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The latest controversy surrounding theDetroit Pistonsdoesn't involve basketball, but whether or not local fans have been calling them "Stones." And it's tearing social media apart.

OK, not really – but it's still an interesting discussion.

Many Detroit basketball fans claim they have been hearing the "Stones" nickname for over 20 years. Other longtime fans say they have never heard it before. But if it indeed is a part of Pistons lore, how come so many fans say it's not a real nickname?

First, let's dive into the origin of this recent "controversy."

Evan Fox, a video producer for ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and Detroit sports fan, has been claiming that Pistons fans "really call them [the Stones]" on various episodes of the show, most recently on a May 7 broadcast that featured NBA star Tyrese Haliburton and former NBA player Quentin Richardson.

Notably, neither Haliburton nor Richardson seemed to recognize the nickname.

Fox has been fanning the "Stones" flame on his X account throughout the NBA playoffs, and as the Pistons have improved to a 2-0 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, more people have started to argue whether "The Stones" is real or fake.

Our Pistons insider Omari Sankofa II weighed in, saying that while the nickname is "not super common," it has "been a thing for a long time."

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Many commentors on that post and others claim they had never heard the nickname, while others claim they have been hearing it for decades.

Jemele Hill, former Free Press sportswriter and current writer for "The Atlantic," believes the separation between those who have heard "The Stones" and those who haven't starts at the border of Detroit's city limits.

Hill was born and raised in Detroit and is a Michigan State graduate, while Fox, also a Michigan State graduate,is from Williamston.

The Pistons do not use "The Stones" in any official marketing, and much of the social media conversation around the nickname has been limited to the past couple of days. But one post from nearly 10 years ago from Pistons legend Rick Mahorn has resurfaced, with Mahorn casually referring to the Pistons as "Stones."

So while your exposure to "The Stones" may depend on where you live, it has certainly existed (at least in some parts of Metro Detroit) for a while now.

But what do you think? Vote in our poll below!

Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break?Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletterto get daily summaries of Detroit sports!

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press:Is 'The Stones' a real nickname for the Detroit Pistons?

BOSTON (AP) —Wilyer AbreuandCeddanne Rafaelahit solo home runs in back-to-back innings, Connelly Early struck out eight and the Boston Red Sox snapped the Tampa Bay Rays seven-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory on Friday night.

Rays Red Sox Baseball

Boston had only four hits, but Tampa Bay didn’t have a base runner after the sixth inning and was shut out for the first time this season.

After tying his shortest outing of the season last week at Houston when he exited after four innings, Early (3-2) allowed four hits and walked one n seven innings, throwing a career-high 96 pitches.

Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth and remained perfect in eight save chances.

Nick Fortes had two oits.

Rays starter Jesse Scholtens (3-2) was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, having allowed only the two home runs, while walking four and striking out four.

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Boston was hitless until the third inning with Abreu connected on Scholtens’ 86 mph slider and drove it into the right field seats above the Rays’ bullpen for his sixth homer this season.

An inning later, Rafaela jumped on Scholtens’ first pitch slider and hit a 379-foot line drive that ricocheted off the seats atop the Green Monster for his third home run this season.

Boston had been homerless in its previous two games.

Red Sox greats Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jim Rice were on hand to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the club’s first home game, a 12-4 victory on May 8, 1901.

Up next

Tampa Bay RHP Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA) and Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04) start Saturday in the third game of the four-game series.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Final four tickets were punched, weather led to late night battles and local track and field athletes and weightlifters brought home state titles on Friday. Below is a recap of all the action.

Baseball

Region 1-6A Final

No. 2 Buchholz 10, No. 1 Pace 2 (Game 1, Buchholz leads 1-0)

Once the rain subsided and it was clear to take the field around 8 p.m., the Bobcats rolled.

Buchholz (23-7) only outhit Pace (26-5) 9-6, but the Patriots committed five errors and walked seven batters. Bobcats junior Reed Thomas was in control on the mound. The Florida Gulf Coast signee allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five, finishing one out shy of a complete game after being pulled due to pitch count limits.

Pace's Dax Brooks went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Emory Allen also went 2-for-3.

Buchholz led 4-0 after the top of the third inning, but Pace started to creep back in the bottom of the frame on a Dax Brooks RBI single and Carson Kelly scoring on a wild pitch. The Patriots loaded the bases with one out but grounded into a double play.

Pace just had one other runner reach scoring position with Caleb Wheeler's two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth. The Bobcats led 5-2 at that point before tacking on five runs in the top of the seventh.

No. 2 Buchholz 10, No. 1 Pace 6 (Game 2, Buchholz wins series 2-0)

The third time was not the charm for the Patriots. The Bobcats ended Pace's season for the third straight year and on its home fieldfor the second straight year.

Game 2 started around 11:10 p.m. CT, and saw Buchholz (24-7) take control early and never give Pace (26-6) an opening.

The Patriots got on the board in the top of the first when Brooks scored on a Nate Filbert groundout and Braiden Cheshire scored on a wild pitch, but Buchholz scored five runs in the bottom of the first and three runs in the bottom of the second.

Pace committed six errors in the first two innings after committing five errors in game one. The Patriots didn't commit an error in a Region 1-6A semifinal sweep of Tocoi Creek.

Wheeler hit a two-run double and Colin Kelly scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 8-5 in the top of the third, but Tyler Thurmond's RBI double in the the bottom of the fourth and Aidan Kastensmidt's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth pushed Buchholz's lead back out to five runs.

Bryce Hatton doubled home Wheeler in the top of the fifth, which turned out to be Pace's final runs this season. Brooks went 3-for-4 and Wheeler went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Buchholz advances to the 6A state semifinals, which will be May 15 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

Pace will graduate nine seniors, including five starters in Allen, Cheshire, Cam Lee, Jackson Wheaton and Wheeler. However, the Patriots do have a good core returning led by Brooks, Filbert, Hatton and Aaron Muldowney.

Boys Volleyball

Region 1-2A final

No. 1 Gulf Breeze 3, No. 2 Beachside 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-12, Soundside HS)

When Spencer Smith slammed the Final Four clinching goal to the back left court, Gulf Breeze's celebration was muted. When the Dolphins received the Region 1-2A trophy for the second straight year, they shouted and hollered with each other.

Signs of a team excited aboutreaching another goal, but knows there are bigger things ahead. Gulf Breeze will play in the 2A state semifinals on May 15, likely against Belen Jesuit at the Winter Haven Health Center at Polk State College.

"It's something that we've had our eye on since the beginning of the season, since our run last year," Dolphins head coach Jackson Arnold said. "We're just looking to repeat it. We're very glad that we're able to do it, and our goals remain higher. We're looking at that championship and going to get it. We're glad we were able to execute tonight."

All year, Gulf Breeze (21-5) has put the team they expect to play in the 2A state semifinals on the wall in the locker room. Nothing has been able to steer the Dolphins off track, not even a bad practice the night before this match.

Luckily for Arnold, he's not a believer that a team always practices how it plays. It was just a matter of making adjustments and coming out and playing like Gulf Breeze knew it could. In the first two sets that meant a steady dose of Cole Ducote from outside and Spencer Smith from opposite, though the Dolphins weren't putting together complete performances.

Beachside (17-12) fought off five set points in the first set, getting a good run from Caleb Morgan at the service line. Then Gulf Breeze led 18-10 in the second set, a lead the Barracudas whittled down to 24-22 before a kill down the line from Smith put the Dolphins ahead 2-0 in the match.

Gulf Breeze had a similar hot start in the third set, jumping out to a 10-0 lead with senior Elijah Hollis serving. The Dolphins led 17-8 when Beachside called timeout and Smith implored his teammates to not let the Barracudas have any hope.

"I actually said to Jackson...hey, let us finish this one out," Smith said. "Like let us make a statement in the scoreboard going into state really confident."

After being new to the Final Four experience last year, Gulf Breeze believes it's better prepared for the trip to Winter Haven this year. A deeper, more veteran group, hungry to not be one-and-done again. On May 15, the Dolphins will get the shot they've been waiting for all season.

"You just have to make sure you stick to your fundamentals and make sure you don't too much," Ducote said. "Because a lot of times you get into this mindset of this team's really good I have to play even better. When instead you should stick to your game and stick to your fundamentals and what you're good at.

Track and Field

FHSAA 3A and Para State Championship (Hodges Stadium at UNF, Jacksonville)

Pine Forest senior Anthony Gee and Gulf Breeze senior Addison Dahlem won state titles.

Gee won the boys 400-meter hurdle (52.18 seconds) while Dahlem won the ambulatory 200 meters (51.12) and 400 meters (1:51.49). Dahlem previously won the 400 meter ambulatory state championship in 2025.

The Booker T. Washington girls were the top placing local girls team, finishing 20th with 13.5 points. Dillard won its third straight title and fifth overall with 69 points, while Niceville finished second with 64 points.

The Pine Forest boys were the top placing local boys team, tying for eighth with 22 points. Niceville won its fifth state title in the last six years with 88 points, while defending state champion Belen Jesuit Prep finished second with 76 points.

Below is a complete list of results for area competitors.

Girls

100 meters:Danica Wright, so., Navarre (10th, 11.94); Layanna Banks, jr., Tate (12th, 11.95)

100 meter ambulatory:Addison Dahlem, sr., Gulf Breeze (2nd, 21.80)

200 meter ambulatory:Addison Dahlem, sr., Gulf Breeze (1st, 51.12)

400 meter ambulatory:Addison Dahlem, sr., Gulf Breeze (1st, 1:51.49)

1600 meters:Ashton Dahlem, jr., Gulf Breeze (15th, 5:21.18)

4x100 relay:Tate (Clay, Wiggins, Green, Banks, 9th, 48.16); Booker T. Washington (Walker, Smith, Mitchell, Simpkins, 12th, 48.90)

400 meter hurdles:Trinity Jordan, sr., Escambia (17th, 1:08.28)

High jump:Mbayang Niass, so., Booker T. Washington (4th, 5-3.75); Brianna Beacham, sr., Booker T. Washington (5th, 5-1.75); Addison Wand, jr., Tate (5th, 5-1.75)

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Pole vault:Daveigh Meredith, so., Tate (15th, 9-10)

Triple jump:Orriyah Randall, so., Booker T. Washington (4th, 38-0.75); My'rea Brock, sr., Pine Forest (12th, 36-2.75)

Discus:Za'Khiya Shaw-Rease, sr., Pine Forest (13th, 122-11)

Ambulatory shot put:Addison Dahlem, sr., Gulf Breeze (2nd, 13-5)

Javelin:Leighton Osborn, jr., Pace (9th, 119-9)

Boys

100 meters:Zion Heard, jr., Pine Forest (9th, 10.80); Leslie McMillian, jr., Escambia (15th, 10.84)

100 meter ambulatory:Ian Lewis, jr., Pensacola Catholic (5th, 14.11)

200 meter ambulatory:Ian Lewis, jr., Pensacola Catholic (4th, 29.45)

400 meters:Noah Chin, sr., Navarre (11th, 49.14); Jayden Jones, so., Navarre (16th, 49.80)

400 meter ambulatory:Ian Lewis, jr., Pensacola Catholic (5th, 1:12.68)

800 meters:Eric Dennard, sr., Escambia (8th, 1:54.41)

1600 meters:Brody Bruce, sr., Navarre (12th, 4:28.86)

4x100 relay:Escambia (Lyons, Harris, Dunn, McMillian, 13th, 42.72)

4x400 relay:Navarre (Jones, Cameron, Gargus, Chin, 7th, 3:18.93); Escambia (Wright, Harris, McMillian, Dennard, 15th, 3:25.02)

110 meter hurdles:Anthony Gee, sr., Pine Forest (3rd, 14.08)

400 meter hurdles:Anthony Gee, sr., Pine Forest (1st, 52.18); Matthew Beam, sr., Gulf Breeze (12th, 57.54)

High jump:Tylan Chambers, sr., Booker T. Washington (3rd, 6-5.5); Daniel McDaniel, sr., Escambia (6th, 6-3.5); Tate Rodriguez, jr., Milton (9th, 6-1.5); Sergio Robinson, sr., Milton (13th, 6-1.5)

Pole vault:Paul Arthur, sr., Pace (8th, 13-9.25)

Long jump:Darian Blanks, sr., Pine Forest (9th, 22-3.5)

Triple jump:Darian Blanks, sr., Pine Forest (3rd, 48-11); Tristen Pace, sr., Gulf Breeze (11th, 44-8)

Shot put:Kade Rollins, sr., Gulf Breeze (8th, 52-8.25)

Javelin:Tate Jernigan, so., Pace (3rd, 186-2); Alec Leach, jr., Pace (13th, 164-4)

Boys Weightlifting

FHSAA 1A State Championship (RP Funding Park, Lakeland)

Jay junior Chase Dooley swept the 1A Unlimited state titles for the second straight year, lifting 605 pounds (280 snatch, 325 clean and jerk) and 765 pounds in traditional (325 clean, 440 bench).

The Royals were also the highest placing area team, tying for 6th in Olympic with 11 points and finishing third in traditional with 14 points.

Keystone Heights won its first Olympic state titles with 28 points, and shared the traditional title with West Nassau, as both teams scored 20 points. This is Keystone Heights fifth traditional state title, while it's West Nassau's first boys weightlifting state title in school history.

Below is a complete list of results for area weightlifters. Athletes who finished in the top six win medals and land on the podium.

Olympic

129:Tanner Martinez, Jay (3rd, 380 pounds, 170 snatch, 210 clean)

139:Colton Weeks, Pensacola Catholic (8th, 370 pounds, 160 snatch, 210 clean); Dolan Enfinger, Jay (9th, 370 pounds, 150 snatch, 220 clean)

183:Dominian Gomez, Jay (13th, 420 pounds, 175 snatch, 245 clean)

199:Rylan Williams, Jay (7th, 455 pounds, 200 snatch, 255 clean)

238:Shawn Carreon, Pensacola Catholic (7th, 500 pounds, 210 snatch, 290 clean)

Unlimited:Chase Dooley, Jay (1st, 605 pounds, 280 snatch, 325 clean); Thomas Brown, Pensacola Catholic (13th, 430 pounds, 185 snatch, 245 clean)

Traditional

129:Tanner Martinez, Jay (6th, 420 pounds, 210 clean, 210 bench press); Kaleb Mager, Pensacola Catholic (18th, 350 pounds, 165 clean, 185 bench)

139:Matthew Hendricks, Jay (7th, 435 pounds, 185 clean, 250 bench); Colton Weeks, Pensacola Catholic (11th, 410 pounds, 210 clean, 200 bench); Lucas Nezbeth, Central (14th, 390 pounds, 195 clean, 195 bench)

169:Maximus Steinlicht (9th, 495 pounds, 235 clean, 260 bench)

183:Dominian Gomez, Jay (5th, 545 pounds, 245 clean, 300 bench)

199:Rylan Williams, Jay (3rd, 570 pounds, 255 clean, 315 bench)

238:Shawn Carreon, Pensacola Catholic (12th, 570 pounds, 290 clean, 280 bench)

Unlimited:Chase Dooley, Jay (1st, 765 pounds, 325 clean, 440 bench)

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal:Pensacola area high school sports recap May 8

As travelers affected bySpirit Airlines’ abrupt shutdowndeal with canceled flights and now-useless loyalty points, Papa John's is offering a consolation prize: free pizza.

The chain announced in anews releaseon Friday, May 8, a limited-time promotion called “Skies to Pies,” allowing former Spirit loyalty members to convert proof of their rewards status into a free large one-topping pizza following theairline’s sudden collapse.

“Loyalty points don’t mean much if you can’t use them,” said Shivram Vaideeswaran, SVP of brand marketing at Papa John's. “While we can’t fix cancelled flights or lost membership points, hopefully we can provide a smile and a delicious pizza to those impacted.”

How customers can claim the offer

To participate, customers must direct message @PapaJohns on Instagram with proof they were members of Spirit’s loyalty program and provide a screenshot showing they joined Papa Rewards.

The first 250 verified participants will receive a code for a free large one-topping pizza while supplies last.

Papa John's framed the promotion as a playful response to the turmoil in the airline industry, promising “no blackout dates” and “no middle seats.”

Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down operations

The campaign comes days after Spirit Airlines announced on May 2 that it was immediatelysuspending operations.

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The airline canceled all flights across its network and shut down customer service operations, leaving travelers stranded and unable to rebook directly through the carrier.

“For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has played a pioneering role in making travel more accessible,” Spirit CEO Dave Davis said in a statement announcing the closure. “The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company.”

Passengers across the country were forced into expensive last-minute travel changes after flights were canceled overnight.

The airline’s collapse followed years of instability, bankruptcy filings, engine recall issues affecting its fleet and failed merger attempts with Frontier Airlines and JetBlue.

USA TODAY reporters Zach Wichter and Mike Snider contributed to this report.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on Twitter @athompsonUSAT

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Spirit Airlines points can now score free Papa John's pizza

Nearly 30 years after 19-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared, California investigators conducted new search warrants as part of their ongoing probe into the location of her body.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that deputies executed a search warrant at the 500 block of East Branch Street.

The sheriff's office declined to provide further details about the operation.

"The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family. No further information is available," it said in a statement.

Inside the decadeslong search for justice in the Kristin Smart disappearance

Smart attended an off-campus party at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she was a freshman, on May 24, 1996, but never returned to her dormitory.

Investigators declared Smart legally dead in 2002 and the case remained cold until 17 years later, when the true crime podcast "Your Own Backyard" launched and helped investigators to get new witnesses and evidence.

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In 2021, investigators arrested and charged Paul Flores, who was a student at the college at the time of Smart's disappearance.

Detectives said that some classmates found Smart passed out during the early morning hours of May 25, 1996, and Flores appeared out of nowhere. He claimed to the other classmates that he knew where she lived and offered to help her to her dorm, detectives said.

Paul Flores sentenced to 25 years to life for murder of Kristin Smart

Flores was interviewed by officers following Smart's disappearance, but he was not charged.

In 2021,police searched the homebelonging to Flores' father, Ruben Flores, and allegedly found human blood and fibers in the dirt that matched the colors of the clothing Smart had been wearing when she went missing.

A juryconvicted Paul Floresin October 2022 of first-degree murder and he wassentencedin 2023 to 25 years to life.

Ruben Flores was charged with being an accessory to murder; however, a jury acquitted him on those charges.

Paul Flores appealed his conviction, but in January, the California Supreme Court denied his petition for review of his conviction.