Members phkrause Posted September 16 Author Members Posted September 16 👋 Good morning! It's Tuesday, which means two things: Tacos for dinner and GeoSports for breakfast. Tap in to play today's edition. Where's the defense? NFL teams combined for 791 points this week (49.4 points per game), tying the post-merger Week 1 record set in 2012. In today's edition: Cavan Sullivan has arrived, Chiefs blast Broncos (and complete a truly unbelievable stat), Dodgers and Yankees clinch, America's top college football markets, 12,000+ bounces, Tottenham still stinks, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Dodgers, Yankees clinch: The Dodgers are playoff-bound for an MLB record-tying 14th consecutive season (Braves, 1991-2005), and the Yankees are heading back to October for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. Could a World Series rematch be in store? 🏀 Kawhi trade completed: The Raptors' deal to reacquire Kawhi Leonard is now official following the conclusion of the Clippers saga (well, kind of). In exchange for the seven-time All-Star, Los Angeles receives forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a first-round pick swap. 🎶 Kraft drops Macklemore: Rapper Macklemore says Patriots owner Robert Kraft barred him from performing in upcoming shows at Gillette Stadium due to his support for Palestine. Macklemore also alleges that Kraft "rallied" other stadium owners to do the same, leading to his removal as an opener on Ed Sheeran's current tour. ⚽️ Macario shut down: The San Diego Wave placed Catarina Macario on the season-ending injury list as she recovers from an "ongoing knee issue." The USWNT forward and Chelsea transfer will have to wait until next season to debut for her hometown club after signing for an NWSL-record $8 million in March. 🏀 From player to coach: After 17 NBA seasons, Taj Gibson is retiring and joining the Bulls as an assistant coach under Tiago Splitter. The former 2009 first-round pick spent almost half his career in Chicago and is one of just 35 players to make an NBA appearance while in his 40s. ⚽️ SWEET 16 CAVAN SULLIVAN HAS ARRIVED (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Cavan Sullivan became the youngest debutant in MLS history when he was just 14 years old.* Now 16, he's playing at an MVP level for the Philadelphia Union, who have surged from last place into playoff position behind a breakout month from their tantalizing prodigy. How he got here: Sullivan was born in Philadelphia (in 2009!) and joined the Union's heralded youth academy in 2020, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Quinn, who also plays for the club. Four years later, he signed a historic contract with the team that included a notable clause: a transfer to English giant Manchester City the day he turns 18. Sullivan spent his first two MLS seasons growing up on Philadelphia's bench, making 14 appearances and just one start. But signs of future stardom were present from the jump. "When a practice starts and guys give you the ball, that's the ultimate sign of respect," Sullivan's first Union head coach, Jim Curtin, said in 2024. "10 seconds into the first training session, they gave him the ball." Making the leap: Just a few months ago, Sullivan had not yet earned back-to-back MLS starts. Now he's "the primary catalyst for the hottest team in the league," notes The Athletic's Henry Bushnell, with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists) in his past eight games dating back to Aug. 9. Some of those goals have been highlight-worthy, including this gorgeous strike (Aug. 29), this hustle goal (Sept. 5) and this backheel finish on Sunday (Sept. 13), when he bagged his first career brace (two goals). After winning just one MLS match before the World Cup break, the Union are unbeaten since the season resumed (eight wins, two draws), and the flashy right winger — who is routinely taking on defenders twice his age — is a big reason why. Buying stock: Sullivan's one-of-one MLS Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card sold for $324,000 at auction this month, shattering the previous MLS record of $111,057, held by some guy named Lionel Messi. No wonder this kid from Philly has so much confidence — though his critics might call it cockiness. (Howard Smith/ISI Photos via Getty Images) A demon with the ball: Sullivan is already one of MLS' most effective ball carriers, ranking fourth among all players in both dribbles attempted and completed per 90 minutes, per Gradient Sports. Despite his age, he's already taking roughly 10% of his team's touches, per The Guardian's John Muller, who attempted to put his electric playing style into words: When trying to describe a precocious, small, left-footed right winger who loves to perform tricks, it's too easy to reach for the most unfair comparison of all time, yet it's a documented fact that Sullivan modeled his game after Lionel Messi. … But Sullivan's style on the ball is less a young Messi and more like his other childhood hero, Alexis Sánchez: hips low, elbows out, juking defenders with feints, stutters, stepovers and changes of direction. What to watch: USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino will name his first post-World Cup squad on Thursday ahead of the team's upcoming four-game slate, and Sullivan (plus other MLS youngsters) are firmly in the mix. "It's not my team yet," Sullivan said during a recent interview. "But I'm obviously always dreaming and hoping for call-ups." *Sullivan debuted at 14 years, 293 days old, making him 13 days younger than Freddy Adu was when he first took the field for D.C. United in 2004. Adu never lived up to the enormous hype, becoming a cautionary tale for American wunderkinds. Sullivan already appears to be on a more promising trajectory, especially with his impending move to Man City, but projecting greatness onto teenagers remains a perilous exercise. 🏈 WEEK 1 WHAT ARE THE ODDS?! Kenneth Walker celebrates with teammate Trey Smith after scoring a touchdown. (Michael Owens/Getty Images) The Chiefs routed the Broncos, 31-10, on Monday night behind a huge game from offseason addition Kenneth Walker (23 car, 173 yds, TD; 3 rec, 18 yds, TD) to put a bow on the opening week of the NFL season — and complete a truly unbelievable stat. Crazy, but true: Every Week 1 game had a different margin of victory, making this the first 16-game week in NFL history with 16 unique point differentials. 1 point: Lions 31, Saints 30 2 points: Eagles 24, Commanders 22 3 points: Seahawks 13, Patriots 10 5 points: Bills 36, Texans 31 6 points: Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27 7 points: Steelers 20, Falcons 13 8 points: Giants 28, Cowboys 20 12 points: Cardinals 26, Chargers 14 13 points: Jets 23, Titans 10 14 points: Raiders 27, Dolphins 13 17 points: Vikings 39, Packers 22 18 points: Ravens 41, Colts 23 20 points: 49ers 27, Rams 7 21 points: Chiefs 31, Broncos 10 22 points: Bears 59, Panthers 37 24 points: Jaguars 34, Browns 10 Shoutout to stat guru Lee Sharpe for being the first person to notice that this quirky feat was in play heading into "Monday Night Football." And shoutout to data scientist Timo Riske for crunching the numbers to determine the odds of this happening: 430-to-1. 📊 BIZ VIZ CHART PARTY We love a good chart. Dylan Dittrich has been producing some terrific ones for Yahoo Sports Biz, our new newsletter exploring the business of sports (sign up, it's free!). Here's a sampling of his latest work. 🏈 College football country Nielsen recently released its Local College Football Fandom Index, determining America's top 20 most avid college football markets. Outside of New Orleans (No. 9) and Atlanta (No. 10), the markets that top the rankings have effectively no competition from professional sports, as locals channel all of their rooting energies toward their beloved universities. The coast is lava: The easternmost market in the rankings is Jacksonville. The westernmost market is Austin. The longitudinal distance between those two covers only 28% of the width of the continental United States. When it comes to college football, the middle of America is the "Double Stuf" that makes the Oreo. 🏟️ Stadium name game A stadium's naming rights are among the most valuable assets a team can sell, but who teams sell to — and whether they sell them at all — has changed significantly over the last 20 years. A collapse in clean venues: Nearly half of the NFL's 32 teams had no naming rights sponsor on their stadium in 2006. Fast forward to today, and only three of the league's stadiums (Arrowhead Stadium, Soldier Field, Lambeau Field) have no commercial sponsor. While sponsors geared toward fans' consumption were more prevalent a decade ago, their presence is now limited, as sponsors instead target their investment, savings, and insurance needs. ⛳️ LIV Golf's livelihood LIV Golf officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, seeking a path out from under $500+ million in liabilities for a company with only $15 million remaining in the bank after receiving $5+ billion in funding. Beyond those numbers, the bankruptcy filings revealed several striking data points from the LIV business. No broadcast bankroll: Sponsorship sales generated the lion's share of revenues, followed by hosting fees and ticketing for the circuit's events. Most jarring is the dearth of broadcasting rights revenues, which were on par with merchandise sales. That balance is almost unthinkable in established professional sports leagues with comparable player compensation. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo) 🎾 12,000+ bounces Alexander Zverev displayed a rather annoying habit during his run to the US Open title, bouncing the ball well over 12,000 times before serves across his seven matches. That's roughly two and a half hours of bouncing during the span of the tournament. Is that even allowed? Technically, yes. There's currently a 25-second serve clock between points, but no such limit on second serves, which is when Zverev gets bounce-happy. "You shouldn't have unlimited time," Ben Shelton said after the final. "For our sport, for the fans. I think it's tough to be sitting there for that long for the next action to happen." (Jon Blacker/AP Photo) 🏈 18 straight losses The Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League extended their historic losing streak to 18 games (longest in CFL's modern era) on Saturday with a 26-23 loss to the Toronto Argonauts. They've now gone more than a full calendar year since their last win, a one-point victory over the BC Lions on Sept. 5, 2025. Historically futile: It's not just the record losing streak. The Redblacks (0-12) are also just the fourth team in CFL history to start a season with 12 straight losses, joining the 1979 Saskatchewan Roughriders, 1994 Shreveport Pirates and 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Ottawa has six games left to avoid becoming the first CFL team ever to go winless in a season. (Michael Steele/Getty Images) 👟 10.62 seconds Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was among the biggest winners from the inaugural World Ultimate Championship, sweeping the 100m (10.62 seconds) and 200m (21.47) with world-leading times in both races over the weekend. After sweeping the same races at last year's worlds, the 25-year-old American has established herself as the new queen of sprinting. More highlights: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen proved he's still the man to beat in the 5000m (12:59.24) after undergoing Achilles surgery in February; American Kenny Bednarek swept the men's 100m (9.85) and 200m (19.52) while rival Noah Lyles sat out with an injury; reigning Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino surged from last to first in the 400m final (49.07) to win her 12th straight race at that distance. ⚽️ SHOOTING BLANKS SPURS STILL STINK (Shaun Brooks/CameraSport via Getty Images) Tottenham have finished one spot out of the relegation zone in back-to-back Premier League seasons. If early returns are any indication, they could be headed for a similar fate next spring. Scoreless Spurs: For the first time in their 132-year history, Spurs have failed to score in their first four league matches. They're 0-2-2 and join last-place Coventry City as the only clubs that have yet to find the back of the net. Not quite what you're hoping for after spending the third-most of any team in the world ($423 million) during the summer transfer window. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, SEPT. 15 (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) There isn't a whole lot going on today besides baseball, but the baseball is good, headlined by three critical series between playoff contenders in Cleveland (6:40pm ET, ESPN+), Chicago (7:40pm, TBS) and Arlington (8pm, MLB.TV). White Sox at Guardians: Chicago (77-73) gave themselves a modicum of breathing room over Cleveland (76-75, 1.5 GB) atop the AL Central thanks to Monday's series-opening win. Braves at Cubs: Atlanta (88-63) remains in the driver's seat for the NL East despite losing Monday's opener, while Chicago (84-67) is narrowly hanging onto its lead in the wild card race. Red Sox at Rangers: Boston (82-68) looks firmly ticketed for the second wild card, while Texas (74-76) needs every win it can get if it hopes to pass Cleveland (76-75) and Toronto (75-76) for the final wild card. More to watch: Three NL Cy Young contenders take the mound today, as Jacob Misiorowski (14-5, 1.95 ERA) and the Brewers visit the Pirates (6:40pm), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (13-8, 2.62 ERA) and the Dodgers visit the Reds (6:40pm) and Cristopher Sánchez (17-5, 2.79 ERA) and the Phillies visit the Nationals (6:45pm). Plus: There are nine more games on the docket, including Tigers at Blue Jays (7:07pm), Orioles at Mets (7:10pm), Yankees at Twins (7:40pm) and Marlins at Diamondbacks (9:40pm). 🌍 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography. Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get. Play today's round. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 16 Author Members Posted September 16 🚩 1 fun thing: Fastest-growing sport Data: NFHS. Map: Brad Jennings/Axios Girls' flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago, Axios' Brad Jennings writes. More than 102,000 girls played high school flag football in 2025-26, a 551% increase in the past four years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. In 2024, just 12 states sanctioned high school girls flag football, viewed as a safer, more accessible version of America's most popular spectator sport. Today, 23 states plus D.C. sanction it as an official varsity sport, and 3,990 schools reported participants in 2025-26. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 17 Author Members Posted September 17 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: NFL power rankings, Alonso mashes 300th career homer, America's richest sports owners, Kiffin needs to pick a lane, Wingsuit World Championships, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ MLB roundup: Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run at Citi Field (and in a classy move, got a curtain call from his former home fans); the Brewers clinched the NL Central following another gem from Jacob Misiorowski (5 IP, 7 K, 0 R); Rays 3B Junior Caminero hit his second walk-off homer in his past four games as he makes a late push for the AL MVP. 🎰 Betting backlash: The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS are banding together to crack down on betting-related harassment of players, coaches and families, with the leagues issuing a joint statement suggesting punishments for those who engage in such behavior. The WNBA criticized the NBA for failing to include them in their joint statement. 🏈 Big weekend ratings: Texas' comeback win over Ohio State on Saturday was ESPN's most-watched regular-season college football game in a decade (14M viewers), and the Giants' win over the Cowboys on NBC was the most-watched Week 1 Sunday night game since 2015 (25.7M viewers). 🇦🇷 Messi's last dance: Lionel Messi, who already announced his retirement from international soccer, will take part in one final farewell match with Argentina on Oct. 6 against Benin in Buenos Aires as part of the upcoming international break. ⛳️ Sorry, LIV: PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp on Tuesday unveiled the qualification system for the Tour's new two-tier structure debuting in 2028. He also addressed the elephant in the room, making it clear that the Tour will not offer a return opportunity for LIV Golf players like the one Brooks Koepka used earlier this year. 🏈 RISERS AND FALLERS NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 2 (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Welcome to the first in-season edition of our 2026 NFL power rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab. It's good to be back. It would be foolish to draw long-term conclusions after one week of football — and equally foolish to pretend the openers meant nothing. So let's review what we learned from the biggest risers and fallers. Biggest risers Four teams climbed at least five spots in this week's rankings, with the 49ers making the biggest leap (up 11) following their rout of the preseason Super Bowl favorites in Melbourne. No. 5 49ers (▲11): Few teams looked better in Week 1 than the Niners, who scored a resounding victory in the battle of dueling jet lag strategies. The only bad news for San Francisco: They lost exciting rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) for at least a month. No. 6 Jaguars (▲8): The Jags picked up right where they left off, destroying the Browns for their ninth straight regular-season win behind Trevor Lawrence (18/23, 245 yards, 4 TD), who looks poised for another big season. No. 7 Chiefs (▲5): Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III looks like he's ready to transform Kansas City's offense, which will only get better as Patrick Mahomes gets more comfortable in his return from a torn ACL. No. 14 Giants (▲9): Big Blue bullied the Cowboys in primetime to deliver a statement victory for new head coach John Harbaugh, who has already given the Giants something they haven't had in years: hope. More risers: No. 1 Bills (▲2), No. 3 Ravens (▲3), No. 10 Bears (▲1), No. 12 Bengals (▲3), No. 17 Vikings (▲1), No. 13 Saints (▲1), No. 25 Raiders (▲1), No. 27 Jets (▲2), No. 28 Cardinals (▲3). Biggest fallers Five teams fell at least five spots, with the Broncos tumbling the furthest (down 11) following their blowout defeat at Arrowhead on Monday night. No. 11 Patriots (▼6): They won't look this bad every week, but some negative regression should probably be expected in New England after last season's storybook run came against the third-easiest schedule in NFL history. No. 15 Broncos (▼11): Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in Denver's opening contest. You have to wonder if Sean Payton is already considering taking back play-calling duties from first-year OC Davis Webb. No. 16 Cowboys (▼9): Was New York's offense really that good on Sunday night? Or is Dallas' supposedly improved defense still just as bad as it was last season? Time will tell. No. 19 Chargers (▼6): Their loss to the Cardinals was so bad it had Jim Harbaugh lamenting the decision to sit his starters for most of the preseason. Things could get ugly in a hurry with an absolutely brutal schedule coming up. No. 24 Colts (▼5): Daniel Jones didn't look great nine months after tearing his Achilles, and Indianapolis looked a lot more like the team that ended last season on a seven-game losing streak than the one that started it 8-2. More fallers: No. 4 Rams (▼3), No. 13 Texans (▼3), No. 18 Packers (▼1), No. 26 Panthers (▼1), No. 29 Falcons (▼1), No. 31 Titans (▼4). Don't see your squad? The No. 2 Seahawks, No. 8 Eagles, No. 9 Lions, No. 20 Steelers, No. 21 Buccaneers, No. 22 Commanders, No. 30 Browns and No. 32 Dolphins all stood pat and maintained their position from last week's rankings. 💰 BILLIONAIRE BALLCLUBS YOUR OWNER CAN AFFORD IT The top 20 owners in sports are collectively worth an estimated $666 billion, according to Forbes' annual rankings, up 10% from last year. For context: The cumulative market capitalization of the S&P 500 is approximately $69 trillion. The cumulative wealth of just 20 sports owners equates to nearly 1% of that figure. How about U.S. household wealth? That totals $186 trillion. 0.36% of it is represented here. Around the leagues: 10 NFL teams are represented in the top 20, just two more than the NBA and one more than MLS, thanks to the popularity of bolting on a soccer franchise to existing NFL infrastructure. The richest owners in each league are as follows: NBA: Steve Ballmer, Clippers ($156 billion) NFL: Rob Walton, Broncos ($132 billion) NHL: Henry Samueli, Ducks ($34 billion) MLB: Steve Cohen, Mets* ($27 billion) Bottom line: If your team's owner is featured on this list, they have little reason not to invest in their competitiveness… within the rules, of course (right, Steve?). *Soon to be replaced by Stan Kroenke with the completion of his Angels acquisition. Until then, MLB appears on the list just once! 🏈 REBEL REUNION DEAR LANE, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) Lane Kiffin stiff-arming Ole Miss for LSU is one thing. But his reimagining of the whole saga on the eve of his return to Oxford is another, writes Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken, who pulls no punches in his latest column. Here's a teaser: Lane Kiffin has been through so many lifetimes in college football and tried on so many different versions of himself that sometimes you wonder if he gets confused about which character he's supposed to play. When Kiffin left Ole Miss last December for LSU, sacrificing a viable chance to win a national championship in the process, he did it for a defensible reason. Though everything about the timing and execution was terrible, there was nothing controversial about the belief he'd have a better chance of consistently contending for titles at LSU. Why won't he just own it? What he's saying: "I told the players today, man, you don't have anything to worry about as far as like attention on you all week," Kiffin said during Monday's press conference in Baton Rouge. "There's going to be so much attention and hatred and everything on me … Really, the pressure's on them [Ole Miss]. We won seven games last year, they won 13. They return two Heisman candidates. … So you guys get to go play. The pressure's not on you." Huh? If there is one thing we know for sure about why Kiffin left Ole Miss, it wasn't to be the underdog. Not in this game, not in any game. He went to LSU not just to win, but to dominate — backed by a university administration that would rather jump in Mike the Tiger's cage than tell their football coach no. "They've been playing this matchup for a long time and this is the first time in the last 64 years both teams are in the top 10," added Kiffin. "I think it's a really good thing that a lot of people could look at it and say, hey, both sides are doing really well and both sides won." Baloney. The idea that "both sides won" is laughable gaslighting. It only turned out that way because Ole Miss refused to let Kiffin get everything he wanted. Put on the black hat once and for all and own it, Lane. If not, what was the point of going to LSU in the first place? Read the full story. 🇨🇳 MEANWHILE, IN CHINA IN PHOTOS: WINGSUIT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Wang HE/Getty Images) The 12th World Wingsuit League World Championship took place last week in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park* in central China's Hunan province, where 16 competitors from 11 countries participated in the thrilling, high-speed action sport. (Wang HE/Getty Images) Race to the bottom: Athletes took off from a platform on the 1,458-meter (4,783 feet) Yuhu Peak atop Tianmen Mountain before embarking on a nearly mile-long flight to the base. (Zhou Guoqiang/VCG via Getty Images) Target practice: The competition included both speed and precision races, with the latter featuring small targets that racers tried to pierce with a rod attached to their helmet. The bullseye they were trying to hit at speeds of 130+ mph? About the size of a water bottle cap. (Zhou Guoqiang/VCG via Getty Images) What they're saying: "I feel incredibly free when I fly, really like a bird," said China's Zhang Shupeng (in the pink above). "The wingsuit becomes one with my body when I'm wearing it. By changing my posture I can turn, speed up or slow down, so it's like a bird flying in the sky." *Fun fact: Zhangjiajie's trademark sandstone quartz pillars were the inspiration for the floating "Hallelujah Mountains" in the Avatar film franchise. In fact, following the release of the first film in 2009, the park officially renamed one of its pillars "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain." 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16 (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) ⚾️ MLB on ESPN The day begins with another crucial game between the White Sox and Guardians in Cleveland (1pm ET), where Chicago will try to extend its narrow division lead. Then we head to Queens (7pm), where the Mets host the Orioles a day after Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run. Can former teammate Francisco Lindor, sitting on 299, join him tonight? Best of the rest: Cade Cavalli (12-5, 3.12 ERA) and the Nationals host Zack Wheeler (12-5, 3.14 ERA) and the Phillies in a matchup of aces, while three former Cy Young winners take the mound elsewhere: Max Scherzer's Blue Jays host the Tigers (3:07pm), Blake Snell's Dodgers visit the Reds (6:40pm) and Robbie Ray's Padres visit the Rockies (8:40pm). More to watch: ⚾️ WPBL Championship: Los Angeles vs. San Francisco (7pm, ESPN+) … Game 1 in the best-of-five series to determine the inaugural champion of the pioneering league. ⚽️ US Open Cup: Columbus Crew vs. Orlando City (7pm, CBSSN); Colorado Rapids vs. St. Louis City (9:30pm, CBSSN) … Semifinals of the long-running domestic cup competition. ⚽️ Campeones Cup: Inter Miami vs. Cruz Azul (8pm, Apple) … The eighth annual match between the reigning MLS and Liga MX champions. 🏈 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Michael Owens/Getty Images) Travis Kelce (13,073) passed Jason Witten (13,002) on Monday for second on the all-time tight end receiving yards list, trailing only Tony Gonzalez (15,127). Question: Which two tight ends round out the top five on that list? Hint: Rob Gronkowski is sixth (9,286), so he's not one of the answers. Answer at the bottom. ⚽️ YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV TUNE IN: MLS ALTCAST Yahoo Sports and Apple TV are teaming up to deliver alternate broadcasts of "Friday Night Baseball" and MLS games, with the first such soccer altcast coming during tonight's Campeones Cup match between Inter Miami CF and Cruz Azul. Tune in: The Cooligans hosts Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco will broadcast the full game, including a brief pregame show (7:55pm ET), on Yahoo Sports. Viewers can also watch the main broadcast of the match on Apple TV. Trivia answer: Antonio Gates (11,841 receiving yards) and Shannon Sharpe (9,961) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 18 Author Members Posted September 18 👋 Good morning! 106 years ago today, the NFL was born. We revisit the league’s humble beginnings at the bottom of today’s newsletter. In today’s edition: Expansion on multiple fronts, Ovechkin faces backlash, Mark Walter sells another team, MLB power rankings, stuck in football limbo, Guess The Number, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 The wrong team won: The FBS Oversight Committee said Wednesday that instant replay protocols were not followed in the waning seconds of Michigan’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan earlier this month. Had they been followed, the committee says the Broncos would have won the game, but the result cannot be changed. 🏒 Ovechkin ad sparks backlash: Alex Ovechkin, a longtime supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared in an ad for Putin’s ruling party, prompting widespread criticism. The Capitals responded with a statement saying their longtime captain was asked to participate while visiting his home country this summer. 🇺🇸 Cavan in, Christian out: USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino reportedly plans to call up 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan (who we profiled this week) for the upcoming international window. Christian Pulisic, who’s still working his way back to full strength after suffering an injury during the World Cup, will reportedly not be included on the squad. 🎓 Seats on the house: UCLA students will receive free admission to all regular-season home football and basketball games, the school announced. The policy goes into effect on Saturday when the Bruins host Purdue at the Rose Bowl, the 90,000-seat stadium they’ve been struggling to fill for years. $0 tickets should help. ⚽️ Walter sells another team: Mark Walter has sold his shares in Chelsea Football Club, roughly a month after selling his majority stake in the Lakers amid a federal investigation into possible fraud. He still owns the Dodgers … at least for now. 📍 LEAGUE EXPANSION COMING SOON TO A MARKET NEAR YOU (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) Amid the acceleration of the sports business and the appetite to own a piece of it, North American leagues are preparing to put more pins on the map in their quests for domestic and even global domination. Catch up quick: Expansion talk is heating up across several major professional leagues, as existing owners prepare to clip healthy expansion fees from prospective newcomers in exchange for a slice of league revenues. 🏀 NBA: Adam Silver confirmed this week that the league hopes to reach expansion decisions by the end of the year, with the next round of bids due shortly. Discussion at the Board of Governors meetings centered on Las Vegas, where questions remain about a potential arena site. The Seattle process is more straightforward thanks to infrastructure at Climate Pledge Arena (home of the NHL's Kraken and WNBA's Storm). 🏒 NHL: Though nothing is finalized, league officials are currently working with the Friedkin family (owners of AS Roma and Everton) to determine whether a 33rd team should be placed in Houston or Austin. There is also interest in Atlanta and Phoenix, both of which previously lost franchises to relocation (this time will be different!), for a 34th team if the league pursues another after Texas. ⚾️ MLB: Once the battle over a new CBA concludes, MLB is expected to begin its own expansion process, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, who reports that Salt Lake City currently has the most "compelling case." Other potential contenders in the pursuit of one East Coast and one West Coast team include Nashville, Raleigh, Portland, Orlando, and Montreal. 🏀 WNBA: Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia will take the court in 2028, 2029, and 2030, respectively. But the W isn't stopping at 18 teams. The latest buzz? A group in Vancouver is laying the groundwork for a future bid that would give the Toronto Tempo (debuted this season) a Canadian counterpart. In 2025, Vancouver's Rogers Arena hosted a sellout crowd for the first WNBA game played outside the U.S. The winning formula: The recipe for securing a successful bid begins with the expansion fee. NBA fees, for example, could exceed $10 billion in Vegas and land near $7 billion in Seattle, per ESPN's Shams Charania. But it's not just about who can say the biggest number, to paraphrase Logan Roy. Groups also need a credible ownership structure, a feasible site or a path to one, and a market that can grow the pie. In many cases, clearing the arena hurdle requires public advocacy and financial support from the government. Extending abroad: The NBA also has ambitious European aspirations, as it continues negotiating with the EuroLeague over a potential new competition. And you'll notice the NFL has no domestic expansion in the offing. Could it expand across the Atlantic instead? Roger Goodell has "no doubt" there will eventually be a team based outside the U.S. — though perhaps not until the league finishes expanding to Wednesday and every other day of the week first. Today, the calendar. Tomorrow, the world. This story was written in collaboration with Dylan Dittrich, who authors our new sports business newsletter, Yahoo Sports Biz. 🌎 THROUGH THE LENS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS What a ballplayer. (Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois National League MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong launched his 43rd and 44th homers of the season in Wednesday’s 8-4 win over the Braves, pulling him within one of Kyle Schwarber (45) for the MLB lead. Adding to the intrigue: PCA’s Cubs (85-68) and Schwarber’s Phillies (84-68) are battling for the NL’s top wild-card spot. Game on. The view from 101st place. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images) 🏴 Northamptonshire, England Max Verstappen stormed from the back of a 101-kart grid on Wednesday to win Red Bull’s “Max vs. 100” event at Silverstone. The four-time F1 world champion needed just 14 laps (and 35 minutes) to overtake a field made up of content creators, athletes and motorsport fans. What he’s saying: "When I went to the grid and I saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a little bit worried," said Verstappen. Those concerns didn’t last long: He surged from 101st to 37th on the opening lap alone. Full speed ahead. (Malcolm Griffiths/Getty Images) 🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola The E1 World Championship (electric powerboat racing) rolled into southern Africa for the fifth race of the season. Among those in attendance: Team owners LeBron James and Will Smith. Speaking of LeBron: Polymarket will pay him $15 million per year under his new endorsement deal with the prediction-market platform, FOS reports. That’s $11.2 million more than the 76ers will pay him to play basketball this season ($3.8 million). ⚾️ LAST CALL MLB POWER RANKINGS: FINAL EDITION (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) The MLB regular season ends in just 10 short days, and as has been the case all summer, the final edition of our power rankings illustrates the National League’s superiority over the American League, with seven of the top 10 teams hailing from the Senior Circuit. By the numbers: The National League’s dominance is hardly just subjective. NL teams are 43 games over .500 this season (1,165-1,122) while AL teams are 43 games under .500 (1,120-1,163). Nine NL teams have a positive run differential (compared to five in the AL) and eight NL teams are over .500 against AL competition (compared to five such AL teams). (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) The messy middle: With the NL owning the top 10, the American League has taken up residence in the messy middle, representing nine of the 13 teams ranked from 11-23 — including all five ranked from 11-15. Parting thought: All 30 teams might not have something to play for, but they all have the same 10 days left. So a word to the wise for fans of eliminated clubs: Don’t take these final games for granted. Come mid-January, when the only baseball storyline is, “How much of the 2027 season could the lockout potentially cost us?” you’ll be glad you stuck it out for all 162. 🏈 FOOTBALL LIMBO TOO PRO FOR COLLEGE, TOO COLLEGE FOR THE PROS Dae'Quan Wright during Eagles training camp in July. (Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright are stuck between football worlds: barred from college and now ineligible for the NFL. How we got here: The two former Ole Miss players went undrafted this past spring before signing with NFL teams. Harris, a defensive tackle, joined the Saints. Wright, a tight end, spent time with the Eagles and Browns. Both were eventually waived, prompting their attempted return to college and igniting an eligibility fight that ultimately left them in football limbo. Back to campus: A Louisiana judge ruled in favor of players seeking a fifth year of eligibility, opening a pathway for athletes who signed professional contracts to play college football in 2026. That same day, Harris and Wright said they intended to join their former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin at LSU. A firestorm erupts: In response to the ruling, the four power conferences adopted policies barring professionals from joining their respective leagues. Kiffin pressed ahead anyway, spurring the SEC to sue LSU and reportedly consider expelling the school. LSU stands down: Amid the backlash, the Tigers left Harris and Wright off the roster for their opener against Clemson. Four days later, they added two different players to complete their 105-man squad, eliminating the possibility of adding Harris or Wright. The NFL shuts the door: The league informed teams on Wednesday that because Harris and Wright returned to college after training camps opened, they are ineligible to visit, try out or sign with any club this season. To recap: Harris and Wright lost their college eligibility by turning pro, then lost their NFL eligibility by trying to return to college. Caught between competing rulebooks, both are sidelined until 2027… at least on this side of the border. I hear the 0-12 Ottawa Redblacks are in the market for reinforcements. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, SEPT. 17 (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Lions at Bills "Thursday Night Football" returns tonight (8:15pm ET, Prime) in Buffalo, where Josh Allen and the Bills host Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions in the first regular-season game at the new $2 billion Highmark Stadium. Familiar voice: This will mark the 10th time* in Al Michaels' legendary broadcasting career that he's been on the mic for an NFL stadium's regular-season debut. ⛳️ BMW PGA Championship The DP World Tour's flagship event tees off today (7am, Golf) at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, where a stacked 144-player field is competing for $9 million. Stacked, you say? Rory McIlroy is the headliner alongside Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and more. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Mets (7:15pm, Fox); Royals at Astros (7:15pm, Fox) … Philly (84-67) and Houston (76-76) are among those battling for playoff spots in today's nine-game slate. 🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Wings (8pm, USA); Aces at Storm (10pm, USA) … Play resumes after a three-week break for the FIBA World Cup. 🏈 NCAAF: Syracuse at Pitt (7:30pm, ESPN) … Pitt is off to a 2-0 start behind sophomore QB Mason Heintschel (49/70, 665 yards, 7 TD). ⛳️ PGA: Biltmore Championship (7am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … Jackson Koivun headlines the field in Asheville as the eight-event Fall Series begins. ⚾️ WPBL Championship: Los Angeles (up 1-0) vs. San Francisco (7pm, ESPN+) … The Queens won Wednesday's opener in the best-of-five series. *The other nine: Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High (2001), New England's Gillette Stadium (2002), Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field (2003), Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium (2008), Dallas' AT&T Stadium (2009), San Francisco's Levi's Stadium (2014), Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium (2016), Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (2017) and Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium (2020). 💰 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE NUMBER Joe Buck (L) and Troy Aikman. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ESPN broadcaster Joe Buck has agreed to a six-year extension that will see him call “Monday Night Football” into the next decade, as well as Super Bowls in 2027 and 2031. Question: How much will Buck earn annually under his new deal? (A) $5 million (B) $9 million (C) $18 million (D) $25 million Answer at the bottom. 📆 THROWBACK THURSDAY 106 YEARS AGO TODAY... A portrait of the 1920 Akron Professionals, the first APFA/NFL champions. (Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images) On Sept. 17, 1920, representatives from 11 pro football clubs met at Canton Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay's automobile showroom and formed the American Professional Football Association. Two years later, that league was renamed the NFL. Humble beginnings: In 1920, pro football lived in the shadow of the college game and was confined mostly to small Midwestern industrial cities. The teams present at the meeting: Ohio: Akron Professionals, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Dayton Triangles, Massillon Tigers, Racine Cardinals Illinois: Decatur Staleys, Rock Island Independents Indiana: Hammond Pros, Muncie Flyers New York: Rochester Jeffersons Rounding out the league: The Massillon Tigers withdrew before the league officially formed while four other clubs (Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, Detroit Heralds) joined later that fall, giving the APFA 14 teams for its inaugural 1920 season. Still standings: Only two of the original franchises exist today: the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) and the Racine Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals). Answer: (C) $18 million. Buck’s extension is worth $108 million over six years, per The Athletic. That matches broadcast partner Troy Aikman’s annual salary under his current five-year, $90 million deal, which expires after this season. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 18 Author Members Posted September 18 > Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is among a list of at least 64 victims in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme involving a fraudulent venture capital fund (More) | How to spot Ponzi scheme red flags (More) > Bill Belichick's son Steve resigns from position on North Carolina’s football coaching staff as investigation into team culture concludes; probe included questions about drug use and inappropriate relationships within the program (More) > Dolly Parton posthumously accepts the Americana Music Association's lifetime achievement award in a video recorded before her death (More, w/video) | MTV announces Video Music Awards performers, including Madonna (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 20 Author Members Posted September 20 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: North Carolina's culture problem, Bills open Highmark Stadium in style, Pochettino names youthful USMNT squad, Behind the Lens, the Swoosh strikes back, Weekend Watchlist, Guess The Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Highmark's grand opening: Josh Allen piled up 317 total yards and five TDs as the Bills beat the Lions, 41-31, in the first regular-season game at Buffalo's new Highmark Stadium. It was Allen's record-extending 10th game with multiple passing and rushing TDs, and he improved to 9-1 on Thursdays. This guy might be good. ⚽️ The kids are coming: Mauricio Pochettino named a youthful squad for the USMNT's upcoming friendlies, featuring 13 uncapped players and eight teenagers, none more exciting than 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan. Pochettino wouldn't say why Christian Pulisic was left off the roster, "and that silence is the message," writes Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff. 🙏 Scary scene in Queens: Mets first baseman Jared Young exited Thursday's game on a stretcher after taking a knee to the head from pitcher Nolan McLean, which appeared to momentarily knock him out. He gave the Citi Field crowd a thumbs-up on his way out and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. 🏒 Standoff in Winnipeg: Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters that he continues to seek a resolution following a trade request from star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who was suspended by the team this week for failing to report to training camp. 🎟️ Knicks pause ticket sales: The Knicks suspended all ticket sales on Thursday after a "mistake" led to much higher prices than intended. Fans who already purchased tickets will be refunded the difference once the team corrects the prices. 🏈 CHAPEL BILL "THE PATRIOT WAY" DOESN'T WORK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL Bill Belichick's stint at North Carolina has been… not great. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi via Getty Images) Steve Belichick is out as North Carolina's defensive coordinator following an internal investigation into "allegations related to the culture and climate" within the football program led by his father. His exit follows that of GM Mike Lombardi, who resigned on Sept. 3. Details: Though we don't know everything North Carolina uncovered, the law firm conducting the investigation looked into whether Steve Belichick "used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player," per Raleigh TV station WRAL. Lawyers also questioned people within the program about possible sexual relationships between staffers and players. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: For nearly a quarter of a century, Bill Belichick's New England Patriots had a reputation for being the most buttoned-up organization in the NFL. Maybe all of sports. It was the place where wayward characters fell in line, where egos blended into the culture. In a piece for The Players Tribune in 2017, former NFL running back Kevin Faulk wrote: "If there's one thing I know after having played for the Patriots for 13 years, it's that you don't want to be late to a Bill Belichick meeting." But in that same piece, Faulk told a story that might explain why Belichick's North Carolina program looks like a complete mess. In 2006, as Faulk remembers it, a good chunk of the team was engaged in a "prank war" where they tried to one-up each other. In one instance, Tom Brady had hired someone to take the tires off backup quarterback Matt Cassel's car. Then some offensive linemen opened up the sunroof of Brady's car and filled it with styrofoam peanuts. Only then, Faulk said, did Belichick learn about and put a stop to the escalating prank war because he was simply oblivious to anything happening outside the meeting rooms and practice fields. "Coach Belichick is the kind of guy who doesn't care what you do on your own time," Faulk wrote. "He wants you to know football … Anything else, he doesn't really care." Steve and Bill Belichick on the sideline during a Tar Heels game last season. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) So the question of the day is this: How could Belichick, famous for his ultra-disciplined "Patriot Way," be running a program at North Carolina that seems to have been dealing with major cultural rot in its building? Perhaps, at age 74, Belichick has simply lost a step. But the more likely reason ties back to Faulk's assessment of his time with the Patriots. In the cloistered environment of an NFL franchise, Belichick treated the team facility like a workplace. You show up, you do your job and you go home. If you don't, you're gone. The culture takes care of itself. College football does not work that way. These are sprawling organizations that exist within an athletic department, which exists within a college campus. It's a complicated and delicate dance with the outside world. If you are not on top of the culture every single day as the head coach, it will devolve into whatever you allow it to be. There is no clocking in and out from that job. It is a 24-hour, 365-day operation, and only a fraction of it relates to what's happening on the field. An aloof boss who "doesn't care what you do on your own time" cannot run a college football program effectively. 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Al Bello/Getty Images) Each week, Yahoo Sports AM goes "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to share the stories behind the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: Qinwen Zheng serves against eventual champion Elena Rybakina during their US Open quarterfinal. Photographer: Al Bello Location: Queens, New York Date: Sept. 9 Behind the lens: Take it away, Al… There are a number of reasons I chose an overhead position to photograph Qinwen Zheng. It was sunny and clear, and it was the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium that day. She wasn't wearing a hat and her hair was pulled back, which was good because I could clearly see her face and there were no shadows obscuring her. I took a moment to watch her serve, and noted the placement of where her hand and the ball were positioned across her face when she tossed the ball up to serve. It took me a few tries to line everything up, and I had to wait for her to be on the proper side of the court with regards to the sun. Once I figured out my angle, I got to work on this image. The long focal length I used required a steady hand, so this was not an easy photo to capture. The timing had to be right, and the key to making this a successful photo was keeping sharp focus on her eye while aligning the placement of her hand, her face and the ball. Everything had to come together, and I was happy it did in the end. Equipment and technique: Al shot this with a Canon R1 body, a Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM lens and an RF 2x extender, giving him a focal length of 1200mm. He used a lightning-fast shutter speed of 1/3200th of a second, with settings of f/8 and ISO 400. 🎓 NIKE NATION THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 11 years after losing the University of Miami to Adidas, Nike is heading back into the eye of the Hurricane, agreeing to a 10-year deal worth more than $200 million, per the Miami Herald. Swoosh supremacy: The $20+ million annual outlay is believed to be Nike's richest ever to a university and follows the 2025 losses of longtime partners Tennessee and Penn State to Adidas, which raised questions about its commitment to college sports. Consider those questions answered: Nike paid up for "The U," and despite the recent tug-of-war for some of the country's top programs, the Swoosh is still king. I mean, just look at that chart. This is a preview of today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. Sign up here to get the full Nike breakdown, plus more sports business analysis, in your inbox later this morning. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford this weekend to face his former team, led by Heisman contender Trinidad Chambliss. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) 🏈 College Football Saturday There are three ranked matchups on tap this weekend, with none bigger than No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss (Sat. 7:30pm ET, ABC). The others: No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech (Fri. 8pm, Fox) and No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville (Sat. 3:30pm, ESPN2). Best of the rest: Saturday's slate also includes Arizona State vs. Kansas at Wembley Stadium (12pm, FS1), Florida State at No. 10 Alabama (3:30pm, ABC), Florida at Auburn (7pm, ESPN), UNC at Clemson (12pm, ESPN) and West Virginia at No. 25 Virginia (7:30pm, ACC). 🏈 NFL Sunday There's plenty of intrigue in Sunday's early window, with the Bears' explosive offense hosting the Vikings' formidable defense (1pm, Fox), the fearsome-looking Ravens hosting the peskier-than-expected Saints (1pm, CBS) and the Texans hosting the Bengals (1pm, CBS) as Joe Burrow takes on Houston's ball-hawking secondary. Later on: The afternoon slate is headlined by Seahawks at Cardinals (4:25pm, Fox), which is somehow one of just two games on Sunday between 1-0 teams (Vikings at Bears). Jaguars at Broncos (4:05pm, CBS) should be a good matchup if Denver can flush Week 1, and the Chiefs host the Colts in the nightcap (8:20pm, NBC). ⚾️ MLB Home Stretch The penultimate weekend of the regular season features five series between teams who have either already clinched the playoffs or are in the hunt: Brewers at Orioles, Red Sox at Rays, Blue Jays at Rangers, Braves at Astros and Yankees at Diamondbacks. Season finale: The Orioles host the Brewers in the season finale of "Sunday Night Baseball" (7:20pm, Peacock), which has drawn an average of 2.7 million viewers per game in its first year on NBC. That's up 48% from the same slot last year on ESPN (1.83 million). 🥍 PLL Championship The eighth Premier Lacrosse League season comes to an end this weekend in New Jersey (Sun. 12:30pm, ABC), where the top-seeded Philadelphia Waterdogs and Denver Outlaws are squaring off in the title game. Dynamic duo: Philadelphia's second-year standout CJ Kirst scored a PLL-record 34 goals this season, while veteran teammate Michael Sowers added 29, trailing only Kirst for most in the league (Sowers also ranked first in assists with 22). Both are MVP finalists, with the winner set to be announced today. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Liberty at Lynx (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Mystics at Fever (Sun. 4pm, NBA) … With the postseason field already set, the final week of the regular season is all about seeding. 🏁 NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway (Sat. 7:30pm, USA) … The third stop in the 10-race Chase takes place under the lights in Tennessee. 🎾 Davis Cup: USA vs. Czechia (Fri-Sat, Tennis) … One of seven matches this weekend, with the winners joining defending champion Italy in the eight-team Davis Cup Finals in November. ⛳️ Golf: Biltmore Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf/ESPN+); BMW PGA Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … Max Greyserman (-7) leads in Asheville; Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren (-6) are the co-leaders in England. ⚽️ European Soccer: Brighton vs. Arsenal (Sat. 10am, USA); Roma vs. Inter Milan (Sat. 12pm, Paramount+); Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid (Sun. 10:15am, ESPN2) … Three different leagues, three great matchups. 🏒 NHL Preseason: Maple Leafs at Canadiens (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Islanders at Devils (Sun. 1pm, NHL); Capitals at Bruins (Sun. 5pm, NHL); Kraken at Flames (Sun. 8pm, NHL) … The regular season begins in 11 days. Plus: 👊 UFC 331 in Los Angeles (Sat. 9pm, Paramount+); ⚽️ NWSL Week 22 (Fri-Sun, Prime/ESPN/CBSSN); ⚽️ MLS Week 27 (Fri-Sun, Apple); ⚾️ WPBL Championship (Sat-Sun, ESPN+); 🏍️ MotoGP Austria (Sun. 8am, FS1) 🔎 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in NBA logo? Hint: They made the playoffs last season. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 WHO YA GOT? MAKE YOUR PICKS (OR COPY MINE)! Welcome to Week 3 of our College Football Challenge! Before getting to this week's matchups, I (Jeff) have to address the elephant in the room, which is that by some miracle I'm tied for first place in our 3,000+ person group. (You can still join if you haven't yet!). Tail or fade? Now that I've acknowledged my hot start, it's sure to come crashing down. But we might as well have some fun with this, so I'm sharing my Week 3 picks for you to tail or fade as you please. The most intriguing matchups: No. 8 Ole Miss (+2.5) vs. No. 7 LSU: The first top-10 meeting between these two schools in over 60 years doubles as Lane Kiffin's highly-anticipated return to Oxford. Give me the spurned Rebels in this one. My pick: Ole Miss +2.5 No. 10 Alabama (-20.5) vs. Florida State: The Seminoles nearly upset a ranked SMU squad earlier this month, but I'm going with my gut here and taking the Tide by three touchdowns. My pick: Alabama -20.5 Florida (-2.5) at Auburn: This is somehow the first time these SEC rivals have played each other since 2019. Common sense says to take the home team in what should be a close game, but I'm zagging. My pick: Florida -2.5 No. 6 Ohio State (-52.5) vs. Kent State: The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four games, including last week's fourth-quarter collapse against Texas. 52.5 points is an insane spread. I don't care. Buckeyes by a million. My pick: Ohio State -52.5 The rest (my picks italicized): Arizona State (-5.5) vs. Kansas at Wembley Stadium; No. 2 Georgia (-24.5) at Arkansas; Utah State (+28.5) at No. 17 Utah; No. 12 USC (-23.5) at Rutgers; No. 9 Texas A&M (-16.5) vs. Kentucky; No. 3 Notre Dame (-29.5) vs. Michigan State. ⚾️ YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV TUNE IN: MLB ALTCAST Yahoo Sports and Apple TV are teaming up to deliver alternate broadcasts of "Friday Night Baseball" and Major League Soccer games, with the second such MLB altcast coming during tonight's game between the Phillies and Mets. Tune in: Baseball Bar-B-Cast hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman will broadcast the first two innings of tonight's game (7:10pm ET), as well as a pregame show (6:45pm), on Yahoo Sports. Following the two-inning altcast, viewers can watch the rest of the game on Apple TV. Logo reveal: Toronto Raptors Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 21 Author Members Posted September 21 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. Postseason picture: The Red Sox and Braves clinched playoff spots over the weekend, joining the Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees and Rays as the final week of the regular season begins today. In today's edition: Favorites fall on Sunday, Kane makes Bundesliga history, Rebels exact revenge on Kiffin, Waterdogs win second PLL title, Music City Miracle 2.0, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏈 WEEK 2 NFL SUNDAY: UNDERDOGS MAKE WAVES (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) While some of the biggest potential upsets were ultimately snuffed out, the second Sunday of the NFL season was defined by a trio of pretty sizable favorites falling at home. Saints 24, Ravens 17: New Orleans (+8.5) scored 15 unanswered points on the road in the fourth quarter, showing that Tyler Shough and the Saints are legit… and that late collapses still haunt Baltimore even under a new coaching regime. Browns 23, Buccaneers 19: Deshaun Watson (24/30, 238 yards, 2 TD) likely saved his job for at least another week with perhaps the most unexpected result of the day, as Cleveland (+8.5) weathered the literal storm and sent the Bucs to their first 0-2 start since 2014. Raiders 26, Chargers 14: Los Angeles fumbled six times in its second straight upset loss to open the season, while Las Vegas (+6.5) improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2021, which just so happens to be the last time the Raiders made the playoffs. Plus: They might not have been quite the same level of underdog, but Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals shut down the Texans, 20-6, and the Vikings held the Bears' offense nearly scoreless in a rain-soaked 9-3 victory. The silver lining for Chicago fans is that Caleb Williams' hamstring injury appears to be significantly less serious than it looked at first. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) More from Sunday: Mahomes magic: Patrick Mahomes (32/47, 382 yards, 3 TD) erupted for his most yards since 2023 as the Chiefs outlasted the Colts, 33-30 (OT), on Sunday night. The two-time MVP engineered his 31st game-winning drive in the 4th quarter/OT (most in the NFL since 2018), and improved to 8-0 in regular-season overtime games in his career. Only the Jets: The Packers beat the Jets, 20-17 (OT), while becoming the first team on record (since 1941) to win a game with fewer than 200 total yards, more than 100 penalty yards and a negative turnover margin. Before today, such teams were 0-44. Sorry, Gang Green. Streak snapped: The Panthers blew out the Falcons, 34-3, to earn their first win as a favorite since 2021 after 12 such losses in a row. Believe it or not, Carolina has scored more points this season (71) than every team besides the Bills (77). CMC joins exclusive club: Christian McCaffrey scored twice in the 49ers 35-13 rout of the Dolphins, becoming just the third player in NFL history to score at least 50 touchdowns for multiple franchises (Panthers). The others? Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk (Colts, Rams) and Randy Moss (Vikings, Patriots). Dak passes Romo: Dak Prescott broke Tony Romo's franchise record with his 249th career touchdown pass in the Cowboys' 37-20 win over the Commanders. Washington, meanwhile, lost more than the game after Jayden Daniels left with a dislocated elbow. The rest: The Eagles avoided disaster with a last-second, 24-20 win over the Titans … the Broncos' offense finally came alive in a 20-13 win over the Jaguars … Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9 catches, 155 yards, 3 TD) and the Seahawks crushed the Cardinals, 31-7 … the Patriots smothered Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in a 20-3 victory. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ⚾️ 1.16 ERA Yankees ace Cam Schlittler pitched another gem on Saturday in Arizona (6 IP, 1 ER), ending his season with a sparkling 1.16 ERA away from home. That's the fifth-best road ERA in a single season since ER became official in 1913 (min. 100 IP), and the best since Greg Maddux in 1995 (1.12). MVP? With one home start left, winning Cy Young should be a foregone conclusion for the righty who leads the AL in ERA (1.94), WHIP (0.91) and WAR (7.0), is second in innings (190.2) and third in strikeouts (234). The bigger question is whether he can beat out Yordan Alvarez and Junior Caminero to join Clayton Kershaw (2014) and Justin Verlander (2011) as the only full-time pitchers to win MVP this century. (Alexandra Beier/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ 100 goals Harry Kane's brace in Bayern Munich's rout of Union Berlin on Saturday gave him 101 goals in just 98 career games since arriving in Germany, absolutely smashing the record for fastest to the century mark in Bundesliga history. The previous record, set 49 years ago, belonged to Cologne's Dieter Müller (129 games). Zoom out: Kane's Bundesliga record ranks second among Europe's Big Five leagues, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo's La Liga record set with Real Madrid (92 games). The Ligue 1 record belongs to Marseille's Josip Skoblar (100), the Premier League record belongs to Sunderland's Johnny Campbell (102) and the Serie A record belongs to AC Milan's Gunnar Nordahl (110). (Mark Blinch/Getty Images) 🏀 1,056 points Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell broke A'ja Wilson's WNBA single-season scoring record over the weekend, pouring in 1,056 points so far this year to eclipse Wilson's mark set in 2024 (1,021 points). Mitchell still has two games left to add to her tally, though it's worth noting she has the benefit of a 44-game schedule (up from 40 in 2024). More records fall: Minnesota's Olivia Miles, the presumptive ROY, broke Caitlin Clark's record for most points ever scored by a rookie (790); Atlanta's Rhyne Howard broke Sabrina Ionescu's record for most 3-pointers made in a season (132), and Mitchell is right on her tail (131); Atlanta's Angel Reese, who'd already broken Wilson's single-season rebounding record, has now created the 500-rebound club. 🏈 WEEK 3 REBELS GET REVENGE (Justin Ford/Getty Images) No one had a better weekend than Ole Miss, which moved up to No. 4 in the AP poll after winning Saturday's thrilling grudge match over LSU in Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford. Rebels 32, Tigers 24: Ole Miss started hot and held on late behind the brilliant play of QB Trinidad Chambliss, who's now the Heisman favorite after gashing LSU's defense to the tune of 363 yards and 3 total touchdowns. Kiffin, meanwhile, fell to 1-9 on the road against top-10 opponents as the Rebels got revenge on their former coach in the most satisfying way possible, writes Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: On Wednesday night here, in this college town's famous entertainment district, the Square, Ole Miss fans filled the historic Lyric Theater for a special occasion. A roast of Lane Kiffin. Participants threw darts at cardboard cutouts of his effigy, unveiled a less-than-flattering bust of the coach and, from a mic'd podium, ridiculed the man who fled this place in a blaze of ever-loving glory for rival LSU. Three days later, the football-playing Rebels roasted Lane. Whose offensive line backpedaled all night in a trench beatdown? Lane Kiffin's. Whose defensive secondary failed to cover receivers in a collapse? Lane Kiffin's. Whose offense didn't score until the final two minutes of the first half? Lane Kiffin's. Whose team fell behind 24-7, stormed back with a third-quarter rally and then lost against the very school he left nine months ago? Lane Kiffin's. Amid a hate-charged, booze-fueled sea of the angriest dang Southern folk you'd ever see, the party who was rejected in this star-crossed relationship, the one left in pieces, the lover abandoned at the altar, the Ole Miss Rebels, exacted their revenge on the one who got (flew) away. In the most satisfying roast imaginable, the final joke landed with quite the punchline: Ole Miss 32, Lane 24. For the Oxford crowd, for those madder'n hell, as they might say here, for those angrier than heck, ticked off, p'ed off and just plain unhappy, this one felt good. More from Saturday: Texas A&M tumbled 14 spots to No. 23 after a stunning 31-21 home loss to unranked Kentucky … Florida climbed into the poll at No. 21 after a 44-39 road win over Auburn … Louisville jumped seven spots to No. 16 after a 41-31 win over SMU that featured seven lead changes … Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith became the Buckeyes' all-time receiving yards leader in their rout of Kent State … and more. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Premier Lacrosse League) 🇺🇸 Harrison, New Jersey The Philadelphia Waterdogs destroyed the Denver Outlaws, 14-4, on Sunday to win their second Premier Lacrosse League title. Second-year superstar CJ Kirst, named league MVP on Friday, also took home championship MVP honors after erupting for five goals and two assists. Tierney adds another: Bill Tierney retired from college coaching in 2023 after winning a Division I-record seven national titles at Princeton (6) and Denver (1). Now, three years into his tenure with the Waterdogs, the most decorated men's lacrosse coach of all time has added a professional title to his overflowing trophy case. Not the best day for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images) 🏴 Brighton, England Brighton's hot start continued with Saturday's 3-0 thrashing of Arsenal, which snapped the Gunners' nine-game Premier League winning streak and handed them their biggest loss in a league fixture since May 2023… when they fell 3-0 to Brighton. City on top: Brighton (10 points) are in third and Arsenal (12) are now in second while Manchester City, which beat Sunderland 5-3, are the only side with a perfect 15 points through five matches. And City superstar Erling Haaland's 81st-minute goal means he's now scored against all 25 Premier League clubs he's faced. (Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California Retired U.S. Marine Sean Sharaf stunned Gable Steveson on Saturday night at UFC 331, knocking out the Olympic gold medalist in just 12 seconds for the third-fastest finish in UFC heavyweight history. Giant, slayed: Steveson has been on the losing end of some shocking upsets lately, with this weekend's bout — where he was listed as high as a -1800 favorite — coming just 18 months after he was defeated by Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson in the 2025 NCAA wrestling championship. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, SEPT. 21 Aaron Donald before the Rams' playoff game in January 2024, the last time he played in an NFL game. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images) 🏈 Giants at Rams Week 2 ends tonight in Los Angeles (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN), where the surprisingly 0-1 Rams host the surprisingly 1-0 Giants, who seek their first 2-0 start since 2022. He's back: Aaron Donald is expected to make his season debut tonight, marking the three-time DPOY's first game since January 2024. And with fellow pass-rushing menace Myles Garrett (knee) missing at least the next four weeks, Donald's role on the Rams — and how he looks in his return from retirement — is of even greater importance. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Blue Jays at Orioles (6:35pm, ESPN+) … The final week of the regular season begins with two teams on the fringes of the AL Wild Card race, with Toronto (77-79) three games back of the final spot and Baltimore (75-81) five games back. 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Liberty (8pm, Peacock/NBCSN); Wings at Mercury (10pm, USA) … The battle for playoff seeding takes center stage with just four days left in the regular season. 🏀 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME The 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team. (Andrew D. Bernstein/ NBAE/ Getty Images) 35 years ago today, the first 10 players on the "Dream Team" roster were announced ahead of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Question: Who was the head coach of that team, pictured above? Hint: He coached the Pistons at the time. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 HOW?! MUSIC CITY MIRACLE 2.0 (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) Entering Saturday, college football teams were 1,046-1* in the past 20 seasons when they had the ball and the lead in the final 10 seconds. Now? Make that 1,046-2. The (new) Music City Miracle: NC State led Vanderbilt, 31-28, with six seconds left and the ball on their own 5-yard line when CJ Bailey scrambled into the end zone to take what would be a game-ending safety. Instead, he lost control of the ball and Vanderbilt recovered the fumble for a walk-off, 35-31 victory. Sports! *The other one? When Michigan's punter had "trouble with the snap" against Michigan State on Oct. 17, 2015, leading to a walk-off scoop-and-score by the Spartans and an all-time great meme. Trivia answer: Chuck Daly Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 22 Author Members Posted September 22 👋 Good morning! It's officially fall. Where has the year gone? In today's edition: Pete Crow-Armstrong's historic season, Rams crush Giants on "MNF," Mbappé moves On, NBA power rankings, Barcelona are a scoring machine, GeoSports, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ WAR-MONGER FORGET MVP. PCA IS CHASING HISTORY (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) Pete Crow-Armstrong wrapped up the NL MVP award weeks ago. Now, in the final week of the regular season, the Cubs centerfielder is looking to put the finishing touches on one of the greatest all-around campaigns in baseball history. Triple threat: PCA might not pitch like his onetime MVP competition Shohei Ohtani, but he does wield the best glove in the league in addition to his otherworldly combination of power and speed. At the plate he's batting .280 with an NL-best .949 OPS on the strength of 45 home runs. Yes, the speedy centerfielder is now tied with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead. He also leads the majors in runs (118) and extra-base hits (83), and ranks third in RBI (107). On the bases he's recorded 38 steals and been caught just seven times, making him the third player in MLB history with 45+ HR and 35+ SB in a season. In the field he leads all players in outs above average (26) and fielding run value (27). His 50% success rate (8 of 16) on 5-star catches (those with a Statcast probability of 0-25%) is also by far the best in the majors. Put another way: He's having the best offensive season of anyone outside of Yordan Alvarez, but while the Astros slugger spends almost all of his time at designated hitter, PCA has also been the single best fielder in baseball at any position. (Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Big picture: Add it all up, and Crow-Armstrong has amassed 10.4 wins above replacement at FanGraphs, making him just the seventh position player this century to post a 10-fWAR season. But as impressive as that is in a vacuum, it's in the comparison to his peers where it transcends to historic territory. At 10.4 fWAR, he leads second-place Ohtani (6.7) by 3.7, putting him on pace to become just the fourth player in MLB's Modern Era (since 1900) to finish at least 3 fWAR ahead of second place. Perhaps you've heard of the other three men to accomplish that feat: Babe Ruth (3x), Rogers Hornsby (2x) and Mickey Mantle. Adjusted for era, PCA's season has to be considered one of the greatest ever. And to think, we almost didn't get it. Midseason change: It's easy to forget now, but PCA had a terrible spring, batting .224 with 6 HR and a .676 OPS in 55 games from Opening Day through May 26. As the poor results kept coming and he drifted further away from the player who'd shown flashes of superstardom a year earlier, he and Chicago's coaching staff decided to drastically alter his stance. The changes, as laid out by WSJ's Jared Diamond ($), were three-fold: He stands closer to the plate and deeper in the box, his legs are a foot closer together, and he holds his hands at his chest with the bat pointing up rather than at shoulder-level with the bat parallel to the ground. Safe to say it worked. In 101 games since the changes began taking hold, he's hitting .307 with 39 home runs and a 1.079 OPS. The last word: "You're grateful to see things like this," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said last week after PCA's seventh multi-homer game of the season. "And you're grateful that the fans get to see a season like this, because they're going to talk about it. They're going to tell their kids about it. They're going to tell their grandkids about seasons like this." 🌍 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS Have a day, Davante. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California The Rams destroyed the Giants in their home opener, 28-6, behind huge games from Matthew Stafford (22/31, 327 yards, 4 TD) and Davante Adams (8 catches, 195 yards, 2 TD). New York, meanwhile, joined the injured QB club* as Jaxson Dart was knocked out in the first quarter with what appears to be a sprained MCL. Climbing the leaderboard: With 427 career passing touchdowns, Stafford passed Philip Rivers (425) for sixth-most in NFL history. He'll need to play at least another couple seasons to catch Brett Favre (508) in fifth, and may have a little more trouble catching Aaron Rodgers (528), Peyton Manning (539), Drew Brees (571) and Tom Brady (649). (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images) 🇫🇷 Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France Zinedine Zidane oversaw his first training session on Monday since becoming France's new head coach, with his first test coming in Friday's Nations League match against Turkey. The international break, which at 16 days is the longest ever, runs through Oct. 6. Why so long? This is the first such break under FIFA's new calendar, which has been reconfigured to limit travel and minimize disruptions to domestic club schedules. Instead of three short breaks in the fall and one in the spring, there are now two in the fall and one in the spring. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) 🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada Belgium's Remco Evenepoel dominated the field on Sunday for his record-tying fourth time trial world title, becoming the first cyclist to win the event four years in a row. That continues an excellent year that also saw the two-time Olympic champion finish second to Tadej Pogačar in the Tour de France. The secret to his success: At 5-foot-7, Evenepoel is smaller than most elite time trialists, but what he lacks in mass he makes up for with his uniquely compact riding position. "He can almost put his head into his trunk and into his arms, and he's still able to look forward," says Evenepoel's physio. "That's why they call him 'the bullet.'" *QB injury updates: Chicago's Caleb Williams (hamstring) "will likely miss some time" but avoided a serious injury and Washington's Jayden Daniels (dislocated elbow) will meet with specialists this week. On the flip side, Minnesota's Kyler Murray (concussion) and Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr. (ACL surgery recovery) will both start in Week 3. 👟 FAREWELL, SWOOSH MBAPPÉ MOVES ON Mbappe's On cleats were not yet ready for primetime in Sunday's Madrid Derby, where he wore whited-out Nikes instead. (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) In June, Kylian Mbappé featured centrally in Nike's "Rip the Script" World Cup short film, shortly before tearing through defenses in Nike boots throughout the tournament. Just three months later, his long-time relationship with the Swoosh has ended. Mbappé is moving On… or to On, in this case. Catch up: Swiss sportswear brand On announced on Friday that it's entering football alongside the French superstar. Mbappé will be a global ambassador for the brand, working closely with product teams in developing football footwear and apparel. What it means: This is perhaps the most ambitious extension of On's brand yet, as it tries to establish itself at the highest ranks of the world's most popular sport. However, the company has a track record in precisely this sort of endeavor, executed with a very similar playbook. History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes: The last time On shocked the sports world with a signing of this magnitude, the brand was a lesser-known commodity. Its prize in 2019? Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer, who invested in the company and supported its efforts to build a tennis business. On's efforts in tennis, anchored by Federer and aided by stars like Iga Świątek and Ben Shelton, demonstrate its ability to grow from a nonexistent presence to a major player at a sport's elite levels. With Mbappé in tow, it will try to make the same leap in football. 🏀 SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE NBA PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) With the NBA season tipping off in less than a month (Oct. 20), Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor has ranked every team's chances of winning the 2027 NBA Championship, while also surveying what's changed during the offseason, what's exciting and what's concerning for each team. ⚽️ SCORING MACHINES BARCELONA ARE UNSTOPPABLE (Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Barcelona have opened their 2026-27 campaign in another stratosphere, laying waste to the competition with a goal-scoring frenzy the likes of which haven't been seen in nearly a century. 36 goals for, 8 against: Barça are undefeated in eight matches entering the international break, scoring 31 goals across their first seven La Liga fixtures (second-most in league history behind Sevilla in 1940), and 36 if you include their Champions League opener (their most through eight matches since 1935). Barcelona 5, Elche 0 Barcelona 2, Athletic Club 0 Barcelona 5, Rayo Vallecano 2 Barcelona 5, Valenica 0 Barcelona 5, Feyenoord Rotterdam 1 Barcelona 4, Levante 2 Barcelona 7, Racing Santander 2 Barcelona 3, Sevilla 1 Dynamic duo: At the center of the carnage are Brazilian striker Raphinha and Spanish winger Lamine Yamal, who've combined for 22 goals and nine assists on the young season. Raphinha's 12 domestic goals lead La Liga by a wide margin, while his three assists are tied for second; Lamine's seven goals are tied for second, and his four assists are tied for first. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, SEPT. 22 (Ishika Samant/Getty Images) ⚾️ Rays at Yankees The AL East rivals begin their four-game series with a split doubleheader (1:05pm ET, ESPN+; 7:05pm, TBS), and though the division hasn't been decided yet, the race is all but over. The Rays (95-60) have a six-game lead over the Yankees (89-66), who therefore must sweep this series to have any shot of avoiding the wild card. Best of the rest: The wild-card bound Red Sox (84-72) host the Guardians (81-75), who hold a one-game lead in the AL Central (6:45pm); the White Sox (80-76), currently in the third wild card and chasing Cleveland for the division, visit the Royals (7:40pm); the Rangers (78-78) host the Mets (8:05pm) with a one-game lead in the AL West over the Astros (77-79), who visit the Mariners in the nightcap (9:40pm). ⚾️ WPBL Championship, Game 5 The Women's Professional Baseball League will crown its inaugural champion tonight (7pm, ESPN+) when the San Francisco Firebells — who've fought back from an 0-2 deficit — take on the Los Angeles Queens in a decisive Game 5. Players to watch: This series features arguably the two biggest names in women's baseball. The Firebells are led by No. 1 pick Kelsie Whitmore, a two-way player who hit a league-leading 11 HR this season while also starting six games on the mound; the Queens boast Mo'ne Davis, the trailblazing star of the 2014 Little League World Series. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Fever (8pm, ESPN); Sparks at Aces (10pm, ESPN) … Minnesota (32-10) clinches the No. 1 seed with a win. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Bayern Munich vs. Man City (12:45pm, CBSSN); Real Madrid vs. PSG (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of five games as the league phase kicks off. 🏒 NHL Preaseason: Panthers at Hurricanes (7pm, NHL); Golden Knights at Sharks (10pm, NHL) … T-minus one week until the regular season begins. 🌍 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography. Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 24 Author Members Posted September 24 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Exploring the efficacy of Guardian Caps, Queens capture WPBL title, the AL West is terrible, 2-0 vs. 0-2, MLB stadium name game, an exciting announcement, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Playoff seeds clinched: The Rays clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL and their first division title since 2021, while the Brewers clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the NL, guaranteeing them a bye into the NLDS. 🏈 Dart could be done: Giants QB Jaxson Dart could reportedly be out for the season after an MRI revealed that the knee injury he suffered Monday night was worse than expected. At a minimum, he'll miss "an extended period of time" as the G-Men turn to Jameis Winston. ⚾️ Judge out, Ohtani in: Aaron Judge (calf strain) is not expected to return in time for next week's Wild Card series. Shohei Ohtani, however, is set to be activated from the IL today, giving him five regular-season games to get his rhythm back before the playoffs. 🏆 Queens win inaugural title: The Los Angeles Queens captured the inaugural Women's Professional Baseball League championship, topping the San Francisco Firebells, 2-0, in Tuesday's decisive Game 5 behind a complete game shutout from No. 2 pick Ayami Sato. 🏀 Kawhi extended: Now that the trade from the Clippers is complete, the Raptors have wasted little time making sure Kawhi Leonard stays put, signing the seven-time All-Star to a two-year, $115 million extension, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season. 🏈 HEAD GEAR DO GUARDIAN CAPS ACTUALLY WORK? (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) As awareness around CTE has grown, so too has the prevalence of Guardian Caps. But the jury is still out on how much the cartoonishly bulky, foam-padded helmet coverings actually protect the players wearing them. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: For football players, the dangers of strapping on a helmet and stepping between the white lines have never been clearer. Scientists have demonstrated that the cumulative effect of repeated blows to the head is the most reliable predictor of what could cause someone to suffer from the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. At least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died from 2016-2021 had CTE, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal. And the prevalence of CTE among deceased former NFL players has only further ratcheted up the pressure on the league to show that it's proactively hunting for answers. Since 2022, the NFL has touted the innovation of a mom-and-pop duo as a potential solution. NFL officials have cited lab tests showing that the Guardian Cap cushions the impact of hits to the head by at least 9%. They also point to a roughly 50% reduction in concussions when players wear the extra layer of padding over their helmets during practices. Those figures are the NFL's rationale for requiring players to either wear a Guardian Cap during contact practices or one of the handful of helmet models that have performed best during safety tests. The league has also permitted the use of Guardian Caps during games since 2024, though only a few dozen players have risked social media ridicule by doing so. After enduring four concussions in his first three NFL seasons, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has begun wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet on game days. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Yes, but: Not all independent neurologists and neuroscientists support America's most powerful and visible sports league throwing its weight behind the Guardian Cap — especially while the evidence behind its benefits remains unsettled. Some expressed concern that Guardian Caps give athletes a false sense of security without meaningfully reducing the risk of CTE. Others cited a 2025 study involving the NFL's top medical official that poked holes in the league's claim associating Guardian Caps with a decrease in concussions. Providing further fuel for criticism is the fact that the Guardian Cap NXT model worn by NFL and Division I college players is not the same as the product marketed to the masses. The lighter-weight XT model, which sells for as much as $89.99, has less padding than the NXT and impact tests have shown that it may be less effective than the NXT at protecting the head. "The jury is out on whether the Guardian Cap is helping NFL players," said Chris Nowinski, co-founder of Boston University's CTE Center and one of the world's most renowned figures in brain injury research. "We have no reason to believe it's helping high school and college players." "We've created a sort of nightmare scenario where people strap these things on their kids' helmets and believe they're now safe from concussions and CTE. Nothing could be further from the truth." 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Texas outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Ezequiel Duran were unable to field this fly ball during Tuesday’s loss to the Mets. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) ⚾️ 78-79 Does anyone want to win the AL West? With five games left in the season, that remains unclear, as the Rangers and Astros are currently tied for first with matching 78-79 records. Whichever one ends up on top could become the worst division winner in MLB history, a title currently held by the 2005 Padres (82-80). Consider this: Neither team has been more than three games over .500 all season (Houston peaked at 6-3 in April; Texas peaked at 55-52 in July), and both would be tied for the ninth-best record in the NL right now. Instead, one of them will be hosting a playoff series next week. A face-off during Sunday's preseason game between the Avalanche and Mammoth. (Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) 🏒 84 games A friendly reminder: The NHL season begins in six days, and teams will play 84 games — up from 82 — in the league's first schedule expansion since 1992. Adopted in the new CBA, the change is designed to generate more revenue and create a more balanced divisional schedule. History lesson: This won't be the NHL's first 84-game season. The league expanded from 80 to 84 games in 1992-93, with each team playing two neutral-site contests to test potential expansion markets. That lasted only two years before the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, after which 82 games became the standard (with a few notable exceptions). The U.S. and International Teams pose for a photo on Tuesday in Chicago. (James Gilbert/PGA Tour via Getty Images) ⛳️ 13-1-1 The USA will be looking to bounce back from last year's disappointing Ryder Cup defeat this week at the Presidents Cup in Medinah, Illinois, and history suggests they've got a pretty good chance to do just that. Not only do they hold a commanding 13-1-1 advantage over the International Team in the biennial event, but they've also never lost on American soil. How it works: Like the Ryder Cup, it's 12-man teams in a match-play competition; unlike the Ryder Cup, it takes place over four days instead of three. There are five four-ball (best ball) matches on Thursday and five foursome (alternate shot) matches on Friday, then four more of each on Saturday followed by 12 singles matches on Sunday. With 30 points available (1 per match), the first team to 15.5 takes the Presidents Cup. 🏈 WINNERS AND LOSERS NFL SNAPSHOT: 2-0 vs. 0-2 (Yahoo Sports) Since the NFL season expanded to 17 games in 2021, 73% of teams that started 2-0 (30 of 41) ended up making the playoffs. Still perfect: The Bills, Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks and Vikings are all undefeated this season. Which of those eight teams should you doubt? (Yahoo Sports) On the flip side, just 20% of teams that started 0-2 (8 of 40) in the 17-game era ended up reaching the postseason. Still searching: The Buccaneers, Chargers, Colts, Commanders, Dolphins, Falcons, Texans and Titans are winless. Which of those eight teams should you still believe in? 🏟️ NAME GAME BORN ON (FIFTH) THIRD BASE (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) After 26 seasons as Comerica Park, the Tigers revealed this week that their home will be called Fifth Third Park starting in 2027. And the crowd went mild! What they're saying: Detroit native Jack White lamented the change to his 1.3 million Instagram followers. "From the brilliant creators of Ruths's Chris's's Steak House comes your new ballpark name," he wrote. "As far as I'm concerned, wherever the Detroit Tigers play I'm calling 'Tiger Stadium.' I don't have the patience or desire to comprehend what banks have to do with the baseball game I'm attending." Friendly Financial Park: Though many share White's sentiment, the names of banks and financial services companies have long adorned MLB ballparks. In fact, Fifth Third took its place in Detroit by acquiring incumbent Comerica. The league's financial ranks have grown, and though the shift isn't as pronounced as in the NFL, MLB stadiums have seen a similar migration away from unsponsored venues. Look on the bright side, Tigers fans: With a shoutout to the Céspedes Family BBQ team, "The Fraction" is a heck of a nickname for a ballpark. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 Cleveland (82-75) has won six straight. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) ⚾️ MLB on ESPN Tonight's doubleheader features two teams still fighting for a playoff spot, with the Guardians visiting the Red Sox in the first leg (7pm ET) and the Astros visiting the Mariners in the second (10pm). Best of the rest: The Rays and Yankees continue their four-game series in the Bronx (7:05pm, Prime), the Phillies host the Brewers in the City of Brotherly Love (6:40pm) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers host Robbie Ray and the Padres in the nightcap (10:10pm). More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Liberty (8pm, USA); Wings at Storm (10pm, USA) … Three playoff teams take the floor on the penultimate day of the regular season. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Barcelona vs. Paris FC (3pm, Paramount+) … One of four matches to round out Matchday 1 of the league phase. ⚾ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Matt Krohn/Getty Images) The Tigers announced Tuesday that Justin Verlander will make his 557th and final career start on Saturday, the second-most games started by any pitcher this century. Question: Who has the most starts, with 560? Hint: Retired in 2019. Answer at the bottom. 📣 NEW ADDITION WELCOME TO THE TEAM! Neil Paine has been one of my favorite writers for years, so I couldn't be more excited to welcome him to our already incredible team. He'll be joining us in a few weeks, and we're already cooking up some smart, data-driven stories — and brand-new sections! Check out Neil's Substack for a taste of what's to come. The dude is a genius — and soon he will be our genius. Trivia answer: CC Sabathia Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 27 Author Members Posted September 27 👋 Good morning! Picks are live for Week 4 of our College Football Challenge. Have you made yours yet? In today's edition: Americans seek redemption at Medinah, Rice joins exclusive club, hot mic reveals NFL rift, the blandardization of sports logos, "Thursday Night Football," and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Dart's out for the year: As feared, Giants QB Jaxson Dart will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the knee he injured on Monday night. His ACL is intact, but there's damage to the MCL, PCL and meniscus. ⚾️ Shuffling the schedule: The Cubs and Red Sox will end their regular season a day early to avoid a storm forecast to hit Massachusetts on Sunday. They'll now play a doubleheader on Friday, and Saturday night's game may move up to the afternoon. 🏀 Contract talks: Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks are reportedly very far apart on a contract extension ahead of training camp next week. Stephen Curry and the Warriors haven't reached an agreement either, though Curry says an extension "is going to happen," and that he wants "no drama" if he hasn't signed one by the time the season starts. 🏟️ Trump's busy weekend: On Saturday, President Donald Trump will attend the college football game between top-ranked Texas and No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville. And on Sunday, he'll head to Chicago for the final day of the Presidents Cup. 🏈 UFL relocation and expansion: The UFL's teams in Houston and Birmingham are moving next season to Pawtucket (Rhode Island) and Colorado Springs, where they'll play in smaller, soccer-specific stadiums. The league also still plans to expand in 2028, with Utah and Oklahoma getting the 9th and 10th franchises. ⛳️ PRESIDENTS CUP SEEKING REDEMPTION AT MEDINAH Can Brandt Snedeker lead the Americans to victory at Medinah? (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Medinah Country Club was the site of one of the biggest Ryder Cup collapses of all time. This week at the Presidents Cup, the Americans seek redemption at the same (albeit unrecognizable) course where they suffered that heartbreaking defeat more than a decade ago. The Miracle at Medinah: The 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team, led by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, took a 5-3 lead on Friday and extended it to 10-6 on Saturday. Entering Sunday's singles, they needed just 4.5 points from 12 matches to take the Cup. They didn't get them. Europe came out hot, winning five of the first six matches, and ultimately took 8.5 of 12 points for a narrow 14.5-13.5 victory. The Miracle at Medinah, as it came to be known, tied the biggest final-day comeback in Ryder Cup history, and represented one of just three times the Europeans won on American soil this century (2004, 2025). Personal redemption: While none of the players on this year's USA roster were involved in that collapse, captain Brandt Snedeker and three of his four assistants — Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson — were. All four lost their singles matches that year, and all four would love nothing more than to flush those demons this week. Furyk (left) and Simpson (middle) watch with Mickelson and Bubba Watson as their 2012 Ryder Cup goes up in flames. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) A new Medinah: The No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club — now the first ever to host a Presidents Cup (2026), Ryder Cup (2012), U.S. Open (1949, 1975, 1990) and PGA Championship (1999, 2006) — underwent a major transformation in 2024 that has essentially turned it into an entirely new golf course. Architects recreated the property to more closely resemble how it looked in 1928 when Tom Bendelow's design opened. They cleared trees, expanded and shifted fairways and greens, reshuffled the routing, added bunkers and introduced a series of new holes. And in a very interesting wrinkle, it was none other than International captain Geoff Ogilvy who engineered the redesign. Can his intimate knowledge of the course help his side take down a stacked American squad seeking its 11th straight Presidents Cup victory? Meet the teams: The U.S. is heavily favored on paper, boasting eight of the world's top 11 players, a combined 12 major titles and 91 PGA Tour wins, including 16 this year alone. The International team, by comparison, has "just" three majors and 49 total wins. 🇺🇸 USA: Scottie Scheffler (world No. 1), Cameron Young (3), Wyndham Clark (5), Russell Henley (6), Chris Gotterup (7), Sam Burns (8), Xander Schauffele (10), Collin Morikawa (11), Jacob Bridgeman (20), Justin Thomas (25), Patrick Cantlay (28), Jackson Koivun (57) 🌎 International: Si Woo Kim (14), Ryan Fox (22), Hideki Matsuyama (27), Min Woo Lee (30), Tom Kim (31), Adam Scott (45), Corey Conners (55), Sungjae Im (60), Nico Echavarria (61), Ryo Hisatsune (67), Nick Taylor (85), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (104) 🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 New York, New York Ben Rice homered twice in Wednesday's win over the Rays to reach 41 on the year. That not only put him in a four-way tie for the AL lead (Pete Alonso, Junior Caminero, Yordan Alvarez), it also made him just the second Yankees draft pick ever to hit 40 home runs in a season. The other, of course, is Aaron Judge, who's done so four times. Players pose at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup) 🏴 London, England The 9th Laver Cup is this weekend in London, where Team Europe and Team World will square off in the three-day event. Europe (captained by Yannick Noah) features Germany's Alexander Zverev (world No. 2), Spain's Carlos Alcaraz (3), Italy's Flavio Cobolli (7), Spain's Rafael Jódar (14), Czechia's Jakub Menšik (15) and Norway's Casper Ruud (17). The World (Andre Agassi) features Australia's Alex de Minaur (9), USA's Taylor Fritz (10), Learner Tien (13) and Brandon Nakashima (16), Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik (21) and Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo (22). Mechanics work on the FIA Safety Car ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. (Bryn Lennon/Formula 1 via Getty Images) 🇦🇿 Baku, Azerbaijan Safety first. 🏈 CAUGHT ON CAMERA HOT MIC REVEALS SEAHAWKS, BRONCOS RIFT Mike Macdonald and Sean Payton following the 2024 season opener between the Seahawks and Broncos. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images) NFL training camp has a modern vulnerability: Open practices put thousands of fans with cameras just feet away from plays that opposing teams would love to see. A viral anecdote from Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald shows how easily those clips can become scouting material — and why tighter filming restrictions may follow. ICYMI: In a clip from his recent interview with journalist Graham Bensinger, Macdonald revealed that Seattle used fan-posted videos of Broncos training camp to prepare for their 2024 opener, which the Seahawks won in his head-coaching debut. When Denver coach Sean Payton later learned of the fan-sourced film study, things got ugly. "Fans will post plays from training camp on Twitter. So it's like public knowledge. And so we took like 100 plays from their training camp, we're scouting them … He [Payton] got wind of it [in the middle of the season], and he lost it." "He called [Seahawks GM John Schneider] and basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot Spygate type of thing. I'm sitting there like, 'Oh my god, we didn't cheat!' He thought it was a whole Michigan thing where we had a plant. So, we had to counter with him and say, 'Hey, look, if you come out with this, we're going to sue you because it's not true.' … He backed down, but he was killing John." The fallout: Macdonald didn't appear to realize he was being recorded while telling the story, and confirmed as much on Wednesday, saying it was "something I didn't intend for public use." The clip's publication has prompted debate about journalistic ethics, while the story itself has raised questions about the ground rules for training camp, where fan access and competitive secrecy collide. Some teams already restrict filming; this episode could push other teams to follow. Looking ahead: The Seahawks and Broncos meet again on Oct. 15 in Denver. This should add a little extra sizzle to an already compelling "Thursday Night Football" matchup. ™️ NEW LOGO THE GREAT SPORTS BRAND BLANDARDIZATION (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) McLaren unveiled its new logo on Tuesday and the internet masses reacted with characteristic fury, rejecting what they viewed as a loss of personality. But McLaren is merely the latest brand in sports to tone things down. Go back to go forward: McLaren's change wasn't without meaning, borrowing from the sign that hung above Bruce McLaren's parents' service station long before Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri raced for championships. Boom, roasted: That didn't stop critics from listing the various nondescript, non-racing categories the logo could represent — fragrances were a popular choice. Perhaps the most cutting critique: It's giving Marriott Bonvoy. Harsh, but not altogether unfounded. Personality non grata: Heritage aside, it's hard to argue that the McLaren logo, previously shaped like an F1 car, hasn't lost character. The reaction reflects a broader trend across sports and corporate branding, where logos are shedding personality for more homogeneous, often minimalist designs that work well across digital interfaces. The tech industry's earlier minimal shift, in which companies adopted the aspirational, premium aesthetic seen in luxury and fashion, has driven other industries to follow them in the pursuit of modernity. Research has also shown that simpler logos reduce cognitive load, producing quicker recall and a stronger emotional connection. Sports fans, however, would be quick to throw a challenge flag on the latter point. Why the fuss? Rebrands often land with a thud in sports because fans don't see teams as tech platforms in need of modernization. They embrace brand quirks for the fond memories they evoke and interpret their removal as a statement that what they loved is actually somehow "bad." Add in the belief that any refresh is commercially motivated, and backlash ensues. This is an excerpt from Wednesday's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, SEPT. 24 Lambeau Field. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images) 🏈 Falcons at Packers The Packers open Lambeau Field tonight against the Falcons (8:15pm ET, Prime), who look like one of the worst teams in the league thanks in large part to a questionable quarterback plan that has become a four-alarm fire. How bad is it? With third- and fourth-string QBs Cooper Rush and Jack Strand taking all the snaps so far, the Falcons became the fourth team since 1978 to have zero drives enter the red zone through two games. Can Michael Penix Jr. right the ship tonight in his first game back since tearing his ACL last November? ⛳️ The 16th Presidents Cup The biennial golf competition tees off today (12:30pm, Golf) at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, where Brandt Snedeker's Americans take on Geoff Ogilvy's non-European internationals in the Ryder Cup-style match-play competition. Today's format: All five matches, worth one point each, will use the four-ball format. Also known as best ball, this is where two players from each team square off while each hitting their own ball. Lowest score wins the hole, most holes won takes the match. Here are the pairings and tee times. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Fever at Lynx (8pm, USA); Aces at Mercury (10pm, USA) … The final day of the regular season, with only seeding left to be determined. ⚾️ MLB: White Sox at Royals (2:10pm, MLB.TV); Mets at Rangers (2:35pm); Guardians at Red Sox (6:45pm); Astros at Athletics (9:40pm) … The AL Central and AL West races remain incredibly close. 🎬 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Joy Malone/Getty Images) Jalen Brunson will host the Season 52 premiere of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, becoming just the fifth NBA player ever to host the show. Question: Can you name the other four? Hint: One center, two forwards, one guard. Answer at the bottom. 🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: The first practice session took place while you were sleeping, but the remaining two (Thu. 8am ET; Fri. 4:30am), as well as tomorrow's qualifying (8am), will air for free on Yahoo Sports. Then Saturday's race will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Trivia answer: Bill Russell (hosted in 1979), Michael Jordan (1991), Charles Barkley (1993, 2010, 2012, 2018) and LeBron James (2007) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 27 Author Members Posted September 27 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. Keep it 100: For the first time in franchise history, the Brewers have won 100 games, and for the second year in a row, they've clinched the No. 1 overall seed. In today's edition: MLB regular-season finale, Falcons rout Packers on "TNF," PCA joins 40/40 club, "Behind the Lens," the WNBA playoffs are here, college football's stacked slate, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ 40/40: Pete Crow-Armstrong swiped his 40th base in the Cubs' playoff-clinching win on Thursday, becoming the seventh player in MLB history with 40 HR and 40 SB in a season. The other six: José Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) and Shohei Ohtani (2024). 🏈 Falcons 35, Packers 14: Atlanta, which entered Thursday's game 0-2 with just 16 points scored, absolutely hammered Green Bay in Michael Penix Jr.'s season debut behind monster games from Bijan Robinson (213 total yards, 2 TD) and Drake London (9 catches, 194 yards). ⚾️ Spence goes off: Astros rookie Lucas Spence hit the first three home runs of his career in Thursday's win over the A's, becoming the third player in MLB history to hit his first three homers in the same game, and the second this season alone (Cardinals LF Joshua Báez). 🥊 Fight of the year: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, British heavyweight champions who've been flirting with a bout for nearly a decade, will finally enter the ring together on Dec. 11 in Wales for one of the most highly anticipated fights in years. 🍿 "Madden" trailer: The first trailer for "Madden," the upcoming biopic starring Nicolas Cage as John Madden and Christian Bale as Al Davis, was released on Thursday. The film, directed by David O. Russell ("American Hustle," "The Fighter"), comes out on Nov. 11. ⚾️ SEASON FINALE BIG NUMBERS: MLB EDITION The Cubs were one of five teams to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday. (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) There are just three days left in the MLB regular season, but there's lots to play for with seeding and playoff spots still up for grabs, and plenty of individual milestones within reach. Here's some of what we'll be watching for over the weekend. 2 spots left After Thursday's clinching bonanza, when the Cubs, White Sox, Guardians and Padres all secured a trip to the playoffs, just two postseason spots remain unclaimed: the AL West champion and one NL Wild Card. AL West: Somehow, either the Rangers (79-80) or Astros (79-80) will not only make the postseason, but host a series. Whichever one does is guaranteed, at best, to tie the 2005 Padres (82-80) as the worst division winner in MLB history. NL Wild Card: The Phillies (87-72) are in pole position to finish the job, but the Diamondbacks (85-74, 2GB) are still alive thanks to an incredibly timely five-game winning streak. Can the Snakes complete the comeback? Wild stat: This is just the third non-shortened season ever in which the Cubs and White Sox both made the playoffs. In 1906 they met in the World Series (White Sox won), and in 2008 neither won a series. How will they fare in 2026? (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) 110 RBIs Pete Alonso has 41 home runs and an AL-best 110 RBIs in his first season with the Orioles. If that last part holds (Yordan Alvarez is second, with 102), he'll become the first player in MLB history to lead both leagues in RBIs after first doing so with the Mets in 2022. Generational slugger: Alonso — whose 822 RBIs lead MLB by a wide margin since his 2019 debut — has never hit fewer than 34 homers in a non-shortened season, and he's now gone yard 305 times in his career. That's the third-most ever in a player's first eight seasons, trailing only Ralph Kiner (329) and Albert Pujols (319). (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) .315/41/102 Speaking of Yordan Alvarez, the Astros DH is firmly on Triple Crown watch. He leads the AL with a .315 batting average (Rays LF Chandler Simpson is second, at .308), is tied for first with 41 HR, and is second to Alonso in RBIs (110 to 102). Rare feat: If the big lefty can pull it off, he'll join Miguel Cabrera (2012) as the only players to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Even before Yaz, the club wasn't all that big, with just eight additional players winning the Triple Crown since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920. Max and Justin with the Tigers in 2013. (Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) 3,554 to 3,550 Justin Verlander, sitting on 3,554 strikeouts (8th-most all-time), will make the final start of his legendary career tomorrow for the Tigers. Max Scherzer, just behind him with 3,550 strikeouts, has lobbied to pitch on short rest on Sunday for the Blue Jays in what may very well end up being the final start of his career, too. Reading the tea leaves: Scherzer, 42, has not announced his retirement, but he has a 6.14 ERA and said on Wednesday that he'll "probably say something here in the next couple of days" about his future. It sure sounds like he wants one more start at home, and the chance to catch Verlander on the strikeout leaderboard, before ending his own Hall of Fame career. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) 223 strikeouts White Sox SS Colson Montgomery has struck out 223 times this year, tying Mark Reynolds' MLB record from 2009 for the most in a season. The young slugger, who also has 31 homers and 87 RBIs, will almost certainly break that unwanted record this weekend. Another name to watch in this space? Kyle Schwarber, who's just a few strikeouts behind (218). Three true outcomes: Both of those players are perfect examples of MLB's "three true outcomes." 53% of Schwarber's plate appearances this season have ended in a strikeout, walk or home run, while 49% of Montgomery's have. Those both rank in the top five among qualified hitters, alongside White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami (59%), Nationals RF James Wood (50%) and Mariners C Cal Raleigh (49%). 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Tim Warner/Getty Images) Each week, Yahoo Sports AM goes "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to share the stories behind the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: Ja'Marr Chase makes a sensational grab for a 32-yard touchdown in the Bengals' Week 2 win over the Texans. Photographer: Tim Warner Location: Houston, Texas Date: Sept. 20 Behind the lens: Take it away, Tim… A strong football photo needs peak action and a sense of place. This one has both: two All-Pro players, a toe-tap touchdown, and the pylon and sideline in the frame. Being ready to capture a photo like this is my job, but getting in position to do so took a little extra legwork. Once the ball crosses midfield I like to set up in the back corner of the end zone and follow the play with a long lens, knowing that if it comes to me, I'll switch to the shorter lens. That corner — about eight feet from the back of the end zone — is my favorite spot because the sideline and pylon help tell the story. When the Bengals started moving the ball on this drive, I was nowhere near that spot, and had to get to the other end of the field quickly. The television camera cart that tracks the play behind the benches was blocking the photographers, so I sprinted to the end zone and grabbed my favorite corner just as the play unfolded. The hard part was simply getting there in time with the TV cart in the way. I had no idea I was about to capture the day's most viral catch, though knowing the team does help you anticipate certain routes and tendencies. Sometimes you see it coming. Sometimes you just get blessed with the athleticism of the players in front of your lens. Equipment and technique: Tim shot this with a Canon EOS R1 and a Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z lens. He used a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, with settings of f/2.8 and ISO 2500. 🏀 WNBA HERE COME THE PLAYOFFS (Yahoo Sports) The WNBA playoff matchups are set after Thursday's regular-season finale, with all four first-round series beginning on Sunday. No. 1 Lynx vs. No. 8 Liberty: Not all 1 vs. 8 matchups are created equal, and this one — a rematch of the 2024 Finals, won by New York — could be tougher than expected for Minnesota. No. 2 Valkyries vs. No. 7 Wings: Golden State's league-best defense (75.1 ppg) will be tasked with stopping Paige Bueckers and breakout veteran Jessica Shepard, who had a league-leading six triple-doubles this season. No. 3 Aces vs. No. 6 Fever: Vegas' journey to defending its title starts against Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and the highest-scoring offense in WNBA history (96.0 ppg). No. 4 Dream vs. No. 5 Mystics: Angel Reese's first playoff series comes against a red-hot Washington team that has won four straight and 16 of their last 20. Format: The first round is a best-of-three series in which the higher seed hosts Game 1 and, if necessary, Game 3. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 College Football Saturday For the first time in three years, there will be six games between ranked teams on the same day: No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee (12pm ET, ABC); No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida (3:30pm, ABC); No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan (3:30pm, CBS); No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU (7:30pm, ABC); No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC (7:30pm, NBC); No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State (7:45pm, SEC). Rare dogs: No. 4 Ole Miss is currently a 3.5-point underdog at No. 21 Florida. If that line holds, it will mark just the fifth time since 1978 that a top-five team was an underdog against a team outside the Top 20. The kicker? The previous four such teams went 0-4 both straight up and against the spread. 🏈 NFL Sunday The Week 3 headliner is being played in Brazil, where the Cowboys and Ravens will take the pitch at Rio de Janeiro's legendary Maracaña Stadium (4:25pm, CBS) despite concerns over the condition of the field. Best of the rest: The undefeated Bills host the winless Chargers (1pm, Fox), Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars host Drake Maye and the Patriots (1pm, CBS), the high-scoring Saints host the surprisingly 2-0 Raiders (4:25pm, CBS) and the Broncos host the Rams on "Sunday Night Football" (8:20pm, NBC). ⚾️ MLB Finale Whether your team has already booked a spot in the playoffs, will be fighting for one all weekend or has long since begun looking ahead to the offseason, this is your last chance to watch regular season baseball until at least next spring. Don't take it for granted. Series to watch: No matchup this weekend will have a greater impact than the one in San Diego, where the Padres host the Diamondbacks with the NL Wild Card on the line. Plus: the Phillies, also seeking the wild card, host the Rays, while the Rangers (at Twins) and Astros (at A's) battle for the AL West crown. ⛳️ 16th Presidents Cup Play continues this weekend at Medinah Country Club (Fri-Sun, Golf/NBC) after an opening day that saw the Americans eke out a narrow 3-2 lead over the International team. Reminder: 25 points are still up for grabs, and the first to 15.5 wins. Friday pairings: Today's schedule features five foursome matches (alternate shot), starting with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns vs. Corey Conners and Nick Taylor (2:05pm). That's followed by Russell Henley/Jacob Bridgeman vs. Sungjae Im/Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa/Wyndham Clark vs. Ryan Fox/Min Woo Lee, Justin Thomas/Cameron Young vs. Adam Scott/Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele vs. Tom Kim/Si Woo Kim. 🎾 9th Laver Cup Big weekend for Cups! This one, between Team Europe and Team World, is being held at London's O2 Arena (Fri-Sun, Tennis), where 12 of the world's 22 best men's tennis players square off in the ninth edition of the annual competition. Format: There are four matches each day, with those on Friday worth one point each (3 singles, 1 doubles), those on Saturday worth two points each (3 singles, 1 doubles) and those on Sunday worth three points each (2 singles, 2 doubles). First team to 13 points wins. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA Playoffs: Game 1 … All four best-of-three series begin on Sunday, but the schedule hasn't been set as of Friday morning. ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Peru (Sat. 4:30pm, TNT) … Orlando hosts the Americans' first of four games during the international break. 🎾 Billie Jean King Cup: Finals (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Spain vs. Czechia on Friday and Ukraine vs. Italy on Saturday. Winners meet in Sunday's final. 🏒 NHL Preseason: Stars at Wild (Fri. 8pm, TNT); Penguins at Sabres (Sat. 3pm, NHL); Blues at Blackhawks (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Sharks at Golden Knights (Sat. 10pm, NHL) … Final slate of preseason games before the season begins on Tuesday. 🏎️ F1: Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Sat. 7am, Apple) … Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli seeks a third straight victory to extend his lead atop F1. 🏁 NASCAR: Kansas Speedway (Sun. 3pm, USA) … Kyle Larson leads The Chase entering the fourth of 10 races. Plus: ⚽️ MLS Week 28 (Sat-Sun, Apple); ⚽️ NWSL Week 23 (Fri-Sun, Prime, ESPN, CBS); 🚴 Cycling World Championships (Sat-Sun, FloBikes); ⛳️ LPGA NW Arkansas Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Jori Epstein: After Jaxson Dart helped seal Giants recruitment of John Harbaugh, coach now faces bleak debut season Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart will undergo season-ending surgery to repair damage to his meniscus, MCL and PCL. His ACL is intact. Head coach John Harbaugh, whose appreciation for Dart strongly swayed his decision to join the Giants in January, is left to pick up the pieces of an offense now in the hands of Jameis Winston. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) 🥊 Elliot Worsell: Why don't fighters want to fight anymore? Of the 10 boxers who comprise Uncrowned's latest pound-for-pound rankings, only Jai Opetaia, the WBA "regular" cruiserweight champion, has so far boxed more than once in 2026, and only David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol look set to box again before the year is out. That might be a cause for alarm if it wasn't now the norm. (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) 🏀 Kevin O'Connor: Must-watch Wizards? Trae Young, Anthony Davis, AJ Dybantsa and the NBA's weirdest group project The Wizards spent the past few years trying to lose. Now they're trying to win and develop players at the same time. Half the roster is young, the other half is old. But all of them are trying to figure out who they are. Welcome to the NBA's weirdest group project. 🔍 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in MLB logo? Hint: The logo depicts a city landmark. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 WHO YA GOT? MAKE YOUR PICKS! College Football Challenge is back for Week 4! Over 3,500 of you are in our group, and there's been some movement at the top with a trio of newcomers taking the lead over yours truly. But it's a crowded leaderboard with the top 50 separated by just two correct picks. How it works: As a reminder, you'll make 10 picks against the spread each week from Saturday's best matchups. Among your choices this week: No. 1 Texas (-5.5) at No. 14 Tennessee No. 17 Iowa (+5.5) at No. 18 Michigan No. 4 Ole Miss (+3.5) at No. 21 Florida No. 23 Texas A&M (+9.5) at No. 10 LSU No. 20 Oregon (-2.5) at No. 12 USC Logo reveal: Philadelphia Phillies Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 29 Author Members Posted September 29 👋 Good morning! Welcome back, friends. Bend it like Leo: Please watch this absolutely ridiculous free kick scored by Lionel Messi on Sunday night against Columbus. The two-time reigning MLS MVP has a league-leading 21 goals in 24 games. In today's edition: A historic NFL Sunday, the MLB playoffs are set, Liberty upset Lynx, the Gators are back, USA wins Presidents Cup, Europe wins Laver Cup, Justin's final mound visit, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 WNBA playoffs begin: The Liberty upset the Lynx, 91-75, to push the No. 1 seed to the brink of elimination as all four best-of-three series tipped off on Sunday. Elsewhere: The No. 2 Valkyries (over Wings), No. 3 Aces (over Fever) and No. 4 Dream (over Mystics) all cruised to victory. ⚾️ Captain Christian: The Brewers have named Christian Yelich the first official captain in franchise history, making him just the third active MLB player to hold that rare honor. The others? Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Salvador Perez (Royals). 🏀 Dubs extend Curry: Stephen Curry has agreed to a two-year, $116 million extension with the Warriors that will keep him in Golden State through his 20th season, a milestone only 12 other players in NBA history have ever reached. ⚽️ City found guilty: Manchester City were found guilty on 114 of 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. Sanctions have not yet been decided, but could include fines, points deductions (today or retroactively), and even expulsion from the league. 🏈 Saturday suspensions: South Carolina suspended star edge rusher Dylan Stewart indefinitely after the projected first-round pick threw a punch at an Alabama player; USC suspended LB Desman Stephens II one game for the hit (and subsequent poor sportsmanship) that left Oregon QB Dante Moore concussed. 🏈 FRANTIC FINISHES SUNDAY FUNDAY: A FOOTBALL FEVER DREAM (Wagner Meier/Getty Images) "NFL RedZone" was invented for days like Sunday, which featured 12 one-score games (the most ever in a single day) and a healthy dose of frantic finishes. But even on a day as exciting as that, two games stood above the rest. Bedlam in Brazil: The Ravens beat the Cowboys, 34-31, in Rio de Janeiro on Tyler Loop's walk-off 56-yard field goal… which came just seven seconds after Brandon Aubrey's own game-tying kick. There have been nearly 15,000 NFL games played in the Super Bowl era, and this was the first in which both teams kicked a field goal in the last 10 seconds of the fourth quarter. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) Mile High Madness: The Broncos hung on to beat the Rams, 30-26, in an epic edition of "Sunday Night Football" that featured 739 yards of offense, three lead changes in the final five minutes and a questionable pass interference call that extended Denver's game-winning drive. After entering the season with historically high expectations, the Rams are now 1-2. More bangers: Sunday's other one-score games included the Commanders stunning the defending champs, Deshaun Watson leading an unlikely comeback in Cleveland, the Colts snapping a nine-game losing skid, Brock Purdy lifting the hobbled Niners to victory and the Raiders (3-0) matching their win total from last season (3-14). Commanders 33, Seahawks 31 Colts 19, Texans 17 Browns 21, Panthers 18 Steelers 30, Bengals 27 Giants 12, Titans 7 49ers 36, Cardinals 30 Lions 31, Jets 24 Vikings 23, Buccaneers 16 Bills 24, Chargers 16* Raiders 35, Saints 27 Not so close: They can't all be nail-biters. In Sunday's other two games, the Jaguars destroyed the Patriots, 35-6, as Drake Maye's disastrous season continued, while the Chiefs beat the rebuilding Dolphins, 24-10, to stay perfect. Week 3 recap: Winners and losers *Wild stat: The Chargers fell to 0-3 despite posting a +4 turnover margin against Josh Allen and the Bills, marking just the fifth time since 2015 that a team lost a game with a turnover margin that large. The worst part? The Chargers are three of those five teams. ⚾️ PLAYOFF BASEBALL BRING ON THE POSTSEASON (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Six months and 162 games later, the MLB regular season has finally come to a close — and two teams needed every one of those games to book their spot in the postseason. Down to the wire: The Astros and Phillies snuck into the dance by the narrowest of margins on Sunday with playoff-clinching wins. Houston (81-81) won the AL West for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons, but in so doing became the first division champion in MLB history to finish without a winning record. Philadelphia (88-74) avoided disaster with a victory on Sunday, snapping a four-game losing streak in which they were outscored 23-3. It wasn't pretty, but any way you slice it they're back in the playoffs for the fifth straight year. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) The matchups are set: While the Brewers, Dodgers, Rays and Guardians earned byes to the Division Series, the remaining eight teams begin the best-of-three Wild Card Round tomorrow, with the higher seeds hosting all three games. No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 White Sox: The worst division winner ever takes on the first team ever to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons. Chicago's record from 2023-25 before going 84-78 this year? 162-324 (.333). No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox: Incredibly, this will be just the seventh time these rivals have met in the playoffs. The last time was last year in this same round, when New York advanced thanks to Cam Schlittler's legendary Game 3 performance. No. 3 Braves vs. No. 6 Phillies: Atlanta dominated the season series, 9-4, and waltzed to the division title. But Philly has never lost a playoff series to its NL East foe, going 3-0 with wins in the 1993 NLCS, 2022 NLDS and 2023 NLDS. No. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 Cubs: San Diego enters the postseason on a tear, having won 17 of its last 20 games. But they'll have their hands full against baseball's highest-scoring team, led by the potentially unanimous NL MVP. Wild Card preview: Predictions, X-factors and more for every series *Well, for most teams: Sunday's Yankees-Orioles game, which had no bearing on seeding, was canceled due to the nor'easter that hit the East Coast this weekend, leaving both teams at 161 games played. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Make that 11 straight Presidents Cup victories for the Americans. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Medinah, Illinois For three days at the Presidents Cup, it looked as if the USA might have a repeat of the Ryder Cup on its hands, trailing the International team 10.5-7.5 entering Sunday. Instead, the Americans rallied for a dramatic comeback with a dominant showing in singles, winning 17-13 to capture their 11th straight edition of the biennial event. Classy move: Scottie Scheffler turned an ugly moment into a classy one after an obnoxious spectator yelled "Go Scottie!" during his opponent Nico Echavarria's backswing on the 14th tee box. "There's no place for that," barked Scheffler, who then conceded a 32-foot par putt to Echavarria to tie the hole. Team Europe captain Yannick Noah celebrates with his team. (James Fearn/Getty Images for Laver Cup) 🏴 London, England Team Europe crushed Team World, 13-5, over the weekend to reclaim the Laver Cup and notch their sixth win in nine editions of the annual men's team tennis event. US Open and French Open champion Alexander Zverev defeated American Learner Tien on Sunday to clinch the deciding points. Meanwhile, in China: Czechia beat Ukraine to win the Billie Jean King Cup, marking the 12th time they've won the "World Cup" of women's tennis. The only nation with more titles? The United States, with 18. Youth movement. (Alex Menendez/USSF/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Orlando, Florida The USMNT opened the international break with a 4-1 victory over Peru in a match that saw 11 Americans make their senior team debuts. That included eight teenagers, none younger than 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan. The future is now: "Mauricio Pochettino is overseeing a four-year project, culminating with the 2030 World Cup," writes Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff. "Many of the players introduced Saturday seem on the right path toward contributing to the program, which is still seeking a breakthrough moment on the global scene. Perhaps the answer lies with the kids." Photo finish. (Andrej Isakovic/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) 🇦🇿 Baku, Azerbaijan Mercedes' George Russell led from start to finish at Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, barely holding off Red Bull's Max Verstappen to claim his third victory of the season by just 0.196 seconds — the 11th-closest finish in Formula 1 history. Alone at the top: With eight races left, Mercedes (538 points) is running away with the Constructors' Championship, leading second-place Ferrari (378) by 160 points. That's on the strength of first-place Kimi Antonelli (302) and second-place Russell (236), who've combined for 11 wins and nine additional podiums through 15 races. 🐊 GATOR NATION WELCOME BACK, FLORIDA (Dustin Markland/Getty Images) After Florida's 52-28 rout of then-No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday, first-year head coach Jon Sumrall quipped to reporters that "We have not arrived." Sorry, Jon, but yes you have. Welcome back: The Gators are 4-0 for the first time since 2019, and their victory over the Rebels vaulted them 13 spots to No. 8 in this week's AP poll, marking their first time back in the top 10 in five years. Florida's early success has been powered by an offense that's averaging 53.5 points per game, second-most in the nation. They've scored 50+ in three of their first four games for the first time since 1996, when they won their inaugural national championship. That high-octane offense has been paced by junior running back Jadan Baugh, who's rushed for 600 yards and 11 touchdowns to shatter Tim Tebow's school record for fastest to 10 rushing TDs in a season (7 games in 2007). All he does is win: In Sumrall's first two coaching gigs — at Troy (2022-23) and Tulane (2024-25) — his teams played for at least the conference title every season. There's a ways to go this fall, but Florida has already matched its entire win total from last year (4-8) just a month into his tenure in Gainesville. Well played, coach. (Yahoo Sports) Zoom out: A major narrative entering this season was the Big Ten's streak of three straight national championships, and whether it had supplanted the SEC as the top conference. Through four weeks, the SEC has pretty convincingly shut down that notion, boasting nearly twice as many teams in the top 25 (10) as the Big Ten (6). Two of the four teams that dropped out of the poll this week hail from the Big Ten, with none falling further than Penn State, which tumbled all the way from No. 13 after Saturday's stunning 24-20 upset loss at home to Wisconsin. The fourth-quarter collapse was brutal for the Nittany Lions faithful, but I know at least one fan in Happy Valley who enjoyed himself… What a shot! (University of Wisconsin) Week 4 recap: Winners and losers 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, SEPT. 28 Soldier Field. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) 🏈 Eagles at Bears Chicago hosts Philadelphia tonight (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN) at Soldier Field after learning that QB Caleb Williams could be sidelined for up to a month with a Grade 2 hamstring injury. In his place, 11-year veteran Case Keenum is expected to get his first NFL start since 2023. The calm before the storm: There isn't much else on the calendar today, but that changes in a big way starting tomorrow with NHL Opening Night and the MLB and WNBA playoffs. Get ready to lock in! Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏈 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Jay LaPrete/AP Photo) After another huge game (12 catches, 217 yards, 4 TD), Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith is making the case to be the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft. Question: Who was the last wide receiver to go No. 1 overall? Hint: 1996. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ END OF AN ERA FAREWELL, JUSTIN (Duane Burleson/Getty Images) Justin Verlander pitched the final game of his Hall of Fame career on Saturday, striking out six across 5.1 innings before an emotional farewell highlighted by a hug from his 7-year-old daughter, Genevieve. I defy you not to get choked up watching this. "I gave everything for this," Verlander said through tears while talking about his daughter. "I left home, she's in school, and I wasn't there. There's a level of commitment it takes to be great at something. ... I'm just so happy that I get the opportunity now to make up for lost time." Meanwhile, in Toronto: Max Scherzer emptied the tank on Sunday with 114 pitches across seven innings, striking out seven and allowing just one run in what might have been the final outing of his career, too. In typical Mad Max fashion, he snarled at his manager when he considered taking him out of the game in the sixth. Trivia answer: Keyshawn Johnson, USC (selected by the Jets) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30 Author Members Posted September 30 SpaceX Starship goes orbital Starship launches from Starbase, Texas, this morning. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket reached Earth orbit today for the first time before being brought home early, Alex Fitzpatrick reports. An explosion was visible on the company's livestream just after Starship touched down in the Pacific Ocean. The cause remains unclear. 🚀 The massive, fully reusable Starship is key to SpaceX's commercial spaceflight ambitions. NASA is counting on a modified version for use as a lunar lander in its Artemis program. Starship launched from South Texas just before 9 a.m. ET on a planned test flight of about 10 hours. It was set to orbit Earth about six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile. But SpaceX decided to bring it back to Earth after only about three hours. As part of the mission, Starship deployed 26 of the company's new, better-performing Starlink V3 internet satellites. Crowds watch this morning's Starship launch. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images 🌎 SpaceX said in a mission summary: "Flight tests until this point have intentionally flown passively safe suborbital trajectories to maximize public safety while allowing for maximum learning." "By going to orbit, the next phase of developing Starship to be fully and rapidly reusable can begin." What's next: SpaceX plans to eventually "catch" Starship in the arms of its launch tower — a feat it's accomplished with Super Heavy, but not Starship — but didn't make the attempt this time. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30 Author Members Posted September 30 > Rod Stewart announces 21-date "The Final Encore Tour," says it will be the last tour of his career (More, scroll for schedule) | Stevie Wonder shares four previously unreleased tracks from "Songs in the Key of Life" (More, w/songs) > Senate passes bipartisan college sports bill to regulate payments and restrict transfers, sending it to House (More) | National Women's Soccer League unveils Atlanta expansion club's name, colors, and crest; team will debut in 2028 (More) > National Hockey League play returns as the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers to open the 2026-27 regular season tonight (More) | See full schedule (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30 Author Members Posted September 30 👋 Good morning! Happy GeoSports day to you and yours. In today's edition: The NHL is back, the Protect College Sports Act passes the Senate, Bears crush Eagles on "MNF," American cyclist scores stunning victory, MLB postseason power rankings, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎓 PCSA passes Senate: U.S. senators on Monday overwhelmingly voted to pass the Protect College Sports Act, representing a historic moment for the NCAA. But the question that looms now is whether the bipartisan bill will pass in the House, where it faces a far tougher challenge. 🏈 Welcome back, Case! The Bears crushed the Eagles, 27-7, on "Monday Night Football" behind a stellar game from veteran QB Case Keenum (24/34, 247 yards, 3 total TD), who was making his first NFL start since 2023. Philadelphia's loss leaves the Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings and 49ers as the only undefeated teams left through three weeks. 🏀 Lynx win Coach, ROY: Minnesota's Olivia Miles was named the unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year, while Cheryl Reeves was named Coach of the Year for a record fifth time. Now, they'll try to avoid getting swept on the road tonight against the 8th-seeded Liberty. 🏀 Year 24 loading: LeBron James addressed the media for the first time as a member of the 76ers at the NBA's annual media day on Monday. Topics covered included his unwavering championship mindset and that he "had visions" of joining the Knicks, but changed his mind after they won the title. 🏈 NFL news: The Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings for a fifth-round pick to provide depth at QB following Jaxson Dart's injury; Dolphins star RB De’Von Achane and Giants star pass rusher Brian Burns will both miss the rest of the season after tearing their ACLs. 🏒 PUCK DROP THE NHL IS BACK Caption The NHL returns to action tonight, as the puck drops on the league's 110th season — and first since 1993-94 to feature an 84-game schedule. Preseason title favorites: The Hurricanes and Panthers, who've combined to win the last three Stanley Cups, open as co-favorites to hoist the chalice next spring. Hurricanes (+650): Rod Brind'Amour's squad will try to become the fourth team in the past decade to repeat as champions, and they'll do so with a roster that looks almost identical to last season's title-winning outfit. Why mess with success, I guess? Panthers (+650): The talent here is undeniable, with newly-acquired Brady Tkakchuk joining his brother Matthew in Florida alongside steady veteran Sam Reinhart and the return of superstar Aleksander Barkov, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Avalanche (+700): Like the Canes, the Avs return most of the players who powered their Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign last season. It helps when you have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, two of the five best players in the sport. Oilers (+800): Speaking of dynamic duos, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will try yet again to lead this team to the promised land, as Edmonton carries the flag for a nation still seeking its first Stanley Cup in over three decades (1993 Canadiens). Golden Knights (+850): Vegas almost pulled off the unthinkable last year, reaching the Stanley Cup Final after changing coaches in the final month of the regular season. Let's see how they fare this year under rookie head coach (and longtime Vegas assistant) Ryan Craig. Names to watch: Countless figures will come to define this season, but these three are worth keeping a particularly close eye on. Connor Hellebuyck: The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has been with the Jets since he was a rookie in 2015, but that relationship seems to be coming to the end after he requested a trade out of Winnipeg this summer. The league's best goalie is currently suspended without pay amid his holdout, and remains under contract through 2030-31. Mike Babcock: Edmonton's new head coach* was a rather surprising hire given the longtime bench boss faced numerous allegations of mental abuse from players during his NHL career. "I am absolutely shocked they hired him," said Oilers legend Mark Messier. But Edmonton's players vetted him themselves, and the NHL's investigation concluded "there is no current basis to restrict his employment. Alex Ovechkin: The league's all-time leading goal scorer (929) begins his 22nd season at age 41 following yet another campaign in which he led the Capitals in goals (32) and points (64). This may or may not be his final season, and for now he'll hope his play on the ice distracts from his controversial appearance in a recent video supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's political party. Go deeper: Strengths, weaknesses and X factors for every team (ESPN) *Coaching carousel: Babcock was one of five new head coaches hired this offseason. The others: Peter Laviolette (Kings), Jim Hiller (Maple Leafs), Manny Malhotra (Canucks) and Ryan Craig (Golden Knights). 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) 🚴 33 years Brandon McNulty stunned the field on Sunday at the cycling world championships, becoming the first American cyclist in 33 years to hold the title of road racing world champion. The last one to do so? Lance Armstrong in 1993. What he's saying: "I'm really at a loss for words. Until the last 300 meters I didn't believe it, I was so tired," said the 28-year-old Phoenix native. "I knew something could happen but it would take a miracle. I guess today, a miracle happened." (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) 🏈 115-35 With Sunday's win over the Dolphins, Patrick Mahomes improved to 115-35 in his career, matching Tom Brady's record for the most wins in NFL history through a QB's first 150 starts (including postseason). But that's only where the similarities begin between the GOAT and his heir apparent. Pretty eerie: Through those first 150 games, Brady and Mahomes both went exactly 98-31 in the regular season and 17-4 in the playoffs. They both went 5-2 in their first seven AFC Championships and 3-2 in their first five Super Bowls. And they both tore their ACL and missed the playoffs in their ninth season. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) ⚾️ 100 losses The Angels lost 100 games this season for the first time in franchise history (62-100), which is sort of surprising given their long history of mediocrity. Even more surprising? They had been the only active team without such a season on their ledger. Welcome to the club, fellas. Most and fewest: No franchise has more 100-loss seasons than the Athletics (18), while the Phillies (14), Orioles (13), Braves (13) and Pirates (10) are the others with at least 10. On the other end, the Brewers and Giants join the Angels as the only teams with just one such season, while the Dodgers, Yankees, Reds and Diamondbacks have two each. Curry poses for a photo during Monday's media day. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo) 🏀 $652 million Stephen Curry's two-year, $116 million extension pushed his career on-court earnings to $652 million, the most by any player in NBA history. Add that to his new 10-year, $400 million endorsement deal with Li-Ning, and it's been an awfully lucrative summer for the greatest shooter of all time. $500M club: Curry is the only NBA player with more than $600 million in past or active contracts, but there are seven others in the $500M club: Kevin Durant ($598M), LeBron James ($592M), Kawhi Leonard ($543M), Paul George ($519M), Joel Embiid ($515M), Donovan Mitchell ($514M) and James Harden ($510M). ⚾️ ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES MLB PLAYOFF POWER RANKINGS (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) The unpredictable gauntlet that is the MLB postseason begins today, so before the first pitch is thrown let's rank the 12 clubs still chasing a championship, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman. Dodgers (100-62): They've looked much more vulnerable this season, but the two-time defending champions hold onto the top spot until someone knocks them off their perch. Brewers (103-59): With Jacob Misiorowski, Jackson Chourio and more, it's time to see whether Milwaukee's regular-season success will finally translate to October. Rays (98-64): Tampa Bay had the fourth-lowest payroll in the majors but the third-best record, which stands out even more after the AL featured just two 90-win teams. Padres (91-71): For the first time in franchise history, San Diego has reached the playoffs three years in a row. And this time they enter with MLB's best record since late July. Braves (94-68): After an uncharacteristic down year, Atlanta is back and looking as dangerous as ever. That starts with Chris Sale, making his Braves playoff debut tonight. Yankees (93-68): The question of greatest intrigue across the tri-state area is whether or not Aaron Judge (calf) will be on the Wild Card roster. We'll find out shortly. Cubs (89-73): Pitching remains a question mark, but a team with the league's best offense and defense has to feel pretty good entering the playoffs, right? Guardians (85-77): Cleveland always seems to find a way to reach the postseason, but that hasn't changed the fact that their 77-year title drought is the longest in baseball. Phillies (88-74): If everything clicks, few teams can match the high-end talent of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo. Red Sox (87-75): They enter the playoffs in a bit of a slump, but we've seen what they can do when they get hot (i.e. go on a 32-5 run to completely turn their season around). White Sox (84-78): After three consecutive 100-loss seasons, no team is playing with house money quite like the Southsiders. Astros (81-81): Yes, they played .500 ball this season. But they also led the majors in HR, boast the likely MVP in Yordan Alvarez and still have Josh Hader to close things out. Crazier things have happened. 🏀 GO DEEPER GOOD READS: NBA EDITION (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) With the NBA season tipping off in three weeks and training camps beginning today, here's just a taste of the content our experts have been producing in preparation for the league's 81st campaign. Kevin O'Connor: NBA Pressure Rankings: Who faces the most heat this season? Training camp is the time of year when everybody in the NBA gets to believe things will be different. But some people need more than a good media day; they need a season that changes the conversation about their careers. Here are the 10 players, coaches and executives feeling the most heat entering this season. (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) Dan Devine: The NBA's 5 most interesting newcomers Here are the five most interesting folks who joined a new team this summer, from LeBron James' pursuit of a fifth title in Philadelphia, to Ja Morant's much-needed career reset in Portland, and beyond. (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) Steve Jones: NBA dark-horse contenders? Raptors, Warriors among teams that could make unexpected run Seemingly every season, an unlikely team emerges as a serious threat to make a deep run in the playoffs. So let's roll the dice on some teams that look like they might fit the bill, whether they're already good and simply being slept on, or could steadily improve throughout the season. 📆 ON THIS DAY SEPT. 29, 1954: THE CATCH (New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images) 72 years ago today, Willie Mays made the most iconic catch in baseball history — an over-the-shoulder grab in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series that just about every kid who's ever worn a glove has tried to emulate. Clutch catch: The score was tied 2-2 in the eighth with two on and no outs when Cleveland's Vic Wertz crushed a fly ball to the Polo Grounds' uniquely deep center field. Mays tracked it down, then turned and threw a bullet to second base to stop the go-ahead run from scoring. Two innings later, his Giants hit a walk-off homer before going on to sweep the series. (Bettman Archive/Getty Images) "I always played shallow when I was young. I didn't think nobody could hit a ball over my head," Mays later recalled. "When Vic hit the ball, in my mind, I was always going to catch [it]. … Everyone said, 'Well, it was a hard catch.' I said, 'Nah, it was an easy catch.'" What a legend. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, SEPT. 29 (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ MLB Wild Card The postseason begins today with all four best-of-three Wild Card series kicking off at the higher seed's stadium: Phillies at Braves (2pm ET, NBC); White Sox at Astros (5pm, Peacock/NBCSN); Red Sox at Yankees (8pm, NBC); Cubs at Padres (10pm, Peacock/NBCSN). Pitching matchups: Jesús Luzardo (PHI) vs. Chris Sale (ATL) in Atlanta, Payton Tolle (BOS) vs. Cam Schlittler (NYY) in New York, Matthew Boyd (CHC) vs. Michael King (SD) in San Diego, and a bullpen game in Houston started by Hagen Smith (CWS) and AJ Blubaugh (HOU). 🏒 NHL Opening Night Tonight's season-opening tripleheader on ESPN kicks off with a matchup between the two most recent Stanley Cup winners, as the defending champion Hurricanes host the Panthers in Raleigh (5pm). Then the Bruins host the Rangers in prime time (8pm) and the Golden Knights host the Blackhawks in the nightcap (10:30pm). Plus: The only other games tonight are Canadiens at Maple Leafs (7pm) and Canucks at Oilers (10pm) in a pair of all-Canadian battles. 🏀 WNBA Playoffs Two teams can clinch a spot in the semifinals tonight, as the Aces (up 1-0) visit the Fever (6:30pm, Prime) and the Liberty (up 1-0) host the Lynx (8:30pm, USA) in Game 2 of their best-of-three series. No. 1 and done? Top-seeded Minnesota suddenly finds itself on the brink of elimination on the road. Can Olivia Miles and Co. send the series back to Minneapolis, or will the Liberty become the first 8-seed to win a playoff series under the current best-of-three format (since 2022)? More to watch: ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Chile (8pm, TNT) … St. Louis hosts the Americans' second game of the international break. ⚽️ UEFA Nations League: Spain vs. Croatia (2:45pm, FS1) … La Roja seek to extend their historic unbeaten run to 40 straight matches in today's group-stage tilt. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🌎 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and we'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography. Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Thursday at 07:59 PM Author Members Posted Thursday at 07:59 PM 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Braves, White Sox, Yankees and Padres win Game 1, Liberty eliminate Lynx, what's next for the PCSA, Heisman snapshot, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ EPL drops bombshell: The Premier League confirmed that an independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the league's financial rules. That includes the arrangement of "sham" contracts with commercial partners that artificially inflated the club's revenues and reduced costs by $1.2 billion over nine seasons. Prepare for some potentially serious sanctions. 🏀 Winning Vegas bid coming soon: The NBA is expected to announce the winning bid for a Las Vegas expansion team "in the very near future." The deal is expected to be worth at least $12 billion, and the three finalist groups are Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie, Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry, and Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo. 💵 MJ jersey sets record: The jersey Michael Jordan wore during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold at auction for $12.3 million, the most ever paid for an NBA jersey. The record it broke? $10.1 million… for a different jersey of his worn during the same Finals. 🏈 Prices slashed: The NFL slashed ticket prices down to just over $100 for this weekend's Commanders-Colts game in London in an effort to fill the 62,000-seat Tottenham Stadium, which still had about 2,000 seats available 10 days before the game. 🔥 One relay, 50 states: The Olympic Torch Relay in the lead-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Games will visit all 50 states for the first time ever. Its first stop? Atlanta, which hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics and is the last U.S. city to do so. ⚾️ WILD CARD FOUR SEASONS ON THE BRINK Austin Riley celebrates his 3-run homer. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) The MLB postseason kicked off on Tuesday, and while these four series are far from over, history suggests the Braves, White Sox, Yankees and Padres are in very good shape. 15-1: Since the best-of-three Wild Card Round was introduced in 2022, Game 1 winners have gone on to win 15 of the 16 series. The lone exception? Last year's Yankees, who rallied to win Games 2 and 3 against the Red Sox. Can Boston return the favor this year? Scoreboard: Braves 5, Phillies 3: Atlanta trailed 3-2 with two on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth when Austin Riley — who's endured the worst season of his career (.654 OPS) — came to the plate. One pitch later he played the hero, hitting a game-winning, three-run homer to completely change the narrative of his disappointing campaign. White Sox 6, Astros 3: Chicago outlasted Houston in this two-sided bullpen game that featured 13 pitchers throwing a combined 305 pitches. It can't have hurt that the White Sox received a letter before the game from their most famous fan, as Pope Leo XIV invoked "the Almighty's abundant blessings" upon team owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Yankees 9, Red Sox 0: No Aaron Judge, no problem. After their ailing captain was left off the Wild Card roster, the Yanks got everything they needed and more from presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler (6.1 IP, 10 K, 2 H) and lefty slugger Ben Rice (4-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI), who capped off the rout with a grand slam that electrified Yankee Stadium. Padres 8, Cubs 0: San Diego ended the season as the hottest team in baseball and clearly lost no momentum as the playoffs began, dominating the Cubs behind a masterpiece from Michael King (7 IP, 8 K, 1 H) — who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning — and home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. What to watch: All four Game 2's are today, as the Phillies, Astros, Red Sox and Cubs will attempt to keep their seasons alive and force a decisive Game 3. 🎓 PCSA COLLEGE SPORTS ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking earlier this month at a news conference about the PCSA, which he co-sponsored. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Politicians on both sides of the Senate aisle have declared their overwhelming belief that college sports require protection from Congress. But theirs is only one vote of support in a process that could become even more turbulent. ICYMI: The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate on Monday night, with remarkably bipartisan support delivering a lopsided 77-22 vote in favor. What does it say: The bill aims to codify long-term solutions to the myriad hot-button issues that have sown chaos across the college sports landscape. Revenue-share cap: On top of the approximately $21 million in revenue sharing allowed under the House settlement, schools will have an additional $22.5 million retention fund for existing players and a $5 million pool for women's and non-revenue sports. Third parties: Multimedia rights companies and third parties (i.e. apparel sponsors) must certify that the school did not fund NIL compensation for athletes, nor negotiate or determine the amount paid to athletes. Eligibility: Codifies the NCAA's policy allowing athletes to compete for five calendar years beginning at the sooner of the date of enrollment or the start of the academic year following the athlete's 19th birthday. Transfers: Undergraduate athletes can transfer only once without sitting out a year (graduate students can transfer without delay). All players can transfer without restriction if, for example, there is a head coaching change or their school discontinues their sport. Antitrust exemption: The NCAA receives a limited antitrust exemption to enforce the compensation, transfer, and eligibility rules. Conference expansion: Power conferences can't expand beyond 20 schools, and schools must go independent for three years before switching conferences. The latter provision sunsets in six years (conveniently coinciding with the expiration of existing media deals). Media rights: Schools can pool their media rights, provided 75% of FBS schools agree to participate. This cannot happen until existing deals expire. Coaches: Coaches cannot change jobs mid-season, though they can accept a new job. An amendment to cap their compensation and further restrict their movement failed. Don't bet the House: The bill now moves to the House, where there is abundant uncertainty both about the timing of a vote and the prospects of passage. A vote is unlikely before the midterms, and results at the ballot box could impact the appetite for one. As one Democratic House staff member told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: "That bill is dead." This was written by Dylan Dittrich for today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, landing in inboxes in a few hours. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo) New York After dominating the regular season, the top-seeded Lynx are out of the playoffs without winning a game, losing 87-71 to the Liberty on Tuesday as New York became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in WNBA history. Meanwhile, in Indianapolis: The Fever forced a Game 3 against the Aces with a 99-89 victory behind Caitlin Clark's monster performance (27-7-15) — the first 25-point, 15-assist game in WNBA history. (Cato Cataldo/NHLI via Getty Images) Raleigh The NHL season began with the defending champion Hurricanes raising their Stanley Cup banner, but the visiting Panthers spoiled the celebration after Gustav Forsling lit the lamp with just four seconds left in overtime for a 1-0 win. Elsewhere: The Canucks outlasted the Oilers, 6-5 (OT), in a slugfest; the Canadiens beat the Maple Leafs, 3-2; the Bruins shut out the Rangers, 3-0; the Golden Knights crushed the Blackhawks, 5-2. Albert is swarmed by his teammates after scoring his historic goal. (Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) St. Louis The USMNT came back to beat Chile, 4-2, in Tuesday's friendly behind a flurry of second-half goals including one in stoppage time from Mathis Albert, who at 17 years and four months became the youngest scorer in program history. Farewell, Tim: Before the game, World Cup captain Tim Ream announced his retirement from international soccer. The St. Louis native was then honored with a pregame ceremony in his hometown, celebrating the 86 appearances he made for the USMNT over the last 16 years. 🏈 EARLY FRONTRUNNERS HEISMAN SNAPSHOT (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) We're roughly one-quarter of the way through the college football season, and thus far three players stand above the rest as favorites for the Heisman Trophy. Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State): The Buckeyes junior is the betting favorite (+275), leading the nation in receiving yards (617) and touchdowns (7), while ranking fourth in receptions (33). On Saturday he became the fifth player in Big Ten history with at least 3,000 career receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns, and he's on pace to break Jaxon Smith-Njigba's school record for receiving yards in a season (1,606 in 2021). If he keeps up this pace, he could become the fifth wide receiver* ever to win the Heisman, and just the second in the past 35 years. Darian Mensah (QB, Miami): The sensational signal-caller (+400) has been worth every penny Miami gave him to transfer from Duke, throwing for 1,211 yards and an FBS-best 14 touchdowns against zero interceptions for the fourth-ranked Hurricanes. How's this for a wild stat: He's thrown more touchdowns (14) than incompletions (12), becoming the first FBS player to do that through four games in the last 30 years. He'll slow down eventually (right?), but as it stands his 228.2 passing efficiency rating would shatter the single-season record (208.0, set by LSU's Jayden Daniels in 2023). Kamario Taylor (QB, Mississippi State): The first two players were expected to be near the top of this list, but Taylor (+700) has elbowed his way into the race with four otherworldly games after opening the season at 150-1. The 6-foot-4 gunslinger has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns (tied with Mensah atop the leaderboard) against just two interceptions, while adding 185 yards and a score on the ground, too. Last year as a true freshman he was the backup on a team that went 5-8; now he's the starter for the undefeated Bulldogs, who at No. 16 are ranked for the first time since 2022. *The others: Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers (1972), Notre Dame's Tim Brown (1987), Michigan's Desmond Howard (1991) and Alabama's Devonta Smith (2020). Colorado's Travis Hunter also won in 2024, but he played as both a receiver and cornerback. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30 Yankee Stadium before Game 1. (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) ⚾️ MLB Wild Card All four best-of-three series continue today, meaning as many as four teams could punch their ticket to the next round: Phillies (down 1-0) at Braves (2pm ET, NBC); White Sox (up 1-0) at Astros (5pm, Peacock); Red Sox (down 1-0) at Yankees (8pm, NBC); Cubs (down 1-0) at Padres (10pm, Peacock). Right guy for the job: The Phillies will turn to Cristopher Sánchez tonight with their season on the line, and they've got to like their chances. The lefty tied for the most wins (18) and quality starts (22) in the majors this year, and led all pitchers with 8.1 WAR. 🏀 WNBA Playoffs Different sport, same stakes, as two teams could clinch a spot in the semifinals while the other two will try to force a decisive Game 3: Dream (up 1-0) at Mystics (7pm, ESPN); Valkyries (up 1-0) at Wings (9pm, ESPN). Queen of the glass: Atlanta's Angel Reese led the league with 12.12 rebounds per game this season. The only marks better than that in WNBA history? Reese last year (12.57) and Reese the year before as a rookie (13.12). Decent. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Penguins at Flyers (7:30pm, TNT); Kings at Avalanche (10pm, TNT) … The Battle of Pennsylvania headlines the second day of the NHL season. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Roma vs. Barcelona (12:45pm, CBSSN) … One of five games to open Matchday 2. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. ⚾ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Bob Levey/Getty Images) Question: Can you name the only five active MLB franchises that have never won a World Series? Hint: Three are in this year's postseason. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 JOURNEYMEN LUCKY NO. 7 (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) With his victory for the Bears on "Monday Night Football," Case Keenum has now won a game as the starting QB for seven different teams, tying Ryan Fitzpatrick for the most in NFL history. The list: Keenum's wins have come with the Bears, Browns, Broncos, Commanders, Vikings, Rams and Texans. Fitzpatrick's came with the Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers and Dolphins. Trivia answer: Rays, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Rockies Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Friday at 10:19 PM Author Members Posted Friday at 10:19 PM 🎃 Good morning! Happy October. In today's edition: 61 straight days of football, White Sox, Padres and Yankees complete sweeps, NFL power rankings, NHL valuations, Fantasy Basketball is back, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Wings survive, Dream advance: The Wings beat the Valkyries, 108-100 (OT), to force Game 3 behind a WNBA postseason-record 45 points from Arike Ogunbowale; the Dream cruised past the Mystics, 93-75, to complete the sweep and advance to the semifinals. 🏈 CFP inches closer to expansion: College Football Playoff leaders met on Wednesday for the first time since entering into a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN over an expanded field. The consensus: A doubling of the CFP to 24 teams feels like a foregone conclusion. 🏀 Historic viewership: In the first year of its new media deal, the WNBA posted its best regular-season viewership numbers since 2000. Games averaged 771,000 viewers, up 17% compared to last year, and a total of 51 games eclipsed 1 million viewers. 🏒 Penguins 7, Flyers 0: Wednesday's Battle of Pennsylvania was a bit of a lopsided affair, with the visiting Penguins recording the largest road shutout in a season opener in NHL history. ⚽️ Ronaldo leaves camp: Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's national team training camp on Wednesday following a reported rift with manager Jorge Jesus. His decision came after learning he wouldn't be starting today's Nations League match against Denmark. 🏈 HAPPY FALL FOOTBALL HEAVEN IS UPON US (Giphy) Summer may be over, but the football gods have provided us with very fair compensation as fall gets underway: Starting today, there's at least one NFL or college football game every day for the next 61 days. Hallelujah. Games we're most excited for: There are nearly 1,000 games scheduled between tonight's "Thursday Night Football" matchup in Cleveland and "Monday Night Football" on Nov. 30 in Tampa Bay. Here are five in the NFL and five in college we're particularly excited to watch. Chiefs at Raiders (Oct. 4): For the first time since both franchises debuted in 1960, they've both started the season 3-0. And they just so happen to be squaring off this Sunday. No. 2 Georgia at No. 7 Alabama (Oct. 10): The Bulldogs or Crimson Tide have won each of the last six SEC championships, and look plenty capable of making that seven in a row. No. 8 Florida at No. 1 Texas (Oct. 17): The resurgent Gators and top-ranked Longhorns might have something to say about that, though. No. 5 Ohio State at No. 6 Indiana (Oct. 17): The Big Ten title game rematch doubles as a very likely Big Ten title game preview. Ravens at Bills (Nov. 1): I defy you not to get excited about Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson. No. 4 Miami at No. 3 Notre Dame (Nov. 7): The Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney show visits CJ Carr and the Irish in a battle of Heisman hopefuls. Steelers at Bengals (Nov. 15): Love him or hate him, Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest players this game has ever seen. You could do worse than watching him take on Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. Vikings vs. 49ers (Nov. 22): "Sunday Night Football" in Mexico City? Between arguably the two best teams in the NFC? Yes, please. NFL on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26): This trio of games is too good to pick just one. Bears at Lions, Eagles at Cowboys, and then Chiefs at Bills in prime time. Fill your plate, find a seat on the couch, and enjoy. Michigan at No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 28): Doesn't matter the year. Doesn't matter their ranking or records. "The Game" is always appointment television. Honorable mention: No. 23 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon (Oct. 10); No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 1 Texas (Oct. 24); Chiefs at Seahawks on "SNF" (Oct. 25); No. 8 Florida at No. 2 Georgia (Oct. 31); No. 7 Alabama at No. 11 LSU (Nov. 7); Raiders at 49ers (Nov. 😎; Bills at Vikings on "MNF" (Nov. 9) ⚾️ SURVIVE AND ADVANCE IN PHOTOS: WILD CARD WEDNESDAY (Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Four teams had a chance to clinch their spot in the Division Series on Wednesday, and three got the job done. Sorry, Braves — you've still got some work left to do. Houston Just when it looked like the Astros might claw back into this one, White Sox 2B Chase Meidroth crushed a towering 3-run homer to give Chicago the cushion it needed for a series-clinching 7-3 win. It's the first playoff series victory for the Southsiders since the 2005 World Series. Quote of the year: "Imagine a Jewish kid from Brooklyn getting a letter from the Pope," White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said after the game, referencing the mail he received on Tuesday from Chicago native and Sox fan Pope Leo XIV. "I'm going to convert." (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) San Diego The best offense in baseball was no match for the sport's hottest team, as the Padres again dominated the Cubs in a 4-1 win to complete the sweep behind a pinch-hit homer from Gavin Sheets and 5.2 shutout innings from the bullpen. Disappearing act: The cruelty of the postseason is that anything can happen over a small enough sample, and the Cubs just became the first team in MLB history to lead the majors in scoring during the regular season and then score one or fewer runs in a playoff series. (Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) New York Well, that wasn't even a little close. After winning 9-0 in Game 1, the Yankees finished the job with a 9-2 rout in Game 2, eliminating the Red Sox for the second straight season. The exclamation point came courtesy of Cody Bellinger, whose 3-run homer turned the win into a laugher. By the numbers: The Yankees out-hit the Red Sox in this series, 26-7, and outscored them 18-2, proving they did not need Aaron Judge to sweep their bitter rivals. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Atlanta There's never a dull moment when the Braves and Phillies meet on the diamond, and this was no exception as Philly kept its season alive with three late homers — including the unlikely game-winner from Alec Bohm — to secure a 4-3 comeback victory in the 10th inning. They'll be back out there tonight for Game 3. Bryce's redemption: Philly nearly fumbled the game away after Bryce Harper's misplayed fly ball in the seventh inning gave Atlanta the lead. But then Kyle Schwarber and Harper went back-to-back to open the eighth inning and set the stage for Bohm's later heroics. "I wasn't not trying to hit a homer, I can tell you that," he said with a smile postgame. 🏈 RISERS AND FALLERS NFL POWER RANKINGS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) This week's NFL power rankings feature two newcomers to the Top 10, with the Broncos climbing to No. 8 and the Raiders — make that the undefeated Raiders — jumping all the way to No. 10 after matching their entire 2025 win total just three weeks into the season. Up and down: The biggest risers this week were the aforementioned No. 10 Raiders (up 8 spots), the No. 23 Falcons (up 8), the No. 17 Steelers (up 6) and the No. 21 Commanders (up 6). The biggest fallers were the No. 22 Patriots (down 11), the No. 12 Bengals (down 7), and a quartet of teams who fell five spots each: No. 14 Eagles, No. 24 Texans, No. 25 Packers and No. 30 Buccaneers. 🏒 NHL TEAM PRICES THE PUCK DROPPED, BUT VALUATIONS DIDN'T (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Before the season's first puck dropped on Tuesday night, Kurt Badenhausen and the team at Sportico released their NHL team valuations. Unlike the puck, none of those dropped. By the numbers: The average NHL team valuation is $2.43 billion, up 16% from the prior year. Collectively, the league's 32 franchises are worth $78 billion. Most valuable: Maple Leafs ($4.8B) Least valuable: Blue Jackets ($1.5B) Biggest gainer: Islanders (+40%)* In good company: NHL team valuations have grown 160% over the last five years, trailing only the NFL's 166% among the "Big Four" leagues and climbing into competition with MLB. The NHL's lowest team valuation (Blue Jackets, $1.5B) is now slightly higher than the lowest in Sportico's MLB rankings (Marlins, $1.45B). The NHL's appeal has increased in part because of a comparatively stable and ownership-friendly CBA. This piece first appeared in Wednesday’s edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter. Sign up here to get on the list. *The Islanders recently reached an agreement to sell approximately 15% of the team to multiple investors at a $3 billion valuation, according to Sportico. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 1 Alec Bohm rounds the bases after his 10th-inning homer in Game 2. (Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) ⚾️ Phillies at Braves, Game 3 Atlanta hosts Philadelphia tonight (8pm ET, NBC) with the last spot in the Division Series on the line. Winner moves on to face the Dodgers, loser goes home. Can Atlanta end its drought? The Braves are 0-3 in postseason series since winning the 2021 World Series, and two of those three losses came against the Phillies. Will their NL East rivals get the best of them again? 🏀 WNBA Playoffs It's win or go home tonight in Sin City (9pm, USA), where the defending champion Aces host the Fever for a spot in the semifinals. Stars collide: In Game 1, A'ja Wilson became the first player in WNBA history with at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 75% shooting in a game. In Game 2, Caitlin Clark became the first player in WNBA history with at least 25 points and 15 assists in a game. What kind of history will we see tonight? 🏈 Steelers at Browns Cleveland hosts Pittsburgh on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15pm, Prime) in a matchup of two teams unexpectedly sitting at 2-1. Pittsburgh's road woes: Can the Steelers reverse their fortunes at Huntington Bank Field? They've won just one of their last eight games in Cleveland dating back to 2018, with three of those losses coming on Thursday nights. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Lightning at Rangers (7pm, ESPN+); Panthers at Sharks (10pm, ESPN+) … Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov (TB) and young superstar Macklin Celebrini (SJ) make their season debuts. ⛳️ PGA: Bank of Utah Championship (9:45am, ESPN+; 5pm, Golf) … Jackson Koivun and Max Homa headline the field at Black Desert Resort. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Man City vs. Real Madrid (3pm, Paramount+) … One of four games to close out Matchday 2. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME Russell played in 26 games for the Mavericks last season. (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images) D'Angelo Russell, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, is leaving the NBA and signing with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Question: Who was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 Draft? Hint: Timberwolves. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 DRAFT NOW FANTASY BASKETBALL IS BACK! Yahoo Fantasy Basketball is back! The NBA season tips off in just under three weeks, but there's no time like the present to draft your squad. Play in a private league or join a public one to compete against other fans all season long. Try "High Score": Traditional formats remain available, but High Score offers a streamlined version of the game if you feel like a change of pace that's less of a daily grind. Rosters are trimmed to 10 players and weekly lineups are limited to just six starters, with only their highest-scoring game of the week counting toward your total. Trivia answer: Karl-Anthony Towns Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Sunday at 02:25 AM Author Members Posted Sunday at 02:25 AM 🎉 Yahoo! It’s Friday! You made it. Notable quotable: “Absolutely not,” said Victor Wembanyama on Thursday when asked if he’d ever sign a deal with a sports betting company, as some of his peers have. “I would never do that. Honestly, I think it’s very sad to see some players promote it.” In today’s edition: Braves eliminate Phillies, Aces eliminate Fever, Browns improve to 3-1, Behind the Lens, the NHL’s wealthy youth movement, Weekend Watchlist, Guess the Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ DIVISION SERIES 12 TEAMS ENTERED, 8 REMAIN Michael Harris II celebrates after Atlanta’s series-clinching victory. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) The Braves bounced back from a deflating Game 2 loss to defeat the Phillies, 6-2, on Thursday night in Atlanta and eliminate their division rivals, who have now lost four straight winner-take-all games dating back to 1980. ICYMI: Three shutdown innings from an improbable source, 32-year-old southpaw Ray Kerr, set the tone. Michael Harris II hopped on a first-inning Aaron Nola sinker for a three-run tank, and the rest was epilogue. The Braves now head to Los Angeles, where a familiar foe awaits. (Yahoo Sports) What’s next: All four best-of-five Division Series begin on Saturday, with Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Los Angeles hosting Game 1. Brewers vs. Padres: Milwaukee’s prize for winning a franchise-record 103 games? A date with the hottest team in baseball. But let’s not forget who we’re talking about here. The Brewers went 15-3 down the stretch themselves, and get to start Jacob Misiorowski twice if the series goes long enough. Rays vs. Yankees: New York mashes homers and has MLB’s second-highest payroll, while Tampa Bay plays small-ball and has the fourth-lowest payroll. One notable similarity between these AL East rivals? They both shove. The Yankees led the majors in ERA (3.24), while the Rays led the majors in WHIP (1.14). Guardians vs. White Sox: Chicago led the AL Central for most of the summer before Cleveland stole the division with a September surge. Now they’ll meet in a series featuring some of MLB’s best rookies, including Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami (35 HR) and Cleveland’s Parker Messick (12-9, 2.56 ERA). Braves vs. Dodgers: Los Angeles’ bid to become baseball’s first three-peat champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees begins against a team that gave them fits all season. Atlanta won five of six meetings, but now faces a rested Dodgers rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Go deeper: Division Series previews, predictions and more 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 🏈 Cleveland, Ohio The Browns are 3-1 and alone atop the AFC North after beating the Steelers, 27-24, on “Thursday Night Football” for their third straight victory. Pittsburgh erased a 14-point deficit and tied the game in the final two minutes, but Deshaun Watson led Cleveland into field-goal range and Andre Szmyt drilled a 56-yarder with 10 seconds left to win it. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) 🏀 Las Vegas, Nevada For the second consecutive year, the Aces ended the Fever’s season — this time with a 94-83 victory in Game 3 to secure their eighth straight trip to the WNBA semifinals. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson powered the home team with 36 points and 10 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray came alive late to tally 23 points alongside five assists. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) 🏒 New York, New York Igor Shesterkin beat the Lightning at both ends of the ice on Thursday, stopping 24 of 25 shots and scoring on an empty net to lift the Rangers to a 5-1 win in their home opener. He’s just the 18th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal and first to do it for the Rangers. Two games into the season, he’s tied for the team lead in goals. 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Maja Hitij/Getty Images) Each week, Yahoo Sports AM goes "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to share the stories behind the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: The second wave of runners takes off along the famous Straße des 17. Juni at the start of the Berlin Marathon, as shot from the viewing platform of the Victory Column in the city center. Photographer: Maja Hitij Location: Berlin, Germany Date: Sept. 27 Behind the lens: Take it away, Maja… I usually run the Berlin Marathon myself, so it had been a few years since I photographed it. I was actually quite nervous I wouldn't make it in time, because during the race the city is heavily closed off and the distances between shooting locations can be quite long. So, I packed my gear into my backpack and set off by bike. First thing in the morning I went to check if the Victory Column was open to have a nice general view of the race. After climbing all 285 steps to the viewing platform I realized it was too high up to photograph the elite athletes, so I came back later and climbed up again for the second wave, which is where this image was taken. Around 56,000 runners started the 52nd edition of this World Marathon Major, and I wanted to capture the colors of the autumn trees in Tiergarten Park — quite a famous running spot in Berlin. Luckily, a little sunlight broke through at just the right moment, lighting up some of the trees as thousands of runners began their race. There's something special about watching everyone run past. It brings back memories of standing at that very same starting line myself — when your legs still feel fresh, the excitement is everywhere, and you have no idea how you will feel in the end when you eventually come back to the finish. Equipment and technique: Maja shot this with a Canon R1 100-300mm and a 145mm lens with f/7.1 at a shutter speed of 1/1600th of a second. 🏒 SHOW ME THE MONEY THE NHL'S WEALTHY YOUTH MOVEMENT This offseason brought the NHL's greatest riches to its youngest players, resuming a trend that was halted during and after the pandemic. Youth movement: Four of the top 10 highest-paid players (by average annual value of their contracts) are 22 years old or younger. The average age of those 10 players is 26, comfortably the youngest average of the last decade. Several young stars signed lucrative extensions this offseason, repeatedly usurping the throne as the NHL's highest-paid players in history. Among those shooting to the top of this season's rankings were Leo Carlsson of the Ducks and the Blackhawks' Connor Bedard. The list will likely get even younger next year, as the record extension signed this summer by 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini begins. Not sudden: The shift toward youth appears abrupt. In reality, it's the continuation of a trend that began pre-COVID, when a generation of elite stars like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews signed lucrative, long-term extensions. However, the salary cap flattened in the years following the pandemic, forcing the next wave into more modest bridge contracts. With little cap space to replace them, the NHL's incumbent high-earners remained at the top of the pay scale. The salary cap has returned to strong growth in recent seasons, with continued growth projected into the future. Those increases have allowed teams to resume spending heavily on young talent. The recent expiry of the league's CBA also created a rush of buzzer-beating big-money extensions, as the maximum number of years decreased from eight to seven under the new CBA. Growth investment: The league's teams are deeply invested in the next generation of superstars. Now, the NHL has to make them household names. This was written by Dylan Dittrich and will appear in today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, landing in inboxes soon. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before last season's Vikings-Browns game. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) 🏈 NFL Sunday The Raiders host the Chiefs (4:25pm ET, CBS) in a matchup of undefeated teams, headlining a slate that also features Rams at Eagles (1pm, Fox), Jaguars at Bengals (1pm, CBS), Cowboys at Texans (1pm, Fox), Broncos at 49ers (4:25pm, CBS) and Lions at Panthers (8:20pm, NBC). London calling: Before any of those games kick off, the Commanders and Colts play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (9:30am, NFL) in the first London game of the season. 🏈 College Football Saturday Kamario Taylor and No. 16 Mississippi State host Keelon Russell and No. 7 Alabama (12pm, ABC) in the latest installment of a rivalry that dates to the 19th century. The day’s other ranked matchups: No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa (3:30pm, CBS) and No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri (3:30pm, ABC). Best of the rest: No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina (12pm, ESPN); Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee (3:30pm, ESPN); No. 10 BYU at TCU (7pm, ESPN); No. 4 Miami at Clemson (7:30pm, ABC); Washington at No. 18 USC (7:30pm, NBC); No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado (7:30pm, Fox). ⚾️ MLB Division Series All four series get underway tomorrow, with the Guardians hosting the White Sox (1pm, TBS), the Dodgers hosting the Braves (4pm, Fox), the Rays hosting the Yankees (6:30pm, TBS) and the Brewers hosting the Padres (8:30pm, FS1). On Sunday, the AL gets a breather and the NL plays Game 2. Must-see pitcher: Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski takes the bump today following one of the greatest regular seasons of all time. His .157 opponent batting average is the best ever, his 105.5 MPH fastball is the fastest ever by a starter, and his 0.802 WHIP is the third-lowest by a qualified starter, trailing only 2000 Pedro Martínez (0.737) and 1913 Walter Johnson (0.78). 🏀 WNBA Playoffs The Valkyries host the Wings tonight (9pm, ESPN2) in a winner-take-all Game 3 for the final spot in the semifinals. Can Golden State’s vaunted defense contain Arike Ogunbowale after she erupted for a WNBA postseason-record 45 points in Game 2? Final Four: The winner will join the Dream, Liberty and Aces in the semifinals, which tip off on Sunday. More to watch: ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Mexico (Sat. 10pm, TNT) … The rivals square off outside Phoenix as the Americans look to stay undefeated during this extended break. 🏒 NHL: Rangers at Red Wings (Fri. 6:30pm, TNT); Blues at Stars (Fri. 9pm, TNT); Kraken at Oilers (Sat. 7pm, NHL); Jets at Red Wings (Sun. 1pm, NHL) 🏀 NBA Preseason: Heat vs. Raptors (Sat. 7pm, NBA); Jazz vs. Nuggets (Sun. 7pm, NBA); Warriors vs. Clippers in Hawaii (Sun. 7pm, League Pass) … Preseason tip-off. 🏎️ F1: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sun. 3am, Apple) … Mercedes will look to continue its dominant run after winning 11 of the first 15 races this season. 🏁 NASCAR: Las Vegas (Sun. 5:30pm, USA) … After this weekend, the 10-race Chase will be halfway complete. Plus: 👊 UFC 332 in Salt Lake City (Sat. 8pm, Paramount+); ⛳️ PGA’s Bank of Utah Championship and LPGA’s Lotte Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf); ⚽️ NWSL Week 24 (Fri-Sun, Prime/ABC/CBSSN) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🔍 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this college football team based on the first logo it used? Hint: West Coast. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 SATURDAY'S SLATE MAKE YOUR PICKS! (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) Another week, another chance to climb the leaderboard in our College Football Challenge. Make your picks: This week's games include No. 7 Alabama (-5.5) at No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 5 Ohio State (-13.5) at No. 14 Iowa, and No. 8 Florida (-4.5) at No. 25 Missouri, plus seven more matchups to pick against the spread. Who ya got? 🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: You'll have to burn the midnight oil to enjoy the proceedings this weekend. The final practice session (Sat. 12:30am ET) and qualifying (Sat. 4am) will air for free on Yahoo Sports, while Sunday's race (3am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Trivia answer: Washington Huskies. The team's short-lived "Sun Dodger" mascot (1919-22) alluded to Seattle's rainy weather — a negative characterization many locals disliked. The school introduced the Husky at a basketball game in 1922, and the rest is history. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Sunday at 09:58 PM Author Members Posted Sunday at 09:58 PM 🥅 1 sports thing: Goalie goal! Igor Shesterkin attempts a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin last night became just the 18th netminder in NHL history to score a goal. His third period volley into an open net put the Rangers up 5-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, sealing their home opener victory. 🏒 True "goalie goals" are so rare in hockey because they require a perfect setup — including an empty net after the opposing team pulls their goalie for an extra skater in a desperate bid for a late-game goal. Highlight reel. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted 4 hours ago Author Members Posted 4 hours ago > Max Verstappen wins Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia following 90-minute delay caused by rain and engine software glitches (More) | Watch the race highlights (More) > WNBA semifinals tip off with the Atlanta Dream downing the New York Liberty, and the Golden State Valkyries topping the Las Vegas Aces to grab 1-0 leads in their five-game series (More) | Learn the history of the league in 60 seconds (More via YouTube) > "Avengers: Endgame" retakes top spot as highest-grossing movie ever after theatrical rerelease nudges Marvel film's tally over "Avatar" by around $2M (More) | An exhaustive fan guide on how to watch all MCU films and shows in order (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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