Members phkrause Posted October 9 Author Members Posted October 9 > The 2025 MacArthur Foundation's "genius grant" recipients announced; each of this year's 22 winners gets a no-strings-attached $800K award (More) > Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first soccer player to top $1B net worth, combining his career salary, investments, and endorsements (More) > Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" breaks Adele's record for most albums sold in one week with 3.5 million sold in just five days (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 10 Author Members Posted October 10 👋 Good morning! Another day, another newsletter. Let's dive in. In today's edition: MLB postseason, Wilson calls game, NFL grades, why the Bucks should trade Giannis, Miracles at the Meadowlands, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ MLB PLAYOFFS YANKEES ELIMINATED, OTHERS SURVIVE (Al Bello/Getty Images) Four teams had a chance to clinch a spot in the League Championship Series on Wednesday. Only the Blue Jays could get the job done, eliminating the Yankees to reach the ALCS for the first time since 2016. Blue Jays 5, Yankees 2: The teams were locked in a tight battle through six innings, but a costly seventh-inning error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the door for Toronto, which scored two insurance runs and never looked back. Eight Blue Jays got at least one hit, including an RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who became the first player in history with nine hits and nine RBIs in the first four games of a postseason. The Yankees threatened multiple times, but went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Their season ends without a championship for the 16th straight year, the third-longest drought in franchise history. Go deeper: Aaron Judge did his part, but the Yankees, once again, failed to win the World Series (Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports) (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Elsewhere: The Phillies, Tigers and Cubs all won to keep their seasons alive. Phillies 8, Dodgers 2: Kyle Schwarber snapped an 0-for-22 slump in emphatic fashion with two homers, including one that still may not have landed. Tigers 9, Mariners 3: After going down 3-0, Detroit exploded for nine unanswered runs to win their first game at home in over a month. Cubs 4, Brewers 3: Chicago plated four in the first inning, which proved to be just enough to hold off Milwaukee and earn another game at Wrigley Field. What's next: The NLDS continues tonight with Game 4 in Los Angeles and Chicago, while the Tigers and Mariners will play a decisive Game 5 on Friday in Seattle. 🏀 WNBA FINALS WILSON CALLS GAME (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) A'ja Wilson hit a tough contested bucket with under a second left to lift the Aces past the Mercury, 90-88, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. They're now just one win away from their third championship in four seasons. What they're saying: "Give the ball to A'ja and get out of the way," Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said after the game. "It's all the play was." By the numbers: Wilson filled up the box score with 34 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. She's the first player in Finals history to post consecutive games of 25+ points and 10+ rebounds, and she now has the most points ever in a single postseason. From Yahoo Sports' Cassandra Negley: The Aces are out here completing side quests. The Mercury can barely keep the main thing the main thing. That's the difference in a WNBA Finals played between a squad attempting to cement a dynasty and one built from scratch. The Aces are, in Becky Hammon's own metaphorical words, playing with their food. Everything is a game, a chance to accrue mini victories en route to a WNBA championship. The Mercury are battling to figure out what's on the plate, and even that is an oversized challenge. 🏈 REPORT CARD NFL GRADES AT THE QUARTER-MARK (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) One-quarter of the way through the season, Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab has handed out each team a grade based on their performance. Let's see who got top marks and who's got room for improvement. AFC East: No real surprises here, with the Bills leading the way and the Jets in the cellar as the league's only winless team. Could the Pats ride a strong start and the easiest remaining schedule to their first playoff appearance since 2021? Bills (4-1): A Patriots (3-2): B Dolphins (1-4): D Jets (0-5): F AFC North: Mike Tomlin may be headed towards his 19th straight season without a losing record, and the Steelers may be headed towards their first division title since 2020 given the sorry state of their opponents. Steelers (3-1): B Browns (1-4): C- Bengals (2-3): D- Ravens (1-4): F AFC South: Here we have the only division in football with multiple four-win teams, and they're the Colts and Jags. Just as everyone expected! Colts (4-1): A Jaguars (4-1): A- Texans (2-3): C- Titans (1-4): F+ AFC West: The Chiefs weren't going to run away with this division forever. But also beware of counting them out too soon considering their losses have come against the Eagles, Chargers and Jaguars, who are 11-4 combined. Broncos (3-2): B Chargers (3-2): B- Chiefs (2-3): C Raiders (1-4): D- NFC East: The defending champs don't look as dominant as they did last season, but 4-1 is 4-1 and the roster remains as good as any in the league. Their best is likely yet to come. Eagles (4-1): B- Commanders (3-2): B- Cowboys (2-2-1): C+ Giants (1-4): D NFC North: Some feared the loss of OC Ben Johnson would lead to regression in Detroit. Instead, the Lions again have the league's best offense, scoring nearly 35 points per game. Lions (4-1): A Packers (2-1-1): B- Bears (2-2): C Vikings (3-2): C NFC South: The cardiac Bucs are 4-1 with a +3 scoring differential, becoming the first team in NFL history to win four of their first five games by three points or fewer. Buccaneers (4-1): A- Falcons (2-2): C Panthers (2-3): C- Saints (1-4): D+ NFC West: The injury bug has yet again bitten the Niners. But unlike last year, when it completely derailed their season, they keep chugging along and finding ways to win. Kyle Shanahan has put on a masterclass so far in the Bay Area. 49ers (4-1): A Seahawks (3-2): B Rams (3-2): B- Cardinals (2-3): D 🏀 END OF AN ERA? WHY THE BUCKS SHOULD TRADE GIANNIS (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) Of all the storylines lingering over the upcoming NBA season, perhaps none carries more intrigue than what lies in front of the Bucks: Do they trade Giannis Antetokounmpo or not? From Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh: By almost all accounts, Antetokounmpo represents one of the three best players in the NBA. He ranks third-best in the Estimated Plus-Minus prediction metric, behind only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. SGA plays for the defending champion and title favorite Thunder. Jokić's Nuggets are close behind them. Antetokounmpo's team, on the other hand, is … closer to the bottom. His supporting cast is among the worst in the sport. According to BetMGM, the Bucks' win total sits at 42.5 for the 2025-26 season, a pitiful mark for an Eastern Conference team with an MVP candidate in his prime. The Bucks are understandably reluctant to part with the all-time great whom they drafted in 2013. According to ESPN reports on Tuesday, the Knicks weren't able to get traction in Giannis talks this summer. But it's time for Milwaukee to pull the plug and seek a trade package in which a team throws the kitchen sink at it: multiple first-round picks and players who can step in right away. Contrary to conventional wisdom, kitchen-sink deals work out more often for the seller than the buyer. The past three NBA champions (OKC, Boston and Denver) were built in large part due to unloading superstars at the right time. In order to get back to title contention, it's time for the Bucks to trade Giannis to the highest bidder. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 9 Cubs fans celebrate Wednesday's home victory. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ NLDS, Game 4 | TBS The Phillies and Cubs both staved off elimination on Wednesday. Can they do it again tonight? First up is Phillies at Dodgers (6pm ET), followed by Brewers at Cubs in the nightcap (9pm). 🏈 Eagles at Giants | 8:15pm, Prime The Birds take on the G-Men tonight at the Meadowlands, where Saquon Barkley will return for just the second time since swapping sides in this division rivalry. Could this homecoming be the jolt he needs to get out of his early-season rut? Then vs. now: Through five games last year, Barkley had 482 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry) en route to a historic 2,000-yard campaign. Through five games this year, he has just 267 yards (3.2 yards per carry). More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Blackhawks at Bruins (7pm, ESPN+); Stars at Jets (8pm, ESPN+) … Two of 14 games in the first full slate of the season. ⛳️ Golf: Korn Ferry Tour Championship (3pm, Golf) … The top 20 on the season-long points list at the end of the week will earn their PGA Tour cards. 🏈 MEADOWLANDS NFL TRIVIA The 1978 "Miracle at the Meadowlands." (Giphy) With the Eagles visiting the Giants tonight, it's worth looking back at the "Miracles at the Meadowlands" — two of the most exciting plays in their storied rivalry, each featuring an Eagles player scoring a miraculous game-winning touchdown. Question: Which players scored those TDs? Hint: 1978 (defensive) and 2010 (special teams). Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH Kevin Durant scored 20 points in his preseason debut with the Rockets. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) It's gonna take some time to get used to seeing KD in red. Trivia answer: Herm Edwards (fumble recovery) and DeSean Jackson (punt return) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 11 Author Members Posted October 11 > The Las Vegas Aces look to win WNBA championship tonight (8 pm ET, ESPN) after being up 3-0 in WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury (More) > Turning Point USA to host "All-American" Super Bowl halftime show amid NFL's decision to select Bad Bunny to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LX (More) | Judge dismisses Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" diss track (More) > NBA to play two preseason games in China this weekend for first time in six years (More) | Erik Spoelstra tapped to succeed Steve Kerr as head coach of Team USA men's basketball (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 12 Author Members Posted October 12 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. Programming note: We'll be off Monday for Columbus Day. See you back here on Tuesday. Enjoy the long weekend! In today's edition: Dodgers advance, Cubs survive, USMNT player spotlight, New York's title drought, OMG what a shot, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 LeBron out 3-4 weeks: LeBron James will miss at least 3-4 weeks with sciatica in his right side, meaning he will miss his team's season-opener for the first time in his 23-year career. 💔 RIP, Sister Jean: Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the March Madness sensation and longtime chaplain at Loyola Chicago, has passed away at 106 years old. 🏀 Spoelstra to coach Team USA: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will reportedly be named the new head coach of the U.S. men's national team, taking over for Steve Kerr after serving as an assistant coach from 2022-24. 🏀 Annual GM survey: 80% of NBA GM's picked the Thunder to repeat as champions in the 24th annual GM survey. Other responses included Nikola Jokić winning his fourth MVP (67%) and Victor Wembanyama being the player you'd most like to start a franchise with (83%). 🎓 College jersey sponsors? The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee introduced a proposal that would allow schools to sell advertising space on their uniforms to corporate sponsors. If adopted, the proposal would take effect beginning next August. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Shohei Ohtani is doused in the locker room. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) Los Angeles — The Dodgers beat the Phillies, 2-1, on a walk-off error in the 11th inning to advance to the NLCS for the eighth time in the past 13 years. ICYMI: With the bases loaded and two outs, Andy Pages hit an easy ground ball to reliever Orion Kerkering. Kerkering booted the ball, then threw it toward home in a panic (instead of first base, which was the right play) and it sailed out of the reach of catcher J.T. Realmuto. Season over. Brutal. Michael Busch rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) Chicago — The Cubs blanked the Brewers, 6-0, to win an elimination game for the second day in a row and force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Milwaukee on Saturday. Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo celebrate the win. (Al Bello/Getty Images) East Rutherford, New Jersey — The Giants stunned the Eagles with a dominant 34-17 victory, handing the Birds their second straight loss behind huge games from rookies Jaxson Dart (253 total yards, 2 TD) and Cam Skattebo (110 total yards, 3 TD). Great Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers competes in the long jump. (Bryan Bedder/Athlos/Getty Images) Manhattan, New York — Athlos, the women's professional track and field series, descended on Times Square on Thursday for the preliminary round of the long jump. The finals, as well as six other events featuring numerous Olympic medalists, are tonight on Randall's Island. ⚽️ GOOD READS USMNT PLAYER SPOTLIGHT As the USMNT prepares for a pair of friendlies against Ecuador (tonight) and Australia (Tuesday), Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff profiled one of the team's veteran leaders, a sub looking to crack the starting lineup and an injured star finally returning to the field. Tim Ream during the 2025 Gold Cup Final. (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images) Tim Ream: 'The type of leader we need': Tim Ream's enduring role for the USMNT Tim Ream thought Qatar 2022 would be his first and last World Cup. Now, the 38-year-old defensive stalwart appears almost certain to not only make the roster for next summer's World Cup on home soil, but perhaps even start for Mauricio Pochettino's squad. (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) Haji Wright: From super-sub to starter? Haji Wright's Coventry form is too good for the USMNT to ignore The 27-year-old forward has had a modest career with the national team, playing 18 games mostly as a sub. But he's making a strong case to leap to USMNT stardom as he leads the EFL Championship with eight goals and has unbeaten Coventry City on track for their first Premier League promotion in 25 years. (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) Antonee Robinson: USMNT's 'Jedi' returns: Antonee Robinson rejoins squad after long injury layoff It's been almost a year since the 2022 World Cup starter suited up for the USMNT, his absence caused by a knee injury. But the man known as "Jedi" for his love of all things "Star Wars" is back in camp this week. Consider it the, ahem, return of the Jedi. 🍎 BIG FOUR NEW YORK'S TITLE DROUGHT Aaron Judge walks off the field after the Yankees were eliminated by the Blue Jays. (Al Bello/Getty Images) The Yankees' unceremonious exit from the ALDS extended a rather surprising drought for teams in the New York metropolitan area, which have gone 14 years and counting since their last championship in one of the "Big Four" leagues. Most recent titles: Despite boasting more teams than any other metro area (9), the Big Apple's last "Big Four" championship came from the Giants all the way back in Super Bowl XLVI. 🏈 Giants: 2011 ⚾️ Yankees: 2009 🏒 Devils: 2003 🏒 Rangers: 1994 ⚾️ Mets: 1986 🏒 Islanders: 1983 🏀 Knicks: 1973 🏈 Jets: 1968 🏀 Nets: N/A Just how bad is it right now? The only longer championship drought in Gotham were the 15 years between the 1905 and 1921 World Series titles by the New York Giants (MLB). That was so long ago that none of the teams listed above, with the exception of the Yankees, even existed. New York's saviors: It may not count for the purposes of this exercise, but at least the Liberty (2024 WNBA champions) and NYC FC (2021 MLS champions) ensured New York didn't get completely shut out from championship parades in recent years. Thanks to Yahoo Sports AM reader Richard Rothschild for the story idea. You’re the man, Richard! 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST Seattle's T-Mobile Park. (Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ MLB Playoffs The Mariners and Tigers kick off the weekend with tonight's winner-take-all Game 5 in Seattle (8pm ET, Fox), where Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and George Kirby take the mound. Then tomorrow it's Game 5 in Milwaukee between the Cubs and Brewers (8:08pm, TBS), who have yet to announce their starters. Looking ahead: The ALCS begins on Sunday in Toronto, where the Blue Jays will host either the Mariners or Tigers, and the NLCS begins on Monday. 🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 4 A'ja Wilson and the Aces will try to complete the sweep tonight in Phoenix (8pm, ESPN). If the Mercury win, Game 5 will be back in Vegas on Sunday (3pm, ABC). GOAT stuff: Wilson already set the record for the most points in single postseason, with 291, but that alone obscures how well-rounded her dominance has been throughout these playoffs. In 11 games, the four-time MVP is averaging 26.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 steals while shooting 49% from the field and 46% from behind the arc. 🏈 NFL, Week 6 Sunday begins with a game in London for the second of three consecutive weeks and ends with a heavyweight clash in Kansas City. Broncos vs. Jets (9:30am, NFL) Seahawks at Jaguars (1pm, Fox) Rams at Ravens (1pm, Fox) 49ers at Buccaneers (4:25pm, CBS) Lions at Chiefs (8:20pm, NBC) Double feature: Week 6 ends with Bills at Falcons (7:15pm, ESPN) and Bears at Commanders (8:15pm, ABC) in a "Monday Night Football" doubleheader. 🏈 NCAAF, Week 7 Saturday's slate is a great one and includes three matchups between ranked teams: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois (12pm, Fox) No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri (12pm, ABC) No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon (3:30pm, CBS) Best of the rest: No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas (3:30pm, ABC); Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M (7pm, ESPN); No. 10 Georgia at Auburn (7:30pm, ABC); No. 15 Michigan at USC (7:30pm, NBC); No. 18 BYU at Arizona (8pm, ESPN2); No. 21 Arizona State at Utah (10:15pm, ESPN) More to watch: ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Ecuador (Fri. 8:30pm, TNT) … In Austin. ⚽️ MLS: Seattle vs. Salt Lake (Sat. 9:30pm, Apple); LA Galaxy vs. Dallas (Sat. 10:30pm, Apple) … Dallas and Salt Lake will try holding onto the final two playoff spots on the penultimate matchday. ⚽️ NWSL: Orlando vs. Portland (Fri. 8pm, Prime); KC vs. Gotham (Sat. 5pm, ION) … All four are in playoff position with three games left. 🏒 NHL: Canadiens at Blackhawks (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Capitals at Rangers (Sun. 7pm, NHL) … First weekend of the season. 🏁 NASCAR Playoffs: Las Vegas (Sun. 5:30pm, USA) … The Round of 8 begins. 🎾 Tennis: ATP's Shanghai Masters and WTA's Wuhan Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are into the semis in China. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Cavaliers at Celtics (Sun. 7pm, ESPN); Nuggets at Clippers (Sun. 9:30pm, ESPN) ⛳️ Golf: Korn Ferry Tour Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … PGA Tour cards are on the line at Indiana's French Lick Resort. 👟 Track & Field: Athlos NYC (Fri. 7pm, ION) … The women's-only track and field series comes to Randall's Island. 🏈 32 YEARS AGO... HEISMAN TRIVIA (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) The Heisman Trophy ceremony will air on ABC this year, returning to network television for the first time since 1993 after spending the last three decades on ESPN. Question: Who won the Heisman in 1993? Hint: Florida State. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT OMG, WHAT A SHOT Cason Wallace! (Giphy) I've been watching this on repeat for an hour. Incredible. Trivia answer: Charlie Ward Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 13 Author Members Posted October 13 🏀 WNBA dynasty A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces holds up the 2025 WNBA championship trophy after winning against the Phoenix Mercury during Game 4 of the finals last night. Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images The Las Vegas Aces became WNBA champs for the third time in four years last night after completing a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. Stat du jour: "Aces superstar and four-time league MVP A'ja Wilson led the way in Game 4, finishing with 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks en route to earning Finals MVP honors," ESPN reports. "You have your Mount Rushmore, she's alone on Everest," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "There's no one around." Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 15 Author Members Posted October 15 👋 Good morning! The NBA season tips off exactly one week from today. In today's edition: Dodgers and Mariners take early leads, ranking the NBA's superstars, NFL in photos, Aces cement dynasty, Cape Verde's historic feat, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈⚾️ Coaching changes: Penn State fired James Franklin after yet another embarrassing loss; the Titans fired Brian Callahan, who went 4-19 in Tennessee; Padres manager Mike Schildt, 57, retired after two years in San Diego. 🏈 Week 8 rankings: Indiana climbed to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the latest AP poll after beating Oregon on the road, while USC (No. 20) and Texas (No. 21) both re-entered the top 25 after wins over Michigan and Oklahoma. 🏀 Preseason rankings: Purdue is No. 1 in the preseason poll for the first time ever, while Houston, Florida, UConn and St. John's round out the top five. The season tips off in three weeks (Nov. 3). 🎾 Four Americans: For the first time in over 20 years, four Americans have qualified for the WTA Finals. Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys will be among the eight players competing for the season-ending title. 🏀 The Antetokounmp-bros: Alex Antetokounmpo will join his older brothers, Giannis and Thanasis, on the Bucks after signing a two-way deal with the franchise. They're the first trio of brothers to play on the same NBA team at the same time. ⚾️ MLB PLAYOFFS LCS: MARINERS, DODGERS OUT FRONT (Cole Burston/Getty Images) ALCS: The Mariners have played 7,757 games in their history. They are now two wins away from their first-ever World Series after taking Games 1 and 2 in Toronto. Game 1: Mariners 3, Blue Jays 1 Game 2: Mariners 10, Blue Jays 3 Man of the hour: With another clutch home run, Mariners 2B Jorge Polanco, known to his teammates as "George Bonds," is ascending to October legend status. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: For a fan base that has endured so much torment, so many fruitless nights and vacant Octobers, this must all feel completely surreal, inconceivably easy. Suddenly, the only franchise to never play in a World Series is just two wins away from the ultimate stage. That is thanks, in large part, to Polanco, who has emerged as this postseason's most improbable yet inevitable main character. While he has just eight hits across Seattle's seven playoff games, three of those knocks have been homers, and many, including Monday night's long ball, have come in big spots. "Yeah, I love those situations," Polanco admitted after Monday's game. "I don't know what to say, man. I'm clutch. But I'm just trying to keep it simple." What's next: Game 3 is Wednesday in Seattle, where George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA this regular season) will get the start for the Mariners against former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA). Blake Snell was dealing in Game 1. (Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) NLCS: Blake Snell tossed his second straight postseason gem (8 IP, 1 H, 10 K) and the Dodgers survived a ninth-inning scare to beat the Brewers, 2-1, in Monday's series opener. From Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey: The 10 strikeouts marked a postseason career high for Snell and made him the first pitcher in MLB postseason history with at least 10 strikeouts, one or fewer hits allowed and zero walks in a start of at least eight innings. It was also the first postseason start in which a pitcher faced the minimum number of batters through eight innings (24) since Don Larsen's legendary World Series perfect game in 1956. "You're not going to see too many performances like that, certainly in the postseason. This was pretty special," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "I think it's the most dominant performance against us. And I've been here 10 years," added Brewers manager Pat Murphy. 🍿 Must-see play: The Brewers robbed the Dodgers of sure runs with one of the wildest double plays in baseball history. You have to see it to believe it. 🏀 NO. 1 OPTIONS NBA SUPERSTARS, RANKED (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The ideal NBA lineup has a superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns that role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together. Today, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach ranks the No. 1 options. Top 10: Nikola Jokić (Nuggets) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) Luka Dončić (Lakers) Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) Stephen Curry (Warriors) Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) Jalen Brunson (Knicks) Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) Cade Cunningham (Pistons) Honorable mention: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Anthony Davis (Mavericks), Ja Morant (Grizzlies) 🏈 THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: NFL WEEK 6 Jake Moody celebrates after kicking the game-winning field goal. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images) Landover, Maryland — A year ago, the Commanders stunned the Bears with a last-second Hail Mary. On Monday, Chicago got its revenge with a last-second field goal by Jake Moody, who was added to the roster just hours earlier. Final score: 25-24. Meanwhile, in Atlanta: The Falcons upset the Bills, 24-14, in Monday's other game, handing Buffalo its second straight loss. Star of the night? Bijan Robinson (238 total yards, TD), who became the second player ever with 450 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards through five games. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Tampa, Florida — The Buccaneers beat the 49ers, 30-19, to improve to an NFC-best 5-1 behind the continued brilliance of Baker Mayfield, who's playing like an MVP with 12 touchdowns against just one interception and a laundry list of highlight reel plays. Injury bug bites again: The Niners already lost Nick Bosa (ACL) and have been without Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder), Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for large chunks of the season. Now star linebacker Fred Warner (broken and dislocated ankle) is likely out for the year. Lions and Chiefs players briefly brawled after Kansas City's victory. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Kansas City, Missouri — You didn't really think the Chiefs would start 2-4, did you? Kansas City (3-3) snapped Detroit's four-game win streak with a 30-17 victory on "Sunday Night Football," where Patrick Mahomes dazzled (4 TDs) and tempers flared in a post-game fight. Branch suspended: Lions safety Brian Branch, who started the brawl when he shoved Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, has been suspended one game without pay. This is nothing new for the young defender, who has already been fined 14 times (!!) since entering the league in 2023. Jonathan Taylor celebrates a touchdown with his teammates. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Indianapolis, Indiana — The Colts rallied to beat the Cardinals, 31-27, and improve to 5-1 for the first time since 2009. Jonathan Taylor (137 yards, TD) starred once again and now leads the league with 8 TDs and ranks third with 750 scrimmage yards. Offensive explosion: The Colts have scored 194 points already, which leads the NFL and is the most any Colts team has ever scored through six games. Peyton Manning's 2007 team had the previous record with 193 points. Danny Dimes quite literally one-upped him. More from Week 6: Pats are rolling: The Patriots beat the Saints, 25-19, to match their win total from each of the last two seasons (4). The buzz in New England? Drake Maye's ascent to stardom. It's about time this team had a franchise QB. Steelers take control: The Steelers shut down the Browns, 23-9, to improve to 4-1 and take complete control of the AFC North, where the other three teams are a combined 4-14. Jets remain winless: Different country, same result. The Jets flew to London and lost to the Broncos, 13-11, to fall to 0-6 for the third time in franchise history. 🏀 WNBA CHAMPS ACES CEMENT DYNASTY STATUS (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) The Aces finished off their WNBA Finals sweep of the Mercury on Friday, winning their third title in four years to cement their status as one of the league's great dynasties. The star of the show: A'ja Wilson was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in the four-game series, capping off an all-time great season in which she'd already won the scoring title, MVP and DPOY. "You have your Mount Rushmore, and she's sitting alone on Everest. By the time it's all said and done, she will be the greatest to ever do it." — Aces head coach Becky Hammon on Wilson (via ESPN) Long road to success: The Aces franchise was a founding member of the WNBA but had just seven winning seasons across 21 years as the Utah Starzz (1997-2002) and San Antonio Stars/Silver Stars (2003-17). Everything changed in 2018, when new owners moved the team to Sin City. The dynasty: It's no mistake that the turnaround began when it did, as the first draft pick of the Vegas era was none other than Wilson, selected No. 1 overall in 2018. The Aces went a modest 14-20 that inaugural season, but have reached at least the Final Four every year since. 2019 (21-13): Made their first semifinal appearance since 2008, losing to the eventual champion Mystics. 2020 (18-4): Advanced to the Finals in the "bubble," where they lost to the Storm. Wilson won her first MVP. 2021 (24-8): Suffered a narrow defeat in the semifinals, and head coach Bill Laimbeer retired shortly after. 🏆 2022 (26-10): The first title in franchise history came in head coach Becky Hammon's first season. Wilson won her second MVP and first DPOY. 🏆 2023 (34-6): Became the first back-to-back champs since the Sparks in 2001-02. Wilson won her second DPOY. 2024 (27-13): Fell short of the three-peat with a semifinal loss to the eventual champion Liberty. Wilson won her third MVP. 🏆 2025 (30-14): After starting 14-14, they rattled off 16 straight wins before romping to their third title. Wilson won her fourth MVP and third DPOY. Sound investment: In 2021, Raiders owner Mark Davis expanded his Vegas sports empire by purchasing the Aces for $2 million. Four years and three championships later, the franchise is worth $310 million, an increase of 15,400%. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 14 Brewers fans cheer before Game 1 of the NLCS. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) ⚾️ Dodgers at Brewers | 8pm ET, TBS The NLCS continues tonight in Milwaukee, where the Dodgers will look to take a 2-0 lead before heading home for Game 3. Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.70 ERA in the regular season) takes the mound for the home team, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA) gets the ball for the visitors. ⚽️ USMNT vs. Australia | 9pm, TNT The U.S. didn't exactly look like world beaters in Friday's 1-1 draw against Ecuador, but the Americans at least showed signs of life as Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup vision began coming into focus. They'll look to build on that tonight in Colorado. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Lightning at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Wild at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN) … Early conference clashes among four 2025 playoff teams. 🏈 NCAAF: New Mexico State at Liberty (7pm, CBSSN); Arkansas State at South Alabama (7:30pm, ESPN2); FIU at WKU (8pm, ESPNU) … Tuesday night lights. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Thunder at Bucks (8pm, Peacock) … One week until the season tips off. 🏈 YOU'RE FIRED NFL TRIVIA Ward and Callahan. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) The last four QBs taken No. 1 overall have seen their head coach fired during their rookie season, with Cam Ward being the latest after the Titans axed Brian Callahan. Question: Can you name the three QBs before Ward? (Bonus points: Can you name the three coaches who were fired?) Hint: Two NFC, one AFC. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 2026 WORLD CUP CONGRATS, CAPE VERDE! Cape Verde captain Roberto "Pico" Lopes celebrates with supporters. (Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile via Getty Images) Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Africa, qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Monday. Not bad for a country with fewer people than America's least-populated state. Historic achievement: Cape Verde (population: 525,000) is the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, trailing only Iceland (pop: 405,000). For reference: Wyoming, America's least-populated state, has 588,000 people. From BBC News: Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first attempted to reach the 2002 World Cup hosted in Japan and South Korea. The Blue Sharks have punched above their weight in the Africa Cup of Nations in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals on debut in 2013 and again in 2023, and currently sit 70th in the world rankings. Cape Verde has a growing tourism sector but rarely hits the headlines for its sporting achievements — with the nation only securing its first ever Olympic medal at Paris 2024 when boxer David de Pina won bronze in the men's flyweight category. Trivia answer: Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus (2024 Bears); Bryce Young and Frank Reich (2023 Panthers); Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer (2021 Jaguars) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 16 Author Members Posted October 16 👋 Good morning! Rise and shine. Stat of the day: Teams that win the first two games in a best-of-seven MLB playoff series have gone on to prevail 83.8% of the time (78-for-93). That would suggest we're headed for a West Coast World Series (Los Angeles vs. Seattle), but don't count out Toronto and Milwaukee just yet. Crazier things have happened. In today's edition: Dodgers take 2-0 NLCS lead, Haji Wright (two goals) lifts USMNT to victory, Big Ten faces pushback on $24B private equity deal, the world in photos, the best names in basketball, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ USA 2, Australia 1: Haji Wright (2 goals) and Cristian Roldan (2 assists) led the USMNT to victory in their final game of the international window, but an ankle injury to Christian Pulisic clouded an otherwise feel-good evening. 🏈 New MVP favorite: Patrick Mahomes (+200 at BetMGM) leapfrogged Josh Allen (+275) as the new betting favorite for NFL MVP. Baker Mayfield (+350) is the only other player with single-digit odds. 🏀 Preseason poll: UConn and South Carolina, last year's champion and runner-up, are the top two teams in the AP preseason women's college hoops poll. Rounding out the top 10 are UCLA, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Duke, Tennessee, NC State and Maryland. 🏒 Shut out, again: The Rangers lost 2-0 to the Oilers at Madison Square Garden, making them the first team in NHL history to score zero goals in their first three home games of a season. 🏀 Kidd extended: The Mavericks signed head coach Jason Kidd to a multi-year extension. Previously, there was speculation that he might seek an exit from Dallas following the shocking Luka Dončić trade. ⚾️ NLCS ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER MASTERPIECE (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) The Dodgers beat the Brewers, 5-1, on Tuesday night in Milwaukee to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NLCS. The key to victory for Los Angeles? Starting pitching, as it has been all month. Game recap: Yoshinobu Yamamoto followed Blake Snell's historic Game 1 performance with a masterpiece of his own, retiring the final 14 batters he faced to notch MLB's first postseason complete game since Justin Verlander in the 2017 ALCS. Snell, Game 1: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K Yamamoto, Game 2: 9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Dominant rotation: The Dodgers' rotation ERA (1.54) is the second-lowest in postseason history among teams that played at least eight games. Snell (21 IP, 2 ER, 28 K) and Yamamoto (19.2 IP, 4 ER, 18 K) deserve the bulk of the credit, having started six of the eight games, but Shohei Ohtani (6 IP, 3 ER, 9 K) and Tyler Glasnow (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K) also contributed. From Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey: For so much of the 2025 regular season, the Dodgers' biggest question was their starting pitching, and most of the time, it was more about health than production. For as talented as L.A.'s rotation is on paper, it didn't matter if the hurlers couldn't stay on the mound. But over the course of August and September, the rotation rounded into form as Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani finally all got healthy at the same time. "I don't know if you can write enough words in your stories about our starting pitching. It really has been amazing," first baseman Freddie Freeman said postgame. … "The last two nights have been impressive," said catcher Will Smith, who caught both gems. "It's probably the two best back-to-back games pitched ever that I've seen." Wild stat: Entering Tuesday, no MLB rotation had posted a sub-1.50 ERA over a 30-game span since the mound was lowered in 1969. Neither had any rotation allowed a sub-.150 batting average over a 30-game span. The Dodgers have now done both over their last 30. Max Muncy rounds the bases. (John Fisher/Getty Images) By the numbers: 4-0: The Dodgers have yet to lose a road game this postseason, picking up two wins in Philadelphia and two in Milwaukee. (Of note: The ALCS-leading Mariners are 3-1 on the road. Home-field advantage, where art thou?) 14 HR: Max Muncy's sixth-inning solo blast was the 14th home run of his playoff career, breaking a tie with Corey Seager and Justin Turner for the most in Dodgers history. 21 years, 217 days old: Jackson Chourio became the second-youngest player in postseason history to hit a leadoff home run. The only player younger? Himself last year (20 years, 205 days old). What's next: The NLCS shifts to L.A. for Game 3 (Thursday), Game 4 (Friday) and Game 5 (Saturday). The Dodgers will be hoping to clinch the series at home so they don't have to fly back to Milwaukee and return to their haunted hotel.* *Spooky season: The Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee has long had a reputation for being haunted. Bryce Harper felt the presence of a ghost during a visit with the Nationals, Giancarlo Stanton called the 132-year-old hotel "creepy as sh*t," Mookie Betts has refused to stay there for years, and Teoscar Hernández opted for separate accommodations this week. "I don't believe in ghosts," the Dodgers outfielder said Tuesday. "But my wife is on this trip, and she says she doesn't want to stay there. … I've been hearing from other players and other wives that it's something happening these past couple nights," he continued. "The lights go off and on. The doors — there are noises, footsteps." 🎓 PRIVATE EQUITY BIG TEN FACES PUSHBACK ON $24B DEAL (G Fiume/Getty Images) As the Big Ten inches toward a $2.4 billion private equity deal, a resistance has formed that may delay or nix the project entirely. From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: On Saturday in Los Angeles, Michigan and USC's football programs battled at The Coliseum. The Trojans won, 31-13. But what happened off the field, in and around that game, is perhaps more interesting and impactful than the game itself. At fancy parties in the hills of California and within luxury suites high above the football field, influential donors and university board members of these two storied programs met, mingled and dished on the latest big story from their conference: Is the Big Ten really about to enter into a $2.4 billion capital deal with a California pension fund? "We don't have any reason why we need to do this particular deal," said one university board member who requested anonymity. "The more people understand this, the more people have questions," added another. This is straight out of a Hollywood movie script: A week before Big Ten schools appeared poised for a definitive conclusion to the landmark capital proposal, the powerbrokers of two blue bloods were strategizing over, at the very least, delaying the deal while their two football teams clashed. As explored in a story last Friday at Yahoo Sports, the Big Ten's year-long pursuit of private capital cash is nearing a decision. The league is in deep negotiations with its membership over a 20-year partnership with the University of California pension system's investment fund, UC Investments. The fund would infuse $2.4 billion in upfront, uneven payments to the Big Ten's 18 schools (an average of $135-140 million per school). The league would secure a 10-year extension of the grant of rights (through 2046), create a business subsidiary (Big Ten Enterprises) and establish a new uneven distribution of conference revenues (three schools would get a slightly bigger cut). It is a significant undertaking that, for the most part, many of its members overwhelmingly support. But as a decision nears, detractors are emerging, not only from Michigan's influential board of regents, as previously thought, but at USC, too. "They aren't on board," said one person with knowledge of the position of USC's board of trustees, as well as some within its university and athletic administration. That's why the weekend’s confluence of events — leaders of the two programs together in LA — provided a timely marriage of like-minded people ahead of this week's potential decision. Could two of the league's biggest brands stop or delay the entire thing? Could the other 16 agree to a portion of the deal without them? 🌎 THROUGH THE LENS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS The bike portion of the race in Kona. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Kailua Kona, Hawaii — Norway's Solveig Løvseth won one of the most dramatic IRONMAN World Championships ever this past weekend, overtaking the two race leaders late on the run after both women succumbed to the brutal conditions. Race rewind. (Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images) 🇪🇬 Al-Qudah, Egypt — Getty Images photographer Mahmoud Khaled captured some incredible moments during a football tournament in a small Egyptian village. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images) 🇩🇪 Hallbergmoos, Germany — Aelan Vaast of French Polynesia during a private training session at Surftown MUC, an "endless surfing lagoon" that uses advanced technology to create a variety of waves and conditions. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) 🇮🇹 Bergamo, Italy — Four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar competes in the breakaway while fans cheers during the 119th Il Lombardia, a 150-mile one day race from Como to Bergamo. Pogačar went on to win the race for the fifth straight time. (Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images) 🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia — Half Yours, the favorite to win this weekend's Caulfield Cup, is seen during a beach session at Altona Beach. 🏀 NO. 2 OPTIONS NBA CO-STARS, RANKED (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) The ideal NBA lineup has a superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns that role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together. Today, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach ranks the best No. 2 options. Top 10: Jalen Williams (Thunder) LeBron James (Lakers) Evan Mobley (Cavaliers) Jimmy Butler (Warriors) Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) De'Aaron Fox (Spurs) Franz Wagner (Magic) Alperen Şengün (Rockets) Jamal Murray (Nuggets) Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15 A Mariners fan holds up a sign during Game 5 of the ALDS in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) ⚾️ ALCS, Game 3 | 8pm ET, FS1 The Mariners, up 2-0 on the Blue Jays, host their first ALCS game since 2001. How long ago was that? Their lineup that night featured Ichiro Suzuki (as a rookie!), Edgar Martínez and John Olerud; Mike Mussina earned the win for the Yankees; and Julio Rodríguez, Seattle's current centerfielder, was 10 months old. Think they'll be excited at T-Mobile Park tonight? 🏒 NHL Doubleheader | TNT The Red Wings host the defending champion Panthers (7pm) in the opener, with Detroit seeking its third straight win and Florida seeking its fourth victory in five games. Then it's Blackhawks at Blues (9:30pm) in a clash of Central Division foes. More to watch: 🏈 NCAAF: Delaware at Jax State (7pm, ESPN); UTEP at Sam Houston (7pm, CBSSN) … Sam Houston is one of three winless FBS teams remaining (Oregon State, UMass). 🏀 NBA Preseason: Mavericks at Lakers (10:30pm, ESPN) … Cooper Flagg's final preseason tune-up before he makes his official debut next week. ⛳️ Golf: St. Andrews Collegiate (9am, Golf) … The final day of competition at The Old Course in a coed event featuring Michigan State, Princeton, Cal and the University of St. Andrews. 🎨 COLORS TEAM NAME TRIVIA (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) The Blue Jays are one of 10 teams across the "Big Four" sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) with a color in their name. Question: Can you name the other nine? Hint: Five NHL, three MLB, one NFL. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 COLLEGE HOOPS THE BEST NAMES IN BASKETBALL With the men's college basketball season just around the corner, it's time to unveil the best names in the sport. My top 5: Always Wright (UTRGV) All Wright (Xavier) Tennessee Rainwater (Le Moyne) Po'Boigh King (Sam Houston) Maximus Gizzi (Minnesota) Courtesy: The 2025-26 NCAA D1 Men's Basketball All Name Team Trivia answer: Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Blues, Golden Knights, Red Wings, Reds, Red Sox, White Sox, Browns Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 17 Author Members Posted October 17 👋 Good morning! It's a great day to have a great day. In today's edition: NFL power rankings, Blue Jays avoid 3-0 hole, Mammoth unveil mascot, the growing college hoops divide, Pope Leo claps back, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Gold Glove finalists: The Cubs lead all teams with six Gold Glove finalists, followed by the Blue Jays and Rangers with five each. The 20 winners (nine fielding positions plus utility in each league) will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 2. 🏀 Russ to the Kings: Russell Westbrook has agreed to a one-year contract with the Kings ahead of his 18th season. After spending his first 11 years with the Thunder, this is his sixth team in the last seven (Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets, Wizards). ⚾️ Bregman opts out: Alex Bregman is opting out of the final two years of his three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox, as expected. The 31-year-old third baseman hits free agency after a bounce-back year that saw him make the All-Star team with his best OPS since 2019 (.821). ⚽️ Press to retire: Angel City's Christen Press, 37, will retire from soccer at the end of her NWSL season. The striker won two World Cups (2015, 2019) and scored 64 international goals, ninth-most in USWNT history. 🏎️ Mercedes extends Russell: George Russell, who currently sits in fourth in the Formula 1 drivers' standings, signed a contract extension to remain with Mercedes through at least next year. 🏈 1-32 NFL POWER RANKINGS: A THIRD OF THE WAY HOME (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) We're one third of the way through the NFL season, and our Week 7 power rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab, look nothing like they did entering Week 1. Biggest risers: The Colts have vaulted 22 spots (25 to 3) since Week 1, the Patriots have risen 11 spots (21 to 10), the Falcons have risen 10 spots (23 to 13), the Seahawks have risen nine spots (18 to 9) and the Buccaneers have risen eight spots (9 to 1). Biggest fallers: The Ravens have plummeted 19 spots (2 to 21), the Bengals have fallen 16 spots (12 to 28), the Vikings have fallen 12 spots (7 to 19) and the Commanders have fallen eight spots (10 to 18). Here's a quick peek at what we've seen from every team so far with six weeks down and 12 to go. Buccaneers (5-1): Baker Mayfield has gone from cast-off QB to MVP candidate, leading Tampa to weekly victories, whether close or convincing. Lions (4-2): Detroit could use a victory over a true contender after a frustrating loss to KC. Enter this Monday's clash against the Bucs. Colts (5-1): Indy boasts the league's best offense (32.3 ppg) and is already halfway to its first 10-win season — and playoff berth — since 2020. Bills (4-2): The current Super Bowl favorites (+600 at BetMGM) don't even lead their own division after losing back-to-back games. Broncos (4-2): Denver's second-ranked defense is doing a lot to mask an offense that has regressed considerably in Bo Nix's sophomore campaign. Eagles (4-2): The Birds are trending in the wrong direction right now and must right the ship with eight of their remaining 11 games coming against teams currently at .500 or better. Packers (3-1-1): Green Bay is top 10 in both points for and against, but going 1-1-1 in their last three games against the Browns, Cowboys and Bengals leaves something to be desired. Chiefs (3-3): Patrick Mahomes is playing like an MVP, Rashee Rice returns from suspension this week and they already have as many 30-point games as they did all of last season (two). Seahawks (4-2): Seattle is the only team that ranks in the top four of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) on offense, defense and special teams. Patriots (4-2): Can Drake Maye lead New England to its first division title since Tom Brady led them to 11 straight from 2009-19? Rams (4-2): Can they keep pace in a strong division if Puka Nacua (ankle) misses significant time? Chargers (4-2): There's a long way to go, and their +2 scoring differential may portend some regression, but the first-place Chargers could win their first division title since 2009. Falcons (3-2): The Bijan Robinson-led offense is really good and the defense might be, too. This is a team to watch. Jaguars (4-2): The Jags lead the league with 14 takeaways and a +8 turnover differential. Can they win 10 games for the first time since 2017? Steelers (4-1): Death, taxes and Mike Tomlin leading Pittsburgh to a winning record. 49ers (4-2): The Niners' 4-2 start despite a second consecutive season with countless injuries is impressive. But the loss of Fred Warner may be the tipping point. Bears (3-2): The culture has changed this year in Chicago. Why? "Ben," pass rusher Montez Sweat told Yahoo Sports, referring to first-year head coach Ben Johnson. "Three letters." Commanders (3-3): Monday's turnover-laden loss was a reminder that not every season can be as magical as what D.C. fans got to witness last year. Vikings (3-2): Safe to assume Minnesota won't be going 14-3 again. But this is a talented squad that could level up if J.J. McCarthy gets healthy and starts showing signs of improvement. Texans (2-3): Houston's defense is allowing just 12.2 points per game, on pace for the fewest since the 2000 Ravens (10.3) and Titans (11.9). Can the offense catch up? Ravens (1-5): Baltimore will try to become just the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting 1-5. "We still believe we can do it," says coach John Harbaugh. Panthers (3-3): Rico Dowdle has more scrimmage yards in the last two games (473) than Saquon Barkley has all season (462). He can't still be Chuba Hubbard's backup, right? Cowboys (2-3-1): An excellent QB and electric WRs scoring lots of points while a porous defense severely limits their ceiling. 2025 Cowboys or 2024 Bengals? Giants (2-4): Rookie QB Jaxson Dart and rookie RB Cam Skattebo have burst onto the scene and given Giants fans a lot to cheer about. Cardinals (2-4): The good news? Arizona had its first 400-yard game of the season on Sunday. The bad news? It came courtesy of backup QB Jacoby Brissett, not Kyler Murray. Browns (1-5): Cleveland has scored fewer than 18 points in 11 straight games. Unsurprisingly, they lost 10 of them. Raiders (2-4): Pete Carroll, Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty were supposed to turn things around in Vegas. That has… not happened so far. Bengals (2-4): There were some signs of life from the offense last week with newly-acquired Joe Flacco at the helm. It's still not good. Saints (1-5): No NFC team scores fewer points than New Orleans, and just two allow more. Not great! Dolphins (1-5): The vibes are rotten in Miami, where Tua Tagovailoa just aired the Dolphins' dirty laundry following another crushing loss. Titans (1-5): As Tennessee continued cleaning house on Tuesday, their goal this season must be to get Cam Ward through 17 games relatively unscathed (developmentally). Jets (0-6): Gang Green is 0-6 for the third time in franchise history. They finished 1-15 (1996) and 2-14 (2020) the other two times they started out this bad. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Vladdy celebrates after hitting a homer in Game 3. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images) Seattle — The Blue Jays teed off on the Mariners in a 13-4 rout on Wednesday, spoiling Seattle's first ALCS home game in 24 years to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. They'll look to even the series tonight. Historic power surge: The Jays and Mariners combined to hit eight homers, tied for the most ever in a playoff game. One of those came off the bat of George Springer, who's now tied with Bernie Williams for the fourth-most in postseason history (22). (Eli Rehmer/NHLI via Getty Images) Salt Lake City — After spending last year as the Utah Hockey Club, the Mammoth played their first home game with their new identity on Wednesday and emerged victorious. Final score: Mammoth 3, Flames 1. New mascot: The team unveiled Tusky, a 6-foot-5 mammoth with blue fur. The name fits in with the team's new "Tusks Up" slogan. (Los Angeles Rams) Baltimore — The Rams are practicing at Camden Yards this week ahead of Sunday's game in London, opting to stay in Baltimore following their game against the Ravens in order to shorten their flight overseas. Needless to say, the team had a blast acting like MLB players. A first for OPACY: This is believed to be the first time that Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992, has hosted any non-baseball sporting event or practice. 🏀 COLLEGE HOOPS CHARTED: THE GROWING DIVIDE (Evan Miyakawa) There have always been imbalances in men's college basketball — from the power conference and high-major programs down to the mid- and low-major teams. But the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" widened significantly during the NIL/transfer portal era, which saw the best talent matriculate to the top in unprecedented fashion. The growing divide: "The disparity between the high majors and the rest of college basketball has never felt bigger," writes analytics expert Evan Miyakawa alongside his preseason rankings, noting that the conference strength drop off from the fifth-best league (Big East) to the sixth-best league (A-10) is larger than the gap between sixth and 17th (Sun Belt). What they're saying: "This was always going to be a cost of the NIL/portal era (with other benefits)," writes journalist Eamonn Brennan, "but the acceleration you're seeing in 2025-26 preseason ranks is starting to get a little freaky." 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 16 Dodgers fans cheer during Game 4 of the NLDS. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) ⚾️ Brewers at Dodgers, Game 3 | 6pm ET, TBS The defending champs look to continue their dominant postseason, having won seven of their first eight games behind a historically stingy rotation. The Brewers (down 2-0) will be hoping their bats wake up after collecting just five total hits so far this series. ⚾️ Blue Jays at Mariners, Game 4 | 8:30pm, FS1 Toronto will try to even the series tonight on the road. They'll hand the ball to future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who's making his first playoff appearance since the 2023 World Series. Seattle will counter with Luis Castillo, who's pitched six scoreless innings this postseason. 🏈 Steelers at Bengals | 8:15pm, Prime The Steelers (4-1) are 5.5-point road favorites over the Bengals (2-4) in a game that features a rare occurrence: For just the third time in NFL history, two 40-year-old QBs will square off as Joe Flacco (40) and Aaron Rodgers (41) get the start in Cincy. The other two instances came in 2020 when Drew Brees and Tom Brady faced each other twice. 🎾 Six Kings Slam | 12:30pm, Netflix The semifinals of the second annual Six Kings Slam — an exhibition tournament featuring a $6 million grand prize — are today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where two decent matchups are taking place: First up is Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz, followed by Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Canucks at Stars (8pm, ESPN+); Hurricanes at Ducks (10pm, ESPN+) … Dallas and Carolina are the only remaining teams without a loss. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Rockets at Hawks (7:30pm, ESPN2) … The final tune-up for both teams before the regular season tips off next week. 🏈 NCAAF: Tulsa at East Carolina (7:30pm, ESPN) … The Pirates are 17.5-point favorites over the visiting Golden Hurricanes in this American Conference clash. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: PSG vs. Real Madrid (3pm, Paramount+); Arsenal vs. Benfica (3pm, CBSSN) … Two of four matches today in the League Phase. 🏀 NO. 3 OPTIONS NBA TRIVIA (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) The ideal NBA lineup has a superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns that role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together. Today, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach ranks the best No. 3 options. Question: Can you name the five players pictured in the graphic above? Hint: Thunder, Cavaliers, Nuggets, Kings, Magic. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ SOUTH SIDE THE POPE CLAPS BACK (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) We can safely say the MLB playoffs officially have the attention of the Vatican, writes Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer: As Pope Leo XIV appeared in a parade Wednesday atop the Popemobile, one attendee bravely yelled "Go Cubs!" at the Chicago native and lifelong White Sox fan. Leo responded by pointing at the man and yelling back in both Spanish and English. The message was the same in both languages: "Han perdido! They lost!" This is the stuff you can only get when an American is sitting on the papal throne. Trivia answer: Chet Holmgren, Darius Garland, Aaron Gordon, Domantas Sabonis, Desmond Bane Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 18 Author Members Posted October 18 🏀 1 for the road: Countdown to March Data: AP. Chart: Axios Visuals College basketball season tips off Nov. 3 — 18 days from now! The top-ranked men's teams heading into this season are a mix of blue bloods (Duke, Kentucky) and newly ascendant programs (Houston, St. John's). Perennial powerhouses UConn and South Carolina top the women's preseason rankings. 👀 Marquee matchup: No. 1 Purdue and No. 9 Kentucky face off in an exhibition game next week. Men's Top 25 list ... Read the story. Women's Top 25 list ... Read the story. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 19 Author Members Posted October 19 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. On this day: 21 years ago today, David Ortiz hit a walk-off homer in Game 4 of the ALCS to kickstart Boston's historic comeback from down 3-0 against the Yankees. It ain't over yet, Brewers fans. In today's edition: Blue Jays and Dodgers win, Flacco outduels Rodgers in Cincy, college football midseason predictions, sumo wrestling in London, America's most unlikely golf course, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Thursday night thriller: The Bengals beat the Steelers, 33-31, as Joe Flacco (342 yards, 3 TD) outdueled Aaron Rodgers (249 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT) in a battle of 40-year-old QBs and Evan McPherson hit a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. 🏈 Cignetti gets paid: Indiana signed Curt Cignetti to an eight-year, $93 million extension that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in FBS. Cignetti, who's gone 17-2 since arriving in Bloomington, said he plans to retire as Indiana's head coach. 🎾 Alcaraz vs. Sinner, again: Carlos Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in the Six Kings Slam semifinals to book yet another championship showdown. This one's on Saturday in Riyadh, with the winner taking home a cool $6 million. 🏀 Pearl's new gig: Bruce Pearl will join TNT's new college basketball show as an analyst just a month after retiring as Auburn's head coach. 🏒 Vegas signs Hart: The Golden Knights signed Carter Hart to a two-year deal, making him the first of the five players who were accused — and then acquitted — of sexual assault in the Hockey Canada case to rejoin an NHL team. ⚾️ MLB PLAYOFFS BLUE JAYS TIE IT UP, BREWERS ON THE BRINK (Alika Jenner/Getty Images) ALCS: Max Scherzer hasn't really looked like Max Scherzer all that much in recent years. But on Thursday in Seattle, in his 500th career start, the future Hall of Famer reminded anyone watching that Mad Max is still here. And with an 8-2 series-tying win, so are the Blue Jays. Scherzer (5.2 IP, 5 K, 3H, 2R) was in vintage form as he collected his first postseason victory since 2019 and generally looked like the Mad Max of old, stalking the mound and yelling his way into staying in the game. He also did something that even prime Scherzer didn't do much, picking off his first baserunner since 2016, and first ever in the postseason, to squash a potential third-inning rally. From Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman: The pinnacle of Scherzer's performance came in the fifth inning, when Arozarena came to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Hard-throwing reliever Louis Varland was warming up. Even with a 5-1 lead and Scherzer at only 70 pitches, it felt like a sensible time for a manager to make a pitching change, especially with the top of Seattle's lineup preparing to face Scherzer a third time. But as Schneider departed the dugout and headed toward the mound, it became clear that Scherzer had no interest in exiting the game. "It was awesome," Schneider said afterward. "I thought he was going to kill me. It was great. He locked eyes with me, both colors, as I walked out." Once Schneider arrived on the hill, Scherzer began to state his case with ferocity. "I understood where the game state was, knew how I wanted to attack, and then all of a sudden, I saw Schneids coming out, and I kind of went, 'Woah, woah, woah, I'm not coming out of this ball game. I feel too good,'" Scherzer said postgame. "So we had a little conversation that basically I wanted to stay in the ball game, but just with some other words involved. I just knew I was strong. I knew I wanted the ball. I knew I could get outs in this situation. I just wanted to stay in. I wanted it." What's next: Game 5 is tonight in Seattle, where the seven-game series has turned into a race to two wins. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) NLCS: The defending champs are a win away from returning to the Fall Classic after shutting down the Brewers, 3-1, behind yet another standout performance from the starting rotation. Historic dominance: Thanks to Tyler Glasnow (5.2 IP, 8 K, 3 H, 1 R) and a bullpen that threw 3.1 near-perfect innings, the Dodgers have become the first team in postseason history to allow fewer than two runs and fewer than five hits in four consecutive games. From Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey: If the NLCS is a relay for the Dodgers, Blake Snell was the first leg, getting L.A. out to an early lead in Game 1 and setting the tone for the series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the second leg for the Dodgers in Game 2, not only extending the lead but also injecting confidence into the team as the series moved to Dodger Stadium. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow was handed the baton for Game 3 on Thursday, with the goal of continuing the momentum and putting the Dodgers on the doorstep of another World Series appearance. For Glasnow, who missed the Dodgers' 2024 World Series run due to injury, successfully passing the baton to the next starter represented a personal victory. What's next: The Dodgers will hand the baton to Shohei Ohtani tonight in Los Angeles with a chance to clinch the sweep. 🏈 LOOKING AHEAD COLLEGE FOOTBALL: MIDSEASON PREDICTIONS (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) We've arrived at the midway point of the college football season, and our preseason predictions aren't looking so hot. Here's how our experts think the rest of the season will unfold. 📸 CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN PHOTOS: GRAND SUMO TOURNAMENT (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) The Grand Sumo Tournament is being contested this week at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall, just the second time in the sport's 1,500-year history it's been held outside Japan. Back in London: The first instance was also at the Royal Albert Hall in 1991 as part of the UK's Japan Festival. They hoped to host again in 2021 for the venue's 150th anniversary, but got delayed due to the pandemic. Wrestlers line the ring during Wednesday's opening ceremony. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images) The five-day tournament, ending on Sunday, features more than 40 sumo wrestlers — or rikishi — fighting in 100 bouts. A majority of rikishi hail from Japan, but Mongolians have dominated the 21st century and two Ukrainians are also competing in London this week. Sumo ranks: There are no weight classes in sumo, just rankings, with none higher than yokozuna — an elite level that only 75 rikishi have ever reached. The only two active yokozuna, Mongolia's Hōshōryū Tomokatsu and Japan's Ōnosato Daiki, are both competing this week. (Frank Augstein/AP Photo) A sumo match, or basho, ends either when one rikishi gets pushed out of the ring or has any body part other than the soles of their feet touch the ground. Victories come either via penalty or as a result of one of the 82 officially-recognized winning techniques, called kimarite. The dohyō: The ring, or dohyō, is a 15-foot circle of packed clay covered in sand. To build the one in London, 11 tons of clay were shipped by sea, and a team of ring attendants (yobidashi) also made the trip to ensure its construction adhered to sumo's rigid traditional standards. Ōnosato enjoys a hot dog near the Houses of Parliament ahead of the tournament. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Rikishi live a regimented lifestyle centered around intense training and a strict diet (pictured above: a cheat day!). They don't eat breakfast, and lunch comprises about 10,000 calories worth of a protein-rich stew called chankonabe, followed by a three-hour nap for maximal weight gain. Big boys: Rikishi weigh about 330 pounds on average, with some tipping the scales at 550. In order to accommodate athletes of that stature, Royal Albert Hall had to source new chairs and reinforce their toilets. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Don't let their size (and shape) fool you — these are athletes. You can watch the final three days of the tournament on DAZN. 🏈 BIG BLUE THE BROS OF NEW YORK (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are injecting the Giants with a welcome dose of rookie chaos. And so far, it's translating to wins. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: There's a clip from last week's dramatic Giants win over the Super Bowl champion Eagles that perfectly sums up the new mentality taking root in New York's locker room. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart spots rookie running back Cam Skattebo, and bellows like a delirious grizzly bear. Skattebo bellows back, and the two butt heads live on camera. It's ridiculous, it's absurd, it's glorious. Dart is a longhaired SEC-by-way-of-Utah first-round slinger who leaped into the starting job when it became clear in September that Russell Wilson wasn't a fit. He's treating NFL football like it's a Friday night and he's the God of the Gridiron, right up to and including high-fiving a ref after a touchdown. Skattebo, meanwhile, seems to live his life by the simple mantra of "what would be the most kick-ass thing to do right this moment?" The Giants' own scouting report called Skattebo a "carnage creator," which is pretty much the best assessment you could hope for. And their names, man. Their names! If you wrote a screenplay with a blonde QB named "Jaxson Dart" and a swerving bowling ball named "Skattebo," you'd get it thrown back in your face for being too on-the-nose. Statistically, Dart and Skattebo are still building their foundations. Skattebo's 56.3 yards per game average ranks 19th in the league, though he is tied for fifth with 24 first-down runs, and third with five rushing touchdowns. Dart's progress has been slower, since the quarterback position is a scalpel to the running back's sledgehammer. But they're bringing a spark that can't be measured, not even by Next Gen Stats. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 NCAA Football, Week 8 We've got a season-high five matchups between ranked teams coming our way on Saturday, with Nashville, Athens, Tuscaloosa, South Bend and Provo playing host. No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt (12pm ET, ABC) No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia (3:30pm, ABC) No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama (7:30pm, ABC) No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame (7:30pm, NBC) No. 23 Utah at No. 15 BYU (8pm, Fox) Best of the rest: Louisville at No. 2 Miami (Fri. 7pm, ESPN); No. 1 Ohio State at Wisconsin (Sat. 3:30pm, CBS); Michigan State at No. 3 Indiana (Sat. 3:30pm, Peacock); No. 7 Texas Tech at Arizona State (Sat. 4pm, Fox); No. 21 Texas at Kentucky (Sat. 7pm, ESPN). ⚾️ MLB Playoffs The League Championship Series continues tonight with what could be the final day of the season to feature multiple baseball games. First up is Blue Jays at Mariners (6pm, FS1), where Seattle hopes to stem the bleeding in a critical Game 5 after dropping two straight. Then it's Brewers at Dodgers (8:30pm, TBS), where the defending champs will look to return to the Fall Classic for the fifth time in nine years. If necessary, Game 5 of the NLCS is tomorrow in L.A. (8pm, TBS) and Game 6 of the ALCS is on Sunday in Toronto (8pm, FS1). 🏈 NFL, Week 7 Sunday's slate kicks off at Wembley Stadium, which hosts the final London game of the season, and ends with an intriguing NFC matchup on "Sunday Night Football." Rams at Jaguars (9:30am, NFL) Eagles at Vikings (1pm, Fox) Colts at Chargers (4:05pm, CBS) Commanders at Cowboys (4:25pm, Fox) Falcons at 49ers (8:20pm, NBC) The Vra-Bowl: Mike Vrabel and the first-place Patriots return to Tennessee (1pm, CBS), which has gone an abysmal 4-19 since firing Vrabel two years ago. If this game goes as expected (the Pats are seven-point favorites), it's safe to say he'll relish the victory over his former employer. ⚽️ MLS Decision Day The regular season comes to an end on Saturday, with all 30 teams in action either at 6pm or 9pm. The Eastern Conference playoff field is set, but four teams are fighting for the last two spots in the West: Dallas (at Vancouver), Real Salt Lake (at St. Louis), Colorado (vs. LAFC) and San Jose (vs. Austin). 🏎️ United States Grand Prix Formula 1 heads to Austin's Circuit of the Americas (Sun. 3pm, ESPN) for the second of three stateside races this season. But unlike Miami and Vegas, which both debuted in the last few years, the U.S. Grand Prix dates all the way back to 1908, and has been held at COTA since 2012. 🎾 Six Kings Slam Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will square off in yet another final tomorrow in Riyadh, where they'll compete for a $6 million grand prize — the largest in tennis. The final streams on Netflix at the conclusion of the third-place match between Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz (12:30pm). More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Nuggets at Thunder (Fri. 8pm, NBA); Kings at Lakers (Fri. 10:30pm, NBA) … Final day of preseason action before the season tips off on Tuesday. 🏁 NASCAR Playoffs: Talladega (Sun. 2pm, NBC) … The second of three races in the Round of 8 could bring chaos, as seven of the last 11 races at the Alabama track have been won with a last-lap pass. 🏒 NHL: Kraken at Maple Leafs (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Bruins at Mammoth (Sun. 7pm, NHL) ⚽️ NWSL: Bay FC vs. North Carolina (Fri. 10pm, Prime); Washington vs. Orlando (Sat. 12:30pm, CBS); Angel City vs. Portland (Sun. 5pm, ESPN) … The penultimate weekend of the regular season. ⚽️ Premier League: Fulham vs. Arsenal (Sat. 12:30pm, NBC); Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Sun. 11:30am, USA) … The Gunners (16 points) hold a slim lead over the Reds (15) atop the table. ⚾ 500/.300 MLB TRIVIA (J. Meric/Getty Images) Manny Ramírez, one of three players who retired this century with at least 500 home runs and a career .300 batting average, has put the word out to all 30 teams that he'd like to be an MLB hitting coach. Question: Can you name the other two players from this century with 500 HR and a .300 AVG? Hint: Right-handed first basemen. Answer at the bottom. ⛳️ GOLF BEHIND BARS AMERICA'S MOST UNLIKELY GOLF CLUB (Darren Riehl/Golf.com) At Cedar Creek Corrections Center outside Olympia, Washington, golf has become more than a game. It's a second chance. Every Wednesday night, a dozen men pick up borrowed clubs, hit foam balls across a makeshift range and talk about the same things golfers talk about anywhere — good shots, bad shots, and what's next. "It's not like any other sport I've played because — yeah, you're with people, but it's you working on yourself and finding a way to beat the odds," says inmate Tejuan Ball. "Regardless of what's happening, I still get a chance to come back and I get to improve on myself." Trivia answer: Frank Thomas (521 HR, .301 AVG) and Miguel Cabrera (511, .306) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 21 Author Members Posted October 21 👋 Good morning! The bad news: The weekend is over. The good news: The Blue Jays forced a Game 7 tonight. In today's edition: Game 7 in Toronto, parity in college football, 3 stars of the weekend, KD passes LeBron, NFL Sunday scoreboard, Mad Max wins U.S. Grand Prix, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 KD passes LeBron: Kevin Durant has signed a two-year, $90 million extension with the Rockets. He now holds the record for the highest career earnings in NBA history ($598.2M in current and future salary), surpassing LeBron James ($583.9M). 🏈 Napier out in Gainesville: Florida fired Billy Napier midway through his fourth season (22-23 record). His buyout is $20 million, 50% of which must be paid out within the next 30 days. ⚽️ MLS Decision Day: FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake clinched the last two playoff spots on the final day of the regular season, while San Diego overtook Vancouver to earn the No. 1 seed in the West. ⚾️ Giants targeting Vols skipper: The Giants are reportedly "closing in" on Tennessee's Tony Vitello as their next manager. The 47-year-old is one of the top college coaches but has never appeared in the majors (or minors) in any capacity. 🎾 Sinner tops Alcaraz: Jannik Sinner dominated Carlos Alcaraz, 6-2, 6-4, to win his second straight Six Kings Slam, pocketing $6 million for winning the exhibition tournament in Riyadh. 🏈 ANY GIVEN SATURDAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S DYNASTY ERA IS OVER (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) Parity reigns in college football, as evidenced by yet another upset-filled Saturday that saw nine ranked teams lose. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel: Welcome to the new era of college football. We've known it and we've seen it, but as we reach the second half of the 2025 season, the impact of movement through the transfer portal, player compensation and an expanded playoff field have changed the sport in previously inconceivable ways. Outside of Ohio State and maybe Alabama (at least until the next loss), every one of the sport's traditional blue bloods wakes up today in some stage of an existential crisis. Meanwhile, Indiana is the nation's No. 2 team, Georgia Tech is looking increasingly like a favorite to make the CFP and ESPN's "College GameDay" is rightfully headed to Missouri at Vanderbilt next weekend. It's different, alright. And it's glorious. "College football was built around this culture of two teams are going to be alive at the end, so we have to win every single game and if we don't we're going to have a massive meltdown," Texas A&M coach Mike Elko told Yahoo Sports last week. "That's just how college football was built. You don't see that in the NFL. There's no internal meltdown from the Bills or the Chiefs if they lose a game. The Super Bowl champions are probably going to lose four or five times. That's what's happening in college football now. The end goal is to make a 12-team playoff and win the 12-team playoff and I'm not sure everybody has adapted to that new reality." The handful of programs that hoarded all the high-end talent can no longer keep players on their roster with the goal of developing them into starters by their third year on campus. Coaches can't get by just being elite recruiters. The margins have contracted to the point where, everywhere you look, it seems like games are coming down to the fourth quarter and a coaching decision here or one individual play there becomes the separator on a given day. In other words, it's starting to look a lot like the NFL. Bottom line: The dynasty era is over. This is now a year-to-year, week-to-week enterprise and nothing in American sports is delivering more drama for a wider array of teams and fan bases. ⭐️ 3 STARS STARS OF THE WEEKEND (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) ⭐️ Shohei Ohtani Shohei Ohtani almost single-handedly lifted the Dodgers to the World Series on Friday with the best game of his career — and perhaps the single greatest game in baseball history. Two-way sensation: Ohtani hit three home runs and reached base safely in all four at-bats. He also had 10 strikeouts and pitched six scoreless innings. From WashPost's Chelsea Janes: This is Beethoven at a piano. This is Shakespeare with a quill. This is Michael Jordan in the Finals. This is Tiger Woods in Sunday red. This is too good to be true, with no reason to doubt it. This is the beginning of every baseball conversation and the end of the debate: Shohei Ohtani is the best baseball player who has ever played the game, the most talented hitter and pitcher of an era in which data and nutrition have made an everyman's sport a game for superhumans. And Friday night, when he helped his Dodgers win the pennant with a 5-1 victory over the Brewers in Game 4 of the NLCS, was his Mona Lisa. ⭐️⭐️ Montie Quinn Montie Quinn of D-III Curry College (Milton, Mass.) set a new NCAA single-game record with 522 rushing yards* in a 71-27 win over Nichols College. By the numbers: 20 carries, 522 rushing yards, 7 TD. Quinn averaged a mind-boggling 26.1 yards per attempt and had TD runs of 30, 58, 64, 76, 84 and 85 yards. He could have had more too, but Curry held him out for its final two drives. This was no fluke: Quinn was a preseason All-American and entered the game as the D-III rushing leader. He now has 1,450 rushing yards in six games (241.7 per game), and he's topped 200 yards in half of them. *Rewriting the record books: Quinn broke the previous NCAA record of 465 yards set by D-III Heidelberg's Cartel Brooks in 2013. The FBS record is 427 yards, set by Oklahoma's Samaje Perine in 2014. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lionel Messi Lionel Messi recorded the 60th hat trick of his legendary career in Inter Miami's 5-2 win over Nashville. That clinched his first Golden Boot (most goals) and all but locked up his second straight MLS MVP Award. By the numbers: Despite missing six games, Messi finished the regular season with 29 goals (one fewer than D.C. United's entire team) and 19 assists, giving him 48 goal contributions* in just 2,420 minutes. That's a goal or assist every ~50 minutes. *Season for the ages: Messi's 48 goal contributions are one shy of the MLS record of 49 set by LAFC's Carlos Vela in 2019. 🏈 WEEK 7 NFL SUNDAY SCOREBOARD The Comeback Kid. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) The Broncos scored all 33 of their points in the fourth quarter to stun the Giants, 33-32, on Sunday in a rollercoaster of a game. The final five minutes alone featured four TDs, a missed extra point and a walk-off field goal. What they're saying: "I felt bad for the people who left early," said Denver QB Bo Nix, who became the first player in NFL history to record 2+ passing TDs and 2+ rushing TDs in one quarter. All-time choke job: NFL teams had won 1,602 straight games when leading by 18+ points in the final six minutes of regulation. The Giants (up 26-8 with six minutes left) snapped that streak. Micah Parsons celebrates a sack. (Norm Hall/Getty Images) More scores: Packers 27, Cardinals 23 … First career 3-sack game for Micah Parsons. Eagles 28, Vikings 22 … Jalen Hurts (perfect 158.3 rating) captained a rejuvenated passing attack. Panthers 13, Jets 6 … Gang Green falls to 0-7. Justin Fields benched. Two straight games without a TD. It's bad. 49ers 20, Falcons 10 … Christian McCaffrey (201 yds, 2 TD) starred on "Sunday Night Football." Bears 26, Saints 14 … Four straight wins for first-year head coach Ben Johnson and Da Bears. Colts 38, Chargers 24 … Jonathan Taylor (132 yds, 3 TD) is the early favorite for Offensive POY. Patriots 31, Titans 13 … Drake Maye was historically great (21/23, 222 yds, 2 TD; 62 rush yds) for the first-place Pats. Cowboys 44, Commanders 22 … Washington lost the game and Jayden Daniels (hamstring injury). Browns 31, Dolphins 6 … Mike McDaniel looks more and more like a coach with no answers. Rams 35, Jaguars 7 … Matthew Stafford threw 5 TD passes in the final London game of the season. Chiefs 31, Raiders 0 … Kansas City had 30 first downs. Las Vegas ran 30 plays. Where it stands: The Patriots (5-2), Steelers (4-2), Colts (6-1) and Broncos (5-2) are the division leaders in the AFC, while the Eagles (5-2), Packers (4-1-1), Buccaneers (5-1) and 49ers (5-2) are out front in the NFC. 🌎 THROUGH THE LENS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Clive Mason/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Austin, Texas — Max Verstappen cruised to victory at the U.S. Grand Prix to move within 40 points of leader Oscar Piastri with five races to go. Is he now a serious threat to win his fifth straight Formula 1 title? Meanwhile, at Talladega: Chase Briscoe won Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race to clinch a spot in the championship alongside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. There's still one Round of 8 race left before the season finale. (Carl Recine/Getty Images) 🏴 Liverpool, England — Harry Maguire's aerial abilities helped Manchester United earn a huge 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, marking the club's first win at Anfield in almost 10 years. Four straight Ls: Liverpool have lost four straight matches (across all competitions) for the first time in 11 years. Alarm bells are ringing for the reigning Premier League champs, who now sit in fourth place. Tommy celebrates with his son, Frankie. (Prakash Singh/Getty Images) 🇮🇳 New Delhi, India — Tommy Fleetwood's career year got even better on Sunday when he added a win at the DP World India Championship to his FedEx Cup title and Ryder Cup victory. Father-son moment: Tommy's 8-year-old son, Frankie, told him recently that he'd never been able to run out to the green to greet his dad after a victory. Mission accomplished. "All day today, I had in my mind, 'Could I put myself in position to make that happen?'" Fleetwood said. "It's just one of those little things it means a lot to me. It means so much to me. That was really cool." 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, OCT. 20 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after Sunday's Game 6 win. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) ⚾️ ALCS, Game 7 | 8pm ET, FOX It all comes down to this. Will the Mariners reach their first-ever World Series? Or will the Jays be returning to the Fall Classic for the third time (and first time in 32 years)? 🏈 Buccaneers at Lions | 7pm, ABC A pair of former No. 1 overall picks go head-to-head, with Jared Goff and the Lions (4-2) hosting Baker Mayfield and the Bucs (5-1). 🏈 Texans at Seahawks | 10pm, ESPN Houston's defense is allowing just 12.2 points per game. Can Seattle's new-look offense crack the code? ⚾ FALL CLASSIC WORLD SERIES TRIVIA Joe Carter celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images) The Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles (1992-93) in their only two appearances. Question: Which two teams did they beat? Hint: They hail from the same division. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ 3-FOR-1 THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM (Giphy) Vladdy Jr. hit what appeared to be a routine broken-bat single in the eighth inning on Sunday. But a closer look reveals that he hit the ball THREE times with one swing. Trivia answer: Braves (1992) and Phillies (1993) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 23 Author Members Posted October 23 👋 Good morning! The NBA's 80th season tips off tonight in Oklahoma City (Rockets at Thunder) and Los Angeles (Warriors at Lakers). We are so back. In today's edition: Blue Jays win AL pennant, ranking the NBA's starting lineups, MLS season standings, LA 2028 countdown, "A Hollywood Ending," and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ ALCS SPRINGER'S DINGER SENDS JAYS TO THE WORLD SERIES (Mark Blinch/Getty Images) The Blue Jays defeated the Mariners, 4-3, on Monday night in an unforgettable ALCS Game 7 to clinch Toronto's first trip to the World Series in 32 years. For Seattle, the 48-year drought continues. The hero: With the Blue Jays trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, George Springer stepped into the box and delivered a towering three-run home run that flipped the script and sent Rogers Centre into complete pandemonium. It was the 23rd homer of his playoff career, tying him with Kyle Schwarber for third in MLB history. Springer celebrates his home run. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images) From Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman: From the second the final congratulations were uttered into the microphone, the Blue Jays nearly jumped off stage in search of what matters most: their loved ones. With family and friends having filled the field around the stage during the ceremony, players embarked on a mission to reconnect with the people who have supported their winding journeys to get to this moment and the chance to compete on the biggest stage the sport has to offer. George Springer Jr. had watched his son make seven trips to the postseason before he helped power the Blue Jays to an AL East title in 2025. That unusual wealth of October experience includes two trips to the World Series with the Astros, which enabled the Springer family to enjoy this postgame sequence on multiple occasions. But this time? "Different," the elder Springer said, beaming on the field as his son celebrated nearby with his wife, Charlise, and their two kids. "It's different." "I always appreciated every opportunity that George had in the postseason, knowing that there are guys that spend their whole career — 12 years, 15 years — and never get to a playoff game, let alone an LDS or ALCS, or have an opportunity to go to the World Series," he said. "Now that he's 36 years old, this is extra special, because the opportunities for this to happen are diminishing, to be frank. So at this point in his career, to see him experience this moment … Extraordinary." The MVP: Springer was the hero of the night, but it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who took home ALCS MVP. The slugger was 10-for-26 (.385) in the series with three home runs, giving him six this postseason. The World Series begins on Friday, with the Blue Jays hosting the Dodgers in Game 1. 🏀 OPENING NIGHT NBA STARTING LINEUPS, RANKED (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) As the NBA season tips off tonight, we survey the landscape of the league based on each team's starting lineup, as ranked by Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach. Methodology: Ben ranked every team's No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 options, then averaged those numbers to determine where each lineup as a whole ranks. Top 10: Thunder (average score: 2.4): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 2 ranked No. 1 option), Jalen Williams (No. 1 ranked No. 2 option), Chet Holmgren (No. 1 ranked No. 3 option), Lu Dort (No. 7 ranked No. 4 option), Isaiah Hartenstein (No. 1 ranked No. 5 option) Nuggets (3.6): Nikola Jokić (1), Jamal Murray (9), Aaron Gordon (3), Cam Johnson (3), Christian Braun (2) Knicks (5.2): Jalen Brunson (8), Karl-Anthony Towns (5), Mikal Bridges (8), OG Anunoby (1), Mitchell Robinson (4) Cavaliers (5.2): Donovan Mitchell (9), Evan Mobley (3), Darius Garland (2), Jarrett Allen (2), De'Andre Hunter (10) Magic (7.8): Paolo Banchero (11), Franz Wagner (7), Desmond Bane (5), Jalen Suggs (5), Wendell Carter Jr. (11) Timberwolves (9.6): Anthony Edwards (5), Julius Randle (13), Rudy Gobert (10), Jaden McDaniels (8), Mike Conley (12) Warriors (9.6): Stephen Curry (6), Jimmy Butler (5), Draymond Green (7), Brandin Podziemski (25), Al Horford (6) Lakers (9.8): Luka Dončić (4), LeBron James (2), Austin Reaves (11), Deandre Ayton (18), Rui Hachimura (14) Rockets (11.6): Kevin Durant (12), Alperen Şengün (8), Amen Thompson (9), Jabari Smith Jr. (9), Reed Sheppard (20) Spurs (12): Victor Wembanyama (7), De’Aaron Fox (6), Stephon Castle (17), Harrison Barnes (17), Jeremy Sochan (13) 11-30: Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Kings, Mavericks, Heat, Raptors, Grizzlies, 76ers, Celtics, Pacers, Suns, Bucks, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Bulls, Jazz, Hornets, Nets, Wizards (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Season preview: Top title contenders: The Thunder (+240 at BetMGM), Nuggets (+550), Cavaliers (+750), Knicks (+900), Timberwolves (+1300) and Rockets (+1400) are the preseason favorites. Milestone watch: How high can LeBron James climb on the all-time lists? Will Kevin Durant catch Michael Jordan for fifth in scoring? Lots of other milestones in sight. Impact players: From superstars like Victor Wembanyama to potential breakout stars like Shaedon Sharpe and Trey Murphy III, here are 11 players poised to have a big impact. Team previews: What are the big questions facing each franchise heading into Opening Night? In-depth breakdowns for all 30 teams. Ready for Fantasy? Don't forget to sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Basketball, which has a new default format this year called "High Score" that trims lineups down to 10 players and counts only each starter's highest score of the week towards the total score. ⚽️ POSTSEASON MLS PLAYOFFS: WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT? (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The 30th MLS regular season concluded on Saturday, setting the stage for the 18-team postseason. Two notable clubs missing from the field? Last year's champion (LA Galaxy) and runner-up (New York Red Bulls). Rare occurrence: For just the second time in MLS history, neither MLS Cup finalist from the previous season reached the playoffs, ensuring some fresh blood will play in December's title game. The defending champion Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup last year but completely imploded this season, going 7-18-9 for their fewest wins ever in a non-shortened campaign. The Red Bulls went from runner-up to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2009, ending the longest active playoff streak in North American professional sports. The other side: While the Galaxy and Red Bulls are heading home early, the Chicago Fire reached the postseason for the first time since 2017, ending the league's longest active playoff drought. What's next: The playoffs begin on Wednesday with the single-elimination Wild Card games: No. 8 Chicago vs. No. 9 Orlando in the East and No. 8 Portland vs. No. 9 Salt Lake in the West. 🥇 THROUGH THE LENS LA OLYMPICS: 1,000 DAYS OUT The Olympic torch burning atop the Coliseum in August of this year. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are officially less than 1,000 days away, with the Opening Ceremony taking place simultaneously at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium on July 14 — 997 days from now. A surfer exits the water at Lower Trestles. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Among the 36 sports that will be contested is surfing, which will be held at the iconic Lower Trestles surf break in Orange County, 60 miles south of Los Angeles. Venice Beach will host the triathlon, while its boardwalk will host the starts of both the marathon and cycling road events. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) As a reminder: There are five new sports on the program this year, including two — flag football and squash — that will be making their Olympic debut. The other three are cricket (back for the first time since 1900), lacrosse (1948) and baseball/softball (2020). The Hollywood Sign in 1993. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) LA 2028 will mark the first Summer Games on U.S. soil since 1996, and will make Los Angeles the third city to host three Olympics, joining London and Paris. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 21 (Yahoo Sports) 🏀 NBA Opening Night | NBC The 80th NBA season tips off tonight with a doubleheader on NBC, which is broadcasting its first NBA games in over 20 years and bringing the inimitable "Roundball Rock" back into our lives. Rockets at Thunder (7:30pm ET): The defending champs open their season against the new-look Rockets, led by Kevin Durant as he begins his 18th season for his fifth team. Warriors at Lakers (10pm): Stars aplenty in this matchup, but LeBron James (sciatica) will be sidelined to begin his 23rd season in the league. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Panthers at Bruins (7:30pm, ESPN); Avalanche at Mammoth (10pm, ESPN) … Florida and Boston have lost a combined seven straight games after both started 3-0. ⚽️ Champions League: Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid (3pm, Paramount+); Bayer Leverkusen vs. PSG (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games to begin Matchday 3. 🏈 NCAAF: Kennesaw State at FIU (7pm, ESPN2); Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech (7:30pm, CBSSN) … Kennesaw State is 4-2 after going 2-10 in their FBS debut last season. 🎓 UNIVERSITY-LESS COLLEGE TRIVIA (Brian Bahr/Getty Images) Question: Can you name the five FBS schools that don't have "University" in their name? Hint: Academy, Institute and College. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 LEBRON'S LAKERS NEW BOOK: "A HOLLYWOOD ENDING" In his new book, "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers," NBA journalist Yaron Weitzman examines the unique relationship between a living legend and an iconic sports team. When LeBron James signed with the Lakers in 2018, it looked like a match made in heaven. Here was the preeminent athlete of his generation, fresh off ending Cleveland's 50-year title drought, joining forces with one of the most iconic teams in all of sports. The script wrote itself. But this was a new Lakers' franchise, one beset by infighting and years removed from Kobe Bryant's prime. The two parties were too big to peacefully coexist under one roof. The 2020 title would represent the pinnacle of their pairing — and the beginning of a precipitous decline. Buy the book. Trivia answer: Army (United States Military Academy), Navy (United States Naval Academy), Air Force (United States Air Force Academy), Georgia Tech* (The Georgia Institute of Technology) and Boston College *In case you're wondering, Virginia Tech is The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, while Texas Tech and Louisiana Tech both have "University" at the end of their names. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 24 Author Members Posted October 24 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: NBA opening night, Mike Elko profile, why history favors the Blue Jays, League Pass rankings, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Bichette is back: Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette, who's been sidelined since early September with a sprained knee, plans to return for the World Series. "I'll be ready." 🏈 Jets owner slams Fields: Woody Johnson criticized QB Justin Fields while defending head coach Aaron Glenn on Tuesday. "It's hard when you have a QB with the rating that we've got," said Johnson. "If you look at any head coach with a QB like that, you're going to see similar results." ⚾️ Angels hire Suzuki: The Angels are hiring Kurt Suzuki as their next manager. The longtime catcher finished his career with the Halos in 2022 and spent the past three seasons as a special assistant to GM Perry Minasian. ⛳️ Nicklaus wins $50M suit: A Florida jury has awarded Jack Nicklaus $50 million in his defamation suit against his former business partners and the company that bears his name. Nicklaus challenged allegations that he'd entertained LIV Golf offers. ⚾️ Coming soon: Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco have been announced as the first four teams in the Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL), which will begin play in 2026. 🏀 OPENING NIGHT THUNDER, WARRIORS WIN AS NBA RETURNS TO NBC (William Purnell/Getty Images) Oklahoma City — The Thunder raised their championship banner, then followed that up with a thrilling 125-124 (2OT) win over the Rockets to mark the start of the NBA season — and the league's return to NBC. Box score: Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 pts) and Chet Holmgren (28 pts) led the way for OKC, while Alperen Şengün (39-11-7) and Kevin Durant (23 pts) paced Houston. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) Los Angeles — The well-balanced Warriors overcame a huge game from Luka Dončić to notch a 119-109 victory over the Lakers, who were without LeBron James. Box score: Jimmy Butler (31 pts), Stephen Curry (23 pts), Jonathan Kuminga (17-9-6) and Buddy Hield (17 pts) powered Golden State past Dončic (43-12-9) and Austin Reaves (26-5-9). 🏈 GIG 'EM THE COACH TEXAS A&M NEVER KNEW IT NEEDED (Nelson Chenault/Imagn Images via Reuters) From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken: Remember the Swagcopter? In a different era of Texas A&M football, it was merely a way for Kevin Sumlin and his staff to hop from one high school game to another but became a symbol of the program's largesse and ultimately its superficiality as the recruits it helped sign didn't translate to enough wins. Remember the faux national championship trophy with a space left blank to fill in the year Jimbo Fisher and his groundbreaking $75 million contract were supposed to bring one back here? It became, yet again, the emblem of a school trying to speak something into existence that nobody around here realized had to be earned rather than bought. For its first dozen years in the Southeastern Conference, Texas A&M and its supporters would stand on their proverbial mountain of cash and shout to the masses how they had everything needed to win championships. Now, as undefeated and third-ranked Texas A&M pushes for its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, it seems the Aggies finally have the one thing money can't buy in this sport. After all the choreographed attempts to turn this program into an image of something it could never be, it took an accident to fill the void with the substance it needed most. "People always want to take the elevator to success," said Mike Elko, the Jersey-born, Ivy League-educated 48-year-old head coach that Texas A&M never knew it needed. "That's not really how it works." Elko during his first SEC Media Days last year. (Omar Vega/Getty Images) In many ways, Elko was never supposed to be here, sitting in the palatial suite of the Texas A&M head coach where he can push a button and the double doors automatically swing open so that he can invite a reporter in for a conversation about why these Aggies seem different and far more legitimate than the pretenders of previous years. Not only is Elko an odd fit on the surface — raised in the Northeast, he never worked anywhere close to Texas until Fisher hired him as defensive coordinator in 2018 — he wasn't even at the forefront of Texas A&M's coaching search when the school admitted its mistake two years ago and bought out Fisher for a record $77 million. On the final Saturday of the 2023 regular season, it appeared former Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork (now at Ohio State) was ready to hire Kentucky's Mark Stoops. But as the process got closer to the finish line, the fan backlash became significant enough that the school's board of regents vetoed the decision. Elko, who had just completed his second season at Duke, became the default option — and ultimately the right one. Though Elko didn't check the traditional Texas A&M boxes and wasn't perceived as some exciting home-run candidate, he had spent much of his life as an adapter. Born to a teenage mother and raised in a trailer park, what he learned as he became a student at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania and then during a coaching career that crisscrossed the East Coast was that he didn't need to fit in at a place as much as understand it. And in his time as the coordinator here, Elko came to understand both the resources this place had and exactly what it lacked. "We had successful moments, and we were trending in a really positive direction at times," he said of a four-year stretch where Texas A&M went 34-14 but never quite broke through. "I just had confidence that you could put it together here. And I think there's a uniqueness to being able to be the one who figures it out. That was a challenge that I kind of really wanted." ⚾️ WORLD SERIES HISTORY FAVORS TORONTO Rogers Centre will host Games 1 and 2. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images) The Dodgers unsurprisingly open as World Series favorites (-220 at BetMGM) over the Blue Jays (+180), but history actually favors Toronto in the Fall Classic, which begins on Friday. 4-for-4: This is the fifth time since the LCS changed to a seven-game format in 1985 that one finished in a sweep and the other went the distance. Each of the previous four times, the team that won in seven games went on to win the World Series. 1988: Dodgers over A's 2006: Cardinals over Tigers 2007: Red Sox over Rockies 2012: Giants over Tigers 2025: Blue Jays (won ALCS in seven games) vs. Dodgers (swept NLCS) Fun fact: Regardless of who wins, two players have already earned their World Series rings: Relief pitcher José Ureña and infielder Buddy Kennedy played for both the Dodgers and Blue Jays this season. 📊 STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Cooper Neill/Getty Images) 🏈 5 60-yarders After nailing a 61-yarder on Sunday, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey has now made five career field goals from at least 60 yards, breaking a tie with Brett Maher for the most in NFL history. Not bad for a guy who's only been in the league since 2023. A new era: Aubrey is the best of a new generation of kickers for whom 60-yarders have become relatively commonplace. Halfway through the 2020s, there have already been 25 field goals made of 60+ yards. Just 15 such kicks were made in the 2010s, and just three were made in the 2000s. 🏀 135 international players NBA opening night rosters will feature a record 135 international players from a record-tying 43 countries. The best represented countries: Canada (23), France (19), Australia (13), Germany (7), Serbia (6), Cameroon (4) and the U.K. (4). ⛳️ 27 winners Sei Young Kim's victory at the BMW Ladies Championship made her the LPGA's 27th winner of the season, the most ever in a single year. And there are still five tournaments left to extend that record. 🏈 6 unbeaten teams No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 7 Georgia Tech, No. 11 BYU and unranked Navy are the only undefeated FBS teams remaining after an upset-filled Week 8 saw the other five all go down (Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Memphis, UNLV). ⚽️ 400 goals Harry Kane's blistering start to the season with Bayern Munich continued in Saturday's win over Dortmund, where he scored his league-best 12th goal (no one else has more than five) and became just the ninth player this century with 400 goals at the club level. He's scored 104 goals in 107 matches since joining the German giant in 2023. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22 Basketball returns to the Garden tonight. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) 🏀 Cavaliers at Knicks | 7pm ET, ESPN Cleveland, fresh off earning its first No. 1-seed of the post-LeBron era, takes on a New York team led by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and new head coach Mike Brown. 🏀 Spurs at Mavericks | 9:30pm, ESPN The Lone Star State clash pits the alien himself, Victor Wembanyama, against No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. Not a bad way to cap off the season's first full slate of games! ⚽️ MLS Playoffs | Apple TV The road to the MLS Cup begins with two single-elimination Wild Card games. No. 8 Chicago hosts No. 9 Orlando (8:30pm) in the opener, then it's No. 8 Portland vs. No. 9 Salt Lake (10:30pm) in the nightcap. The winners move on to Round One, which begins Friday. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Red Wings at Sabres (7:30pm, TNT) … Detroit has won five straight to climb to the top of the Atlantic Division. ⚽️ Champions League: Real Madrid vs. Juventus (3pm, Paramount+); Chelsea vs. Ajax (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games to close out Matchday 3. 🏈 NCAAF: Middle Tennessee at Delaware (7:30pm, ESPN2); Missouri State at New Mexico State (9pm, CBSSN) … Delaware and Missouri State are the only two newcomers to the FBS this season, and both are 3-3 so far. 🐅 RAWR TIGERS TRIVIA (Craig Jones/Getty Images) "Tigers," shared by five different FBS schools, is the most common nickname in major college football. Question: Can you name those five schools? Hint: SEC, ACC, American. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 1-30 NBA LEAGUE PASS RANKINGS (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) Which NBA teams will be the most fun to watch in 2025-26? Dive in. Plus: 33 bold predictions, including one for every team Trivia answer: Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Memphis, Missouri Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 25 Author Members Posted October 25 👋 Good morning! One more sleep 'til postseason baseball is back. I miss it. 🚨 Breaking news: Heat guard Terry Rozier was reportedly arrested this morning as part of an FBI sports-gambling probe. In today's edition: NFL power rankings, NBA in photos, Jimbo Fisher profile, Roberts climbs the ladder, Bye-maggedon, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Giants hire Vitello: The Giants have hired Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to replace Bob Melvin as their new manager — a massive roll of the dice on someone who hasn't spent a single second of his accomplished coaching life in pro ball. ⚽️ Chicago, Portland advance: The Chicago Fire (over Orlando City) and Portland Timbers (over Real Salt Lake) won their Wild Card games to advance to Round One of the MLS playoffs. 📺 "Inside the NBA" returns: The beloved NBA studio show made its long-awaited ESPN debut on Wednesday ahead of the first full night of league action. Same crew, same set, same theme song, new network. 🏀 Izzo calls out NCAA: Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo called out the NCAA for allowing former G Leaguer London Johnson to play college hoops. "To me, it's ridiculous," he said after the guard with three years of pro experience committed to Louisville. "It's embarrassing." ⛳️ PGA cancels The Sentry: The PGA Tour has canceled its season-opening event in Maui due to an ongoing drought and water restrictions. 🏈 WEEK 8 NFL POWER RANKINGS: A FAMILIAR FAVORITE (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The Chiefs are back in a familiar spot, sitting atop our latest power rankings after a blowout win over the Raiders. But that's not all: With their offense firing on all cylinders* behind an MVP-caliber start from Patrick Mahomes, they're also now favorites to win the Super Bowl. Super Bowl odds: Kansas City (+500 at BetMGM) leads the way ahead of the Lions (+650), Bills (+700), Packers (+800) and defending champion Eagles (+1000). Just outside the top five are the Colts (+1200), who lead the league with a 6-1 record and +92 scoring differential. *New-look Chiefs: Last season, the Chiefs won just three of their 20 games (regular season and playoffs) by 13+ points. This season? They already have four wins by 13+ points through seven games. 🏀 THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: THE NBA'S FIRST FULL SLATE (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Dallas — Victor Wembanyama erupted for 40 points (15-21 FG) and 15 rebounds in the Spurs' 125-92 blowout win over the Mavericks as No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg (10 points, 10 rebounds) struggled in his debut. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) Boston — The 76ers beat the Celtics, 117-116, behind 34 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. That's the most points scored in an NBA debut since 1974 and the third-most ever. Who holds the record? Wilt Chamberlain scored 43 points in his 1959 debut. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) New York — OG Anunoby (24 points, 14 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (23 points) led the way as the Knicks beat the Cavaliers, 119-111, in their first game under head coach Mike Brown. Good read: The vision that sold Mike Brown's hire comes to life in Game 1 (Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports) 🏈 ON THE SIDELINES JIMBO FISHER WANTS BACK IN Jimbo Fisher watches Texas A&M players warm up before a game in 2023. (Tim Warner/Getty Images) Yesterday, we profiled Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko. Today, we catch up with the man he replaced, Jimbo Fisher, who is hungry for another head coaching job. From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: Tucked inside a private room at one of his favorite eateries, the Red Elephant Pizza and Grill, Jimbo Fisher is talking a mile a minute about play calls from yesteryear. He remembers every detail. The season, the game, the down-and-distance, the formation, the play terminology, the result. "We had trips left," he says, gnashing on a quesadilla and washing it down with a mug of soda before launching into more 'ball. "They were in two-high safety." Fisher and his wife, Courtney, have agreed to meet with a reporter to talk about his desire to return to coaching. It quickly turned into a two-hour clinic on football from a man known as one of the game's greatest offensive savants. Fisher speaks quick enough — 250 words a minute — that if you don't pay attention, you'll miss something important. Like, for instance, the fact that, even at 60 years old and the benefactor of the biggest buyout in college sports history, "this ole boy," as he might say in his country twang, wants to coach again. "I never got into coaching for money," he says. "Well, I'm not going to get out of it because I've got money." Fisher congratulates QB Carson Beck after Miami's win over Florida State on Oct. 4. (Jason Clark/Getty Images) As it turns out, Fisher doesn't own much more — perhaps he owns less, actually — than he did before Texas A&M agreed to pay him nearly $77 million not to coach. About $26 million of that was paid within four months of his firing in the spring of 2024. He gets $7 million annually for the next seven years. It is not reduced by any future compensation he earns. He's bought no grand mansion in the Caribbean islands, no chateau in the south of France or villa on the Amalfi Coast. In fact, Fisher resides in the same Tallahassee home in which he moved into when he accepted the job on Bobby Bowden's staff at Florida State in 2006. What's he done with the money? Well, he did trade his Texas ranch for one in south Georgia. And he has tripped twice to Africa for Safari hunts. But these days, more than anything perhaps, he's watching film — both for his gig as an analyst on ACC Network and for his future. He's studying the game's ever-evolving trends, organizing a future staff, creating a recruiting and evaluation plan. He's preparing as if he'll soon return to major college coaching. And in what could be a record year for coaching changes — eight FBS changes and $114 million in buyout money spent already — the path may exist for a return to the big chair. ⚾️ RECORD BOOKS ROBERTS CLIMBS THE LADDER (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Dave Roberts enters the World Series with 65 career postseason wins as a manager — the fourth-most all-time and just three shy of passing Bobby Cox (67) for third. Who else is ahead of him? Only Joe Torre (84) and Tony La Russa (71) remain out of reach this season. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 23 The last time these teams met was Game 7 of last season's NBA Finals. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) 🏀 Thunder at Pacers | 7:30pm ET, ESPN Indianapolis hosts a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. But while the defending champions look poised to threaten for another title, the Pacers will be without their best player all season as Tyrese Haliburton recovers from his ruptured Achilles. 🏀 Nuggets at Warriors | 10pm, ESPN 15 players in NBA history have won multiple MVP awards. Two of them are playing in this game: Steph Curry and Nikola Jokić. 🏈 Vikings at Chargers | 8:15pm, Prime The Vikings, coming off a loss, have alternated wins and losses all season; the Chargers, who started 3-0, have lost three of their last four. Will those trends continue and lead to a Minnesota victory? Or will Los Angeles begin righting the ship with a win? More to watch: ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Portugal (7pm, TNT) … Philly's Subaru Park hosts the first of three friendlies for the Americans over the next week. 🏒 NHL: Hurricanes at Avalanche (9pm, ESPN+) … First in the Central vs. second in the Metropolitan. 🏒 College Hockey: No. 2 Western Michigan at No. 3 Michigan (7pm, BTN) … The Great Lakes State has the top three teams in the country, with No. 1 Michigan State joining the Wolverines and defending champion Broncos. 🏀 SIGNATURE MOVES NBA TRIVIA (Elias Stein) Question: Can you name all 12 NBA players above based on their signature move? Answer at the bottom. 🏈 NFL WEEK 8 BYE-MAGGEDON (Giphy) A season-high six NFL teams are on bye this week, leaving fans with the smallest slate of the year and leaving fantasy managers scrambling to fill their lineups. Teams on bye: It's not just quantity, but quality, as four of the six bye-week teams have winning records: Lions (5-2), Rams (5-2), Seahawks (5-2), Jaguars (4-3), Cardinals (2-5), Raiders (2-5). Trivia answer: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Shaquille O'Neal (top row); Steph Curry, LeBron James, Time Duncan (2nd row); Charles Barkley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson (3rd row); Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki (bottom row) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 26 Author Members Posted October 26 Scandal tarnishes sports betting Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios Six people, including an active NBA player, were indicted today in a federal investigation into illegal sports betting. Prosecutors allege that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier leaked non-public information about his health, which his associates then used to place bets that he would underperform. He's the third NBA player in less than two years to be investigated for such activity. ⚡️ The scandal threatens to undermine the momentum for the legalized sports betting industry, which has become a major source of revenue for the leagues, TV networks and state governments, Axios' Nathan Bomey writes. Major sports leagues spurned betting for years, in part because of fears it would invite questions about the integrity of the game. But now it's legal in 38 states, and Americans legally wagered about $150 billion on sports last year. ESPN even runs its own betting app. 💵 What we're watching: The investigation revealed today is renewing scrutiny over "prop" bets, which allow gamblers to wager that a player will, for example, score more or fewer than a certain number of points in a game. Those bets are easy for a player to rig — don't take a shot and you won't score a point. The case will bring additional scrutiny to regulated sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel, though prosecutors noted that sportsbooks lost money because of the scandal. Go deeper. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 26 Author Members Posted October 26 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: NBA betting scandal, baseball is booming, Messi signs extension, SGA erupts for 55 points, offering Jets fans amnesty, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ Messi staying put: Inter Miami has signed Lionel Messi to an extension through the 2028 season, keeping the GOAT in South Florida until he's 41. 🏈 Chargers 37, Vikings 10: The Chargers routed the Vikings at home on "Thursday Night Football" behind QB Justin Herbert (289 total yards, 3 TD) and RB Kimani Vidal (127 total yards, TD). 🏀 NBC does big numbers: Tuesday's "NBA Tip-Off" on NBC averaged 5.6 million viewers, making it the league's most-watched opening night doubleheader since LeBron James' Heat debut in 2010. 👟 Marathon star banned: Women's marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich has been banned for three years after admitting to a doping violation. The 31-year-old Kenyan broke the world record by almost two minutes (2:09.56) last year at the Chicago Marathon. 🏈 Pro Bowl in primetime: In an effort to continue showcasing its flag football initiatives ahead of the 2028 Olympics, the NFL is moving this season's Pro Bowl from the Sunday before the Super Bowl to primetime Tuesday. See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports. 🏀 BETTING SCANDAL ROZIER, BILLUPS ARRESTED IN FBI PROBE (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports) Just three days into the new NBA season, focus has unfortunately shifted from on-court action to a potentially disastrous off-court scandal involving illegal gambling activity. Rozier and Billups arrested: Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among the 34 people arrested by the FBI on Thursday in connection with two different criminal cases. They've been indicted on charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and have both been placed on immediate leave from their teams. Operation Nothing But Net: Rozier was one of six people, along with former player and coach Damon Jones, named in this case for allegedly passing inside information to win sports bets between December 2022 and March 2024, including a 2023 game in which Rozier left early with a fake injury to win thousands worth of prop bets on his "unders." Operation Royal Flush: Billups was among the 31 people named in a case involving rigged poker games dating back to 2019 in which the Mafia was involved. Billups (and Jones, also named here) was used to lure unsuspecting players into these rigged games. Billups, though not named in the sports betting indictment, matches the description of a co-conspirator. The backdrop: This scandal casts a darker cloud over a league also embroiled in another scandal — that of Kawhi Leonard's alleged "no-show" sponsorship deal. It also comes at a time of increased gambling scandals in the sport (see: Jontay Porter), all as the NBA has openly embraced partnerships with gambling companies, writes Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rorhbach. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken: The inevitable bill of legalized sports gambling has come The original idea behind the legalization of sports gambling was that if a consumer had access to the activity in Nevada, it should have access in New Jersey. The Supreme Court agreed. But even those of us who agreed in principle didn't necessarily understand how sports gambling would explode into every aspect of our lives as fans, nor how it would alter a relationship that had been fundamentally built on fandom. Now, for many, it will be built on suspicion. Was a bad night just a bad night? Is an injury really an injury? Is a player sitting on the bench because a coach has been sitting at the wrong poker table? For most, it won't be fair. But Thursday's arrests will undoubtedly move those concerns to the front of mind for many fans. That's the cost for all those sponsorship dollars teams and leagues have been raking in. For the first time since sports gambling logos got inside their arenas, it's time to wonder if those profits are worth it. Further reading: Why do millionaire athletes get involved in gambling? (Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ AMERICA'S PASTIME BASEBALL IS BOOMING (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The World Series begins tonight in Toronto, capping off a season that has shown baseball — across all levels of the sport — is in its healthiest spot in a long time. Baseball is booming: MLB's total attendance this season (71.4 million fans) increased for the third consecutive year, which hadn't happened since 2005-07. That growing popularity could be seen over the airwaves and other digital channels, too. Viewership: Postseason games drew an average of 4.33 million viewers through the Division Series, a 30% increase over last year and the highest in 15 years. Similar high-water marks were seen during the regular season, where TBS (highest viewership since 2011), ESPN (2013) and Fox (2022) all drew big numbers, too. Streaming: A record 19.39 billion minutes were watched on MLB.TV, which saw seven of its 10 most-watched games ever take place this year. Digital: MLB's social media pages garnered a record 17.8 billion views this year and the MLB app had its most-trafficked season ever. What's driving this? A variety of factors are at play, but the discussion has to begin with the implementation of the pitch clock, which may go down as one of the best decisions in MLB history. Games, which used to routinely last well over three hours, averaged just 2:38 this season — the third year in a row under 2:40 since the pitch clock arrived in 2023. Just three 9-inning games this season lasted longer than 3:30. In 2021, there were 391 such games. The impact of this cannot be overstated. Fans at home can watch games without it taking over their entire evening, and fans going to the ballpark can reasonably expect to be home before 10pm most nights — a pipe dream in the not-so distant past. Other new rules like larger bases, limiting pickoffs and banning the shift have also led to more steals, more balls in play and a generally more exciting game. It's not rocket science: A better product with a smaller time commitment has yielded a surge in popularity. Then there's the star power: The sport's two best players — one of whom is an international superstar — playing in the league's two biggest markets is a boon of epic proportions. And Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani aren't just MLB's current best players; they've spent the last few years carving out their places as all-time greats. This season also saw a switch-hitting catcher nicknamed Big Dumper swat 60 homers, a record seven players record a 30/30 season and a record-tying four players hit 50 bombs. One mega-rich club is trying to win back-to-back titles, another failed to make the playoffs after an all-time collapse and a small-market darling finished with the league's best record. In short, there was something for everyone, and everyone tuned in to watch it happen. The big picture: Baseball's boom seems to be having a trickle-down effect, with youth participation up to a record 8.49 million. Plus, the last three College World Series were the most-watched since 2011. Looking ahead: It would feel disingenuous not to mention the dark cloud looming over all of this, which is that many fear a work stoppage is coming when the CBA expires next winter. Perhaps both sides will look at the undeniably positive state of their sport and find common ground to avoid that end. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) Indianapolis — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for a career-high 55 points in Thursday's NBA Finals rematch as the Thunder beat the Pacers, 141-135 (2OT), for their second straight double-overtime victory to open the season. More NBA: In the only other game of the night, Steph Curry (42-6-7) led the Warriors past the Nuggets, 137-131 (OT), despite a career-high 50 points from Aaron Gordon, who shot 10-for-11 from long range. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) New York — An unexpected heavyweight fight broke out at the Garden when San Jose's Ryan Reaves (6-foot-2) and New York's Matt Rempe (6-foot-9) threw down in the first period of the Sharks' 6-5 (OT) win over the Rangers. More NHL: Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist in the Penguins' 5-3 win over the Panthers. It was his 497th multi-point game, tying Mario Lemieux for the sixth-most ever. Morgan stands next to a jersey representing her 224 appearances with the USWNT. (Heather Barry/Getty Images) Chester, Pennsylvania — The USWNT honored retired superstar Alex Morgan before their friendly at Subaru Park, where she scored her first of 123 career international goals — fifth-most in team history. Portugal 2, USA 1: The game itself did not go the Americans' way, losing in their first match since July due to uncharacteristic mistakes and an attack that went quiet after scoring just 33 seconds into the game. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ World Series The 121st World Series begins this weekend with Game 1 (Fri. 8pm ET, Fox) and Game 2 (Sat. 8pm, Fox) in Toronto. Will Los Angeles become MLB's first repeat champion since 2000? Or will Toronto capture its first ring since 1993? Key matchup: The Dodgers rotation vs. the Blue Jays lineup. LA's starters have allowed just 10 runs in 10 games this postseason for a ridiculous 1.40 ERA. Toronto's hitters have an .878 OPS, the sixth-highest of any postseason team since 1969 (min. 7 games). 🏈 NFL Week 8 With six teams on bye, including four that are over .500, Sunday is relatively light on marquee games. Among the best offerings: Denver vs. Dallas in a matchup of teams that are a step away from being contenders and Aaron Rodgers' first game vs. the Packers.* Bills at Panthers (1pm, Fox) Giants at Eagles (1pm, Fox) Cowboys at Broncos (4:25pm, CBS) Packers at Steelers (8:20pm, NBC) *A chance at history: If Rodgers leads the Steelers to a win over the Packers, he'll join Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre as the only QBs in NFL history who've beaten all 32 teams. (Of note: Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton are also technically in that club, beating all 28 teams that existed during their careers.) 🏈 NCAA Football Week 9 Saturday's slate is headlined by three ranked matchups, including Vanderbilt's first game as a top-10 team since 1947. No. 8 Ole Miss at No. 13 Oklahoma (12pm, ABC) No. 15 Missouri at No. 10 Vanderbilt (3:30pm, ESPN) No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU (7:30pm, ABC) Best of the rest: UCLA at No. 2 Indiana (12pm, Fox); No. 4 Alabama at South Carolina (3:30pm, ABC); No. 11 BYU at Iowa State (3:30pm, Fox); Stanford at No. 9 Miami (7pm, ESPN). ⚽️ MLS Playoffs Round One begins tonight with the first best-of-three series, as Lionel Messi and No. 3 Inter Miami host No. 6 Nashville (8pm, FS1). Three more series begin on Sunday: No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 8 Chicago (5:30pm, FS1); No. 2 Vancouver vs. No. 7 Dallas (7:30pm, Apple); No. 1 San Diego vs. No. 8 Portland (9:30pm, Apple). 🏀 NBA Opening Weekend The first weekend of games tips off tonight with Prime Video's first-ever NBA games: Celtics at Knicks (7:30pm) and Timberwolves at Lakers (10pm). ⚽️ El Clásico Real Madrid hosts Barcelona on Sunday (11:15am, ESPN2) in the first El Clásico of the season, and 262nd all-time. Los Blancos sit atop La Liga (24 points), but second-place Barça (22 points) won all four meetings last season. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Avalanche at Bruins (Sat. 3pm, NHL); Canadiens at Canucks (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Avalanche at Devils (Sun. 1pm, NHL) … Colorado (5-0-3) leads the league with 13 points. 🏁 NASCAR Playoffs: Martinsville (Sun. 2pm, NBC) … The penultimate race of the season will determine which four drivers reach next week's championship in Phoenix. 🏎️ F1: Mexico GP (Sun. 4pm, ABC) … Max Verstappen goes for his sixth straight top-two finish in a late bid to win another Drivers' Championship. ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Portugal (Sun. 4pm, TNT) … The two sides meet for the second time in four days, this time in East Hartford, Connecticut. ⚽️ Premier League: Bournemouth vs. Nottingham Forest (Sun. 10am, Peacock) … Third-place Bournemouth (4-3-1) are off to their best start ever. 👊 UFC 321: Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane (Sat. 4:30pm, ESPN+ PPV) … Aspinall's heavyweight title defense headlines the 14-fight card in Abu Dhabi. 🎿 Skiing: Alpine World Cup (Sat-Sun, Peacock) … The 2025-26 Ski World Cup season opens with the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. 🏈 50 STATES FOOTBALL TRIVIA (Getty Images) Question: Can you name the eight states that don't have an FBS program? Hint: Half are on one side of the Mississippi River, half are on the other. Bonus hint: It was nine until Delaware joined Conference USA in 2025. Submitted by: Charles C. (Austin, Texas) Answer at the bottom. 🏈 J-E-T-S JETS FANS DESERVE AMNESTY (Harry Murphy/Getty Images) Jets fans have it pretty rough, with this season's 0-7 start just the latest in a string of organizational failures. And while we'd normally discourage this behavior, we're prepared to issue a one-time-only, guilt-free bandwagon jump for members of Gang Green Nation who've had enough. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: We all knew the kid in school — or the guy at work — who roots for some hotel-buffet combination of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, Duke basketball, Indiana Fever and Kansas City Chiefs, regardless of where they grew up. Scornful graduates of Michigan and Alabama (are there any other kind?) call these bandwagon-jumpers "Wal-Mart Wolverines" or "Dirt Road Alumni," and in most cases, all the disgust is deserved. You don't get to just pick a better team when you have a perfectly fine one at home. But if the home team isn't "perfectly fine," if the home team stinks like garbage juice in August, if the home team is the New York Jets … well, for this team only, and this season only, we're lifting the societal scorn on bandwagon-jumping. Want to give up on Gang Green and join the Mahomes/Kelce/Taylor Swift Chiefs cult? Come on in, brother and sister, it's a big ol' tent. Tired of losing the AFC East over and over and want to switch your loyalties to the Buffalo Bills? There's a table with your name and Woody Johnson's face on it, friend, dive right in. Want to join so many of your New York brethren and emigrate to Miami? We would advise against pinning any hopes whatsoever on the Dolphins, but at least you'll be suffering in sunshine. Trivia answer: Alaska, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 29 Author Members Posted October 29 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. 💔 Gone too soon: Former Jets center Nick Mangold died Saturday after complications from kidney disease. He was 41. In today's edition: The 32nd Sports Equinox, college football's coaching carousel, NFL blowouts galore, World Series in photos, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 LSU fires Kelly: Brian Kelly was shown the door on Sunday following LSU's blowout loss to Texas A&M, which dropped the Tigers to 5-3. Kelly was hired to compete for national championships. Instead, he went 34-14 (19-10 in the SEC) and never even made the playoff. ⚾️ O's hire Albernaz: The Orioles are finalizing a deal to hire Craig Albernaz, 42, as their next manager. The former minor league catcher spent the past two seasons with the Guardians, where he served as bench coach and associate manager. 🏀 Wemby is ridiculous: After two more monster games over the weekend, Victor Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history with 100+ points and 15+ blocks in the first three games of a season. He has more blocks by himself (18) than all but six teams. ⚽️ Madrid 2, Barça 1: Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham lifted Los Blancos to victory in the season's first El Clásico. The win snapped Real Madrid's four-game skid against their bitter rival and extended their lead atop LaLiga. 🏁 Racing roundup: Chase Briscoe (Gibbs), Denny Hamlin (Gibbs), William Byron (Hendrick) and Kyle Larson (Hendrick) advanced to the NASCAR Championship 4; Lando Norris (McLaren) won the Mexican Grand Prix to take a one-point lead in the F1 title race over teammate Oscar Piastri. 🪐 BIG FOUR THE 32nd SPORTS EQUINOX (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Nothing cures a case of the Mondays like a Sports Equinox, and today marks the 32nd time in history that the "Big Four" North American sports leagues are all in action on the same day. ⚾️ MLB: The Dodgers host the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series (8pm ET, Fox), which is knotted up at one game apiece. Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 0.68 ERA in the postseason) gets the ball for Los Angeles, while Toronto turns to Max Scherzer (1-0, 3.18 ERA). 🏈 NFL: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs host Marcus Mariota and the Commanders on "Monday Night Football" (8:15pm, ABC/ESPN). Kansas City is seeking its third straight win, while Washington is hoping to snap a two-game skid. 🏀 NBA: Cavaliers at Pistons (7pm, Peacock) and Nuggets at Timberwolves (9:30pm, Peacock) headline this evening's 11-game slate. The best of the rest: Magic at 76ers (7pm), Raptors at Spurs (8pm) and Thunder at Mavericks (8:30pm). 🏒 NHL: It's a quiet night on the ice with just two games: Blues at Penguins (7pm, NHL) and Bruins at Senators (7:30pm, ESPN+). But wait, there's more: For the fifth straight year, MLS is also getting in on the Sports Equinox action with a playoff doubleheader. No. 2 Cincinnati hosts No. 7 Columbus (6:45pm, FS1) and No. 4 Minnesota hosts No. 5 Seattle (9pm, FS1) to kick off their best-of-three Round 1 series. Roberto Clemente celebrates Pittsburgh's victory in the locker room. (Bettmann Archives/Getty Images) A brief history: The first Sports Equinox took place on Sunday, Oct. 17, 1971. Roberto Clemente and the Pirates beat the Orioles in Game 7 of the World Series on a day that also featured 12 NFL games, six NHL games and three NBA games. Nine more Sports Equinoxes occurred between 1972 and 1985, all on Sundays, before they all but disappeared from the calendar for the next two decades. Between 1986 and 2008, there was only one (Nov. 4, 2001). Nowadays, it's a fall tradition. Thanks to the World Series starting later, the NBA and NHL starting earlier and "Thursday Night Football" airing weekly, there's been at least one Sports Equinox every year since 2015. An annual holiday: There was a Sports Equinox boom during the pandemic, with COVID-era scheduling quirks resulting in a whopping eight between 2020 and 2022. But in each of the last three years, there's been exactly one. 🏈 CHAOS IS COMING COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S COACHING CAROUSEL IS ABOUT TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL Brian Kelly walks off the field following Saturday's blowout loss to Texas A&M. (Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) The coaching carousel of apocalyptic dreams is coming for college football, and the next six weeks are going to be a feeding frenzy unlike anything this business has ever experienced. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken If Penn State's decision to fire James Franklin two weeks ago was a Roman candle exploding across the sky, LSU reportedly making its move on Brian Kelly on Sunday night was like a cannonball shot into a swimming pool. Everyone in the vicinity is about to get soaked. And thus, the coaching carousel is open for business with arguably three of the top 10 or 15 jobs in the country — LSU, Penn State and Florida — now officially on the market along with Virginia Tech, UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Stanford. Over the next several weeks, it's possible some combination of Florida State, Auburn, Colorado, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Kentucky and NC State will join them. If that comes to fruition, even partially, it will be the most breathtakingly disruptive series of coaching moves we've seen, impacting programs we're not even thinking about right now. Remember that every time a monster program like Florida or LSU hires a coach — unless they're pulling someone from the NFL — the ripples are felt two or three rungs down the ladder. Lane Kiffin has Ole Miss firmly in the playoff picture. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images) And to the ones we know are already bracing for impact? Good luck to them. That applies specifically to No. 7 Ole Miss, which will try to make the College Football Playoff while speculation swirls around coach Lane Kiffin not just for the Florida job, but LSU too. Which one does he want? Where is it easier to win a national championship? That's going to be the conversation every day around Ole Miss until Kiffin either takes one of those jobs or pulls himself out of the mix — all while the team he's coaching right now has a shot to win the whole thing. How distracted will Kiffin be coming down the stretch? And what happens if Ole Miss is playing well into January? Will schools wait him out and risk losing other candidates, or will they demand an answer? You can apply the same questions to Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri, Brent Key at Georgia Tech, Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, Jeff Brohm at Louisville and even perhaps Dan Lanning at Oregon, though any move away from the grip of Nike founder Phil Knight would be complicated and costly. How will it play out at those schools as they fight for playoff bids? It's anyone's guess because nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before in an era where so many teams remain in the postseason mix at this stage of the season. Bottom line: College football better be ready for the coaching shakeup that's coming. By January, much of the sport may be unrecognizable. 🏈 WEEK 8 NFL SUNDAY: BLOWOUTS GALORE (Yahoo Sports) The NFL is an amazing product. Just not this week. By the numbers: The average margin of victory so far in Week 8 is a whopping 18.3 points, and only one of the 11 completed games was decided by single digits. Take out the Jets' one-point victory over the Bengals (victory at last for Gang Green!) and this week's average winner won by nearly three TDs (19.8 points). Instant reaction: Jonathan Taylor is already Fantasy Football's MVP(Ray Garvin, Yahoo Sports) 📸 THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: THE 121st WORLD SERIES (Cole Burston/Getty Images) The World Series is all tied up after the Blue Jays and Dodgers split Games 1 and 2 over the weekend in Toronto, where Canada played host to its first Fall Classic games in 32 years. Flashback: The Blue Jays won back-to-back titles in 1992-93 in the franchise's only World Series appearances. Before Game 1 on Friday, the last swing at a World Series in Canada was Joe Carter's championship-clinching, walk-off blast in 1993. Barger rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Game 1: The Blue Jays routed the Dodgers, 11-4, in the opener — a stunning result after Los Angeles had allowed exactly one run in each of its previous five games. That included a nine-run sixth inning punctuated by Addison Barger hitting the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Guy on the couch: Barger pinch hit for Davis Schneider, his closest friend on the team who also provided him with last-minute lodging. Barger spent Thursday night on the pull-out couch in Schneider's hotel room overlooking the field. Naturally, he spent the next night there, too. (Cole Burston/Getty Images) Game 2: The Dodgers shook off the blowout with a 5-1 win on Saturday behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto's second consecutive complete game, making him the first pitcher to throw one in the World Series since Johnny Cueto did so for the Royals in 2015. Historic outing: Yamamoto (9 IP, 8 K, 0 BB, 4 H, 1 R) became the fourth pitcher ever to retire at least 20 consecutive batters to finish a postseason game, and the first since Don Larsen thew a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Safe to say he's earning his $325 million contract. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Superstar watch: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has three hits and a walk entering Game 3; Shohei Ohtani blasted his first career World Series homer and is set to start Game 4 tomorrow. Looking ahead: Can the Blue Jays bounce back in Game 3? ⚾ MAD MAX MLB TRIVIA Scherzer during Game 4 of the ALCS. (Rod Mar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) When Max Scherzer takes the mound tonight for the Blue Jays, he'll become the first player in MLB history to pitch for four different teams in the World Series. Question: Can you name the other three teams he's pitched for in the Fall Classic? Answer at the bottom. 🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND (Yahoo Sports) 🏀 Wemby isn't real ⚽️ Double bicycle 🏈 Cam Coleman! 🏈 Michael Pittman Jr! ⚽️ Three straight saves 🏒 Celebrini for the win! 🏀 Miles Bridges! 🏀 Flagg takes flight 🏀 Jokić to Gordon ⚽️ Unreal strike 🏈 You got Moss'd 🏈 Pick 6! 🏈 Takes it to the house Watch all 13. Trivia answer: Tigers (2012), Nationals (2019), Rangers (2023) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 29 Author Members Posted October 29 ⚾ 1 for the road: 18-inning World Series classic Freddie Freeman rounds the bases after hitting a walk-off home run in the 18th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during World Series Game 3. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium between the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays went 18 innings — tying the record for the Fall Classic — and lasted 6 hours, 39 minutes, ending at 2:50 a.m. ET The Dodgers won 6-5 with a Freddie Freeman walk-off homer after another night of history by Shohei Ohtani. The Blue Crew now leads the series, 2-1. 📱 This was what the N.Y. Times homepage looked like when I woke up at 2:30 a.m. ET to put the finishing touches on AM: Image: The New York Times Image: The New York Times Celebrity spottings ... Takeaways from epic game. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 29 Author Members Posted October 29 👋 Good morning! 18 innings of World Series baseball. What a game. What a night. In today's edition: Dodgers win 18-inning marathon, Sports Equinox highlights, college football buyout tracker, golf comeback story, Hoosiers on a heater, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ WORLD SERIES DODGERS WIN UNFORGETTABLE CLASSIC Freddie called game. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Game 3 of the World Series was like none other in baseball history. ICYMI: The Dodgers outlasted the Blue Jays, 6-5, in an 18-inning marathon that was tied for the longest game in World Series history (by innings). When the dust finally settled, 609 pitches had been thrown by 19 different pitchers, 37 runners had been left on base, 25 position players had been used, and nearly seven hours had passed (6:39). The hero: Reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off solo blast to make him the first player in history with multiple World Series walk-off home runs. And he did it in back-to-back years. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: This was the type of postseason contest that forces casuals to tune in and diehards to perspire profusely. Scorecards get ruined. Sleep schedules are turned upside down. There will be bleary eyes in Canada and California on Tuesday. One hundred thousand souls will say they saw it live, even though just 52,654 were actually there. You'll remember it forever. The players will, too. Ohtani celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Star of the night: Shohei Ohtani, who will start Game 4 on the mound tonight, reached base nine times. His final line is a thing of beauty: 4-for-4 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles and 5 walks (4 intentional). Here's Jake: Ohtani's list of statistical superlatives from Game 3 is downright comical. His two blasts made him the first player ever with three multi-homer games in a single postseason. He became the first player in playoff history to go 4-for-4 with two homers and two doubles. He now has eight home runs this October, tying the all-time Dodgers playoff record. His four extra-base hits in a game tied the Fall Classic record. His intentional walk in the ninth inning was just the second bases-empty free pass in World Series history, followed by the third in the 11th and the fourth in the 15th. The last word: "Our starting pitcher tomorrow got on base nine times tonight. Just incredible," Freeman said afterward with a laugh. "We've been talking about him since he got here in 2018. We're still running out of words to describe a once-in-a-10-generational player." 📸 THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: THE 32ND SPORTS EQUINOX (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) In addition to that all-timer of a World Series game, the 32nd Sports Equinox featured another action-packed night in the NBA, a Chiefs victory, Sid the Kid making NHL history and two MLS playoff games. Philadelphia — The undefeated 76ers beat the Magic, 136-124, behind Tyrese Maxey (43 points) and rookie VJ Edgecombe (26 points), who have combined for 186 points already. That's the most by any starting backcourt through three games since starters were first tracked in 1970. More NBA: Nikola Jokić recorded his third straight triple-double to start the year; Lauri Markkanen (51 points) became the fourth player already this season to score 50+ points; The Spurs improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2017; Full scoreboard. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Kansas City — The Chiefs shook off a turnover-heavy first half to beat the Commanders, 28-7, on "Monday Night Football." Patrick Mahomes threw three second-half TDs to give Kansas City (5-3) its third straight victory, while Washington suffered its third straight defeat. Then vs. now: The Commanders (3-5) have already matched their loss total from last season (12-5). (Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) Pittsburgh — The Penguins beat the Blues, 6-3, behind a goal and two assists from Sidney Crosby, who became the ninth player in NHL history to record 1,700 career points. Scary scene: A Penguins fan fell from the upper deck and down to the lower level during the game. He's in critical condition. (Jeremy Olson/ISI Photos via Getty Images) St. Paul, Minnesota — No. 4 Minnesota beat No. 5 Seattle in penalties (3-2) after 120 minutes of scoreless action to take Game 1 of their best-of-three first round series. Game 2 is on Monday in Seattle. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati: No. 2 Cincinnati beat No. 7 Columbus, 1-0, to take the lead in their intra-state "Hell is Real" rivalry series. 🏈 CHART DU JOUR BUYOUT TRACKER: PAID NOT TO COACH (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) The best job in America? A fired college football coach. Paid not to coach: The 10 coaches who've been fired so far this season will earn roughly $169 million in buyouts, by far the most ever in a single season ($132 million in 2023). Three of the five largest buyouts in college football history have come this month alone. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $76.8 million (fired in 2023) Brian Kelly, LSU: $53.8 million* (Oct. 26) James Franklin, Penn State: $49 million (Oct. 12) Guz Malzahn, Auburn: $21.4 million (2020) Billy Napier, Florida: $21.2 million (Oct. 19) The last word: The pressure to win at the highest levels of college football is such that programs don't bat an eye at cutting bait on their mistakes, no matter the cost. "I don't know where this money comes from," one LSU official told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger following Kelly's dismissal. Rebutted another: "You can always find the money." *Kelly's buyout is still being negotiated, and may end up being less than the originally-reported figure of $53.8 million. If he gets a new job in coaching or media, his buyout would be reduced to reflect that new salary. The two sides could also agree upon a lump-sum payment up front. ⛳️ COMEBACK STORY WELCOME BACK, YANI TSENG (Ladies European Tour) Nothing in sports is quite as satisfying as a good old fashioned comeback story. And on Sunday, after nearly 12 years in the wilderness, Taiwan's Yani Tseng found her way home. 4,291 days later: The former world No. 1 returned to the winner's circle at the Winstron Ladies Open in her native Taiwan, marking her first professional victory since 2014. Even more remarkable? Tseng, who is right-handed, won while putting left-handed. The rise: Tseng was once the most dominant athlete in her sport, winning 15 times on the LPGA Tour from 2008-12 while becoming the youngest woman ever (22) to win five majors. She won Rookie of the Year in 2008, Player of the Year in 2010-11 and was ranked No. 1 for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011-13, the second-longest streak ever. The fall: A slow decline followed, with Tseng winning her last LPGA Tour event in 2012 and falling out of the top 100 by 2017. The causes were myriad, including hip surgeries and back issues, but no single issue was as harmful as her curious case of the yips. An unorthodox fix: Over the last few years, Tseng worked her way back into form but still couldn't defeat the yips — her sudden and inexplicable inability to make what used to be routine putts. Then late last year her new coach suggested she putt left-handed, and something clicked. "I'm not scared of the five-footers anymore," she said. The last word: "I've been waiting for this trophy for so long," Tseng said Sunday after finally tasting victory again. "Never give up on your dreams." 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 28 (Harry How/Getty Images) ⚾️ World Series, Game 4 | 8pm ET, Fox Will the Blue Jays tie up the series tonight? Or will the Dodgers win at home again and take a commanding 3-1 lead? Shohei Ohtani (2-0, 2.25 ERA this postseason) gets the start for Los Angeles while Shane Bieber (1-0, 4.38 ERA) takes the mound for Toronto. 🏒 Frozen Frenzy | ESPN For the second and final time this season, all 32 teams will be in action on the same day. Start times are staggered every 15 minutes from 6-11pm, headlined by a triple-header on ESPN: Penguins at Flyers (6pm); Capitals at Stars (8:30pm); Kings at Sharks (11pm). 🏀 NBA Doubleheader | NBC Another week, another Roundball Rock-infused doubleheader on NBC. The night tips off in Milwaukee, where Giannis Antetokounmpo* and the Bucks host Jalen Brunson and the Knicks (8pm). Then Steph Curry's Warriors host Kawhi Leonard's Clippers in the nightcap (11pm). *The Greek Freak: Giannis, averaging 36-16-7, is the first player in NBA history with 100+ points, 40+ rebounds and 15+ assists through the first three games of a season. More to watch: ⚽️ MLS Playoffs: No. 4 Charlotte vs. No. 5 NYC FC (6:45pm, FS1) … Game 1 in the best-of-three Round One series kicks off at Bank of America Stadium. 🏈 NCAAF: UTEP at Kennesaw State (8pm, ESPNU); James Madison at Texas State (8pm, ESPN2) … JMU (6-1) has given up the fewest rushing yards of any team in the nation. 🏈 800 CATCHES NFL TRIVIA Ertz leaps over a Chiefs defender after making a catch on Monday. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) With four catches on Monday night, Zach Ertz became the sixth tight end in NFL history with 800 career receptions. Question: Can you name the other five? Hint: Chiefs (2x), Cowboys, Chargers, Broncos. Answer at the bottom. 🇺🇸 THE 19TH STATE THE HOOSIER STATE IS ON A HEATER (Found Image Holdings/Corbis Collection via Getty Images) What a time to be an Indiana sports fan! Consider what the Hoosier State's teams have accomplished in 2025: 🏀 Pacers: Reached their second NBA Finals and pushed the Thunder to the brink before falling in Game 7. 🏀 Fever: Advanced to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2015 despite Caitlin Clark missing most of the season. 🏈 Colts: Picked to finish below .500, they're 7-1 with by far the NFL's best offense (33.8 ppg) and scoring differential (+116). 🏈 Indiana: After reaching their first College Football Playoff last season, the Hoosiers have risen to a program-best No. 2 ranking this year and are one of six remaining undefeated FBS teams. 🏈 Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish began the year by reaching the CFP title game and they're firmly in the mix to make the 12-team field again this season. Oh, how the tables have turned… Just three years ago, all of the above teams (minus the perennially competitive Irish) were cellar dwellers. So if your city/state's teams haven't given you much to smile about lately, don't lose faith. Good times could be just around the corner. Trivia answer: Tony Gonzalez (1,325 receptions), Jason Witten (1,228), Travis Kelce (1,041), Antonio Gates (955), Shannon Sharpe (815) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 31 Author Members Posted October 31 👋 Good morning! The year 2025 is roughly 83% complete. Here's your reminder to make the most of the last 17%. In today's edition: Blue Jays win Game 4, Frozen Frenzy, NBA power rankings, Wemby stats, NFL trade deadline buzz, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ FALL CLASSIC BLUE JAYS STRIKE BACK, EVEN SERIES (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) The Blue Jays rebounded from Monday's heartbreaking 18-inning loss to beat the Dodgers, 6-2, in Game 4 and even the World Series at two games apiece. ICYMI: Trade deadline acquisition Shane Bieber was a steadying force (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), for the Jays, who came to life in the third inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run blast off Shohei Ohtani, who looked human for once. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: As media swirled about the overcrowded room, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s diamond-encrusted chain glistened in the clubhouse light. The pendant in question, a custom rendering of his personal VG27 logo, dangled radiantly from a hook in his extra locker. Guerrero himself had not yet entered the room, but his presence — over this night, this World Series and this franchise — was omnipresent. And the jeweled-out chain, likely worth more than most people's cars, provided a not-so-subtle reminder that Vlad Jr. has become, or has always been, more than a player. Guerrero is an aircraft carrier, an institution, as synonymous with this era of Toronto Blue Jays baseball as the team's logo. "He's playing for legacy," closer Jeff Hoffman told Yahoo Sports. "He's playing for how they're going to talk about him when he's done playing." Guerrero, however, is far from done. And on Tuesday, the 26-year-old added to his pedigree, delivering the most meaningful swing of his already unforgettable postseason. With Shohei Ohtani settling into his outing and the Jays already down one in the top of the third, Guerrero unleashed on a hanging sweeper for a go-ahead, series-altering smash. As the pill shot through the pastel California sky, Guerrero strutted down the first baseline, admiring his handiwork as he went. And when the ball crested over the left-field seats, the man of the moment emphatically dismounted his lumber before turning to his dugout and hollering "¡Vamo'!" "Let's go." And so, the Blue Jays went. 🏒 32 TEAMS SCOREBOARD: FROZEN FRENZY (NHL) All 32 NHL teams were in action for Tuesday's "Frozen Frenzy" and it did not disappoint, with five games needing extra time and four games featuring 9+ goals. 🏀 WEEK 2 NBA POWER RANKINGS (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) The first week of the NBA season is in the books. What better time to unfurl our power rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach. 🏀 THE ALIEN WEMBY: BY THE NUMBERS (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) Victor Wembanyama appears to have returned for his third season better at, well, everything. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine: Wembanyama has nearly as many blocked shots (19) as personal fouls and turnovers combined (20). He leads the NBA in defensive rebounding rate, clearing nearly 40% of opponents' missed shots. Opponents are shooting just 44.8% against him at the rim. That is a hilarious enough figure on its own merits; it becomes all the more ludicrous when you remember that it doesn't account for all the possessions where the other team sees him looming and either gives up on the idea of taking a shot in the paint altogether or just straight-up short-circuits and turns the ball over. Just 27% of opponents' shot attempts against the Spurs come at the rim when Wemby's on the floor — a mark that would rank at or near the top of the NBA pretty much every season. And then there's, y'know, the other end of the floor, where Wembanyama is averaging nearly a point per minute — 124 in 129 thus far, 31 points in 32.2 minutes per game — while shooting a sparkling 60.3% from the field. You've probably already heard or read about the main reason why: a dramatically reoriented shot profile that's seen the famously thoughtful Frenchman thrive by looking inward — as in, toward the basket. Last season, 47% of Wembanyama's field-goal attempts came from behind the 3-point line; through four games, that’s down to 15%, with just 11 long-ball launches compared to 45 shots in the paint, including a league-leading 18 dunks. 🏈 MAKING MOVES NFL TRADE DEADLINE: PLAYERS, TEAMS TO WATCH (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) With the NFL trade deadline coming on Tuesday, here are six players and four teams worth keeping an eye on, according to Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab. Players: Breece Hall (RB, Jets): His value may never be higher following Sunday's performance, when he had 147 scrimmage yards, two rushing TDs and the game-winning TD pass. He's on the last year of his rookie deal and would be a tremendous piece for a team like the Chiefs. Calvin Ridley (WR, Titans): The former Falcon and Jaguar has three 1,000-yard seasons to his name, and at 30 he's better suited to be helping out a contender rather than staying with a one-win team that seems to have hit on rookie receivers in Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. Jakobi Meyers (WR, Raiders): Meyers asked to be traded before the season, when Vegas was a popular dark-horse playoff pick. At 2-5, the latter is no longer likely, but the Raiders trading their veteran pass-catcher coming off a 1,000-yard season could make a lot of sense. Trey Hendrickson (EDGE, Bengals): No shade to Joe Flacco, who's been an upgrade over Jake Browning, but Sunday's loss shows this probably still isn't a playoff team. So why not get some value out of a 30-year-old All-Pro you refused to extend this offseason anyway? Logan Wilson (LB, Bengals): Wilson requested a trade last week in the midst of a season that's seen him go from a productive cog (100+ tackles in four straight seasons) to a glorified backup. He'd be an upgrade at off-ball linebacker for plenty of buyers. David Njoku (TE, Browns): Njoku has scored 32 TDs for Cleveland since they drafted him in 2017, but they also hit on Harold Fannin Jr. in this year's draft. Two good TEs is an unnecessary luxury for a 2-6 team. Trade the veteran, keep the rookie. Teams: Cowboys (3-4-1): The 2025 Cowboys, much like the 2024 Bengals, are an elite offensive team limited by a terrible defense. No one player is going to fix that, so Jerry Jones must decide how aggressively he wants to pursue upgrades on that side of the ball. 49ers (5-3): They face a similar issue as the Cowboys but for a different reason, needing to upgrade their defense after losing superstars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to injury. Do they mortgage the future to see how far their aging core, with some help at the deadline, can go? Patriots (6-2): Drake Maye has arrived earlier than expected, and there's no competitive advantage in the NFL like having a star QB on a rookie deal. With a few upgrades (WR? RB? EDGE?), New England could seriously challenge the Bills for the AFC East. Dolphins (2-6): Miami could end up being the most active team at the deadline, with veterans like Bradley Chubb, Rasul Douglas and more likely on the move as they begin the long rebuild they so desperately need. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 (Harry How/Getty Images) ⚾️ World Series, Game 5 (8pm ET, Fox) The Dodgers and Blue Jays are tied at two games apiece, turning this seven-game series into a best-of-three race to the finish. Will Los Angeles win one more at Chavez Ravine before the series returns to Canada? Or will Toronto take a 3-2 lead back home? Pitching matchup: Game 1 starters Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA this postseason) and Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) return to the mound for the final game at Dodger Stadium. More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Celtics at Cavaliers (7pm, ESPN); Lakers at Timberwolves (9:30pm, ESPN) … Jayson Tatum (Achilles), LeBron James (sciatica), Luka Dončić (finger, leg) and Anthony Edwards (hamstring) are all sidelined. ⚽️ MLS Playoffs: No. 3 LAFC vs. No. 6 Austin (10:30pm, Apple) … Can LAFC reach their third MLS Cup Final in four years? Their quest begins tonight as the last Round One series kicks off. ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. New Zealand (8pm, TNT) … The Americans play one final October friendly after splitting last week's matches with Portugal. 🏀 ON THIS DAY NBA TRIVIA (Kamil Krzaczynski/AP Photo) Seven years ago today, Klay Thompson broke the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game. Question: How many did he make? Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH Matt Wallace plays a shot during the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) Spot the golfer. Trivia answer: 14 Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 31 Author Members Posted October 31 This injury has plagued MLB for most of the last century, but a new phenomenon is emerging Kade Durnin knew right away that something was badly wrong. https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/sport/baseball-youth-ucl-injury-crisis-intl? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted October 31 Author Members Posted October 31 👋 Good morning! Austin Reaves, have a week! After scoring 51 and 41 in his previous two games, Reaves hit a buzzer-beater on Wednesday to save the Lakers from a 20-point collapse. In today's edition: Jonathan Taylor's MVP case, Blue Jays take a 3-2 lead, Vonn gears up for one last run, NFL power rankings, Lamar returns for Baltimore, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Hutchinson gets paid: The Lions signed edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a four-year, $180 million extension, making him the second-highest paid non-QB in league history behind Micah Parsons. ⚾️ Twins hire Shelton: The Twins are hiring Derek Shelton as their new manager, bringing back their former bench coach after he spent the last five years managing the Pirates. 🏀 NBA scandal update: Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier will not be paid while on leave; Rozier reportedly faced an $8 million tax lien in 2023, the same year of his alleged involvement in the illegal betting scheme. ⚽️ Messi tops salary list: Miami's Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in MLS this season ($20.45M), according to the MLSPA's biannual release, while LAFC's Son Heung-Min is the only other player making eight figures ($11.15M). 🥊 Mayweather-Pacquiao 2? More than a decade after their historic first bout, which set records for U.S. PPV buys (4.6 million), Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are exploring a rematch that would likely air on Netflix in 2026. 🏈 MVJT CAN A RUNNING BACK WIN A QB AWARD? (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is having such a remarkable season that it might, might, be enough to end quarterbacks' stranglehold on the NFL MVP award. By the numbers: Taylor leads the league in carries (143), rushing yards (850) and rushing TDs (12) as he bids to win the first rushing Triple Crown since 2014 (DeMarco Murray). He's also added 25 catches for 206 yards and 2 TDs to power the Colts (7-1) to the league's best record. His 14 scrimmage TDs are five more than anyone else has and put him on pace for 30, just shy of LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season record of 31 set in 2006. He's the first player with 500 scrimmage yards and 10 TDs in a four game span since 2013 (Jamaal Charles), and the first with at least three scrimmage TDs in four different games since 2006 (Tomlinson). Now, I know what you're thinking: If Saquon Barkley didn't win last year, why should Taylor have a chance to win this year? Well, as historic as Barkley's 2024 campaign was, Taylor has already scored nearly as many touchdowns (14) as Barkley did all of last year (15), and his yardage totals are on pace to be roughly the same. Still, he faces an uphill battle to say the least. Fighting history: Just three non-QBs have won MVP in the last 20 years, and none since Adrian Peterson in 2012. That's right: The last 12 MVPs have all been signal-callers, representing the NFL's shift to a full-throttle passing league. There are a few things working in Taylor's favor, though. For starters, Indy is on track to clinch a top-two seed, which has more or less become a prerequisite. Plus, his numbers compare well with the recent RB winners (Peterson in 2012, Tomlinson in 2006, Shaun Alexander in 2005). The question is whether any QBs this year will have good enough seasons to beat out what's looking like an all-time great season from Taylor, as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both did last year when Barkley finished third. The contenders: Taylor has the sixth-best MVP odds (+1400 at BetMGM), trailing Patrick Mahomes (+140), Allen (+350), Drake Maye (+550), Matthew Stafford (+1100) and Baker Mayfield (+1300). The other four guys notwithstanding, Mahomes could be tough to beat if he leads the league in TDs (as he currently does) and the Chiefs keep surging. ⚾️ WORLD SERIES IN PHOTOS: BLUE JAYS TAKE 3-2 LEAD The man of the hour. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) The Blue Jays beat the Dodgers, 6-1, on Wednesday night in Los Angeles to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series behind one of the most impressive pitching performances you'll ever see in the Fall Classic. Trey might want to frame this one. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo) Young phenom: 22-year-old righty Trey Yesavage pitched the game of his life, allowing just three hits across seven innings while striking out 12 — the most ever by a rookie in the World Series. In fact, he's the first pitcher ever with 12+ strikeouts and no walks in a World Series game. Rapid rise: Yesavage, Toronto's first-round pick last year, started this season in Single-A and was still in the minors until September. He's made more big league starts in the playoffs (5) than the regular season (3), and is now the first rookie in postseason history with multiple 10-strikeout games. Vladdy and Schneider after going back-to-back. (Frank Gunn/AP Photo) Bash brothers: The Blue Jays scored five runs off Blake Snell for the second time this series, and they got the party started right away as Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the first back-to-back homers ever to lead off a World Series game. Please do yourself a favor and watch Schneider's dad's reaction to his son's home run. Vladdy's unconscious: In 16 games this postseason, Guerrero has 8 home runs, 15 RBI, 12 walks and just five strikeouts. His 1.337 OPS is the second-best ever in a single postseason (min. 60 PA), trailing only Barry Bonds in 2002. One last baseball sky at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Looking ahead: The series heads back to Toronto tomorrow for Game 6, and history is on the Jays side: The winner of Game 5 in a World Series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 67% of the time, including six of the last seven. Further reading: The Dodgers' ice-cold offense is running out of time to break through (Russell Dorsey, Yahoo Sports) ⛷️ 100 DAYS OUT VONN GEARS UP FOR ONE LAST RUN Vonn speaks to the media during Tuesday's Team USA Media Summit. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) After a five-year retirement, Lindsey Vonn is back, confident she can compete for a medal in the 2026 Olympics. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: Every day on the slopes ends with one last run, one last look at the sun setting on the mountains, one last chance to take in the dying light. It's a time for reflection, a chance for gratitude, and a recognition that no one can bargain with the inevitable passage of time. Unless you're Lindsey Vonn. For her, time is just another opponent to outrace. "I've built a great life outside of skiing, but there will never be anything like skiing," Vonn, 41, said Tuesday at a Team USA summit celebrating 100 days to the 2026 Winter Olympics. "I fully understand that, and I'm comfortable with that. But I'm definitely going to enjoy this last bit of adrenaline, because I won't get it back." Vonn has ended a five-year retirement with the goal of competing in her fifth Olympics next year in Italy. Already one of the most accomplished winter athletes of all time, she's hoping for one last run, Tom Brady-style, to close off a landmark career. Vonn pictured skiing at Cortina last January. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) The combination of two fortunate circumstances opened the way for Vonn to contemplate a return. First is the fact that the 2026 Olympics are being held at Cortina d'Ampezzo, a mountain where Vonn has been nothing short of dominant. She owns 12 World Cup wins at Cortina, and captured her first podium there. "I don't think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren't in Cortina," Vonn said. "If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it's not worth it. But for me, there's something special about Cortina that always pulls me back, and it's pulled me back one last time." More critically, however, Vonn underwent a partial knee replacement in the spring of 2024 that effectively gave her an opportunity to reconsider the contours, and in effect the conclusion, of her career. "I remind myself every day how lucky I am to be here. I never expected to be here," she said. "There is that appreciation of the journey. But don't get it twisted. I'm a results-based, driven person. I'm looking to do well. I'm not just a participant." 🏈 WEEK 9 NFL POWER RANKINGS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The NFL season is nearly halfway over. Sitting atop our latest power rankings? The Chiefs (who were expected to be there), the Lions (also expected to be there) and the Colts (definitely not!). 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 30 Lamar Jackson hasn't taken the field since Week 4. (David Eulitt/Getty Images) 🏈 Ravens at Dolphins | 8:15pm ET, Prime Lamar Jackson is set to return for the Ravens after missing three games (hamstring). His presence should provide a huge boost for a 2-5 team trying to claw their way back into playoff contention. Betting favorite: Despite their 2-5 start, the Ravens are still favored to win the AFC North (-125 at BetMGM) over the Steelers (+160), who are 4-3 but have lost two straight. 🏀 Warriors at Bucks | 8pm, NBA Like you aren't going to tune in for a matchup between Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Steph looks as good as ever to open his age-37 season (27-4-5 on 42% 3PT), while Giannis has been flat-out ridiculous (36-14-7 on 69.5% FG). More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Stars at Lightning (7pm, TNT) … Rematch of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, won by Tampa Bay. 🏈 NCAAF: Marshall at Coastal Carolina (7:30pm, ESPN2); Tulane at UTSA (7:30pm, ESPN) … A win would likely catapult Tulane (6-1) into the AP Top 25. 🎾 Tennis: Paris Masters (6am, Tennis) … No. 5 Ben Shelton (9:30am) and No. 2 Jannik Sinner (2pm) both play Round of 16 matches today. 🥇2026 OLYMPICS OLYMPICS TRIVIA (Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images) Wednesday marked 100 days until the 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, which will be the fourth city to host two Winter Games (1956, 2026). Question: Can you name the other three? Hint: USA, Austria, Switzerland. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 WREAKING HAVOC THE RISE OF THE FULL-COURT PRESS (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The early NBA trend that's turning heads? The rise of the full-court press, writes Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor. By the numbers: Through the first week of the season, teams are pressing on 4.8% of possessions, nearly quintupling the 1% from a decade ago and nearly doubling the 2.5% from just two seasons ago. Trivia answer: Lake Placid, USA (1932, 1980); Innsbruck, Austria (1964, 1976); St. Moritz, Switzerland (1928, 1948) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted November 1 Author Members Posted November 1 🎃 Yahoo! It's Halloween! You made it. In today's edition: Weekend watchlist, college hoops preview, Louisiana drama, the Mean Green's pass-throwing machine, Roberts faceplant, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Ravens 28, Dolphins 6: Lamar Jackson (204 yards, 4 TD) went off his in return from a hamstring injury to lead Baltimore's rout of Miami, giving the Ravens (3-5) their second straight win to continue their long climb out of a 1-5 hole. 🏀 Class of 2026: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and NBA analyst Doris Burke headline the eight-person class of 2026 set to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame next summer. ⚾️ Nats hire new skipper: The Nationals are hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new skipper, making him the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years. Butera, a 2015 Rays draft pick, has spent the last two years as Tampa's director of player development. 🏀 30-day extension: The WNBA and players union agreed to a 30-day extension to their CBA, which was set to expire today. The sides will now continue negotiating in hopes of reaching a deal by Nov. 30 and avoiding a work stoppage. 🏈 Rose bowl sues UCLA: The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl are suing UCLA for allegedly threatening to leave the Rose Bowl and play their football games at SoFi Stadium instead. The Bruins have played at the Rose Bowl since 1982, and their lease runs through 2044. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ World Series Six months of baseball comes down to this: Can the Blue Jays win one game before the Dodgers win two? Game 6 is tonight in Toronto (8pm ET, Fox), where Kevin Gausman (2-2, 2.55 ERA this postseason) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-1, 1.57 ERA) take the bump. Game 7, if needed, is on Saturday (8pm, Fox). Good read: 6 big questions ahead of Game 6 (Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports) 🏈 NFL, Week 9 Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs visit Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday afternoon (4:25pm, CBS) in a matchup of former MVPs. Mahomes has the upper hand in the playoffs (4-0), but it's Allen who's won nearly every regular-season contest (4-1). Full slate: Panthers at Packers (1pm, Fox); Vikings at Lions (1pm, Fox); Falcons at Patriots (1pm, CBS); Colts at Steelers (1pm, CBS); Broncos at Texans (1pm, Fox); Bears at Bengals (1pm, CBS); Chargers at Titans (1pm, CBS); 49ers at Giants (1pm, CBS); Jaguars at Raiders (4pm, Fox); Saints at Rams (4pm, Fox); Seahawks at Commanders (8:20pm, NBC). 🏈 NCAA Football, Week 10 Saturday's slate is headlined by three ranked matchups: No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas (12pm, ABC); No. 18 Oklahoma at No. 14 Tennessee (7:30pm, ABC) and No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah (10:15pm, ESPN). Best of the rest: Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State (12pm, Fox); No. 10 Miami at SMU (12pm, ABC); No. 5 Georgia at Florida (3:30pm, ABC); No. 8 Georgia Tech at NC State (7:30pm, ESPN2); No. 23 USC at Nebraska (7:30pm, NBC). 🏁 NASCAR Championship Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Kyle Larson (the lone finalist who's won a title before) will battle it out at Phoenix Raceway for the Cup Series Championship (Sun. 3pm, ABC). Good read: After years of close calls, is this finally Hamlin's year? (Nick Bromberg, Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ MLS Playoffs Seven of the eight opening-round series play Game 2 this weekend (Sat-Sun, Apple). Game 1 winners Philadelphia (over Chicago), Cincinnati (over Columbus), Miami (over Nashville), San Diego (over Portland), Vancouver (over Dallas), Minnesota (over Seattle) and LAFC (over Austin) can all advance to the conference semifinals with a victory. 🐎 Breeders' Cup The "richest two days in sports" features more than $34 million in purses and awards across 14 horse races at California's Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (Fri-Sat, USA/NBC). The centerpiece of the weekend is Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic (3:30pm, NBC), a $7 million race featuring the reigning champions of the Preakness (Journalism) and Breeders' Cup (Sierra Leone). Good read: How horse racing became 'the only sport that screwed up gambling' (Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports) More to watch: 🏀 NBA Cup: Celtics at 76ers (Fri. 7pm, Prime); Lakers at Grizzlies (Fri. 9:30pm, Prime) … The in-season tournament tips off with the first day of group play. 🏒 NHL: Islanders at Capitals (Fri. 7pm, NHL); Maple Leafs at Flyers (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Lightning at Mammoth (Sun. 3:30pm, NHL) … Utah sits atop the West (8-3-0) and has been perfect so far at home (4-0-0). ⚽️ NWSL: Decision Day (Sun. 3-5pm, ESPN/NWSL+) … All 14 teams are in action on the final day of the season with two teams (Louisville, North Carolina) fighting for the final playoff spot. 👟 Marathon: New York City (Sun. 8:30am, ESPN2) … 55,000+ runners will traverse all five boroughs in the final World Marathon Major of the year. ⚽️ Premier League: Tottenham vs. Chelsea (Sat. 1:30pm, Peacock); Man City vs. Bournemouth (Sun. 11:30am, USA) … Bournemouth, Spurs and City are all in the top five. 🎾 ATP: Paris Masters (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … The final is on Sunday (9am). 🎾 WTA: WTA Finals (Sat-Sun, Tennis) … The season-ending tournament, featuring the world's top eight women, kicks off in Saudi Arabia. 🏀 SEASON PREVIEW COLLEGE HOOPS: 5 KEY QUESTIONS (Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports) After an offseason of high-profile coaching changes, head-spinning transfers and record-setting NIL deals, college basketball returns Monday. Here are five key questions ahead of the season, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg. 1. Is this the highest the talent level has been across the sport? Ever? No. In a long, long time? Yes. In recent years, numerous top high school prospects have chosen alternative pathways like G League Ignite, Overtime Elite or the NBL's Next Stars program in Australia. This year, every top prospect in the star-studded 2025 class is playing college basketball. 2. Who's the favorite to cut down the nets? KenPom and the other major efficiency-based computer ranking systems each favor Houston. Oddsmakers and AP Top 25 voters argue it's Purdue. The case for Houston begins with one of the nation's top returning trios (Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp, Joseph Tugler). The case for Purdue starts with an offense that was top-10 nationally last season and should be even better this year. 3. Who else is a threat? Start with reigning national champion Florida, which returns every key frontcourt player from last season. Then there's Duke, the preseason ACC favorite despite losing Cooper Flagg and the rest of its starting five from last year's Final Four team. Among the other teams with legitimate national title hopes, UConn, Louisville and Kentucky stand out the most. 4. Can AJ Dybantsa elevate BYU into a national power? When the No. 1 overall prospect announced on "First Take" last December that he had chosen BYU, he instantly became the most celebrated basketball recruit in school history. He joins a program that last reached the Elite Eight in 1981 but has the financial backing to ascend in the national pecking order. 5. Which new coach will have the most immediate success? There were 62 coaching changes in men's college basketball this offseason. Expect Auburn's Steven Pearl, NC State's Will Wade and Iowa's Ben McCollum to enjoy the strongest debut seasons. 🏈 GEAUX TIGERS LSU, THE GOVERNOR AND A YEARS-LONG FEUD Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: By now, you've either heard about or seen the news conference of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry publicly eviscerating the sitting athletic director of Louisiana State University. Behind a podium in the Louisiana Capitol, Landry, a brash and big-talking Republican, chided Scott Woodward for signing a "terrible" contract with now-fired coach Brian Kelly; bemoaned the $53 million buyout now left for the state's public school to pay; announced that Woodward, in fact, will not be hiring the next football coach; and suggested that LSU will never again agree to such a contract. The entire scene seemed carved from a skit, ripped from the pages of some sort of Louisiana comic book: the guvnah, flanked by his lieutenants in the hall of Louisiana's capitol building, his words coated in a fiery Cajun twang, berating one of the state's most prominent public employees who, as of this point, does remain employed.* Even for Louisiana, a place with a history of jarring political acts and unusual public behavior, Landry's unfurling on Wednesday serves as the sauce piquante (spicy!) of the long, sordid affair between LSU football and the state's political realm. Louisiana Gov. Huey Long tries to reason with some referees at an LSU game. He was upset about all the penalties at the goal line. (LSU Libraries Special Collections) Are you ready for a history lesson? This connection between LSU football and its governor is steeped in history, rooted in passion and adorned with truly unbelievable tales. One former Louisiana governor, Huey Long, insisted on calling plays during actual football games and another, John McKeithen, skipped his own election party to watch the Tigers play. In fact, Long, a Louisiana governor and U.S. Senator in the 1920s and 30s, authored the LSU fight song still played today, often led the band onto the field, argued with officials during games, delivered pregame speeches to the football team and, once, ran out a coach after he forbade Long from speaking to the team at halftime. "In Louisiana, politics and football are our two favorite contact sports," said Marty Chabert, a noted Louisiana political figure and former state senator, in an interview years ago. "Politics and LSU football have long, long been joined at the hip." *This just in: LSU athletic director Scott Woodward has been fired, according to Yahoo Sports sources. 🏈 FIRST ROUND NFL MOCK DRAFT 2.0 (Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports) Three QBs go in the top four picks of our latest 2026 NFL mock draft, while the Bears get their franchise running back and the Chiefs select Travis Kelce's successor. 🏈 ZERO-STAR RECRUIT THE MEAN GREEN'S PASS-THROWING MACHINE (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) A year ago, Drew Mestemaker was sixth on the depth chart for North Texas, a sub-.500 Group of 5 team. Now he's emerged as one of the best QBs in the nation, leading a program with legitimate playoff aspirations. Life comes at you fast. His latest masterpiece: The redshirt freshman won AP player of the week after throwing for a conference-record 608 yards (plus 4 TDs) in the Mean Green's blowout win over Charlotte. Not bad for a zero-star recruit from Austin who didn't start a single varsity game at QB in high school. Mestemaker's prolific performance brought his season totals to 2,468 passing yards (second-most in FBS) and 21 TDs (fourth-most) against just 4 INTs. He's also added four rushing scores. North Texas is 7-1 for the first time since 1977 thanks largely to Mestemaker's brilliance. They lead the nation in scoring (46.1 ppg) and rank fifth in offensive yards per game (495.8). Coming up: North Texas faces its biggest test of the season this Saturday when the Mean Green host undefeated Navy. A victory would keep the door open for them to earn an automatic CFP spot as the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion. Bottom line: This is modern college football, so we all know this ends with Mestemaker entering the portal and landing a huge NIL deal from some major program. But in the meantime, we can still enjoy what's become one of the best stories of the season. ⚾ 54 BASES MLB TRIVIA (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has racked up 54 total bases in these playoffs, tied for the second-most in a single postseason in MLB history. Question: Who leads that list? Hint: 64 total bases in 2020. Answer at the bottom. 📸 BLOOPER PHOTO FINISH (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) To keep things loose ahead of tonight's must-win Game 6, Dave Roberts challenged speedster Hyeseong Kim to a foot race on the bases at Rogers Centre. The result: The Dodgers manager took a significant head start… but completely wiped out rounding second base, ending the race face down. "I f***ing blew out!" he said as he limped off the field. To which Freddie Freeman replied: "This is what we needed." Trivia answer: Randy Arozarena (Rays) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted November 2 Author Members Posted November 2 Well congrats to LA, but man was I rooting for Toronto!!!!! Smith’s homer in 11th lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays 5-4 to become first repeat champion in 25 years TORONTO (AP) — In a World Series for the ages that went back and forth again and again, Will Smith delivered the biggest swing of all for the Los Angeles Dodgers. https://apnews.com/article/world-series-dodgers-blue-jays-score-a9daf1f7ebdd75d5e7bf85d5e7ba22b9? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted November 3 Author Members Posted November 3 Dodgers Go Back-to-Back The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series Saturday night, topping the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in a come-from-behind Game 7 victory that went extra innings. The title is the second in a row for the Dodgers—the first repeat champions since 2000. Two outs from their first title since 1993, the ninth inning was a heartbreaker for Toronto. The Blue Jays gave up the game-tying home run, and then failed to score with the bases loaded—including a force out at home plate and a deep ball caught by Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages despite colliding with a teammate. See highlights from the ninth here. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named World Series Most Valuable Player, holding Toronto scoreless over the last eight outs Saturday night after throwing almost 100 pitches in Friday’s Game 6. Los Angeles immediately opened as the favorite to win the 2026 championship. See celebration photos here. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
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