Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Coming Soon — How to Register
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Coming Soon — How to Register

Marvel Rivals is blending comic book icons with hero shooter chaos — and gamers are feeling it. After the first closed beta, we got a closer look at the action as streamers tested out the game for the first time. If you felt FOMO, you're in luck: A second closed beta is coming. Here's what we know about the Marvel Rivals closed beta.

The second Marvel Rivals closed beta is coming soon. It's expected to come sometime on July of 2024. An exact date hasn't been announced just yet.

The Marvel Rivals closed beta is going to be available on all consoles, including the PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. There will be full crossplay as well, allowing friends on different platforms to test out the game together. PlayStation 5 beta participants will get an exclusive Scarlet Spider costume for Spider-Man.

Marvel Rivals leaked charactersMarvel Rivals leaked characters

The upcoming beta is closed. This means that it has limited public availability and you'll need to register for access. Developers haven't shared official registration information yet, stating it will come "soon."

Nobody is guaranteed a spot in the closed beta except those that reached level 10 in the previous closed alpha test. Those gamers will have to update the Marvel Rivals Playtest build on Steam when it's available. Everyone else will need to register for access and even then you aren't promised a spot.

To stay up to date on any beta news, join the Marvel Rivals Discord channel.

Closed Beta, hero shooter, marvel rivals
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Panthers Uphold Prince of Wales Trophy Superstition After Eastern Conference Title
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Panthers Uphold Prince of Wales Trophy Superstition After Eastern Conference Title

In the NHL, as in other sports, trophies are awarded for conference titles—much in the way that hardware is given to the AFC and NFC champions, American League and National League champions, and so on.

However, only hockey's conference trophies have elaborate lore surrounding what you can do and not do with them.

Superstition generally holds that you should touch neither the Eastern Conference's Prince of Wales Trophy nor Western Conference's Clarence Campbell Bowl, instead saving your adulation for the Stanley Cup. However, the Florida Panthers bucked that tradition in 2023, embracing the Prince of Wales Trophy after their Eastern Conference title.

With a loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup finals to the Vegas Golden Knights fresh in mind, Florida made no such mistake after its 2–1 clinching win over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday.

A video posted by the NHL showed the Panthers handling the trophy after beating the Carolina Hurricanes in '23—and then avoiding it like the plague in 2024.

Whether this hands-off approach will benefit Florida going forward remains to be seen.

Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki Commits Ghastly Error, Hits Game-Tying Grand Slam in Same Inning
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki Commits Ghastly Error, Hits Game-Tying Grand Slam in Same Inning

Baseball is a great game, it is said, because no matter how badly you screw up, you have the opportunity to come back the next day and redeem yourself.

In fact, sometimes you don't even need to wait a day.

Take the example of Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki, manning his familiar position Saturday evening against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the second inning, Reds catcher Luke Maile lofted a routine fly to right—only for Suzuki to drop it.

Three runs scored and Cincinnati ended the inning with a 4-0 lead.

Fast forward to the bottom of the second. Same situation—bases loaded, two outs, and this time Suzuki at the dish.

A 400-foot grand slam later, the contest was tied at four.

The redemptive bomb marked the sixth of the year for Suzuki, who is looking to build on a 20-home run sophomore season in 2023.

Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, MLB, Seiya Suzuki
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Panthers Hold Off Rangers in Game 6 to Lock Up Third Eastern Conference Title
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Panthers Hold Off Rangers in Game 6 to Lock Up Third Eastern Conference Title

For the fifth straight year, the Stanley Cup finals will have a Floridian flavor.

The Florida Panthers downed the New York Rangers 2–1 Saturday evening in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to win the series. With the victory, the Panthers won their third conference championship and second in as many years.

Previous Florida trips to the Stanley Cup finals include 1996, when the third-year franchise was swept by the Colorado Avalanche, and 2023, when the team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

To best the Rangers Saturday, the Panthers overcame a Herculean effort from New York goalie Igor Shesterkin. Center Sam Bennett staked Florida to a 1–0 lead at 19:10 of the first period, and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko added a second nine minutes into the third.

The Rangers opened their account with left wing Artemi Panarin's goal at 18:20 of the third period, but it was too little too late for New York's best team by points percentage since 1972.

The Panthers will meet either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals; the Oilers lead their series three games to two with Game 6 scheduled for Sunday evening.

Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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Novak Djokovic Ties Roger Federer's Record With 369th Grand Slam Singles Match Win
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Novak Djokovic Ties Roger Federer’s Record With 369th Grand Slam Singles Match Win

When fans watched Novak Djokovic crush Robby Ginepri 6–0, 6–0, 6–3 in the first round of the 2005 French Open, could they have known what was coming next?

That turned out to be the first Grand Slam match win for Djokovic, who won his 369th such match Friday against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 7–5, 6–7 (8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–0. With the win, he tied Swiss legend Roger Federer's record. Rafael Nadal is third with 314.

Musetti did not make it easy on Djokovic, but the 37-year-old defending champion recovered to take the final two sets. He will play Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo Monday morning in the fourth round.

Djokovic's first match victory in a major came mere days after he turned 18, and took place so long ago that he won it while representing Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro gained its independence from Serbia a year later.

Djokovic remains in search of his record 25th major championship.

French Open, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Tennis
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Closed School Remains Alive in Division III College World Series With Walk-Off Homer
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Closed School Remains Alive in Division III College World Series With Walk-Off Homer

If you look on Birmingham-Southern College Wikipedia page, you'll find a lot of past tense: Birmingham-Southern was this. Birmingham-Southern was that.

Fortunately, despite the tiny liberal arts college's closure on Friday, the school's baseball team very much still is.

The Panthers defeated Randolph-Macon 9-7 Saturday in nine innings to remain alive in the Division III College World Series. First baseman Jackson Webster was the hero, clubbing a walk-off home run to prolong his school's existence another day.

Birmingham-Southern's story has made waves throughout the baseball world, as the team tore off 19 wins in 23 games after news of its school's closure became public.

Founded over a century ago, Birmingham-Southern has long had a degree of name recognition in the world of college sports. Its football team had credibility as a major school in the 1920s, and it briefly gave Division I a try in the 2000s.

The Panthers will play either Salve Regina or Wisconsin-Whitewater Sunday afternoon in Eastlake, Ohio.

Birmingham-Southern, College Baseball, Randolph-Macon
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Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6

As a franchise nearly seven decades older than their Eastern Conference finals opponents, the New York Rangers have more than their fair share of ghosts to call forth at any given time.

On Saturday night, they did just that ahead of a must-win Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

Before the Rangers and Panthers' showdown, ABC's cameras found a young rinkside fan at Amerant Bank Arena holding up a copy of The New York Post. It wasn't just any copy, however—it was a perfectly preserved copy from May 25, 1994.

"We'll win tonight," reads the headline, paraphrasing New York forward Mark Messier's famous guarantee before the Rangers' Eastern Conference finals-tying 4–2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

New York went on to beat the Devils in Game 7, and won the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

In the 30 years since, the Rangers have yet to win hockey's biggest prize.

Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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Caitlin Clark Heaps Praise on Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso Before Sky-Fever Game
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Caitlin Clark Heaps Praise on Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso Before Sky-Fever Game

Over the last two years, the friendly rivalry between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has elevated two games—women's college basketball and the WNBA—to never-before-seen heights.

Like all truly great sports rivalries, however, Clark and Reese's rivalry is built on mutual respect. On Saturday morning, Clark demonstrated that by praising both Reese and Sky center Kamilla Cardoso before the Fever played Chicago in the afternoon.

"The thing about (Reese), she's been so dominant at what she does ever since we played in high school," Clark said via Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. "She's always had a knack for being able to rebound the ball and that's just translated immediately to the WNBA."

Reese entered Saturday averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, ninth in the WNBA.

"Kamilla caused us a lot of problems in the national championship," Clark said of Cardoso. "Kamilla is just scratching the surface of her potential... it's been a lot of fun to watch those two kind of evolve over their college careers."

Each of the trio had a role to play in Indiana's eventual 71–70 win. Clark scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds and gave out eight assists; Reese scored eight points and pulled down 13 rebounds; Cardoso scored 11 points and had six rebounds.

Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, Kamilla Cardoso, WNBA
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Caitlin Clark Decries Chennedy Carter's Hard Foul During Fever's Win Over Sky
1 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Caitlin Clark Decries Chennedy Carter’s Hard Foul During Fever’s Win Over Sky

Saturday's game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky was supposed to be a celebration of the WNBA's most heralded rookie class ever, with Fever guard Caitlin Clark squaring off against Sky forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso.

While still a memorable game—Indiana won 71–70—it became yet another unfortunate referendum on Clark's reputation throughout the league.

Late in the third quarter, Chicago guard Chennedy Carter slammed into Clark on an inbounds pass and was called for an off-ball foul.

When the quarter was over, Clark was asked about the foul.

“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said via The New York Post. “But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level.”

With the win, the youthful Fever improved to 2–8 on the season.

Caitlin Clark, Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, WNBA
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Daniil Medvedev Offers Best Line of the French Open After Reaching Fourth Round
1 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Daniil Medvedev Offers Best Line of the French Open After Reaching Fourth Round

If you scroll quickly through Daniil Medvedev's resume since he turned pro in 2015, a hierarchy of surfaces becomes clear.

On hard courts, the Russian has won his only major championship—the 2021 U.S. Open—and reached three Australian Open finals. On grass, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2023.

Clay has been less kind to the 28-year-old. The furthest Medvedev has advanced at the French Open is the quarterfinals in '21, and he's reached just two clay ATP singles finals ever.

On Saturday, after topping Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 7–6 (4), 7–5, 1–6, 6–4 in the French Open's third round, Medvedev had some self-deprecating fun with his clay struggles.

"We've rarely seen you this relaxed at Roland-Garros..." an interview began.

"That's because I often lose in the first round," Medvedev replied.

Indeed, Medvedev didn't win a singles match at the French Open until '21—his fifth try.

Next up for the Russian is Australia's Alex de Minaur in the fourth round, to be played Monday morning.

Daniil Medvedev, Tennis, Tomas Machac
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