Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Star LSU athletes Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes were at Super Bowl 59
Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes know something about championships from their time in Louisiana.
The LSU gymnast and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher were at the Superdome on Sunday for Super Bowl 59.
Dunne was part of a Tigers team that won an NCAA gymnastics title and Skenes was on the one that captured the College World Series.
.@livvydunne and @Paul_Skenes have arrived at the Superdome
: #SBLIX – 6:30pm ET on FOX
: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/X0Q3wE5tpc
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2025
Dunne said that Skenes is the king of nonchalant.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes was named National League Rookie of the Year but at the time, he did not have much reaction to the news.
His girlfriend, famous gymnast Livvy Dunne, had a different response to the accomplishment. Even though Skenes was a bit more deadpan, Dunne was a bit more enthusiastic.
She defended Skenes, explaining that he is the “king of nonchalant” and that is just his personality. Skenes also had an opportunity to defend himself as a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Here is what he said when asked about the emotions:
“I think people mistook the facial expressions and all that for indifference. I would say it was composure for sure.”
Skenes said that winning the award was one of the biggest honors of his first season in the big leagues.
He just simply has a different way of sharing his feelings, and that’s OK!
It is probably safe to assume that the 11-year-old child who recently found a rare Skenes rookie card probably had a bigger reaction, though, considering how much that memorabilia is worth.
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The Paul Skenes debut card was found, but the the finder is turning down a big offer from the Pirates and Livvy Du
A lucky 11-year-old found the only [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] debut rookie card featuring a jersey patch and a Skenes autograph. He’ll be putting the card up for option, declining an offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates that included season tickets for 30 years behind home plate, a meet and greet with Paul Skenes, and two signed jerseys.
Along with the Pirates’ offer, Skenes’ girlfriend and LSU gymnast [autotag]Olivia Dunne[/autotag] offered to take in a Pirates game in her suite.
Topps shared a journal entry written by the finder. He called finding the card “a dream come true.”
The proceeds from the sale will be donated to Los Angeles fire relief funds.
Skenes made his MLB debut last spring, less than a year after being drafted. In 133 innings, Skenes posted a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts. He won NL Rookie of the Year while finishing third in NL Cy Young voting. He finished No. 19 in the MVP race.
As a Pirates fan for more than three decades, let me assure you it is a curse.
An 11-year-old collector in Los Angeles has found one of the rarest cards released in recent history. He pulled a one-of-one Paul Skenes autograph along with the patch he wore from his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It’s a card that only gained value as Skenes blew away batters throughout a brilliant rookie season. The former Air Force cadet turned LSU star proved every bit worthy of the hype that followed him to the top of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was an All-Star, finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting and won rookie of the year honors after 170 strikeouts in 133 innings in his pro debut.
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: The Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card has been pulled by an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles, CA. pic.twitter.com/tYZe5KuqM2
— Topps (@Topps) January 21, 2025
That gives the card a value starting in the six figures and likely to rise dramatically from there. The Pirates, however, would like to have it on display in the annals of PNC Park. They’re willing to make a deal; two Skenes autographed jerseys, a chance to take batting practice with the team at spring training and, vitally, 30 (thirty!) years of season tickets behind home plate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCZqbGXyblZ
Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and social media sensation who dates Skenes, has even offered to share her suite with the lucky kid who pulled the card.
You can’t get a straight answer on Pirates season ticket prices from the team’s website (apparently they’ve gone up in recent years in a non-transparent way, which is a wonderful thing to do when you’re a franchise with three postseason wins in the last three decades and want to alienate your remaining die-hard fans). But NL Central rival Milwaukee prices two seats behind home plate at $214 per game. That’s $520,020 in ticket costs for 81 games across 30 years, not counting for inflation.
That’s before you get into the jerseys, chance to ask Dunne about Arabesques or the 30-person softball game you’d get to stage at PNC Park. Those won’t appreciate in value, however, and season tickets for a kid in California probably isn’t super appealing.
Here’s the other rub; those 2,400-plus baseball tickets? They’re to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates.
That’s the same franchise so poorly run its finest tradition is trading away whatever homegrown stars it creates for cheaper parts. It’s got a cheapskate owner as dedicated to casting malaise over a once-proud franchise as he is dismantling his own newsrooms. Skenes is under contract through 2030, but the moment he looks too expensive to retain — which doesn’t take much when your team hasn’t ranked higher than 28th in payroll in a 30-team league since 2020 — he’ll be shipped out for prospects in hopes Pittsburgh can find someone like, well, Paul Skenes.
The Pirates are an organization that puts cheapness above all else. They wallow in mediocrity because championships may bring pride, but not necessarily profit. They drafted Henry Davis, a catcher batting .192 across a meager major league career to date, first overall in 2021 in part because he’d sign a cheaper bonus than any of the other player considered for the top spot. They cut fan favorite Rowdy Tellez four at-bats shy of a $200,000 bonus.
They perennially waste the backdrop of one of professional sports’ true cathedrals by failing to build meaningfully around the young stars they occasionally create. This is a franchise that births hope, only to let it die of neglect over and over again.
An 11-year-old now has a decision to make. Hold on to a card potentially worth millions of dollars? Or subject himself to three decades of misery watching ambition starve in the nicest prison baseball has to offer?
Tough call.
Seriously: go get this card.
The 2024 Topps Chrome Update set that dropped this week has an incredible rookie card in it: a Paul Skenes rookie debut patch autograph card that’s 1-of-1.
It’s going to be worth A LOT of money, but it’s now valuable for two other reasons.
The first is the Skenes’ team — the Pittsburgh Pirates — wants to bring the card to PNC Park. And their offer is this: a pair of season tickets behind home plate for 30 (!) years, a softball game at the stadium, and a wild spring training experience.
That’s not all. Skenes’ girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, upped the ante: the finder of the card can sit with her in her suite.
So … good luck!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCZqbGXyblZ/?hl=en&img_index=1
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Former LSU star Paul Skenes is a finalist for some major awards
Recognition is rolling in for [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] after his stellar rookie campaign. The former LSU star flew through the Pirates minor league system to make his debut in May, less than a year after being drafted.
On Wednesday, the MLB announced Skenes as a finalist for the 2024 National League Cy Young Award and the National League Rookie of the Year award.
Skenes racked up 170 strikeouts and posted a 1.96 ERA in 2024. Those numbers were among the best in the NL.
Expectations were sky-high. Skenes’ arrival was the most anticipated starting pitcher debut since Stephen Strasburg over a decade ago. Skenes didn’t just meet expectations — he blew by them.
Skenes spent just a year at LSU, but led the Tigers to a College World Series championship in 2023.
With only 133 innings, Skenes isn’t considered the favorite for the Cy Young but is nearly a lock for Rookie of the Year.
WHERE SKENES FINISHED AMONG NL PITCHERS
| Statistic | Ranking | Among NL Pitchers (130+ innings) |
|---|---|---|
| ERA | 1st | 1st |
| FIP | 2nd | 2nd |
| K/BB% | 1st | 1st |
| Opponent AVG | 5th | 5th |
| Ground Ball Rate | 5th | 5th |
| Soft Contact Rate | 8th | 8th |
ESPN’s College Gameday has reportedly selected its guest pickers for its trip to LSU
College Gameday is headed to Baton Rouge this week for a primetime meeting between LSU and Alabama.
On Thursday, we learned former LSU pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and Tigers’ gymnast [autotag]Olivia Dunne[/autotag] would join the set as guest pickers.
On3’s Pete Nakos first reported the news.
In our guest picker prediction piece earlier this week, we noted this is a direction Gameday may go. Skenes and Dunne were both listed as options, but Gameday is opting to go with the duo.
Skenes and Dunne are two of the biggest names to have come through college sports in recent years. Skenes led LSU baseball to a national title in 2023 and Dunne brought home a ring with gymnastics earlier this year.
Skenes went on to dazzle as a rookie in the MLB while Dunne announced her return to LSU for another year.
Dunne and Skenes represent the strong brand presence LSU has across sports. Few universities have seen the star power LSU has across the athletic department.
ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast live from the Quad, beginning at 8 AM CT.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Chase Shores missed all of 2024 but finished the 2023 season with an 0-1 record and a 1.96 ERA.
Last year, LSU baseball finished the season 43-23 and failed to defend their national championship. Their season ended in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a loss to the Tar Heels in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] recently met with the media to discuss the 2025 version of the Bayou Bengals and what he was excited about as he headed into fall ball. There were many topics on the docket for Johnson, but one of the things he talked about was starting pitching.
Who is a pitcher Johnson is high on heading into the next season? That would be redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher [autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag].
https://twitter.com/BHollandSports/status/1844061716633747966
Labeling a player as the best pitcher you have recruited at LSU other than [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is a head-turning statement. We are talking about a pitcher who was drafted as the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 MLB draft and will likely be the 2024 Rookie of the Year in the MLB.
Giving Shores that kind of praise is interesting, but he has the stuff to be an Ace in the rotation. Shores pitched in seven games in 2023, totaling 18.1 innings and striking out 15 hitters while only walking nine. He finished the year with an 0-1 record and a 1.96 ERA.
I think Shores will make the transition from a bullpen guy to a starter this Spring and I hope he will have a great season in 2025.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Paul Skenes had so much fun.
Now that Paul Sekenes’ incredible rookie season is over, he can relax with girlfriend and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne.
And that apparently now means starring in TikToks on her very popular channel.
This one is perfect. It’s Dunne having a laugh over Skenes playing around at the LSU gymnastics facility. There the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher is bouncing on the trampoline, trying the balance beam, struggling with the foam pit … yeah, it’s all very funny and gleeful, and frankly, I’d do the same thing if I was there and I was done with a magical season.
Here you go. Enjoy it:
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Paul Skenes had the perfect birthday gift for Livvy Dunne.
Former LSU pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and current Tigers gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag] form quite the power couple.
Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, is in the midst of a phenomenal rookie season in which he earned All-Star honors and already looks like one of the best pitchers in baseball. Dunne, meanwhile, is a national champion and one of the biggest names in the NIL sector of college sports.
For Dunne’s birthday, Skenes got her quite a fitting gift: an official Topps baseball card of their English retriever, Roux, complete with “career stats” such as his favorite activity (chewing on sticks) and favorite food (steak).
Paul Skenes gave his girlfriend Livvy Dunne this baseball card for her birthday…
With the stats on the back and all 🥹
pic.twitter.com/tQJsBQUhOZ
— Topps (@Topps) October 3, 2024
Skenes’ own rookie card is sure to be pretty valuable someday, but for the time being, it’s Roux who’s stealing the show.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno
