in two years. The Athletics play ina glorious hitter parkbut they’re struggling to score runs, or put up fantasy baseball value. The club has a starting rotation that even most fantasy managers couldn’t pick out of a lineup.

And yet the nomad Athletics are somehow in first place in the AL West. Okay, it’s a 15-13 record, a modest start, but it still ranks ahead of everyone else.

So let’s get out the audit tools and take the temperature of this oddball team.

I thought the Athletics would score this year, for simple reasons. The A’s were 12th in runs and eighth in OPS last year, and Sutter Health Park played as the best hitter park in the American League. This year, Sutter is actuallythe best scoring park in all of baseball, but the hometown offense hasn’t benefited. The Athletics currently rank 22nd in runs, 15th in OPS.

This club had six priority hitters for the spring draft season, including four inside the top 100. Most of them are not returning their ADP so far.

— First basemanNick Kurtzis probably the easiest “buy” from this group. He leads the majors in walks, and he’s homered three times in his last six games — he’s coming around. I’d be surprised if he didn’t bat for a plus average moving forward, with a slugging percentage over .500. He’s legit.

— OutfielderBrent Rooker(.507 OPS) at least has a reasonable excuse — an oblique injury cost him a couple of weeks. He returned to action Sunday, went 0-for-4 with a run. I would expect he’ll soon revert to the consistent slugger we saw in the three previous seasons, when he conked 99 homers and assembled a steady .268/.343/.509 slash. If someone in your league has soured on Rooker, you have my permission to take the case.

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— CatcherShea Langeliershas been the winner of the draft targets, hitting .304 with eight homers. He’s currently the C4 in banked 5x5 value. Langeliers still employs an aggressive approach at the plate — he’s below code in walk rate, chase rate and strikeout rate — but when he makes contact, all is forgiven. All of his hard-hit metricsare in plus territory, and his .304/.361/.563 slash is backed up by the expected stats. Enjoy the ride.

—Tyler Soderstromwas a part-time catcher not long ago, but that equipment has been shelved for good. The Athletics view Soderstrom as a full-time outfielder this year, and it’s going to take some time (he currently has a negative defensive grade). He’s off to a sluggish start (OPS drop of 128 points), though his walk and strikeout rates have both improved. He’s also managed to make 18 RBI from a .215 average and just three homers. He still feels like a reliable player to invest in for fantasy purposes.

— I suspected this would be a reveal season for outfielderLawrence Butler, who was a star in 2024 (131 OPS+) and a disappointment last year (91 OPS+). This year, it’s all fallen apart — a .186/.263/.279 start. His batting averagehas been comically unlucky(.253 expected BA, well above the .186 number) but that’s also tied to a paltry .354 expected slugging percentage. Butler is currently rostered in 55% of Yahoo leagues (he does have two homers and four steals), but perhaps that number is too optimistic.

— I was willing to buy stock on shortstopJacob Wilsonafter a solid rookie year (.311 average, 13 homers). What if he added a little more power? His springtime ADP of 164 felt like a floor price.

Alas, the pop remains on back order — he’s actually lost 61 slugging percentage points — and his average has also dropped to .278. Wilson rarely runs (six steals in two seasons) so he needs a juicy average to pay the fantasy freight. At least you can still enjoy the craftsman at work, as Wilson rarely strikes out andalmost never swings at a pitch outside the strike zone. I’ll trust the process here, and stick with the player.

— A couple of other Athletics hitters have entered our fantasy lives. The otherMax Muncyhas a .239 average and a couple of homers, covering three infield positions in Yahoo. OutfielderCarlos Corteshas torn it up for 61 at-bats — .377 average, four homers. His Savant pageis a sea of glorious red. The A’s have steered Cortes away from left-handed pitching, but so long as he’s crushing righties, we have to take notice.

Muncy is trading at 26% in Yahoo leagues, while Cortes has risen to 21% in recent days.

Turning attention to the pitchers

— Most winning teams are able to support a fantasy-viable closer, even if they have a hitter-favoring park. Unfortunately for the saves chase, the Athletics are spreading the handshakes around.Joel Kuhnelhas four saves so far (including one Sunday), whileJack PerkinsandMark Leiter Jr.have two each. Left-handerHogan Harrishas one random save, something we can probably overlook (he’s also walked 13 men in 16.1 innings, which is an instant disqualification).

Kuhnel has a 2.16 ERA and 1.080 WHIP,supported by the peripherals. Perkins checks in at 3.18/1.147, and he’s actually beena little unlucky. Leiter has been unlucky, too, but his FIP (4.59) isn’t that much better than his actual 6.94 ERA. If you’re hunting for saves here, lean Kuhnel (24%) and consider Perkins (4%); ignore the others.

— The rotation has been surprisingly respectable, with three starters carrying ERAs in the 3s. ButJeffrey Springs(3.79/1.009) is the only starter with a strikeout rate good enough to challenge the park long-term — and his strikeout rate is merely league average. Springs also has to make do with an ordinary fastball (91.3 mph) and a below-average ground-ball rate. Occam’s Razor suggests you might be best ignoring every starting pitcher here, even if the Athletics wind up contending all season.

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11:47

A's are atop AL West, but have struggled to deliver fantasy baseball value — will that change?

Let’s start with the conclusion first. I don’t know what to make of the Athletics these days. It’s a team in limbo, two years removed f...

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Close watch on how Trump and journalists will get along at White House correspondents' dinner

Donald Trump'sexpected attendanceat Saturday's annualWhite House Correspondents' Association dinnerin Washington for his first time as president will put his administration's often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.

Trump

Trump will be watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.

The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.

Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.

Trump’s planned appearance isrekindling a longer running debateabout the dinner and events like it — in particular, whether it is poor form for journalists to be seen socializing with the people they cover. The New York Times, for example, stopped attending the dinner more than a decade ago for that reason.

“What was once (a fairly long time ago) a well-intended night of fundraising and camaraderie among professional adversaries is now simply a bad look,” wrote Kelly McBride, ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank.

A contentious relationship

Betweenberatingindividual reporters, fighting organizations likethe Times,The Wall Street JournalandThe Associated Pressin court andrestricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration’s animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.

On the eve of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition calling on the association "to forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press.”

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“The White House Correspondents’ dinner reinforces the importance of the First Amendment in our democracy," said the WHCA president, Weijia Jiang, a CBS News reporter. "As we mark America’s 250th birthday, our choice to gather as journalists, newsmakers and the president in the same room is a reminder of what a free press means to this country and why it must endure. Not for the media or the president, but for the people who depend on it.”

Many reporters who attend, however, consider it a valuable opportunity get story ideas and establish personal connections with those in government, one that may pay dividends with returned telephone calls in the future.

Some news organizations invite sources as guests

Journalists often invite sources as guests at the dinner. It will be noticed Saturday whether administration officials who have also expressed hostility to the press will attend, and with whom they will be sitting.

The AP has invited Taylor Budowich, a former White House deputy chief of staff who left last fall for the private sector. The invitation is notable because Budowich, in his role crafting White House communications policy, was a named defendant last year when the APsued the administrationafter it reduced its access to the president becausethe news outlet did not follow Trump's leadin renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

“We maintain professional relationships with people across the political spectrum because we are nonpartisan by design — focused on reporting the facts in the public's interest,” AP spokesman Patrick Maks said.

The White House correspondents will also hand out awards for exemplary reporting. That includes some stories that displeased Trump, such as one from the Journal about a birthday message Trump once sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The story led to a presidential lawsuit.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him athttp://x.com/dbauderandhttps://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

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16:38

Close watch on how Trump and journalists will get along at White House correspondents' dinner

Donald Trump'sexpected attendanceat Saturday's annualWhite House Correspondents' Association dinnerin Washington for his fi...

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Sidney Crosby, Penguins top Flyers, stay alive in playoff series

Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist Saturday as the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins stayed alive with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Rickard Rakell also scored a goal and set up another for Pittsburgh, which had been outscored 11-4 while dropping the first three games of the series. Penguins coach Dan Muse opted to start Arturs Silovs in net instead of Stuart Skinner, and Silovs responded with 28 saves in a crisp performance.

"I thought he played great. Big saves," Muse said of Silovs. " ... I've got a lot of confidence in both guys. I'm really happy for him. ... He made sure that he was prepared. When his name was called, he was ready. Great by him."

Denver Barkey and Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia, which will have another chance to win the best-of-seven series Monday when the teams reconvene for Game 5 in Pittsburgh. Dan Vladar, playing with a right arm injury, turned aside 17 shots for the Flyers.

"Nothing's changing for us. Still being positive," Vladar said. "They're a really good team. It's not easy to win four in a row against a team like that. We've got to fight here."

Pittsburgh opened the scoring with 5:36 left in the first period on a creative setup by Erik Karlsson. Five seconds into a power play, Karlsson's feed from behind set up Crosby's smooth one-timer that skimmed off Vladar and into the net for a 1-0 advantage.

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Crosby's 72nd career postseason goal was the only tally of the first period, but the Penguins made it 2-0 just 1:03 into the second. Vladar turned it over behind the net to Rakell, who dove into the crease to swat the puck in before the Flyers' netminder could recover.

Philadelphia got on the board with 4:20 left in the second period on Barkey's first career playoff goal. The 20-year-old got position on Karlsson in the crease and Trevor Zegras put it right on his stick for a tap-in tally.

Travis Sanheim hit the post shortly thereafter, leaving Philadelphia facing a 2-1 deficit heading into the third.

The Penguins extended their lead to 3-1 on Kris Letang's goal 4:27 into the final session. Crosby won a battle along the boards and kicked the puck to his longtime teammate, who skated in with plenty of room and blasted a slap shot past Vladar.

The Flyers got back within a goal on Konecny's one-timer with 12:57 left, but Connor Dewar's empty-netter with just under a minute remaining ended the hosts' late comeback hopes.

Silovs' best saves included a clutch stop on Zegras near the end of the first period and a pad save on Tyson Foerster's partial breakaway with about six minutes left in the second.

--Field Level Media

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16:36

Sidney Crosby, Penguins top Flyers, stay alive in playoff series

Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist Saturday as the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins stayed alive with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelph...

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Shreveport has a message for America: Don't look away

SHREVEPORT — The Rev. James Green was in the middle of delivering a sermon at Union Mission Baptist Church No. 1 in Shreveport when he learned the unthinkable had happened.

That morning, a National Guard veteran shot two women and killed seven of his kids and one of their cousins. The gunman died after a police chase.

All of this unfolded on April 19 not far from Green’s church in Shreveport, a city of nearly 180,000 people near the Texas border in northwest Louisiana.

“It was worse than a kick in the gut," recalled Green, also a Shreveport city councilman. “It was like the wind being snatched out of me.”

As his community grappled with the aftermath of the shootings, Green spearheaded a domestic violence summit and hosted community vigils. The nation, he insisted, needs to “zoom in on domestic violence, because it happens every minute – every hour – of our lives.”

But some Americans, already beset with traumatic news amid deep political divisions at home and the wars in Iran and Ukraine, might choose to look away, partly to protect their own mental health.

“We’ve been talking about this in psychology for years, not just with mass shootings, but other incidents of trauma that are replayed over and over again, that we do have to take a healthy level of self-care,” said Apryl Alexander, director of theUniversity of North Carolina Charlotte Violence Prevention Center.

At the same time, Alexander said domestic violence should not be ignored.

“I’m hoping that people are not becoming numb or immune to this,” she said. “In order for us to think about solutions, we all have to be invested in really examining the underlying factors behind these incidents.”

Shreveport shooting is shocking but 'not an outlier'

Police have identified the gunman as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, who served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020 as a signal system specialist and a fire support specialist.

Before the shootings, he told his stepfather on Easter Sunday that he wanted to take his own life and that he was dealing with “dark thoughts,” the New York Times reported. At the time, he was reportedly struggling with a looming separation from his wife, who was gravely injured in the shooting. The other injured woman had previously sued him for child support and was granted joint custody of their child, Sariahh, in 2017, court records show.

Sariahh was among those killed in the shooting. The other victims were identified as: Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Their deaths are part of a particularly horrific phenomenon called “family annihilation” in which people kill many relatives, sometimes an entire family. Between 2020 and 2023, such killings happened once every five days on average nationwide, according toan investigation by the Indianapolis Star,which is part of the USA TODAY network. Several high-profile cases have captured national attention, including those involvingAlex Murdaugh,Andrea YatesandElizabeth Diane Downs.

The attack in Shreveport was among the deadliest mass shootings since January 2024. In some ways, it was "not an outlier," said Walter Dekeseredy, who teaches sociology at West Virginia University and directs its Research Center on Violence.

“Good criminological research shows that it’s typically a man killing his wife or ex-wife and his children,” he said. “That’s the most common form of mass killing.”

Elkins' motives are not entirely clear, but Dekeseredy said leaving an abusive relationship can be the most dangerous time for a partner being abused. Black women are killed by intimate partnersat significantly higher rates than any other group.

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The shootings in Shreveport left some people wondering what support was missing for the family.

“What were the dynamics at this time for a person to escalate, obtain a firearm — and then again for these women to not be protected?” Alexander asked.

Awareness is crucial, but news can take a toll

Meanwhile, a growing number of people worldwide are turning away from the news, partly because they find it negative and depressing, according a 2025reportby the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the University of Oxford.

The more people follow news about violence and mass tragedies, the more likely they are to experience distress, according to E. Alison Holman, a professor in the school of nursing and department of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine.

Holman has found, for example, that people who followed the highest amounts of news media coverage of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing reported higher acute stress than people who were directly exposed to the bombing. This stress, she said, can be compounded because Americans are exposed to a barrage of difficult news, such as therising death toll of the war in Iranand America'scost-of-living crisis.

“We call it cascading collective stress or trauma,” Holman said.

People who can identify with the victims are more likely to follow news about them, and that can set off a cycle of distress.

“It’s very important that people know what’s going on in the world around them, but don’t over-immerse yourself in that,” she said. “Don’t keep going back and looking at it over and over because that’s not good for your mental health and not good for your physical health, too.”

News coverage about the shootings in Shreveport could traumatize viewers, particularly those impacted by domestic abuse, Dekeseredy and Alexander said. But they also said it is crucial for people to understand the broader societal forces that fuel such violence.

“The rates of violence against women are so high in this country," Dekeseredy said, “that it tells you something about the way our society is organized.”

‘Why don't you lift Shreveport?’

On April 26, the choir at Green’s church in Shreveport performed “I Sing Praises to Your Name” as parishioners filed inside the sanctuary, umbrellas in hand. Eventually, they approached the altar, raising their hands.

"Why don't you lift Shreveport?” Green asked his flock. “Why don't you lift your neighborhood? Why don't you lift the Elkins family, the Snow family, the Pugh family? Why don't you lift your family and other families to the Lord?"

He cited Psalm 13, which encourages people to grieve but also to trust in God.

“No matter where you are in life,” Green said, “once you have an audience with the Lord, once you come into his presence, he will lift that burden.”

His parishioners immediately erupted in applause. Their hope was palpable as they hugged. Before they departed, they were given Amaryllis plants featuring red, trumpet-shaped flowers. Because they bloom in winter months, they can symbolize resilience and determination. The parishioners took them home so they could plant them as a way to memorialize Shreveport’s victims.

If you or someone you know could be a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available at 988.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Shreveport has a message for America: Don't look away

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16:34

Shreveport has a message for America: Don't look away

SHREVEPORT — The Rev. James Green was in the middle of delivering a sermon at Union Mission Baptist Church No. 1 in Shreveport when he ...

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Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted during appeal process, judges rule

WASHINGTON (AP) — TheDefense Departmentcan require journalists to be escorted on Pentagon grounds while the Trump administration appeals a judge's decision to block its enforcement of a press access policy challenged by The New York Times, an appeals courtruled Monday.

The ruling by a divided three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit isn't the final decision inthe newspaper's lawsuitover a new Pentagon press credential policy. But the panel's majority opinion said the administration is likely to succeed in showing that the policy's escort requirement is legally valid.

The panel granted the government's request to suspend anApril 9 decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, who ruled that the Defense Department was violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters.

Circuit Judges Justin Walker, J. Michelle Childs and Bradley Garcia heard the case, with Childs dissenting from the 2-1 majority.

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“Reporters can hardly verify sources, gather information, or speak candidly with Department personnel with an escort looming over their shoulders,” Childs wrote.

Friedman found that the Pentagon’s new credential policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team had tried to evade his March 20 ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said it welcomes the panel's decision and looks forward to arguing the merits of its “full case” before the same panel. In a statement posted on social media, Parnell said unescorted access to the Pentagon has led to the “regular unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified national defense information.”

“Since implementing the current access policy, the Department has seen a meaningful reduction in these unauthorized disclosures, which when they occur can endanger the lives of service members, intelligence personnel, and our allies,” he wrote.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Walker. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, nominated Garcia and Childs. Friedman was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

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Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted during appeal process, judges rule

WASHINGTON (AP) — TheDefense Departmentcan require journalists to be escorted on Pentagon grounds while the Trump administration appeal...

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