On this episode of The Dunker Spot, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the upcoming Game 5 between the Aces and Fever, put a bow on an awesome Mercury-Lynx series, then react to the All-Rookie team.
On the NBA side, the guys break down the quotes and updates that intrigue them the most from this year’s Media Days.
If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at | Spotify | YouTube
On this episode of The Dunker Spot, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the upcoming Game 5 between the Aces and Fever, put a bow on an awesome Mercury-Lynx series, then react to the All-Rookie team.
On the NBA side, the guys break down the quotes and updates that intrigue them the most from this year’s Media Days.
If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at | Spotify | YouTube
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) gets a fist bump from catcher Ben Rortvedt (47) after recording his 12th strikeout against the Phillies on Sept. 17. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In the hours leading up to the Dodgers’ Sept. 10 game against the Colorado Rockies, Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt was taking a nap.
After the previous week, it was a well-deserved rest.
A 28-year-old journeyman backstop who’d been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Dodgers at the deadline, Rortvedt was called up from the minors and thrust into emergency duty in the middle of a tight division race. In the span of three days from Sept. 3-5, both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing had been injured. And in Rortvedt’s first three starts with the Dodgers after that, he’d twice helped take a no-hitter into the ninth while offering unexpected contributions with his bat.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Rortvedt said then. “But this gets you battle-tested.”
By Sept. 10, however, Rortvedt’s time in the majors appeared to be ticking. The previous night, Smith had returned to the lineup a week after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand. Rushing was also working his way back from the injured list after fouling a ball off his leg five days earlier. And in what appeared to be one of his final days on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, Rortvedt went for a pregame nap.
And three weeks later, he will start behind the plate for the Dodgers in Game 1 of their National League wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
In the lead-up to that Sept. 10 game, Smith’s hand swelled up on him, forcing him to be scratched from the lineup and ultimately go for further testing that revealed a fractured bone where the team initially believed there was only a bruise.
Rushing, meanwhile, never found a groove with his bat or his game-calling upon returning to the active roster a few days later, enduring more rookie growing pains that had plagued him all year.
Rortvedt, on the other hand, just kept on contributing, providing a steady presence behind the plate for the pitching staff, improved defense on balls in the dirt, and subtly useful offense with a .224 batting average and three sacrifice bunts.
It was enough for manager Dave Roberts to effectively name Rortvedt the team’s primary catcher in Smith’s absence, saying he would get the “lion’s share” of playing time if Smith wasn’t back for the start of the playoffs.
And though Smith was included on the Dodgers’ wild-card roster Tuesday, after making enough progress with his hand to take live at-bats during a team workout the night before, he still wasn’t ready to resume full starting duties. For this series, he will likely be only a pinch-hit option off the bench.
Rortvedt, meanwhile, will get playoff starts not even he could have seen coming a month ago.
“I’ve just been really grateful to get another chance [in the majors],” Rortvedt said last week. “And a chance like this is an amazing opportunity.”
A former second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins coming out of high school in Wisconsin in 2016, Rortvedt has struggled to carve out a consistent major-league role in his nomadic professional career. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Twins but hit just .169 over 39 games. He was traded to the New York Yankees the following spring as a minor piece in a Josh Donaldson/Gary Sánchez deal, but spent most of that year injured.
After another disappointing 32-game stint in 2023 with the Yankees, when he hit .118, Rortvedt finally found some success in 2024 following another trade to Tampa Bay. Through mid-May, he was hitting over .300 and earning consistent starts behind the plate. And though his numbers faded the rest of the way, he finally seemed to be cementing his place on a big-league roster, entering this season confident that some offseason swing tweaks would lead to an even stronger year.
“I thought I was in a really good space to have a good year,” Rortvedt said.
Instead, it all fell apart.
In 26 games over the season’s first two months, Rortvedt had just six hits in 63 at-bats. He was relegated to backup duties, then ultimately the minor leagues. In late May, when he was designated for assignment, he traded emotional goodbyes with his Rays teammates on his way out of the clubhouse.
“The beginning of the year was a big down for me,” he said. “I messed around with a little too many things [in my swing], and I never got comfortable coming out of spring training.”
At the trade deadline, Rortvedt was on the move again, getting roped into a three-team deal with — coincidentally — the Dodgers and Reds that saw Los Angeles effectively use him to replace Hunter Feduccia as their third organizational catcher.
“As one door closes, another opens,” Rortvedt said. “And especially with the organization here, with the reputation, the job they do in all aspects of the game, I was extremely grateful to be in this kind of place.”
That didn’t mean his transition over the last month was easy. After being thrust into starting duties, Rortvedt spent most of his hours catching bullpens, talking with the team’s pitchers about their tendencies, and devouring film of the staff each night on his iPad to learn each one’s pitch mix.
“That’s really, really hard,” Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann said. “But his personality and the way he goes about things shows that he cares. It’s evident in his work and his meetings and talking to the guys, and putting defense first when he’s supposed to.”
Despite the whiplash nature of his return to the majors, Rortvedt found all-around success.
He has gone 11-for-49 at the plate with two doubles, a home run and an on-base-percentage above .300, posting a higher OPS than Rushing on the year. He has overseen a dominant run from the rotation, with Dodgers pitchers posting a 2.89 ERA in the 18 games he has caught.
“For him being new to the team, he’s just had a really good energy,” Dodgers Game 1 starter Blake Snell said. “He’s been very clutch for us offensively, very clutch for us defensively. I just attribute it to how much he wants to catch and how much he wants to be back there. His excitement, it’s contagious. And it’s helping the pitchers pitch good.”
The Dodgers, of course, are still hoping to get Smith back to full-time starting duties at some point this October. They still have Rushing as a long-term piece of their future puzzle.
But for now, Rortvedt has been the right guy at the right time to help the team navigate its sudden catching problems. And Tuesday night, he’ll get his first playoff start.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Rortvedt said of his brief but influential Dodgers tenure. “But it’s definitely been better than sitting around.”
While it might be tough to say when each of these features officially dropped, the point is they’re here now, and you can try them out today. Here are the six new features Meta highlighted, and what you can expect to see the next time you open the app:
Support for Live Photos and Motion Photos
Perhaps the biggest news of the bunch is support for Live Photos (iOS) and Motion Photos (Android). Before this latest update, these moving photos would simply as static images, so you’d miss out on the extra few seconds of motion and audio. If you wanted to send the full Live Photo or Motion Photo, you needed to choose a different messaging app. No longer!
It’s the latest WhatsApp update to make it easer to freely share media. Over the years, the company has slowly updated its policies on sharing high quality photos and videos. It was only in 2024 that WhatsApp finally let you share these images in full resolution, so it’s not that surprising to me that it took this long for Live Photo support.
Document scanning on Android
If you frequently share documents on WhatsApp, this is great news: Android users now have access to the app’s built-in document scanner. This feature was previously exclusive to iPhones, so it’s good to see it arrive on the Android version as well.
You’l find the “Document” option under the (+) button in any given chat.
Meta AI chat themes
Meta’s custom, AI-generated chat themes are now available in WhatsApp. The feature is a bit buried in the “Chat theme” settings, but after tapping “Create with AI,” you can ask the bot to generate any type of background you want. If you can’t think of anything, Meta AI has a series of pre-generated backgrounds you can use.
As you might expect, these backgrounds include all the hallmarks of AI-generated images: uncanny realisms, high contrast, and that “AI sheen.” Still, if you feel like mixing up your chat background with something you can’t find in the app’s selections, you can give this image generator a try. I’d prefer to stick with the human-generated selections.
That said, WhatsApp is far from the only app to offer AI-generated chat backgrounds. Even Apple’s Messages app now does, at least with iOS 26.
Video call backgrounds
Similarly, you can now use Meta AI to generate custom backgrounds for your video calls. This feature works when taking photos and videos directly in the chat, as well, just in case you ever want to quickly replace your background with something AI-generated. Outside of the sheer novelty though, I’m not sure when that would be all that practical.
Better group search
You can now search for specific contact names in the main Chats tab, and have WhatsApp return all of the groups you two are in together. I could see this being an easier way to find a group chat that’s been buried in your threads: Instead of scrolling or searching for specific messages, just search for the name of someone you know is in the chat.
Additional sticker packs
WhatsApp is also introducing at least two new sticker packs: “Fearless Bird” and “Vacation.”
There’s a lot to unpack regarding the New York Rangers’ decision to send Brennan Othmann down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
It feels as if Othmann has been knocking at the door to make the Rangers’ roster for a couple of years now.
Last year, Othmann was one of the Rangers’ last roster cuts, as he was close to making the Rangers’ opening-night roster.
After getting a 22-game audition with the Rangers during the 2024-25 campaign, he came to rookie camp this year with the hopes of earning a permanent NHL spot.
Upon speaking to Othmann for the first time since April, he emphasized that he’s in a better mental space and was feeling much more confident after a full offseason training with other NHL players.
Othmann’s newfound confidence and mentality unfortunately, did not translate to his play on the ice.
The 2021 first-round pick struggled to make a strong impression through training camp and four preseason games.
It wasn’t that Othmann performed at an unfathomable level, but it was more about what he didn’t do and the little things he needs to fix before taking the jump as a regular NHL player.
Mike Sullivan feels there are a couple of small aspects on the ice that Othmann still needs to unlock in order to earn a spot with the Rangers.
“We’ve had a number of discussions around what that pathway might look like for him to carve a role on the New York Rangers,” Sullivan said. “A lot of the discussion we had just talked about conscientious play, attention to detail, defensively, away from the puck, playing within structure, having some predictability and reliability and dependability around his game.
“I think if he can add more detail around those things, essentially that’s what it boils down to. It’s attention to detail in all zones, in particular on the defensive side of the puck. Those are the conversations I’ve had with Otter over the past little while.”
Over the course of training camp, Otthmann began falling behind players on the depth chart he was directly competing with for a roster spot, including Gabe Perreault and Brett Berard.
It was quickly becoming evident that the 22-year-old forward would get sent down to Hartford, and those assumptions ultimately became a reality, even sooner than many people originally anticipated.
Despite being set down, Sullivan made clear that there’s still a pathway for Otthmann to work his way back up.
“I said to Otter, ‘just because this decision was made today doesn’t mean that there is finality to it and that the opportunity no longer exists, it very much exists and will continue to exist,’ and we will continue to work with Otter.” said Sullivan.
What is next for Otthmann?
Now he’ll likely play a top-line role for the Wolf Pack, where he’ll be put in a position to thrive and showcase his skills.
It isn’t necessarily what he may have wanted, but starting the season in the AHL could be positive for his overall development.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Otthmann, but he has a chip on his shoulder going into the 2025-26 campaign to show the Rangers brass what he is truly capable of.
In a world that seems increasingly determined to keep us apart, we’re all bound together by at least one universal experience: the frustration of talking to a real person on the phone at a customer service call center. Whether we want to complain, resolve a problem, or simply get information, call center interactions can be a maddening experience. Companies are increasingly hiding their customer service representatives behind phone menus and AI-driven tools, and even if you make contact, the experience is often less than ideal. With October Prime Day around the corner, finding a solution to this problem can save you a lot of headaches.
While different companies handle their call centers in different ways (and host them in different countries), there are some universal truths to keep in mind—and use to your advantage, if you know a few secret ways to navigate them. These tips won’t guarantee you success in your quest for a refund, a return, or simply an explanation as to why you were shipped you a BTS-branded body pillow instead of the winter coat you ordered. But they will increase your odds of emerging from the call with something to show for your efforts.
A good general piece of advice: Keep calm, and always be polite. Call center employees are human beings doing a difficult job, so remind yourself that your beef isn’t with them, it’s with their corporate overlords.
GetHuman
Your chances of customer service success increase dramatically when you get a human being on the line. Hitting a rigid phone menu is pretty common these days, and it’s frustrating: The automated options often aren’t flexible enough to cover your specific need, and they seem to be designed to stop all but the hardiest souls from actually reaching a customer service rep (CSR).
And that’s because they are. It costs money every time you connect with a CSR, so companies try to keep you away from them as much as possible. So, instead of tangling with their phone menu and hearing “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that” fifteen times until you set your phone on fire in frustration, try a service like GetHuman. Type in the name of the company you’re trying to contact and see if there’s a direct phone number you can dial to get a person, or if they offer a set of easy instructions on how to break out of the phone menu. If you do get a human on the phone, ask for a direct number to call back if your problem needs to be addressed again.
The supervisor trick
It’s an oldie but a goodie—and it does work. If your CSR isn’t helpful, or you’re not getting the result you want, ask to speak to a supervisor. A slightly more polite and less combative way to do this is to ask to speak to “someone who can solve my problem” or similar language. In almost all situations, your CSR is obligated to transfer you upon request, and supervisors are often empowered to do things the common CSR can’t.
Hit zero—or say nothing
If you can’t get any information on how to connect to a human being, try pressing zero on your phone’s keypad. Many (though not all) call center phone menus will automatically dump you to a CSR if you press zero.
If that doesn’t work, have a little patience and simply do nothing. Most phone menus will time out if you don’t respond in any way to their prompts—and dump you to a human being by default. This might take a minute or two, but it often works.
Call during off hours
As you might imagine, call centers experience busy times like any other business, and they tend to align with people’s waking hours. If the company you’re trying to reach offers 24-hour customer service, try calling very early in the morning or very late at night. Most sane, well-adjusted people will be asleep or enjoying their lives, so your chances of getting through quickly (and your chances the CSR will have extra time for you) will be better.
Exhaust the script
It’s important to understand that every single CSR you speak to is working from a script. Companies develop complex algorithms for dealing with customer complaints. These scripts are designed to shorten call lengths—and to avoid outcomes the company finds undesirable (like refunding your money).
But like all scripts, they’re limited. A few simple tricks can help you break free from the script—and that’s when you can really get something done. A few things to try:
Repeat your demands. CSR scripts usually have a limit on how often the CSR can refuse you—but they won’t tell you that. Most commonly, if you trigger the same script loop three times, the CSR is obliged to transfer you—or empowered to reveal another option they’ve yet to share. So if the CSR tells you they can’t refund you, don’t just accept it—ask again. And then again.
Stay on the line. CSRs are always on the clock. Every interaction costs the company money, and their job performance is often tied to how quickly they can resolve customer problems. The longer you refuse to end the interaction, the closer you get to being transferred to someone who can actually do what you want, or inspiring the CSR to use some of the power they do have just to get you off the line.
Jump the script. When trying to cancel an account or get a refund, CSR scripts are larded with alternatives, up-sells, and misdirections. (Ever tried to cancel your cable TV and somehow wound up with three months of free HBO instead? That’s the power of the script.) One trick is to start off by pre-refusing everything—tell the CSR you don’t want freebies, discounts, new services, or anything else, you want one very specific thing. This can short-circuit the script and get you where you want to go much faster.
Call back immediately
If your CSR refuses to see things your way, don’t get mad—change venues. Politely end the call, then call back immediately. You’ll almost certainly get a different CSR, and the experience can often be dizzyingly different. That’s because your call may be routed to an entirely different call center, or may be picked up by a CSR with more experience—and more authority.
Show them the money
If you’re having trouble getting a human being on the line no matter what you try, there’s one last trick to play: Choose the menu option that involves spending money. Upgrade your account, make a purchase, take on the optional insurance—whatever option results in your bill going up will almost certainly get an eager human being on the phone. They may not be the right person to speak to, but now you’re inside the phone menu, and they can transfer you to a more appropriate department.
Customer service often seems like a battle of wills. But it’s also a battle of wits, and these secrets will give you some extra ammo.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Prime Day Deals Right Now
The Scribe is more affordable alternative to competitors like ReMarkable, combining an e-reader with a digital notebook with a paper-like writing experience and limited AI integrations.
A redesigned upgrade from the original 2022 Kindle Scribe, the 2024 model has a larger 10.2-inch, 300 ppi e-ink screen. It’s made of aluminum (in Tungsten or Metallic Jade) and comes with a “Premium Pen” stylus with an eraser that allows you to mark up imported documents, sketch, handwrite notes, or use it as a planner. According to Amazon, battery life is up to three weeks, based on a baseline of 30 minutes of writing daily.
This model is a reading-and-writing hybrid with a great writing experience, but it can’t compete with full-featured digital notebooks that can run apps. It does, however, have built-in AI tools that transform handwriting into a readable font, summarize notes, and tweak their tone or length to your liking. Active Canvas also allows you to annotate the pages of your e-books.
While the 2024 model has more note-taking features than its predecessor, this PCMag review notes that its new annotation system isn’t a big improvement over the 2022 model. Still, with a $100 discount, you get Amazon’s most refined e-note experience, the bonus of AI tools, and a premium pen bundled in, making the 2024 Amazon Kindle Scribea great choice for anyone who wants to elevate their reading, note-taking, and writing experience.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard’s comments at his team’s media day on Monday marked the first time he’s addressed allegations he signed a contract with a team sponsor with the understanding the compensation reflected payments on behalf of the Clippers that were in addition to his player salary.
Leonard ridiculed the allegations as far-fetched “conspiracies” that further “clickbait” schemes, and he underscored how the sponsor company engaged in “fraud” and shouldn’t be trusted. In doing so, the star player made clear he’ll fight to preserve the reputation of the Clippers, team owner Steve Ballmer and himself.
The allegations center on how in 2022, Clippers team sponsor Aspiration, a now-bankrupt sustainability services company with whom Ballmer and minority Clippers owner Dennis J. Wong invested millions of dollars, signed Leonard to a four-year, $28 million deal. The parties allegedly understood Leonard didn’t have to perform services in exchange for pay and that the deal would end if the Clippers traded Leonard. The allegations were made on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, with additional reporting by the Boston Sports Journal and Toronto Star.
If proven, the allegations strongly suggest the Clippers violated Article 13 of the collective bargaining agreement.
Article 13 prohibits “any agreements” of “any kind” that are “express or implied, oral or written” or “understandings of any kind” in which the team uses a sponsor or business to circumvent the cap by paying a player money that exceeds his contract.
The Clippers signed Leonard to a four-year, $176.3 million max contract in 2021, but if Aspiration paid Leonard extra on behalf of the Clippers, the Clippers would have violated Article 13. Potential punishments would include fines, suspensions, forfeiture of draft picks and termination of Leonard’s contract with the Clippers.
A finding of cap circumvention would also effectively brand Ballmer, Leonard and others as cheaters—an ignoble distinction and figurative scarlet letter they’d carry for the rest of their NBA careers.
Leonard said the allegations are factually wrong and suggested Aspiration’s bankruptcy and fraudulent acts are overlooked factors.
To that point, Leonard said he understood the terms of the Aspiration contract “and the services that I had to do.” His reference to “services” is significant, because it signals the deal obligated him to perform acts and was not a do-nothing, gift-like arrangement.
Leonard also stressed how Aspiration “went bankrupt” and how he and others “knew” that development would invite controversy. According to court filings from March 31, Aspiration owes Leonard a lot of money—about $7 million. The company also allegedly owes the Clippers and the Boston Red Sox $30.1 million and $5 million, respectively.
Leonard further described Aspiration going “belly up” as a reflection of “fraud.” Last month, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud. According to the Justice Department, Sanberg deceived investors and lenders.
It’s not surprising that Leonard repeatedly referenced “fraud.” If allegations against the Clippers are based on statements and materials provided by Aspiration officials, Leonard and the team can more persuasively argue the accusers and the materials stem from fraudulent operations and thus shouldn’t be trusted. In law, the tactic of claiming an accuser is unreliable or untrustworthy is known as impeaching the witness. It could prove crucial for Leonard and the Clippers.
That brings the discussion to the NBA. The league is investigating the allegations and has retained a law firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to assist.
The NBA could rely on circumstantial evidence, meaning indirect proof that is reliable enough to draw inferences, to find the Clippers guilty. Along those lines, the NBA doesn’t need an email or contract referencing a conspiracy between the Clippers and Aspiration. A mere “understanding,” which is a low threshold and can refer to an informal, shared perception, would be sufficient.
At the same time, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has cautioned that while the NBA is not a court of law—with accompanying procedures and formalized protections for the accused—he’s going to be fair. A seasoned attorney, Silver values foundational safeguards emphasized in law school and at providers of legal services. He has referenced that reliable evidence will be necessary for the league to conclude the Clippers broke the rules and that due process matters in reaching such a determination.
Those factors don’t mean the NBA will clear the Clippers, but they do mean Silver will need to be convinced that allegations are based on trustworthy sources and corroborated evidence that withstands scrutiny.
That’s why Leonard’s comments are important: He’s presenting a rebuttal to the allegations and raising questions about the sources. Whether he and the Clippers win the case remains to be seen.
All the chaos overwhelms even the most seasoned online shopper, making it hard to know if you’re really saving money at all. But there’s one category that will undoubtedly stand out on Prime Days by design: tech made by Amazon itself. That means items like Fire tablets, Fire TV Cubes, and anything else specifically made by Amazon.
For typical tech sales, most retailers want you buying whatever they can convince you to plunk down money for, be it an iPhone or an Android, a Mac or PC, Xbox or PlayStation. They just want as much of your money as possible, and so traditional shopping events like Black Friday see deals across the spectrum of brands and manufacturers. But Amazon is different.
Amazon is both a store and amanufacturer
While the company sells tons of products from a wide variety of manufacturers, it also makes its own tech. If you’re looking for a new smart TV, Amazon makes one; if you just want the smart TV streaming device, Amazon makes that as well. For home security, there are both Blink and Ring products. Alexa powers so many of these devices, so why not get one of its smart speakers or screens operated via the personal assistant? Amazon Basics even makes plenty of accessories, from USB cables to batteries.
Amazon now makes so much tech, it only makes sense that the company would prefer to sell you its version of a product over that of the competition. Instead of a Roku, buy a Fire TV stick. Instead of a Nest Mini, buy an Echo Pop. It seems Amazon has comparable products in almost every category—they even make their own earbuds (Echo Buds).
The quality of these products compared to the competition is certainly up for debate, and I encourage you to do your own research before buying any tech product—made by Amazon or otherwise. But whenever you do search for a tech product on Amazon, and especially during Prime Day, you’re going to be served up an Amazon alternative. It’s only in the company’s best interest to use the event to run big deals on its own products.
Amazon is still a market, and it’s good for them when you buy anything, so if you end up going with a Samsung TV over an Amazon TV, that’s still a sale. That’s why you’ll still find plenty of deals throughout October Prime Day for non-Amazon devices. But Amazon products will be pushed the hardest and likely see the biggest discounts and promotions.
Still, don’t impulse buy
Eye-grabbing discounts and tempting product bundles aside, don’t buy an Amazon device just because it looks like a killer deal. If you are in the market for a specific Amazon-made product and it goes on sale, great. That’s a smart purchase. If you were more interested in a non-Amazon device but the Amazon version is now significantly cheaper, though, it’s not necessarily worth chasing value over getting the product you actually want to buy.
Take the time to research the difference between Amazon’s version and the competition. If you do find an Amazon device you want to buy, you can set alerts to be notified when the product hits the price you’re looking for. That’s good general advice for any Prime Day deal (or any big-ticket purchase), but considering how hard Amazon will be pushing its own products in October, it’s especially important to keep in mind. If you buy anything on Prime Day, I hope you get deals on the best devices for you, whether Amazon made them or not.
